Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

erstone7.bsky.social @erstone7.bsky.social · 7d

“When these glaciers die off, we will be the first humans to see ice-free peaks in Yosemite.”

www.latimes.com/environment/... by @ianjames.bsky.social

As California glaciers disappear, people will see ice-free peaks exposed for the first time in millennia

The glaciers of California's Sierra Nevada are disappearing as temperatures rise. Scientists recently found that the glaciers probably have never before melted in human history.

www.latimes.com

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 9d

This is a fascinating analysis/call to arms.

Large Language Muddle | The Editors

The AI upheaval is unique in its ability to metabolize any number of dread-inducing transformations. The university is becoming more corporate, more politically oppressive, and all but hostile to the ...

www.nplusonemag.com

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Alt NOAA Climate @altnoaaclimate.bsky.social · 14d

Climate.us just stood back up the Fifth National Climate Assessment website! nca5.climate.us

Fifth National Climate Assessment

The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the sc...

nca5.climate.us

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Cascade PBS Union @cascadepbsunion.bsky.social · 13d

It’s difficult to find the words to express how our unit is feeling right now, but we’ll take a stab at it: shocked, disappointed, angry, gutted. @cascadepbs.bsky.social’s choice to eliminate long-form written reporting is a massive loss for our community in a critical moment. tinyurl.com/LayoffFund

Donate to Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed, organized by Isabella Breda

On Monday, Sept. 22, Cascade PBS announced that it would be s… Isabella Breda needs your support for Support Cascade PBS journalists after online newsroom axed

tinyurl.com

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 13d

It’s #FatBearWeek again at Katmai National Park and Preserve. Thinking about the excellently chunky bears and the federal workers at national parks who have struggled amid cuts, freezes, layoffs, etc this year. Glad this celebration is still on. www.instagram.com/katmainpp?ig...

Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 14d

One of the most strongly worded editorials from a legacy newspaper that I've ever seen.

There's a word for all this: Authoritarianism | Editorial

The United States has slipped into authoritarianism, leading to the essential question for those who feel uneasy or opposed: What are you going to do about it?

www.seattletimes.com

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Gretchen McCulloch @gretchenmcc.bsky.social · 14d

Linguistics.

Susan Kaye Quinn is Writing Solarpunk 🌞🌱 @susankayequinn.bsky.social · 14d

They've lost the 9yos

JA Westenberg
@Daojoan@mastodon.social

My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.”

Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner

Kiddo: that’s AI
Sep 24, 2025, 07:36 AM

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 16d

“Under a third of American adults are Trump voters, and 53% are Trump disapprovers — with 48% intensely opposed.”

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 16d

The backlash to ABC/Disney canceling Kimmel has been swift, and severe. The whole episode underscores something I've been blogging about for a while: A lot of powerful people just don’t realize how unpopular Trump is
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/a-lot-of-p...

A lot of people just don’t realize how unpopular Trump is

The backlash to ABC/Disney canceling Kimmel shows why it's important for businesses and the public to understand that two-thirds of Americans are not Trump voters

www.gelliottmorris.com

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 16d

Recently, Mayor Bruce Harrell mocked his challenger Katie Wilson's proposal to fund local media with a democracy voucher-style program as a pointless giveaway to irrelevant "blogs." Losing local news coverage is a tragedy, and elected leaders shouldn't mockingly dismiss proposals that could help.

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 16d

😖

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 16d

BREAKING: Cascade PBS, which operates the website Crosscut, is laying off 19 people, reportedly including its entire news staff. In an email to staff, CEO Rob Dunlop blamed federal cuts, saying the nonprofit is "winding down our longform, written journalism."

Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 19d

🌍 Climate change & health

New research shows human-caused climate change has already led to millions of deaths, illnesses, and economic losses worldwide. Heat, air pollution, infectious disease, & extreme weather are among the major drivers.

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...

#SciComm #ClimateHealth 🧪

Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change - Nature Climate Change

The authors assess the growing field of climate change health impact attribution. They show literature bias towards direct heat effects and extreme weather in high-income countries, highlighting the l...

doi.org

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 19d

This conversation between Remnick and Colbert is powerful, I think. Also when Putin attacked the free press, he started with comedians. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfGe...

Brendan Carr’s Threat To ABC Seemed Like Something Out Of “Goodfellas” - David Remnick

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

The Onion @theonion.com · 19d

Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 20d

I don't need echo the many disturbing quotes that have appeared on this platform, but to me, this piece in Wired offers a lot of clarity. By all means, let's condemn political violence, but let's be clear-eyed about who Kirk was. That's what real journalism does. www.wired.com/story/charli...

How Charlie Kirk Plans to Discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is preparing to launch a campaign against Martin Luther King Jr. and the landmark civil rights law he helped enact.

www.wired.com

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 20d

This is really unbelievably messed up. www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...

KOMO to air Charlie Kirk tribute in Jimmy Kimmel's time slot

Sinclair called on Jimmy Kimmel to apologize to Charlie Kirk's family, as it announced the upcoming "remembrance" special on Kirk, which airs Friday.

www.seattletimes.com

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 20d

Spoiler: the answer was no, at least for now.

Matt Shipman (he/him) @shiplives.bsky.social · 20d

In 2024, a team of science writers at AAAS ran a long-term experiment to see if ChatGPT could cut it writing news items about scientific research. Here's what they learned. Worth a look. 🧪 #scicomm
www.science.org/content/blog...

Can ChatGPT help science writers?

www.science.org

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 22d

“Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” I am thinking of this final scene of the 1992 movie Redford directed. “I am haunted by waters.” youtu.be/OsDnrFBpsBk?...

A River Runs Through It - Ending (complete)

YouTube video by harneyjt

youtu.be

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 23d

Environmental reporting is the most dangerous field of journalism after war reporting, according to UNEP. www.unep.org/news-and-sto...

Saving lives and truth: why protecting environmental journalists matters more than ever

Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, experts are urging more protections for environmental journalists, 30 of whom were killed between 2009 and 2020.

www.unep.org

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 23d

Some personal news:

I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Thread incoming.

substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

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Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 27d

The massive extreme marine heatwave continues to stretch across the entire northern Pacific Ocean. In fact, the magnitude of the sea surface temperature anomalies even grew in August 2025 compared to earlier in the summer. Yikes... 🫠

Data from OISSTv2.1 (psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...). 🌊

Global map showing sea surface temperature anomalies in August 2025 relative to 1982 to 2010. Most areas are warmer than average. Red is shown for warmer sea surface temperatures, and blue is shown for colder sea surface temperatures. Data is from NOAA OISSTv2.1.

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 28d

Thanks to Amelia Macapia for this lovely review!

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 29d

From communities in Alaska losing ground to the storm-ravaged Cape Cod coast, we have all experienced changes in our local environment.
@madelinevo.bsky.social's new book, “At Home On An Unruly Planet,” explores how natural disasters connect communities across the globe: go.whoi.edu/ostrander

Reposted by Madeline Ostrander

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 29d

From communities in Alaska losing ground to the storm-ravaged Cape Cod coast, we have all experienced changes in our local environment.
@madelinevo.bsky.social's new book, “At Home On An Unruly Planet,” explores how natural disasters connect communities across the globe: go.whoi.edu/ostrander

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 29d

Maybe unsurprisingly, both perceptions vary a lot by political affiliation and education level. www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...

How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age

U.S. adults largely value journalists’ role in society but see their influence declining – and they differ over what a journalist is, according to Pew Research Center.

www.pewresearch.org

Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · 29d

59% of Americans say journalists are important to society, but about the same number think they are biased. www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...

How Americans view journalists and their role in society

A majority say journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society, but about half say they are losing influence, according to Pew Research Center.

www.pewresearch.org

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Madeline Ostrander @madelinevo.bsky.social · Aug 12

"A retired CDC official ... said he worried about the long-term impact the attack would have on young scientists’ willingness to go to work for the government" ... on top of numerous additional factors that are discouraging the next generation of scientists.

In CDC attack, man fired 180 shots, breaking 150 windows

It may take weeks or even months to replace windows and clean up the damage at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, according to information circulated internally at...

www.pbs.org

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