Leah Shaffer
@leahshaffer.bsky.social
Science writer, mostly puttering about the garden.
she/her
she/her
Please donate and share.
Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙
Donate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel Siegel
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund
www.gofundme.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Please donate and share.
well, I appreciate that she tried to do the classic exit
February 4, 2026 at 4:35 PM
well, I appreciate that she tried to do the classic exit
“As horrible and dark as this time is, we are generally showing the world what’s possible when you focus on what matters and you try to take care of one another,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t think of anything more beautiful than that.”
We are all we have but that will be enough.
We are all we have but that will be enough.
The suburban observers, heavily women, say they share a personality type.
“Many of us have encountered bullies our entire lives...I think that turns you into somebody that, even if that bully is wearing full tactical gear, I'm not interested in laying down for you.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
“Many of us have encountered bullies our entire lives...I think that turns you into somebody that, even if that bully is wearing full tactical gear, I'm not interested in laying down for you.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Pursued by federal agents, suburban ICE observers remain resolved
After a frightening pursuit by federal agents, suburban ICE observers say fear hasn’t stopped them from protecting their communities.
www.mprnews.org
February 4, 2026 at 4:31 PM
“As horrible and dark as this time is, we are generally showing the world what’s possible when you focus on what matters and you try to take care of one another,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t think of anything more beautiful than that.”
We are all we have but that will be enough.
We are all we have but that will be enough.
@404media.co and @wired.com have been single-handedly keeping track of the dystopian surveillance state, 404 is just a handful of tech journos who decided to start their own "old techwriter network"
Small but mighty is quite feasible.
bsky.app/profile/404m...
Small but mighty is quite feasible.
bsky.app/profile/404m...
As ICE uses Palantir tech to find neighborhoods to raid and Flock cameras track people across the US, how can you protect yourself?
@jasonkoebler.bsky.social + @josephcox.bsky.social take your questions in an AMA today at 12 pm ET.
Get your questions in now:
www.reddit.com/r/technology...
@jasonkoebler.bsky.social + @josephcox.bsky.social take your questions in an AMA today at 12 pm ET.
Get your questions in now:
www.reddit.com/r/technology...
February 4, 2026 at 3:26 PM
@404media.co and @wired.com have been single-handedly keeping track of the dystopian surveillance state, 404 is just a handful of tech journos who decided to start their own "old techwriter network"
Small but mighty is quite feasible.
bsky.app/profile/404m...
Small but mighty is quite feasible.
bsky.app/profile/404m...
The old boys network of billionaire pervs destroys everything we hold dear but I want you to know there are "old girls networks" out there too. Networks of protectors, connectors, helpers. Science writers make up one of those networks. 🧪
February 4, 2026 at 3:21 PM
The old boys network of billionaire pervs destroys everything we hold dear but I want you to know there are "old girls networks" out there too. Networks of protectors, connectors, helpers. Science writers make up one of those networks. 🧪
A bunch of incredibly talented journalists are being tossed aside and I want everyone at #WashingtonPost to know about @theopennotebook.bsky.social an incredible free resource for independent journalists. Provides databases of resources and connections to networks of editors and science journalists.
For a TON International Students Slack Community pitch slam, @scigat.bsky.social hosted guests @rachelcourtland.com, @wwrfd.bsky.social, and @laurenjyoung.bsky.social. He condensed their best tips into this free resource, edited by @laurahelmuth.bsky.social, to help everyone pitch with success. 🧪
Twelve Tips to Tune Up Your Next Pitch - The Open Notebook
Saugat Bolakhe Making your pitch stand out is a crucial skill for any freelancer or staff reporter. This may seem like an elusive talent, but with practice and careful attention to detail, you can lea...
www.theopennotebook.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:14 PM
A bunch of incredibly talented journalists are being tossed aside and I want everyone at #WashingtonPost to know about @theopennotebook.bsky.social an incredible free resource for independent journalists. Provides databases of resources and connections to networks of editors and science journalists.
I'm sorry, you and your colleagues don't deserve this, it's awful. We will get through this awful awful time, we will endure and we will rebuild.
February 4, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I'm sorry, you and your colleagues don't deserve this, it's awful. We will get through this awful awful time, we will endure and we will rebuild.
One more, let's make sure DC knows that DC has multiple alternative news publications
bsky.app/profile/oluf...
bsky.app/profile/oluf...
hate to see Bezos run the Post into the ground. but you can support billionaire free DC News:
@51st.news
@streetsensedc.bsky.social
@washingtoninformer.com
@wcp.bsky.social
@ethiopique202.bsky.social
@51st.news
@streetsensedc.bsky.social
@washingtoninformer.com
@wcp.bsky.social
@ethiopique202.bsky.social
News: The Washington Post is preparing to slash upwards of 300 staffers, incl sports, metro and foreign desks @nataliekorach.bsky.social reports.
“The newsroom is being punished for absolute incompetence from the owner and publisher,” one staffer told @status.news
www.status.news/p/washington...
“The newsroom is being punished for absolute incompetence from the owner and publisher,” one staffer told @status.news
www.status.news/p/washington...
February 4, 2026 at 1:47 PM
One more, let's make sure DC knows that DC has multiple alternative news publications
bsky.app/profile/oluf...
bsky.app/profile/oluf...
The most important for last, don't forget about bug stuff. bsky.app/starter-pack...
February 4, 2026 at 1:44 PM
The most important for last, don't forget about bug stuff. bsky.app/starter-pack...
February 4, 2026 at 1:44 PM
February 4, 2026 at 1:43 PM
February 4, 2026 at 1:42 PM
February 4, 2026 at 1:42 PM
It shall be a sad day for @washingtonpost.com but Bezos' gutting of the paper is the end of a long hit job on the entire journalism ecosystem. Journalists rarely sit still. They've been busy building new Washington Posts. bsky.app/starter-pack...
February 4, 2026 at 1:41 PM
It shall be a sad day for @washingtonpost.com but Bezos' gutting of the paper is the end of a long hit job on the entire journalism ecosystem. Journalists rarely sit still. They've been busy building new Washington Posts. bsky.app/starter-pack...
I do pray, I pray for good things and good people.
I do try to send my requests to the grim reaper for bad things that can happen to bad people but she hasn't been responding to my texts for awhile now.
I do try to send my requests to the grim reaper for bad things that can happen to bad people but she hasn't been responding to my texts for awhile now.
February 4, 2026 at 12:43 AM
I do pray, I pray for good things and good people.
I do try to send my requests to the grim reaper for bad things that can happen to bad people but she hasn't been responding to my texts for awhile now.
I do try to send my requests to the grim reaper for bad things that can happen to bad people but she hasn't been responding to my texts for awhile now.
Oh God, we need to bring them all home.
Elizabeth is a Columbia Heights fourth-grader who loves volleyball, learning English and giggling in the halls with her friends. She's been held in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for nearly a month, and she and her mom have both fallen ill. sahanjournal.com/education/co...
Sick fourth-grader among 4 Columbia Heights students held by ICE
Columbia Heights Public Schools says four students remain detained by ICE after Liam’s return, including 10-year-old Elizabeth, who has fallen ill.
sahanjournal.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Oh God, we need to bring them all home.
"Slenderman normally unhinges his jaw when consuming baby chicks with such aplomb," the WSJ chided.
Stephen Miller called Alex Pretti a “domestic terrorist” after the VA nurse was killed by federal agents, a rare misstep for Miller, the White House aide stoking Trump’s boundary-pushing impulses.
How Stephen Miller Stokes Trump’s Boundary-Pushing Impulses
The White House aide has been an architect of aggressive immigration sweeps in U.S. cities and deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean.
on.wsj.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:27 AM
"Slenderman normally unhinges his jaw when consuming baby chicks with such aplomb," the WSJ chided.
Was it the bloody diarrhea that helped you learn and grow?
This is bonkers. MAHA 'farmers' with ecoli tainted raw milk admit they really don't know how to make the stuff after all.
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
Hannah Neeleman's Ballerina Farm Halts Sale of Raw Milk Due to Bacteria Concerns: Report
Hannah and Daniel Neeleman have paused Ballerina Farm's sale of raw milk following health violations discovered during routine testing. Screenings from summer 2025 showed high levels of coliform, the ...
people.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Was it the bloody diarrhea that helped you learn and grow?
DANCE LIKE THE ALGORITHM ISN'T WATCHING
artologica.etsy.com/listing/4447...
Original, not a print, there's only one and it can be yours
artologica.etsy.com/listing/4447...
Original, not a print, there's only one and it can be yours
February 3, 2026 at 10:20 PM
I don't understand how people don't lose their shit in these situations.
Trump to Kaitlan Collins after she pressed him on getting justice for Epstein survivors:
"No wonder CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she‘s a young woman. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen you smile. I‘ve known you for 10 years. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen a smile in your face."
"No wonder CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she‘s a young woman. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen you smile. I‘ve known you for 10 years. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen a smile in your face."
February 3, 2026 at 10:19 PM
I don't understand how people don't lose their shit in these situations.
"peptides" and strength training, weird pressure for abs, I can hear it filtering into their chatter, drives me off the wall
February 3, 2026 at 9:18 PM
"peptides" and strength training, weird pressure for abs, I can hear it filtering into their chatter, drives me off the wall
MAHA is a goddamn blight among young men on par with how the 90s fat-shaming culture hurt young women. My teen son was asking about some "dna injection" that gives strength and I went off on how he can't trust anything promising "free muscles" and fuck the patriarchy --the usual mom rant.
February 3, 2026 at 9:17 PM
MAHA is a goddamn blight among young men on par with how the 90s fat-shaming culture hurt young women. My teen son was asking about some "dna injection" that gives strength and I went off on how he can't trust anything promising "free muscles" and fuck the patriarchy --the usual mom rant.
Yes, I have a tooth guard, I wear it every night. It might be the only thing keeping the joint standing.
February 3, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Yes, I have a tooth guard, I wear it every night. It might be the only thing keeping the joint standing.
Hey, it's me and my mouth stones. I never get cavities but my deep bite has lost me some teeth.
I've narrowed my problem down to the fact that I am a vicious little mammal that likes to tear the flesh from my prey's bone and grind my teeth at night like a tiny ball of hair and rage.
I've narrowed my problem down to the fact that I am a vicious little mammal that likes to tear the flesh from my prey's bone and grind my teeth at night like a tiny ball of hair and rage.
🧬🦷 When force meets biology.
This FASEB Journal review breaks down how orthodontic pressure can disrupt tooth root homeostasis, triggering inflammation and cell damage that lead to root resorption—and why understanding these mechanisms is key to safer orthodontic treatments.
🔗 buff.ly/CiakNqS
This FASEB Journal review breaks down how orthodontic pressure can disrupt tooth root homeostasis, triggering inflammation and cell damage that lead to root resorption—and why understanding these mechanisms is key to safer orthodontic treatments.
🔗 buff.ly/CiakNqS
February 3, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Hey, it's me and my mouth stones. I never get cavities but my deep bite has lost me some teeth.
I've narrowed my problem down to the fact that I am a vicious little mammal that likes to tear the flesh from my prey's bone and grind my teeth at night like a tiny ball of hair and rage.
I've narrowed my problem down to the fact that I am a vicious little mammal that likes to tear the flesh from my prey's bone and grind my teeth at night like a tiny ball of hair and rage.
Viva la France! www.youtube.com/watch?v=unYu...
February 3, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Viva la France! www.youtube.com/watch?v=unYu...