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Christie Aschwanden

@cragcrest.bsky.social
6.7K followers 1.2K following 286 posts

Best-selling author, journalist, podcaster, outdoor adventurer. My parties have dancing. Western Colorado. www.scientificamerican.com/uncertain

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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Congrats @kakape.bsky.social, this year's winner of the Victor Cohn Prize. His work stood out in a very strong field of contenders. casw.org/news/kai-kup...
casw.org
Kai Kupferschmidt wins 2026 Victor Cohn Prize - CASW
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
These are really great!
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Huge congrats to Jane Qui, who has been awarded the @sciencewriting.bsky.social 2026 Sharon Begley Award for Science Reporting for her wide-ranging reporting on everything from Tibet's grasslands to CRISPR babies and the lab leak controversy. casw.org/news/jane-qi...
casw.org
Jane Qiu wins 2026 Sharon Begley Award - CASW
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
There are so many bigger problems in the world, but I am so damn tired of being asked to leave a review, rate my service or take a three page survey every time I do anything on the internet. Make it stop!
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Roberta Kwok @robertakwok.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
On Emerging Form, I chat with @cragcrest.bsky.social and Rosemerry about how my book title was almost Minutiae (yikes!), the role of goosebumps in reporting, and why walking did nothing to solve my creative problems (but unloading the dishwasher did). emergingform.substack.com/p/episode-16...
emergingform.substack.com
Episode 169: Roberta Kwok on the Slow Path to Epiphany
“The book is about the opposite of the eureka moment,” says science writer Roberta Kwok about her new book, LOST IN CURIOSITY: Field Notes From Scientists’ Adventures into the Unknown. Join us in a co...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Good piece about AI and writing. The lede: "Steven Rosenbaum has decided that the real villain behind the bogus quotes in his book is a chatbot." (he's really doubling down, wow!) www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Instead of AI, a poem by James Crews.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Recognized their calls from inside the house... so I stepped outside and looked up just in time to see a sedge of sandhill cranes flying in formation. Despite everything, the world is still a beautiful place! No photo, because I just wanted to experience the ephemeral moment.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Love this creative advice from Anna Brones's mother. creativefuel.substack.com/p/11-pieces-...
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
This is incredibly well reported, very comprehensive, and also very sad. Well worth your time and highly recommended.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The math on this claim does not even begin to add up. The tax refund on $11,000 of income is not going to pay for all this. Unless the cancer treatments are vitamin C, the lost household income was in the low four digits and the family trip was camping in the backyard.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Cannot wait for this!
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I wrote about Skimo's Olympic debut and the rise of mixed gender events in the Olympics for @theatlantic.com Can't wait to watch these events! www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
theatlantic.com
An Olympic Trend That Defies Tradition
At Milan Cortina, every major sport category but ice hockey features men and women competing together.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
My BFF and I watched a film called Mr. Nobody Against Putin. We had opposite reactions to it, which we discussed at Last Word On Nothing. lastwordonnothing.com/2026/01/26/l...
lastwordonnothing.com
Lessons From Mr. Nobody Against Putin - The Last Word On Nothing
In May of 2025, I went to Mountainfilm in Telluride with my BFF Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. We watched numerous amazing films, but there’s one that continues to haunt me, eight months later.  Mr. Nobod...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
CASW prizes entries are now open. Taylor/Blakeslee graduate fellowships, Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award,Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting and Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for a young science journalist. Details and application links here: casw.org/news/entry-w...
casw.org
Entry window open for 2026 CASW prizes, fellowships - CASW
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
There is no such thing as certainty when it comes to health. But there's a great big market for people willing to peddle it anyway.
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Frank Conniff @frankconniff.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Viewing the video from one angle, it looks like an ICE agent murdered Renee Nicole Good in cold blood. But viewing the video from a different angle, it looks like an ICE agent murdered Renee Nicole Good in cold blood. So who's to say what really happened?
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Calling all early career science, health and environment reporters. Deadline for the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships has been extended until Dec. 31. Click below for more info. casw.org/news/applica...
casw.org
Applications open for SHERF: A development program for U.S.-based, early-career journalists - CASW
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
The cruelty is the point. Absolutely heart-wrenching accounting of the deaths and destruction caused by USAID cuts. Top notch reporting by @annamaria.bsky.social @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/usai...
propublica.org
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.
Behind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a re...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
I loved Train Dreams the novella and was disappointed by the film adaptation. This review by @robrubsam.bsky.social is the best explanation I've seen of why the film falls short. defector.com/train-dreams... Also, subscribe to @defector.com! great writers like @evaholland.bsky.social
defector.com
‘Train Dreams’ Is Afraid Of Its Own Shadow | Defector
By now, you have probably heard about Train Dreams. Since premiering this past January at Sundance, Clint Bentley’s adaptation of the Denis Johnson novella has been lauded by critics, screened at vari...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
The kind of "gold standard science" they're touting doesn't exist. fivethirtyeight.com/features/the...
fivethirtyeight.com
There’s No Such Thing As ‘Sound Science’
Science is being turned against itself. For decades, its twin ideals of transparency and rigor have been weaponized by those who disagree with results produced …
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
If you are one of those special freaks, come to my workshop! christieaschwanden.com/the-book-pro...
christieaschwanden.com
The Book Proposal Boot Camp, Winter 2026
A workshop to help you do the work. This eight-week workshop takes place virtually, via Zoom. The workshop is aimed at people who either have a book idea that needs more development or who have a d…
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
What a thrill when a reader really gets my message. Better yet when she’s a reporter writing on the tooic observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...
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Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.) RTs appreciated.
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
I can't say enough good things about @cragcrest.bsky.social's Book Proposal Boot Camp! I've been trying to get a proposal done for years, and this helped me get up to speed and actually writing. christieaschwanden.com/the-book-pro...
christieaschwanden.com
The Book Proposal Boot Camp, Winter 2026
A workshop to help you do the work. This eight-week workshop takes place virtually, via Zoom. The workshop is aimed at people who either have a book idea that needs more development or who have a d…
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
This thing about Nate Silver remains my favorite chatGPT answer of all time. www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/11/10/a...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
I just finished reading Willa Cather's O Pioneers!, a true masterpiece. My first Cather novel was My Ántonia (also a masterpiece!) Which should I read next?
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
"Chat GPT is not hallucinating, it’s bullshitting," ChatGPT is that guy in law school, dangerously wrong, deeply uninformed, and totally sure Debate Team is real life. Except now, in 2025? Everyone trusts him. www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/11/10/a... By @cragcrest.bsky.social
lastwordonnothing.com
The Last Word On Nothing | AI is Full of Bullshit. Now It’s Faking Science
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
OMG, please let the baseball time space continuum be the thing that bumps us to a better timeline!
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
How much deader can the rule of law be? www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases
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Kimberly Atkins Stohr @kimberlyeatkins.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
The president of the United States posted a video of him defecating on the American people. Many in my profession normalized it. This is a big reason why we are where we are.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Interesting thread about No Kings coverage that starts with a paper here in Western Colorado.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
If you buy your own health insurance, this calculator will show you how much your premiums will rise if Congress does not extend the enhanced tax credits. You'd better be sitting down... I'm surely not the only one who will consider going without if these credits expire. www.kff.org/interactive/...
kff.org
How Much More Would People Pay in Premiums if the ACA's Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire? | KFF
The ACA's enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. This calculator estimates how much out-of-pocket premiums would increase for families if Congress does not extend the credi...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Important @undark.org story about the precarious nature of philanthropic funding for science journalism. With insight from @meaghanparker.bsky.social and @siricarpenter.bsky.social undark.org/2025/10/15/s...
undark.org
Will Science Journalism Funders Step Up or Retreat?
Amid Trump-era funding turmoil, foundations are finding themselves pulled in many directions to fill in the gaps.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
The photos with this story are really something.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
I’m just fundamentally incapable of leaving a library without at least one book in my hands. Today’s exciting find: Insectopolis by Peter Kuper.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Wait, that’s not a bird! I guess I’m going to wait until hibernation has begun to refill the bird feeder.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Congratulations to this year's Victor Cohn Prize winner, @charlespiller.bsky.social casw.org/news/charles...
casw.org
Charles Piller wins 2025 Victor Cohn Prize - CASW
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Do not give in to despair. Instead, connect with people in your community and find your shared values. Let's dismantle the us vs them mindset. We are all in this together. The future is not yet written! We can make a better tomorrow.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Taking the side a few people who disagree with the dominant scientific consensus and claiming that is letting science guide our decision making is pure gaslighting. No consensus is sacred, but not all claims (or all scrutiny) are equally valid. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
The sitting President of the United States is once again issuing threats to the media. THIS IS NOT OK. "I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative." variety.com/2025/tv/news...
variety.com
Trump Rages at Jimmy Kimmel and ABC as Late-Night Show Returns: ‘A True Bunch of Losers!’
President Donald Trump slammed ABC's decision to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to late-night TV.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
"He's gunning for our journalists too...they want to pick and choose what the news is." "It's so important to have a free press and it's nuts that we're not paying more attention to this." youtu.be/c1tjh_ZO_tY?...
youtu.be
Jimmy Kimmel is Back!
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Health and science reporters should lead the coverage of all these health-related conspiracy theories & newsroom leaders should keep their both-sides political reporters out of their way.
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Interesting shift in public opinion about DOGE, among both supporters and critics of trump. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Happy publication day @juliabelluz.bsky.social !!
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Daniel de Kadt @dandekadt.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Interesting we seem to accept "science is broken" while still receiving medical treatments for illnesses, flying airplanes that are extraordinarily safe, using generative AIs to develop glue-based lasagne recipes, admiring EVs and Starlink, and so on and so on. Almost as if science is not broken.
nytimes.com
Opinion | ‘The Power of Science to Solve Problems Is Almost Limitless’
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Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
"Yudkowsky and Soares are earnest; unlike many of the loudest prognosticators around AI, they are not grifters. They are just wrong. They are as wrong as the so-called accelerationists, who insist that AI will unleash a utopia of universal income and leisure."
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The Onion @theonion.com · 19/09/2025
Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away theonion.com/fearful-americans-stoc…
Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away
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Effin' Birds @effinbirds.com · 17/09/2025
A painting of a bird beside the text "not this shit again"
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