Kiona N. Smith
@kionasmith07.bsky.social
Science reporter and author. Also knitter, crocheter, cross-stitcher, tabletop gamer, Pokemon Go player, and #NAFOFella. Actually 2 goblins and a magpie in a trenchcoat. She/they. https://linktr.ee/kionasmith
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
"You have to use AI."
...why?
...why?
December 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
"You have to use AI."
...why?
...why?
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
Starbucks workers are STILL on ULP strike in over 130 cities and growing. Support our fight for better pay, scheduling, and protections - as well as a resolution to all outstanding unfair labor practices - by NOT BUYING STARBUCKS at ANY location for the duration of our strike!
December 12, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Starbucks workers are STILL on ULP strike in over 130 cities and growing. Support our fight for better pay, scheduling, and protections - as well as a resolution to all outstanding unfair labor practices - by NOT BUYING STARBUCKS at ANY location for the duration of our strike!
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
written by people clearly fortunate enough to have never had a medical crisis hit any loved one and never experienced all the attending 'oh man, ANYTHING, anything to make this better' panic-hope-despair sequence that short circuits your critical thinking
Roger Marshall: "We want patients to become consumers again. We want patients to see what the actual prices are. We believe that if we would add the price tags to this bill, that it would save the country a trillion dollars a year."
December 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
written by people clearly fortunate enough to have never had a medical crisis hit any loved one and never experienced all the attending 'oh man, ANYTHING, anything to make this better' panic-hope-despair sequence that short circuits your critical thinking
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
A cosmic pelican ... Paige Dana in Galloway, New Jersey, captured this great view of the Pelican Nebula in late November. Thank you, Paige! #astronomy 🌌🔭📸
buff.ly/aJMF9Hu
Go to EarthSky Community Photos to see more great images, and submit your own recent photos:
buff.ly/9qKcUaY
buff.ly/aJMF9Hu
Go to EarthSky Community Photos to see more great images, and submit your own recent photos:
buff.ly/9qKcUaY
December 12, 2025 at 1:00 AM
A cosmic pelican ... Paige Dana in Galloway, New Jersey, captured this great view of the Pelican Nebula in late November. Thank you, Paige! #astronomy 🌌🔭📸
buff.ly/aJMF9Hu
Go to EarthSky Community Photos to see more great images, and submit your own recent photos:
buff.ly/9qKcUaY
buff.ly/aJMF9Hu
Go to EarthSky Community Photos to see more great images, and submit your own recent photos:
buff.ly/9qKcUaY
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
Christmas lore Christmas lore Christmas lore Christmas lore
Tonight Stekkjastaur, the first of Iceland's 13 Yule Lads, comes down from the mountains. He likes to sneak into the sheep shed to drink milk from the ewes.
All the children put a shoe in the window for him to put a treat or a little gift in – if they have been good! The bad children get a potato.
All the children put a shoe in the window for him to put a treat or a little gift in – if they have been good! The bad children get a potato.
December 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Christmas lore Christmas lore Christmas lore Christmas lore
For science! 🧪
My other recent @arstechnica.com story explains why a doggy DNA test probably can't predict your dog's behavior. It also includes bonus Max pictures!
Why is my dog like this? Current DNA tests won’t explain it to you.
Dog behavior is a lot more complicated than any one gene variant.
arstechnica.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
For science! 🧪
Once more with the science tag: 🧪
My latest for @arstechnica.com: Archaeologists unearth evidence that Neanderthals were starting fires 400,000 years ago. arstechnica.com/science/2025...
This is the oldest evidence of people starting fires
We didn’t start the fire. (Neanderthals did, at least 400,000 years ago.)…
arstechnica.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Once more with the science tag: 🧪
My latest for @space.com is about a supermassive black hole throwing a supermassive temper tantrum. 🧪
This supermassive black hole flung out matter at 134 million mph: 'On a scale almost too big to imagine'
In other words, the matter traveled at 20% the speed of light.
www.space.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
My latest for @space.com is about a supermassive black hole throwing a supermassive temper tantrum. 🧪
My other recent @arstechnica.com story explains why a doggy DNA test probably can't predict your dog's behavior. It also includes bonus Max pictures!
Why is my dog like this? Current DNA tests won’t explain it to you.
Dog behavior is a lot more complicated than any one gene variant.
arstechnica.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:00 PM
My other recent @arstechnica.com story explains why a doggy DNA test probably can't predict your dog's behavior. It also includes bonus Max pictures!
My latest for @arstechnica.com: Archaeologists unearth evidence that Neanderthals were starting fires 400,000 years ago. arstechnica.com/science/2025...
This is the oldest evidence of people starting fires
We didn’t start the fire. (Neanderthals did, at least 400,000 years ago.)…
arstechnica.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:58 PM
My latest for @arstechnica.com: Archaeologists unearth evidence that Neanderthals were starting fires 400,000 years ago. arstechnica.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
Wow, “French marine archaeologists have discovered a massive undersea wall off the coast of Brittany, dating from around 5,000 BC”.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Huge undersea wall dating from 5000 BC found in France
The 120 metre wall was either a fish-trap or a dyke for protection against rising sea-levels, archeologists believe.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Wow, “French marine archaeologists have discovered a massive undersea wall off the coast of Brittany, dating from around 5,000 BC”.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
Stunning pair of c. 1,500 year-old luxury women’s leather shoes!
Exceptionally well-preserved and still shimmering with gold leaf! ✨
From Egypt. V&A Museum 📷 by me
#Archaeology
Exceptionally well-preserved and still shimmering with gold leaf! ✨
From Egypt. V&A Museum 📷 by me
#Archaeology
December 11, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Stunning pair of c. 1,500 year-old luxury women’s leather shoes!
Exceptionally well-preserved and still shimmering with gold leaf! ✨
From Egypt. V&A Museum 📷 by me
#Archaeology
Exceptionally well-preserved and still shimmering with gold leaf! ✨
From Egypt. V&A Museum 📷 by me
#Archaeology
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
A wintery view of the remains of the Roman fort at Barr Hill on the Antonine Wall, near Twechar in East Dunbartonshire. The fort is the highest of the 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall. 📸 My own. #RomanFortThursday #RomanScotland
December 11, 2025 at 6:58 AM
A wintery view of the remains of the Roman fort at Barr Hill on the Antonine Wall, near Twechar in East Dunbartonshire. The fort is the highest of the 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall. 📸 My own. #RomanFortThursday #RomanScotland
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
AI Images Are Destroying History Accounts
YouTube video by Miniminuteman
youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I'm just a science reporter begging scientists and space agencies to stop capitalizing random letters in the middle of words and calling it an acronym. This heartfelt plea brought to you by the European Space maTerIal deMisability dATabasE and the letters O, H, N, and O.
December 8, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I'm just a science reporter begging scientists and space agencies to stop capitalizing random letters in the middle of words and calling it an acronym. This heartfelt plea brought to you by the European Space maTerIal deMisability dATabasE and the letters O, H, N, and O.
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
I kind of forgot how massive #earlymodern telescopes might have been. At least the one Nicolaus Copernicus is holding in his hand, looks like a tool as big as a grown man.
December 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
I kind of forgot how massive #earlymodern telescopes might have been. At least the one Nicolaus Copernicus is holding in his hand, looks like a tool as big as a grown man.
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
Here is a #telescope in action in the 1680s. A long one, though not as big as the one from Copernicus.
December 8, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Here is a #telescope in action in the 1680s. A long one, though not as big as the one from Copernicus.
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
I am really excited to share the latest research by the International Space Station Archaeological Research Project, a study of the usage of experimental facilities on the ISS from 2009-2024. This work demonstrates how archaeology can improve future outcomes. 🏺🧵 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Facility usage on the international space station
Science experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future space habitats require “facilities,” as they are known to space agencies, a…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:51 AM
I am really excited to share the latest research by the International Space Station Archaeological Research Project, a study of the usage of experimental facilities on the ISS from 2009-2024. This work demonstrates how archaeology can improve future outcomes. 🏺🧵 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It's the right time of year for this, but honestly I'm such a fiend for the knitting group subplot that I don't care if it's July.
December 8, 2025 at 1:22 AM
It's the right time of year for this, but honestly I'm such a fiend for the knitting group subplot that I don't care if it's July.
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
the Saints have an offensive lineman named William Sherman and I feel like they keep him on the roster just for anti-Atlanta purposes
December 7, 2025 at 8:38 PM
the Saints have an offensive lineman named William Sherman and I feel like they keep him on the roster just for anti-Atlanta purposes
Reposted by Kiona N. Smith
That one went so fast, here is another US #KindleBookGiveaway: 10 copies of @chuckwendig.bsky.social's Wanderers: A Novel, which I have, and have given out before, and people have only said very good things about. I got this set 'cause the author did his own promotion for it, so have at it!
December 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
That one went so fast, here is another US #KindleBookGiveaway: 10 copies of @chuckwendig.bsky.social's Wanderers: A Novel, which I have, and have given out before, and people have only said very good things about. I got this set 'cause the author did his own promotion for it, so have at it!
Another good thread of advice for filtering for AI and propaganda in general.
Re: everybody getting got by an ai dog video: I want to talk about propaganda in general as well as ai in specific. We are awash in way too much stuff to pay deep attention to and that's absolutely by design.
December 7, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Another good thread of advice for filtering for AI and propaganda in general.
This is a great thread if you want to improve your odds of spotting AI slop.
I didn't see the AI dog video but in learning to up my AI radar for images and how to spot what's off (or to realize what I subconsciously picked up on when my brain flags it as fake), what I realized is, it reminds me of is a lesson from when I did a forensic psychology course several years ago.
December 7, 2025 at 5:32 PM
This is a great thread if you want to improve your odds of spotting AI slop.
Our contractor brought his puppy to work today, and you all need to see Racie.
December 7, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Our contractor brought his puppy to work today, and you all need to see Racie.