Rachel Parsons
@racheldparsons.bsky.social
International independent journalist focused on climate, environment and human ecology. Pulitzer Center grantee. rachelparsons.com
Pinned
Nothing like seeing one's story in print. Grab your copy and read my latest in the March issue of Scientific American.
#salineagriculture
#halophytes
#salineagriculture
#halophytes
They’ve arrived (via specialty delivery)! As usual, my household gets his and hers copies to prevent domestic disputes over first dibs. I hear @peterclines.bsky.social is on a West Coast book signing tour as I write this, so you can hunt him down in the wild.
November 15, 2025 at 12:51 AM
They’ve arrived (via specialty delivery)! As usual, my household gets his and hers copies to prevent domestic disputes over first dibs. I hear @peterclines.bsky.social is on a West Coast book signing tour as I write this, so you can hunt him down in the wild.
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite.
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
Man With Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Dies after Eating Burger
Lone star tick bites are the most common cause of alpha-gal syndrome, which causes severe allergic reactions to red meat
www.scientificamerican.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite.
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
I’m pretending it’s winter in L.A.
November 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM
I’m pretending it’s winter in L.A.
The hits just keep right on coming in LA this year.
Second-highest number of rabid bats ever recorded in L.A. County, officials say
Second-highest number of rabid bats ever recorded in L.A. County, officials say
People have been advised to immediately report to Animal Control any bat found inside, or outdoors if the bat appears sick, active during the day, unable to fly or dead.
www.latimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
The hits just keep right on coming in LA this year.
I can’t recall now just how many of my sources in the sciences have told me this was their biggest concern this year.
"But perhaps the most consequential long-term loss for federal science is that of institutional knowledge and expertise — and the downstream effects on the training of early-career researchers."
"We lost people with decades of experience and everyone who was very early career, ...”
"We lost people with decades of experience and everyone who was very early career, ...”
Dismantling of US federal agencies will ‘destroy science’
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak out about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge and ...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:57 AM
I can’t recall now just how many of my sources in the sciences have told me this was their biggest concern this year.
Are you or someone you know a SNAP/Cal-Fresh recipient in the Los Angeles area? I’d like to talk with you for a story. Please reach out if interested.
November 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Are you or someone you know a SNAP/Cal-Fresh recipient in the Los Angeles area? I’d like to talk with you for a story. Please reach out if interested.
There are at least 50k street vendors in L.A. County, likely thousands more than that since the count has not been updated in more than a decade. Extreme heat is hammering their incomes and health. A novel insurance scheme might help them with losses. www.climateresilience.org/blazing-real...
Melted shoes, migraines: Street vendors battle Los Angeles’ worsening heat
Blazing Realities: Field Reports from the frontlines of extreme heat
www.climateresilience.org
October 31, 2025 at 8:26 PM
There are at least 50k street vendors in L.A. County, likely thousands more than that since the count has not been updated in more than a decade. Extreme heat is hammering their incomes and health. A novel insurance scheme might help them with losses. www.climateresilience.org/blazing-real...
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
FOOD BANK DIRECTOR: “For every meal a food bank provides, the SNAP program provides 9. There’s no way we can meet that gap. We were not built to do this.”
(@TNDemocrats are imploring @GovBillLee to fund SNAP with the billions in reserves as other states are, but he refuses)
(@TNDemocrats are imploring @GovBillLee to fund SNAP with the billions in reserves as other states are, but he refuses)
October 29, 2025 at 2:29 AM
FOOD BANK DIRECTOR: “For every meal a food bank provides, the SNAP program provides 9. There’s no way we can meet that gap. We were not built to do this.”
(@TNDemocrats are imploring @GovBillLee to fund SNAP with the billions in reserves as other states are, but he refuses)
(@TNDemocrats are imploring @GovBillLee to fund SNAP with the billions in reserves as other states are, but he refuses)
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
This Saturday, October 18, millions of people will take to the streets at more than 2,700 peaceful protests across the country to condemn the Trump administration’s escalating abuses of power. Read more Know Your Rights resources at aclu.org/deployment_kyr
October 17, 2025 at 10:54 PM
This Saturday, October 18, millions of people will take to the streets at more than 2,700 peaceful protests across the country to condemn the Trump administration’s escalating abuses of power. Read more Know Your Rights resources at aclu.org/deployment_kyr
I’m Rachel Parsons. The closest I’ve ever come to missing a flight, while sitting AT THE GATE, was because I was reading one of this man’s books. He has a new one coming next month.
Guess it's time to update the pinned post.
I'm Peter Clines. I write books. Some of them are very popular. All of them are fun in a sci-fi-horror-speculative sort of way. The newest, GOD'S JUNK DRAWER, is out November 11th. I also post about other folks' books, movies, toys, and other stuff I enjoy
I'm Peter Clines. I write books. Some of them are very popular. All of them are fun in a sci-fi-horror-speculative sort of way. The newest, GOD'S JUNK DRAWER, is out November 11th. I also post about other folks' books, movies, toys, and other stuff I enjoy
October 15, 2025 at 10:01 PM
I’m Rachel Parsons. The closest I’ve ever come to missing a flight, while sitting AT THE GATE, was because I was reading one of this man’s books. He has a new one coming next month.
Which level of hell was the one with premature Christmas decorations?
October 13, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Which level of hell was the one with premature Christmas decorations?
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
You're going to have a lot of expectations about what your life is supposed to be like at any given point. Have this figured out by *now*, have that established by *then*
Pretty much all of these are nonsense. Other people's yardsticks. Don't worry about any of them. Your life, your pace.
Pretty much all of these are nonsense. Other people's yardsticks. Don't worry about any of them. Your life, your pace.
Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?
October 5, 2025 at 3:27 PM
You're going to have a lot of expectations about what your life is supposed to be like at any given point. Have this figured out by *now*, have that established by *then*
Pretty much all of these are nonsense. Other people's yardsticks. Don't worry about any of them. Your life, your pace.
Pretty much all of these are nonsense. Other people's yardsticks. Don't worry about any of them. Your life, your pace.
No.
Jane Goodall, the trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees in the African wild produced powerful insights that transformed basic conceptions of humankind, has died. She was 91.
Read more about her legacy www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...
Read more about her legacy www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...
October 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
No.
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
The Energy Department adds “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” to its restricted list.
Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list
It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.
www.politico.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:18 PM
The Energy Department adds “climate change,” “green” and “decarbonization” to its restricted list.
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
A.I. is no magic trick. It’s a new industrial revolution with real environmental costs. Our latest Opinion Video follows the researcher Kate Crawford as she maps the hidden effects of A.I.
A.I. is no magic trick. It’s a new industrial revolution with real environmental costs. Our latest Opinion Video follows the researcher Kate Crawford as she maps the hidden effects of A.I.
Opinion | This Town’s Minerals Make A.I. Possible. Then Came Hurricane Helene.
Spruce Pine, N.C., supplies the world’s highest-purity quartz, a mineral that keeps the A.I. revolution afloat. What are the consequences?
nyti.ms
September 26, 2025 at 4:20 PM
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
A.I. is no magic trick. It’s a new industrial revolution with real environmental costs. Our latest Opinion Video follows the researcher Kate Crawford as she maps the hidden effects of A.I.
A.I. is no magic trick. It’s a new industrial revolution with real environmental costs. Our latest Opinion Video follows the researcher Kate Crawford as she maps the hidden effects of A.I.
More men have been deported from the US than women under Trump’s crackdown, but when women are, the immediate consequences are sometimes more profound. My latest for @contextnewsroom.bsky.social - www.context.news/socioeconomi...
Fear of deportation grips undocumented women on California's farms | Context by TRF
Women who are undocumented farm workers in California fear for their families amid the government's immigration crackdown
www.context.news
September 25, 2025 at 10:18 PM
More men have been deported from the US than women under Trump’s crackdown, but when women are, the immediate consequences are sometimes more profound. My latest for @contextnewsroom.bsky.social - www.context.news/socioeconomi...
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
NJ PBS shutting down next summer.
“15yrs ago Gov. Christie ended 4 decades of state funding for public TV, forcing them to find a new funder. The state cut $750k in funding this yr, but that was hardly the fatal blow; that came from the end of federal funds.”
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
“15yrs ago Gov. Christie ended 4 decades of state funding for public TV, forcing them to find a new funder. The state cut $750k in funding this yr, but that was hardly the fatal blow; that came from the end of federal funds.”
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
New Jersey PBS shutting down in July - New Jersey Globe
New Jersey PBS is expected to cease operations in July 2026 following WNET's decision not to renew its agreement, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The
newjerseyglobe.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:31 PM
NJ PBS shutting down next summer.
“15yrs ago Gov. Christie ended 4 decades of state funding for public TV, forcing them to find a new funder. The state cut $750k in funding this yr, but that was hardly the fatal blow; that came from the end of federal funds.”
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
“15yrs ago Gov. Christie ended 4 decades of state funding for public TV, forcing them to find a new funder. The state cut $750k in funding this yr, but that was hardly the fatal blow; that came from the end of federal funds.”
newjerseyglobe.com/media/new-je...
It’s hard to fathom that sometime right about now 17 years ago, I left LA on the first of several international travels that ultimately became The Peregrine Dame and led to a much more fulfilling life and career than I could have imagined. #solotravel #publictelevision
September 22, 2025 at 6:42 PM
It’s hard to fathom that sometime right about now 17 years ago, I left LA on the first of several international travels that ultimately became The Peregrine Dame and led to a much more fulfilling life and career than I could have imagined. #solotravel #publictelevision
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
A CDC advisory panel is meeting today and tomorrow to discuss changes to the vaccine schedule for MMRV, Hep B and COVID vaccines. Here's how it could threaten vaccine protection, by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @andreatamayo.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
How a Contentious CDC Vaccine Meeting Will Affect Public Health
Three vaccines are on the agenda for this week’s meeting of ACIP, the CDC’s key advisory panel on immunization: the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine, the hepatitis B vaccine and ...
www.scientificamerican.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
A CDC advisory panel is meeting today and tomorrow to discuss changes to the vaccine schedule for MMRV, Hep B and COVID vaccines. Here's how it could threaten vaccine protection, by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @andreatamayo.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
Here's the link to the full NAS report:
nap.nationalacademies.org/initiative/c...
nap.nationalacademies.org/initiative/c...
Initiatives|Committee on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases and U.S. Climate: Evidence and Impacts | The National Academies Press
Scholoarly publications by the initiative, Committee on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases and U.S. Climate: Evidence and Impacts, inconjunction with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Me...
nap.nationalacademies.org
September 17, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Here's the link to the full NAS report:
nap.nationalacademies.org/initiative/c...
nap.nationalacademies.org/initiative/c...
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
With the #COP30 on the horizon, we are doubling down on our commitment to in-depth journalism and civic engagement as a crucial step for enhancing public understanding of climate change.
Explore our curation of journalism, events, and key resources!
👉 bit.ly/COP30pc
Explore our curation of journalism, events, and key resources!
👉 bit.ly/COP30pc
September 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
With the #COP30 on the horizon, we are doubling down on our commitment to in-depth journalism and civic engagement as a crucial step for enhancing public understanding of climate change.
Explore our curation of journalism, events, and key resources!
👉 bit.ly/COP30pc
Explore our curation of journalism, events, and key resources!
👉 bit.ly/COP30pc
This morning I had a potential source, a university professor, tell me that they could not give me a comment rebutting something a U.S. official said because they were afraid of retaliation.
September 17, 2025 at 8:39 PM
This morning I had a potential source, a university professor, tell me that they could not give me a comment rebutting something a U.S. official said because they were afraid of retaliation.
Reposted by Rachel Parsons
The EPA stopping collection of GHG emissions data from power plants will result in Americans having more illness, greater risk of costly climate disasters, less effective clean innovation strategies, and an overall more wasteful economy. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/c...
E.P.A. To Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters
www.nytimes.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:34 PM
The EPA stopping collection of GHG emissions data from power plants will result in Americans having more illness, greater risk of costly climate disasters, less effective clean innovation strategies, and an overall more wasteful economy. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/c...