The Xylom
@thexylom.com
Take root and flourish in a healthier planet.
Everything you need to know to grow healthy, interconnected communities across the world.
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Everything you need to know to grow healthy, interconnected communities across the world.
Get newsletter: https://thexylom.com/subscribe
Donate: https://fnd.us/sustain-the-xylom?ref=cr_1EHOhb
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The Xylom
@thexylom.com
· 2d
Reflecting on Our Most Powerful Photos of 2025
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the issues we covered.
www.thexylom.com
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
Reposted by The Xylom
A new study published on Dec. 8th in Nature calls for a cut in pesticide use to protect human health and ecosystems. Weak enforcement of pesticide laws has created public health risks.
“After a few days, I began to feel itching on the back of my hands," a Nigerian farmer says.
“After a few days, I began to feel itching on the back of my hands," a Nigerian farmer says.
Paraquat, A Banned Toxic Chemical, Is Leaking Into The Global Food Supply Chain
He was treated for skin burns at the hospital, yet more than a year and a half later, a numbness prevails in his groin and stomach. Ahmad still continues to use the herbicide in his crop, as it is…
www.thexylom.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:52 PM
A new study published on Dec. 8th in Nature calls for a cut in pesticide use to protect human health and ecosystems. Weak enforcement of pesticide laws has created public health risks.
“After a few days, I began to feel itching on the back of my hands," a Nigerian farmer says.
“After a few days, I began to feel itching on the back of my hands," a Nigerian farmer says.
Reposted by The Xylom
And also, please help @thexylom.com, which I founded to report on global health and environmental disparities, meet its $30,000 year-end fundraising target!
bsky.app/profile/thex...
bsky.app/profile/thex...
In 2025, we reported from places that rarely make headlines — South Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and more.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
Sustain The Xylom!
Support The Xylom's independent reporting by making a monthly recurring donation!
fnd.us
December 25, 2025 at 1:14 AM
And also, please help @thexylom.com, which I founded to report on global health and environmental disparities, meet its $30,000 year-end fundraising target!
bsky.app/profile/thex...
bsky.app/profile/thex...
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the global health and environmental disparities we covered.
Reflecting on Our Most Powerful Photos of 2025
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the issues we covered.
www.thexylom.com
December 25, 2025 at 4:11 PM
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the global health and environmental disparities we covered.
Reposted by The Xylom
In 2025, we reported from places that rarely make headlines — South Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and more.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
Sustain The Xylom!
Support The Xylom's independent reporting by making a monthly recurring donation!
fnd.us
December 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
In 2025, we reported from places that rarely make headlines — South Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and more.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
Reposted by The Xylom
In 1999, the Nigerian government established the National Health Insurance Scheme to integrate health insurance schemes and provide mandatory health insurance.
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
Crowdfunding is Nigeria’s Newest ‘Health Insurance’ Scheme
Fueled by social media, crowdfunding is now the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians.
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:21 AM
In 1999, the Nigerian government established the National Health Insurance Scheme to integrate health insurance schemes and provide mandatory health insurance.
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
Reposted by The Xylom
In our latest newsletter, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng writes about how the Russia–Ukraine war has become the most technologically advanced war in history, and what it means to witness this transformation from the ground through the lens of an ecologist and photojournalist.
Carrying the Weight of Russia-Ukraine War from the Battleground
We are resending this newsletter due to a system error that has affected some of our subscribers. Before you dig into the newsletter (again), here’s a...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In our latest newsletter, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng writes about how the Russia–Ukraine war has become the most technologically advanced war in history, and what it means to witness this transformation from the ground through the lens of an ecologist and photojournalist.
Reposted by The Xylom
after a year full of attacks on science, give the gift of support independent newsrooms doing the work to cover it! i want to shout out the folks at @thexylom.com, who are just 20 members short of their end-of-year goal: fundrazr.com/sustain-the-...
Sustain The Xylom!
Support The Xylom's independent reporting by making a monthly recurring donation!
fundrazr.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
after a year full of attacks on science, give the gift of support independent newsrooms doing the work to cover it! i want to shout out the folks at @thexylom.com, who are just 20 members short of their end-of-year goal: fundrazr.com/sustain-the-...
NEW: In a special holiday edition of our newsletter, our Editor-at-Large KC Cheng shares how her first photojournalism project — documenting the impact of climate change and technology on traditional Sámi reindeer-herding communities — still shapes the way she approaches Generative AI.
Choosing Humanness Over Algorithms
Why Our Editor-at-Large Doesn’t Use AI as a Photojournalist
buttondown.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
NEW: In a special holiday edition of our newsletter, our Editor-at-Large KC Cheng shares how her first photojournalism project — documenting the impact of climate change and technology on traditional Sámi reindeer-herding communities — still shapes the way she approaches Generative AI.
Reposted by The Xylom
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
Reflecting on Our Most Powerful Photos of 2025
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the issues we covered.
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
As Nepal’s biogas systems become obsolete after decades of widespread adoption efforts, communities are being forced to switch back to natural gas and firewood, pushing back the country’s renewable energy goals. (Published June)
www.thexylom.com/post/no-bull...
www.thexylom.com/post/no-bull...
No Bull: Nepal’s Biogas Revolution Reaches a Turning Point
As people migrate to urban areas in search of a better lifestyle, cattle-rearing, prevalent in rural Nepal, is declining. As a result, three decades in, biogas’s impact on the country remains up in…
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
As Nepal’s biogas systems become obsolete after decades of widespread adoption efforts, communities are being forced to switch back to natural gas and firewood, pushing back the country’s renewable energy goals. (Published June)
www.thexylom.com/post/no-bull...
www.thexylom.com/post/no-bull...
In 1999, the Nigerian government established the National Health Insurance Scheme to integrate health insurance schemes and provide mandatory health insurance.
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
Crowdfunding is Nigeria’s Newest ‘Health Insurance’ Scheme
Fueled by social media, crowdfunding is now the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians.
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:21 AM
In 1999, the Nigerian government established the National Health Insurance Scheme to integrate health insurance schemes and provide mandatory health insurance.
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
However, crowdfunding, fueled by social media, has become the unofficial health insurance scheme for Nigerians. (Published June)
Reposted by The Xylom
So grateful to see my work selected by staff for @thexylom.com's 2025 Year in Photos!
I got my first real camera this year, and I hope to continue doing more vital multimedia reporting in 2026.
I got my first real camera this year, and I hope to continue doing more vital multimedia reporting in 2026.
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
Reflecting on Our Most Powerful Photos of 2025
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the issues we covered.
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:06 AM
So grateful to see my work selected by staff for @thexylom.com's 2025 Year in Photos!
I got my first real camera this year, and I hope to continue doing more vital multimedia reporting in 2026.
I got my first real camera this year, and I hope to continue doing more vital multimedia reporting in 2026.
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
Reflecting on Our Most Powerful Photos of 2025
This year, our journalists and photojournalists worked across 12 countries, four U.S. states, and two disputed regions, bringing readers a visual documentation of the issues we covered.
www.thexylom.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Behind these top 2025 news photos picked by our staff lie deeper stories and a myriad of emotions — the quiet joy of a child about to eat a snack, the despair of South Texas residents fighting a losing battle against Big Oil, and the resilience of women adapting and switching livelihoods to survive:
1 in 6 residents in war-torn South Sudan have a disability, making them more likely to die than those without.
Yet, they are lost and excluded from rescue operations, given that census rates of disability are only 5% despite evidence pointing otherwise. (Published February)
Yet, they are lost and excluded from rescue operations, given that census rates of disability are only 5% despite evidence pointing otherwise. (Published February)
Fragile, Flooded South Sudan Asks: What About Those With Disabilities?
The idea that the world is becoming a better place, and there are less and less needs in terms of humanitarian aid, is over.”
www.thexylom.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:22 PM
1 in 6 residents in war-torn South Sudan have a disability, making them more likely to die than those without.
Yet, they are lost and excluded from rescue operations, given that census rates of disability are only 5% despite evidence pointing otherwise. (Published February)
Yet, they are lost and excluded from rescue operations, given that census rates of disability are only 5% despite evidence pointing otherwise. (Published February)
Reposted by The Xylom
Nearly 80 years after WWII, Asian American nurses who served and endured unimaginable hardship are still waiting for official recognition from Congress.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Eighty Years Later, Asian American WWII Nurses Still Await Congressional Recognition
Their stories surfaced in fragments, often only within families. A coalition led by Asian American women is pushing Congress to make them part of the official record.
www.thexylom.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Nearly 80 years after WWII, Asian American nurses who served and endured unimaginable hardship are still waiting for official recognition from Congress.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Reposted by The Xylom
In Jakarta, community-led urban farming is not only a solution for citizens to reclaim food sovereignty, but it also increases the megacity's climate resiliency.
This is a major transformation for a city that is more than 95% dependent on food from Indonesia’s rural regions. (Published April)
This is a major transformation for a city that is more than 95% dependent on food from Indonesia’s rural regions. (Published April)
Jakarta's Urban Farms Come To The Rescue Of Food-Insecure Residents
In Jakarta, community-led urban farming is not only a solution for citizens to reclaim food sovereignty, but it also increases the megacity's climate resiliency.
www.thexylom.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
In Jakarta, community-led urban farming is not only a solution for citizens to reclaim food sovereignty, but it also increases the megacity's climate resiliency.
This is a major transformation for a city that is more than 95% dependent on food from Indonesia’s rural regions. (Published April)
This is a major transformation for a city that is more than 95% dependent on food from Indonesia’s rural regions. (Published April)
Reposted by The Xylom
A recent global review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that of 367 medicinal plant species studied over the past two decades, climate change has reduced suitable habitats for 106 species.
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
Traditional Medicine at Risk of Extinction in a Warming World
Environmental stress from extreme weather is altering the chemical composition of medicinal plants, changing their therapeutic properties, and making traditional remedies less predictable or…
www.thexylom.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
A recent global review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that of 367 medicinal plant species studied over the past two decades, climate change has reduced suitable habitats for 106 species.
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
In 2025, we reported from places that rarely make headlines — South Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and more.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
Sustain The Xylom!
Support The Xylom's independent reporting by making a monthly recurring donation!
fnd.us
December 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
In 2025, we reported from places that rarely make headlines — South Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and more.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
We’re still $9,000 short of our fundraising goal. If we don’t raise this by the end of the year, we’ll have to scale back our reporting. Click the link to donate.
Walking through Kyiv’s beautiful streets in late autumn, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng felt a sharp cognitive dissonance — knowing Russia is trying to destroy everything around her.
From the frontlines, she reported on the often-overlooked health and environmental toll of the war.
From the frontlines, she reported on the often-overlooked health and environmental toll of the war.
Carrying the Weight of Russia-Ukraine War from the Battleground
Our Editor-at-Large shares what she saw at the frontlines of eastern Ukraine.
buttondown.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Walking through Kyiv’s beautiful streets in late autumn, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng felt a sharp cognitive dissonance — knowing Russia is trying to destroy everything around her.
From the frontlines, she reported on the often-overlooked health and environmental toll of the war.
From the frontlines, she reported on the often-overlooked health and environmental toll of the war.
Nearly 80 years after WWII, Asian American nurses who served and endured unimaginable hardship are still waiting for official recognition from Congress.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Eighty Years Later, Asian American WWII Nurses Still Await Congressional Recognition
Their stories surfaced in fragments, often only within families. A coalition led by Asian American women is pushing Congress to make them part of the official record.
www.thexylom.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Nearly 80 years after WWII, Asian American nurses who served and endured unimaginable hardship are still waiting for official recognition from Congress.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Their stories reveal a chapter of history too long ignored.
This article was published in partnership with @19thnews.org and More to Her Story.
Reposted by The Xylom
We’re joining other newsrooms in the Climate News Task Force to offer a shared place to sign up for all our newsletters.
It’s a new way to make climate coverage easier to find — and to support the reporting that holds powerful industries accountable.
trustfnd.com/collaboratio...
It’s a new way to make climate coverage easier to find — and to support the reporting that holds powerful industries accountable.
trustfnd.com/collaboratio...
Get the Climate News Task Force newsletter bundle
Twelve climate newsrooms joined forces in 2025 to create the Climate News Task Force, to increase and improve climate journalism collaborations and innovate new solutions to current challenges.
trustfnd.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
We’re joining other newsrooms in the Climate News Task Force to offer a shared place to sign up for all our newsletters.
It’s a new way to make climate coverage easier to find — and to support the reporting that holds powerful industries accountable.
trustfnd.com/collaboratio...
It’s a new way to make climate coverage easier to find — and to support the reporting that holds powerful industries accountable.
trustfnd.com/collaboratio...
Reposted by The Xylom
Hear, hear: @thexylom.com is still 22 monthly members short of its year-end fundraising goal.
Your support of vital reporting on global health and environmental disparities by the only Asian American science news outlet will be matched 12 times by the NewsMatch coalition of donors!
Your support of vital reporting on global health and environmental disparities by the only Asian American science news outlet will be matched 12 times by the NewsMatch coalition of donors!
December 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Hear, hear: @thexylom.com is still 22 monthly members short of its year-end fundraising goal.
Your support of vital reporting on global health and environmental disparities by the only Asian American science news outlet will be matched 12 times by the NewsMatch coalition of donors!
Your support of vital reporting on global health and environmental disparities by the only Asian American science news outlet will be matched 12 times by the NewsMatch coalition of donors!
A recent global review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that of 367 medicinal plant species studied over the past two decades, climate change has reduced suitable habitats for 106 species.
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
Traditional Medicine at Risk of Extinction in a Warming World
Environmental stress from extreme weather is altering the chemical composition of medicinal plants, changing their therapeutic properties, and making traditional remedies less predictable or…
www.thexylom.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
A recent global review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that of 367 medicinal plant species studied over the past two decades, climate change has reduced suitable habitats for 106 species.
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
This article was first published by @mongabay.com.
www.thexylom.com/post/traditi...
Reposted by The Xylom
What a haunting read from the frontlines of Eastern Ukraine. International photojournalism is more important than ever for Americans to fully reckon with the damage inflicted by the Trump administration on the world
In our latest newsletter, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng writes about how the Russia–Ukraine war has become the most technologically advanced war in history, and what it means to witness this transformation from the ground through the lens of an ecologist and photojournalist.
Carrying the Weight of Russia-Ukraine War from the Battleground
We are resending this newsletter due to a system error that has affected some of our subscribers. Before you dig into the newsletter (again), here’s a...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
What a haunting read from the frontlines of Eastern Ukraine. International photojournalism is more important than ever for Americans to fully reckon with the damage inflicted by the Trump administration on the world
In our latest newsletter, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng writes about how the Russia–Ukraine war has become the most technologically advanced war in history, and what it means to witness this transformation from the ground through the lens of an ecologist and photojournalist.
Carrying the Weight of Russia-Ukraine War from the Battleground
We are resending this newsletter due to a system error that has affected some of our subscribers. Before you dig into the newsletter (again), here’s a...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In our latest newsletter, Editor-at-Large KC Cheng writes about how the Russia–Ukraine war has become the most technologically advanced war in history, and what it means to witness this transformation from the ground through the lens of an ecologist and photojournalist.