Colin Schultz
@colinschultz.bsky.social
Senior News Editor @ bioGraphic https://www.biographic.com/story-type/news/
Pitch me a story: Someone doing something for a reason.
|| cschultz@biographic.com
Don't send me press releases.
Pitch me a story: Someone doing something for a reason.
|| cschultz@biographic.com
Don't send me press releases.
Pinned
Doing News the Hakai Magazine Way
If ever a blog post deserved a “Sorry I haven’t posted in a while,” this might be it. In December, I wrapped up nearly a decade of work as the news editor at Hakai Magazine. We ha…
colinschultz.wordpress.com
For years, I've been using these same resources to explain to writers what made Hakai Magazine's admittedly odd news section tick. It's the same viewpoint I've carried over to @biographic.bsky.social, and I'm happy I finally put it somewhere permanent
colinschultz.wordpress.com/2025/10/25/d...
colinschultz.wordpress.com/2025/10/25/d...
Hyperaccumulating plants can become as much as 5% metal by weight. In the emerging field of phytomining, scientists and industrialists are learning to extract these valuable metals in a way that is much gentler on the landscape than conventional mining.
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That - bioGraphic
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
www.biographic.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Hyperaccumulating plants can become as much as 5% metal by weight. In the emerging field of phytomining, scientists and industrialists are learning to extract these valuable metals in a way that is much gentler on the landscape than conventional mining.
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Colin Schultz
Thrilled to share my first piece for @biographic.bsky.social about the plants -- from adorable to punk-rock -- that might help us ever so gently source the minerals we need for a low-carbon economy: www.biographic.com/critical-min...
November 8, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Thrilled to share my first piece for @biographic.bsky.social about the plants -- from adorable to punk-rock -- that might help us ever so gently source the minerals we need for a low-carbon economy: www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Most of the time, a female lemur’s vulva has no opening at all. “They could not have sex if they wanted to,” Baden says. But for a 24-72 hours window, “Their vagina will open like a flower.”
“It’s totally weird,” Baden says.
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
“It’s totally weird,” Baden says.
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Investigating a Treetop Baby Boom
Why a sudden spike in pregnancies in one Madagascan lemur population might actually be a bad sign for the species.
www.biographic.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Most of the time, a female lemur’s vulva has no opening at all. “They could not have sex if they wanted to,” Baden says. But for a 24-72 hours window, “Their vagina will open like a flower.”
“It’s totally weird,” Baden says.
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
“It’s totally weird,” Baden says.
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Reposted by Colin Schultz
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That - bioGraphic
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
www.biographic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
I got a 7/7 for interpreting cat behavior ^_^ theconversation.com/do-you-speak...
Do you speak cat? Take this quiz to find out
Cats are excellent at communicating, but humans still routinely misunderstand them.
theconversation.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I got a 7/7 for interpreting cat behavior ^_^ theconversation.com/do-you-speak...
156/Silence - Product Placement (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
YouTube video by SharpTone Records
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Colin Schultz
Read more about the developing field of phytomining--including the recent scientific and commercial advances--in today's story by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social:
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That - bioGraphic
Could phytomining—using plants to pull metal out of the soil—put the green in “green transition”?
www.biographic.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Read more about the developing field of phytomining--including the recent scientific and commercial advances--in today's story by @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social:
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Critical Minerals? There’s a Plant for That
www.biographic.com/critical-min...
Reposted by Colin Schultz
That's where "phytomining" enters the picture.
This nascent industry is using special metal-accumulating plants to develop a less destructive way to mine--or should we say farm?--metals.
This nascent industry is using special metal-accumulating plants to develop a less destructive way to mine--or should we say farm?--metals.
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
That's where "phytomining" enters the picture.
This nascent industry is using special metal-accumulating plants to develop a less destructive way to mine--or should we say farm?--metals.
This nascent industry is using special metal-accumulating plants to develop a less destructive way to mine--or should we say farm?--metals.
Reposted by Colin Schultz
But what if there was another way?
What if there was a way to obtain the metals we want--nickel, cobalt, cadmium, zinc--without the need for destructive strip mining or deep sea adventures?
What if there was a way to obtain the metals we want--nickel, cobalt, cadmium, zinc--without the need for destructive strip mining or deep sea adventures?
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
But what if there was another way?
What if there was a way to obtain the metals we want--nickel, cobalt, cadmium, zinc--without the need for destructive strip mining or deep sea adventures?
What if there was a way to obtain the metals we want--nickel, cobalt, cadmium, zinc--without the need for destructive strip mining or deep sea adventures?
Reposted by Colin Schultz
Whether it's coal, or oil, or diamonds, or cobalt, we love to fight over resources. Right now, the rush for critical minerals is sparking environmental destruction and human rights abuses. It's sending would-be miners prospecting on the very bottom of the sea, and stoking conflict around the world.
November 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Whether it's coal, or oil, or diamonds, or cobalt, we love to fight over resources. Right now, the rush for critical minerals is sparking environmental destruction and human rights abuses. It's sending would-be miners prospecting on the very bottom of the sea, and stoking conflict around the world.
Reposted by Colin Schultz
An update on this story - grad students are now exempt from the cap in student visas. 🧪
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 AM
An update on this story - grad students are now exempt from the cap in student visas. 🧪
Today's mood is a super weird mix of djenty powerviolence and atmospheric electronic stuff that I found.... somewhere. Blast beats + piano?
Theseus - Fromjoy www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98k...
Theseus - Fromjoy www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98k...
theseus
YouTube video by fromjoy - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Today's mood is a super weird mix of djenty powerviolence and atmospheric electronic stuff that I found.... somewhere. Blast beats + piano?
Theseus - Fromjoy www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98k...
Theseus - Fromjoy www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98k...
I read a really good book on Carrington years ago that I'd suggest if you're interested in space weather www.amazon.ca/Sun-Kings-Un...
November 4, 2025 at 7:18 PM
I read a really good book on Carrington years ago that I'd suggest if you're interested in space weather www.amazon.ca/Sun-Kings-Un...
"I wanted to check in and see how much “Gulf of America” had stuck in news media. The answer is: not very much."
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
Nine months later, that body of water down south is still the “Gulf of Mexico” to news outlets
Since the start of summer, "Gulf of America" has been losing what little popularity it had in newsrooms.
www.niemanlab.org
November 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
"I wanted to check in and see how much “Gulf of America” had stuck in news media. The answer is: not very much."
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...
"A solar storm on par with the infamous Carrington Event could potentially wipe out every satellite orbiting our planet, leaving us in a precarious and expensive predicament... Such a powerful solar storm is inevitable and will hit our planet sooner or later." www.livescience.com/space/the-su...
The next solar superstorm could wipe out 'all our satellites,' new simulations reveal
New ESA simulations suggest that a solar storm on par with the 1859 Carrington Event could wreak havoc on Earth-orbiting satellites — and it is a question of "when," not "if" this will happen, experts...
www.livescience.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"A solar storm on par with the infamous Carrington Event could potentially wipe out every satellite orbiting our planet, leaving us in a precarious and expensive predicament... Such a powerful solar storm is inevitable and will hit our planet sooner or later." www.livescience.com/space/the-su...
“All of the main commercial [AIs] are just too nice,” Evans says. They are “not going to produce the level of conflict and diverse perspectives that are required for really pathbreaking work.”
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
At futuristic meeting, AIs took the lead in producing and reviewing all the studies
Organizers aim to tune AI to help accelerate science
www.science.org
November 4, 2025 at 6:46 PM
“All of the main commercial [AIs] are just too nice,” Evans says. They are “not going to produce the level of conflict and diverse perspectives that are required for really pathbreaking work.”
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
"The findings are evidence that chimps use metacognition, or thinking about thinking, to weigh evidence and plan accordingly"
www.livescience.com/animals/chim...
www.livescience.com/animals/chim...
Chimps 'think about thinking' in order to weigh evidence and plan their actions, new research suggests
Chimpanzees use a variation of the "scientific method" — discarding prior beliefs if convincing new evidence comes along to change their minds, research shows.
www.livescience.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:13 PM
"The findings are evidence that chimps use metacognition, or thinking about thinking, to weigh evidence and plan accordingly"
www.livescience.com/animals/chim...
www.livescience.com/animals/chim...
It’s Nearly Time to Say Goodbye to the International Space Station. What Happens Next? www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
After a Quarter-Century of Hosting Humans, the International Space Station Is Approaching Its End. What Comes Next?
Humans have been in space onboard the ISS continuously for 25 years. As the station nears its end, new commercial habitats are lining up to take its place
www.scientificamerican.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:09 PM
It’s Nearly Time to Say Goodbye to the International Space Station. What Happens Next? www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
"The butt-drag impression is the first fossil of its kind to be described from anywhere in the world. In addition, these are the only possible fossilised hyrax tracks ever to be identified."
theconversation.com/worlds-first...
theconversation.com/worlds-first...
World’s first known butt-drag fossil trace was left by a rock hyrax in South Africa 126,000 years ago
The first hyrax fossil tracks and traces ever to be discovered were identified on South Africa’s coast.
theconversation.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM
"The butt-drag impression is the first fossil of its kind to be described from anywhere in the world. In addition, these are the only possible fossilised hyrax tracks ever to be identified."
theconversation.com/worlds-first...
theconversation.com/worlds-first...
World's biggest spiderweb discovered inside 'Sulfur Cave' with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black
www.livescience.com/animals/spid...
www.livescience.com/animals/spid...
World's biggest spiderweb discovered inside 'Sulfur Cave' with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black
A giant colonial spiderweb in a sulfuric cave on the border between Greece and Albania may be the largest ever found — and it was built by spiders we didn't know liked the company of others.
www.livescience.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
World's biggest spiderweb discovered inside 'Sulfur Cave' with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black
www.livescience.com/animals/spid...
www.livescience.com/animals/spid...
A New Type of Opioid Is Killing People in the US, Europe, and Australia www.wired.com/story/a-new-...
A New Type of Opioid Is Killing People in the US, Europe, and Australia
Nitazenes, a class of synthetic drugs 40 times more potent than fentanyl, are steadily becoming more common on both sides of the Atlantic.
www.wired.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
A New Type of Opioid Is Killing People in the US, Europe, and Australia www.wired.com/story/a-new-...
Reposted by Colin Schultz
Important caveat is "for now." They can't keep this up forever if the seas and the climate keeps keep warming, pointed out researchers. But these fish showed surprising resilience (and so did the next generation) in the face of repeated ocean heatwaves > read more in my @biographic.bsky.social story
We hear a lot that climate change will bring "winners and losers". But who will win, and who will lose? And why? And, how?
Well, for these fish, winning seems more likely than not. The "how" is still up in the air.
Well, for these fish, winning seems more likely than not. The "how" is still up in the air.
Ocean heatwaves are getting hotter, longer and more frequent. But what if some marine life could pass on resilience to multiple heatwaves to future generations? A paperclip-sized fish holds clues. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social www.biographic.com/these-fish-c...
October 31, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Important caveat is "for now." They can't keep this up forever if the seas and the climate keeps keep warming, pointed out researchers. But these fish showed surprising resilience (and so did the next generation) in the face of repeated ocean heatwaves > read more in my @biographic.bsky.social story
Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than humans — which helped us gain an advantage over our cousins, scientists say
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
October 29, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than humans — which helped us gain an advantage over our cousins, scientists say
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...
L Ʌ V Σ N - I Thought You Were Real [COUP005]
YouTube video by KANDE
www.youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:23 PM