John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
Global Director of Science Capacity, The Nature Conservancy
Adjunct Professor, Duke University
Ecologist & Conservation Scientist
Environmental science
62%
Geography
15%
Or is it just a display of power?
Opinion | The Reality of Living With Wolves, Bears and Mountain Lions
www.nytimes.com
Conservation and management of large animals, especially predators, is complicated when the habitat is diminished and fragmented. We need a comprehensive strategy that includes all possible partners (not a few private individuals bearing the brunt).
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/o...
Rising heat kills one person a minute worldwide, major report reveals
Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisis
www.theguardian.com
Lancet report: extreme heat kills ~550,000 people annually - one person per minute.
Same day outlets report that Bill Gates doesn’t think climate change is a threat to humanity.
Maybe the extinction of humanity shouldn’t be the standard of judgement?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Same day outlets report that Bill Gates doesn’t think climate change is a threat to humanity.
Maybe the extinction of humanity shouldn’t be the standard of judgement?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
How a radical experiment to bring a forest into a preschool transformed children’s health
In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing
www.theguardian.com
Thank you, Mom, for making me weed the garden as a kid! A year of playing in “green kindergartens” children had less disease-causing bacteria – such as Streptococcus – on their skin, and stronger immune defences. #Biodiversity #Health
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jul 19
Videos From the Amazon Reveal an Unexpected Animal Friendship
www.nytimes.com
I love this article, describing an Ecosphere paper, because it highlights the complexity of nature. We too often assume predator-prey interactions, but species also cooperate.
Videos From the Amazon Reveal an Unexpected Animal Friendship www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/s...
Videos From the Amazon Reveal an Unexpected Animal Friendship www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/s...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jul 14
Opinion | We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.
www.nytimes.com
Takeaway: if we want to be successful, do the opposite of everything the government is doing now.
We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jul 8
‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees
Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too
www.theguardian.com
Biodiversity not important? Mites develop resistance to the only insecticide against them and increase spread of viruses that kill bees that we depend on for our food supply.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 19
Flavour of gin and tonic could be impacted by climate change, study finds
Volatile weather patterns may be altering taste of juniper berries – a key botanical in the spirit – scientists say
www.theguardian.com
Here’s an impact of climate change that should get everyone concerned and onboard for climate mitigation!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 13
Opinion | Red-State Universities Will Get Hit by Trump’s Cuts, Too
www.nytimes.com
Universities and the science and technology they produce are economic engines. Their diminishment will hurt red states as much as blue states.
Red-State Universities Will Get Hit by Trump’s Cuts, Too www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/o...
Red-State Universities Will Get Hit by Trump’s Cuts, Too www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/o...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 11
Opinion | OpenAI Seems to Be Making a Very Familiar, Very Cynical Choice
Wait for the part where they tell us they’re doing it for our sake.
www.nytimes.com
Keep ads out of chatbots!
OpenAI Seems to Be Making a Very Familiar, Very Cynical Choice www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/o...
OpenAI Seems to Be Making a Very Familiar, Very Cynical Choice www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/o...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 11
Fulbright Board Quits, Accusing Trump Administration of Political Interference
The board of the prestigious program told the State Department it had no right to cancel scholarships for nearly 200 American professors and researchers.
www.nytimes.com
Another big setback for science and research and building skills, education, and capacity.
Fulbright Board Resigns After Accusing Trump Aides of Political Interference www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/u...
Fulbright Board Resigns After Accusing Trump Aides of Political Interference www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/u...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 4
Trump Targets Key Lifeline for Africa: Money Sent Home by Immigrants
www.nytimes.com
Retreating from Africa is retreat from the future - 60% of the population is below 25. The US should be investing, not retreating.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/w...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Jun 3
‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides
www.theguardian.com
Description of extinction being driven mostly by climate change from an icon of tropical ecology, Dan Janzen.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· May 29
White House Health Report Included Fake Citations
www.nytimes.com
Gold standard in science??? Did someone us AI without checking (fake citations)?
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· May 25
Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades
The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.
www.nytimes.com
Understand science funding cuts and their consequences … Economists have warned that cutting federal funding for scientific research could, in the long run, damage the U.S. economy by an amount equivalent to a major recession.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· May 21
Fires drove record loss of world’s forests last year, ‘frightening’ data shows
Burning, worsened by global heating, overtook farming and logging as biggest cause of destruction of tropical forests
www.theguardian.com
Nearly half of primary tropical forest loss last year was caused by fire - these are ecosystems that traditionally do not burn!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· May 17
The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It
www.nytimes.com
The ‘offending’ professor in this article said at a ‘glance’ his AI-generated slides looked good. That is the problem, AI-generated output always needs checked, evaluated and revised! Yes to AI, no to irresponsible use of AI.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/t...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· May 14
The World Is Wooing U.S. Researchers Shunned by Trump
www.nytimes.com
This article says salaries are lower in Europe, but maybe worth it to go where you are valued?
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/b...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Apr 28
A siege on science: How Trump is undoing an American legacy
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has slashed federal agencies, canceled national reports, and yanked university funding.
grist.org
Critical reading… and with science leaders like my boss, Katharine Hayhoe, and friend, Max Holmes.
grist.org/science/amer...
grist.org/science/amer...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Apr 27
Rattlesnake venom evolves and adapts to specific prey, study finds
Surprising new evidence challenges longstanding ideas about evolution
www.theguardian.com
Fascinating study about the evolution of rattlesnake venom - potentially niche partitioning (although no evidence of competition driving specialization).
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by John R. Poulsen
Beth Kaplin
@bakaplin.bsky.social
· Apr 26
Dr.Katharine Hayhoe - How to Talk About Climate Change
YouTube video by Halton Environmental Network
www.youtube.com
Great pointers for talking about climate change from Katherine Hayhoe www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP2D...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Apr 25
US Imperiled species and the five drivers of biodiversity loss
Abstract. We synthesized reported threats to US imperiled species to identify which of the five predominant drivers of biodiversity loss—climate change, in
academic.oup.com
Here is the 1st article with results indicating climate change is the leading threat to US imperiled species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Mar 21
There is such a diversity of characteristics of autism. I, of course, know my son’s. Thanks for sharing!
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Mar 21
Opinion | Sorry, R.F.K.: There Is No Autism Mystery
Greater awareness, not vaccines, has driven an increase in diagnoses.
www.nytimes.com
I’m a proud father of a son with autism. Everyone should read this great article.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/o...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Mar 6
Elephants and rhinos at increased risk of poaching due to Trump funding cuts, groups say
Trump administration has frozen funding for key conservation programs to protect vulnerable species
www.theguardian.com
Politics does endanger elephants and other threatened species as the US used to help critically important eco guards.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
John Poulsen
@johnpoulsen.bsky.social
· Feb 14
Opinion | I’ve Seen the World Our Trash Makes, and It’s Terrifying
The world’s poorer nations have never stopped being receptacles for the West’s rubbish.
www.nytimes.com
Eye opening article that will make you think twice about consumerism.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...