Knowable Magazine
@knowablemag.bsky.social
Sound science. Smart stories. Fact-checked journalism. Published by the nonprofit @annualreviews.bsky.social
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📨 Weekly newsletter: https://knowmag.org/SIGNUP
🌎 Lea en español: @revistaknowable.bsky.social
💚 Support: https://knowablemagazine.org/donate
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For centuries, the wild delicacy grew only in Europe. But improved cultivation techniques have enabled the pricey, odorous fungus to be farmed in new landscapes.
knowmag.org/3W3lXRj
knowmag.org/3W3lXRj
How truffles took root around the world
For centuries, the wild delicacy grew only in Europe. But improved cultivation techniques have enabled the pricey, odorous fungus to be farmed in new landscapes.
knowmag.org
December 26, 2025 at 10:00 PM
For centuries, the wild delicacy grew only in Europe. But improved cultivation techniques have enabled the pricey, odorous fungus to be farmed in new landscapes.
knowmag.org/3W3lXRj
knowmag.org/3W3lXRj
👀 On our radar: They might reduce screen time. The question is what else they’ll replace.
✍️ Tim Requarth, via Third Hemisphere
✍️ Tim Requarth, via Third Hemisphere
Grimes Is Half Right About AI Stuffies
They might reduce screen time. The question is what else they’ll replace
knowmag.org
December 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
👀 On our radar: They might reduce screen time. The question is what else they’ll replace.
✍️ Tim Requarth, via Third Hemisphere
✍️ Tim Requarth, via Third Hemisphere
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color
✍️ Nicola Jones
🎨 Zara Picken
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
✍️ Nicola Jones
🎨 Zara Picken
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
December 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color
✍️ Nicola Jones
🎨 Zara Picken
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
✍️ Nicola Jones
🎨 Zara Picken
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
Can the famous parasitic plants help animals to survive climate change, or will they be killed off by extreme weather?
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4p5bNeP
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4p5bNeP
Mistletoes in a warming world
Can the famous parasitic plants help animals to survive climate change, or will they be killed off by extreme weather?
knowmag.org
December 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Can the famous parasitic plants help animals to survive climate change, or will they be killed off by extreme weather?
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4p5bNeP
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4p5bNeP
🚀 Every donation helps us bring trusted stories about climate, health, the living world and more to millions of readers.
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December 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
🚀 Every donation helps us bring trusted stories about climate, health, the living world and more to millions of readers.
knowmag.org/donate
knowmag.org/donate
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color.
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
Top science stories of 2025
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to…
knowmag.org
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color.
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
✍️ Nicola Jones
knowmag.org/4pOcZV7
New tools are helping neuroscientists investigate why early life is such a crucial time for neural development. ✍️ Emily Underwood
knowmag.org/3YEQDtf
knowmag.org/3YEQDtf
Zooming in on the brains of babies
New tools are helping neuroscientists investigate why early life is such a crucial time for neural development
knowmag.org
December 23, 2025 at 1:00 AM
New tools are helping neuroscientists investigate why early life is such a crucial time for neural development. ✍️ Emily Underwood
knowmag.org/3YEQDtf
knowmag.org/3YEQDtf
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
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December 22, 2025 at 8:44 PM
We're 60% of the way there! If you value fact-based science journalism -- and want to help it keep going strong in 2026 -- please consider making a tax-deductible donation to @KnowableMag.bsky.social: secure.qgiv.com/for/knowable...
An important story from @richardastone.bsky.social -- thanks to the @pulitzercenter.org for supporting his reporting and for highlighting the article in this year's picks.
For her 2025 #PulitzerStaffPicks, Alexandra Waddell, Digital Content Coordinator & Research Assistant at the Pulitzer Center, selected "The Pernicious Infections Infiltrating Ukraine’s Front Lines," by @richardastone.bsky.social for @knowablemag.bsky.social.
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
December 22, 2025 at 6:49 PM
An important story from @richardastone.bsky.social -- thanks to the @pulitzercenter.org for supporting his reporting and for highlighting the article in this year's picks.
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
For her 2025 #PulitzerStaffPicks, Alexandra Waddell, Digital Content Coordinator & Research Assistant at the Pulitzer Center, selected "The Pernicious Infections Infiltrating Ukraine’s Front Lines," by @richardastone.bsky.social for @knowablemag.bsky.social.
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
December 19, 2025 at 10:16 PM
For her 2025 #PulitzerStaffPicks, Alexandra Waddell, Digital Content Coordinator & Research Assistant at the Pulitzer Center, selected "The Pernicious Infections Infiltrating Ukraine’s Front Lines," by @richardastone.bsky.social for @knowablemag.bsky.social.
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
A few months ago I worked with
@adance.bsky.social to create a science comic for @knowablemag.bsky.social about the journey sperm makes to reach the egg. Little did I know that that this would involve me being immortalised in cartoon form. Check it out .... knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
@adance.bsky.social to create a science comic for @knowablemag.bsky.social about the journey sperm makes to reach the egg. Little did I know that that this would involve me being immortalised in cartoon form. Check it out .... knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Journey to the egg: How sperm navigate the path to fertilization
COMIC: Male cells must survive twisty passages, strong currents and immune attacks; millions enter, but only one can finish
knowablemagazine.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:32 PM
A few months ago I worked with
@adance.bsky.social to create a science comic for @knowablemag.bsky.social about the journey sperm makes to reach the egg. Little did I know that that this would involve me being immortalised in cartoon form. Check it out .... knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
@adance.bsky.social to create a science comic for @knowablemag.bsky.social about the journey sperm makes to reach the egg. Little did I know that that this would involve me being immortalised in cartoon form. Check it out .... knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
👀 On our radar: The United States is poised to lose its measles-free status next year. If that happens, the country will enter an era in which outbreaks are common again.
✍️ Amy Maxmen, via @kffhealthnews.org
✍️ Amy Maxmen, via @kffhealthnews.org
While Scientists Race To Study Spread of Measles in US, Kennedy Unravels Hard-Won Gains - KFF Health News
Scientists are conducting genetic analyses to see if the measles outbreak that started in Texas is still spreading from state to state. It’s a contentious question, because the findings may determine…
knowmag.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
👀 On our radar: The United States is poised to lose its measles-free status next year. If that happens, the country will enter an era in which outbreaks are common again.
✍️ Amy Maxmen, via @kffhealthnews.org
✍️ Amy Maxmen, via @kffhealthnews.org
Individual behavior patterns may skew studies. A new approach called ‘STRANGE’ could help, by taking into account the habits, tendencies and life experiences of the creatures under scrutiny.
knowmag.org/4j8tJnJ
knowmag.org/4j8tJnJ
Animal personalities can trip up science, but there’s a solution
Individual behavior patterns may skew studies. A new approach called ‘STRANGE’ could help, by taking into account the habits, tendencies and life experiences of the creatures under scrutiny.
knowmag.org
December 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Individual behavior patterns may skew studies. A new approach called ‘STRANGE’ could help, by taking into account the habits, tendencies and life experiences of the creatures under scrutiny.
knowmag.org/4j8tJnJ
knowmag.org/4j8tJnJ
Scientists are finding tumor signals in spit that could be key to developing diagnostic tests for various types of cancer.
knowmag.org/3LdGX5Z
knowmag.org/3LdGX5Z
Saliva: The next frontier in cancer detection
Scientists are finding tumor signals in spit that could be key to developing diagnostic tests for various types of cancer
knowmag.org
December 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Scientists are finding tumor signals in spit that could be key to developing diagnostic tests for various types of cancer.
knowmag.org/3LdGX5Z
knowmag.org/3LdGX5Z
Female bark spiders spin silk that can be more than twice as strong as the fibers spun by their male counterparts, Kaia Glickman reports in @science.org 🕷️
knowmag.org/3L2TQje
knowmag.org/3L2TQje
The strongest spiderweb on Earth is spun only by females
Bark spider silk is stronger than steel, but males make a weaker version
www.science.org
December 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Female bark spiders spin silk that can be more than twice as strong as the fibers spun by their male counterparts, Kaia Glickman reports in @science.org 🕷️
knowmag.org/3L2TQje
knowmag.org/3L2TQje
A push to move away from petroleum products — plus the perception that natural is gentler — has scientists lathering up new ingredients, from wood and fungus extracts to engineered proteins.
✍️ Carolyn Wilke
knowmag.org/4b0903f
✍️ Carolyn Wilke
knowmag.org/4b0903f
The science of green hair care
A push to move away from petroleum products — plus the perception that natural is gentler — has scientists lathering up new ingredients, from wood and fungus extracts to engineered proteins
knowmag.org
December 20, 2025 at 2:00 AM
A push to move away from petroleum products — plus the perception that natural is gentler — has scientists lathering up new ingredients, from wood and fungus extracts to engineered proteins.
✍️ Carolyn Wilke
knowmag.org/4b0903f
✍️ Carolyn Wilke
knowmag.org/4b0903f
It’s not easy to find the source of a swirling scent plume. Scientists are using experiments and simulations to uncover the varied strategies that animals employ.
✍️ Dana Mackenzie
knowmag.org/4foSGYG
✍️ Dana Mackenzie
knowmag.org/4foSGYG
How animals follow their nose
It’s not easy to find the source of a swirling scent plume. Scientists are using experiments and simulations to uncover the varied strategies that animals employ.
knowmag.org
December 20, 2025 at 1:56 AM
It’s not easy to find the source of a swirling scent plume. Scientists are using experiments and simulations to uncover the varied strategies that animals employ.
✍️ Dana Mackenzie
knowmag.org/4foSGYG
✍️ Dana Mackenzie
knowmag.org/4foSGYG
👀 On our radar: Planned megaconstellations would contaminate the view of the cosmos of four orbiting telescopes.
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via @nature.com
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via @nature.com
Satellite swarms set to photobomb more than 95% of some telescopes’ images
Planned megaconstellations would contaminate the view of the cosmos of four orbiting telescopes.
knowmag.org
December 19, 2025 at 1:02 PM
👀 On our radar: Planned megaconstellations would contaminate the view of the cosmos of four orbiting telescopes.
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via @nature.com
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via @nature.com
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
”By better understanding clouds, researchers hope to improve their predictions of extreme rainfall, especially in the tropics where some of the most ferocious thunderstorms hit and where future rainfall projections are the most uncertain.” | Clare Watson via @KnowableMag.bsky.social
When clouds flock together
Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding
knowablemagazine.org
December 18, 2025 at 12:04 AM
”By better understanding clouds, researchers hope to improve their predictions of extreme rainfall, especially in the tropics where some of the most ferocious thunderstorms hit and where future rainfall projections are the most uncertain.” | Clare Watson via @KnowableMag.bsky.social
Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding
✍️ Clare Watson
knowmag.org/4am9bpt
✍️ Clare Watson
knowmag.org/4am9bpt
When clouds flock together
Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding
knowmag.org
December 17, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding
✍️ Clare Watson
knowmag.org/4am9bpt
✍️ Clare Watson
knowmag.org/4am9bpt
👀 On our radar: In Portugal’s Douro valley, centuries-old winemaking traditions meet modern chemistry to create a sweet and intense fortified wine.
✍️ Bárbara Pinho, via @chemistryworld.com
✍️ Bárbara Pinho, via @chemistryworld.com
The chemistry of port
In Portugal's Douro valley, centuries-old winemaking traditions meet modern chemistry to create a sweet and intense fortified wine. Bárbara Pinho talks to the experts about the compounds and…
knowmag.org
December 17, 2025 at 1:02 PM
👀 On our radar: In Portugal’s Douro valley, centuries-old winemaking traditions meet modern chemistry to create a sweet and intense fortified wine.
✍️ Bárbara Pinho, via @chemistryworld.com
✍️ Bárbara Pinho, via @chemistryworld.com
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
ICYMI, an article I wrote for the fantastic online magazine Knowable earlier this year.
Other researchers deal with even tinier slices of time — quintillionths of seconds, to be exact.
Learn more from @ivanamato.bsky.social's recent story. knowmag.org/4hl7c6a
Learn more from @ivanamato.bsky.social's recent story. knowmag.org/4hl7c6a
Watching the world, one quintillionth of a second at a time
An attosecond is no time at all for a person. Not so for electrons, atoms and molecules. Laser-wielding scientists are revealing the action.
knowablemagazine.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:56 PM
ICYMI, an article I wrote for the fantastic online magazine Knowable earlier this year.
Time flies on Mars — and now scientists have calculated precisely how fast.
Per day, time passes an average of 477 millionths of a second faster on the Red Planet than it does here on Earth.
✍️ @keithpcooper.bsky.social reports at @space.com: knowmag.org/3L1i0KW
Per day, time passes an average of 477 millionths of a second faster on the Red Planet than it does here on Earth.
✍️ @keithpcooper.bsky.social reports at @space.com: knowmag.org/3L1i0KW
December 16, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Time flies on Mars — and now scientists have calculated precisely how fast.
Per day, time passes an average of 477 millionths of a second faster on the Red Planet than it does here on Earth.
✍️ @keithpcooper.bsky.social reports at @space.com: knowmag.org/3L1i0KW
Per day, time passes an average of 477 millionths of a second faster on the Red Planet than it does here on Earth.
✍️ @keithpcooper.bsky.social reports at @space.com: knowmag.org/3L1i0KW
Many sea creatures release eggs and sperm into the water on just the right nights of the month. Researchers are starting to understand the biological rhythms that sync them to phases of the moon. ✍️ Virat Markandeya
knowmag.org/4pOEPAU
knowmag.org/4pOEPAU
How lunar cycles guide the spawning of corals, worms and more
Many sea creatures release eggs and sperm into the water on just the right nights of the month. Researchers are starting to understand the biological rhythms that sync them to phases of the moon.
knowmag.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Many sea creatures release eggs and sperm into the water on just the right nights of the month. Researchers are starting to understand the biological rhythms that sync them to phases of the moon. ✍️ Virat Markandeya
knowmag.org/4pOEPAU
knowmag.org/4pOEPAU
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
Three years on, and this video is still resonating: @knowablemag.bsky.social''s “Long Covid: A parallel pandemic” accrued over 22,000 views this year, totaling over 2,100 watch hours.
📽️ Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfG...
📽️ Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfG...
Long Covid: A parallel pandemic
Many people may never be able to put the pandemic behind them. They have long Covid, a catch-all term for illness that lingers long after a Covid-19 infection. More than 200 symptoms have been…
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Three years on, and this video is still resonating: @knowablemag.bsky.social''s “Long Covid: A parallel pandemic” accrued over 22,000 views this year, totaling over 2,100 watch hours.
📽️ Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfG...
📽️ Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfG...