Sarah Derouin
@sarahderouin.com
Science journalist, writer, editor. Former geologist. Happiest when drinking a coffee, sitting outside, and petting a dog.
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Must-read reporting by @virginiagewin.bsky.social on how US federal actions are affecting science.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers
Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Must-read reporting by @virginiagewin.bsky.social on how US federal actions are affecting science.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
By pairing the scale of the damage with the very human, personal stories behind the numbers, she paints a powerful and comprehensive picture of just how thoroughly US science is being hollowed out.
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
🧪 This is honestly heartbreaking.
Over 7,800 research grants were cancelled or frozen in 2025. The Nature visualizes the scale of these terminations at the NIH and NSF, particularly those affecting infectious disease research and clinical trials.
#AcademicSky
Over 7,800 research grants were cancelled or frozen in 2025. The Nature visualizes the scale of these terminations at the NIH and NSF, particularly those affecting infectious disease research and clinical trials.
#AcademicSky
US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains
A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:18 PM
🧪 This is honestly heartbreaking.
Over 7,800 research grants were cancelled or frozen in 2025. The Nature visualizes the scale of these terminations at the NIH and NSF, particularly those affecting infectious disease research and clinical trials.
#AcademicSky
Over 7,800 research grants were cancelled or frozen in 2025. The Nature visualizes the scale of these terminations at the NIH and NSF, particularly those affecting infectious disease research and clinical trials.
#AcademicSky
What's driving the US's Greenland obsession? Likely a combination of geopolitical location and potential resources. But the island is remote, ice-covered, and an autonomous territory- facts that should not be ignored. The BBC updated/reposted a story I wrote last year:
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
The mineral riches hiding under Greenland's ice
The treasures beneath Greenland's icy terrain have been coveted for more than a century. But as Donald Trump becomes the latest to eye this wealth, accessing them remains a challenge.
www.bbc.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:02 PM
What's driving the US's Greenland obsession? Likely a combination of geopolitical location and potential resources. But the island is remote, ice-covered, and an autonomous territory- facts that should not be ignored. The BBC updated/reposted a story I wrote last year:
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Happy Pie-For-Breakfast season! 🥧
November 28, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Happy Pie-For-Breakfast season! 🥧
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
About that exclusive, "closed-to-press" MAHA summit last week with RFK and JD Vance: I got in.
Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
November 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
About that exclusive, "closed-to-press" MAHA summit last week with RFK and JD Vance: I got in.
Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
"our data centres use hardly any water!"
"oh, how much do they use then?"
"it's a secret"
www.roanokerambler.com/google-striv...
"oh, how much do they use then?"
"it's a secret"
www.roanokerambler.com/google-striv...
Google Strives To Keep Data Center Water Use Secret After Judge Orders Records Released
A Roanoke judge has ordered the Western Virginia Water Authority to release information related to a potential Google data center.
www.roanokerambler.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:13 PM
"our data centres use hardly any water!"
"oh, how much do they use then?"
"it's a secret"
www.roanokerambler.com/google-striv...
"oh, how much do they use then?"
"it's a secret"
www.roanokerambler.com/google-striv...
I think we have all driven over a bridge that make us nervous— this “temporary’ bridge in Mass. has lingered way past t its original 4-yr lifespan (4 decades!). It’s now being replaced and will be safer, wider, and have walking/bike paths.
www.asce.org/publications...
www.asce.org/publications...
Prayer-inspiring, ‘temporary’ Massachusetts bridge will be replaced after 4 decades
A wider, more pedestrian-friendly structure will replace a crossing installed in 1983 that has brought trepidation to many over the years.
www.asce.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I think we have all driven over a bridge that make us nervous— this “temporary’ bridge in Mass. has lingered way past t its original 4-yr lifespan (4 decades!). It’s now being replaced and will be safer, wider, and have walking/bike paths.
www.asce.org/publications...
www.asce.org/publications...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
November 10, 2025 at 1:36 AM
My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Excuse you! If humans can reach net negative carbon emissions over the next few centuries, researchers suspect the Southern Ocean will “burp” built-up heat into the atmosphere. eos.org/research-spo...
The Southern Ocean May Be Building Up a Massive Burp - Eos
Modeled results suggest that if anthropogenic emissions decrease and the atmosphere cools, heat stored in the Southern Ocean could be released abruptly in a few hundred years, kicking off a temporary ...
eos.org
October 20, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Excuse you! If humans can reach net negative carbon emissions over the next few centuries, researchers suspect the Southern Ocean will “burp” built-up heat into the atmosphere. eos.org/research-spo...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country.
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country.
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insects.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Satellites might be able to fill in gaps in understanding about urban greenhouse gas emissions. Story by @sarahderouin.com
eos.org/research-spo...
eos.org/research-spo...
Satellite Scans Can Estimate Urban Emissions - Eos
As more cities strive to meet climate goals, space-based observations may help fill in the gaps on tracking emissions.
eos.org
October 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Satellites might be able to fill in gaps in understanding about urban greenhouse gas emissions. Story by @sarahderouin.com
eos.org/research-spo...
eos.org/research-spo...
Grim findings from Georgetown scholars on SNAP funding www.georgetownpoverty.org/issues/snap-...
SNAP Changes Will Upend State Budgets - Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality
SNAP is a lifeline for more than 42 million people, providing food that stabilizes families and strengthens communities, but the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025 made seismic changes to the ...
www.georgetownpoverty.org
October 5, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Grim findings from Georgetown scholars on SNAP funding www.georgetownpoverty.org/issues/snap-...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
October 2, 2025 at 10:42 PM
BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important
⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.
The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.
interestingengineering.com/science/chin...
The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.
interestingengineering.com/science/chin...
China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes
A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.
interestingengineering.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:35 PM
This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
A leading Democrat in the Senate just released an important report documenting how NASA has been working to implement the president's proposed budget, not Congressionally approved funds, in slashing missions. Read more ⬇️
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), top Democrat on Senate Commerce Cmte, is out with a Democratic staff report: "The Destruction of NASA's Mission: Whistleblowers Reveal OMB's Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency."
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
September 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
A leading Democrat in the Senate just released an important report documenting how NASA has been working to implement the president's proposed budget, not Congressionally approved funds, in slashing missions. Read more ⬇️
I haven’t been a field geologist for more than a decade, yet throwing out these old notebooks is proving hard. There’s a lot of work (and geography) filling these pages 🧪
September 25, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I haven’t been a field geologist for more than a decade, yet throwing out these old notebooks is proving hard. There’s a lot of work (and geography) filling these pages 🧪
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
The National Park Service faced a deadline this week to address signs that "inappropriately disparage" historical figures. One target is George Washington's house in Philadelphia, where he held enslaved people. n.pr/46rokSO
Trump moves to scrub national parks sites of signs that cast America in a 'negative light'
The National Park Service faced a deadline this week to address signs that "inappropriately disparage" historical figures. One target is George Washington's house in Philadelphia, where he held enslaved people.
n.pr
September 18, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The National Park Service faced a deadline this week to address signs that "inappropriately disparage" historical figures. One target is George Washington's house in Philadelphia, where he held enslaved people. n.pr/46rokSO
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
New docs obtained via FOIA reveal how the personal attacks to FEMA staff last hurricane season were much worse than previously known, including swatting & doxxing of officials.
Story @bloomberg.com, w/ @davey.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Story @bloomberg.com, w/ @davey.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Chaos Inside FEMA as Death Threats Distract From Hurricane Response
Internal documents show how online conspiracies and personal attacks disrupted FEMA during back-to-back hurricanes last year.
www.bloomberg.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
New docs obtained via FOIA reveal how the personal attacks to FEMA staff last hurricane season were much worse than previously known, including swatting & doxxing of officials.
Story @bloomberg.com, w/ @davey.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Story @bloomberg.com, w/ @davey.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Coal production, and its associated greenhouse gas emissions, could drop sharply in the next quarter century, according to new #AGUPubs research. Story by @sarahderouin.com.
eos.org/research-spo...
eos.org/research-spo...
By 2051, Emissions from Coal Mining on Federal Lands Could Drop by 86% - Eos
Researchers predict that if early 2024 policies hold, emissions related to coal’s extraction, transportation, and combustion will drop over the next 25 years.
eos.org
August 20, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Coal production, and its associated greenhouse gas emissions, could drop sharply in the next quarter century, according to new #AGUPubs research. Story by @sarahderouin.com.
eos.org/research-spo...
eos.org/research-spo...
I love seeing Matt’s @retrodotcards.com games come to life. But the tributes to our beloved dog Franny makes everything he does so much sweeter.
My picross game for the Nintendo e-Reader, Pixel Pup, will have themed puzzle collections. The first theme is "entomology", so I'm exploring costumes for Franny (the game's mascot)
#gamedev #indiedev #videogamesonpaper
#gamedev #indiedev #videogamesonpaper
September 16, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I love seeing Matt’s @retrodotcards.com games come to life. But the tributes to our beloved dog Franny makes everything he does so much sweeter.
The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum is a fantastic blend of architecture and smart engineering. Designers and engineers melded mass timber, low-carbon concrete and renewable energy to take sustainability to a new level. My latest for ASCE:
www.asce.org/publications...
www.asce.org/publications...
Mass timber helps create fossil-fuel-free home for fossils in New Jersey
Climate-smart approaches like geothermal and mass timber create a sustainable and beautiful building for the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum.
www.asce.org
July 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum is a fantastic blend of architecture and smart engineering. Designers and engineers melded mass timber, low-carbon concrete and renewable energy to take sustainability to a new level. My latest for ASCE:
www.asce.org/publications...
www.asce.org/publications...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
Tomorrow 1PM ET: My colleague @sarahderouin.com will be hosting a supportive virtual gathering for caregivers who are members of @sciencewriters.org . Join me!
Event link: www.nasw.org/events/careg...
Not a member? nasw.org/join
Not a member? nasw.org/join
Community wellness check-in for caregivers
In response to members’ feedback, and on the heels of our Caregiver Pilot Project, we are holding a community wellness event for caregivers.
www.nasw.org
July 15, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Tomorrow 1PM ET: My colleague @sarahderouin.com will be hosting a supportive virtual gathering for caregivers who are members of @sciencewriters.org . Join me!
Event link: www.nasw.org/events/careg...
Not a member? nasw.org/join
Not a member? nasw.org/join
Proud of @retrodotcards.com creator Matt Greer and a recent article in 404 media about his work: www.404media.co/balatro-port...
Balatro Ported to the Gameboy Advance’s e-Reader
A software engineer made a version of the game that runs off code printed onto a small card.
www.404media.co
June 25, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Proud of @retrodotcards.com creator Matt Greer and a recent article in 404 media about his work: www.404media.co/balatro-port...
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
SCOOP from me: the mass exodus of employees from NOAA is decimating a tiny office that literally keeps our measurements of latitude and longitude accurate — and, former employees tell me, endangers the science of how the US understands global measurements:
Trump Cuts Are Killing a Tiny Office That Keeps Measurements of the World Accurate
A tiny but crucial agency that maintains physical coordinates like latitude and longitude in the US is struggling as the Trump administration forces out federal employees.
www.wired.com
May 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
SCOOP from me: the mass exodus of employees from NOAA is decimating a tiny office that literally keeps our measurements of latitude and longitude accurate — and, former employees tell me, endangers the science of how the US understands global measurements:
Reposted by Sarah Derouin
SCOOP: Less than two weeks before the start of hurricane season, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rescinded the agency’s strategic plan, which includes a document that guides agency priorities when responding to disasters, WIRED has learned.
FEMA Has Canceled Its Four-Year Strategic Plan Ahead of Hurricane Season
Multiple FEMA employees tell WIRED that they did not know of another time when a strategic plan was rescinded without another in place.
www.wired.com
May 21, 2025 at 7:47 PM
SCOOP: Less than two weeks before the start of hurricane season, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rescinded the agency’s strategic plan, which includes a document that guides agency priorities when responding to disasters, WIRED has learned.