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Brandon Keim

@brandonkeim.bsky.social
7.7K followers 1.2K following 179 posts

Journalist. Writes about nature & animals, usually through a lens of science. 📖 MEET THE NEIGHBORS: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World. 🦝 enthusiast. 🌎 bio.site/brandonkeim 📗 wwnorton.com/books/9781324007081 📰 brandonkeim.substack.com

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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rough Draft vs Final Draft
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
A challenge to everyone who uses the term NIMBY to describe the motivations of people resisting a development they don't want: use "not in my community" instead. It's a hell of a lot truer to the reality of so-called nimbyism ... and a lot harder to disparage.
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Kierán Suckling @kieransuckling.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Loving the new word "funga". Flora and fauna name the plants and animals of a place or time: flora of Maine, Pleistocene fauna. They are lovely, evocative because rooted in poetry & myth. Fungi had no such word, perhaps because they're hidden, mysterious, somehow deeply earthy and other-wordly.
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Ben Goldfarb @bengoldfarb.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"An amphibian’s contentment depends on the comfort of their skin... What better way to keep a salamander from drying out than to make moisture pleasurable?" Loved this @brandonkeim.bsky.social meditation on what it's like to be a sally, an exercise in empathy. baynature.org/magazine/win...
baynature.org
Being a Salamander
On a humid spring night last April, I went for a walk in Garber Park, a hillsideforest on the eastern edge of Berkeley.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"Conversations about gain-of-function research have become so politicized that calls for greater oversight are painted as attacks on science itself. But nothing would cost science more than another pandemic traced to a laboratory or merely suspected of coming from one."
nytimes.com
Opinion | How to Stop a Lab Leak From Starting the Next Pandemic
More than six years after the emergence of Covid-19, no one is keeping track of the risky virus experiments that are capable of starting a pandemic.
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Kenny Torrella @kennytorrella.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
I set out to write a story about the practical ills of salmon farming (and I did), but also found an even bigger story kinda hidden in plain sight: How humanity is speedrunning the domestication of hundreds of aquatic species, and what it means for them.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
When I visited DC for a chapter in Meet the Neighbors about wildlife hospitals and animals as community members, I took this photo by the reflecting pool. It seemed symbolic, in a good way. Those were better times.
A mallard duck couple sitting at the edge of the reflecting pool with the White House in the background.
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
So pleased to have had, along with Fred Koontz, the honor of talking w/ @brandonkeim.bsky.social via @panworks.bsky.social about his latest book on our wild animal neighbors. Brandon's writing consistently illuminates issues of animals' wellbeing and animal #ethics. #nature #wildlife #multispecies
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Krista Langlois @cestmoilanglois.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
"And what might a bumblebee dream of? The moments of their life, perhaps: the flowers they have visited, their taste and smell. The paths they followed to get there. Other bees they have known." This @brandonkeim.bsky.social essay, originally published in @nautil.us, is an absolute beauty
biographic.com
Planting Seeds for Bumblebee Dreams - bioGraphic
Sowing flowers in spring may have a surprising effect on the inner lives of bees.
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W. W. Norton Library Mktg @wwnortonlibrary.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Author @brandonkeim.bsky.social joined @libbyapp.com's Joe Skelley to talk about MEET THE NEIGHBORS, which was the recent Libby Reads pick. Watch the video here! youtu.be/YlI4ASGuNRc?...
youtu.be
AMA with "Meet the Neighbors" author Brandon Keim: Libby Reads
YouTube video by LibbyApp
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Katie L. Burke @klburke.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
A 🧵on #conservation and humane treatment of one of the world's most overlooked, underdog pet #animals... 🧪🌎🦑 When I first met Crab Con founder Mary Akers in 2024, I was floored by what she told me... www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/m...
A baby hermit crab the size of a fingernail sits on a person's hand.
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Sarah Gilman @sarahmgilman.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
My second brand new Terra Affirma comics poem is no longer paywalled! Hope you check it out and consider subscribing ♥️ sarahmgilman.substack.com/p/the-harrier
sarahmgilman.substack.com
The Harrier
When storm takes form
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Elena Kazamia @drkazzie.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
What a beautiful essay by @brandonkeim.bsky.social in @nautil.us on dreaming bumblebees and asters. It is a balm for the heavy heart. The perfect autumn read. (And such masterful writing!) nautil.us/the-dreams-o...
nautil.us
The Dreams of a Bumblebee in Autumn
The Dreams of a Bumblebee in Autumn: Yes, bees dream. We can even imagine what.
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Martin Paul Eve @eve.gd · 16/10/2025
"The protocol taught us that technology can be based on human values like ethics and morality. It showed that voluntary compliance works when all parties benefit." On robots.txt. www.heise.de/en/backgroun...
heise.de
Obituary: Farewell to robots.txt (1994-2025)
The voluntary compliance protocol that civilized the internet has departed, bids Henning Fries farewell.
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Kim Stallwood @kimstallwood.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Please join me at the Vine Virtual Book Club to discuss my book, 2025: The Year of Topsy, on Sunday, October 26, at Noon (LA) or 3 pm (NY) or 7 pm (London). Please register to confirm your attendance and receive a free PDF of my book. vinesanctuary.org/vine-book-cl...
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Worth hearing again. Or for the first time:
youtu.be
Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator
YouTube video by Charlie Chaplin
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Worth hearing again. Or for the first time:
youtu.be
Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator
YouTube video by Charlie Chaplin
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
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Deborah Blum @deborahb.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
In which I look at animal research for The New York Times and find some surprising answers.
nytimes.com
Opinion | Can Trump End This Impossibly Cruel Practice?
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Matti Wilks @mattiwilks.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Recent interview on Knowing Animals w @joshmilburn.bsky.social. We discuss my new paper on children's moral circles, coauthored w @juliamarshall.bsky.social @karrineldner.bsky.social @luciuscaviola.bsky.social Podcast: knowinganimals.libsyn.com/episode-240-... Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
knowinganimals.libsyn.com
Knowing Animals: Episode 240: Children's moral circles with Matti Wilks
Dr Matti Wilks is a social and developmental psychologist who is a reader in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. Her work explores people’s moral motivation and actions. This includes lots of w...
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
"I stopped eating meat some 50 years ago," wrote Jane Goodall, "when I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain, death." Best as I can tell, not one obituary or article on her passing mentions this fact. It's worth knowing. news.janegoodall.org/2017/04/28/w...
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Colin Schultz @colinschultz.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
"By focusing on abstract, far-future scenarios, [proponents of AI accelerationism] ignore tangible harms caused by technology in the present, including algorithmic bias, worker exploitation, and systemic discrimination." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
The paradox of AI accelerationism and the promise of public interest AI
Over the past 3 years, the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) development should be accelerated without restraint to drive radical societal change—a phenomenon known as AI accelerationism—has gain...
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
"I stopped eating meat some 50 years ago," wrote Jane Goodall, "when I looked at the pork chop on my plate and thought: this represents fear, pain, death." Best as I can tell, not one obituary or article on her passing mentions this fact. It's worth knowing. news.janegoodall.org/2017/04/28/w...
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LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
#AI is transforming the lives of animals at speed, but these huge impacts are going unchecked. Isabella Logothetis, Spencer Jury @birchlse.bsky.social @lsephilosophy.bsky.social argue more must be done to make sure AI works for, not against the interests of other species @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Should you let AI train your dog? The lawless world of AI and animals
Artificial intelligence could transform our relationships with animals, but more must be done to make sure AI works for the interests of other species.
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Danai Papageorgiou @danaipapageorgiou.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Here we propose adding an 11th criterion to UNESCO’s framework to protect animal cultures—habitat protection alone isn’t enough. Excited to collaborate with philosophers @merikatariina.bsky.social & @birchlse.bsky.social on this! Message me for access ;-) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Protecting animal cultures as World Heritage - Nature Sustainability
It is becoming increasingly clear that animal cultures have intrinsic, irreplaceable value, and yet they are not adequately protected by preserving habitat. The time has come for UNESCO to explicitly protect non-human cultural heritage alongside human heritage.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
A fun study on territorial, often-solitary wall lizards becoming more gregarious and easygoing in the cities where they thrive. Social tolerance begets success 🦎✌🏽 By @averymaune.bsky.social et al. in @royalsocietypublishing.org: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
People who know reptiles well say they don't only experience fleeting pains and pleasures, but also lasting emotional states: happiness & sadness, or at least good & bad moods. But how do you show this in a scientific way? My latest for @nytimes.com on a clever @coldbloodedcog.bsky.social study:
nytimes.com
Do Reptiles Have Moods, Too?
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
People who know reptiles well say they don't only experience fleeting pains and pleasures, but also lasting emotional states: happiness & sadness, or at least good & bad moods. But how do you show this in a scientific way? My latest for @nytimes.com on a clever @coldbloodedcog.bsky.social study:
nytimes.com
Do Reptiles Have Moods, Too?
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María R. Carreras, PhD @mariaruiz.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Inspiring text about how seeing others with wonder invites us to understand them more deeply and treat them with greater care.
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Susana Monsó @susanamonso.com · 13/08/2025
Our paper on 🌱🦧ANIMAL MEDICINE🐜🍄 has been accepted for publication in Philosophy of Science! You can find the accepted version here, open access: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Animal Medicine | Philosophy of Science | Cambridge Core
Animal Medicine
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
I wish publications would have dedicated Nature sections rather than lumping the entire living world under Science or maybe Environment. IMHO this would be fabulously successful.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
"There was something unusual about the beams: Sparkling white points of light spiraled slowly inside them, hundreds if not thousands, almost like confetti, but confetti wouldn’t have been visible from that distance. It also wouldn’t have risen. A few people said the lights made them think of souls."
brandonkeim.substack.com
The Birds of September 11
On 9/11, the Great Recession, and the Tribute in Light's avian rescue.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Thought experiment: If this happened now instead of the 1970s, would the turtles still be welcomed? Or would some people label them non-native and warn about their potential invasiveness?
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Thought experiment: If this happened now instead of the 1970s, would the turtles still be welcomed? Or would some people label them non-native and warn about their potential invasiveness?
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
An elder smallmouth. The largest I've seen; the sunfish were good-sized adults, and the bass was a log compared to them. Wouldn't be surprised if he was a state record, but to brutalize such dignity, grace, and wisdom—and then celebrate the 'record'—is anathema. May he never be caught.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
People "are navigating food deserts, low wages, high rent and broken social safety nets. Until we actually face and deal with those realities, no amount of ingredient bans or individual behavior change will Make America Healthy Again." fromthescienceclass.substack.com/p/twenty-dol...
fromthescienceclass.substack.com
Twenty Dollars for Groceries
Why health is not just a simple choice
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
An elder smallmouth. The largest I've seen; the sunfish were good-sized adults, and the bass was a log compared to them. Wouldn't be surprised if he was a state record, but to brutalize such dignity, grace, and wisdom—and then celebrate the 'record'—is anathema. May he never be caught.
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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
We published this great piece by @jesslsr.bsky.social on what a switch from factory farm chicken to regenerative might look like (models looked at organic & free range). Americans would have to go from eating 100 lbs per year to 63. But what if people were willing? sentientmedia.org/could-the-us...
sentientmedia.org
Could the U.S. Switch to Regenerative Chicken? Only if Americans Ate This Much Less
Going from 100 lbs of chicken each year to 63 would be quite the change.
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Longreads @longreads.com · 01/09/2025
"Disney’s ethos began to change in the 1990s . . . but only after the economic shock of the pandemic did the company seem to more fully abandon any pretense of being a middle-class institution." —Daniel Currell for @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class
The theme-park operator, like so many other companies, is abandoning America’s middle class.
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
How much protein should you consume? erictopol.substack.com/p/our-preocc...
erictopol.substack.com
Our Preoccupation With Protein Intake
The data on high protein diets, bars, supplements, and powders will surprise you
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Ben Goldfarb @bengoldfarb.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Thanks to faculty at SUNY-ESF, Gonzaga, Fort Lewis College, U of Maine, and elsewhere who've assigned my books this semester. Still time to avail yourselves of this offer! Your class may thank you. Or not. But probably.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
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Josh Milburn @joshmilburn.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
On the latest episode of Knowing Animals, I speak to @thomvandooren.bsky.social about his 2023 @mitpress.bsky.social book A World in a Shell: Snail Stories for a Time of Extinctions. The episode is available free below, or in all the usual podcast places. knowinganimals.libsyn.com/episode-238-...
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Hello, professors & teachers! Can't believe it's syllabus season already. If you assign Meet the Neighbors—perhaps for your human-wildlife conflict, animal studies, animal intelligence, or environmental ethics course?—I'd be glad to Zoom in for a Q&A. Ping me if you're interested!
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Hello, professors & teachers! Can't believe it's syllabus season already. If you assign Meet the Neighbors—perhaps for your human-wildlife conflict, animal studies, animal intelligence, or environmental ethics course?—I'd be glad to Zoom in for a Q&A. Ping me if you're interested!
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Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
The vast majority of people want nature protected. But across the world, we see the opposite happen. Democracy, my ass.
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Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
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