David Malakoff
@davidmalakoff.bsky.social
Now: International News Editor, Science (@science.org). Then: Freelance science journalist, NPR Science Desk, river conservationist, College of the Atlantic (1986). Birder. Whitewater kayaker. Proud dad of three kids turned adults. Signal: DMalakoff.56
Sand mining threatens Asia's largest lake | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Sand mining threatens Asia's largest lake
Cambodia’s Tonle Sap supports important fisheries and wildlife
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Sand mining threatens Asia's largest lake | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
“There is direct interference from the White House here.” Argentina’s move to woo Trump has derailed South America’s largest radio telescope | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Argentina’s move to woo Trump has derailed South America’s largest radio telescope
U.S.-Chinese tensions have left nearly complete observatory in limbo, jeopardizing research into pulsars and other celestial objects
www.science.org
October 27, 2025 at 9:13 PM
“There is direct interference from the White House here.” Argentina’s move to woo Trump has derailed South America’s largest radio telescope | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
“One of the most important things we teach human scientists is how to have good scientific taste. And I don’t know how we will teach AI that.” At futuristic meeting, AIs took the lead in producing and reviewing all the studies | Science | AAAS 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
October 23, 2025 at 6:33 PM
“One of the most important things we teach human scientists is how to have good scientific taste. And I don’t know how we will teach AI that.” At futuristic meeting, AIs took the lead in producing and reviewing all the studies | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
“It feels like getting hit by a car right after you’ve barely survived a train wreck.” As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’ | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’
Federal researchers confront growing uncertainty about future
www.science.org
October 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
“It feels like getting hit by a car right after you’ve barely survived a train wreck.” As U.S. shutdown drags on, ‘it’s just one blow after another’ | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Great story from one of our wonderful photo editors at Science, Charles Borst: What’s it like to tell someone she won a Nobel Prize? | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
What’s it like to tell someone she won a Nobel Prize?
Science chats with photographer Lindsey Wasson, who captured how Nobel winner Mary Brunkow reacted to life-changing news
www.science.org
October 10, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Great story from one of our wonderful photo editors at Science, Charles Borst: What’s it like to tell someone she won a Nobel Prize? | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Renowned U.S. climate center trims staff ahead of expected budget cuts | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Renowned U.S. climate center trims staff ahead of expected budget cuts
NSF-funded National Center for Atmospheric Research is already shuttered during shutdown
www.science.org
October 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Renowned U.S. climate center trims staff ahead of expected budget cuts | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
After months in limbo, four NIH institute directors fired | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
After months in limbo, four NIH institute directors fired
Two leaders removed by Trump administration had hoped to stay at agency as in-house investigators
www.science.org
October 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
After months in limbo, four NIH institute directors fired | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by David Malakoff
I joined a team of ecologists wading through the muck of the Carolina coast in search of "ghost forests" killed by rising seas for @science.org. We were guided by a a new map that reveals millions of dead trees standing along the East Coast, marking an overlooked consequence of climate change...
AI reveals vast ‘ghost forests’ along U.S. coast
Machine learning method counts nearly 12 million dead trees, many likely killed by rising seas
www.science.org
October 1, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I joined a team of ecologists wading through the muck of the Carolina coast in search of "ghost forests" killed by rising seas for @science.org. We were guided by a a new map that reveals millions of dead trees standing along the East Coast, marking an overlooked consequence of climate change...
Reposted by David Malakoff
"… as I helped this bright young scholar rediscover hope in her journey, I rediscovered my own." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/473CI43
September 30, 2025 at 1:29 PM
"… as I helped this bright young scholar rediscover hope in her journey, I rediscovered my own." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/473CI43
Reposted by David Malakoff
Linda Guamán and Xiména Abarca fought bravely through humiliation, ignorance, and threats of a 10-year prison sentence to defend their scientific expertise that ultimately saved thousands in Quito during the pandemic.
My follow-up story for @science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
My follow-up story for @science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
Ecuadorian scientists cleared of criminal charges in COVID-19 testing case
Prosecutors alleged officials and researchers defrauded government during the early months of the pandemic
www.science.org
September 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Linda Guamán and Xiména Abarca fought bravely through humiliation, ignorance, and threats of a 10-year prison sentence to defend their scientific expertise that ultimately saved thousands in Quito during the pandemic.
My follow-up story for @science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
My follow-up story for @science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
Ecuadorian scientists cleared of criminal charges in COVID-19 testing case | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Ecuadorian scientists cleared of criminal charges in COVID-19 testing case
Prosecutors alleged officials and researchers defrauded government during the early months of the pandemic
www.science.org
September 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Ecuadorian scientists cleared of criminal charges in COVID-19 testing case | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by David Malakoff
"I was thrilled to be on an exchange semester overseas, but I saw it as just a detour from my imagined career path. I didn’t realize I was already pedaling toward a different life—one that would make me reassess how to achieve a fulfilling research career." https://scim.ag/46EZ2kj
September 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
"I was thrilled to be on an exchange semester overseas, but I saw it as just a detour from my imagined career path. I didn’t realize I was already pedaling toward a different life—one that would make me reassess how to achieve a fulfilling research career." https://scim.ag/46EZ2kj
Satellites could reveal the secret burial grounds of Mexico’s murder victims | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Satellites could reveal the secret burial grounds of Mexico’s murder victims
Sensors can detect chemical clues invisible to the human eye
www.science.org
September 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Satellites could reveal the secret burial grounds of Mexico’s murder victims | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. will fulfill Biden-era pledge to provide HIV prevention breakthrough to millions | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. will fulfill Biden-era pledge to provide HIV prevention breakthrough to millions
Trump administration cuts to global health programs had put promise in doubt
www.science.org
September 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
U.S. will fulfill Biden-era pledge to provide HIV prevention breakthrough to millions | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Florida plans to nix vaccine mandates. How well do they work? | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Florida plans to nix vaccine mandates. How well do they work?
Abandoning long-standing vaccine requirements for schoolchildren could prompt bigger outbreaks, researchers warn
www.science.org
September 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Florida plans to nix vaccine mandates. How well do they work? | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Pushed out by Trump, New Jersey ecologist launches bid for Congress | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Pushed out by Trump, New Jersey ecologist launches bid for Congress
Megan O’Rourke hopes to be a voice for science, also touts her blue-collar roots
www.science.org
August 26, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Pushed out by Trump, New Jersey ecologist launches bid for Congress | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
How a Ph.D. is like riding a bike | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
How a Ph.D. is like riding a bike
This researcher struggled in grad school—until he embraced it as a time for learning
www.science.org
August 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
How a Ph.D. is like riding a bike | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities
Many topics on Bhattacharya’s list are familiar, but order to re-evaluate grants draws concerns
www.science.org
August 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Giraffes are four distinct species, major report confirms | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Giraffes are four distinct species, major report confirms
The revised classification will help ensure different giraffe populations are adequately protected, conservationists say
www.science.org
August 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Giraffes are four distinct species, major report confirms | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Facing ‘impossible’ workload, USDA struggles to oversee lab animal welfare | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Facing ‘impossible’ workload, USDA struggles to oversee lab animal welfare
Shrinking staff and other handicaps threaten enforcement of federal law that protects research animals
www.science.org
August 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Facing ‘impossible’ workload, USDA struggles to oversee lab animal welfare | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities
Many topics on Bhattacharya’s list are familiar, but order to re-evaluate grants draws concerns
www.science.org
August 15, 2025 at 10:58 PM
NIH director orders new review of grants in outline of top research priorities | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Why a top economist discounts Trump’s claim U.S. jobs data are ‘rigged’ | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Why a top economist discounts Trump’s claim U.S. jobs data are ‘rigged’
A former head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics rebuts reason why president fired the agency’s leader
www.science.org
August 4, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Why a top economist discounts Trump’s claim U.S. jobs data are ‘rigged’ | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds
Sophisticated global networks are infiltrating journals to publish fake papers
www.science.org
August 4, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by David Malakoff
Researchers’ chances of winning a grant from the National Institutes of Health have dropped under a new policy. scim.ag/4f7uew2
Odds of winning NIH grants plummet as new funding policy and spending delays bite
Funding multiyear grants up front will sharply cut number of investigators receiving awards
scim.ag
July 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Researchers’ chances of winning a grant from the National Institutes of Health have dropped under a new policy. scim.ag/4f7uew2
Reposted by David Malakoff
Random cat facts can increase the odds an LLM gets a math problem wrong by as much as 700% (To be fair to the AIs, cats are pretty confusing). That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
July 30, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Random cat facts can increase the odds an LLM gets a math problem wrong by as much as 700% (To be fair to the AIs, cats are pretty confusing). That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪