Hannah Waters
@hanner.bsky.social
biology editor @quantamagazine.bsky.social ~ pitch biology stories: hwaters@quantamagazine.org ~ quantamagazine.org/biology
Pinned
Hannah Waters
@hanner.bsky.social
· Sep 25
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
Hii! Last week Quanta published a project I've been working on all year — a special issue about climate science, or what research into climate change is revealing about how our planet works www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
November 10, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
November 8, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Interviews and photographs of many of the Venezuelan men who were tortured at CECOT prison in El Salvador. Essential reading. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Interviews and photographs of many of the Venezuelan men who were tortured at CECOT prison in El Salvador. Essential reading. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
apropos james watson’s death i had an idle thought today about how stupid race/iq stuff sounds. “buh if your skin is darker you are biologically less smart” is a thing only a dumbass can believe
November 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
apropos james watson’s death i had an idle thought today about how stupid race/iq stuff sounds. “buh if your skin is darker you are biologically less smart” is a thing only a dumbass can believe
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Insect people! Does anyone know what this is?
(Seen in Madagascar.)
(Seen in Madagascar.)
November 6, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Insect people! Does anyone know what this is?
(Seen in Madagascar.)
(Seen in Madagascar.)
Reposted by Hannah Waters
The end of an era: the Tree of Life Web Project is going dark after 3 decades. Anyone interested in communicating phylogeny online should read David's account of goals, history, and future. @bembidion.bsky.social
subulatepalpomere.com/2025/11/02/t...
subulatepalpomere.com/2025/11/02/t...
The Passing of the Tree of Life Web Project
The Tree of Life Web Project began its journey almost 40 years ago, and was formally announced in early 1996. It has served thousands of pages of information about the evolutionary tree of life and…
subulatepalpomere.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The end of an era: the Tree of Life Web Project is going dark after 3 decades. Anyone interested in communicating phylogeny online should read David's account of goals, history, and future. @bembidion.bsky.social
subulatepalpomere.com/2025/11/02/t...
subulatepalpomere.com/2025/11/02/t...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
An amazing collection below of long form writing on climate science. Worth reading as we approach #COP30!
Hii! Last week Quanta published a project I've been working on all year — a special issue about climate science, or what research into climate change is revealing about how our planet works www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
November 3, 2025 at 10:10 PM
An amazing collection below of long form writing on climate science. Worth reading as we approach #COP30!
“It’s like dealing with the Mob“ - How the U.S. derailed global talks on reducing carbon emissions from shipping on.ft.com/4hAl1xy
November 2, 2025 at 6:08 PM
“It’s like dealing with the Mob“ - How the U.S. derailed global talks on reducing carbon emissions from shipping on.ft.com/4hAl1xy
Reposted by Hannah Waters
The Guardian is hiring for a graphics reporter and data reporter to cover how the US government is deleting and altering important datasets.
If you like the work we do, come join us!
Data: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Graphics: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
If you like the work we do, come join us!
Data: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Graphics: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
October 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The Guardian is hiring for a graphics reporter and data reporter to cover how the US government is deleting and altering important datasets.
If you like the work we do, come join us!
Data: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Graphics: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
If you like the work we do, come join us!
Data: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Graphics: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
More than 5 million people face an increased cancer risk because they live near a type of industrial plant that would have been subject to rules put forward by the Biden.
The Trump administration is rolling them back
By the inimitable @lisalsong.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
The Trump administration is rolling them back
By the inimitable @lisalsong.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Air Pollution From Industrial Facilities Is Far Worse Than Estimated
The Trump administration has put a stop to EPA rules that would have required more than 130 industrial facilities to install air monitors to measure pollution. Millions of people living near these pla...
www.propublica.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
More than 5 million people face an increased cancer risk because they live near a type of industrial plant that would have been subject to rules put forward by the Biden.
The Trump administration is rolling them back
By the inimitable @lisalsong.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
The Trump administration is rolling them back
By the inimitable @lisalsong.bsky.social
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Finally someone bold enough to ask, is new york ready for a mayor who opposes slavery? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
October 29, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Finally someone bold enough to ask, is new york ready for a mayor who opposes slavery? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
From the nine-inch pygmy shark to a whale shark, the largest living fish, all sharks have the same surface area to volume ratio: a metric that might be a universal proportion across the natural world.
www.quantamagazine.org/shark-data-s...
www.quantamagazine.org/shark-data-s...
Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects | Quanta Magazine
Despite their wide variety of sizes, niches and shapes, sharks scale geometrically, pointing to possible fundamental constraints on evolution.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:00 PM
From the nine-inch pygmy shark to a whale shark, the largest living fish, all sharks have the same surface area to volume ratio: a metric that might be a universal proportion across the natural world.
www.quantamagazine.org/shark-data-s...
www.quantamagazine.org/shark-data-s...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
"Children make up half of Gaza’s population. They will suffer the consequences [of starvation] their whole life.” www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
What Comes After Starvation in Gaza?
For the severely malnourished, simply starting to eat normal meals again can cause sickness—even death.
www.newyorker.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:56 PM
"Children make up half of Gaza’s population. They will suffer the consequences [of starvation] their whole life.” www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
I was interviewed for this great piece about sea level rise.
Solid reporting here on the scientific controversy, but I like that Evan ended with my bigger picture quote that a lot of the controversy doesn't really matter because by 2100, we will be talking about a radically different coastline.
Solid reporting here on the scientific controversy, but I like that Evan ended with my bigger picture quote that a lot of the controversy doesn't really matter because by 2100, we will be talking about a radically different coastline.
How Soon Will the Seas Rise? | Quanta Magazine
The uniquely vulnerable West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 5 meters. But when that will happen — and how fast — is anything but settled.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I was interviewed for this great piece about sea level rise.
Solid reporting here on the scientific controversy, but I like that Evan ended with my bigger picture quote that a lot of the controversy doesn't really matter because by 2100, we will be talking about a radically different coastline.
Solid reporting here on the scientific controversy, but I like that Evan ended with my bigger picture quote that a lot of the controversy doesn't really matter because by 2100, we will be talking about a radically different coastline.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
yes I love the masters students who intern and write for me but .. don’t go!! reading TON was part of what I did instead www.theopennotebook.com
My TON story: I was teaching grad students in science writing when TON started up. The more I read it, the more I wondered why the grad students were paying tuition when TON offered a nearly the masters' education for free. I mean, FREE. And solidly good.
October 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
yes I love the masters students who intern and write for me but .. don’t go!! reading TON was part of what I did instead www.theopennotebook.com
"Is there a timeline, a regulatory environment, in which the internet does not turn into a highly efficient manufacturer of niche suicide cults? I find it hard to imagine." harpers.org/archive/2025...
The Goon Squad, by Daniel Kolitz
Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation
harpers.org
October 24, 2025 at 12:38 AM
"Is there a timeline, a regulatory environment, in which the internet does not turn into a highly efficient manufacturer of niche suicide cults? I find it hard to imagine." harpers.org/archive/2025...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨
Many things are changing before our eyes. Others are harder to see
Like the US economy
Americans are spending more 💲 recovering from disasters and preparing for the next one. 36% of US GDP growth since 2000 is related to climate disasters.
Welcome to the Disaster Industrial Complex 🎁🔗
Many things are changing before our eyes. Others are harder to see
Like the US economy
Americans are spending more 💲 recovering from disasters and preparing for the next one. 36% of US GDP growth since 2000 is related to climate disasters.
Welcome to the Disaster Industrial Complex 🎁🔗
Disaster Recovery Is an $8 Trillion Driver of US Growth
Investors are on the hunt for companies powering the disaster industrial complex, which are fueling US growth and outpacing the S&P 500
www.bloomberg.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:42 PM
🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨
Many things are changing before our eyes. Others are harder to see
Like the US economy
Americans are spending more 💲 recovering from disasters and preparing for the next one. 36% of US GDP growth since 2000 is related to climate disasters.
Welcome to the Disaster Industrial Complex 🎁🔗
Many things are changing before our eyes. Others are harder to see
Like the US economy
Americans are spending more 💲 recovering from disasters and preparing for the next one. 36% of US GDP growth since 2000 is related to climate disasters.
Welcome to the Disaster Industrial Complex 🎁🔗
It's a very calculated psychic attack. The White House is a metonym for the presidency. A visual representation of his efforts to fundamentally and irreversibly change the presidency.
Trump has done many many many many many things that are worse than this, but I bet this is one of the things that turns people.
October 23, 2025 at 11:38 AM
It's a very calculated psychic attack. The White House is a metonym for the presidency. A visual representation of his efforts to fundamentally and irreversibly change the presidency.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
ICE just escalated NYC enforcement in the most visible possible way: sweeping in and arresting immigrant vendors on Canal Street, where tourists have forever flocked to buy knockoff designer handbags.
Military-Style Sweep Hits NYC as Masked Federal Agents Arrest Canal Street Vendors
Spontaneous protests were met with an armored military vehicle and assault rifles in a crackdown that escalated the Trump administration’s focus on NYC.
www.thecity.nyc
October 21, 2025 at 10:52 PM
ICE just escalated NYC enforcement in the most visible possible way: sweeping in and arresting immigrant vendors on Canal Street, where tourists have forever flocked to buy knockoff designer handbags.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Oh good, it's been too long since I was scared absolutely shitless.
Methane leaks multiplying beneath Antarctic ocean spark fears of climate doom loop
Researchers have discovered dozens of new methane seeps littering the ocean floor in the Ross Sea coastal region of Antarctica, raising concerns of an unknown positive climate feedback loop that could...
www.livescience.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Oh good, it's been too long since I was scared absolutely shitless.
Reposted by Hannah Waters
As the neurological underpinnings of transitional sleep states come to light, scientists are gaining a better understanding about what is going on after dark — specifically in the brains of people who have trouble sleeping. www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-brai...
How the Brain Moves From Waking Life to Sleep (and Back Again) | Quanta Magazine
Neuroscientists probing the boundary between sleep and awareness are finding many types of liminal states, which help explain the sleep disorders that can result when sleep transitions go wrong.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
As the neurological underpinnings of transitional sleep states come to light, scientists are gaining a better understanding about what is going on after dark — specifically in the brains of people who have trouble sleeping. www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-brai...
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!
The Majority AI View - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
anildash.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Okay, for the folks who asked: here's the majority AI view, writing up the reasonable, thoughtful view on AI that the vast majority of people in tech hold, that gets overshadowed by the bluster and hype of the tycoons trying to shill their nonsense. anildash.com/2025/10/17/t... Please share!
Reposted by Hannah Waters
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
www.scientificamerican.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
Reposted by Hannah Waters
Months before catastrophic floods swept through an Alaska Native village on Sunday, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant meant to protect the community from extreme flooding. At the time, the EPA administrator said he was eliminating "wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants."
E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant to Alaska, Parts of Which Just Flooded
The remote village of Kipnuk planned to use the money to protect against flooding. On Sunday, it was inundated.
nyti.ms
October 15, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Months before catastrophic floods swept through an Alaska Native village on Sunday, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant meant to protect the community from extreme flooding. At the time, the EPA administrator said he was eliminating "wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants."