Welcome to the week.
Calling all Trekkies (we’re taking it back)! This week on the pod we have Maddie Stone, the journalist behind The Science of Fiction, to chat with Quinn about how science fiction is integral to helping us imagine a better future. Listen now!
And then catch up on the news.
This week:
🚌Electric school buses for all
🧠Pollution & mental health
💊The science of turmeric supplements
🔍Google Search leaks
And more
Have a great week,
— Willow
This is science for people who give a shit.
Every week, we help 35,000+ humans understand and unfuck the rapidly changing world around us. It feels great, and we’d love for you to join us.
🙋♀️ Vote!
Do you feel like you are up to speed with the current situation around the H5N1 Bird Flu outbreaks in the US?
Last week, we asked: Are you or a loved one affected by a chronic infectious disease, like long Covid or chronic Lyme?
You said:
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes (39%)
“I have been struggling with long covid syndrome since March of 2020, before we knew the risks of this virus, or even that it could evolve into a global pandemic. Since then I've had a constellation of odd symptoms, but primarily fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and tachycardia, as well as troublesome organ function and critically low iron levels. I'm still on the path to work on my regaining some quality of life (I used to be quite athletic, and that is no longer an option for me), but for the most part, western medicine--at least in North America--really doesn't know what to do with me other than to offer suggestions that sound a lot like "wait and see" or "good luck coping with this". Really unhelpful if you ask me. Don't worry, it's awfully expensive too! ”
🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 No (38%)
“Luck and remote location worked in our favor so far. ”
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ I don't know (24%)
“Does this include autoimmune diseases? If so, then yes. Also, not sure if I have long covid or that I’m just old. ”
New Shit Giver Christian wants to help solve “increasing the amount of kindness and empathy that we lack for those who disagree with us. They are not our enemies, but people with a different perspective in life.“
This is so important — we’re not going to get anywhere without this. Welcome!
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⚡️ Climate change:
Investment in clean energy grew 70 percent between 2023 and 2021, which is awesome! Not we need to a) keep it going and b) make sure people can actually use it
🌏 If the environmental and human impacts aren’t enough to take immediate climate action, perhaps the adverse macroeconomic and financial effects from increased natural disasters will do the trick
School districts are getting $900M from the EPA to buy electric school buses, hell yes
🌎 Flooding in Brazil has displaced 600,000 people and triggered mass climate migration
🦠 Health & Bio:
The NIH allocated $1 billion in 2021 to find the biological causes, determine impact, and identify treatments for Long Covid. Three years later, and well, they haven’t delivered
🌍 A factory in Kenya is helping Africa achieve self-reliance in healthcare by making enough syringes a year to meet over half the continents routine immunization needs
🌍 Exposure to air and noise pollution in early-life is associated with increased psychotic experiences, depression, and anxiety
40 percent of US schools where built over 50 years ago, before AC was considered (or should be considered) a human right. Now these schools are in places that have way more extremely hot school days, and adding AC will be a huge undertaking
💦 Food & Water:
🌎 Turmeric supplements are a huge moneymaker — but the (quality) data that it can meaningfully help you doesn’t exist
🌎 Mexico City could be out of water by June 26
The first draft of the Farm Bill has some controversial provisions that could make it harder for states to regulate pesticides, and for people to seek compensation for harm
Small family farms are disappearing in the US, and the government is providing billions in new subsidies to keep them afloat — while also trying to reward climate friendly practices
👩💻 Beep Boop:
The release of Google’s AI Overviews did not go as planned — why, and can it be fixed?
🌎 Russian and Chinese groups used OpenAI’s tech to fuel propaganda campaigns
The operation behind Google Search is out in the open as 2500 pages of internal search algorithm documents have been leaked
Satellite missions to advance early wildfire detection have been backed by federal agencies, NGOs, and tech companies alike
🌎 = Global news
When we say climate change impacts everything, we mean everything
Last week’s most popular Action Step was using Rewiring America’s Electrification Resources for Local Leaders to electrify your communities.
Donate to Fire Adapted Communities to help build community resilience to wildfires.
Volunteer with your local Beyond Plastics group to end plastic pollution is your community
🌎 Get educated about the science behind climate change by taking a Climate 101 course from the Climate Reality Project.
Be heard about feeding kids and get your representative to support Healthy School Meals For All.
Invest in funds that are fossil fuel free.
🌎 = Global Action Step
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Why is it so important that we share the science of fiction, and what do we do with it once we have it?
That's today's big question, and my guest is Maddie Stone.
Maddie is a prolific science journalist. She is a doctor of earth and environmental sciences. She's the former science editor of the technology website Gizmodo, which I love, and the founding editor of Earther, Gizmodo's climate focused vertical, which I love.
Maddie has edited articles for The Verge, Polygon, and Grist, and her original and award winning journalism has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Grist, Vice, MIT Technology Room, Technology Review, and Drilled, and many other outlets we love and link to basically every day.
An avid science fiction fan like me, Maddie runs one of my favorite blogs called The Science of Fiction, an email newsletter and a blog, if you're old, that explores the real world science behind fictional monsters and alien planets and stuff like that (which checks all of my boxes).
📖 Prefer to read? Get the transcript here.
▶ Or watch the full episode on YouTube.
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