Elizabeth Preston
@inkfish.bsky.social
Science journalist, humor writer and aspiring cephalopod. Author of THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING, coming in 2026.
elizabethgpreston.com
elizabethgpreston.substack.com
elizabethgpreston.com
elizabethgpreston.substack.com
Pinned
The Creatures' Guide to Caring by Elizabeth Preston: 9780593657102 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
A lively and revelatory journey through the evolution of caretaking on Earth, from animal parents to modern-day humans, making the case that caring for children and each other made us who we are Pois...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
(ahem) Friends, my book has a cover! And a pub date (5/5/26)! And a preorder button! I can't wait to share it with you: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329... 🧪
My latest story for Nat Geo is about an adolescent orangutan named Rossa who adopted her sister and saved her life: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
Orangutan adopts little sister after their mother's death
For the first time, scientists have published a detailed report of adoption in the species.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 PM
My latest story for Nat Geo is about an adolescent orangutan named Rossa who adopted her sister and saved her life: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
How to feel hopeful when times are bleak: Some advice for all of us, maybe, from an animal that can regrow its head. elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-rec... 🧪
How to Recover When You've Lost Your Head
Feelings first.
elizabethgpreston.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
How to feel hopeful when times are bleak: Some advice for all of us, maybe, from an animal that can regrow its head. elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-rec... 🧪
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
I’ve written a lot about birth and freebirth and have my own history with “natural” birth and it’s hard… these women have done such harm AND we have to better address a failure in the medical model and the actual abuse that led so many women to them. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
I’ve written a lot about birth and freebirth and have my own history with “natural” birth and it’s hard… these women have done such harm AND we have to better address a failure in the medical model and the actual abuse that led so many women to them. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
I made jokes about RFK Junior bringing back leeches. I have to stop making jokes.
The head of health services in the United States, letting parasitic lampreys bite his arms for some godforsaken reason.
November 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
I made jokes about RFK Junior bringing back leeches. I have to stop making jokes.
"Now before your author-scam radar goes off--" let me stop you right there
I never expected that AI would flood authors with scam emails from "private" "communities" of "readers." One of many examples from the past few weeks:
November 20, 2025 at 8:45 PM
"Now before your author-scam radar goes off--" let me stop you right there
A very good article about one fake freelancer and the grim state of journalism/the world: thelocal.to/investigatin...
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM
A very good article about one fake freelancer and the grim state of journalism/the world: thelocal.to/investigatin...
If you don't know what kids are like, this cold weather policy from our after-school program will give you a pretty good idea.
November 17, 2025 at 7:50 PM
If you don't know what kids are like, this cold weather policy from our after-school program will give you a pretty good idea.
My kindergartener: "When am I gonna learn the F word?"
November 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
My kindergartener: "When am I gonna learn the F word?"
"The narrative of technological inevitability relies on a society-wide conflation of efficiency with value, a profound denial of and disinterest in human agency, and [...] the shallowest possible grasp of history." @lizziewade.bsky.social on AI: theantiquarian.email/archive/is-a... 🧪
Is AI an apocalypse?
Against technological inevitability
theantiquarian.email
November 17, 2025 at 2:13 PM
"The narrative of technological inevitability relies on a society-wide conflation of efficiency with value, a profound denial of and disinterest in human agency, and [...] the shallowest possible grasp of history." @lizziewade.bsky.social on AI: theantiquarian.email/archive/is-a... 🧪
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
Even in THEIR OWN AD, Charlie at the end looks like he’s thinking, “This is sad and weird.” Promising people you can prevent feelings of loss is not only ridiculous; it’s perverse. Sad things and happy things need each other. This company is promising numbness.
This is possibly the most fucked thing I've ever seen but also the bit at the end where the grandmother is straight up being tricked into providing training content for the app feels particularly revealing.
Nightmarish idea for a startup tbh
November 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Even in THEIR OWN AD, Charlie at the end looks like he’s thinking, “This is sad and weird.” Promising people you can prevent feelings of loss is not only ridiculous; it’s perverse. Sad things and happy things need each other. This company is promising numbness.
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
Strange things are afoot in the forests of Madagascar. @inkfish.bsky.social investigates for @biographic.bsky.social! 🧪
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Investigating a Treetop Baby Boom
Why a sudden spike in pregnancies in one Madagascan lemur population might actually be a bad sign for the species.
www.biographic.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Strange things are afoot in the forests of Madagascar. @inkfish.bsky.social investigates for @biographic.bsky.social! 🧪
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Naked mole rats can survive in a crowded space that's so airless, it would kill a human. In fact, they seek it out. Can these cuddle-obsessed mammals inspire us to make it through the holiday season with our families? elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov... 🧪
How to Love a Family That Suffocates You
Shallow breaths?
elizabethgpreston.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Naked mole rats can survive in a crowded space that's so airless, it would kill a human. In fact, they seek it out. Can these cuddle-obsessed mammals inspire us to make it through the holiday season with our families? elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov... 🧪
My 9-year-old to my husband: "Are you a Leo?"
Him: "Are you talking about my zodiac sign?"
Her, annoyed: "I'm talking about ASTROMAGY."
Him: "Are you talking about my zodiac sign?"
Her, annoyed: "I'm talking about ASTROMAGY."
November 12, 2025 at 1:21 PM
My 9-year-old to my husband: "Are you a Leo?"
Him: "Are you talking about my zodiac sign?"
Her, annoyed: "I'm talking about ASTROMAGY."
Him: "Are you talking about my zodiac sign?"
Her, annoyed: "I'm talking about ASTROMAGY."
As we approach the holiday season, the naked mole rats have some lessons for us about tolerating family time:
elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov...
elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov...
How to Love a Family That Suffocates You
Shallow breaths?
elizabethgpreston.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:05 PM
As we approach the holiday season, the naked mole rats have some lessons for us about tolerating family time:
elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov...
elizabethgpreston.substack.com/p/how-to-lov...
I asked my kindergartener if she'd chosen a candle for her "spa bath" and she said "I can't decide between grapefruit and cheddar blossom."
November 7, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I asked my kindergartener if she'd chosen a candle for her "spa bath" and she said "I can't decide between grapefruit and cheddar blossom."
These endangered lemurs don't have babies often. (You won't believe how females keep males from mating with them!) When they do give birth, they raise kids communally. But in today's climate, their patterns are changing. By me, for @biographic.bsky.social: www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Investigating a Treetop Baby Boom
Why a sudden spike in pregnancies in one Madagascan lemur population might actually be a bad sign for the species.
www.biographic.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:51 PM
These endangered lemurs don't have babies often. (You won't believe how females keep males from mating with them!) When they do give birth, they raise kids communally. But in today's climate, their patterns are changing. By me, for @biographic.bsky.social: www.biographic.com/investigatin...
Chatted with a grandma at a birthday party, who mentioned she was surprised when one of her grandkids was named Allo. She asked her daughter-in-law if it was after the folk singer, Allo Guthrie, but she just liked the name! And wouldn't you know there are 3 other Allos at his preschool!
#boston
#boston
November 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Chatted with a grandma at a birthday party, who mentioned she was surprised when one of her grandkids was named Allo. She asked her daughter-in-law if it was after the folk singer, Allo Guthrie, but she just liked the name! And wouldn't you know there are 3 other Allos at his preschool!
#boston
#boston
Oof. A really good investigation by Sarah Kliff into electronic fetal monitoring, the moms and babies it doesn't help, and the lawyers and corporations it does: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/h... 🧪
The Flawed Technology Behind America’s High C-Section Rate
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Oof. A really good investigation by Sarah Kliff into electronic fetal monitoring, the moms and babies it doesn't help, and the lawyers and corporations it does: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/h... 🧪
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
In the treetops of a remote Madagascar rainforest, black-and-white ruffed lemurs are enjoying a baby boom. But what looks like unprecedented fecundity might actually be a sign of scrambled signals from a changing climate. @inkfish.bsky.social reports:
Investigating a Treetop Baby Boom
Why a sudden spike in pregnancies in one Madagascan lemur population might actually be a bad sign for the species.
www.biographic.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In the treetops of a remote Madagascar rainforest, black-and-white ruffed lemurs are enjoying a baby boom. But what looks like unprecedented fecundity might actually be a sign of scrambled signals from a changing climate. @inkfish.bsky.social reports:
Last month's delightful conversation with Mary Roach is online now! youtu.be/6FUVkG8kieI?... @harvardbookstore.bsky.social 🧪
Mary Roach, in conversation with Elizabeth Preston, "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy"
YouTube video by Harvard Science Book Talks and Research Lectures
youtu.be
November 5, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Last month's delightful conversation with Mary Roach is online now! youtu.be/6FUVkG8kieI?... @harvardbookstore.bsky.social 🧪
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
Huge thanks to everyone who has donated wood to our woodchuck enclosure. We have reached an undetermined percentage of our goal.
November 4, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Huge thanks to everyone who has donated wood to our woodchuck enclosure. We have reached an undetermined percentage of our goal.
I wasn't planning to post pictures of my kids' Halloween costumes BUT my feed is telling me it's #WorldJellyfishDay?! 🧪
November 3, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I wasn't planning to post pictures of my kids' Halloween costumes BUT my feed is telling me it's #WorldJellyfishDay?! 🧪
Your spooky Lego art for the day: "Pumpkin carving," by my sister @akpresto.bsky.social
(On non-spooky days, she makes Lego art about climate, cities and data: aangles.ghost.io)
(On non-spooky days, she makes Lego art about climate, cities and data: aangles.ghost.io)
October 31, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Your spooky Lego art for the day: "Pumpkin carving," by my sister @akpresto.bsky.social
(On non-spooky days, she makes Lego art about climate, cities and data: aangles.ghost.io)
(On non-spooky days, she makes Lego art about climate, cities and data: aangles.ghost.io)
This year both my kids are jellyfish for Halloween; we made costumes out of clear umbrellas, and I was feeling smug that they were prepared for every possible weather scenario. So of course the forecast for this evening is high wind.
October 31, 2025 at 12:38 PM
This year both my kids are jellyfish for Halloween; we made costumes out of clear umbrellas, and I was feeling smug that they were prepared for every possible weather scenario. So of course the forecast for this evening is high wind.
Reposted by Elizabeth Preston
It’s always amazing to me that so many endangered species have the word “common” in their name.
Really hammers home how quickly these conservation crises can arise. These animals were common as recently as when we were naming stuff!
Really hammers home how quickly these conservation crises can arise. These animals were common as recently as when we were naming stuff!
October 29, 2025 at 12:15 PM
It’s always amazing to me that so many endangered species have the word “common” in their name.
Really hammers home how quickly these conservation crises can arise. These animals were common as recently as when we were naming stuff!
Really hammers home how quickly these conservation crises can arise. These animals were common as recently as when we were naming stuff!