Jacquelyn Gill
@jacquelyngill.bsky.social
Climate, extinction, and biodiversity scientist researching Earth’s past for a better future. Writing and podcasting for the planet. Chaotic good professor. Forever DM. Working to be a good ancestor. She/her. @makeaplanetpod.bsky.social
Really fascinating blog post about the plants that Neanderthals cooked and ate (the real "paleo diet" included a lot of grains, pulses, and other plants!).
Coming together to eat the food we share has been part of humanity from the very beginning. I wrote this post after a Thanksgiving week lecture on evidence for Neanderthals and other ancient people making prepared mixtures of grains, lentils, and other foods.
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
A Neandertal recipe with lentils and grain
Looking at a fascinating new study that finds mixtures of different plants within ancient morsels of charred foods.
www.johnhawks.net
November 25, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Really fascinating blog post about the plants that Neanderthals cooked and ate (the real "paleo diet" included a lot of grains, pulses, and other plants!).
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
I really don’t think we can overstate the harm that the tech ethos of move fast and break things (followed by the unsaid “and then just move on”) has done beyond tech. Government, ngos, universities, public schools that have invited the folks who think like this in keep ending up gutted
All DOGE accomplished was purging critical government staff, handing private data to outsiders, and sentencing thousands in developing countries to death by gutting USAID.
I don’t say this lightly: if there were any justice in this world, the people responsible for this devastation would be in jail
I don’t say this lightly: if there were any justice in this world, the people responsible for this devastation would be in jail
DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter
U.S. President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate.
www.cnbc.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
I really don’t think we can overstate the harm that the tech ethos of move fast and break things (followed by the unsaid “and then just move on”) has done beyond tech. Government, ngos, universities, public schools that have invited the folks who think like this in keep ending up gutted
PFAS exposure has been shown to decrease fertility; increase high blood pressure during pregnancy, increase the rate of prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers; increase cholesterol levels; disrupt hormones; reduce immune response; and cause developmental effects or delays in children. Fun times!
"The agency also announced plans to relax a rule requiring companies to report all products containing PFAS and has proposed weakening drinking water standards for the chemicals."
The EPA is starting to allow the use of pesticides containing PFAS on food. The move is part of an effort to roll back the regulation of PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment.
November 25, 2025 at 6:26 PM
PFAS exposure has been shown to decrease fertility; increase high blood pressure during pregnancy, increase the rate of prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers; increase cholesterol levels; disrupt hormones; reduce immune response; and cause developmental effects or delays in children. Fun times!
You can be my wingman any time, Charlie Brown.
Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should, Charlie Brown
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be, Charlie Brown
November 24, 2025 at 3:10 AM
You can be my wingman any time, Charlie Brown.
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
California folks, check out the Golden State Naturalist podcast, so good. She is on Instagram under the same name.
pca.st/podcast/4768...
pca.st/podcast/4768...
Golden State Naturalist
Golden State Naturalist is a love letter to California's ecological past, present, and future.
Come with Michelle Fullner as she climbs to the top of a beaver dam, descends into a tar pit, peers int...
pca.st
November 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM
California folks, check out the Golden State Naturalist podcast, so good. She is on Instagram under the same name.
pca.st/podcast/4768...
pca.st/podcast/4768...
ChatGPT’s signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didn’t actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
November 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
ChatGPT’s signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didn’t actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
A helpful thread on nuclear power, why it didn’t work the first time around, and why the tech-bro billionaire class really wants it to anyway.
People like to argue that nuclear energy mostly died in the US because of fear mongering after Three Mile Island and Chernobyl but it's really cost. And that's exacerbated by the fact that in the US nuclear is mostly a fully for profit enterprise. In most places with lots of nuclear it's state owned
November 19, 2025 at 12:43 PM
A helpful thread on nuclear power, why it didn’t work the first time around, and why the tech-bro billionaire class really wants it to anyway.
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
In April 2009, the Washington Post asked 10 writers to make the case for something that deserves to be tossed out as part of "spring cleaning."
I chose Larry Summers.
Better late than never.
Unlocked version of my 16-year-old article below.
naomiklein.org/why-we-shoul...
I chose Larry Summers.
Better late than never.
Unlocked version of my 16-year-old article below.
naomiklein.org/why-we-shoul...
November 18, 2025 at 6:20 AM
In April 2009, the Washington Post asked 10 writers to make the case for something that deserves to be tossed out as part of "spring cleaning."
I chose Larry Summers.
Better late than never.
Unlocked version of my 16-year-old article below.
naomiklein.org/why-we-shoul...
I chose Larry Summers.
Better late than never.
Unlocked version of my 16-year-old article below.
naomiklein.org/why-we-shoul...
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Per CNN, Elizabeth Warren is calling on Harvard to cut ties with Larry Summers after Jeffrey Epstein's emails released last week by House Dems featured Summers making sexist comments + asking for Epstein’s romantic advice.
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Please, someone get on this, because I would love to read it!
Alright, I an on the hunt for an agent for Tidewater, my near-future climate fiction set on Chincoteague Island. Might as well cast a line out here, just in case.
(yes, I know the process is to query query query and be patient. I am also doing that, too)
(yes, I know the process is to query query query and be patient. I am also doing that, too)
Yesterday was a rough day for deep-sea mining news.
I took half of today to finish revisions to Tidewater, my near future speculative fiction exploring climate change, generational reconciliation, and balancing progress and tradition in a small island community.
Now it's off to my beta readers.
I took half of today to finish revisions to Tidewater, my near future speculative fiction exploring climate change, generational reconciliation, and balancing progress and tradition in a small island community.
Now it's off to my beta readers.
November 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Please, someone get on this, because I would love to read it!
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
New from me + @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social: Many people are using AI to try to fill gaps in the medical system, from rushed appointments to lack of doctor access to dismissal of symptoms. The gaps are real. So are the risks of AI hallucinations and sycophancy (yes, the sodium bromide case is here).
Frustrated by the Medical System, Patients Turn to A.I.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
New from me + @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social: Many people are using AI to try to fill gaps in the medical system, from rushed appointments to lack of doctor access to dismissal of symptoms. The gaps are real. So are the risks of AI hallucinations and sycophancy (yes, the sodium bromide case is here).
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
Alice Wong created a feed about disability justice. We were lucky to be able to share this space with her.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
November 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Alice Wong created a feed about disability justice. We were lucky to be able to share this space with her.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
One reason why elite schools (Columbia, Brown, Cornell) caving to Trump’s illegal impoundment and extortion is so galling — a betrayal, really — is that they would have won had they fought. By giving up, they guaranteed every other school will have to fight harder.
Judge bars Trump from immediately cutting funding to the University of California | CNN Politics
The Trump administration cannot immediately cut federal funding to the University of California or issue fines against the school system over claims it allows antisemitism or other forms of discrimina...
www.cnn.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:02 PM
One reason why elite schools (Columbia, Brown, Cornell) caving to Trump’s illegal impoundment and extortion is so galling — a betrayal, really — is that they would have won had they fought. By giving up, they guaranteed every other school will have to fight harder.
Alice was an incredible person who worked hard to widen the path to liberation so others could follow. May we be called to rise up in the wake of her passing; may she rest in power.
Our beloved Alice Wong has joined the ancestors. It was one of the great honors of my life to call Alice my friend, co-author & co-conspirator. She was a true genius, a force of nature the likes of which the world has never seen before. I love you, Alice, and am equal parts grateful and devastated
November 15, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Alice was an incredible person who worked hard to widen the path to liberation so others could follow. May we be called to rise up in the wake of her passing; may she rest in power.
Tanya has been doing really important work in the gaming industry for decades, and has also been incredibly generous in raising funds for important causes. She’s been affected by industry layoffs, and the DEI consulting she helped pioneer has dried up. Let’s show her some support.
So I did the thing before I chickened out (or came to my senses) and threw up a GFM as a stop gap measure. I hate doing it more than anyone will hate seeing another fund raiser.
gofund.me/f5615787f
gofund.me/f5615787f
Donate to Chip in to help with the cost of existence while I job hunt., organized by Tanya DePass
Like many of those in the games industry, I was laid off back… Tanya DePass needs your support for Chip in to help with the cost of existence while I job hunt.
gofund.me
November 15, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Tanya has been doing really important work in the gaming industry for decades, and has also been incredibly generous in raising funds for important causes. She’s been affected by industry layoffs, and the DEI consulting she helped pioneer has dried up. Let’s show her some support.
Because international student enrollment is so often used as a cudgel in discussions about immigration, this is a good time to remind people that international students aren't taking up spaces for US students at state schools, they are paying full tuition that FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR US STUDENTS.
November 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Because international student enrollment is so often used as a cudgel in discussions about immigration, this is a good time to remind people that international students aren't taking up spaces for US students at state schools, they are paying full tuition that FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR US STUDENTS.
The thing is, 1.5 degrees was was an unrealistic target from the start. The only way earth system models could make it work was by overshooting the target, getting to 0 emissions, and then devoting 2-3x the land area of India to carbon removal later in the century. We’d already warmed 1.2 degrees C.
Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned. 🔗👉 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
November 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The thing is, 1.5 degrees was was an unrealistic target from the start. The only way earth system models could make it work was by overshooting the target, getting to 0 emissions, and then devoting 2-3x the land area of India to carbon removal later in the century. We’d already warmed 1.2 degrees C.
We’re finally upgrading our 1955 (!) stove to a 30” induction cooktop. I research obsessively before making big purchases, and I feel stuck. I love the Thermador Freedom, but it’s $$$ and maybe less reliable? The Bosch 800 Series and GE Profile are cheaper but I don’t like the burner placement.
November 13, 2025 at 1:43 PM
We’re finally upgrading our 1955 (!) stove to a 30” induction cooktop. I research obsessively before making big purchases, and I feel stuck. I love the Thermador Freedom, but it’s $$$ and maybe less reliable? The Bosch 800 Series and GE Profile are cheaper but I don’t like the burner placement.
No one seems to be asking the real question: what are squashed penny collectors like me supposed to do now?!
November 13, 2025 at 12:47 AM
No one seems to be asking the real question: what are squashed penny collectors like me supposed to do now?!
Universities are battlegrounds of fascism and it seems as though Indiana University has ceded the field.
Indiana University removed a Lecturer from her "Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice" course after a student filed a complaint about a graphic the instructor showed in class, which included "Make America Great Again" as an example of "Covert White Supremacy."
www.wfyi.org/news/article...
www.wfyi.org/news/article...
IU lecturer removed from class during intellectual diversity investigation
A lecturer in the Indiana University School of Social Work has been removed from teaching one of her classes Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice while the university investigates a complaint...
www.wfyi.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Universities are battlegrounds of fascism and it seems as though Indiana University has ceded the field.
Happy Exploding Whale Day! Get out there and make it count.
50 years ago, today, a whale exploded on an Oregon beach. 20 years later, before social media or video sharing sights or smartphones, it would become the first viral Internet video.
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
We sent it to each other in the mail.
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
The History of Exploding Whales Is the History of the Internet Itself
My first whale video came in the form of a VHS tape mailed to me by a stranger from the internet.
www.vice.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Happy Exploding Whale Day! Get out there and make it count.
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
Yeah, but at least it's an environmental catastrophe with absolutely no regulation, so a handful of dirtbags can have even more money they'll never be able to spend.
ChatGPT Now Linked to Way More Deaths Than the Caffeinated Lemonade That Panera Pulled Off the Market in Disgrace
ChatGPT has been publicly linked to at least eight deaths. OpenAI has announced no plans to take it off the market.
futurism.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Yeah, but at least it's an environmental catastrophe with absolutely no regulation, so a handful of dirtbags can have even more money they'll never be able to spend.
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Jacquelyn Gill
Baby pigeon mystery.
My pigeon book is here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rosem...
My pigeon book is here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rosem...
November 11, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Baby pigeon mystery.
My pigeon book is here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rosem...
My pigeon book is here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rosem...