Laura Baisas
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laurabaisas.bsky.social
Laura Baisas
@laurabaisas.bsky.social
News Editor at Popular Science. Marathon swimmer. Ocean enthusiast. Opinions are my own.
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Thank you @popsci.com and @laurabaisas.bsky.social for highlighting our research!

By: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva and Shane Gero.
November 21, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
today in 'things you didn't know you needed'

diehard hobbyists are recreating throwback WeatherStar forecast programs using NOAA's open source data,

complete with muzak

www.popsci.com/environment/...
Weather Channel gets jazzy, retro makeover from dedicated online fans
The free service offers retro graphics, smooth tunes, and up-to-date forecasts.
www.popsci.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Jane Goodall is an inspiration to so many in science, myself included. I once combed through @scifri.bsky.social's archives listening to her interviews. I'll never forget her on-air imitation of a chimp pant-hoot. A true legend 💙🐒 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t8_... www.sciencefriday.com/articles/arc...
Reflecting On The Wild With Jane Goodall, Winner Of The 2021 Templeton Prize
A look back on the groundbreaking chimpanzee research and humanitarian career of Jane Goodall.
www.sciencefriday.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Well done, @merriam-webster.com! You got me with this one.
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Truer words were never spoken: "While humans are Earth’s most dominant animal species, it’s really a rodent’s world and we are just living in it"

www.popsci.com/environment/...
Rodents’ secret weapon? Thumbnails.
Those tiny nails helped rats, squirrels, and more take over the world.
www.popsci.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
🚨ACTION OF THE DAY🚨
@standupforscience.bsky.social

Day 21! QUACK-O-GRAM THURSDAY!

For $3 we will hand deliver an "IMPEACH THE QUACK" rubber ducky to your House Representative! (By one of our team members in a duck suit!)

DO IT (AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS)

act.standupforscience.net/fundraising/...
August 21, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Happy Shark Awareness Day!

I want people to be aware of 5 things:

1 Sharks are awesome

2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety

3 Sharks are ecologically important

4 Sharks are highly threatened

5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!
July 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Much of the Trump admin would recoil at the idea of making the US more like Europe — but MAHA often points to Europe as a model when it comes to food. I wrote about the policies that explain Europe's lower rates of chronic disease, and MAHA's selective rhetoric:

www.statnews.com/2025/07/10/m...
MAHA’s European food envy is full of contradictions
The idea of making the U.S. more like Europe is anathema to many in the Trump administration. But that’s what the Make America Healthy Again movement says it wants — at least when it comes to food.
www.statnews.com
July 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Everyday is Shark Week in Coral City. A male lemon shark swims directly over the Cam 🔮🍋🦈🪸🌇 #lemonshark #sharksofcoralcity #everydayissharkweekincoralcity #sharkweek #overhead #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #miamibeach #biscaynebay #coralcity
July 3, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
self-sabotaging my own feature stories is a particular speciality of mine
June 30, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
June 25, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Please stay safe in this heat east coast/midwest!
www.popsci.com/environment/...
What is a heat dome?
These stuck areas of high pressure act like a lid on a boiling pot of water. Except we are inside the pot.
www.popsci.com
June 23, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
“how much can possibly happen when I’m on parental leave” I asked in January of 2025

anyway uh I have a new job just in time for President Trump’s tank parade www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
So, What Did I Miss?
“How much can possibly happen when I’m on parental leave?” I said five months ago.
www.theatlantic.com
June 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
My latest @mcsweeneys.net is a dire PSA:

please
whatever you do,

don't make a fool of yourselves in front of the Fascist Souleaters whose only guiding purpose is to devour your souls

There's no reason to be so aggressive about it!

www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/ple...
Please Remain Civil While Resisting President Nyarlathotep’s Orgy of Nullification
Look, I get it. I’ve been in this game a long time, okay? I managed political campaigns on both sides of the aisle, and very nearly won some of the...
www.mcsweeneys.net
June 12, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Cuts have consequences, illustrated. As seen on TV 📺
June 3, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
The comment period for this ends in 3 DAYS. Please leave a comment telling them EVERYONE should be able to get covid boosters.
www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...
May 20, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Lots of people on my feed are concerned about the destruction of NOAA by the Trump administration and Elon Musk, but much of what I’ve seen people post about is the national weather service. That’s vital, but NOAA does so much more than that!

My latest, for @ucsusa.bsky.social

🧪🌎🦑🐠
Ten Vital Services Provided by NOAA (Beyond the National Weather Service)
Far too much of the media coverage supporting NOAA only mentions one of many things they do: here are 10 more.
blog.ucs.org
April 30, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
And now, a note on Bill Owens who, until this past week, was the executive producer of 60 Minutes.

We’ll be back next week with another edition of 60 Minutes.
April 28, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
It's SFX Friday over at Popular Science!

(We're manifesting this into existence)

www.popsci.com/science/john...
Q&A: The legendary VFX artist who brought Captain Davy Jones, ‘The Abyss,’ and more to life
The award winning VFX artist discusses the past and future of the field ahead of a new season of ‘Light & Magic’ on Disney+.
www.popsci.com
April 18, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
April 18, 2025 at 2:16 AM
The real world is terrifying enough right now, so let's dive into an ever more frightening world this weekend when the second season of "The Last of Us" premieres! Fun with (parasitic) fungi.

www.popsci.com/environment/...
Cordyceps fungus: ‘The Last of Us’ co-star thriving outside the spotlight
Parasitic fungi have a grip on us, yet most are still a scientific mystery.
www.popsci.com
April 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
Colossal’s bungled wolf announcement isn’t a conservation win. It’s a sad reminder of how the offensively rich want to foist their vision of the future on everyone. My latest for @slate.com
Those Dire Wolves Aren’t an Amazing Scientific Breakthrough. They’re a Disturbing Symbol of Where We’re Heading.
We shouldn’t be celebrating “de-extinction.” We should be focused on the species that are currently in danger.
slate.com
April 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
You guys, we better hope that this tariff war with penguins doesn’t turn into a shooting war, because penguins shit from a long distance and it smells real bad.

arstechnica.com/science/2020...
April 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Laura Baisas
This was actually a really delightful piece to write, albeit for the dumbest possible reason. 🧪
The Heard and McDonald Islands Are a Pristine Biological Wonderland
Trump’s tariffs put a spotlight on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, which comprise a remote volcanic refuge for penguins and seals and a UNESCO World Heritage site
www.scientificamerican.com
April 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Jersey is having a week!
April 3, 2025 at 4:50 PM