Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 18h

Happy 25th to one of my favorite novels!

michaelchabon.substack.com/p/silver-and...

Silver and Gold

On the 25th anniversary of *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay*

michaelchabon.substack.com

Reposted by Emily Gardner

AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · 2d

We’re on Capitol Hill with 225 Earth & space scientists — including @aas.org and @planetarysociety.bsky.social — urging Congress to reopen the government and protect NASA science. 🚀🌍

Join us: buff.ly/a3YuGgY

#ScienceIsEssential #AGU

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 4d

A really nice ed note from @highcountrynews.org EIC Jennifer Sahn:

"If something you love is under attack, you do not bury your head in the sand. In whatever way you can, using whatever skills you have, join the chorus of people saying No, we won’t let this happen."

www.hcn.org/issues/57-10...

Give yourself a break - High Country News

On the necessity of recharging the spirit in order to keep fighting.

www.hcn.org

Reposted by Emily Gardner

Alex Sujong Laughlin @alexlaughs.bsky.social · 7d

when they tell you publishing is slow they mean S L O W

i've been working on this for five years and we sold it six months ago but now i get to announce to the world! i'm writing a book! never say the word "talent" around me if you don't want a whole ass dissertation!!!!!

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Eos @eos.org · 13d

Climate change will likely cause widespread income losses, with low-income and hotter countries faring the worst, according to new @plosclimate.org research.

eos.org/research-and...

Climate Change Could Slash Global GDP 24% By 2100 - Eos

Unchecked greenhouse gas emissions could cause the world’s income to fall by nearly a quarter within the century, projects a new study published in PLOS Climate.

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 14d

I love the Ig Nobels.

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 14d

The literature prize went to a guy who documented the growth rate of one of his fingernails over 35 years.

The nutrition prize went to researchers "studying the extent to which a certain kind of lizard chooses to eat certain kinds of pizza."

The aviation prize went to a team studying drunk bats.

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 14d

Ooh, the Ig Nobel Prizes for unusual & imaginative research are out.

The peace prize went to a team who showed "that drinking alcohol sometimes improves a person’s ability to speak in a foreign language."

100% true, in my experience.

improbable.com/2025/09/18/h...

Here are the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize winners.

Ten Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded tonight, September 18, 2025, at the 35th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony. Each winner has done something that makes people LAUGH, then THINK. News reports and …

improbable.com

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 15d

Amen!!

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 15d

If nothing else, we have made it through to decorative gourd season.

McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 16d

The world may be terrifying, but some things you can rely on. It’s officially decorative gourd season, and we have a new mug. Blammo.

store.mcsweeneys.net/t/categories...

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

404 Media @404media.co · 15d

We just sued ICE. Support us here: 404media.co/membership/

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Kimberly Cartier @astrokimcartier.bsky.social · 21d

Did I make a Wicked reference in this skeet? Yes I did.
Did I make a Lady Gaga reference in this headline? Yes I did.
Did I make a Jane Austen reference inside the text? Yes I did.

Click for the references, stay for the wonky planet systems! 🔭

Eos @eos.org · 21d

Are planets born tilted? Or do they have tiltedness thrust upon them? 💚 Around a third of them seem to start out misaligned with their stars, new research finds. 🧪

eos.org/articles/til...

Tilted Planet System? Maybe It Was Born That Way - Eos

New observations could shed light on the degree to which misalignment in a planet-forming disk contributes to skewed planetary orbits.

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 21d

My latest for Eos.

Eos @eos.org · 21d

“These numbers represent real people who have lost their lives in the last months due to extreme heat,” said @frediotto.bsky.social. “Many of these would not have died if it wasn’t for climate change.”

eos.org/articles/cli...

Climate Change May Have Killed 16,469 People in Europe This Summer - Eos

Researchers warn that preventable heat-related deaths will continue to rise with continued fossil fuel emissions.

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 25d

It's been a long week. Zeldin saying that requiring major polluters to report their greenhouse gas emissions "does nothing to improve air quality" was a fittingly upsetting way to end it.

Eos @eos.org · 25d

If finalized, the proposal would mean data on the greenhouse gas emissions of facilities such as major oil refineries would no longer be publicly available. eos.org/research-and...

EPA Proposes That Major Polluters No Longer Report Their Emissions - Eos

The EPA proposed today that approximately 8,000 polluting facilities, including oil refineries, power plants, and steel mills, should no longer be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · 27d

I didn't even know there was this much to learn about Lofi Girl. And I love Lofi Girl!
@nicolecarpenter.bsky.social for @404media.co

www.404media.co/how-lofi-gir...

How Lofi Girl Became a Chill Beats Empire

How the iconic looping video of a studying anime girl and stream of chill music became a big business.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · 29d

Toad went back into the house. He got into bed and pulled the covers over his head again.

Toad is buried under the covers in bed.

From "Spring"
In *Frog and Toad Are Friends*

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Kimberly Cartier @astrokimcartier.bsky.social · 29d

“If you're studying interstellar objects, you're sitting cleanly at the division between planetary science and traditional astrophysics.”

3I/ATLAS’s longevity will enable broad, transdisciplinary participation from scientists of all backgrounds.🧪🔭☄️

My latest for @eos.org:

eos.org/features/how...

How an Interstellar Interloper Spurred Astronomers into Action - Eos

Valuable lessons from previous interstellar objects allowed scientists to develop a more rapid response when the third one arrived in July.

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · Sep 5

“It’s better to climb while you still can.” 🥹

The Associated Press @apnews.com · Sep 5

Kokichi Akuzawa has become the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji at age 102, an achievement recognized by Guinness World Records after he reached the top.

102-year-old becomes oldest person to summit Mount Fuji

Kokichi Akuzawa has become the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji at age 102, an achievement recognized by Guinness World Records after he reached the top.

bit.ly

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · Aug 27

Makes total sense to get rid of this, yeah.

NPR @npr.org · Aug 27

A few years in, a CDC drowning prevention program was ready to share its findings on how to mitigate the leading cause of death among young children. Then the administration terminated that staff.

Drowning prevention program comes to a halt at the CDC

A few years in, a CDC drowning prevention program was ready to share its findings on how to mitigate the leading cause of death among young children. Then the administration terminated that staff.

n.pr

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · Aug 27

Love my nieces ❤️🐕🐕

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Eos @eos.org · Aug 27

FEMA staff who signed their name to the recent Katrina Declaration were placed on administrative leave. The notice says the move is not punitive, but others call it illegal retaliation against whistleblowers. 🧪

eos.org/research-and...

FEMA Puts Dissenting Staff on Indefinite Leave - Eos

More than a dozen FEMA staff, all signatories of that Katrina Declaration, were placed on indefinite administrative leave.

eos.org

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · Aug 25

Definitely one of the dumber ways we've spent money, but thankfully they're all this stupid and there are like five more coming.

The Onion @theonion.com · Aug 25

1 Onion Subscriber vs 20 Non-Subscribers, on our new series, Encircled. Subscribe at http://membership.theonion.com/totepromo/?campaign=701cx00000IyKhTAAV today and receive a free tote bag.

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Kimberly Cartier @astrokimcartier.bsky.social · Aug 26

“As soon as they were safe, people really wanted to contribute,” said JPL's Kimberley Miner. Learn how scientists navigated disaster science in their own backyards.

eos.org/features/whe...

When Disaster Science Strikes Close to Home - Eos

How have scientists across Los Angeles used their skills to help their communities recover from the 2025 fires?

eos.org

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Emily Gardner @emfurd.bsky.social · Aug 26

Inhaling smoke from any wildfire can be harmful. But urban wildfires, which can burn through materials ranging from lead-based paint to asbestos ceilings, can release a particularly dangerous cocktail of inhalants.

Thank you so much to the scientists and Angelenos who spoke with me for this story!

Kimberly Cartier @astrokimcartier.bsky.social · Aug 26

In four sprawling feature articles, @eos.org explores the fires' impacts to air, land, sea, and people.

In "Where There’s Fire, There’s Smoke," @emfurd.bsky.social explores evolving post-fire air quality.

eos.org/features/whe...

Where There’s Fire, There’s Smoke - Eos

Using both existing and newly launched monitoring instruments, researchers work to better understand air quality during and after the Los Angeles wildfires.

eos.org

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Reposted by Emily Gardner

Kimberly Cartier @astrokimcartier.bsky.social · Aug 26

Earlier this year, I spoke with scientists in the LA area about the aftermath of the fires. How are local scientists using their expertise to help their communities recover?

Those conversations with me, @emfurd.bsky.social & @gvd.bsky.social led to @eos.org's Sept issue: From Devastation to Data 🧪

A Canva card with a magazine cover on the left and "From Devastation to Data" on the right. The magazine cover shows an image from the LA fires of orange and blue tinted smokey skies.

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