Andrew Montequin
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refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Andrew Montequin
@refriedectoderm.bsky.social
150 followers 370 following 66 posts
Molecular biologist at Northwestern, science writer in training, Texan living in the Midwest.

2025 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
He/him
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refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Andrew Montequin @refriedectoderm.bsky.social · Mar 26
Soft re-launching this account (for all 29 of my followers!) so that I have a place to share some personal news soon.

A few things to know about me:
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
kschorsch.bsky.social
A stunning visual of Chicago's 20-year death gap, mapped on the L, via @myersjustinc.bsky.social @chicago.suntimes.com. Here's what residents & community leaders are doing to close this gap: tinyurl.com/47r2vcj5 @wbez.org @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social @watchdogdiva.bsky.social @kffhealthnews.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
My first byline in Inside Climate News! I made the trip down to Springfield to see how citizens are pushing for transit and energy reforms during this busy veto session insideclimatenews.org/news/1510202...
Illinois Residents Urge Lawmakers to Act on Transit, Energy Bills - Inside Climate News
As part of a “People Over Polluters” event, more than 100 local environmental advocates traveled to the state capital to lobby during the state’s short fall veto session.
insideclimatenews.org
October 16, 2025 at 12:26 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Lots of blooming going on tonight
Yawning cat in a box stuffed with packing material Queen of the night flower blooming
September 25, 2025 at 3:10 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Shouting from the rooftops: Paying for news isn't a subscription service.

Subscriptions are worthless if you don't use them. On the other hand, you can contribute to news orgs, read zero articles per year and still reap the benefits of living with a well-funded press.
conradhackett.bsky.social Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Sep 18
83% of US adults haven't paid for news in the last year.

About half (49%) say their main reason is they can find plenty of free news elsewhere.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Chart showing among the 83% of U.S. adults who have not paid for news in the past year, the most common reason they cite is that they can find plenty of other news articles for free. About half of those who don’t pay for news (49%) say this is the main reason. Indeed, many news websites do not have paywalls. Others have recently loosened paywalls or removed them for certain content like public emergencies or public interest stories. Another common reason people don’t pay for news is that they are not interested enough (32%). Smaller shares of Americans who don’t pay for news say the main reason is that it’s too expensive (10%) or that the news provided isn’t good enough to pay for (8%).
September 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Incredible
Screenshot from article detailing how the gang leader revealed identity information by Replying All to a BBC email
September 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
To wrap up my time at the Journal Sentinel, I got to cover some of my favorite research I've seen.

Combining western science with Indigenous knowledge shows how cultural burns and environmental stewardship supported red pine forests around the Great Lakes.

www.jsonline.com/story/news/2...
Fire was part of the history of our land. Then we took it away. Can it begin again?
Can human activity help forests in a changing climate? Indigenous fire practices in the Great Lakes region supported forest ecosystems for centuries.
www.jsonline.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:02 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Did a lot of driving in a car without Bluetooth this summer, need to give a special shout-out to these CDs
Four CD cases. Clockwise from top left: The Window by Ratboys, Yoshimi... by Flaming Lips, Not God by Finom, Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn
August 28, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
sewella.bsky.social
Four journalists were killed by an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital today, including Mariam Dagga, a freelancer with the @apnews.com. She has a 12-year-old son, who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war.

She was a true hero, like all of our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza.
tinyurl.com/3cn5c9vb
Multiple journalists killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital
A hospital strike in southern Gaza has killed at least eight people, including four journalists. The attack happened on Monday.
apnews.com
August 25, 2025 at 9:41 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Adding to my 2030 bingo card: "DeAndre Jordan's 2015 free agency decision is relitigated during a primary debate (any party)"
August 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
🥲
velodus.bsky.social Velodus🎄 @velodus.bsky.social · Aug 8
Welcome back Luka Doncic
August 9, 2025 at 2:09 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Had a great time wading through streams, fishing for lampreys to report for this story!

Learn about more layers of protection against invasive sea lampreys scientists are studying

www.jsonline.com/story/news/2...
In the war against invasive sea lampreys, researchers find new success with old ideas
Can we fine-tune our fight against sea lampreys? Researchers are testing supplemental controls to use when other tools aren't an option.
www.jsonline.com
August 7, 2025 at 10:17 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Will be paying attention to this going forward
kissphoria.bsky.social gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · Aug 7
niche thing i love is when baseball parks have advertisements for local newspapers on the scoreboard, i know there are more but these are the ones i immediately thought of
August 7, 2025 at 10:14 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
My idea of fun - finally got to get out there and see the exposed streetcar rails on Clark
Crumbling cobblestone and streetcar rails in the median of a street undergoing construction
August 2, 2025 at 12:06 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Gone fishin' (for lamprey larvae)
Selfie taken while standing in a river wearing waders, a life vest and a baseball cap with a notebook in my chest pocket
August 1, 2025 at 1:11 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
I allow myself one impulse buy per grocery shop, today it was this Greek tea. Hoping it lives up to what it says on the box.
Box of 10 tea bags called "Pure Happiness" with a very imprecise sketched Pegasus on the box
July 29, 2025 at 1:24 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Humans are still better than AI at cribbage! For now, at least. One of my favorites to write (so far)

www.jsonline.com/story/news/2...
AI is making advances every day. But humans are still best at a classic pastime: cribbage.
Thanks to the luck, uncertainty and unique play of cribbage, humans can still beat the best computers. How long will that last?
www.jsonline.com
July 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Hour -0.5 of the Riverwest 24 #RW24
A few dozen bikers gathering on a residential street with a Start/Finish line and tent set up
July 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
willoremus.com
Harrowing lead story and image on the Washington Post homepage right now. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
Screenshot of Washington Post homepage. Lead headline is: "Mass starvation stalks Gaza as deaths from hunger rise." Lead image is of a woman in Gaza holding an almost impossibly emaciated child
July 24, 2025 at 5:23 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Taking the advice to "just post some stuff"
Yawning cat on a cat bed next to a sunny window with plants Black cat sitting on a chair by a corner window, half covered in a sunbeam
July 11, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
mrhonorama.bsky.social
The Chicago Reader's Gossip Wolf column remembers the recently passed CHIRP DJ Clarence Ewing. It's a very nice story.
chicagoreader.com/music/gossip...
CHIRP mourns a pillar of its volunteer community - Chicago Reader
CHIRP mourns a pillar of its volunteer community, the Chosen Few Picnic turns 35, Ganser kick off Kilbourn Park’s summer series, and more.
chicagoreader.com
July 8, 2025 at 11:19 PM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
Excellent reporting from Caitlin Looby on how Enbridge and the Army Corps of Engineers have disrespected Odawa tribes to try to extend the life of the Line 5 pipeline

www.jsonline.com/story/news/i...
Unearthed bones, land swap, expedited review: Enbridge Line 5 tunnel review leaves tribes behind
Records, court filings and emails reveal how federal review of Enbridge's Great Lakes tunnel project leaves tribal officials feeling cast aside.
www.jsonline.com
July 7, 2025 at 1:52 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
New Rubin Observatory images are stunning! Read about how Wisconsinites made them possible
www.jsonline.com/story/news/2...
Wisconsin science, industry play critical roles in creating powerful new Rubin Observatory
Building Rubin Observatory in Chile spanned three decades and as many continents. Important support came from right here in Wisconsin.
www.jsonline.com
June 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
vrubinobs.bsky.social
Introducing...your sneak peek at the cosmos captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory!

Can you guess these regions of sky?

This is just a small peek...join us at 11am US EDT for your full First Look at how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos! 🔭🧪

#RubinFirstLook
ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream
A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black. A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars. A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. To the lower left is a region filled with the hundreds of golden glittering gems of a distant galaxy cluster. In the foreground, below and right of center, two blue spiral galaxies look like eyes beneath the entangled mass of a triple galaxy merger in the upper right. A few bright blue points of foreground stars pierce the glittering tapestry. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black.
June 23, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Reposted by Andrew Montequin
velodus.bsky.social
That Haliburton injury means this game will either get a storybook ending so incredible that they'll literally make movies and shows about it or an ending that will be regarded as one of the most unsatisfying what-if's of all time. Polar opposite possibilities.
June 23, 2025 at 12:35 AM
refriedectoderm.bsky.social
I feel like I've aged six or seven NBA seasons since this one started in October
June 23, 2025 at 12:17 AM