Rachel Nuwer
@rachelnuwer.bsky.social
Freelance science journalist contributing to NYT, SciAm, Nature etc. Author of "Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking" (2018) and "I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World" (2023).
Mixing is a fundamental process that functions like a heartbeat for lakes. But at iconic lakes around the world, climate change is slowing or even stopping that heartbeat - causing profound impacts to these very special ecosystems. @quantamagazine.bsky.social
www.quantamagazine.org/mixing-is-th...
www.quantamagazine.org/mixing-is-th...
Mixing Is the Heartbeat of Deep Lakes. At Crater Lake, It’s Slowing Down. | Quanta Magazine
The physics of mixing water layers — an interplay of wind, climate and more — makes lakes work. When it stops, impacts can ripple across an ecosystem.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Mixing is a fundamental process that functions like a heartbeat for lakes. But at iconic lakes around the world, climate change is slowing or even stopping that heartbeat - causing profound impacts to these very special ecosystems. @quantamagazine.bsky.social
www.quantamagazine.org/mixing-is-th...
www.quantamagazine.org/mixing-is-th...
Should aging be considered a disease?
Some scientists argue that this would accelerate anti-aging research; others say it makes no biological sense and would be fraught with ethical implications @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Some scientists argue that this would accelerate anti-aging research; others say it makes no biological sense and would be fraught with ethical implications @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Is ageing a disease? The debate that could reshape medicine
Classifying ageing as a disease might bring funding and other benefits, say some researchers, but others say this is fraught with ethical and regulatory implications.
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Should aging be considered a disease?
Some scientists argue that this would accelerate anti-aging research; others say it makes no biological sense and would be fraught with ethical implications @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Some scientists argue that this would accelerate anti-aging research; others say it makes no biological sense and would be fraught with ethical implications @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It's hard enough to get people interested in reading these days, but this is a new low. A book club wants to feature my book - but only if I "tip" each reader $15-30 "to recognize [their] effort." Is this a thing now??
October 31, 2025 at 2:06 PM
It's hard enough to get people interested in reading these days, but this is a new low. A book club wants to feature my book - but only if I "tip" each reader $15-30 "to recognize [their] effort." Is this a thing now??
After 263 African elephants were moved from one national park to another, the animals began wandering out - destroying property and killing people. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social, on the complexities of conservation in an increasingly crowded continent.
www.biographic.com/the-wild-ele...
www.biographic.com/the-wild-ele...
The Wild Elephant in the Room
Conservationists seeking to restore elephant populations in a Malawian national park inadvertently upended human lives, revealing the risks of large-mammal translocations.
www.biographic.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:58 PM
After 263 African elephants were moved from one national park to another, the animals began wandering out - destroying property and killing people. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social, on the complexities of conservation in an increasingly crowded continent.
www.biographic.com/the-wild-ele...
www.biographic.com/the-wild-ele...
When this scientist realized there was a maggot living inside his armpit, he sensed a (gross) opportunity for discovery.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
‘It’s like a horror movie pregnancy.’ Researcher studies maggots—by letting them eat him
Science chats with wildlife epidemiologist Tony Goldberg about what he’s learned from becoming a meal for parasites
www.science.org
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
When this scientist realized there was a maggot living inside his armpit, he sensed a (gross) opportunity for discovery.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Psychedelic mushrooms evolved their magic twice, in two distantly related groups of species. What's more, those mushrooms take radically different biochemical routes to producing psilocybin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...
How Psychedelic Mushrooms Evolved Their Magic
www.nytimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Psychedelic mushrooms evolved their magic twice, in two distantly related groups of species. What's more, those mushrooms take radically different biochemical routes to producing psilocybin.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...
A Taiwanese- and Chinese-run Buddhist orphanage in Malawi is recruiting vulnerable children into the illegal wildlife trade. Behind it all is a Chinese ivory kingpin who Malawian officials are about to release early from prison.
@economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...
@economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...
The school for wildlife traffickers
Chinese criminals are recruiting Malawian orphans into the ivory trade
www.economist.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:44 PM
A Taiwanese- and Chinese-run Buddhist orphanage in Malawi is recruiting vulnerable children into the illegal wildlife trade. Behind it all is a Chinese ivory kingpin who Malawian officials are about to release early from prison.
@economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...
@economist.com
www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...
Spooky will-o'-the-wisp 'ghost fires' are caused by even stranger chemistry.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...
The Mystery of Ghostly Will-o’-the-Wisps May Finally Be Solved
A phenomenon called microlightning may explain ghostly blue marsh lights
www.scientificamerican.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Spooky will-o'-the-wisp 'ghost fires' are caused by even stranger chemistry.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...
People are more likely to cheat when they use AI - especially if they can indirectly steer an LLM toward dishonesty instead of explicitly telling it to lie. @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
People Are More Likely to Cheat When They Use AI
Participants in a new study were more likely to cheat when delegating to AI—especially if they could encourage machines to break rules without explicitly asking for it
www.scientificamerican.com
September 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
People are more likely to cheat when they use AI - especially if they can indirectly steer an LLM toward dishonesty instead of explicitly telling it to lie. @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...
Fascinating story about the impact of climate change on Burning Man - and with a few quotes by yours truly ;)
@kqednews.kqed.org
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
@kqednews.kqed.org
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
At Burning Man, the Weather Can Feel Biblical. Will Climate Change Make It Even Worse? | KQED
Extreme events like this year’s rain, heat and hourslong sandstorm could get more common on the playa as the world gets warmer.
www.kqed.org
September 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Fascinating story about the impact of climate change on Burning Man - and with a few quotes by yours truly ;)
@kqednews.kqed.org
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
@kqednews.kqed.org
www.kqed.org/science/1998...
"If this wall and a few others are built, he said, “there will be no jaguars in the U.S. soon.”"
July 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
"If this wall and a few others are built, he said, “there will be no jaguars in the U.S. soon.”"
We should all just make the switch to pet rabbits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...
We Love Our Dogs and Cats. But Are They Bad for the Environment?
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 3:39 PM
We should all just make the switch to pet rabbits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...
The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a powerful psychedelic drug as a defensive mechanism. Now, people are pushing the species toward extinction in the name of healing and consciousness expansion.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...
These Toads Have Psychedelic Powers, but They’d Prefer to Keep It Quiet
www.nytimes.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a powerful psychedelic drug as a defensive mechanism. Now, people are pushing the species toward extinction in the name of healing and consciousness expansion.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...
In infants, a healthy gut microbiome is key for developing a healthy immune system. But in the U.S., 75% of babies are deficient in critical types of bacteria, and these babies are more likely to development of asthma, allergies and eczema as toddlers. bit.ly/4lK1Mmd
Most U.S. Babies Are Missing These Essential Gut Bacteria. Here’s What That Means for Their Health
Babies lacking in key gut bacteria are at greater risk of developing asthma, allergies or eczema
bit.ly
July 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
In infants, a healthy gut microbiome is key for developing a healthy immune system. But in the U.S., 75% of babies are deficient in critical types of bacteria, and these babies are more likely to development of asthma, allergies and eczema as toddlers. bit.ly/4lK1Mmd
Cuts to science funding by the Trump administration are set to negatively affect all Americans. One group most impacted, though, are science students and early-career researchers who are being robbed of their future.
@sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
@sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Early-Career Researchers Reflect on the Emotional and Societal Fallout of Trump’s Funding Cuts
Canceled grants and slashed budgets are disproportionately affecting junior health researchers, dealing a major blow to the future of science and society in the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
July 3, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Cuts to science funding by the Trump administration are set to negatively affect all Americans. One group most impacted, though, are science students and early-career researchers who are being robbed of their future.
@sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
@sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
The Senate's new bill would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, causing 10+ million people to lose insurance. Cancer patients are one group set to suffer (and needlessly die) the most. 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 3 children with cancer depend on Medicaid.
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...
Cancer Patients and the Medicaid Cuts in "One Big Beautiful Bill" | Think Global Health
Under the GOP megabill, millions could lose access to potentially life-saving cancer screenings, treatments, and care
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
July 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The Senate's new bill would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, causing 10+ million people to lose insurance. Cancer patients are one group set to suffer (and needlessly die) the most. 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 3 children with cancer depend on Medicaid.
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...
Eagles are sacred to Native Americans. But poaching and trafficking of eagle feathers is on the rise, thanks to the powwow industry & the increasing popularity of peyote ceremonies. In Oklahoma, two fiery Comanches are trying to do something about it.
@audubon.org
www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...
@audubon.org
www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...
This Native-Run Raptor Center Is Safeguarding Sacred Birds, Feathers, and Practices
A Comanche-led conservation project takes on an increasingly urgent mission: protecting the birds revered by many tribes while preserving traditions at the heart of their culture.
www.audubon.org
June 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Eagles are sacred to Native Americans. But poaching and trafficking of eagle feathers is on the rise, thanks to the powwow industry & the increasing popularity of peyote ceremonies. In Oklahoma, two fiery Comanches are trying to do something about it.
@audubon.org
www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...
@audubon.org
www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...
Source help request: I'm hoping to interview a cancer patient insured by Medicaid, who now faces risk of their treatment not being covered thanks to Republicans' proposed Medicaid work requirements. Please DM or email me at rachelnuwer@gmail with leads.
June 18, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Source help request: I'm hoping to interview a cancer patient insured by Medicaid, who now faces risk of their treatment not being covered thanks to Republicans' proposed Medicaid work requirements. Please DM or email me at rachelnuwer@gmail with leads.
The other truffle foragers: foodie gorillas!
@sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org
www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...
@sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org
www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...
Gorilla Gourmets Really Dig Their Truffles, Study Finds
Researchers followed gorillas for years to uncover truffle-hunting behavior—and it may be socially transmitted
www.scientificamerican.com
June 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
The other truffle foragers: foodie gorillas!
@sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org
www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...
@sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org
www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...
Shorn horns - not guns - is the most effective way to protect rhinos from poachers.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...
There’s an Effective Way to Deter Rhino Poachers, a New Study Finds
www.nytimes.com
June 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Shorn horns - not guns - is the most effective way to protect rhinos from poachers.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...
“I think we will build a sustainable future,” Wagner says. “But it’s going to take 30 or 40 years, and by then, it’s going to be too late for a lot of the creatures that I love.”
When warnings of Insectageddon were issued a few years ago, there was widespread denial. Less so now. It's devastating. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘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
June 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
“I think we will build a sustainable future,” Wagner says. “But it’s going to take 30 or 40 years, and by then, it’s going to be too late for a lot of the creatures that I love.”
Continuing the birds-are-awesome theme: Hummingbirds in California have evolved new beak shapes and massively expanded their range—thanks to feeders. They've basically become the equivalent of backyard pigeons!
@science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
@science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
Bird feeders have caused a dramatic evolution of California hummingbirds
Beaks have grown longer and larger, and ranges have expanded to follow the feeders
www.science.org
May 21, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Continuing the birds-are-awesome theme: Hummingbirds in California have evolved new beak shapes and massively expanded their range—thanks to feeders. They've basically become the equivalent of backyard pigeons!
@science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
@science.org
www.science.org/content/arti...
Human preference for smooshed, baby-like faces has produced pedigreed cats and dogs that are more similar to each other than to their wild relatives, and have such distorted skulls that they could not survive in nature.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...
Breeding for ‘Cuteness’ Is Making Dogs and Cats Look More Alike
Pugs, Persian cats, and other smushed-face cats and dogs are more similar to one another than they are to the wild animals they evolved from
www.scientificamerican.com
May 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Human preference for smooshed, baby-like faces has produced pedigreed cats and dogs that are more similar to each other than to their wild relatives, and have such distorted skulls that they could not survive in nature.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...
Yet more evidence that birds are awesome: Flamingos harness the physics of fluid flow to create vortices that sweep up prey and funnel it directly into their mouths.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...
Flamingos Summon Mini-Twisters to Suck Up Prey
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Yet more evidence that birds are awesome: Flamingos harness the physics of fluid flow to create vortices that sweep up prey and funnel it directly into their mouths.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...
Why scientists fear that efforts to bring dire wolves, woolly mammoths and other extinct animals back from the dead could hurt survival for still-living species
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Dire wolves and woolly mammoths: Why scientists are worried about de-extinction
The creation of three "dire wolf" pups has raised hopes that it may be possible to resurrect extinct animals. But some scientists have grave concerns.
www.bbc.com
April 28, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Why scientists fear that efforts to bring dire wolves, woolly mammoths and other extinct animals back from the dead could hurt survival for still-living species
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...