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Joe Spring

@joespring.bsky.social

410 followers 550 following 94 posts

Science journalist, Field and Lab Newsletter https://joespring.substack.com/ / Formerly Smithsonian Magazine, Outside Magazine, NOAA, USFWS, National Park Service / https://joespring.com/

joespring.substack.com

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Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 10d

So cool to see @rudymolinek.bsky.social's @smithsonianmag.bsky.social piece on the long, strange history of Teflon on the notable list for The Best American Science and Nature Writing. Thanks @jaimealyse.bsky.social jaimealyse.beehiiv.com/p/basnw25

Coming soon! The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2025

Discover the 2025 Best American Science & Nature Writing anthology, curated by Susan Orlean and featuring exceptional science writing that explores the wonders of our natural world.

jaimealyse.beehiiv.com

Reposted by Joe Spring

Ian Rose @ianrosewrites.bsky.social · 10d

Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, the sea mink disappeared from Maine's coastal waters. Its loss came during a rush of North American extinctions, but many today have never even heard of it.

My latest for Smithsonian:
#wildlife #maine #extinction

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

The Life, Loss and Lore of the Sea Mink

It might be among the first mammals to go extinct in North America after colonization. But can scientists prove it was even a distinct species?

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 10d

I also hadn't heard of the sea mink before your pitch, Ian. You did such a great job with this story! I loved working together on it!

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 11d

Great dispatch here by @jessicaleighhester.bsky.social on how researchers are studying seagull upchuck to learn about human pollution. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Gulls’ Spit-Up Gunk Can Help Ecologists Understand Human Pollution

Researchers and student volunteers pick up what seabirds throw up, then examine it for clues about our impact on the environment

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 12d

After a fun 5+ years, I'm ending my run as digital science features editor at Smithsonian. I’m so thankful to the talented editors and writers I worked with. I’ll be freelancing, writing a newsletter (below), and more. Please reach out if you have any writing or editing needs. joespring.substack.com

Field and Lab | Joe Spring | Substack

Dispatches on science, sports, adventure, and exploration. Click to read Field and Lab, by Joe Spring, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

joespring.substack.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 12d

What are the environmental impacts of data centers? @amberonradio.bsky.social answers that question as A.I. increases the demand for more and more of them. @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

A.I. Is on the Rise, and So Is the Environmental Impact of the Data Centers That Drive It

The demand for data centers is growing faster than our ability to mitigate their skyrocketing economic and environmental costs

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 17d

A lone orca has been sighted several times swimming in the North Atlantic. @bybencassidy.bsky.social reports on what scientists know about the strange occurrence. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

The Curious Case of 'Old Thom,' an Orca Traveling Alone in the North Atlantic

Sightings of the marine mammal captivate the public and baffle scientists

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 19d

In a prison program in Ohio, inmates are rehabilitating injured animals. Olivia Young reports on their efforts. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

In Prisons Across Ohio, These Inmates Are Finding Meaning by Saving Orphaned and Injured Animals

The Ohio Wildlife Center’s hospital sends critters to five facilities for care before eventual release

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 23d

It's been 166 years since a powerful geomagnetic storm created dazzling auroras and knocked out communications around the world. @danfalk.bsky.social reports on what could happen if the sun triggers another such event. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

How Prepared Are We for a Rare and Powerful Solar Event?

A coronal mass ejection could knock out power and disrupt communication on Earth

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 23d

One of the best new science books I’ve read this year is The Explorer’s Gene. I had a chance to chat with its author, Alex Hutchinson, about why we explore. joespring.substack.com/p/why-do-we-...

Why Do We Explore? And Should We Do It More?

In the new book, The Explorer’s Gene, author Alex Hutchinson expertly answers these questions

joespring.substack.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 27d

In North to the Future, Ben Weissenbach vividly chronicles how Alaska is changing as the climate warms. I called the author up to learn more about the best field research book I've read this year. joespring.substack.com/p/this-vivid...

This Vivid Account of a Changing Alaska Brings a Remote Landscape to Life

In the book “North to the Future,” Ben Weissenbach reports on a rapidly transforming environment

joespring.substack.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 29d

Animal life took on a stunning variety of new forms and behaviors during the Cambrian. @restingdinoface.bsky.social explores why in this illuminating essay. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

What Led Life to Flourish Roughly 520 Million Years Ago?

Changes to the world’s oceans and the rise of certain predators may have driven diversification

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · 29d

Can scrolling on your mobile phone really cause "brain rot"? @amberonradio.bsky.social digs into the science in this in-depth feature. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social

Can You Really ‘Rot’ Your Brain by Scrolling Too Much on Your Smartphone?

While that message has been spread on social media, researchers are just beginning to understand how the devices affect the mind

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Sep 10

How do animals react to our noise? Sometimes in quirky ways, but often in ways that indicate they're stressed. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports on some notable responses. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Five Dramatic Ways Animals Respond to Human Noise, From Mimicking Car Alarms While Wooing Mates to Calling Higher Over the Din of Traffic

As human-caused sound gets louder around the world, some animals change their behavior and many creatures suffer health issues

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Sep 4

How did dinos woo each other? @restingdinoface.bsky.social takes a look at the fossils offering clues. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

From Dinosaur Scratches to Insects in Amber, How Paleontologists Uncover Prehistoric Courtship

Researchers have found fossil evidence of varied creatures wooing and mating, as they continue to search for the telltale signs of dinosaurs copulating

www.smithsonianmag.com

Reposted by Joe Spring

Zach Theiler @zachtheiler.bsky.social · Aug 29

In my latest for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social, I visit the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific and tell the story of how its descendants have fought to keep it mostly untouched.

Big thanks to @joespring.bsky.social for the collaboration and edits!

bit.ly/4n9r0uV

Why Is Tetepare the South Pacific’s Largest Uninhabited Island?

Descendants of the island’s former inhabitants struggle to balance environmental conservation with sustaining their community’s livelihoods

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 25

The South Pacific island of Tetepare hasn’t held a permanent human settlement for most of the past 160 years. @zachtheiler.bsky.social‬ reports on what that has meant for the island and its former inhabitants. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Why Is Tetepare the South Pacific’s Largest Uninhabited Island?

Descendants of the island’s former inhabitants struggle to balance environmental conservation with sustaining their community’s livelihoods

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 19

Once upon a time, whales walked on land. @restingdinoface.bsky.social reports on some of the most notable species among them. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Before Whales Took to the Sea, These Ten Species Walked on Land

The creatures, which ranged in size from that of a fox to more than 50 feet long, divided their time between the coast and the water

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 14

If you're looking for a good book... joespring.substack.com/p/the-25-bes...

The 25 Best Science and Nature Books of the 21st Century

My favorite nonfiction books about animals, medicine, space travel, and more

joespring.substack.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 12

Can cannabis cause schizophrenia? Researchers haven't found a direct causal relationship, but they are conducting some interesting studies exploring possible connections. Lillian Ali reports. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Inside the Quest to Understand the Link Between Cannabis and Schizophrenia

Recent studies have examined the relationship between the drug and psychoses and looked at how the brain responds to the substance

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 8

Astronaut Jim Lovell died yesterday. The determined explorer led a remarkable life. www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianm...

Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander Who Thrived Under Pressure, Dies at 97

The space explorer was determined throughout his life, says Teasel Muir-Harmony, the curator of the Apollo Collection at the National Air and Space Museum

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 6

Federal fisheries scientist Sarah Cierpich told me about all the important work she did, before she was fired. This is the first in a series. If you know a fired federal scientist willing to talk about their work, they can reach me on Signal @joespring.67 joespring.substack.com/p/i-helped-c...

I Helped Collect Crucial Information on Fish, Whales, and Sea Turtles, Until I Was Fired

Federal marine researcher Sarah Cierpich shares how she contributed to gathering vital fisheries data for roughly two decades

joespring.substack.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 5

Scientists at MIT have created a prothesis that is directly integrated with muscle and bone. @amberonradio.bsky.social reports on the innovation. @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

This New Bionic Knee Is Changing the Game for Lower Leg Amputees

Scientists have developed a prosthesis that is directly integrated with muscle and bone in order to improve movement

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 4

Once upon a time, large bone-crushing dogs roamed across our continent. @restingdinoface.bsky.social takes a colorful look back at the lives of the successful carnivores. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

What Happened to the Bone-Crushing Dogs That Once Hunted Across North America?

Before going extinct roughly two million years ago, canids known as borophagines took down and consumed much larger prey

www.smithsonianmag.com

Joe Spring @joespring.bsky.social · Aug 1

People from South Asia to the Pacific Islands munch on betel nut to get high. @amberonradio.bsky.social reports on a new study that suggests they've been doing so for several thousand years. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social

Were Humans in Thailand Getting High Off Betel Nuts 4,000 Years Ago?

Scientists believe they have found the earliest biochemical evidence of people chewing the popular psychoactive plant

www.smithsonianmag.com