It’s not obvious how to tell what’s real science when there’s so much controversy at the edges - and so much pseudoscience out there. Listen to @neiltyson talk about the nature of science and truth the latest episode of my podcast:.

2/2 The order specifically mentions prolonged pandemic school closures as something science got wrong. But bad science wasn't the problem. It was a disconnect between the values held by public health and the American public.

From @opinion Now Trump is promising to improve the quality of science with an executive order. Some areas do have problems with reliability and integrity, but this order won't help:

2/2 Some members of the general public are nervous about the prospect of geoengineering. Some experts who've looked into the matter say they're right, and that we have no rules to stop unilateral deployment.

1/2 My latest for @opinion delves into the various startups hoping to profit with schemes to change the climate - from darkening the skies to changing the chemistry of the oceans.

During an already eventful week a company announced they'd brought back dire wolves from extinction after 13,000 years. But did they? I looked into this for @opinion . The answer is, not quite. With insights by @NeilShubin

In my latest for @opinion I look into the claim that a company resurrected dire wolves after 13,000 years of extinction. It's not quite as advertised:

For this @opinion column I explored some scientific explanations for our divisions, or why those who disagree with you seem so reprehensible. Here's a gift link with no paywall.

I just came across this unpaywalled piece I wrote in early May of 2020 about the parts of our Covid response that hadn't been thought through and were not science-based.

Dr. Gaffney also talked to me for my Bloomberg column on the misinterpretation of the same study, with additional help from @DrPaulOffit and others.

I'm glad to see @awgaffney jump into this fray to debunk rumors that Covid shots cause a long-lasting syndrome. That rumor is based on a twisted interpretation of an unpublished Yale study

3/ NASA recently experimented with deflection, nudging a small asteroid with the DART mission. We may soon see more warnings that fizzle to nothing, but early detection could save lives. With fair warning we could evacuate those in the path of city-busting sized impacts.

2/ From Richard Binzel of MIT and @planet4589 I learned we now have multiple telescopes tracking asteroids and soon we'll have a dedicated asteroid-watching space instrument called the NEO Surveyor. And the Vera Rubin Telescope will work as an asteroid-spotter.

1/ For my latest @opinion column I looked into the quickly diminishing odds of a city-busting asteroid hitting us in 2032. I'd written about asteroid dangers 20 years ago, and discovered that the science has come a long way since then.

My latest column for @opinion examines the science behind some scary claims that you have enough plastic in your brain to make a plastic spoon.

2/2 H5N1 may also be spreading through infectious dust. At the same time, the virus is evolving. A variant called D1.1 might be more virulent. Already it's been detected in the one fatal human infection.

1/2 For my latest column for @opinion I looked into the H5N1 bird flu that's now spreading fast through domestic egg laying chickens. @mtosterholm explains how it's moving with domestic geese and ducks.

Why preserve old animals and plants? Some elders lead migrations and hunts, some have the majority of the offspring, and ancient trees sequester more carbon.

Oops. I meant BlueSky. Autocorrect error.

My latest for @opinion - What ants can teach us about intelligence and how intelligent behavior can emerge, or degrade, with group size. You can also find me on Bluesy: @fayeflam.bsky.social.

3/ The story also gets into the pros and cons of the Joe Rogan show. There are downsides to letting people talk without any critical questioning, but the show also gave @mosterholm the chance to improve public understanding at several critical junctures.