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Michelle W. Martin

@michellem.bsky.social
266 followers 491 following 94 posts

Science journalist, print and audio, Board Member Northwest Science Writers Association; work found in Boulder Daily Camera, The Denver Post, AARP, Alaska Airlines Magazine, KBCS

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky @queenofpeat.bsky.social · 19h
Just a little shop of horrors in the bog — where the plants are hungry and the vibes are fabulously spooky. Did you know that Charles Darwin was fascinated by carnivorous plants in bogs and published a detailed illustrated book about them? If you have encountered them, tell me about it!!
Pitcher plant in BorneoPitcher plants in BorneoSundews in Alaska Sundews in Alaska with trapped prey
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Katie Campbell, KUOW @katiecampbell.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
For the last two months, somone(s) been impersonating me, offering interviews to authors if they pay up. I talked to an agent with the FBI's Seattle office about how AI and other advances in technology have made it easier to run scams online.
kuow.org
Scammers used AI to impersonate me, a KUOW reporter. Here’s how to avoid such traps
Artificial intelligence isn’t just providing shortcuts for everyday tasks — it’s also a shortcut to scamming and impersonating people online, including KUOW's Katie Campbell. Online scammers are using...
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Yes, exactly! Sorry I didn’t see your comment before I posted mine
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Or how about taking that one step further since Anthropic is merely a name for a bunch of people working toward a common goal. The lede could read “A team of engineers at Anthropic used AI agents to gain access to government websites …”. Then we start to understand who is responsible.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
We spotted so many cool mushrooms on a forest backpack trip this weekend with scouts. #Washington #fungi #BSA
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Peach dahlia from the side
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
KUOW Public Radio @kuow.org · 08/10/2026
Story link: www.kuow.org/immigration/...
kuow.org
Japanese Americans in Seattle embark on 4-day pilgrimage to immigrant detention sites
Marchers began a four-day pilgrimage Wednesday from Seattle to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma as a protest against mass deportations.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 06/10/2026
my friend @juddlegum.bsky.social has put together a cool new tool that allows you to photograph political mail and immediately learn who paid for it. Check it out here:
paidforby.info
Who paid for this?
Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
oh no, not again...
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"An Influential Voice in the Climate Debate Has Died at 66" | A fitting tribute for our friend and colleague Joe Romm in the @nytimes.com by Clay Risen: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/c...
nytimes.com
An Influential Voice in the Climate Debate Has Died at 66 (Gift Article)
Joe Romm was a prolific writer who never hesitated to take on climate change deniers and the fossil-fuel industry — or even ostensible allies.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 06/10/2026
"As we've said before, the bar for removal under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment is quite high. One little remark about approving the deaths of tens of millions of Americans at the hands of a foreign power shouldn't warrant such a severe response." buff.ly/utv8fhC
buff.ly
Relax, We Can’t Invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment Every Time a President Offers to Let an Enemy Bomb an American City
“As we’ve said before, the bar for removal under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment is quite high. One little remark about approving the deaths of tens of millions o...
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Today would be a particularly great, long overdue day for the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - Madison to get up in front of microphones & explain to the public, voters, students, & their families that we are facing an existential crisis because of the GOP’s illegal federal funding cuts.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 06/10/2026
I LOVE how @propublica.org dealt with official comment here, editorially and stylistically.
The Trump administration says none of this is happening. 

"DHS is NOT arresting U.S. citizens by mistake." "There are no 'indiscriminate' stops." Allegations of "racial profiling are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE." "The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using force." "ICE does not zip tie or restrain children." 

But that is precisely what is happening, and at a far larger scale than previously reported.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Yes--and the kiwi is so sprawling that our patio goes from this tucked away hideaway to fully exposed. A sure sign that winter is not far off
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
We’re plucking delicious hardy kiwis at a leisurely pace. When the leaves begin to fall though, the squirrels will start to notice—that’s when the race is on
Four ripe hardy kiwis about the size of large cherries hang on the vine among yellow leaves
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Matters of Gravity by @nswa.bsky.social and Infinity Box Theatre Project is Oct 29 at 7pm in Seattle. See NSWA members @ashleybraun.bsky.social @wayt.bsky.social @jmgaines.bsky.social and Valerie Bentivegna compete in this zany science game show
Matters of Gravity Science Game Show poster. Live from The Autdtorium at University Heights Center; 5031 University Way NE, Seattle, WA  98106; 7 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026. Presented by Northwest Science Writers Association and Infinity Box Theatre Project
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Blooms still in full force
Bright pink Dalia in full bloom resting on a wood fence
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
One piece that was fascinating if true: “In other words, the people who are the most “polarized” in the U.S. electorate are those who are racist and sexist, and those who oppose racists and sexists.”
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Ambassador Ken Fairfax (ret) @portlandken.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just a reminder that the few remaining experts at the CDC's food-borne illness division identified Taylor Farms as the source of the cyclospora outbreak very early on, but because the owner of Taylor Farms is a big Trump donor, he was able to prevent a recall for weeks as thousands fell ill.
theguardian.com
Cyclospora found at Mexican farm linked to lettuce outbreak, FDA says
Announcement from US officials comes after CDC declared end to outbreak that infected nearly 13,000 people
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
October on the Hood Canal
Water view with light cloud cover and blue sky
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Pretty fall sky after my daughter’s soccer game
White clouds in a checkered pattern against a blue sky with sun low on horizon
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
My dad calls it a Disadvantage Plan
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Freda Kreier (she/her) @fredakreier.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🧪I know people with endo, and it *sucks.* In my latest for @nature.com, new research in mice suggests that a nanocarrier-version of tapeworm medication could help treat endo in the future. But there is a looooooong way to go before clinical tials #endomitriosis www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
The ‘missed disease’ that affects 190 million: endometriosis drug shows early promise
Modified medication targets the cells implicated in the condition’s tell-tale lesions.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Sally James @jamesian.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Protect #science and #science #journalism. Join + support nonprofit orgs like @sciencewriters.org and our regional @nswa.bsky.social (Answer the latest "survey" from NW science folks, asking what you want in 2027) #community If you loved #SciWri26... help make it happen again.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
NSWA - Northwest Science Writers @nswa.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NSWA members-we want to hear from you! Help us prioritize our programming for the foreseeable future by taking this quick survey🌎 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
NSWA Events: Member Preferences for 2026-2027
This form contains multiple ideas for NSWA field trips, events, sessions and get-togethers. Please pick up to three (3) favorites in EACH category.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The female brain goes through a bigger transformation during pregnancy and in the couple months after birth than in adolescence! That's from episode 2 of the podcast "Birth of a Parent" Fascinating stuff. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/e... 🧪
podcasts.apple.com
Ep. 2 - The Mom Brain Revolution (with Susana Carmona)
Podcast Episode · Birth of a Parent · 22 July · 38min
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Francesca Cesari @francesari.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A new study reports that patient-derived tau filaments from Alzheimer’s disease and corticobasal degeneration seed endogenous mouse tau in vivo.The tau filaments adopt the human seed structures and support templated propagation of distinct tau folds🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11061-x
nature.com
Prion-like transmission of human tau strains in the mouse brain - Nature
Mouse experiments show that Alzheimer’s disease and corticobasal degeneration tau filaments retain their distinct structures during templated seeding, supporting strain-specific tau propagation a...
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Senator Amy Klobuchar @klobuchar.senate.gov · 29/09/2026
Before calling someone a “dirtbag,” the Senator should have had his facts straight. An apology is in order. Glad one of us knew the difference between the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes!
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Earthjustice @earthjustice.org · 30/09/2026
The Trump admin is dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), even though its research could help keep grocery prices down.​ NCAR's advanced modeling is creating a system to help farmers save water and energy while yielding successful harvests.
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Time for this classic again.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bumblebees in Patagonia biographic.com/wp-content/u... Introduced bees have harmed native pollinator populations: pulitzercenter.org/stories/unwi... 🧪
biographic.com
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Dannagal Goldthwaite Young @dannagal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sen Eric Schmidt to Smith: "Is this NOT a picture of you in Atlanta on February 3, 2024?"
static.klipy.com
Gavião Arc
ALT: Gavião Arc
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Flashing the poster then taking it away. The whole scene is genuinely weird
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Goals of the whimsical “All Science. No fiction” show from @opb.org live at @oregonstate.edu.
Host of The OPB program “All science. No fiction” shares her goals for the show that are on a big screen behind her. They are simplify, Entertain, personalize, tantalize, inspire, clarify.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Interesting!
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fascinating! I wonder how this might shift the type and quality of posts…and tone
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Krista Langlois @cestmoilanglois.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Best headline ever, courtesy of @annieroth.bsky.social
biographic.com
When it Comes to Frog Sex, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work | bioGraphic
New science on gray foam-nest tree frogs hints at the evolutionary benefits of multiple sexual partners.
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I’m old enough to remember when the Tea Party whipped up a frenzy among conservative parents (and eventually others) around how Common Core’s “new math” was allegedly causing children to struggle to learn math. There’s a latent frame there if someone (a political candidate?) wanted to activate it.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Artificial Intelligence--it's right there in the name. 'Artificial' in the sense of imitation, fake, a sham. Some are so focused on the second part of the name that they forget that it's an illusion
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Reposted by Michelle W. Martin
Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Did you know that about half of the climate change we have seen to date is caused by OTHER greenhouse gases beyond CO2? We tend to underestimate the importance of methane, N2O, f-gases, and so on.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Rumors about “rigged elections" are now a fixture of U.S. elections, leading to diminished trust in election results & democracy (broadly). These rumors can sometimes be hard to debunk, esp. in their early stages. Our UW team has identified the 6 common ways that election integrity rumors mislead:
Infographic titled "Six Ways 'Rigged Election' Rumors Mislead." A two-column table pairs six labeled categories with descriptions. The first three categories are:

No Evidence: The rumor is entirely unsubstantiated. There's no evidence to support the rumor.

Fake/False Evidence: The rumor is based on fake or synthetic evidence (e.g. AI-generated content), manipulated evidence, or false witness testimony.

Misinterpreted Evidence: This rumor is based upon real evidence that has been misinterpreted or intentionally mischaracterized to create a false impression.

A black banner then introduces the final three categories: "Real Evidence, Real Voting Issue, False Narrative."

Exaggerated Impact: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but falsely insinuates or exaggerates impact on election results.

Ignored Remedies: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but ignores and/or obscures the remedies that would address this problem

False Blame: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but either falsely attributes intent for an accidental issue or places blame on an innocent party.

Source: UW Center for an Informed Public, September 2026.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congrats!
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KUOW Public Radio @kuow.org · 22/09/2026
More people than ever biked around Seattle this summer — and one cycling advocate says this could be just the beginning of a new normal in the city.
kuow.org
Seattle had record-breaking bike traffic this summer. What’s behind the numbers?
More people than ever biked around Seattle this summer — and one cycling advocate says this could be just the beginning of a new normal in the city.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 22/09/2026
Jaw-dropping documents from our lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI reveal how tech leaders talk when they think no one is listening: We may have pulled off “the largest theft of labor in human history.”
motherjones.com
AI exec: We may have pulled off “the largest theft of labor in human history.”
Documents from our lawsuit reveal how tech leaders talk when they think no one is listening.
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Matthew Facciani @matthewfacciani.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New interview with Dean Megan Ranney on the Edelman Trust survey! Really cool to be part of this project, and I’m looking forward to the future studies ahead. news.yale.edu/2026/09/17/t...
news.yale.edu
Trust and health: New report examines why patients don’t always follow doctors
A new report from Yale School of Public Health and the Edelman Trust Institute reveals the complex factors underlying how personal beliefs about health come to be.
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Michelle W. Martin @michellem.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Although they can’t say for sure that this is grief, they noticed that the mother did not try to lift her infant to the surface. The story mentions the orca Tahlequah carrying her dead calf in 2018, but didn’t mention that she did the same thing in 2025 when another baby died.
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Siri Carpenter @siricarpenter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hear more about @ferrisjabr.bsky.social's contribution to The Best Science Stories and How They Work tomorrow (Tuesday) night during this event at @jhuartssciences.bsky.social! It's free and open to the public. advanced.jhu.edu/event/author...
advanced.jhu.edu
Author Talks Presents: Siri Carpenter & Ferris Jabr
Join us for a discussion and Q&A with Siri Carpenter and Ferris Jabr on the new anthology, The Best Science Stories and How They Work.
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Amy Westervelt @amywestervelt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I have been censored by mainstream media* So have published the piece they silenced on my own site. drilled.ghost.io/the-unbearab... Please buy the book The New York Times doesn’t want you to read! geni.us/broughttoyouby *this is a bit
geni.us
Amy Westervelt, investigative reporter and host of Drilled, shows how the tentacles of corporate propaganda infiltrated our media ecosystem, undermined democracy, and now threaten the very nature of t...
Order now:
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Elizabeth Preston @inkfish.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NYC friends! Who will I see tomorrow at my book event with Perrin Ireland? She's talking about animal sex, I'm talking about a common consequence of animal sex, and we'll all have a good time: www.nypl.org/events/progr... 🧪
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