Rachel Ehrenberg
@rachelscience.bsky.social
Journalist. Editor @KnowableMag, @KSJatMIT, @ScienceNews alum; lapsed botanist, Vermont ex-pat
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Knowable Magazine explores the real-world significance of scholarly work through a journalistic lens. A digital magazine from Annual Reviews.
knowablemagazine.org
One of my duties is helming the @knowablemag.bsky.social newsletter. It features our new stuff, cool #sciart and smart takes on goings-on in science (the bad news & good reads)
Tag me if you read/wrote/made something especially good & get our newsletter here!
knowablemagazine.org/newsletter-s...
Tag me if you read/wrote/made something especially good & get our newsletter here!
knowablemagazine.org/newsletter-s...
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Explore the rich SciArt ecosystem on Bluesky with my SciArt Starter Pack.
Paleoart to fine art,
comics to medical illustration,
bioart to space imagery.
150 artists, plus the entire popular SciArt Feed 🐡.
And no gen AI or NFTs. 🥳
Paleoart to fine art,
comics to medical illustration,
bioart to space imagery.
150 artists, plus the entire popular SciArt Feed 🐡.
And no gen AI or NFTs. 🥳
November 19, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Explore the rich SciArt ecosystem on Bluesky with my SciArt Starter Pack.
Paleoart to fine art,
comics to medical illustration,
bioart to space imagery.
150 artists, plus the entire popular SciArt Feed 🐡.
And no gen AI or NFTs. 🥳
Paleoart to fine art,
comics to medical illustration,
bioart to space imagery.
150 artists, plus the entire popular SciArt Feed 🐡.
And no gen AI or NFTs. 🥳
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Who knew that whales blasted snot through their blowholes, or that drones could collect the viscous fluid and teach us so much about whales in the process? Written by @gennarotomma.bsky.social for us at @knowablemag.bsky.social -- and a very fine story it is 🧪
November 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Who knew that whales blasted snot through their blowholes, or that drones could collect the viscous fluid and teach us so much about whales in the process? Written by @gennarotomma.bsky.social for us at @knowablemag.bsky.social -- and a very fine story it is 🧪
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Genetically engineered color-changing Arabidopsis 🧬📷- attempt #3
I think I finally nailed it with this one.
I think I finally nailed it with this one.
October 27, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Genetically engineered color-changing Arabidopsis 🧬📷- attempt #3
I think I finally nailed it with this one.
I think I finally nailed it with this one.
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
YAY! this is excellent! From Knowable Magazine: How Arabidopsis thaliana, a humble weed, became a superstar of plant biology | Knowable Magazine knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
knowablemagazine.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:23 AM
YAY! this is excellent! From Knowable Magazine: How Arabidopsis thaliana, a humble weed, became a superstar of plant biology | Knowable Magazine knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
"It is impossible to do justice to the countless discoveries made in this area based on the study of this small yet mighty weed." Those words (on abiotic stress response) from 2015 Tansley Review apply to the whole plant and the research community! thanks for kind words @nikogeldner.bsky.social
A really nice telling of the rise of Arabidopsis - mentioning so many of my heroes! We should be grateful for their vision and persistence.
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
✍️ Rachel Ehrenberg
knowmag.org/4hImL8e
✍️ Rachel Ehrenberg
knowmag.org/4hImL8e
November 5, 2025 at 6:00 PM
"It is impossible to do justice to the countless discoveries made in this area based on the study of this small yet mighty weed." Those words (on abiotic stress response) from 2015 Tansley Review apply to the whole plant and the research community! thanks for kind words @nikogeldner.bsky.social
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
From Knowable Magazine: How #Arabidopsis thaliana, a humble weed, became a superstar of plant biology | Knowable Magazine knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
knowablemagazine.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:54 PM
From Knowable Magazine: How #Arabidopsis thaliana, a humble weed, became a superstar of plant biology | Knowable Magazine knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Today's the big day — we're officially on strike all day! We'll be picketing from 8am to 8pm at 1776 Massachusetts NW. Come show your support! @wbng.org @newsguild.org
November 5, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Today's the big day — we're officially on strike all day! We'll be picketing from 8am to 8pm at 1776 Massachusetts NW. Come show your support! @wbng.org @newsguild.org
Arabidopsis, a little weed in the mustard family, joined the celebrity ranks of Drosophila, E. coli and other model organisms in the 1980s. There was a lot of pushback-- in some circles it was referred to as the "A-word" (!)
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
✍️ Rachel Ehrenberg
knowmag.org/4hImL8e
✍️ Rachel Ehrenberg
knowmag.org/4hImL8e
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
knowmag.org
November 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Arabidopsis, a little weed in the mustard family, joined the celebrity ranks of Drosophila, E. coli and other model organisms in the 1980s. There was a lot of pushback-- in some circles it was referred to as the "A-word" (!)
AI 'slop' has come for herbalism by
@aishadown.bsky.social
one book is #1 bestseller in Amazon’s skincare, aroma therapies and herbal remedies, subcategories.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
@aishadown.bsky.social
one book is #1 bestseller in Amazon’s skincare, aroma therapies and herbal remedies, subcategories.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Detection firm finds 82% of herbal remedy books on Amazon ‘likely written’ by AI
Originality.ai scans 558 titles in herbal remedies section between January and September
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM
AI 'slop' has come for herbalism by
@aishadown.bsky.social
one book is #1 bestseller in Amazon’s skincare, aroma therapies and herbal remedies, subcategories.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
@aishadown.bsky.social
one book is #1 bestseller in Amazon’s skincare, aroma therapies and herbal remedies, subcategories.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
A warm congratulations to @ljevanso.bsky.social, whose feature story, “Getting along with grizzly bears,” is a finalist at the Webster Awards 2025 in the category “Excellence in Feature Reporting – Print/Digital.”
Getting along with grizzly bears
In rural Alaskan and Canadian communities, reducing conflict between people and their wild neighbors means both species must change their behavior
knowablemagazine.org
October 28, 2025 at 3:24 PM
A warm congratulations to @ljevanso.bsky.social, whose feature story, “Getting along with grizzly bears,” is a finalist at the Webster Awards 2025 in the category “Excellence in Feature Reporting – Print/Digital.”
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Happy birthday to us! 🥳 Today, we celebrate Knowable Magazine’s 8th year. That’s 8 years of diving into big questions in science and research; 8 years of burrowing into data and citing our sources; 8 years of evidence-based solutions and forays into wonder and awe...
October 28, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Happy birthday to us! 🥳 Today, we celebrate Knowable Magazine’s 8th year. That’s 8 years of diving into big questions in science and research; 8 years of burrowing into data and citing our sources; 8 years of evidence-based solutions and forays into wonder and awe...
AI is helping map millions of tiny earthquakes, writes @alexwitze.bsky.social An AI-based quake catalog was 5x more complete than the human-made one & was made in a day rather than months. Here's a terrific (hype-free) look at ways the tech is changing seismology knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
AI is changing our understanding of earthquakes
Machine learning is expanding scientists’ catalogs of quakes and refining maps of underground faults. It also promises to improve quake forecasts.
knowablemagazine.org
October 23, 2025 at 2:22 PM
AI is helping map millions of tiny earthquakes, writes @alexwitze.bsky.social An AI-based quake catalog was 5x more complete than the human-made one & was made in a day rather than months. Here's a terrific (hype-free) look at ways the tech is changing seismology knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Curating the Art & Sci section is one of my favorite newsletter duties- we feature scientific images; original works by artists; compelling pieces from the history of art and ideas, graphics created by science communicators, maps, fiber arts and more.
Tag me with ideas!
Tag me with ideas!
Love beautiful science art? Like this? 👇 Be sure to sign up for @knowablemag.bsky.social's newsletter, edited every week by @rachelscience.bsky.social 👉 knowablemagazine.org/newsletter-s...
October 23, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Curating the Art & Sci section is one of my favorite newsletter duties- we feature scientific images; original works by artists; compelling pieces from the history of art and ideas, graphics created by science communicators, maps, fiber arts and more.
Tag me with ideas!
Tag me with ideas!
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Oh hey look at that. My piece Portrait of a Human is featured in @knowablemag.bsky.social #sciart
October 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Oh hey look at that. My piece Portrait of a Human is featured in @knowablemag.bsky.social #sciart
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
While Ukraine is resisting Russia's invasion, on the frontlines, doctors and scientists are fighting another war, one against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs".
Grantee @richardastone.bsky.social spoke with those containing the deadly bacteria.
Story for @knowablemag.bsky.social. bit.ly/47phkY7
Grantee @richardastone.bsky.social spoke with those containing the deadly bacteria.
Story for @knowablemag.bsky.social. bit.ly/47phkY7
The Pernicious Infections Infiltrating Ukraine’s Front Lines
Doctors and scientists are waging a shadow war in the besieged nation: bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The deadly bugs are now knocking on western Europe’s door. The Pulitzer...
pulitzercenter.org
October 14, 2025 at 9:50 PM
While Ukraine is resisting Russia's invasion, on the frontlines, doctors and scientists are fighting another war, one against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs".
Grantee @richardastone.bsky.social spoke with those containing the deadly bacteria.
Story for @knowablemag.bsky.social. bit.ly/47phkY7
Grantee @richardastone.bsky.social spoke with those containing the deadly bacteria.
Story for @knowablemag.bsky.social. bit.ly/47phkY7
Authors, @sciencewriters.org find your book in the Anthropic settlement database (try different spellings of your name and titles to catch small errors)
ICYMI, the official database of books included in the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is now live: secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
You can now file claims.
You can now file claims.
Submit a Claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Authors, @sciencewriters.org find your book in the Anthropic settlement database (try different spellings of your name and titles to catch small errors)
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
Jem Cresswell’s striking whale images – in pictures www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🦑🌎🧪
Jem Cresswell’s striking whale images – in pictures
The photographer spent five years documenting humpback whales in the waters surrounding the Tonga Trench
www.theguardian.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Jem Cresswell’s striking whale images – in pictures www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🦑🌎🧪
Turns out that the technology for better EV batteries is already here, get all the deets from our new explainer
Will your next EV have a solid-state battery — and improved performance?
Superionic materials have spawned hope for a new generation of power packs for electric cars, with a promise of greater range, faster charges and more safety. But scaling up won’t be easy.
Our recent article, @yahoonews.com👇
Superionic materials have spawned hope for a new generation of power packs for electric cars, with a promise of greater range, faster charges and more safety. But scaling up won’t be easy.
Our recent article, @yahoonews.com👇
Will your next EV have a solid-state battery — and improved performance?
Superionic materials have spawned hope for a new generation of power packs for electric cars, with a promise of greater range, faster charges and more safety. But scaling up won’t be easy.
knowmag.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Turns out that the technology for better EV batteries is already here, get all the deets from our new explainer
Drug-resistant bacteria are spreading and strengthening amid the chaos of the war in Ukraine. Read this important piece by @richardastone.bsky.social (reported from the field w help from @pulitzercenter.org); edited by the terrific @rosiemestel.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
The pernicious infections infiltrating Ukraine’s front lines
Doctors and scientists are waging a shadow war in the besieged nation: bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The deadly bugs are now knocking on western Europe’s door.
knowablemagazine.org
October 2, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Drug-resistant bacteria are spreading and strengthening amid the chaos of the war in Ukraine. Read this important piece by @richardastone.bsky.social (reported from the field w help from @pulitzercenter.org); edited by the terrific @rosiemestel.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
In polar bears, dolphins, baboons and more, molecular signatures of aging are changing how conservationists assess population health, resilience and risk. ✍️ Elie Dolgin
knowmag.org/46jrGbH
knowmag.org/46jrGbH
The clock is ticking: How epigenetics could help save wildlife from collapse
In polar bears, dolphins, baboons and more, molecular signatures of aging are changing how conservationists assess population health, resilience and risk
knowmag.org
September 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
In polar bears, dolphins, baboons and more, molecular signatures of aging are changing how conservationists assess population health, resilience and risk. ✍️ Elie Dolgin
knowmag.org/46jrGbH
knowmag.org/46jrGbH
lovely indeed
Neil's tooth hurts but he's in Greenland looking at teeth of ancient Greenlanders, which remind him of the teeth of Appalachian Virginians who couldn't afford dentists, which reminds him of his own tooth. This essay is lovely, only slightly alarming. www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/09/19/t...
The Last Word On Nothing | The Tales Teeth Tell
www.lastwordonnothing.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
lovely indeed
It's Thursday and that means I'm putting together the @knowablemag.bsky.social newsletter, which features our new stuff plus other smart takes on what's going on the world of science. If you read/wrote/helped make something especially good recently, let me know!
September 18, 2025 at 4:09 PM
It's Thursday and that means I'm putting together the @knowablemag.bsky.social newsletter, which features our new stuff plus other smart takes on what's going on the world of science. If you read/wrote/helped make something especially good recently, let me know!
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
If you suffer from migraines, or know someone who does, her story is an essential read. Check it out 👇
Studies of migraine’s many triggers offer paths to new therapies
One class of drugs has already found success in treating the painful, disorienting and common attacks. Excitement is building about a slew of additional drug targets.
knowmag.org
September 17, 2025 at 9:09 PM
If you suffer from migraines, or know someone who does, her story is an essential read. Check it out 👇
Reposted by Rachel Ehrenberg
If our environment promotes obesity, why do some people stay thin? 🤔
This new popular scientific article by Ute Eberle in
@knowablemag.bsky.social delves into this question 👇 1/8
@cbmr.science
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
This new popular scientific article by Ute Eberle in
@knowablemag.bsky.social delves into this question 👇 1/8
@cbmr.science
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
The other end of the weight spectrum: Very thin people
Researchers are exploring why some individuals are naturally super-lean and may struggle to gain weight. The causes of such constitutional thinness offer clues to the physiology of weight control.
knowablemagazine.org
September 13, 2025 at 9:55 AM
If our environment promotes obesity, why do some people stay thin? 🤔
This new popular scientific article by Ute Eberle in
@knowablemag.bsky.social delves into this question 👇 1/8
@cbmr.science
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
This new popular scientific article by Ute Eberle in
@knowablemag.bsky.social delves into this question 👇 1/8
@cbmr.science
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
this is fascinating- Amber Dance wrote a piece for us recently on how cancer cells hijack & manipulate their surroundings- astonishing, really, & may inspire therapies @erictopol.bsky.social knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
September 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
this is fascinating- Amber Dance wrote a piece for us recently on how cancer cells hijack & manipulate their surroundings- astonishing, really, & may inspire therapies @erictopol.bsky.social knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...