Ethan Freedman
@ethanpfreedman.com
Reporter: science, nature, agriculture, climate. Bylines at Scientific American, Live Science, Hakai, Sierra, Slate, Fatherly, etc.
He/Him. RTs =/= Endorsement. Opinions solely my own. Old posts regularly delete en masse.
Chicago
www.ethanpfreedman.com
He/Him. RTs =/= Endorsement. Opinions solely my own. Old posts regularly delete en masse.
Chicago
www.ethanpfreedman.com
Are you aware that Anchorage has it's own (much less gory, much more adorable) Pamplona-style running of the reindeer each year
Fur Rendezvous 9th annual running of the reindeer
YouTube video by Anchorage Daily News
www.youtube.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Are you aware that Anchorage has it's own (much less gory, much more adorable) Pamplona-style running of the reindeer each year
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
“We applied because any support that helps us retain journalists is meaningful." www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/for-...
Last year, Illinois started giving local news outlets tax credits to support journalism jobs. A new report looks at how it’s going
During a devastating week of news about news, you could easily have missed a new policy paper from the nonprofit Rebuild Local News. The report, released last Thursday, is a substantive, measured…
www.niemanlab.org
February 15, 2026 at 5:04 PM
“We applied because any support that helps us retain journalists is meaningful." www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/for-...
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
iconic shot of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on the podium
February 14, 2026 at 4:15 PM
iconic shot of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on the podium
This, unbelievably, is the first medal of any kind for any Winter Olympian from all of South America - the dude just edged out three Swiss guys
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins giant slalom gold to secure Brazil’s first-ever Winter Olympics medal
Braathen’s victory also makes him the first athlete from South America to medal at the WInter Games, with Swiss stars Marco Odermatt and Loïc Meillard winning silver and bronze, respectively.
www.olympics.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:56 PM
This, unbelievably, is the first medal of any kind for any Winter Olympian from all of South America - the dude just edged out three Swiss guys
Don't tell anyone, but you can get a beer in most Chicago neighborhoods for less than $5
"zoomers are killing the bar industry" oh interesting was it zoomers who decided a drink should cost seventeen dollars
February 13, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Don't tell anyone, but you can get a beer in most Chicago neighborhoods for less than $5
I had not realized until this Olympics that Kagiyama and Malinin had a kind of Alcaraz/Sinner thing going on, each complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses in a way that makes for incredible entertainment
we are now witnessing a Lil Jumper (Yuma) versus Spindly Spider (Ilia) showdown
February 13, 2026 at 9:48 PM
I had not realized until this Olympics that Kagiyama and Malinin had a kind of Alcaraz/Sinner thing going on, each complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses in a way that makes for incredible entertainment
One of the best things I've done recently is download the Mindfulness Bell app, which sends out notifications at random intervals throughout the day reminding you to chill -- a prompt to lower my shoulders, breathe out, and reset. Can't stress how nice it is to get these reminder throughout the day.
Meditation Timer for iPad and iPhone - Lotus Bud
The meditation timer that makes meditation simple. Lotus Bud is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Find out more...
lotusbudapp.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:32 PM
One of the best things I've done recently is download the Mindfulness Bell app, which sends out notifications at random intervals throughout the day reminding you to chill -- a prompt to lower my shoulders, breathe out, and reset. Can't stress how nice it is to get these reminder throughout the day.
“In perhaps the greatest sign that the baseball apocalypse is nigh, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed a free agent to a multiyear contract, the first time they had done so in a decade.”
What Kyle Tucker's Dodgers contract means for MLB labor peace
MLB fans are angry -- and players and owners are, too. What did this offseason mean for baseball's coming labor strife?
www.espn.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:46 AM
“In perhaps the greatest sign that the baseball apocalypse is nigh, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed a free agent to a multiyear contract, the first time they had done so in a decade.”
The idea that "we produce CO2, therefore it can't be pollution" is very silly when you think about how much we've polluted rivers and lakes with sewage
"CO2 was never a pollutant. When we breathe we emit CO2."
@secretaryburgum.bsky.social has gone full on climate denier
@secretaryburgum.bsky.social has gone full on climate denier
February 11, 2026 at 5:52 PM
The idea that "we produce CO2, therefore it can't be pollution" is very silly when you think about how much we've polluted rivers and lakes with sewage
If you were to specialize in one sliding discipline, do you think you'd be best at luge, skeleton, or bobsled?
If luge, singles or doubles? If bobsled, four-person, two-person, or monobob?
I think I could have killed it on the monobob
If luge, singles or doubles? If bobsled, four-person, two-person, or monobob?
I think I could have killed it on the monobob
February 11, 2026 at 5:04 PM
If you were to specialize in one sliding discipline, do you think you'd be best at luge, skeleton, or bobsled?
If luge, singles or doubles? If bobsled, four-person, two-person, or monobob?
I think I could have killed it on the monobob
If luge, singles or doubles? If bobsled, four-person, two-person, or monobob?
I think I could have killed it on the monobob
“Nordic combined had by far the lowest audience numbers of any discipline of the programme over the last three Games cycles.”
February 11, 2026 at 4:57 PM
“Nordic combined had by far the lowest audience numbers of any discipline of the programme over the last three Games cycles.”
A classic
Don't give anything an Emmy until it's as good as this.
February 11, 2026 at 1:04 AM
A classic
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
Why are we still doing this? Why are we mining these noisy, inaccurate, confounded databases for associations so we can mislead people about what they ought to be eating?
I'd sure love to see @gidmk.bsky.social and @pwgtennant.bsky.social weigh in on this one.
I'd sure love to see @gidmk.bsky.social and @pwgtennant.bsky.social weigh in on this one.
February 10, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Why are we still doing this? Why are we mining these noisy, inaccurate, confounded databases for associations so we can mislead people about what they ought to be eating?
I'd sure love to see @gidmk.bsky.social and @pwgtennant.bsky.social weigh in on this one.
I'd sure love to see @gidmk.bsky.social and @pwgtennant.bsky.social weigh in on this one.
"...many became better able to sustain themselves through their work alone,” he said.
A more vibrant arts sector brought myriad benefits such as greater economic activity, improved mental wellbeing, critical thinking and innovation, Power added."
A more vibrant arts sector brought myriad benefits such as greater economic activity, improved mental wellbeing, critical thinking and innovation, Power added."
February 10, 2026 at 11:10 PM
"...many became better able to sustain themselves through their work alone,” he said.
A more vibrant arts sector brought myriad benefits such as greater economic activity, improved mental wellbeing, critical thinking and innovation, Power added."
A more vibrant arts sector brought myriad benefits such as greater economic activity, improved mental wellbeing, critical thinking and innovation, Power added."
Reposted by Ethan Freedman
we crunched some numbers www.avclub.com/melania-budg...
Melania's budget could've paid the salaries of every fired Washington Post employee, three times over
An incomplete breakdown of Jeff Bezos' financial priorities, weighing one piece of propaganda (Melania) against 300 journalists.
www.avclub.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:01 PM
we crunched some numbers www.avclub.com/melania-budg...
Has anybody written/read anything insightful on the downstream cultural effects of the prioritization of shareholder value circa 1980s? Like, there must be a thread between the current obsession with optimization and a philosophy of corporate value-maximizing
February 10, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Has anybody written/read anything insightful on the downstream cultural effects of the prioritization of shareholder value circa 1980s? Like, there must be a thread between the current obsession with optimization and a philosophy of corporate value-maximizing
I haven't exactly figured it out the trajectory of it how happened, but the (mostly left-leaning) people who argue that the phone problem is a "moral panic" have somehow reflexively argued themselves into a pro-big tech, antisocial position
It’s the phones, folks.
Blocking mobile internet — not your phone — for JUST 2 weeks and people showed sharper attention (~10 YEARS’ WORTH!) and mental health gains comparable to antidepressants.
Same life. Less internet. Happier humans.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Blocking mobile internet — not your phone — for JUST 2 weeks and people showed sharper attention (~10 YEARS’ WORTH!) and mental health gains comparable to antidepressants.
Same life. Less internet. Happier humans.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being
Abstract. Smartphones enable people to access the online world from anywhere at any time. Despite the benefits of this technology, there is growing concern
academic.oup.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:00 PM
I haven't exactly figured it out the trajectory of it how happened, but the (mostly left-leaning) people who argue that the phone problem is a "moral panic" have somehow reflexively argued themselves into a pro-big tech, antisocial position
Macbeth, in horror:
February 9, 2026 at 3:15 AM
Macbeth, in horror:
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved to watch the New England Patriots lose a football game
February 9, 2026 at 3:06 AM
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved to watch the New England Patriots lose a football game
🚨🚨 JASON MYERS HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE MVP BALLOT
No option to vote for Jason Myers as MVP 😢
February 9, 2026 at 2:55 AM
🚨🚨 JASON MYERS HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE MVP BALLOT
No option to vote for Jason Myers as MVP 😢
February 9, 2026 at 2:28 AM
No option to vote for Jason Myers as MVP 😢
Four field goals and underwhelming play on both sides of the ball? Steelers could have won this game
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Four field goals and underwhelming play on both sides of the ball? Steelers could have won this game
Oh I just got why the Patriots brought Malcolm Butler out at the start of the game
February 9, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Oh I just got why the Patriots brought Malcolm Butler out at the start of the game
I was in high school during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and reasoned that the way I still had a shot of becoming an Olympian was to be the third guy back in the bobsled and hang on for dear life – and then I quickly learned that I was also already too late to do that
So what sport would you do if you were a completely different person?
Ski jumping would be cool if I was both well-coordinated and less afraid of heights.
Ski jumping would be cool if I was both well-coordinated and less afraid of heights.
Luge is exactly the kind of sport I would enjoy participating in if I was a completely different person.
February 8, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I was in high school during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and reasoned that the way I still had a shot of becoming an Olympian was to be the third guy back in the bobsled and hang on for dear life – and then I quickly learned that I was also already too late to do that