@josiegz
Science journalist writing for Nature, Scientific American, National Geographic, Guardian Books, BBC Future, Washington Post Opinions, Prospect Magazine. Passionate reader. #PoetryIsMedicine #ClimateCrisis She/Her
On the Ground in Beirut
New York Times Beirut bureau chief, Christina Goldbaum, reports that in the south of Lebanon, more than 80 villages have been ordered to evacuate by the Israeli military.
www.nytimes.com/video/world/...
Dr. Leisha Nolen, Utah state epidemiologist, said that in the communities she visited "they kept on telling me they wish they'd known beforehand how bad measles was."
"It is not a mild infection, it is not a mild virus; it is a severe illness."
www.ksl.com/article/5145...
Actually, that doesn't surprise me. I was once involved in a volunteer project to reclaim some land left to the weeds, in order to create an allotment and community garden. When we arrived, it was overwhelmingly brambles. But once we'd had a chance to scythe, wildflowers and all sorts popped up.
This is the world that RFK Jr dreamed of—now that he runs the US health system he’s able to achieve his dreams each & every day, aided & abetted by Drs Bhattacharya, Makary, Høeg, Kulldorff, Prasad & Oz
We can’t rebuild the devastation until all 7 of these federal health agency leaders are gone
But the problem is food colorings and Dunkin Donuts obviously [irony].
In June, Benjamin Netanyahu declared “a historic victory, which will stand for generations” after the 12-day war on Iran.
Few prominent Israelis have asked questions about why the legacy of one historic victory is another war.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
One service member said their commander had “urged us to tell our troops that this [Iran war] was ‘all part of God’s divine plan’ and he specifically referenced citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and imminent return of Jesus Christ”.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Over fresh fish, rice, salad and soup, they talked about work and former colleagues. He was seated in front of her, with the view of the blue sea behind him.
“You don’t like to see it?” Ms. Kabaja recalled saying. “It’s so beautiful.”
Mr. Saadallah responded, “Not more beautiful than you.”
In response to the June 2025 attacks, Iran excluded UN inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from sensitive sites, so the watchdog lost track of what became of Iran's 440kg highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Many of the most biodiverse locations in Europe are those with a long history of low-intensity, mixed agriculture. To rewild these human-formed landscapes may, paradoxically, risk eroding the biodiversity that conservationists seek to protect, write @christophlyon.bsky.social and Jonathan D. Gordon
How interesting. in 1348, Europe was hit by plague and for about 150 years, plant biodiversity plummeted. It was only after a century and a half – as human populations recovered and farming resumed – that plant diversity began to rise again.
theconversation.com/the-black-de...
"Personally," Kar adds, "I don't believe that after they did what they did in Gaza they have pity for Iranians. What happened on October 7 was terrible, but Netanyahu's vengeful behavior in Gaza is disproportionate. Trump & Netanyahu made a mockery of all the international standards of human rights"
FYI @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social
"People hate this regime and are more angry at it than you can imagine, but we don't know whether the regime will change as a result of this war. With time people lose hope, and that is very bad."
An interview with Iranian feminist lawyer Mehrangiz Kar.
Gift link:
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
"The scene here in south-eastern Tehran is chaotic. A group of teenage girls sit by the roadside, their faces blank. A woman hurriedly shoves a few of her belongings into a car, carefully placing a cage with her two cockatiel birds on the passenger seat."
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
I've never really understood the concept of a supermarket selling only frozen foods. It's like a shop selling canned foods only (I suspect those exist too.)
Surely there is more profit in selling a diversity of products? Not that I would know since I've never run a grocery shop.
The Feb. 28 school strike in Minab, which killed dozens, including children, appears to have been part of an attack on an adjacent naval base in southern Iran, where officials said U.S. forces were operating.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/w...
The United Nations is calling for an investigation after a girls' school in Iran was hit on Feb. 28, resulting in almost 200 deaths.
The deadly strike occurred on the same day that the United States and Israel launched an assault on Iran.
Report in People Magazine
people.com/nearly-200-k...
Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein.
One was warned off by his Mom.
“Be careful not to get sucked up in the slime-machine going on here," said Scott Aaronson's mother.
www.science.org/content/arti...
I'm quite confused as to how scientists managed to miss this, previously.
Sea Levels Are Already Higher Than Many Scientists Think:
Researchers found that a majority of studies on coastal sea levels underestimated how high water levels are, and hundreds of millions of people are closer to peril than previously thought.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/c...
A piece of text from Haaretz, here is an extract: Hind Rajab was 5 years and 8 months old when she died. Her position in row 5,918 means that 5,917 children younger than her were killed in the war.
I have absolutely no idea, and I have absolutely no idea how most people in Israel look at a list like this and somehow are OK with it.
The answer is of course that they don't look.
www.haaretz.com/gaza/2026-02...
Thanks for sharing, I will read.
I'm beginning to wonder whether Gaza was a trial run for AI weaponry.
www.setav.org/en/gaza-as-a...
The downsides, said Paul Scharre, executive vice president at the Center for a New American Security, are “AI gets it wrong. ... We need humans to check the output of generative AI when the stakes are life and death.”
Try explaining that to dead children.
“or, whatever”
“Whether his morals are right or wrong or whatever, we’re not going to let [Amodei’s] decision making cost a single American life,”
I have now discovered that the name Bejam was an acronym for Brian, Eric, John and Milly and Marion, the names of the family members of John Apthorp who founded the chain.
Bejam was bought by Iceland in a hostile takeover in 1989.
[Thank you @wikipedia.org ]
Some of the biggest AI models aren't shy about using nuclear weapons to settle disputes in simulated war scenarios, a new study finds.
Militaries are already using AI for decision support: those systems may lean into rapid escalation under pressure.
See @axios.com
www.axios.com/2026/02/26/a...
"There is also an Iceland supermarket in Reykjavik."
Love this headline: UK supermarket chain Iceland drops trademark dispute with Iceland
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
I also thought the wording was odd.