Knowable Magazine

knowmag.orgThe bloody palette of the animal kingdomRed isn’t the only color when it comes to blood — critters produce the vital fluid in a variety of hues

🩸 Not all blood is red! Horseshoe crabs bleed blue, thanks to copper-rich hemocyanin, while icefish don’t use an oxygen-carrying protein and bleed ghostly white. ✍️ @claudiasteiner.bsky.social: knowmag.org/4jMCSEV

knowmag.orgLoud, colorful and on edge: The lives of Argentina’s burrowing parrotsDecades of work helped establish a refuge for these birds along the Argentinean coast — the largest and last colony of its kind. But their future remains precarious.

🦜 Near Patagonia's El Cóndor lies the largest known colony of burrowing parrots: It accounts for 71 percent of the species’ global breeding population. ✍️ Valeria Román: knowmag.org/4yyPYJi

knowmag.orgThe endurance of Earth’s hidden alpine glaciersAs the world’s mountain ice melts, scientists look to the poorly understood rock glaciers to provide temporary reprieve for people and ecosystems

🏔️ Can these large masses of rocks and ice offer temporary refuge in a warming world? ✍️ @claudiasteiner.bsky.social: knowmag.org/4Bgud3P

Sound science. Smart stories. Every Sunday. Subscribe to our free, weekly newsletter: knowmag.org/3eCjqIO

knowmag.orgCan science save meetings?The research is rolling in, and the answer is yes. It’s possible to turn tedious work gatherings into more effective and enjoyable experiences.

🗣️ “Meetings are the broccoli of work — widely disliked, but probably good for us anyway.” - David Deming, et al. With a new trove of data from virtual meetings, scientists are making progress in figuring out how to make work gatherings better. ✍️ Lesley Evans Ogden: knowmag.org/4hWfXnN

Knowable Magazine reposted

Laura Helmuth

@laurahelmuth.bsky.social

"Given the enormous time spent in workplace meetings, do we know what they accomplish or how to make them as worthwhile as possible? For decades, the answer was: not really... Once a tiny niche area, 'meeting science' is a growing specialization." On @knowablemag.bsky.social

knowablemagazine.orgCan science save meetings?The research is rolling in, and the answer is yes. It’s possible to turn tedious work gatherings into more effective and enjoyable experiences.

Knowable Magazine reposted

The Washington Post

@washingtonpost.com

What happens when aging doctors continue practicing as their abilities decline? “It’s becoming a bigger issue with each passing year,” said neuropsychologist Victor Del Bene, who has warned of a “looming public health crisis.”

washingtonpost.comU.S. doctors are aging, raising concerns about patient safetyProposals to assess older physicians have collided with fierce professional resistance, legal challenges and debate about the value of cognitive screening.

knowmag.orgTime to hang up the stethoscope?As physicians age, debates about mandatory testing or retirement intensify

🩺 The physician workforce is aging. How can society tell when a doctor is too old to practice safely? ✍️ Katherine Ellison: knowmag.org/4s9J244

knowmag.orgLosing the fat in the chilly north AtlanticColder oceans are full of animals that need to fatten up to survive, but a key source of lipids — a tiny, oil-stuffed critter called a copepod — is feeling the heat, affecting a vital food web

🐳 Colder oceans are full of animals that need to fatten up to survive, but a key source of lipids — a tiny, oil-stuffed critter called a copepod — is feeling the heat, affecting a vital food web. ✍️ @lelanargi.bsky.social: knowmag.org/3TMThhW

Knowable Magazine reposted

Lela Nargi

@lelanargi.bsky.social

Climate change is threatening C. finmarchicus, a fatty copepod that props up life in the cold northern ocean + is essential food for endangered right whales, who suck it up like spaghetti. My latest for @knowablemag.bsky.social bit.ly/472XNvP

bit.lyLosing the fat in the chilly north AtlanticColder oceans are full of animals that need to fatten up to survive, but a key source of lipids — a tiny, oil-stuffed critter called a copepod — is feeling the heat, affecting a vital food web

knowmag.orgFor particle physicists working with neutrinos, almost nothing is everythingSeveral massive multimillion dollar experiments should soon reveal more about the nature of these ghostly particles

Hot neutrino news this week: The Physics Nobel prize has been awarded to the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from beyond our solar system. Neutrinos are still a very hot topic and a source of ongoing mystery: how much do they weigh, and how and why do they have mass at all? Read all about it:

knowmag.orgDogs, devils, clams and catfish: When cancer is contagiousIn a handful of animals, tumors can be transmitted like infectious diseases or parasites, defying science’s tidy definitions

“Transmissible cancers show us the imperfections in our models of the world in which things are cleanly separated into species and non-species, or even individuals and not-individuals,” says biologist Michael Metzger. ✍️ Nala Rogers: knowmag.org/4rRPvAl

knowmag.orgFire in the brain: How psychosis may arise when the body attacks itselfAntibodies made by the immune system can sometimes target human brain cells, producing psychiatric symptoms. Researchers aim to better identify such rare cases as well as fine-tune treatments.

In rare cases, brain inflammation can cause psychosis. When antipsychotics are replaced with immune-suppressing drugs, patients can recover completely. But how do we identify these cases? ✍️ Georgia Michelman: knowmag.org/4e0LmnV

knowmag.orgElastic fantastic: The deadly fluid of pitcher plantsFlies check in, but they don’t check out, thanks to liquid laced with stretchy sugars that keep them tangled up

Take a peek into a pitcher plant's deadly plumbing 🪰 ☠️ ✍️ Georgia Michelman, for our new #BioWonders column: knowmag.org/4yNCZEe

knowmag.orgNASA’s TEMPO satellite enables better monitoring of bad air daysFrom 22,000 miles above, the new instrument lets researchers and regulators track airborne health threats in near real time, on a continental scale

17 Sept

🌎 LATEST: Tracking air pollution with a new NASA satellite ✍️ @virginiagewin.bsky.social: knowmag.org/4y4dRt2

Knowable Magazine reposted

Covering Climate Now

@coveringclimatenow.org

17 Sept

Replying to @coveringclimatenow.org

Great journalism doesn’t just explain potential solutions, it interrogates them: Do they achieve what they promise and are they just? 🏆️ Victoria Uwemedimo & @katarinazimmer.bsky.social | @knowablemag.bsky.social 🏆️ Molly Bentley & team | @bipisci.bsky.social 🏆️ @alecluhn.com | @sciam.bsky.social

Knowable Magazine reposted

Virginia Gewin

@virginiagewin.bsky.social

16 Sept

"[TEMPO] is a game changer," says @uwmad-aos.bsky.social's Tracey Holloway. My @knowablemag.bsky.social story highlights how the geostationary satellite is helping researchers, air quality specialists and communities track pollution dynamics from space. Tagging @tomgillpredicts.bsky.social

knowablemagazine.orgNASA’s TEMPO satellite enables better monitoring of bad air daysFrom 22,000 miles above, the new instrument lets researchers and regulators track airborne health threats in near real time, on a continental scale

knowablemagazine.orgHello, bristle wormThey’re segmented. They’ve got bristles. And sometimes, metallic jaws and detachable rear ends with eyes and a brain.

15 Sept

🪱 Enter the weird and wacky world of bristle worms. From bio-metallic jaws to detachable butts, these creatures have all sorts of tricks for living the life aquatic. ✍️ Sandy Ong: knowmag.org/4deh2G4

knowablemagazine.orgRope, twine and thread: Invisible technologies of the Stone AgeMissing from the archaeological record, fiber innovations like string played a huge role in the daily lives of our ancestors. Researchers are working to weave together new insights from the traces…

11 Sept

🪢 “It’s only called the Stone Age because all we find is stone, not because there was only stone.” - archaeologist Nicholas Conard ✍️ Benjamin Taub: knowmag.org/4h7xNnH

knowablemagazine.orgListening for schizophrenia: How AI could help with early diagnosisThe speech of people with schizophrenia sounds subtly different from their healthy counterparts. Can AI hear those differences better than human psychiatrists?

10 Sept

🗣️ Researchers are testing AI tools that identify subtle signatures of schizophrenia in speech patterns. ✍️ Astrid Landon: knowmag.org/4ytvGRU

9 Sept

📣 We're hiring! Knowable Magazine seeks an organized, detail-oriented & self-motivated Temporary Editorial Assistant. Ideal candidate: 💡 excellent proofreading skills 💡 great communication skills 💡 experience with digital publishing tools 💡 strong administrative capabilities 💡 interest in science

annualreviews.orgCareers at Annual Reviews | Annual Reviews

9 Sept

Details and application: www.annualreviews.org/page/about/c...

theguardian.comAustralia to force social media giants to allow users to opt out of algorithmDraft legislation enforces digital duty of care including limiting children’s exposure to misogynistic and eating disorder content Australia will allow social media account holders to opt out of the powerful algorithms pushing dangerous and divisive content into users’ feeds, part of new laws designed to boost online safety. Users over 16 years of age will be given new tools to turn off algorithm-driven content, with platforms facing fines of more than $100 million for non-compliance. Continue reading...

8 Sept

👀 Some more social media legislation news from Australia. To learn more about previous efforts, check out our reporting on social media minimum age laws (linked below 👇)

Guardian Australia@australia.theguardian.com

Australia to force social media giants to allow users to opt out of algorithm

knowablemagazine.orgWhat can we learn from Australia’s social media ban for teens?The Aussie experiment comes amid a lack of clear evidence that the apps harm the majority of adolescents. It may take a dramatic research pivot to finally reveal what’s going on and how to fix it.

8 Sept

knowablemagazine.org5 things worth knowing about empathyEmpathy is a skill that can be learned and enhanced. But it has its limits, and can even promote conflict. Here’s what some experts say about how it works.

8 Sept

🫂 Empathy is a skill that can be learned and enhanced. But it has its limits, and can even promote conflict. Here’s what some experts say about how it works. ✍️ Katherine Ellison: knowmag.org/4ydXp9f

knowablemagazine.orgAir pollution makes it harder for bees to smell flowersContaminants can alter plant odors and warp insects’ senses, disrupting the process of pollination

7 Sept

🐝 Air pollution can alter plant odors and warp insects’ senses, disrupting the process of pollination. ✍️ @katarinazimmer.bsky.social: knowmag.org/4i5ddGt

knowablemagazine.orgE-books for kids raise questions about consequencesEvolution of children’s literature into high-tech form may offer benefits, but also some detriments

6 Sept

📚 Today is #ReadABookDay. Revisit our 2021 story on the benefits and detriments of e-books for kids. ✍️ Cypress Hansen: knowmag.org/4ycqmSL

knowablemagazine.orgDo yourself a favorThinking of others enhances your well-being, while selfishness just adds to stress, studies show

5 Sept

🎗️ Thinking of others enhances your well-being, while selfishness just adds to stress, studies show. ✍️ @kendallsciwrite.bsky.social: knowmag.org/4wYLHOI

knowablemagazine.orgNature interrupted: Impact of the US-Mexico border wall on wildlifeScientists on both sides of the border are working to understand how the barrier is affecting the area’s biodiversity. Meanwhile, communities try to save animals left without access to water.

4 Sept

🐺 This #NationalWildlifeDay, we're revisiting our 2024 piece on the impact of the US-Mexico border wall on biodiversity. ✍️ Iván Carrillo: knowmag.org/4xFIYuH

nature.com‘Robot Olympics’ reveal humanoids’ rapid progress — and flawsHumanoid robots broke records at sporting events such as sprints, but struggled at practical tasks such as hammering nails.

At this year’s World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, bots sprinted faster & jumped higher than record-setting human beings. Humanoid robots excel at track & field events because these are straightforward actions that basically turn energy into acceleration...[1/2] ✍️ Kaia Glickman @nature.com

knowablemagazine.orgNeed laundry folded? Don’t ask a robotFor this chore, the human touch still beats machines. But maybe not for long.

... But the bots still struggle with tasks that require dexterity; they did not fare well, for example, at hammering nails into a corkboard. Learn more about why it’s still hard to teach a robot household chores from Glickman’s 2025 story for us 👇

knowablemagazine.orgWhat archaeology reveals about the rise of all-powerful rulersAutocracy wasn’t inevitable in early civilizations — many were more egalitarian. But when riches were there to monopolize, strongmen and inequalities emerged.

"As the saying goes, the past doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes... If more inclusive kinds of governance have been there all along, then all of a sudden, those lessons from history become much more relevant." - Archaeologist Gary Feinman ✍️ @timvernimmen.bsky.social: knowmag.org/469C1pE

knowablemagazine.orgWhat does it look like to “turn on” a gene?Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot.

🧬 Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. ✍️ Alla Katsnelson and Casey Rentz: knowmag.org/4wYJPWc

sfgate.comClient ChallengePlease enable JavaScript to proceed.

2 Sept

“As its name suggests, biocrust is teeming with life, and national parks such as Canyonlands and Arches offer a living laboratory for studying these vibrant, miniature ecosystems.” —@scattercushion.bsky.social @sfgate.com

knowablemagazine.orgThe dirt on biocrusts: Why scientists are working to save Earth’s living skinThink twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem — one that you can help protect.

2 Sept

For more on biocrusts and why they are worth protecting, check out our 2024 story. knowmag.org/3SOPFeC

knowablemagazine.orgWhy scientists need to be better at data visualizationThe scientific literature is riddled with bad charts and graphs, leading to misunderstanding and worse. Avoiding design missteps can improve understanding of research.

2 Sept

📊 The scientific literature is riddled with bad charts and graphs, leading to misunderstanding and worse. Avoiding design missteps can improve understanding of research. ✍️ Betsy Mason: knowmag.org/4hZQ9ZN

knowablemagazine.orgYour boss is watching youAssisted by AI, companies have more options than ever to track employees, minute by minute, keystroke by keystroke. Does this have the desired effect?

1 Sept

👀 Latest: How AI is supercharging workplace surveillance ✍️ Chris Woolston: knowmag.org/4r8le01

knowablemagazine.orgViruses that roam the fungal kingdomMushrooms and other fungi can harbor hidden companions — and some of these may fight pesky or dangerous molds

1 Sept

🍄‍🟫 Did you know that mushrooms can get sick? #NationalMushroomMonth ✍️ Amber Dance: knowmag.org/45Q6SHE

knowablemagazine.orgProbing the mysteries of neutron stars with a surprising earthly analogUltracold gases in the lab could help scientists to better understand the universe

31 Aug

🪐 From the Big Bang to dark energy, knowledge of the cosmos has sped up in the past century — but big questions linger. Revisit this Q&A with cosmologist Michael Turner. ✍️ @mitchwaldrop.bsky.social: knowmag.org/3KgVYTY

knowablemagazine.orgTwilight of the eyeOur bodies and abilities deteriorate with age, and sight is no exception. Physical changes to the visual system cloud it in multiple ways.

30 Aug

👁️ Our bodies and abilities deteriorate with age, and sight is no exception. Physical changes to the visual system cloud it in multiple ways. ✍️ @laura-sanders.bsky.social: knowmag.org/47FwO9n

knowablemagazine.orgIf it pleases the ProsecutionThe immense powers of prosecutors throughout the US mean that the scales are tipped against defendants — and justice itself, says a legal expert

29 Aug

⚖️ The immense powers of prosecutors throughout the US mean that the scales are tipped against defendants — and justice itself, says legal scholar David Alan Sklansky. ✍️ Jessica Brown: knowmag.org/4gA36XV

knowablemagazine.orgHow truffles took root around the worldFor centuries, the wild delicacy grew only in Europe. But improved cultivation techniques have enabled the pricey, odorous fungus to be farmed in new landscapes.

28 Aug

Rough, fragrant and sometimes as big as an apple, the black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is one of the most coveted foods. This mysterious fungus that has fascinated generations is now experiencing an incredible global expansion. ✍️ @fedkukso.bsky.social: knowmag.org/3W3lXRj

theopennotebook.comHow to Write About Scientific Debates - The Open NotebookScientific debates often make for compelling stories, with a rich cast of characters and plenty of built-in drama and intrigue—but covering them with balance and context can be tricky. Writers must…

We are delighted to see several Knowable articles and writers featured in @theopennotebook.bsky.social! Thanks Rohini Subrahmanyam for the lovely writeup: knowmag.org/3UbuZOB PS: Be sure to check out Rohini's latest for Knowable knowmag.org/4cgnqw6

knowmag.orgSupport Knowable MagazineKnowable Magazine explores the real-world significance of scholarly work through a journalistic lens. A digital magazine from Annual Reviews.

We can produce this caliber of science journalism thanks to the support of our readers. If you value work like this, please consider making a donation: knowmag.org/3YvX8hQ

n.prWhy Meta's settlement could be an 'inflection point' for reining in Big Tech2026 has already brought a wave of setbacks for social media giants as pressure grows on Big Tech from regulators and lawmakers around the world.

If you've heard about the big Meta settlement and are looking for some context, check out our recent reporting on Australia’s social media ban for teens (linked below👇)

NPR@npr.org

2026 has already brought a wave of setbacks for social media giants as pressure grows on Big Tech from regulators and lawmakers around the world. n.pr/4xY9yim

knowmag.orgWhat can we learn from Australia’s social media ban for teens?The Aussie experiment comes amid a lack of clear evidence that the apps harm the majority of adolescents. It may take a dramatic research pivot to finally reveal what’s going on and how to fix it.

knowablemagazine.orgCackle! Pop! Roar! Reptiles have a lot to say.Scientists are investigating what the various sounds mean — and discovering that the creatures may be more like birds and mammals than once thought

Ever heard an alligator roar? 💬 Scientists are discovering that reptiles can be quite chatty, and may in face be more like birds and mammals than once thought. ✍️ Rohini Subrahmanyam: knowmag.org/3SbjDti

knowablemagazine.orgWhen clouds flock togetherScientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding

☁️ Clouds often clump together into large, organized systems, forming towering pillars and other shapes. Scientists are discovering that these clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding. ✍️ @clarewatson.bsky.social: knowmag.org/3Ss338w

knowablemagazine.orgFit for a dog? The latest science on CBD for petsThough studies are still mixed, and products often inconsistent, many scientists have hope that cannabidiol can help canines and other furry patients suffering from arthritis, allergies and anxiety

26 Aug

🐩 Though studies are still mixed, and products often inconsistent, many scientists have hope that cannabidiol can help canines and other furry patients suffering from arthritis, allergies and anxiety. #NationalDogDay ✍️ @ula.bsky.social: knowmag.org/46iwzAL