Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nancy Knowlton

@nancyknowlton.bsky.social

6.9K followers 5.7K following 440 posts

marine biologist, boomer not doomer, solutionista, 💗Maine💗 Member Natl. Acad. Sci., Darwin Medal #EarthOptimism #OceanOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries Author-Citizens of the Sea https://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Sea-Wondrous-Creatures-Census/dp/1426206437 .. more

Videos

Nancy Knowlton is a coral reef biologist and a former Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Source: Wikipedia

Environmental science 57%

Geography 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Dec 13

I don't generally post about my own work, but if you are looking for a last minute present for the holidays for someone who might be interested in the ocean, my book seems to appeal not only to adults but also to even really little kids. All royalties go to the Smithsonian.

Cover of the book Citizens of the Sea by Nancy Knowlton

4 22 100

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 8d

My news to me good news for Oct 2 - greener gold #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries theprogressplaybook.com/2025/09/23/t...

The off-grid gold mine leading the way to 100% wind and solar power

The mine's clean energy credentials have allowed it to sell some gold at a premium to normal market rates.

theprogressplaybook.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 8d

In Spain, a lesson... #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries theprogressplaybook.com/2025/10/02/i...

3 4

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 10d

From Amanda Royal of Earth Hope - monkeys and farmers doing better is my news to me good news for Sep 30 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries
www.bbc.com/news/article...

The battle to Save China's snub nosed monkey

The BBC has been granted access to an area where scientists are battling to save the rare snub-nosed monkey.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 18d

Migration miracle in Manhattan is my news to me good news for Sept 22. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

The most miraculous animal migration is happening in the middle of New York City

If we can help these creatures flourish in NYC, we can help them anywhere.

www.vox.com

1 3 8

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 23d

More of these please. My news to me good news for Sept 17 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/swe...

This Swedish shopping mall only sells secondhand items, and it's funded by the government

It is the first in the world to sell only secondhand and repurposed items.

www.goodgoodgood.co

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 10

Huge fan of @americanprairie.bsky.social (hope they post soon!). My news to me good news for Sept 10 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries americanprairie.org/the-latest/a...

American Prairie acquires Anchor Ranch, opens Bullwhacker Road

Purchase restores public access to Bullwhacker Road and 50,000 acres of public land in Upper Missouri River Breaks

americanprairie.org

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 10

Fortunately the US is increasingly no longer the center of the world. My news to me good news for Sept 9 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/digest/china...

With Cheap Chinese Solar, Developing Countries Leapfrog U.S. on Clean Energy

e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Mason Hickok @masonhickok.bsky.social · Sep 8

“A notable aspect of this research is the creative use of technology to examine streetscapes and greenspaces. By employing a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach, the researchers were able to map greenspace exposure effectively and correlate this data with clinical health outcomes.”

Street View Greenspace Linked to Women’s Cardiovascular Health

In recent years, researchers have increasingly recognized the substantial impact of environmental factors on health outcomes. One compelling area of study has focused on the relationship between

bioengineer.org

1 5

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

un Américain perdu à Paris @paris75009.bsky.social · Sep 8

Bikes "in the box" during the morning commute. In Paris, there is a thick white line at every intersection where cars must stop to allow bikes to move in front of all the cars and to protect pedestrians.

#paris #bike #15minutecity #urbanism #commuting #safety #traffic #bikelane #pedestrians #city

1 9 61

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Martin Tomko, Andréas Nilsson

Gernot Wagner @gwagner.com · Sep 7

While the Trump administration tries to cancel offshore wind for "national security" reasons, here's the CEO of Ukraine's largest private energy company

While a 200 megawatt coal-fired unit can be destroyed by one or two missiles, the equivalent capacity wind farm would comprise 35 turbines, requiring hits from at least 35 missiles. “Building more solar or wind or battery storage is not only about the green transition, it’s about energy security.”

7 95 240

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

How-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · Sep 7

Countries like South Africa, Pakistan, and Vietnam are going solar at just astounding rates.

Solar is cheap because you don’t need to extract, transport, or buy fuel — fuel that’s been controlled by a handful of corporations for decades.

We can have energy without fossil fuels.

Graph with tile that says “It took the world sixty-eight years to reach 1 terawatt of solar and just two years to double it.”

3 19 74

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Megan L. Ranney, Ted Temzelides , and 1 more Nancy Knowlton, Megan L. Ranney, Ted Temzelides, Timothy D. McBride

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · Sep 7

RFK Jr. went on Fox News today to claim that HHS has had “no successes” in the past 40 years.

I beg to differ.

Figure from Lei et al., NEJM 2020. Link below.

Screenshot of graphic showing that the HPV vaccine has reduced cervical cancer incidence by 90%.

24 160 450

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 7

It being Sunday, and having been to the #Vatican in support of Pope Francis's environmental work, here's my news to me good news for Sept 7 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Pope Leo, in climate push, to open Vatican-run ecological training centre

Pope Leo will open a new Vatican-run ecological training centre in the Italian countryside on Friday, in an initiative Catholic officials say is meant to encourage world leaders to address global climate change.

www.reuters.com

14 40

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Nancy Knowlton, David G. Stewart

Jeff Seidman (he/him) @jeffsseidman.bsky.social · Sep 4

1/x 🧵 🔌💡 #Greensky. Hey climate peeps! Here’s a local victory to celebrate, and some lessons from it. Last night, the Town of Poughkeepsie, NY, voted to overturn its 18-month moratorium (6 months, renewed twice) on grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS).

21 110 440

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 4

It's the sun, stupid (borrowing from James Carville) #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/digest/globa...

Global Solar Installations Up 64 Percent So Far This Year

e360.yale.edu

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 4

Fighting for the bugs #EarthOptimism www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

The government says her lawn is 'unsightly.' She's fighting to keep it that way.

Which is more appealing: neatly mowed grass or a 'rewilded' lawn that supports a diverse habitat?

www.usatoday.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 3

Local government in #India steps up to the reforestation plate big time - my news to me good news for Sep 3 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.nytimes.com/card/2025/09....

How a District in India Came Together to Plant 15 Million Trees

Frequent droughts, extreme heat and urban growth led a local government in southern India to build forests from scratch.

www.nytimes.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 3

In Africa, solar power is beginning to look like cell phone adoption, that is, unstoppable. #EarthOptimism ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

The first evidence of a take-off in solar in Africa | Ember

There has been a major pick-up in solar panel imports into Africa over the last 12 months - a shift that is likely to impact almost every country on the continent.

ember-energy.org

1 5

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 2

www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Bison herds 'reawaken' Yellowstone's prairies

There are few symbols of the American West more iconic than the bison -- shaggy giants that once roamed in the tens of millions before being nearly annihilated by European settlers.

www.france24.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Sep 2

Among all the news of a military takeover, a cleaner river in #Chicago is my news to me GOOD news for Sep 2. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries. insideclimatenews.org/news/0109202...

In the Once Heavily Polluted Chicago River, More Fish, a Giant Snapping Turtle and an Upcoming Swim - Inside Climate News

Kayaking on the river reveals signs of life that earlier had been stamped out. The city’s first open-water swim in nearly a century is planned there this month.

insideclimatenews.org

2 4

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, David Kaufman, Iain Davidson , and 1 more Nancy Knowlton, David Kaufman, Iain Davidson, W. Andy Knight

penboyasgod.bsky.social @penboyasgod.bsky.social · Aug 30

At least SOME countries recognize the value of NATURE and all its offerings.

260 3.5K 22K

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

So many people doing the right thing. The story of one of them is my news to me good news for Aug 28 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/features/202...

In India, a Young Poacher Evolves into a Committed Conservationist

In “Chasing Birds” — Second-Place Winner of the 2025 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — filmmaker Salma Sultana Barbhuiya explores how Rustom Basumatary, who came of age during a time of violent conf...

e360.yale.edu

Reposted by Mark W. Westneat

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

#OceanOptimism newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

Philippines Declares New MPA in Biodiversity-Rich Siquijor Waters

New York, NY, August 13, 2025—In a historic milestone nearly 18 years in the making, the Philippines has officially designated Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), now the largest MPA in Siquijor and c...

newsroom.wcs.org

4 32

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 27

Thank you #Seattle. My news to me good news for Aug 27 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries reasonstobecheerful.world/cruise-ships...

Plugging Cruise Ships Into Shore Power Is No Small Feat

Smaller vessels get electricity while at berth all the time — but few ports have managed to scale up for ships that weigh hundreds of tons.

reasonstobecheerful.world

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton

Dave Haldiman @opposablethumbs.bsky.social · Aug 26

And even more good news.

"The ecological damage was so severe that lawmakers reversed course and committed to restoring the river’s natural flow." In Florida!

"There’s 40,000 acres of wetlands doing its part, like Mother Nature intended, to clean that water before it reaches Lake Okeechobee."

Florida restores the Kissimmee River — and nature came roaring back

State and federal crews have finished a decades-long effort to undo one of Florida’s most damaging environmental projects: The straightening of the Kissimmee River.

www.fox13news.com

43 450 2.1K

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 26

This land return is my news to me good news for Aug 25 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.yahoo.com/news/article...

More than 1,000 acres of ancestral land being returned to Indigenous tribe

The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel (INSY) on Tuesday announced 1,107 acres of land in the San Fellipe Valley is being returned to them.

www.yahoo.com

1 2

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 18

Sand sharks say thank you. My news to me good news for August 18 #OceanOptimism #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries
www.npr.org/2025/08/17/n...

Years of conservation efforts are paying off for sand tiger sharks in the Boston Harbor

Scientists say that the water in Boston Harbor is getting cleaner, leading to an increase in the number of sand tiger sharks using the area as a nursery habitat.

www.npr.org

1 4

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · Aug 16

Pro tip: If you don’t want the obnoxious, often inaccurate “AI Overview” that nobody asked for with every Google search, add the tag -AR to the end of your search.
E.g. “Hurricane Erin -AR”

Screenshot of Google search result for “Hurricane Erin -AR”, showing no AI overview

11 16 32

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 15

Electrons on the move - my news to me good news for Aug 15 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/08/elec...

Electric car batteries could power both vehicles and the grid » Yale Climate Connections

Massachusetts is testing bidirectional chargers that turn parked EVs into backup energy sources.

yaleclimateconnections.org

1 5

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · Aug 15

A bike dual carriageway in Dublin! More of this! 👏👏🎉🎉

8 12 170