HOW MEMORY WORKS—and how it goes wrong—explored clearly and beautifully by two distinguished researchers. The implications for misinformation, disinformation, and subconscious bias are discussed along with relevant experiments. Great stuff! A MINUS
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/memory-lane-ciara-greene/1145650349?ean=9780691257099
#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #bookstodon #nonfiction #sciencewriting #psychology #cognitivepsychology #cognitivescience #memory
THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF MUSCLES: physiologically, in the world around us, and in our personal and cultural imaginations, explored beautifully by Bonnie Tsui with her trademark mix of deep research, lively interviews, and thoughtful reflection. B PLUS
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/on-muscle-bonnie-tsui/1146129816?ean=9781643753089
#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #bookstodon #nonfiction #sciencewriting #sports #sportswriting #anatomy #physiology
I'm an extrovert, and I can be a bit too loud, and yet either in spite of that or because of it... I love to write and to read. So I've been doing these Snippets at Life Science Editors (https://www.lifescienceeditors.com/snippets), shooting for 1-2 a week, where we enthuse about a recent paper.
The goals: to point to some cool new science, to call out the authors as best we can, to comment on the writing in some way, and (for me) to feed my love of biology and of writing. We aim for diversity in topics, authors, and continents and we love nominations!
The newest Snippet went up today. I unwisely muse about my vicarious "experience" of #pregnancy to introduce a paper about how mammals manage body temperature during pregnancy. Have a look. I'd love feedback of every kind, and suggestions for the next one!
First, this phenomenon (microseismic blip every 26 seconds originating off the coast of West Africa) is super interesting. Second, the article is nicely written.
Third, which scientists, exactly, were "stunned?" Was it the one who discovered this in the 1960s? The ones who knew about it and published in the 1980s? The ones who published about it again in 2006? So many stunned scientists.
Remembering that reporters almost never write headlines. This reporter needs a different editor.
https://www.uniladtech.com/science/scientists-discovering-earths-heartbeat-157830-20250408
#science #geoscience #geology #scienceWriting #headlines #clickbait #SavedYouAClick
ELEGANT, ELEGAIC, VIVID and thoughtful book intertwines the author’s mourning for her complicated, beloved family with hard truths about the ecological crises facing our earth and its oceans. Beautiful, sobering writing, grounded in love. B PLUS
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mourners-bestiary-eiren-caffall/1144991418?ean=9781955905589
#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #bookstodon #nonfiction #memoir #memoirs #naturewriting #sciencewriting #nature #environment
“If you find yourself outside on a dark, clear night, with the haze of our Milky Way galaxy arcing overhead, see if you can pick out the dark, starless patches where dust and gas might gather. In this galaxy and beyond, stars and planets are forming, and the cycle of dust continues.”
Join Meghan Feldman as she illustrates how deeply dust and the cosmos are intertwined: https://www.thesciencewriter.org/small-things-stories/cosmic-cycle-of-dust
#Astronomy #SpaceDust #ScienceWriting #SmallThingsTSW #StarFormation #Space #Planets #MilkyWay #Stars
Thanks, Carl, for the FREE article! @Carl_Zimmer
What a great writer! What a great article! I'll get the new book, too! https://mastodon.social/@Carl_Zimmer/113913168542439024
Hi all, an #introduction post! I’m in #Germany, from the US, studying #PublicPolicy and interested in #RenewableEnergy and the #EnergyTransition (esp. #CriticalMinerals). Hoping to meet interesting people here…und mein Deutsch zu verbessern (ich habe fast B2).
I am a #writer (esp. #ScienceWriting but also a #novelist) and do #photography and #archery. #Harvard class of something (I am not old but…let’s not say how long ago this was). Big fan of coffee.
CERN's hiring an associate editor: must be in CERN member state, and hold an advanced degree in particle physics, and an ability to work in French is preferred
#scienceWriting #scienceComm
www.smartrecruiters.com/CERN/7440000...
CERN Courier Magazine Associat...
I registered with NZ's Public Lending Rights Scheme a few years ago. This gives authors a small payment based on the number of copies of their books held in libraries across NZ. In 2022 & 2023, I was below the minimum threshold. BUT, today, I received my first ever NZ PLR payment! So if you're here in Aotearoa and you requested that your local library get a copy of Sticky (or Science and the City), YOU helped to make that happen. Thank you very much ❤️ #writer #scicomm #sciencewriting
Looking for something to read today? Here are three of my favorite science, environment and nature pieces from November 2024:
Maria Abi-Habib on the so-called Green Revolution poisoning India (NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/world/asia/india-air-quality-trash.html
Kylie Mohr on small acts to save an endangered ecosystem (High Country News): https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-11/your-lawn-could-host-an-endangered-ecosystem/#
Christine Woodside on the return of bobcats and what it means for public health (Mongabay): https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/bobcats-are-back-and-theyre-helping-protect-people-from-zoonotic-disease/
Last few days to apply to become @the_node and @focalplane_jcs conference reporters at our Biologists @ 100 conference, 24-27 March 2025 in Liverpool, UK.
So if you are you keen to get more science communication experience, find out more and apply by 29 November:
- the Node conference reporter (developmental and stem cell biology): https://thenode.biologists.com/apply-to-become-a-reporter-at-the-biologists-100-conference/news/
- FocalPlane conference reporter (cell biology and microscopy): https://focalplane.biologists.com/2024/10/03/apply-to-become-a-reporter-at-the-biologists-100-conference/
@laurahelmuth I've admired you for years. Thank you for all your hard work, so far. You're one of my favorite science-editors and science-writers.
Heads up for budding science writers who want to extend the reach of science journalism into communities where there is currently limited participation:
The AAAS Diverse Voices in Science Journalism Internship is designed for you. Spend 11 weeks at the journal Science contributing bylined news articles with guidance from award-winning reporters and editors.
https://www.aaas.org/programs/diverse-voices-science-journalism-internship/about
You're simply great, Laura! Scientific American was getting better and better.
Good luck!
Thanks for being here!
#Science #ScienceMastodon #ScientificAmerican #ScienceWriting
Losing Hakai magazine, about to close permanently at the end of the year, was a huge blow to those of us who read and write about nature. They were a great place for wild stories. But today, we got the news that their senior staff will be joining bioGraphic, another top notch science and nature site. It's still one less market out there, but it will make a very good one potentially even better.
They're fundraising to bring along more staff:
https://www.biographic.com/hakai-magazine/?c_src=em-1-fri-sos&c_src2=hakai
A reminder to freelance journos / anyone who writes for websites other than one they own.
- TAKE CLIPPINGS of your work (e.g. save them as PDFs) as soon as its published.
- Use some sort of portfolio tool to store online copies, and download your archive on occasion (I use and recommend Authory).
Don't assume links will live and be easily accessible forever. They absolutely won't.
#freelancelife #scicomm #sciencewriting #scijourno #iamwriting #writer
A LOVE LETTER TO OTTERS and the wonderful, varied landscapes and waterscapes of Britain is packed full of both information and charm. Elegantly written and powerfully evocative! B PLUS
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/otter-country-miriam-darlington/1143607844?ean=9781959030348
#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #nonfiction #sciencewriting #naturewriting #animals #otters #travelwriting #bookstodon
There was far too much great science and nature writing last month to link to it all, but here are three stories I particularly loved in August 2024:
Meghan Bartels in Scientific American, on the ultra-efficient solar panels in giant clams: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/most-efficient-solar-panels-ever-have-been-found-in-giant-sparkly-clams/
Anne Readel in Sierra, on community science and bumblebees: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/community-science-ignites-hope-bumble-bee-conservation
Rebecca Dzombak in The New York Times, on prehistoric giant sea scorpions: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/science/giant-sea-scorpions-australia.html
