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jimrobbins19.bsky.social

@jimrobbins19.bsky.social
74 followers 45 following 48 posts

Journalist based in Montana who writes about the human relationship to the natural world, for the New York Times and elsewhere. Author of The Wonder of Birds, The Man Who Planted Trees and other books. Intellectual pessimist, glandular optimist.

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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Fishing companies are harvesting mass quantities of krill for human nutritional supplements with giant vacuums. Will it affect recovering whale populations? My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/ant...
e360.yale.edu
Supertrawlers Are Taking Antarctic Krill That Whales Depend On
In the icy waters of the Southern Ocean, whales and other marine mammals rely on krill to survive. But as the market for human dietary supplements and animal feeds booms, and climate change reduces kr...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
No winter in the West yet. Will it ever arrive? My latest. Free to read. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/s...
nytimes.com
Snow Drought in the West Reaches Record Levels
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Think you know what a bird feather is? Think again. My latest in the New York Times/Science Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/s...
nytimes.com
Nature’s Super Feather
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Japan to Send Troops to Help Stop Bear Attacks www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
nytimes.com
Japan to Send Troops to Help Stop Bear Attacks
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Jaguars roam from Arizona to Argentina and their population is in decline. There is only one jaguar in Arizona and a new border will may cut them off from the rest of the contiguous population. My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/jag...
e360.yale.edu
As Jaguars Recover, Will the Border Wall Block Their U.S. Return?
Decades of conservation efforts in Central and South America are starting to pay off, with increased protections for jaguars and the corridors that connect them. But the construction of the border wal...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
A quirky little seabird that lives in the crowns of redwood trees in in trouble. My latest in today's Science Times. Gift article free to read. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/s...
nytimes.com
A Tiny Seabird Faces Growing Threats in the Forest
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
One of the funnest story assignments I have had in a while. Aero-ecology, aka the ecology of the sky, is science about a forgotten and mysterious ecosystem above us. It is teeming with life. My latest in the September issue of Smithsonian. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Humans are driving rapid evolution in more ways than one. Fishing Induced Evolution may be the most rapid of all. My latest in Yale's E360. e360.yale.edu/features/hum...
e360.yale.edu
Shrinking Cod: How Humans Are Impacting the Evolution of Species
Biologists once thought that humans did little to affect the course of evolution in the short term. But a recent study of cod in the Baltic Sea reveals how overfishing and selective harvest of the lar...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
You can read this article for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...
nytimes.com
A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Mystery solved? www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
Scientists say they’ve solved the mystery of starfish that turn to goo
Sea star wasting disease has killed billions of starfish and destroyed kelp ecosystems. In a study published Monday, researchers say they found the culprit.
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Reposted by @jimrobbins19.bsky.social
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 27/07/2025
Sawmills have been closing across the Pacific Northwest over the past 30 years. The region's lumber industry is hoping for a Trump bump.
on.wsj.com
The Pacific Northwest Lumber Industry Hopes for a Trump Bump
The president is calling for increased logging in national forests and raising trade protections against Canadian exports.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
Fascinating story on secret a geoengineering project off the coast of California. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
politico.com
Researchers quietly planned a test to dim sunlight. They wanted to ‘avoid scaring’ the public.
Hundreds of documents show how researchers failed to notify officials in California about a test of technology to block the sun’s rays — while they planned a much huger sequel.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
A well deserved prison sentence. Gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
nytimes.com
Men Who Felled Sycamore Gap Tree Are Given Prison Sentences in U.K.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly becoming more acidic and it's affecting everything from coral reefs to crabs and oysters. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times. (This is a gift article and you can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
nytimes.com
Increasingly Acidic Seas Threaten Oyster Farming
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
The chemistry of the oceans is rapidly become more acidic and its affecting everything from oysters to crabs to coral, which all use minerals to build their shells. My latest, from tomorrow's New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/s...
nytimes.com
Increasingly Acidic Seas Threaten Oyster Farming
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Yikes! cowboystatedaily.com/2025/06/23/y...
cowboystatedaily.com
Yellowstone Visitors Watch Bison Die In 160-Degree Grand Prismatic Spring
Dozens of Yellowstone visitors were shocked to witness the death of a bison as it stepped into the water at the shallow edge of Grand Prismatic Spring on…
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Here's another toxic rubber story I wrote. @gdrosser.bsky.social e360.yale.edu/features/tir...
e360.yale.edu
Road Hazard: Evidence Mounts on Toxic Pollution from Tires
Researchers are only beginning to uncover the toxic cocktail of chemicals, microplastics, and heavy metals hidden in car and truck tires. But experts say these tire emissions are a significant source ...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Posting the gift version of this article... Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
nytimes.com
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
There are serious questions about this material that shouldn't be swept under the rug. Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/c...
nytimes.com
Is Fake Grass Safe? A Manufacturer Sues to Stop a Discussion.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly and dramatically changing conservation for good and bad. My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/art...
e360.yale.edu
Out of the Wild: How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Science
Artificial intelligence is being called a game changer for enabling scientists and conservationists to process vast troves of data collected remotely. But some warn its use could keep biologists from ...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
There's rare earths in them there toxic pits. My latest in today's New York Times. It's a gift article and you can read it for free. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/s...
nytimes.com
A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Don't underestimate people's love for trees. You can read this article free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...
nytimes.com
2 Men Found Guilty of Felling Britain’s Sycamore Gap Tree
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
ICYMI: the extreme biodiversity crisis almost no one knows about. e360.yale.edu/features/fre...
e360.yale.edu
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
One of the most endangered animals in the world, freshwater mussels are threatened by pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. But in the epicenter of their diversity — the South...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/u...
nytimes.com
A Coastal New England Town’s ‘Ornery’ Vandal: A Woodpecker
More than 20 vehicles in a town on Cape Ann, Mass., have been damaged by a woodpecker in mating season. “You still see him out here,” one resident said. “Peck, peck, peck, peck.”
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
The ‘owl man’ is busy at Boston Logan airport
Boston’s airport has the highest known concentration of snowy owls in New England. Raptor researcher Norman Smith has removed more than 900 of the Arctic birds.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
I am visiting the Stratosphere Giant, a redwood tree that was at one time the tales tree in the world. It has since been surpassed. But it sure is glorious.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
The world's first de-extinction? www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s...
nytimes.com
Scientists Revive the Dire Wolf, or Something Close (Gift Article)
Dire wolves, made famous by “Game of Thrones,” went extinct some 13,000 years ago. Now, researchers have bred gray-wolf pups that carry genes of their ancient cousins.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
A return to the past of resource extraction. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump administration rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging
President Donald Trump's administration has rolled back environmental protections around future logging projects on more than half of U.S. national forests under an emergency designation issued Friday...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Missoula and other towns in Montana are using this model. I wrote about it last year for the NY Times. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘We made everything bear-proof’: the Italian village that learned to love its bears
By learning to live with its ursine neighbours, mountainous Pettorano sul Gizio has drawn tourists and new residents, bucking a trend of rural decline
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Reposted by @jimrobbins19.bsky.social
Daily Mail @dailymail.co.uk · 06/04/2025
Jay North dead at 73: The Dennis the Menace star's 'terribly sad' friends reveal cause of death
buff.ly
Dennis the Menace star Jay North dead at 73
The former child star's friend Laurie Jacobson broke the sad news on Facebook
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
I find few songs as moving as the Rain Song by Led Zeppelin.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Psilocybin-assisted neurofeedback shows promise in preliminary research www.psypost.org/psilocybin-a...
psypost.org
Psilocybin-assisted neurofeedback shows promise in preliminary research
A new study explores combining psilocybin microdosing with neurofeedback. The method appears feasible, though it’s unclear whether it meaningfully improves mental performance.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Ruh Roh...not the world's oldest tree! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
California wildfire threatening forest home of world’s oldest tree
Silver fire leading to fears about Methuselah, a nearly 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine in eastern part of state
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
WOT! This Tree Wants to Be Struck by Lightning www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/s...
nytimes.com
This Tree Wants to Be Struck by Lightning
Before a discovery in a Panamanian rainforest, “it seemed impossible that lightning could be a good thing for the trees,” a scientist said.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a...
smithsonianmag.com
Avian Flu Is Rapidly Spreading Across Antarctica
A new expedition offers insights on the deadly virus’ impact in the region
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
A journey through the history of the steak -- with an expense account. Tough duty, but someone has to write these kinds of stories. www.travelandleisure.com/montana-catt...
travelandleisure.com
I Ate My Way Through Montana's Cattle Country—and Found the Perfect Steak
Tracing Montana’s cattle culture, from wild buffalo to grass-fed steak.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
ICYMI: Wolves are increasingly in the crosshairs again. My latest, on a growing controversy -- some of it is based on fact, most of it is not. e360.yale.edu/features/wol...
e360.yale.edu
As Wolf Populations Rebound, an Angry Backlash Intensifies
The reintroduction of endangered wolves to Yellowstone National Park 30 years ago was a major conservation victory. But as wolves have spread across the West, anger and resentment at the apex predator...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Mind boggling. www.wsj.com/science/the-...
wsj.com
Essay | The Ancient Horsemen Who Created the Modern World
New DNA research shows that half the human beings alive today are descended from the Yamnaya, who lived in Ukraine 5,000 years ago.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
A warmer world, both wetter and drier, poses a serious challenge to drinking water systems world wide. My latest. e360.yale.edu/features/cli...
e360.yale.edu
How Climate Change Puts the Safety of Drinking Water at Risk
Wildfires, floods, intense heat, droughts, and other extreme events fueled by climate change are threatening water systems in the U.S. and around the globe. Experts warn of the increasing threat of co...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
www.wsj.com/science/dino...
wsj.com
Newly Discovered Jurassic Bird Rewrites History
A quail-size fossil uncovered in China suggests birds evolved millions of years earlier than previously thought.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Methinks the interdimensional contamination may have already occurred.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
In some places mountain lions are everywhere and some have lost their fear of humans. Are packs of hounds the best way to keep lions and people apart? That's the subject of my latest story in E360. e360.yale.edu/features/cal...
e360.yale.edu
Deadly Encounter: Mountain Lion Attacks Spark Controversy
A mountain lion attack that killed a young California man last year has reignited a debate over how the big cats should be managed. Some are calling for renewed hunting of the animals, while others ar...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
apnews.com/article/dead...
apnews.com
Activists sue federal government for images of dead orcas entangled by fishing boats
Activists have sued the federal government to release images of dead orca whales and other marine mammals entangled by commercial fishing boats off the U.S. West Coast.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Very cool! www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/s...
nytimes.com
A Mouse That Swims and Dozens More Species Are Discovered in a Peruvian Jungle (Gift Article)
A 38-day expedition in the remote Alto Mayo region, where development threatens wild habitats, turned up one previously unknown animal after another.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Quirky... www.popsci.com/environment/...
popsci.com
13 jaw-dropping International Landscape Photographer of the Year images
The beauty of Earth—from Namibia to Canada.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Ocean Heat Wiped Out Half These Seabirds Around Alaska www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/c...
nytimes.com
Ocean Heat Killed Half the Common Murres Around Alaska
About four million common murres were killed by a domino effect of ecosystem changes, and the population is showing no signs of recovery, according to new research.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
When I wrote my first wolf story in 1980 there were no wolves in the West and they were a highly endangered species. Now there are thousands. In Montana a hunter can kill 20 a year. My latest... e360.yale.edu/features/wol...
e360.yale.edu
As Wolf Populations Rebound, an Angry Backlash Intensifies
The reintroduction of endangered wolves to Yellowstone National Park 30 years ago was a major conservation victory. But as wolves have spread across the West, anger and resentment at the apex predator...
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
No other creature can fly like a hummingbird. That's why researchers in Montana and elsewhere are studying these incredible flying skills. My latest, in the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/s...
nytimes.com
Hummingbirds’ Flight Offers Clues to Improve Drones
Scientists study the flight of hummingbirds to design robots for drone warfare.
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jimrobbins19.bsky.social @jimrobbins19.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Posting my story on the incredible migration of the godwit, eight days and nights without pause. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
smithsonianmag.com
This Wonder Bird Flies Thousands of Miles, Non-Stop, as Part of an Epic Migration
The more scientists learn about the Hudsonian godwit, the more they’re amazed—and worried
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