Knowable Magazine
@knowablemag.bsky.social
Sound science. Smart stories. Fact-checked journalism. Published by the nonprofit @annualreviews.bsky.social
📨 Weekly newsletter: https://knowmag.org/SIGNUP
🌎 Lea en español: @revistaknowable.bsky.social
💚 Support: https://knowablemagazine.org/donate
📨 Weekly newsletter: https://knowmag.org/SIGNUP
🌎 Lea en español: @revistaknowable.bsky.social
💚 Support: https://knowablemagazine.org/donate
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
A very good, and sobering, story by @janeqiu.bsky.social about the infectious disease risks posed by fur farming. 🧪 Thank you Jane!
Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans.
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
Why disease outbreaks on Chinese fur farms are a serious risk to public health
Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans
knowmag.org
February 9, 2026 at 11:38 PM
A very good, and sobering, story by @janeqiu.bsky.social about the infectious disease risks posed by fur farming. 🧪 Thank you Jane!
They race.
They leap.
They spin.
They shoot.
And for these "Microbial Olympians," physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
Our recent story, now available in Spanish 👇
They leap.
They spin.
They shoot.
And for these "Microbial Olympians," physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
Our recent story, now available in Spanish 👇
Corren, saltan, giran, disparan. Conozca a los organismos para los que la destreza física es más que un deporte: es una cuestión de vida o muerte.
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
Olimpiadas microbianas: atletas unicelulares superpoderosos
Corren, saltan, giran, disparan. Conozca a los organismos para los que la destreza física es más que un deporte: es una cuestión de vida o muerte.
knowmag.org
February 10, 2026 at 12:14 AM
They race.
They leap.
They spin.
They shoot.
And for these "Microbial Olympians," physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
Our recent story, now available in Spanish 👇
They leap.
They spin.
They shoot.
And for these "Microbial Olympians," physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
Our recent story, now available in Spanish 👇
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
Corren, saltan, giran, disparan. Conozca a los organismos para los que la destreza física es más que un deporte: es una cuestión de vida o muerte.
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
Olimpiadas microbianas: atletas unicelulares superpoderosos
Corren, saltan, giran, disparan. Conozca a los organismos para los que la destreza física es más que un deporte: es una cuestión de vida o muerte.
knowmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Corren, saltan, giran, disparan. Conozca a los organismos para los que la destreza física es más que un deporte: es una cuestión de vida o muerte.
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
✍️ La periodista Amber Dance lo explica en este reportaje.
knowmag.org/4bBYNKK
Scientists are taking a multipronged approach to tackle this dangerous carrier of dengue, yellow fever and other noxious viruses. ✍️ Katarina Zimmer
knowmag.org/4sBXDF0
knowmag.org/4sBXDF0
February 9, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Scientists are taking a multipronged approach to tackle this dangerous carrier of dengue, yellow fever and other noxious viruses. ✍️ Katarina Zimmer
knowmag.org/4sBXDF0
knowmag.org/4sBXDF0
They race, they leap, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for whom physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
✍️ Amber Dance
🎨 Maki Naro
knowmag.org/4sP15fD
✍️ Amber Dance
🎨 Maki Naro
knowmag.org/4sP15fD
February 7, 2026 at 3:01 PM
They race, they leap, they spin, they shoot. Meet the organisms for whom physical prowess is more than sport — it’s a matter of life and death.
✍️ Amber Dance
🎨 Maki Naro
knowmag.org/4sP15fD
✍️ Amber Dance
🎨 Maki Naro
knowmag.org/4sP15fD
These chemical oddities may explain why Earth seems to be deficient in certain elements. 📝 Learn more about this in our recent article republished by Ars Technica.
Meet the mysterious electrides
These chemical oddities may explain why Earth seems to be deficient in certain elements.
knowmag.org
February 6, 2026 at 11:00 PM
These chemical oddities may explain why Earth seems to be deficient in certain elements. 📝 Learn more about this in our recent article republished by Ars Technica.
For close to a century, geoscientists have pondered a mystery: Where did Earth’s lighter elements go?
Some of the disparity is explained by losses to the solar system as our planet formed. But researchers have long suspected that something else was going on too.
Our story, republished @eos.org 👇
Some of the disparity is explained by losses to the solar system as our planet formed. But researchers have long suspected that something else was going on too.
Our story, republished @eos.org 👇
February 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
For close to a century, geoscientists have pondered a mystery: Where did Earth’s lighter elements go?
Some of the disparity is explained by losses to the solar system as our planet formed. But researchers have long suspected that something else was going on too.
Our story, republished @eos.org 👇
Some of the disparity is explained by losses to the solar system as our planet formed. But researchers have long suspected that something else was going on too.
Our story, republished @eos.org 👇
Reposted by Knowable Magazine
Check out this story by @rachelbrazil.bsky.social from @knowablemag.bsky.social
eos.org/articles/mee...
eos.org/articles/mee...
Meet the Mysterious Electrides - Eos
These chemical oddities may explain why Earth seems to be deficient in certain elements—and could prove useful in catalysts and more.
eos.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Check out this story by @rachelbrazil.bsky.social from @knowablemag.bsky.social
eos.org/articles/mee...
eos.org/articles/mee...
“In this Knowable Magazine story, Kaja Šeruga follows scientists and historians who are working to reconstruct the scents of the past—think musty old books and millennia-old mummies—using chemistry, archival records, and AI.”
Thanks for the shoutout, @longreads.com!
Thanks for the shoutout, @longreads.com!
Recreating the Smells of History - Longreads
"Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields."
knowmag.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:30 PM
“In this Knowable Magazine story, Kaja Šeruga follows scientists and historians who are working to reconstruct the scents of the past—think musty old books and millennia-old mummies—using chemistry, archival records, and AI.”
Thanks for the shoutout, @longreads.com!
Thanks for the shoutout, @longreads.com!
Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans.
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
Why disease outbreaks on Chinese fur farms are a serious risk to public health
Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans
knowmag.org
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans.
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
✍️ Jane Qiu
knowmag.org/4r8vPY0
“One project, Odeuropa, developed a database of 2.5 million historical smell references, pulled from 43,000 images and 167,000 historical texts across seven European languages to help develop an understanding of odors over the ages.”
Thanks for highlighting our story, Numlock News!
Thanks for highlighting our story, Numlock News!
Numlock News: January 29, 2026 • Cognac, Cambrian, Comics
By Walt Hickey
knowmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:14 PM
“One project, Odeuropa, developed a database of 2.5 million historical smell references, pulled from 43,000 images and 167,000 historical texts across seven European languages to help develop an understanding of odors over the ages.”
Thanks for highlighting our story, Numlock News!
Thanks for highlighting our story, Numlock News!
Unlike violent crimes, there are no comprehensive national statistics on the serious misconduct of companies. Some see a need for change. ✍️ Elise Hansen
knowmag.org/4qgs0hS
knowmag.org/4qgs0hS
Corporate crime persists in the shadows
Unlike violent crimes, there are no comprehensive national statistics on the serious misconduct of companies. Some see a need for change.
knowmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Unlike violent crimes, there are no comprehensive national statistics on the serious misconduct of companies. Some see a need for change. ✍️ Elise Hansen
knowmag.org/4qgs0hS
knowmag.org/4qgs0hS
“From the woody scent of the library in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to the aromatic odour of mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, scientists are working to define and reproduce the smells of heritage and history.”
Thanks for highlighting our story, @floragraham.bsky.social & @nature.com!
Thanks for highlighting our story, @floragraham.bsky.social & @nature.com!
Daily briefing: Scientists delve into the smells of history
Researchers are working to reproduce the smells of heritage and history, from mummies to the Battle of Waterloo. Plus, the best science images of the month and whether we’ve already achieved…
knowmag.org
February 3, 2026 at 8:19 PM
“From the woody scent of the library in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to the aromatic odour of mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, scientists are working to define and reproduce the smells of heritage and history.”
Thanks for highlighting our story, @floragraham.bsky.social & @nature.com!
Thanks for highlighting our story, @floragraham.bsky.social & @nature.com!
Inside the brains of aging dogs: In a citizen science project, thousands of pet dogs are helping scientists to understand what happens to memory and cognition in old age
📷 Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock
knowmag.org/4nfIvtR
📷 Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock
knowmag.org/4nfIvtR
February 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Inside the brains of aging dogs: In a citizen science project, thousands of pet dogs are helping scientists to understand what happens to memory and cognition in old age
📷 Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock
knowmag.org/4nfIvtR
📷 Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock
knowmag.org/4nfIvtR
👀 On our radar: A Congressional bill restores funding for most NASA space-science missions, but there is no money for returning samples already collected on the red planet.
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via Nature
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via Nature
NASA won’t bring Mars samples back to Earth: this is the science that will be lost
A Congressional bill restores funding for most NASA space-science missions, but there is no money for returning samples already collected on the red planet.
knowmag.org
February 3, 2026 at 1:01 AM
👀 On our radar: A Congressional bill restores funding for most NASA space-science missions, but there is no money for returning samples already collected on the red planet.
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via Nature
✍️ Jenna Ahart, via Nature
From monkeys washing potatoes to cockatoos raiding trash cans, socially spread behaviors allow creatures to adapt more rapidly to changing environments than conventional evolution would allow. But the traits are also more easily lost.
✍️ Tim Vernimmen
knowmag.org/46CWoLT
✍️ Tim Vernimmen
knowmag.org/46CWoLT
Cultural transmission makes animals flexible, but vulnerable
From monkeys washing potatoes to cockatoos raiding trash cans, socially spread behaviors allow creatures to adapt more rapidly to changing environments than conventional evolution would allow. But…
knowmag.org
February 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM
From monkeys washing potatoes to cockatoos raiding trash cans, socially spread behaviors allow creatures to adapt more rapidly to changing environments than conventional evolution would allow. But the traits are also more easily lost.
✍️ Tim Vernimmen
knowmag.org/46CWoLT
✍️ Tim Vernimmen
knowmag.org/46CWoLT
#Opinion ✍️ If we’re truly serious about protecting animal species from extinction, we should learn more about how they reproduce.
knowmag.org/3IxCLNc
knowmag.org/3IxCLNc
The importance of understanding wildlife sex
OPINION: If we’re truly serious about protecting animal species from extinction, we should learn more about how they reproduce
knowmag.org
February 1, 2026 at 3:03 PM
#Opinion ✍️ If we’re truly serious about protecting animal species from extinction, we should learn more about how they reproduce.
knowmag.org/3IxCLNc
knowmag.org/3IxCLNc
In the US, people charged with a crime usually need to post a large cash bond to be released before trial — a system used barely anywhere else in the world.
January 31, 2026 at 6:01 PM
In the US, people charged with a crime usually need to post a large cash bond to be released before trial — a system used barely anywhere else in the world.
👀 On our radar: Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guava.
✍️ Damian Carrington, via The Guardian
✍️ Damian Carrington, via The Guardian
Fly-arousing orchid and zombie fungus among 2025 botanical and fungal finds
Botanists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guava
knowmag.org
January 30, 2026 at 5:01 PM
👀 On our radar: Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guava.
✍️ Damian Carrington, via The Guardian
✍️ Damian Carrington, via The Guardian
Scientists find that a small amount of animal products could have a place in our diets without wreaking environmental havoc. But it’s far less than what we consume today, and only if farmed in just the right way.
✍️ Bob Holmes
knowmag.org/4rk0MYM
✍️ Bob Holmes
knowmag.org/4rk0MYM
How much meat can we eat — sustainably?
Scientists find that a small amount of animal products could have a place in our diets without wreaking environmental havoc. But it’s far less than what we consume today, and only if farmed in just…
knowmag.org
January 30, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Scientists find that a small amount of animal products could have a place in our diets without wreaking environmental havoc. But it’s far less than what we consume today, and only if farmed in just the right way.
✍️ Bob Holmes
knowmag.org/4rk0MYM
✍️ Bob Holmes
knowmag.org/4rk0MYM
The famously dry region has long been dismissed as a mostly lifeless wasteland, good for little more than mining of minerals and precious metals. To these researchers, however, it’s a microbial gold mine worthy of protection.
✍️ Lindzi Wessel
knowmag.org/4nVZBwV
✍️ Lindzi Wessel
knowmag.org/4nVZBwV
A treasure hunt for microbes in Chile’s Atacama desert
The famously dry region has long been dismissed as a mostly lifeless wasteland, good for little more than mining of minerals and precious metals. To these researchers, however, it’s a microbial gold…
knowmag.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:01 PM
The famously dry region has long been dismissed as a mostly lifeless wasteland, good for little more than mining of minerals and precious metals. To these researchers, however, it’s a microbial gold mine worthy of protection.
✍️ Lindzi Wessel
knowmag.org/4nVZBwV
✍️ Lindzi Wessel
knowmag.org/4nVZBwV
Flexible organic circuits that mimic biological neurons could increase processing speed and might someday hook right into your head
✍️ Kurt Kleiner
knowmag.org/4mMSgis
✍️ Kurt Kleiner
knowmag.org/4mMSgis
Making computer chips act more like brain cells
Flexible organic circuits that mimic biological neurons could increase processing speed and might someday hook right into your head
knowmag.org
January 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Flexible organic circuits that mimic biological neurons could increase processing speed and might someday hook right into your head
✍️ Kurt Kleiner
knowmag.org/4mMSgis
✍️ Kurt Kleiner
knowmag.org/4mMSgis
Did you miss this livestream? Never fear -- the replay is here! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnla...
January 29, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Did you miss this livestream? Never fear -- the replay is here! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnla...
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields.
✍️Kaja Šeruga
knowmag.org/4t6Tbys
✍️Kaja Šeruga
knowmag.org/4t6Tbys
Recreating the smells of history
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields
knowmag.org
January 29, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields.
✍️Kaja Šeruga
knowmag.org/4t6Tbys
✍️Kaja Šeruga
knowmag.org/4t6Tbys
Before the formidable bird went extinct, scientists say, it likely hunted the islands’ flightless moa. Now evidence suggests the eagle was part of a wave of feathered invaders, and its story holds lessons for today and the future.
knowmag.org/49VCBu1
knowmag.org/49VCBu1
How a giant eagle came to dominate ancient New Zealand
Before the formidable bird went extinct, scientists say, it likely hunted the islands’ flightless moa. Now evidence suggests the eagle was part of a wave of feathered invaders, and its story holds…
knowmag.org
January 28, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Before the formidable bird went extinct, scientists say, it likely hunted the islands’ flightless moa. Now evidence suggests the eagle was part of a wave of feathered invaders, and its story holds lessons for today and the future.
knowmag.org/49VCBu1
knowmag.org/49VCBu1