Patricia
@patriciadau.bsky.social
Science/technology writer, longtime member of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), Unitarian Universalist, also active in the SCA and Toastmasters. I love my aging cat.
Reposted by Patricia
Remember: There is nothing natural or inevitable about extreme inequality; it’s the result of an economic system that values wealth and power over human dignity and justice.
It doesn't have to be this way.
It doesn't have to be this way.
December 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Remember: There is nothing natural or inevitable about extreme inequality; it’s the result of an economic system that values wealth and power over human dignity and justice.
It doesn't have to be this way.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Just ... wow. Know your datasets before you do the research.
Headline: “Exclusive: #Springer #Nature #retracts, removes nearly 40 publications that trained neural networks on ‘bonkers’ dataset.” www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/e...
Springer Nature retracts, removes nearly 40 publications
The dataset contains images of children’s faces downloaded from websites about autism, which sparked concerns at Springer Nature about consent and reliability.
www.thetransmitter.org
December 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Just ... wow. Know your datasets before you do the research.
Reposted by Patricia
The Washpost and WSJ edit pages are becoming indistinguishable, except the Journal’s editorials are more competently written
November 30, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The Washpost and WSJ edit pages are becoming indistinguishable, except the Journal’s editorials are more competently written
I should show this to a friend of mine, who has a Seestar but hasn't figured out how to use it yet.
M42 captured with a #Seestar S30 from a location just north of #Lichfield in late November.
#Astronomy
#Astronomy
November 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I should show this to a friend of mine, who has a Seestar but hasn't figured out how to use it yet.
Reposted by Patricia
Our grandparents and great grandparents are turning over in their graves.
They fought an ugly, bloody war against fascism (news flash: IT'S BAD) and 85 million people died. Twenty million people in the USSR died and inflicted a collective trauma there we can't even imagine.
They fought an ugly, bloody war against fascism (news flash: IT'S BAD) and 85 million people died. Twenty million people in the USSR died and inflicted a collective trauma there we can't even imagine.
Hitler was bad.
An essay that, you know, I didn’t think I’d need to write.
An essay that, you know, I didn’t think I’d need to write.
Perry: The pro-Hitler problem with the American right
"We need to get back to the basics: Hitler was bad. The people who suggest otherwise are also bad," David M. Perry writes.
www.startribune.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Our grandparents and great grandparents are turning over in their graves.
They fought an ugly, bloody war against fascism (news flash: IT'S BAD) and 85 million people died. Twenty million people in the USSR died and inflicted a collective trauma there we can't even imagine.
They fought an ugly, bloody war against fascism (news flash: IT'S BAD) and 85 million people died. Twenty million people in the USSR died and inflicted a collective trauma there we can't even imagine.
Reposted by Patricia
From this story, West Virginia National Guard Spec. Sarah Beckstrom represented some of the more stand-up parts of the American character. I cannot say the same of the men who sent her and her still-surviving comrade, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, to D.C. to serve as political props.
National Guard member killed in D.C. shooting remembered for 'heart of gold'
The slain soldier’s former boyfriend recalled her empathy and generosity. “She doesn’t even have to know you and she’ll do anything for you,” he said.
www.nbcnews.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:35 PM
From this story, West Virginia National Guard Spec. Sarah Beckstrom represented some of the more stand-up parts of the American character. I cannot say the same of the men who sent her and her still-surviving comrade, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, to D.C. to serve as political props.
Reposted by Patricia
"As Trump’s popularity continues to drop, the MAGA coalition shows signs of cracking, and Trump’s mental acuity slips, there is a frantic feel to the administration, as if Trump’s people are trying to grab all they can, while they can."
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
November 28, 2025
As Trump’s popularity continues to drop, the MAGA coalition shows signs of cracking, and Trump’s mental acuity slips, there is a frantic feel to the administration, as if Trump’s people are trying to ...
open.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:36 PM
"As Trump’s popularity continues to drop, the MAGA coalition shows signs of cracking, and Trump’s mental acuity slips, there is a frantic feel to the administration, as if Trump’s people are trying to grab all they can, while they can."
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
I agree that everyone should read this article. I hadn't realized that there are TWO U.S. military oaths.
This article is from @markhertling.bsky.social - a retired three-star Army general - and everyone should read it.
November 24, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I agree that everyone should read this article. I hadn't realized that there are TWO U.S. military oaths.
Reposted by Patricia
New Medieval Books: The Secret Middle Ages: Discovering the Real Medieval World, by Malcolm Jones www.medievalists.net/2025/11/new-... #books #medieval
New Medieval Books: The Secret Middle Ages - Medievalists.net
Art and artefacts from the Middle Ages offer a vivid window into the values, fears, and imaginations of medieval society. This updated edition explores how these objects reflect beliefs and…
www.medievalists.net
November 2, 2025 at 6:05 PM
New Medieval Books: The Secret Middle Ages: Discovering the Real Medieval World, by Malcolm Jones www.medievalists.net/2025/11/new-... #books #medieval
Reposted by Patricia
The comet could be older than our solar system. The comet is also distinct because nickel vapor was detected in the gas surrounding it. n.pr/4hABBNT
Why an interstellar comet has scientists excited
The comet could be older than our solar system. The comet is also distinct because nickel vapor was detected in the gas surrounding it.
n.pr
October 30, 2025 at 10:36 PM
The comet could be older than our solar system. The comet is also distinct because nickel vapor was detected in the gas surrounding it. n.pr/4hABBNT
Reposted by Patricia
Trump killed a crucial disaster database. This nonprofit just saved it.
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
grist.org/extreme-weat...
#Climate #Disaster #Weather #Data #Nonprofit
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
grist.org/extreme-weat...
#Climate #Disaster #Weather #Data #Nonprofit
Trump killed a crucial disaster database. This nonprofit just saved it.
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
grist.org
October 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Trump killed a crucial disaster database. This nonprofit just saved it.
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
grist.org/extreme-weat...
#Climate #Disaster #Weather #Data #Nonprofit
Climate Central revived the federal list of billion-dollar disasters, another example of nonprofits providing data the government deletes.
grist.org/extreme-weat...
#Climate #Disaster #Weather #Data #Nonprofit
Reposted by Patricia
These are not things that people say to the press in normal democracies. Dangerous and illiberal - Trumpian demands for impunity and attempts to silence dissent are spreading.
NCGOP spokesman appears to be threatening @propublica.org's @dougbockclark.bsky.social with retaliation by the Trump administration for reporting on a state Supreme Court justice www.propublica.org/article/paul...
October 30, 2025 at 2:06 PM
These are not things that people say to the press in normal democracies. Dangerous and illiberal - Trumpian demands for impunity and attempts to silence dissent are spreading.
Reposted by Patricia
several people have emailed us to say that the sudden shut down of a giant book distributor is making public libraries scramble for books www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
Libraries Scramble for Books After Giant Distributor Shuts Down
Why it might have been and may continue to be harder to get new releases from your local library.
www.404media.co
October 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
several people have emailed us to say that the sudden shut down of a giant book distributor is making public libraries scramble for books www.404media.co/libraries-sc...
Of particular interest after this week that has been so traumatizing for the nation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjlu...
From the archives: Jacqueline Kennedy's televised tour of the White House in 1962
YouTube video by CBS News
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Of particular interest after this week that has been so traumatizing for the nation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjlu...
Reposted by Patricia
And every November afterwards.
October 23, 2025 at 9:48 PM
And every November afterwards.
Reposted by Patricia
The Trump administration just declared that erecting a ballroom is the President’s main priority.
Meanwhile.
The cost of living is way too high and the Republican healthcare crisis threatens millions of Americans.
Meanwhile.
The cost of living is way too high and the Republican healthcare crisis threatens millions of Americans.
October 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The Trump administration just declared that erecting a ballroom is the President’s main priority.
Meanwhile.
The cost of living is way too high and the Republican healthcare crisis threatens millions of Americans.
Meanwhile.
The cost of living is way too high and the Republican healthcare crisis threatens millions of Americans.
Reposted by Patricia
Surprise meteorite debris uncovered on Moon’s far side
The rare samples, uncovered by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, might help to reveal secrets of how the Solar System evolved.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧪🔭
The rare samples, uncovered by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, might help to reveal secrets of how the Solar System evolved.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧪🔭
October 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Surprise meteorite debris uncovered on Moon’s far side
The rare samples, uncovered by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, might help to reveal secrets of how the Solar System evolved.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧪🔭
The rare samples, uncovered by China’s Chang’e-6 mission, might help to reveal secrets of how the Solar System evolved.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧪🔭
Reposted by Patricia
“In a very meaningful way, Donald Trump is erasing the work and the space that has been painstakingly carved out for women both at the White House, and throughout this country.”
(continued in Substack 👇)
open.substack.com/pub/mamasiss...
(continued in Substack 👇)
open.substack.com/pub/mamasiss...
The Death Blow to Democracy
The Demolition of the White House East Wing & what it’s taken from this nation
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:57 PM
“In a very meaningful way, Donald Trump is erasing the work and the space that has been painstakingly carved out for women both at the White House, and throughout this country.”
(continued in Substack 👇)
open.substack.com/pub/mamasiss...
(continued in Substack 👇)
open.substack.com/pub/mamasiss...
Reposted by Patricia
If you’re looking to do a PhD in the US, it’s a mess out there. Words by me ⬇️
Some doctoral programmes in the US are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
go.nature.com/4o63boK
go.nature.com/4o63boK
US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold
Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.
go.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:22 PM
If you’re looking to do a PhD in the US, it’s a mess out there. Words by me ⬇️
Reposted by Patricia
NEW AWARD ALERT: Enter your boundary-pushing #sciwri visual storytelling by Oct. 24.
🏆 Applications are now open for the Pamela Tobey Award for Excellence in Visual Storytelling!
⭐ This award recognizes visual storytelling that pushes the boundaries of storytelling beyond text.
🗓 Deadline: 11:59 pm ET Oct. 24
Learn more & apply now: forms.gle/2dzXt54t6kSi...
⭐ This award recognizes visual storytelling that pushes the boundaries of storytelling beyond text.
🗓 Deadline: 11:59 pm ET Oct. 24
Learn more & apply now: forms.gle/2dzXt54t6kSi...
October 22, 2025 at 1:49 PM
NEW AWARD ALERT: Enter your boundary-pushing #sciwri visual storytelling by Oct. 24.
Reposted by Patricia
Astronomers have found a rare, ancient planetary system 145 light-years away, where a white dwarf star is actively consuming debris from a disrupted planet—the oldest and most “polluted” disk ever seen around such a star: https://bit.ly/47mYktj 🔭 🧪
October 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Astronomers have found a rare, ancient planetary system 145 light-years away, where a white dwarf star is actively consuming debris from a disrupted planet—the oldest and most “polluted” disk ever seen around such a star: https://bit.ly/47mYktj 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Patricia
After a week of ridiculous Republican smears and Trump claiming that “very few people are going to be there,” you just made history. #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 9:57 PM
After a week of ridiculous Republican smears and Trump claiming that “very few people are going to be there,” you just made history. #NoKings
Reposted by Patricia
Reposted by Patricia
Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.
Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.
And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.
Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.
And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.
October 9, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.
Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.
And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.
Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.
And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.