Tanya Lewis
@tanyalewis.bsky.social
Health and science journalist. Former health desk editor @sciam.bsky.social. Like dogs and bad puns. Views are my own opinion.
Jen is an amazing graphics editor and data visualization guru with a keen ability to turn numbers and data into stories through beautiful charts and infographics. She has kept this magazine afloat the past year, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Jen Christiansen@jenchristiansen.com · 2mo agoIn late June, Springer Nature sold Scientific American to LabX Media. I have since decided to step out of my role as a senior graphics editor for the magazine :: #sciart 📊 🧪 :: 🧵 [1/7]
Lauren is a fearless and dogged health/ science journalist who I had the pleasure of working with for the past several years. She is an incredible reporter who always goes the extra mile to get that source or personal story. It’s been a privilege working alongside her. Hire her!
Lauren J. Young@laurenjyoung.bsky.social · 2mo agoLast week, my time as associate health editor at Scientific American came to an end when the publication was sold to a new owner. I will miss my brilliant colleagues more than words can say. I’m open to freelance work and full-time opportunities in newsrooms, classrooms and beyond. 🧵
Please hire my brilliant former Scientific American colleagues! @meghanbartels.bsky.social is an excellent all-around reporter. If you need someone with expertise in space, life sciences, charismatic megafauna/microfauna, reproductive rights and more, she’s your gal.
Today is my last day at Scientific American, which has been sold to LabX media group. For three decades I've led the magazine's coverage of human origins, archaeology, paleontology, animal behavior, ecology, BIRDS. End of an era. Anyway this feels weird to say, but I'm now available for assignments!
Scientific American is being sold to LabX Media, publisher of Discover: group.springernature.com/gp/group/med... They've fired me and other union staff, ahead of June 26 vote ratification. My rates are suddenly more reasonable, if you need editing or reporting - Argonaut2026@gmail.com
Springer Nature to divest its consumer media businesses | Springer Nature Group | Springer Nature
Strategic divestment of consumer media portfolio enables Springer Nature to focus on its core business Transaction supports the long-term development
group.springernature.com
I’m so sad to share that yesterday was my last day at Scientific American. It was an honor to work alongside my incredible colleagues and to speak with researchers across the sciences. If you’re looking to hire staff or freelance, please consider me and my other laid off coworkers (🧵)
After nearly 10 yrs at Scientific American, I was laid off yesterday. It's been the honor of my career working w/such brilliant, caring colleagues & writers. I'm proud of all we achieved and will always love this magazine. I'm #opentowork but first I plan to spend time "cultivating [my] own garden."
For #SciAmYoungScientists, I spoke with Christina Theodoris @gladstoneinst.bsky.social who created Geneformer, an AI model that maps out the messy world of genetic regulation—spotting gene activity linked to cardiovascular diseases. Read her profile and our incredible new issue @sciam.bsky.social!
Christina V. Theodoris
Creating artificial-intelligence models to find treatments for cardiac diseases
scientificamerican.com
More than anything I've read, this piece explains the state of science in the U.S. and how--and why--we got here. It's part of @sciam.bsky.social's special package on #SciAmYoungScientists: sciam.com/youngscienti...
America’s compact between science and politics is broken, and we’re all going to pay
How did we get here?
scientificamerican.com
just before he died, craig venter spoke to @sciam.bsky.social about the state of science in the US. it's a really eye-opening interview and part of our july/aug double issue celebrating #SciAmYoungScientists. check it out. www.scientificamerican.com/article/crai...
Craig Venter
In his final interview, the “swashbuckling” geneticist pointed the way for science
scientificamerican.com
Our latest @sciam.bsky.social issue features a special report on the Young American Scientists, a new award to honor 28 early-career researchers. Read profiles of the honorees, interviews with scientific icons, and more on the state of U.S. science: www.scientificamerican.com/report/young...
The Young American Scientists
Meet the researchers who may one day change the world
scientificamerican.com
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC & Uganda could be on track to be one of the worst on record. There's a lot of uncertainty, but scientists modeled the outbreak under several scenarios. By me, w/graphics by @unamandita.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/here...
Just how big is the new Ebola outbreak?
Scientists have modeled the potential size of this current outbreak, which some experts think could become one of the worst Ebola epidemics on record
scientificamerican.com
In as much as I had ever thought about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, I assumed the oil was stored in tanks somewhere. But it turns out *we created huge caverns in salt deposits to store it.* That's because salt has particularly good properties for sealing liquids in. It is *fascinating.* 🧪
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 3mo agoSalt, with its ability to seal liquid in, is uniquely suited to storing the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Crowds gathering for the World Cup provide the perfect opportunity for diseases like measles and norovirus to spread. A network of wastewater sites will monitor them, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social writes @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-... 🧪
The World Cup could be a petri dish for disease. Wastewater could sound the alarm
As millions of soccer fans pack FIFA World Cup venues, public health scientists created a wastewater monitoring network to forecast potential disease threats—from measles to Ebola
scientificamerican.com
Screwworm is officially back in the U.S. A juvenile cow in Zavala County, Texas, was found to be infected by the flesh-eating parasite, which can infect livestock (and occasionally, humans). It was previously eliminated here in 1966. @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-fl...
A flesh-eating New World screwworm was just found in a Texas cow—here’s what to know
This marks the first case of the New World screwworm in U.S. livestock since the parasite was eliminated in the country in the 1960s
scientificamerican.com
Higher education groups are lobbying the Education Department to revise proposed regulations that could cut off aid for thousands of programs whose graduates earn meager salaries, including in cosmetology, theology and the performing arts.
Loan rules would gut aid for thousands of low-paying college majors
Religious colleges, trade schools and others are lobbying to change proposed federal regulations that would deny loans for programs that don’t lead to higher salaries.
washingtonpost.com
Bundibugyo virus is an uncommon species of Ebola-causing virus that has been linked to only two other known outbreaks
The rare Ebola virus behind the current outbreak, explained
Bundibugyo virus is an uncommon species of Ebola-causing virus that has been linked to only two other known outbreaks
scientificamerican.com
The ongoing Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species. Here's what we know about the disease it causes, @clairemaldarelli.bsky.social writes @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/rare...
The rare Ebola virus behind the current outbreak, explained
Bundibugyo virus is an uncommon species of Ebola-causing virus that has been linked to only two other known outbreaks
scientificamerican.com
This is such a moving piece. If your interested in #Ebola — the damage it causes, the trauma families and communities and responders face during and after an outbreak — please read it. www.statnews.com/2026/05/20/e...
I saw Ebola as both doctor and patient. I wish people cared more about the Africans I worked alongside
“As another Ebola outbreak unfolds, we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past,” writes Krutika Kuppalli.
statnews.com
There are no vaccines that target the Ebola species causing the current outbreak in DRC/Uganda, but some are in the works, including an mRNA vaccine, @pauladepoju.bsky.social writes @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/vacc...
No Ebola vaccines exist for the strain in the current outbreak, but scientists are developing some
A decade after Ebola vaccines changed outbreak response, a new epidemic in central Africa is caused by a strain the world never fully prepared for
scientificamerican.com
No fresh air, daily health checks and Amazon packages: What it's like quarantining for hantavirus, according to travel content creator Jake Rosmarin @sciam.bsky.social scientificamerican.com/article/what...
“I could be in this room for 42 days and literally not get to breathe fresh air.” What it’s like quarantining for hantavirus
Scientific American spoke to one of the people who are currently being monitored for possible hantavirus infection at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska
scientificamerican.com
I talked to the researchers at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory about their race to develop a PCR test for hantavirus in a weekend, before passengers on the MV Hondius arrived @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
How scientists developed a hantavirus PCR test in a weekend Inside the race to develop a hantavirus PCR test
Researchers at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked round the clock to develop a test for the Andes virus at the center of the deadly cruise ship outbreak
scientificamerican.com
I spoke about the potential for airborne transmission of hantavirus, and Josh Santarpia talked about the National Quarantine Unit. I visited it last year; it's a critical resource for the country. @virginiatech.bsky.social @pppda.bsky.social
Tanya Lewis@tanyalewis.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe hantavirus outbreak is reviving questions about airborne transmission from the early days of COVID. Hantavirus is not COVID, but we shouldn't rule out the possibility that it can spread through the air. My story @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...
Speculation that the first hantavirus cases in the current outbreak started at a dump in Argentina popular with birders does not appear to hold up to scrutiny, my colleague @katewong.bsky.social writes @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/doub...
Did a bird-watching visit to this Argentine landfull spark the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak? Experts raise doubts
The hantavirus cruise outbreak may not have started in a garbage dump in Ushuaia, Argentina, after all
scientificamerican.com
Update on CDC's hantavirus response - it's worth the read because, well, it's a mess. A few things: 1️⃣ The US doesn't actually have a validated PCR test for Andes virus 2️⃣ "Mildly positive" was due to 2 conflicting tests. That's called "inconclusive" 3️⃣ Poor coordination www.cdc.gov/media/releas...
Transcript - Update on CDC's Hantavirus Response
Transcript for Update on CDC's Hantavirus Response
cdc.gov
THIS 👇🏼 (from voices.nejm.org/doi/full/10....) It makes little difference to the probability this outbreak will be contained (I am confident it will be). It makes every difference to public understanding of it
The hantavirus outbreak is reviving questions about airborne transmission from the early days of COVID. Hantavirus is not COVID, but we shouldn't rule out the possibility that it can spread through the air. My story @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...
Why we shouldn't rule out airborne spread of hantavirus
The Andes type of the hantavirus is spread by “close contact,” but it’s unclear how much of that transmission occurs by inhaling airborne droplets or other means
scientificamerican.com
Hantavirus has an unusually long incubation period—up to 42 days. That could potentially make it easier to trace, but could also complicate containment efforts, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social writes @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Hantavirus takes a long time to show symptoms. Experts say more cases could appear
People exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus may not develop symptoms for up to 42 days, a delay that makes tracing infections more difficult
scientificamerican.com
PCOS just got a name change. As @clairemaldarelli.bsky.social recently wrote, the condition is not primarily about cysts and can also affect men: www.scientificamerican.com/article/poly...
Polycystic ovary syndrome might affect men, too. Here’s how
A condition that affects 10 to 15 percent of women may affect men, too. But many doctors don’t know about it
scientificamerican.com
