Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 4h

“Governments should of course continue the hard work of reducing poverty and improving living conditions, but they should know that they don’t have to work miracles to prevent violence. The biggest obstacle to stopping violence is hopelessness.” — Economist Jens Ludwig to @knowablemag.bsky.social

Property crime and violent crime have different solutions — here’s why

Addressing poverty helps to curb thefts and burglaries, but offenses like assaults and shootings need more innovative approaches

knowablemagazine.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 8h

“A study, published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that last season’s 2024–2025 mRNA COVID vaccines reduced people’s risk of emergency department visits by 29%, their risk of hospitalizations by 39% and their risk of death by 64%." | via @sciam.bsky.social

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 10h

“This particular origami, which we named Lacrygami — humans did not invent it, nature invented it,” says Stanford University bioengineer Manu Prakash.

—via @knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Animal origami: The physics of nature’s folds

Insects that tuck away wings; a protist with an accordion-like neck — studying these clever creases may inspire foldable structures for drones

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Charleston Hub @chashub.bsky.social · 1d

Join us at the Frankfurt Book Fair (@buchmesse.de) on Oct 17 for a Charleston Micro-Conference! Free and open to all FBM registered attendees. arevie.ws/CharlestonMi... #fbm25

2025 Charleston Micro-Conference At the Frankfurt Book Fair. Friday, October 17, 9am-11am

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 6d

“Tens of thousands of soldiers and nearly 14,000 civilians in Ukraine have succumbed to often grisly injuries from shelling, drone explosions & missile attacks. Survivors must contend with another, invisible threat: bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.” | via @knowablemag.bsky.social

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

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Antoni P.A. Hendrickx @aphendrickx.bsky.social · 7d

Im honoured to have contributed to this article: “Drug-resistant bacteria spread and strengthen amid the chaos of Ukraine's war”

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

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

em-underwood.bsky.social @em-underwood.bsky.social · 6d

A hopeful EV story from @knowablemag.bsky.social

Rachel Ehrenberg @rachelscience.bsky.social · 6d

Turns out that the technology for better EV batteries is already here, get all the deets from our new explainer

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · 6d

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👇

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

em-underwood.bsky.social @em-underwood.bsky.social · 6d

Fascinating and important look at the other arms race in Ukraine — a battle against multi-drug resistant infections on the front. @knowablemag.bsky.social story by the inimitable @richardastone.bsky.social, edited by @rosiemestel.bsky.social.

Rachel Ehrenberg @rachelscience.bsky.social · 7d

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...

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

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Rosie Mestel @rosiemestel.bsky.social · 6d

Powerful piece by @richardastone.bsky.social about the rise in multidrug resistant bacteria in Ukraine's war-wounded and the threats the bugs also pose to non-soldiers and other countries. Very glad to see it in @knowablemag.bsky.social Thank you @pulitzercenter.org for funding Rich's travels. 🧪

Rachel Ehrenberg @rachelscience.bsky.social · 7d

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...

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

11 23

Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 6d

“Beginning a conversation with—pun definitely intended—an open mind can help you discover what your community members value, enabling you to focus on what liberates open access, rather than what constrains it.” via Katina Magazine #OpenAccess #OpenSource #OpenData katinamagazine.org/content/arti...

When Focusing on Terminology Becomes a Hurdle to Open Access Outreach

Conversations about open access can be riddled with distracting language. But what if we treated these failures to communicate as opportunities to learn more?

katinamagazine.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Rachel Ehrenberg @rachelscience.bsky.social · 7d

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...

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

5 8

Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Rachel Ehrenberg @rachelscience.bsky.social · 6d

Turns out that the technology for better EV batteries is already here, get all the deets from our new explainer

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · 6d

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👇

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

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Knowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · 6d

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. ✍️ Richard Stone

knowmag.org/3KxZcm3

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.

knowmag.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 7d

“Yet not all large-scale research into mRNA vaccines in the United States is being dismantled. Nature has learnt that, even as the US Department of Health and Human Services... pulls back, the country’s military continues to bankroll parts of the same research.” | via Nature

Exclusive: RFK Jr cancelled mRNA research — but the US military is still funding it

The Department of Defense is continuing to bankroll projects to develop vaccines against deadly pathogens.

www.nature.com

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 7d

“The return on investment will come in improved child health and a diminished burden of chronic illness in adults.’” | Virologists Can Help Make America Healthy Again via Annual Review of #Virology www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... @annualreviews.bsky.social

Virologists Can Help Make America Healthy Again

Virologists Can Help Make America Healthy Again, Page 1 of 1

www.annualreviews.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 9d

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 10d

⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.

The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.

interestingengineering.com/science/chin...

China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes

A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.

interestingengineering.com

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 8d

“In moments of doubt, Spada returns to the lab. Not because it always offers answers, but because it allows him to keep asking questions. ‘The world is full of problem solvers... That’s how I stay hopeful.’” | via @insideclimatenews.org insideclimatenews.org/news/2109202...

Nicholas Spada Spent Months Analyzing Smoke From the LA Fires. He Thinks People Have a Right to Know, and ‘Air Is Everything.’ - Inside Climate News

One of the only scientists in the world using a nuclear X-ray process to study deadly nanoparticles in wildfire smoke, Spada is alarmed by what he found.

insideclimatenews.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 8d

“The leaders of many tech companies today seem increasingly convinced that superintelligent, society-transforming machines are on their way. This is, of course, not a new idea.” | via @JSTORDaily.bsky.social daily.jstor.org/the-politics...

The Politics of Our AI Overlords - JSTOR Daily

Fears of AI often focus on domination by algorithm-powered capitalism, but science fiction once used societies ruled by computers as analogs for communism.

daily.jstor.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 8d

“We said, if we don’t aggressively move people from social media platforms that we don’t control to platforms that we do control, this business isn’t going to work and we aren’t going to have jobs anymore.” @jasonkobler.bsky.social @404media.co | via @niemanlab.org www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...

“The AI-ification of email” keeps 404 Media’s Jason Koebler up at night

For now, though, email newsletters have "completely changed" 404's business "almost literally overnight."

www.niemanlab.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 8d

“Indeed, the challenge is no longer to prove that solid-state batteries are feasible. That has long since been done in any number of labs around the world. The big challenge now is figuring out how to manufacture these devices at scale, and at an acceptable cost.” | via @knowablemag.bsky.social

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.

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

NE Ohio Regional Sewer District @neorsd.org · 9d

I’m a sewage system. I also have a great personality.

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
I'm an epidemiologist. Sewage systems are sexy.

Dosco Jones @doscojones.bsky.social
I'm an engineer. Sewage systems are sexy.

150 1.1K 8.6K

Reposted by Katie Fleeman

Daniel MacPhee 🇨🇦 @d-macphee.bsky.social · 11d

“When an animal’s biological age runs higher than its chronological one, it can signal physiological strain — a kind of molecular distress flare that may go off before any other visible signs of problems.”

Highlighting research in Canada too.
🧪 #Canada #Stress
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

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

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

UNR Biology Buzz @unr-biologybuzz.bsky.social · 13d

Friday afternoon after a long week: cave-dwelling lifestyle sounding appealing? Dr. Misty Riddle interview may be of interest!

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

How the cavefish lost its eyes — again and again

Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs. They lost their eyes in multiple ways — and gained some nifty traits too.

knowablemagazine.org

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Reposted by Katie Fleeman

EerilyPhD 👻 @ejwillingham.bsky.social · 11d

You can read this 2019 piece of mine examining research@ the time, which hasn't changed much since.

I'll add that "environment" doesn't just mean *waves hands* the air or uterus or food or medications. It also involves the influence of your own *gene products*

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

The quest for autism’s causes, and what it reveals about all of us

The more researchers look, the more multifaceted the risk factors appear — and the more we learn about how the brain works and develops

knowablemagazine.org

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Katie Fleeman @fleemanator.bsky.social · 10d

“But without the protection of immunity that digital platforms have enjoyed for decades, tech defendants face much higher costs to get the same victory they used to receive automatically.” | via @us.theconversation.com theconversation.com/suicide-by-c...

Suicide-by-chatbot puts Big Tech in the product liability hot seat

Internet companies have long enjoyed immunity for hosting other people’s content. AI chatbots are changing the legal equation.

theconversation.com

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