Author | Lightnews

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · 14d

And yes the illustrator really nailed it! So good.

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · 14d

Thanks, Jason, so glad you enjoyed it! Here's to hoping it makes some kind of positive difference..

The school for wildlife traffickers

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · 14d

A Taiwanese- and Chinese-run Buddhist orphanage in Malawi is recruiting vulnerable children into the illegal wildlife trade. Behind it all is a Chinese ivory kingpin who Malawian officials are about to release early from prison.

@economist.com

www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...

Chinese criminals are recruiting Malawian orphans into the ivory trade

www.economist.com

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Sep 30

Spooky will-o'-the-wisp 'ghost fires' are caused by even stranger chemistry.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...

The Mystery of Ghostly Will-o’-the-Wisps May Finally Be Solved

A phenomenon called microlightning may explain ghostly blue marsh lights

People Are More Likely to Cheat When They Use AI

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Sep 29

People are more likely to cheat when they use AI - especially if they can indirectly steer an LLM toward dishonesty instead of explicitly telling it to lie. @sciam.bsky.social

www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...

Participants in a new study were more likely to cheat when delegating to AI—especially if they could encourage machines to break rules without explicitly asking for it

At Burning Man, the Weather Can Feel Biblical. Will Climate Change Make It Even Worse? | KQED

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Sep 5

Fascinating story about the impact of climate change on Burning Man - and with a few quotes by yours truly ;)

@kqednews.kqed.org

www.kqed.org/science/1998...

Extreme events like this year’s rain, heat and hourslong sandstorm could get more common on the playa as the world gets warmer.

www.kqed.org

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 31

"If this wall and a few others are built, he said, “there will be no jaguars in the U.S. soon.”"

Douglas Main @dmain.bsky.social · Jul 31

Excited to have this story up in the @nytimes.com today

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/c...

Trump Wants a New Border Wall. It Would Block a Key Wildlife Corridor.

We Love Our Dogs and Cats. But Are They Bad for the Environment?

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 29

We should all just make the switch to pet rabbits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...

These Toads Have Psychedelic Powers, but They’d Prefer to Keep It Quiet

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 10

The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a powerful psychedelic drug as a defensive mechanism. Now, people are pushing the species toward extinction in the name of healing and consciousness expansion.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...

Most U.S. Babies Are Missing These Essential Gut Bacteria. Here’s What That Means for Their Health

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 8

In infants, a healthy gut microbiome is key for developing a healthy immune system. But in the U.S., 75% of babies are deficient in critical types of bacteria, and these babies are more likely to development of asthma, allergies and eczema as toddlers. bit.ly/4lK1Mmd

Babies lacking in key gut bacteria are at greater risk of developing asthma, allergies or eczema

bit.ly

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 3

Cuts to science funding by the Trump administration are set to negatively affect all Americans. One group most impacted, though, are science students and early-career researchers who are being robbed of their future.

@sciam.bsky.social

www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

Early-Career Researchers Reflect on the Emotional and Societal Fallout of Trump’s Funding Cuts

Canceled grants and slashed budgets are disproportionately affecting junior health researchers, dealing a major blow to the future of science and society in the U.S.

Cancer Patients and the Medicaid Cuts in "One Big Beautiful Bill" | Think Global Health

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jul 1

The Senate's new bill would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, causing 10+ million people to lose insurance. Cancer patients are one group set to suffer (and needlessly die) the most. 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 3 children with cancer depend on Medicaid.
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...

Under the GOP megabill, millions could lose access to potentially life-saving cancer screenings, treatments, and care

www.thinkglobalhealth.org

This Native-Run Raptor Center Is Safeguarding Sacred Birds, Feathers, and Practices

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jun 25

Eagles are sacred to Native Americans. But poaching and trafficking of eagle feathers is on the rise, thanks to the powwow industry & the increasing popularity of peyote ceremonies. In Oklahoma, two fiery Comanches are trying to do something about it.

@audubon.org

www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...

A Comanche-led conservation project takes on an increasingly urgent mission: protecting the birds revered by many tribes while preserving traditions at the heart of their culture.

www.audubon.org

Gorilla Gourmets Really Dig Their Truffles, Study Finds

Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jun 18

Source help request: I'm hoping to interview a cancer patient insured by Medicaid, who now faces risk of their treatment not being covered thanks to Republicans' proposed Medicaid work requirements. Please DM or email me at rachelnuwer@gmail with leads.

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jun 11

The other truffle foragers: foodie gorillas!

@sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org
www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...

Researchers followed gorillas for years to uncover truffle-hunting behavior—and it may be socially transmitted

There’s an Effective Way to Deter Rhino Poachers, a New Study Finds

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jun 6

Shorn horns - not guns - is the most effective way to protect rhinos from poachers.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · Jun 3

“I think we will build a sustainable future,” Wagner says. “But it’s going to take 30 or 40 years, and by then, it’s going to be too late for a lot of the creatures that I love.”

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Jun 3

When warnings of Insectageddon were issued a few years ago, there was widespread denial. Less so now. It's devastating. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides

www.theguardian.com

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · May 21

Continuing the birds-are-awesome theme: Hummingbirds in California have evolved new beak shapes and massively expanded their range—thanks to feeders. They've basically become the equivalent of backyard pigeons!

@science.org

www.science.org/content/arti...

Bird feeders have caused a dramatic evolution of California hummingbirds

Beaks have grown longer and larger, and ranges have expanded to follow the feeders

www.science.org

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · May 13

Human preference for smooshed, baby-like faces has produced pedigreed cats and dogs that are more similar to each other than to their wild relatives, and have such distorted skulls that they could not survive in nature.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...

Breeding for ‘Cuteness’ Is Making Dogs and Cats Look More Alike

Pugs, Persian cats, and other smushed-face cats and dogs are more similar to one another than they are to the wild animals they evolved from

Flamingos Summon Mini-Twisters to Suck Up Prey

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Rachel Nuwer @rachelnuwer.bsky.social · May 12

Yet more evidence that birds are awesome: Flamingos harness the physics of fluid flow to create vortices that sweep up prey and funnel it directly into their mouths.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...