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Rachel Courtland

@rachelcourtland.com
4.7K followers 357 following 247 posts

Editor at MIT Technology Review (@technologyreview.com), commissioning news, features, and essays | Science and technology journalist and forever physics nerd

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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 02/10/2026
Ooof. I failed the write-in component of this quiz pretty spectacularly.
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Adam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
165 years ago TODAY, Charles Darwin had a normal one. "I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything. One lives only to make blunders.— I am going to write a little Book for Murray on orchids & today I hate them worse than everything…" I think about this letter a lot.
darwinproject.ac.uk
To Charles Lyell   1 October [1861] | Darwin Correspondence Project
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 01/10/2026
Inspired by all the lovely pitchers at the #SciWri26 pitch slam, here's a very short, very incomplete list of pitching tips—the kinds of things that come up often when I'm reviewing pitches and providing feedback. Let me know what I missed! www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-p...
linkedin.com
Five pitching tips for early-career journalists
A good portion of my job involves reading and responding to pitches over e-mail. Over the years, I've seen it all.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 01/10/2026
I can't get over how great these AI reconstructions of fMRI data are. Admittedly this sampling does not include the failures, but still www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/01/1...
technologyreview.com
An AI “mind-reading” tool can reconstruct what you’re looking at from a brain scan
Scientists hope it could be used to reconstruct a person’s inner thoughts, mental images, or even dreams.
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Do you want to be a science writer? Or just learn more about science writing? This is a fantastic *paid* opportunity to sharpen your skills. @theopennotebook.bsky.social @siricarpenter.bsky.social www.theopennotebook.com/early-career...
theopennotebook.com
Early-Career Fellowship Program - The Open Notebook
Every year, The Open Notebook offers a paid, part-time fellowship program for early-career science journalists. This ten-month program offers fellows the opportunity to explore their career interests and passions and to sharpen their skills as part of a talented, supportive, diverse community of past and present fellows and mentors. This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
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Mat Honan ✅ @mathonan.com · 30/09/2026
“We’re not going to shoot ourselves in the foot and take ourselves far off the frontier—that’s just a horrible strategy” New from @willdouglasheaven.bsky.social talking to OpenAI chief research officer www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/30/1...
technologyreview.com
“We’re not going to shoot ourselves in the foot” over hack fallout, says OpenAI’s chief research officer
Mark Chen on what the firm is doing to make its models safe, how a slowdown would work, and why the world is better off with OpenAI in it.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 25/09/2026
If you're attending #SciWri26 this weekend and want to find out more about freelancing opportunities at @technologyreview.com, come find me! I'll be moderating a panel on AI ethics on Saturday and will be speaking at the Pitch Slam on Sunday.
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Eileen Guo (is on leave for rest of 2026) @eileenguo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Days after we published our story on deaths by border towers, Rep Delia Ramirez announced a plan to terminate CBP's surveillance tower program—and dismantle DHS. Citing our reporting, she said: "The towers that we have paid a billion $ to just don’t work.” www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/23/1...
technologyreview.com
A congressional representative just proposed killing America’s border tower program
The proposed bill comes days after an MIT Technology Review investigation revealed that over 1,050 people have died within the advertised range of surveillance towers.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/09/2026
If you're attending #sciwri26 this weekend and have an interest in AI—and the kinds of questions to ask when covering it—I'll be talking with three very smart experts on Saturday about ethics and accountability and where we go from here.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/09/2026
Looking forward to this one!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/09/2026
Sci-fi folks — I just finished Hyperion. Should I read the sequel?
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Mat Honan ✅ @mathonan.com · 21/09/2026
Our reporters spent the past year and some months investigating deaths along the "virtual wall" of the southern border. Their investigation reveals that a humanitarian crisis at the border has unfolded in view of the government’s own cameras: www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...
technologyreview.com
The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?
Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/09/2026
Despite heavy investment in border tech, more than 1000 people have died in the last decade or so within view of a surveillance camera, @technologyreview.com has found www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...
technologyreview.com
The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?
Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 17/09/2026
Journalism job opening at @technologyreview.com for a US-based beat reporter www.technologyreview.com/job/reporter-3
technologyreview.com
Reporter
Position Overview:  MIT Technology Review is looking for an ambitious beat reporter to join our award-winning team. We’re particularly interested in bolstering our AI and security coverage right now, ...
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 28/08/2026
Freelancers, we have a new call for pitches up, for @technologyreview.com's March/April issue. The theme is *Fringe*. Please share! lnkd.in/p/gR7BRVtG
lnkd.in
#freelance | Rachel Courtland
#Freelance journalists: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming issue. The theme is Fringe. We're looking for feature-length stories along that theme—stories about disruption, taboos,...
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National Association of Science Writers (NASW) @sciencewriters.org · 26/08/2026
LAST DAY TO SAVE: Early registration rates for SciWri26 end today. Join us for September's in-person SciWri26 events in Corvallis, OR and October's virtual events or both! Early reg rates end today. Registration closes Sep 10. Learn more and register at the SciWri26 site: sciencewriters2026.org/
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Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Dolly Parton donated to medical centres, vaccine research and disaster relief. And had Dolly the cloned sheep named after her! Here are some scientist tributes and a reminder of how she contributed to research. www.nature.com/articles/d41... by @lizziegibney.bsky.social & Dhruv Shenai @nature.com
nature.com
Dolly Parton dies aged 80 – researchers celebrate her contributions to science
The country singer was an advocate for vaccines, public health, literacy and marginalized communities.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 24/08/2026
Planets for everyone!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 24/08/2026
We're continuing our fiction streak in @technologyreview.com's Kids issue. I hope you'll check out this excellent story on language and erasure, from NZ-based writer Jenny Williams ter.li/ee07nsce
ter.li
Mother tongue
A story about erasure
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 24/08/2026
I've been waiting for this feature to post online! For our Kids issue, @elisecutts.bsky.social explores a big open question: why children seem to acquire language so much more efficiently than LLMs. ter.li/0lqpwc1w
ter.li
Kids outlearn AI—and we still don’t know why
LLMs need vastly more data than children to learn language. Understanding why could help us create more efficient models—and reveal more about developing minds.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/08/2026
Congratulations, @elisecutts.bsky.social! Well deserved!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 20/08/2026
Why do we go to space? @beckyferreira.bsky.social writes about a string of new books that take a swipe at the question ter.li/vn7fihq4
ter.li
The role of the astronaut is in flux
Human spaceflight has been racking up new milestones. But we’re still grappling with a fundamental question: Why go in the first place?
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 20/08/2026
The polycrisis is alive and well. For @technologyreview.com's new Kids issue, @sarahscoles.bsky.social has this story, on helping young people through what seems like an unprecedentedly bad time. ter.li/a1npc0z6
ter.li
Support networks aim to help kids through the polycrisis
Today’s world is a mess of troubling trends. Some groups are trying to help kids navigate their anxieties about it all.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 20/08/2026
Glad we managed to sneak in this story on geologic hydrogen with @jamesdinneen.bsky.social, just before he started his new gig at @nature.com. ter.li/pm1an83s
ter.li
How much hydrogen awaits us underground?
The global gold rush for underground stores of hydrogen fuel continues. But researchers are still sorting out how much of the stuff there is.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 17/08/2026
Join us!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 13/08/2026
The first feature from our new issue (the Kids issue!) is now up. www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/13/1...
technologyreview.com
How kids feel about AI, in their own words
Does an AI-filled future seem like promise or peril to today’s teens and tweens? We went right to the source.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 06/08/2026
Reminder about this pitch call!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 05/08/2026
We're really going through it right now in Oregon. Can't imagine losing this place. www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/20...
oregonlive.com
Timberline Lodge under Level 1 (be ready) evacuation order from Grasshopper fire
The historic lodge is the second to be placed under evacuation orders as the Grasshopper fire grows.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 05/08/2026
Registration is now up for the @sciencewriters.org annual meeting. I'll be moderating a panel on AI and fielding pitches at the pitch slam. Hope you see you there! sciencewriters2026.org
sciencewriters2026.org
ScienceWriters2026 – A conference for science writers, by science writers
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 30/07/2026
Smart product move www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
LinkedIn actually adds a ‘seems like AI slop’ button
It’s also removing an AI “enhance” feature.
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James Dinneen @jamesdinneen.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Wowza. Look at this chart on wildfires in France from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social EFFIS. Red line is cumulative area burned this year; blue line is average since 2006...
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 27/07/2026
#Freelance journalists - I just sent out a call for pitches for @technologyreview.com's Breakthroughs issue. Pitches due Friday August 7. We're also looking for front-of-book articles (the pitch guide I mention in this post has more info on those). www.linkedin.com/posts/rcourt...
linkedin.com
#freelance | Rachel Courtland
#Freelance journalists: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for our upcoming Breakthroughs Issue. We’re looking for big swings: narrative features, essential profiles, and sharp reported essays ...
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 24/07/2026
Absolutely not www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/m...
nytimes.com
Saying ‘Google It’ Makes You Sound Old. ‘Search It Up’ Instead.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 24/07/2026
!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 23/07/2026
Big news for the @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social story we ran in @technologyreview.com earlier this year! Subscriber wall-free link here: www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/10/1...
technologyreview.com
Constellations
A story about seeking
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 23/07/2026
I'm working on booting up fiction again at @technologyreview.com. Tell me your favorite sci-fi and sci-fi-adjacent authors. Who would you love to see in our pages? Bonus points for new and emerging folks!
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 15/07/2026
I've been team "opposite direction" all along www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/s...
nytimes.com
Researchers Claim to Have Solved the Perplexing ‘Reverse Sprinkler’ Problem That Stumped Feynman
Physicists have debated which way a submerged sprinkler sucking in water would spin. Careful experiments provide an answer.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 09/07/2026
What a loss!
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Niall Firth @niallfirth.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Really fun story about the tangible impact the mega bonuses that South Korea's tech companies are doling out are having on the nation's dating pool. www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/06/1...
technologyreview.com
South Korea’s hottest new bachelors are chip workers
As payouts from the AI boom soar, a job at SK Hynix can put you at the front of the matchmakers’ queue.
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James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
WSJ working hard for the most unflattering picture and framing.
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Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
🔴 We have a fun thing for you today in @nature.com - a game! We took the latest research into Mars terraforming and transformed it into an interactive adventure. 🌿 How would you make the red planet green? Try your hand and see if you can win. 🧪 www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
nature.com
Can you terraform Mars? Try Nature’s game
Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of making Mars habitable is gaining traction. Nature consulted with key scientists to develop this experimental adventure.
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Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Studies on AI 'deskilling' us. Even more worrying is the thought of heavy AI-use preventing students acquiring the skills in the first place www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Is AI ruining our skills? Early results are in — and they’re not good
Reliance on artificial-intelligence tools degrades the abilities of physicians and software engineers, studies show.
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I took a break from science policy to step back and write about the beguiling mystery of dark matter and how much we've learned about how little we know. A spoiler: It's a story without an ending. No one's directly detected dark matter yet, and there's no guarantee of when that will happen—or if.
ter.li
The search for dark matter has been blown wide open
After decades of hunting, physicists still don’t know what makes up most of the universe’s matter. Now they need to cast a wider net.
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Niall Firth @niallfirth.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Scientists have a word for how we sense ourselves from the inside: interoception. New today @technologyreview.com www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/12/1...
technologyreview.com
Inside Interoception: The hidden sense of how you feel inside
Researchers are decoding how signals move between body and brain, with implications for how we understand and treat conditions from obesity to anxiety.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 09/06/2026
Journalists + writers: I'm on the hunt for a book essay for the November/December issue of @technologyreview.com. The idea is to have a strong thesis and use 1-3 new or upcoming books to help explore it. My e-mail's at the bottom of this page if you need it. www.technologyreview.com/how-to-pitch...
technologyreview.com
How to pitch MIT Technology Review
MIT Technology Review welcomes pitches from freelance writers across a broad range of topics. We encourage writers of all skill levels, and from all backgrounds, to pitch us. We are especially interes...
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Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Today NASA named four skilled astronauts as the #ArtemisIII crew for a test mission in low-Earth orbit, perhaps next year. All four are men, even though NASA has loads of highly qualified women astronauts. It's not a good look for the so-called Artemis generation. 🧪🔭
nasa.gov
NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027, Names Crew Members - NASA
Taking another step toward one of the most complex human spaceflight missions in recent history, NASA on Tuesday provided new Artemis III details and
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 21/05/2026
Fun set of science stories. It never occurred to me that headbutting animals could be used for traumatic brain injury research, but of course it makes perfect sense.
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 20/05/2026
Pitches due Friday for @technologyreview.com's Impossible issue: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
#freelance | Rachel Courtland | 15 comments
#Freelance journalists: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming print issue: The Impossible Issue. The idea is to focus on some of the biggest goals and promises of our age and look a...
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Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Strong policy from arXiv! Hallucinated citation = ban for a year from arXiv, and 'subsequent arXiv submissions must first be accepted at a reputable peer-reviewed venue'. [repost: I incorrectly characterized Dietterich before - he is the vice-president of arXiv's external advisory council].
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Rachel Courtland @rachelcourtland.com · 13/05/2026
I'm committed to using public domain art for pitch calls, and for some reason really struggled with this one. But regardless...heads up! Pitch call for @technologyreview.com's Impossible Issue www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
#freelance | Rachel Courtland
#Freelance journalists: MIT Technology Review is seeking pitches for an upcoming print issue: The Impossible Issue. The idea is to focus on some of the biggest goals and promises of our age and look a...
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