Katherine Bourzac
bourzac.bsky.social
Katherine Bourzac
@bourzac.bsky.social
journalist covering earth science, chemistry, physics, neuroscience, microbes, computing, etc.! for Nature, IEEE Spectrum and others 🏳️‍🌈🧪⚛️
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
This is how it's done: put the truth right there in the headline and sub headline.
October 8, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Can confirm: steer clear. Saw this just before my call with them….call lasted 2 minutes.
Science journos 🧪:

Earth dot com asked me about writing for them. They offer $50-60 PER STORY. And expect 15 to 25 stories EACH MONTH.

For reference, that rate is worse than what I got for a blogging role in 2012.

Steer clear af.
September 30, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
A new #ScienceAdvances study found a correlation between menstrual periods and the Moon’s cycles—and observed that the strength of this relationship waned from 2010 onward, potentially due to the spread of artificial LED light. https://scim.ag/46VWcZe
Synchronization of women’s menstruation with the Moon has decreased but remains detectable when gravitational pull is strong
In modern times, menstrual cycles run in synchrony with the Moon only during Perihelion and Minor Lunar Standstills.
scim.ag
September 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
The ruling paves the way for whole-genome sequencing to be admitted as evidence in US criminal trials

go.nature.com/4nQjENj
US serial killer case opens door to using cutting-edge DNA data in courts
New York trial could set a legal precedent by admitting findings from whole-genome sequencing as evidence.
go.nature.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
“We need to give young scientists hope that people continue to believe in the value of science,” says @sciencefoundation.bsky.social’s founders Maren Friesen and @signalvsnoise.bsky.social.

My latest story for @nature.com.
Will the public support basic science? A new non-profit aims to find out
The Science Foundation seeks donations to fund ten $10,000 ‘what if’ seed grants.
www.nature.com
September 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Peter Thiel gets roasted to hell & back in this amazing @sfstandard.com story.

Pro Tip: Thiel should fire his entire staff—and all of his dumb friends—for allowing him to pursue this fanatical fiasco!

Great reporting by @eshugs.bsky.social and Garrett Leahy.

sfstandard.com/2025/09/16/p...
Peter Thiel Antichrist lecture: We asked guests what the hell it is
We didn’t get a ticket to see Peter Thiel talk, but we did speak with attendees about what the hell happened.
sfstandard.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Black Americans face a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias than white Americans. Researchers are working to find out why that is and how to intervene
Can Fighting Racism Help Prevent Alzheimer’s? Scientists Think So
Black Americans face a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias than white Americans. Researchers are working to find out why that is and how to intervene
www.scientificamerican.com
September 16, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Yay! @bourzac.bsky.social 's reporting is so comprehensive and well-written! The section on how microbes contribute to rain is so wild! (I had no idea!!)
September 15, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
"Pseudomonas and other microbes are released into the atmosphere from plants along with water vapor. The theory: rainfall these microbes induce benefits the plants, a bioprecipitation cycle." Such a cool story by @bourzac.bsky.social @quantamagazine.bsky.social www.quantamagazine.org/microbes-als...
Microbes Also Change the Climate. Could That Help Us? | Quanta Magazine
A collection of short dispatches from the field of climate microbiology conveys the contributions that single-celled life forms make to our climate system, and how we can work with them to address cli...
www.quantamagazine.org
September 15, 2025 at 6:35 PM
So excited this story is out today! Learn about the invisible world of microbes, nature's chemists, and how we might work with them to address climate change. Microbes live in ice, they help make it rain, support tremendous ocean ecosystems that capture carbon, and much more.
September 15, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more

go.nature.com/3Vmb0Kp
Chemists cram record nine metals into trendy 2D material
MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more.
go.nature.com
September 5, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Today I will be doing a Q&A special on #vaccines especially respiratory virus vaccines : #RSV, #COVID, #Flu.
For the next 24 hours drop your questions in reply to this post and I will do my best to answer them and clear up some of the confusion around changing guidance.
#AskAnIDDoc
August 28, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Hot news on this glowing-plants beat :)
August 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
When Dhrumil Mehta and C.J. Robinson searched "Is DC safe?", the top Google News result was a White House article.
www.cjr.org/analysis/the... @dmil.bsky.social @towcenter.bsky.social
The White House Is Its Own Media Outlet
The Trump administration is publishing articles that are top-ranked on Google News.
www.cjr.org
August 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Great piece by Katherine Bourzac celebrating 100 years since Heisenberg’s monumental paper that finally cut the umbilical cord that physicists had tried to maintain with a quasi-classical approach to quantum theory.

www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...

@bourzac.bsky.social

1/
July 7, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Scientists have made a potent antivenom using antibodies from a man who has been bitten hundreds of times by venomous snakes.

https://go.nature.com/3EVLR4k
Blood of man who’s had 200 snake bites helps make a potent antivenom
Treatment combines existing drug with antibodies from hyper-immune reptile collector, raising both hopes and ethical concerns.
go.nature.com
May 2, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
WEEKEND INSPO: Have a session idea for #SciWri25? Now that a new location and dates are set, we've re-opened the proposal portal for a few days.

Submit a virtual or in-person session idea by May 5 at 11:00 ET:
nasw.submittable.com...

National Association of Science Writers - ScienceWriters2025 Session Proposals
Submit an NASW session proposal  (No speaker commitments needed at this stage!) Each year, member volunteers with the NASW Programs Committee work hard to develop a slate of professional development sessions that reflects the broad and varied interests of our membership. The chosen sessions directly reflect the depth, breadth, and quality of proposals received. Topics and Audience We rely on your efforts to ensure a diversity of topics so that all members — educators, journalists, public information officers, staffers, freelancers, students, writers, editors, broadcasters, podcasters, early career, late career, first-time registrants, and frequent attendees — can find something, and ideally many things, to pique their interest. Sessions can be targeted at a specific experience level (e.g., a master class or a workshop for beginners); a specific job role (e.g., investigative journalists, multimedia producers, institutional writers, newsroom leaders, fact checkers ); a specific type of writing or practice area (e.g., narratives, infographics, news writing, video/radio scripts); or they can be creatively designed in such a way as to be more broadly applicable to the larger mission and shared interests of all NASW members. Format We encourage applicants to consider different session formats (e.g. multi-person panel; interactive breakouts) and any needs/limitations for audio/visual technology and accessibility. Please also consider whether you are open to leading your session either for the November in person program or the October virtual program. (For an idea of previous session offerings, visit the archived programs at www.sciencewritersmeeting.org) Speakers In addition to encouraging diversity in topics, the Programs Committee seeks a wide range of voices on the program. While we realize that applicants may not be able to confirm panelists before a proposal has been accepted, proposals should demonstrate that thought has been given toward identifying potential speakers — with the following guidelines in mind to support a diverse and inclusive conference: As a general rule, speakers should appear in only one session at the conference. (The Programs Committee will alert organizers if the same speaker has been identified for different sessions.) We strongly encourage proposals that include speakers who have not participated in recent sessions. We aim to create a program whose participants are diverse in multiple facets. Any proposed sessions should include speakers from underrepresented groups and showcase diversity in job roles (both within and outside the field of science writing) and geographic location (both within and outside the U.S.). Any proposed session with a panel that lacks diversity considerations will receive a lower score and be less likely to be picked. Limited funding is available for speaker travel and such funding is intended to attract those who would not otherwise attend the meeting. Limited travel funding is also available for session organizers where there is financial need. The Experience Organizing a workshop can be a fun and valuable experience that connects you with science writers and experts in other fields. You don't need to be an expert yourself, although you are welcome to include yourself as a speaker in any proposals.. Successful proposals will be notified by mid May. Details of the session and confirmed speaker list will be due in late June. Organizers and speakers receive complimentary registration to the meeting.
nasw.submittable.com
May 2, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Thanks to this bunny for peeking around the corner of all the bad news in the feed
May 2, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
Earlier in April, NOAA released the global concentration of CO2 for 2024 which was 422.7 ppm.

CO2 concentrations grew by 3.7 ppm which was far and away the biggest increase on record.

Why? Well, usually there is a story at NOAA that explains...Not this year though.
gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/...
April 22, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
While I was trying to wrangle reports of signs of life beyond Earth, @dangaristo.bsky.social was reporting on how ALL NEW RESEARCH GRANTS ARE BEING FROZEN AT THE NSF 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: Trump team freezes new NSF awards — and could soon axe hundreds of grants
The National Science Foundation is the latest US agency to be disrupted by Elon Musk’s DOGE.
www.nature.com
April 17, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
"We have far to go and more to do" - thanks Katherine Bourzac @bourzac.bsky.social at @nature.com for including me in this thoughtful piece and highlighting our work on the X chromosome. Why women experience #Alzheimer’s disease differently from men www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Why women experience Alzheimer’s disease differently from men
Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.
www.nature.com
April 17, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
NEW: After cancelling nearly all projects on trans health, the Trump admin has now directed the NIH to study the negative consequences of transitioning.

This will create “a distorted research ecosystem where only politically favorable findings are permitted to exist”, researcher Harry Barbee says.
Exclusive: Trump White House directs NIH to study ‘regret’ after transgender people transition
After cancelling nearly all NIH projects studying transgender health, Trump’s team instructs the US biomedical agency to study negative consequences of transitioning.
www.nature.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Katherine Bourzac
What are we doing here, folks? My god. I can't imagine the sheer panic these patients must be feeling without guidance or a plan.
A friend drove two hours today for her breast cancer chemotherapy only to learn it was canceled due to NIH cuts. Clinical trial ended midstream. No treatment, no restart, no plan, no information. Her bro-in-law's chemo was also canceled.
March 20, 2025 at 9:08 PM