Rachel Feltman (she/they)
@feltman.bsky.social
Writer (science, history, sad gay ghost stories) // editor // Host of The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week + Science Quickly // Author of Been There Done That: A Rousing History of Sex // Past: WaPo, PopSci // Now: Working on my bog body
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
I finally got around to making a @bookshop.org affiliate shop full of books from Weirdest Thing and also just books I like! We've got science! We've got history! We've got WLW regency romance! Stay tuned for more nonfiction, plus lots of horror and weirdfic bookshop.org/shop/weirdes...
Rachel Feltman's Weirdest Thing and Sundry Shoppe Bookshop
Hi! I'm Rachel Feltman, the host of Popular Science's The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week and Scientific American's Science Quickly. I'm also the author of Been There, Done That: A Rousing History ...
bookshop.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:16 PM
I finally got around to making a @bookshop.org affiliate shop full of books from Weirdest Thing and also just books I like! We've got science! We've got history! We've got WLW regency romance! Stay tuned for more nonfiction, plus lots of horror and weirdfic bookshop.org/shop/weirdes...
yesterday was my birthday and I spent most of it soothing a three month old baby who got his first tooth at three weeks and already has a second one so be nice to me
February 4, 2026 at 2:46 PM
yesterday was my birthday and I spent most of it soothing a three month old baby who got his first tooth at three weeks and already has a second one so be nice to me
will I be on here more? maybe. I'm also now possibly on threads www.threads.com/@rafeltman
Rachel Feltman (@rafeltman) • Threads, Say more
495 Followers • 0 Threads • host of @weirdest_thing, author of Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex, ghost writer and writer of ghosts, aspiring bog body. See the latest conversations with....
www.threads.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:36 PM
will I be on here more? maybe. I'm also now possibly on threads www.threads.com/@rafeltman
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
@feltman.bsky.social My friends and I had a Powerpoint Party, and my theme was The Weirdest Thing I learned this week
Also my look was full of eyes (earings, necklace, pants and make up) And i hand painted some bubblegum! My favorite podcast, and Kudos to your book hehe
Also my look was full of eyes (earings, necklace, pants and make up) And i hand painted some bubblegum! My favorite podcast, and Kudos to your book hehe
January 18, 2026 at 1:36 AM
@feltman.bsky.social My friends and I had a Powerpoint Party, and my theme was The Weirdest Thing I learned this week
Also my look was full of eyes (earings, necklace, pants and make up) And i hand painted some bubblegum! My favorite podcast, and Kudos to your book hehe
Also my look was full of eyes (earings, necklace, pants and make up) And i hand painted some bubblegum! My favorite podcast, and Kudos to your book hehe
trying to get my pittance NJ unpaid maternity leave stipend but have to first prove I was employed by the temp agency my main gig used to avoid giving me salaried benefits, which now literally doesn't exist and has been swapped for another temp agency that keeps forgetting what state I'm based in
a girl in a cowboy hat is holding a stick and says i 'm tired of this grandpa .
ALT: a girl in a cowboy hat is holding a stick and says i 'm tired of this grandpa .
media.tenor.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
trying to get my pittance NJ unpaid maternity leave stipend but have to first prove I was employed by the temp agency my main gig used to avoid giving me salaried benefits, which now literally doesn't exist and has been swapped for another temp agency that keeps forgetting what state I'm based in
fyi @sabs.bsky.social's perfect and wonderful book is part of the @libro.fm Shop Small Sale libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
How Far the Light Reaches Audiobook on Libro.fm
A fascinating tour of creatures from the surface to the deepest ocean floor: this
libro.fm
November 26, 2025 at 2:54 AM
fyi @sabs.bsky.social's perfect and wonderful book is part of the @libro.fm Shop Small Sale libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
when a show is incredibly good except the plot hinges on someone in a BSL-4 lab removing a layer of PPE while examining a specimen
a man in a white shirt and tie is smiling while talking to two women .
ALT: a man in a white shirt and tie is smiling while talking to two women .
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 AM
when a show is incredibly good except the plot hinges on someone in a BSL-4 lab removing a layer of PPE while examining a specimen
genuinely very excited for this film about how shakers were metal as hell, actually www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zK_...
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE | Official Teaser | Searchlight Pictures
YouTube video by SearchlightPictures
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
genuinely very excited for this film about how shakers were metal as hell, actually www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zK_...
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
“I came to apologies bc I find apologies quite interesting & bizarre. They’re something that is called cheap talk bc anyone can apologize, whether or not they mean it—it costs them nothing—so you think they’d be meaningless, but they’re really meaningful.”🧪
@feltman.bsky.social
@feltman.bsky.social
The words we choose when apologizing—especially longer, effortful ones—can signal sincerity and make our apologies feel more authentic.
What Makes an Apology Sound Real? Psychology Has Answers
The words we choose when apologizing—especially longer, effortful ones—can signal sincerity and make our apologies feel more authentic.
www.scientificamerican.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
“I came to apologies bc I find apologies quite interesting & bizarre. They’re something that is called cheap talk bc anyone can apologize, whether or not they mean it—it costs them nothing—so you think they’d be meaningless, but they’re really meaningful.”🧪
@feltman.bsky.social
@feltman.bsky.social
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
Here's a fun version of this: end-to-end development of a vaccine costs about $3-4B (assuming no incremental benefits in platform tech!). OpenAI's last cap raise came out to $40B. So, for the cost of non-consenually seeing Jason Momoa plow Marilyn Monroe, you could instead fully cure ten diseases.
i feel like i could make 20 aubrey-maturin adaptations with that disney 360 degree set and a handful of live actors for the cost of what openAI spends each day generating videos of MLK appearing on joe rogan
Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies
October 14, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Here's a fun version of this: end-to-end development of a vaccine costs about $3-4B (assuming no incremental benefits in platform tech!). OpenAI's last cap raise came out to $40B. So, for the cost of non-consenually seeing Jason Momoa plow Marilyn Monroe, you could instead fully cure ten diseases.
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
On today's Science Quickly, I interviewed a former White House doctor about the president's care, aging and more: "It is a fact of science, it's not a political attack, that humans past the age of 60... start to have cognitive decline."
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
Transforming Presidential Health Care: Insights from a Former White House Doctor
A former White House physician reveals the medical realities of caring for the president of the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
On today's Science Quickly, I interviewed a former White House doctor about the president's care, aging and more: "It is a fact of science, it's not a political attack, that humans past the age of 60... start to have cognitive decline."
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
Jared Kushner and a bunch of Saudi investors owning The Sims obviously isn't the worst thing that's happening right now but I just really didn't have that one on my enshittification bingo card
October 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Jared Kushner and a bunch of Saudi investors owning The Sims obviously isn't the worst thing that's happening right now but I just really didn't have that one on my enshittification bingo card
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
"You see CDC being torn apart, 2,000 people who are no longer there, years of experience, centers that are being demolished." @drdemetre.bsky.social discusses the dire state of US public health w/ @feltman.bsky.social on @sciam.bsky.social Science Quickly: www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Demetre Daskalakis Saw the CDC Change from the Inside—And He’s Sounding the Alarm
The former director of a CDC center reveals how political ideology is undermining science, threatening vaccine policy and endangering public health across the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:31 PM
"You see CDC being torn apart, 2,000 people who are no longer there, years of experience, centers that are being demolished." @drdemetre.bsky.social discusses the dire state of US public health w/ @feltman.bsky.social on @sciam.bsky.social Science Quickly: www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Today on Science Quickly for @sciam.bsky.social: @drdemetre.bsky.social on how the CDC has decayed from a trusted source of health information to "an ideology propaganda machine that’s Orwellian"—and what we can do about it
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Demetre Daskalakis Saw the CDC Change from the Inside—And He’s Sounding the Alarm
The former director of a CDC center reveals how political ideology is undermining science, threatening vaccine policy and endangering public health across the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Today on Science Quickly for @sciam.bsky.social: @drdemetre.bsky.social on how the CDC has decayed from a trusted source of health information to "an ideology propaganda machine that’s Orwellian"—and what we can do about it
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
Every new thing I learn about Alvin Lucier is cooler than the last. He used his brainwaves to make music in the '60s--and he found a way to keep it up, even after his death. "If anyone was gonna pull off immortality, it was him," his daughter, Amanda Lucier, told me.
Enjoy the episode!🧪
Enjoy the episode!🧪
Today on @sciam.bsky.social's Science Quickly, our unofficial music correspondent @parshallison.bsky.social tells us how one experimental composer is continuing to make music from beyond the grave www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Experimental Music Meets Neuroscience in a Haunting New Installation
A museum exhibit in Australia lets visitors hear music generated by brain cells derived from the blood of a dead composer.
www.scientificamerican.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Every new thing I learn about Alvin Lucier is cooler than the last. He used his brainwaves to make music in the '60s--and he found a way to keep it up, even after his death. "If anyone was gonna pull off immortality, it was him," his daughter, Amanda Lucier, told me.
Enjoy the episode!🧪
Enjoy the episode!🧪
Today on @sciam.bsky.social's Science Quickly, our unofficial music correspondent @parshallison.bsky.social tells us how one experimental composer is continuing to make music from beyond the grave www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Experimental Music Meets Neuroscience in a Haunting New Installation
A museum exhibit in Australia lets visitors hear music generated by brain cells derived from the blood of a dead composer.
www.scientificamerican.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Today on @sciam.bsky.social's Science Quickly, our unofficial music correspondent @parshallison.bsky.social tells us how one experimental composer is continuing to make music from beyond the grave www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
maybe the dire wolves were skating bowls too much
Got to talk about ~hot historical gossip~ with @annaleen.bsky.social on this week's Weirdest Thing! Also: skate park archaeology www.popsci.com/science/arch...
Why archaeologists are studying a skate park
Plus dire wolves' bad knees and other weird things we learned this week.
www.popsci.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:43 PM
maybe the dire wolves were skating bowls too much
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
Karolina spent years idolizing raw vegan influencers on Instagram. She went to Bali to meet them — and never came home.
My deep dive on fruitarianism — a group of wellness influencers who exclusively eat raw fruit — is up on @nymag.com @thecut.com today. www.thecut.com/article/karo...
My deep dive on fruitarianism — a group of wellness influencers who exclusively eat raw fruit — is up on @nymag.com @thecut.com today. www.thecut.com/article/karo...
The Woman Who Ate Only Fruit
Karolina Krzyzak went to Bali to meet the raw-vegan influencers she’d followed for years. She never made it back home.
www.thecut.com
September 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Karolina spent years idolizing raw vegan influencers on Instagram. She went to Bali to meet them — and never came home.
My deep dive on fruitarianism — a group of wellness influencers who exclusively eat raw fruit — is up on @nymag.com @thecut.com today. www.thecut.com/article/karo...
My deep dive on fruitarianism — a group of wellness influencers who exclusively eat raw fruit — is up on @nymag.com @thecut.com today. www.thecut.com/article/karo...
Got to talk about ~hot historical gossip~ with @annaleen.bsky.social on this week's Weirdest Thing! Also: skate park archaeology www.popsci.com/science/arch...
Why archaeologists are studying a skate park
Plus dire wolves' bad knees and other weird things we learned this week.
www.popsci.com
September 24, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Got to talk about ~hot historical gossip~ with @annaleen.bsky.social on this week's Weirdest Thing! Also: skate park archaeology www.popsci.com/science/arch...
we are a heartbeat away from someone in a position of medical authority saying that fresh liver smoothies are superior to prenatal vitamins and the best treatment for a maternal fever is a cold plunge
September 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
we are a heartbeat away from someone in a position of medical authority saying that fresh liver smoothies are superior to prenatal vitamins and the best treatment for a maternal fever is a cold plunge
meanwhile, unmanaged fevers during pregnancy are such a concern that they put the fear of god into you about taking HOT BATHS
Kimmel's show put together a montage of Trump insisting dozens of times yesterday to "DON'T TAKE TYLENOL." Complete insanity.
September 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
meanwhile, unmanaged fevers during pregnancy are such a concern that they put the fear of god into you about taking HOT BATHS
Reposted by Rachel Feltman (she/they)
Really important piece by Roxane Gay: “Civility obsessives love a silver-tongued devil, wearing a nice suit, sporting a tidy haircut, while whispering sweet bigotries.” 🎁 link: @roxanegay.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
Opinion | Civility Is a Fantasy
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Really important piece by Roxane Gay: “Civility obsessives love a silver-tongued devil, wearing a nice suit, sporting a tidy haircut, while whispering sweet bigotries.” 🎁 link: @roxanegay.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
The always excellent @parshallison.bsky.social unpacks the evidence on pregnancy and tylenol www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...
Does Tylenol Use during Pregnancy Cause Autism? What the Research Shows
President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have tied Tylenol use during pregnancy and folate deficiencies to rising autism rates—but the evidence is thin
www.scientificamerican.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The always excellent @parshallison.bsky.social unpacks the evidence on pregnancy and tylenol www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...