michael roston
@michaelroston.bsky.social
Yes THAT michael roston
Sometimes I worry I'm trying too hard, and then other times I decide you know what, just let the Billy Ocean-inspired headline rip, even if 2 out of 3 colleagues didn't get the reference:
November 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Sometimes I worry I'm trying too hard, and then other times I decide you know what, just let the Billy Ocean-inspired headline rip, even if 2 out of 3 colleagues didn't get the reference:
Reposted by michael roston
First of all, rude
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 24, 2025 at 5:56 AM
First of all, rude
Reposted by michael roston
The sculptor Jim Sanborn has sold the secret to his Kryptos sculpture for nearly a million bucks — here's the story.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
Anonymous Bidder Pays Nearly $1 Million for Secret to Decode C.I.A. Sculpture
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:46 AM
The sculptor Jim Sanborn has sold the secret to his Kryptos sculpture for nearly a million bucks — here's the story.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
Reposted by michael roston
NEW: Not long after Earth formed, it received a giant sucker punch when an object named Theia crashed into it, unleashing debris that made the Moon. But where did Theia come from—the outer solar system?
Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job.
Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job.
Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
The Moon Was an Inside Job
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:46 PM
NEW: Not long after Earth formed, it received a giant sucker punch when an object named Theia crashed into it, unleashing debris that made the Moon. But where did Theia come from—the outer solar system?
Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job.
Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job.
Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...
Reposted by michael roston
This is incredible. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:55 AM
This is incredible. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
Reposted by michael roston
If you're looking to launch Dark Pixar, here's your plot:
"Experts discovered an unusual form of regicide in which a parasitic ant queen tricks workers in a colony into turning on their own mother."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
"Experts discovered an unusual form of regicide in which a parasitic ant queen tricks workers in a colony into turning on their own mother."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
Parasitic Queen: Now She’s Stealing an Ant Fief
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
If you're looking to launch Dark Pixar, here's your plot:
"Experts discovered an unusual form of regicide in which a parasitic ant queen tricks workers in a colony into turning on their own mother."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
"Experts discovered an unusual form of regicide in which a parasitic ant queen tricks workers in a colony into turning on their own mother."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
Reposted by michael roston
ME (sobbing, folorn, bereft of hope): I don't think I'll ever know what a vindicated iguana looks li-
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
November 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
ME (sobbing, folorn, bereft of hope): I don't think I'll ever know what a vindicated iguana looks li-
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
THE NEW YORK TIMES:
Reposted by michael roston
That iguana DOES look vindicated I have to say 😂
Exemplar for why rush to lethal management of "invasive" animals requires enormous caution: "Reptiles on a Mexican island were considered an invasive species, but DNA evidence proves they beat humans to the island by hundreds of thousands of years." #conservation #reptile #invasivespecies #maybenot
This Is What a Vindicated Iguana Looks Like
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
That iguana DOES look vindicated I have to say 😂
Reposted by michael roston
Take your victory lap, girlfriend.
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Take your victory lap, girlfriend.
Reposted by michael roston
when you’re mean to me but it turns out I’m right this is who you’re being mean to that turned out to be right
November 8, 2025 at 1:29 AM
when you’re mean to me but it turns out I’m right this is who you’re being mean to that turned out to be right
Reposted by michael roston
Hard to think of anything in media that regularly brings me as much pure joy anymore as the headline in The New York Times' Trilobites section.
November 6, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Hard to think of anything in media that regularly brings me as much pure joy anymore as the headline in The New York Times' Trilobites section.
Reposted by michael roston
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
“The rise of artificial intelligence has produced serial writers to science and medical journals, most likely using chatbots to boost the number of citations they’ve published.”
“The rise of artificial intelligence has produced serial writers to science and medical journals, most likely using chatbots to boost the number of citations they’ve published.”
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:03 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/s...
“The rise of artificial intelligence has produced serial writers to science and medical journals, most likely using chatbots to boost the number of citations they’ve published.”
“The rise of artificial intelligence has produced serial writers to science and medical journals, most likely using chatbots to boost the number of citations they’ve published.”
Just occurred to me that “6,7” yields the answer to life, the universe and everything, Gen Alpha is profound
November 2, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Just occurred to me that “6,7” yields the answer to life, the universe and everything, Gen Alpha is profound
Reposted by michael roston
NEW: this genetically engineered fungus lures mosquitoes to their death—by smelling absolutely divine
my latest in @nytimes.com, with sharp edits from @michaelroston.bsky.social 🧪
my latest in @nytimes.com, with sharp edits from @michaelroston.bsky.social 🧪
This Genetically Engineered Fungus Could Help Fix Your Mosquito Problem
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:56 PM
NEW: this genetically engineered fungus lures mosquitoes to their death—by smelling absolutely divine
my latest in @nytimes.com, with sharp edits from @michaelroston.bsky.social 🧪
my latest in @nytimes.com, with sharp edits from @michaelroston.bsky.social 🧪
Reposted by michael roston
My latest for @nytimes.com! For 40 years, paleontologists have grappled over whether a small tyrannosaur — named Nanotyrannus — was its own animal, or simply a teenage T.rex. The debate has been ... contentious. Which is why it's so fun to finally be able to say this:
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
The Case of the Tiny Tyrannosaurus Might Have Been Cracked
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
My latest for @nytimes.com! For 40 years, paleontologists have grappled over whether a small tyrannosaur — named Nanotyrannus — was its own animal, or simply a teenage T.rex. The debate has been ... contentious. Which is why it's so fun to finally be able to say this:
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
Reposted by michael roston
This story rules www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
October 17, 2025 at 5:55 PM
This story rules www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
Reposted by michael roston
This story is BONKERS, and I’m so happy to see @jswatz.bsky.social ‘s byline on it
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
A C.I.A. Secret Kept for 35 Years Is Found in the Smithsonian’s Vault
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:45 PM
This story is BONKERS, and I’m so happy to see @jswatz.bsky.social ‘s byline on it
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
Reposted by michael roston
Great story that takes a lot of turns but the top part, about how the solution was found, reminds me of a 1990s @ajjacobs.bsky.social article where he brought a police detective to a murder mystery weekend at a hotel, and while the other guests were playing by the rules...
A C.I.A. Secret Kept for 35 Years Is Found in the Smithsonian’s Vault
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Great story that takes a lot of turns but the top part, about how the solution was found, reminds me of a 1990s @ajjacobs.bsky.social article where he brought a police detective to a murder mystery weekend at a hotel, and while the other guests were playing by the rules...
Reposted by michael roston
Holy guacamole, this could be the weirdest story I ever worked on. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
A C.I.A. Secret Kept for 35 Years Is Found in the Smithsonian’s Vault
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Holy guacamole, this could be the weirdest story I ever worked on. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...
Reposted by michael roston
The ‘golden’ rule of the deep-sea: if you want to survive near hydrothermal vents, be prepared to fight poison with poison!
My latest for @nytimes.com about an incredible worm that uses biomineralization as a detox strategy!
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/s...
My latest for @nytimes.com about an incredible worm that uses biomineralization as a detox strategy!
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/s...
This Golden Worm Fights Poison With Poison
www.nytimes.com
August 26, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The ‘golden’ rule of the deep-sea: if you want to survive near hydrothermal vents, be prepared to fight poison with poison!
My latest for @nytimes.com about an incredible worm that uses biomineralization as a detox strategy!
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/s...
My latest for @nytimes.com about an incredible worm that uses biomineralization as a detox strategy!
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/s...
Reposted by michael roston
those damned outdoor pigs can't keep getting away with this
August 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM
those damned outdoor pigs can't keep getting away with this
YOU ARE BUGS www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/s...
Possible Planet Is Spotted Around Neighboring Sunlike Star
www.nytimes.com
August 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
YOU ARE BUGS www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/s...
Reposted by michael roston
I can finally reveal why this account has been on hiatus for the summer...
I've been working on a piece for the New York Times on the 1980s cola space race!
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Its been a great experience working with the Times editors on this. #nasa #space #coke #pepsi
I've been working on a piece for the New York Times on the 1980s cola space race!
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Its been a great experience working with the Times editors on this. #nasa #space #coke #pepsi
When Coke and Pepsi Fought for Soft Drink Supremacy in Space
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 9:09 AM
I can finally reveal why this account has been on hiatus for the summer...
I've been working on a piece for the New York Times on the 1980s cola space race!
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Its been a great experience working with the Times editors on this. #nasa #space #coke #pepsi
I've been working on a piece for the New York Times on the 1980s cola space race!
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Its been a great experience working with the Times editors on this. #nasa #space #coke #pepsi
Reposted by michael roston
I've had a lot of questions about fission surface power this week.
The delightful Ken Chang @kchang.bsky.social summed it up well in this piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/s... .
On moon reactors, I'm bullish. On setting unrealistic timelines in a race to moon reactors, not so much. [1/2]
The delightful Ken Chang @kchang.bsky.social summed it up well in this piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/s... .
On moon reactors, I'm bullish. On setting unrealistic timelines in a race to moon reactors, not so much. [1/2]
August 7, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I've had a lot of questions about fission surface power this week.
The delightful Ken Chang @kchang.bsky.social summed it up well in this piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/s... .
On moon reactors, I'm bullish. On setting unrealistic timelines in a race to moon reactors, not so much. [1/2]
The delightful Ken Chang @kchang.bsky.social summed it up well in this piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/s... .
On moon reactors, I'm bullish. On setting unrealistic timelines in a race to moon reactors, not so much. [1/2]
Reposted by michael roston
Check out my piece in the @nytimes.com about the 1980s cola space race.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Worked with some great editors and a spoke with interesting people while I was working on this. Really pleased to see this published.
#space #nasa #spaceshuttle #challenger
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Worked with some great editors and a spoke with interesting people while I was working on this. Really pleased to see this published.
#space #nasa #spaceshuttle #challenger
When Coke and Pepsi Fought for Soft Drink Supremacy in Space
www.nytimes.com
July 29, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Check out my piece in the @nytimes.com about the 1980s cola space race.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Worked with some great editors and a spoke with interesting people while I was working on this. Really pleased to see this published.
#space #nasa #spaceshuttle #challenger
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...
Worked with some great editors and a spoke with interesting people while I was working on this. Really pleased to see this published.
#space #nasa #spaceshuttle #challenger