“In 2026, (military) contracts are where the money is, but by taking them, Planet and other California space companies are finding the Pentagon is both an unpredictable customer and a threat to the transparency it has long espoused.” via @raminskibba.bsky.social www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

SF company Planet finds itself on the front lines of Trump admin's war on Iran

Contracts with the U.S. government are testing Planet's reputation for transparency.

sfgate.com

With annotations by @raminskibba.bsky.social, @nadiadrake.bsky.social’s “Voyager 1's Immortal Interstellar Requiem,” originally in @sciam.bsky.social, is one of our selections in The Best Science Stories and How They Work. Pre-order here: www.theopennotebook.com/the-best-sci...

I’m excited to share my first story for @sfgate.com, about California’s first carbon capture & storage project, which is controversial among Kern County locals and environmentalists. www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Locals sue California county over controversial carbon project

A facility in a Kern County oil field aims to bury massive amounts of carbon dioxide.

sfgate.com

I've been seeing a surprising number of people turning to prediction markets rather than polls to gauge public opinion. Good luck with that. Here's my new piece for Undark magazine, where I dig into details with the help of political scientists and economists. undark.org/2026/05/05/p...

Prediction Markets Aren't Likely to Replace Polling

Some analysts think the markets could out-compete polls in newsrooms and more, but the approaches are vastly different.

undark.org

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: SpaceX’s AI moonshot could become the most brilliant gambit in spaceflight history—or a colossal blunder. By @raminskibba.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

SpaceX’s AI pivot promises the stars. Could it cost NASA the moon?

Massive investments in AI may bring synergy and revenue to SpaceX, or could create problems for it and NASA, especially if the AI bubble pops

scientificamerican.com

Lots of people are getting swamped with AI "workslop," and it's a sign of a growing divide between workers and the C-suite on generative AI. I'm excited to share my new story for The Guardian's Reworked series.

The exhaust from numerous rocket launches could soon affect the precariously recovering ozone layer. And spacecraft pollute more when they’re done and burn up in the atmosphere. Read all about it in my new piece for Undark magazine: undark.org/2026/04/06/a...

As Rocket Launches Increase, They May Be Polluting the Skies

Research suggests that rocket exhaust and debris could be threatening the ozone layer, though many uncertainties persist.

undark.org

Save the date for ScienceWriters2026: Join us Sept 25-28 in Corvallis, Oregon for in-person sessions and fabulous local field trips and tours. Bespoke virtual sessions will be offered Oct 14-16. We can't wait to see you online or in person! LEARN MORE: sciencewriters2026.org

Have your requests for records, data, or interviews from federal health agencies been ignored or denied? @healthjournalism.org and @spj-posts.bsky.social are tracking access issues to support advocacy and, when needed, legal action. Reach out: tinyurl.com/5e8u9kdr

Maybe, maybe militaries shouldn’t use generative AI products. There’s already been too many false alarms with nuclear weapons systems on hair-trigger alert. www.newscientist.com/article/2516...

AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations

Leading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases

newscientist.com

What does the clean energy "transition" (or energy addition) look like on the ground? I'm excited to share my new piece, which has been in the works for a while, about the environmental and community debates surrounding lithium mining in California's Salton Sea region. undark.org/2026/02/11/c...

The Clean Energy Transition at the Salton Sea

California holds vast stores of lithium. But mining projects stir debate over environmental costs and economic benefits.

undark.org

Anyone want to comment for an article I'm writing for The Guardian? Have you dealt with AI-generated workslop or know someone who has? If so, let’s talk! hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...

AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity

Despite a surge in generative AI use across workplaces, most companies are seeing little measurable ROI. One possible reason is because AI tools are being used to produce “workslop”—content that appea...

hbr.org

People keep using ChatGPT and other AI bots for mental health questions. Is it actually helping them? Here’s my take in Undark magazine, assessing new research by psychologists and computer scientists. undark.org/2025/11/04/c...

Researchers Weigh the Use of AI for Mental Health

Chatbots weren't designed for mental health, but they are increasingly used for therapy. What are the risks an benefits?

undark.org

ChatGPT and other AI chatbots cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact, according to this new study. Seems important! www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact - Nature Machine Intelligence

Suzgun et al. find that current large language models cannot reliably distinguish between belief, knowledge and fact, raising concerns for their use in healthcare, law and journalism, where such disti...

nature.com

Plus, join us for a panel on reporting strategies and storytelling techniques to reinforce public trust in science with @siricarpenter.bsky.social, @scchak.bsky.social, Emily Laber-Warren, and @raminskibba.bsky.social. You can snag tickets for 50% off with code TON50.

How Journalists Reveal Science as a Human Process through Storytelling - Science Journalism Forum

This panel will explore how journalists can portray science as a human process, with all its uncertainties, challenges, and discoveries. Featuring contributors to The Open Notebook’s forthcoming book,...

sciencejf.com

Come join me for the national Science Writers meeting in Chicago! Discounted registration ends tomorrow. #SciWri25

National Association of Science Writers (NASW)@sciencewriters.org · 11mo ago

REG IS OPEN! We are so excited to bring the science writing community together this fall for #SciWri25. Meet up with colleagues and make new friends online or in person. Early bird discount available until Oct 1. REGISTRATION INFO: sciencewriters2025.o... PROGRAM: sciencewriters2025.o...

Does using generative AI, like ChatGPT, affect our critical thinking? Check out my new piece, where I sift through initial research and figure out what we know and don’t know. undark.org/2025/09/12/c...

Are We Offloading Critical Thinking to Chatbots?

Research, much if it by companies with deep investment in AI, suggests that chatbot interactions alter how users think.

undark.org

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Is Golden Dome, Trump’s missile shield plan, destined to be a pillar of U.S. defense or a trillion-dollar boondoggle? Even the experts don’t know—which probably isn’t a good thing. Important story by @raminskibba.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

Finally looks like the AI bubble is reaching its limit. Most AI companies are not profitable, and according to a new MIT report, 95% of companies investing in generative AI are getting zero returns on all that money. www.ft.com/content/3391...

US tech stocks hit by concerns over future of AI boom

Warning from OpenAI’s Sam Altman and MIT paper puncture Wall Street’s enthusiasm

ft.com

Come join me, @jasonkoebler.bsky.social, @sabs.bsky.social, and @maddiebender.bsky.social on October 24, for a virtual session discussing “How Worker-Owned Media Outlets Can Work.” It’s one of a bunch of events kicking off the national Science Writers meeting! #SciWri25 sciencewriters2025.org

This is described as a "major shift" that's happening now, but Silicon Valley companies have been working with the military-industrial complex for a decade. It's not new! www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/t....

The Militarization of Silicon Valley

nytimes.com

Well this is troubling. Eighty years after the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a horrific civilian toll, it seems like we've learned nothing. www.wired.com/story/nuclea...

Nuclear Experts Say Mixing AI and Nuclear Weapons Is Inevitable

Human judgement remains central to the launch of nuclear weapons. But experts say it’s a matter of when, not if, artificial intelligence will get baked into the world’s most dangerous systems.

wired.com

NASA's been talking about nuclear vs solar on the moon for years, and I guess they're now committed to launching and building a nuclear reactor. I don't know, maybe it'll work? Seems much more expensive than solar, though yes, it won't come with location limitations. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon

This is the first major agency effort by the interim NASA administrator, who is also the Transportation secretary and a former Fox News host.

politico.com

I liked this Harper's essay by Pankaj Mishra, excoriating American intellectuals, writers, and institutions, for failing to resist imperialism and authoritarianism at home — a failure that began before the Trump era. harpers.org/archive/2025...

Speaking Reassurance to Power, by Pankaj Mishra

harpers.org

I always loved “Poisoning Pigeons In The Park”! We need more musical satire today! www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Tom Lehrer, acclaimed musical satirist of cold war era, dies aged 97

A child prodigy in mathematics who graduated Harvard at just 19, his darkly prophetic and cynical show tunes won him a cult following in the 50s and 60s

theguardian.com

I wrote eight years ago about how Trump allies at the Heartland Institute would love to overturn the endangerment finding and undermine environmental protections at the EPA. It seemed unthinkable. But now they’re trying to make it happen. www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-...

These people think Trump is too liberal on climate

Climate change skeptics are pushing the administration to reopen a major scientific finding.

washingtonpost.com

"There’s no indication in Pew’s research that people understand how faulty the technology that powers Google’s AI Overview is, or how it is quietly devastating the entire human online information economy that they want and need." www.404media.co/googles-ai-i...

Google’s AI Is Destroying Search, the Internet, and Your Brain

Google’s AI Overview, which is easy to fool into stating nonsense as fact, is stopping people from finding and supporting small businesses and credible sources.

404media.co

Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Cats www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Cats

In New York’s only federal wilderness area, the loss of a key predator has led to the rise of a new one—with dire consequences for the island’s native birds

smithsonianmag.com

This is so upsetting. My family and I have always loved PBS programs and NPR stations in the states we’ve lived in. Many local news stations will be hit hard by this, and some in rural areas may close. Support your local news! They need it. www.npr.org/2025/07/18/n...

Congress rolls back $9 billion in public media funding and foreign aid

The House approved a Trump administration plan to rescind $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

npr.org

I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’ Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’ Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’ pitchfork.com/news/kronos-...

Kronos Quartet Enlist Ringo Starr, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson, and Many More for Star-Studded Bob Dylan Covers

Two new renditions of Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” memorialize the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test

pitchfork.com