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Paul Voosen

@voosen.me
15K followers 1.9K following 496 posts

Dad of two. Earth, climate, and planetary science reporter @Science.org magazine. Mistrusts narratives; still writes them. www.science.org/content/author/paul… sciencemastodon.com/@voooos voosen@protonmail.com Signal: @voosen.01

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Reposted by Paul Voosen
Science Magazine @science.org · 16h
Exclusive: A new analysis refutes James Watson’s claim that he was the first to recognize the significance of the famed photograph 51. scim.ag/4rTKck8
scim.ag
How did Rosalind Franklin miss the helix in her iconic DNA image? She didn’t
New analysis refutes James Watson’s claim he was first to recognize significance of famed photograph 51
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 02/10/2026
Update on this: Alan Stern, New Horizons's PI, just told me that the instruments will stay on until Oct 12, when the first opportunity comes to send instructions to turn them off in this new fiscal year. So there's still some time.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 02/10/2026
Update on this: Alan Stern, New Horizons's PI, just told me that the instruments will stay on until Oct 12, when the first opportunity comes to send instructions to turn them off in this new fiscal year. So there's still some time.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/09/2026
New Horizons is now *three days away* from shutting off its two heliophysics instruments, simply because NASA has not provided the $2M in funding it had promised to the mission last year or this year. There is no science basis for shutting these off. Our earlier coverage:
science.org
NASA’s New Horizons mission may shut down two instruments over lack of funding
Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 23/09/2026
Congrats! Sounds like it will be a great read.
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Maya Wei-Haas, PhD @mayaweihaas.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
BIG NEWS! I’m writing a book about the amazing processes of the deep Earth that shaped the surface as we know it. We’ll venture from the crust to the core, examining the surprising links that connect us to Earth’s deepest reaches. I’m so excited to dig in! ⚒️🧪🪨🌎🌋
Screenshot of book announcement reads: Science journalist Maya Wei-Haas, PhD's HOW EARTH 
WORKS: THE HIDDEN MACHINE BENEATH OUR FEET, an adventure into the 12 geological processes that have turned this planet from a ball of rock into the most dynamic self-regulating system in the known universe, to Mo Crist at Bloomsbury, at auction, by Becky Sweren at Aevitas Creative Management (NA). Rights also to Sarah Rigby at Elliott & Thompson (UK). Rights:
efiles@aevitascreative.com
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MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing @mitsciwrite.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congratulations to @hannah-richter.bsky.social, '24, for landing a first place NASW Science in Society Journalism Award in the Science News category. You can her award-winning entry from @science.org here: www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
In red states, many academic researchers feel fear–and resolve
State-level mandates prompt changes and small acts of resistance at universities
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 23/09/2026
Appreciate @chriscmooney.bsky.social's look at science magazines, including the role of societies and the history of Science 79-86. One thing to add: @science.org, AAAS still has the world's largest (?) science-focused newsroom. We're in print, every week. Editorially independent. And a nonprofit!
reportearth.substack.com
Nearly two centuries of U.S. science magazines, and the lessons they teach
And a response about the future of the science journalism field.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 22/09/2026
(Also my first story, perhaps ever, to start with a song lyric! Can't believe the editors left it in.)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 22/09/2026
My latest: Picture a river in your mind. Is it sinous, single channel, uninterrupted? Only 11% of rivers in the world fit that standard. The river of the real world is dammed, braided, tidal, frozen -- and often left out of models, a pathbreaking NASA satellites shows.
science.org
Satellite reveals a world of ‘weird rivers’ shaped by humans
SWOT is exposing humans’ effects on rivers—and challenging flood prediction models
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 16/09/2026
The two most prominent proxy-based measures of global greenhouse gas emissions (Carbon Monitor and Climate Trace) have 2026 as either 0.2% below or above 2025 levels. Each method has its drawbacks, but the plateau still seems like it is there. We'll see if it holds.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 10/09/2026
Hey @washingtonsun.bsky.social it's great to see you. I'd love to follow your metro DC coverage but you only have one massive RSS feed! Would love to see RSS by section.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 09/09/2026
And before you go, "Paul, this story doesn't even talk about the idea of Pannotia"--you're totally right, it doesn't. I have my finger on the hot debates of the present day, I know.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 09/09/2026
Things I didn't know until now: Good chunks of the U.S. eastern seaboard and southern Europe were once part of Gondwana. Now a group argues, using dates exhumed from basement granites, that the fabled mega/super continent, always in Pangea's shadow, may have been even larger.
science.org
Pangaea’s ‘little brother’ may finally qualify as a supercontinent
New evidence suggests Gondwana was far larger than previously thought, challenging models of continental cycling
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CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 09/09/2026
GOOD NEWS: the Arctic Report Card will continue under its independent editorial team – led by researchers at CIRES @colorado.edu and @uafairbanks.bsky.social – with new support from @agu.org. cires.colorado.edu/news/2026-ar...
cires.colorado.edu
2026 Arctic Report Card finds critical support from strategic partners
The highly anticipated yearly assessment will continue under its independent editorial team led by CIRES researchers
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Glen Peters @glenpeters.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
UNEP has written a nice report on overshoot, though, perhaps 10 years too late. But I am somewhat surprised there is so little focus on the requirement of short-term action. Overshoot and non-overshoot both require deep & immediate reductions in emissions... www.unep.org/resources/li... 6/6
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Bob Kopp @bobkopp.net · 02/09/2026
1.5 C without overshoot was never a realistic goal, and it was not agreed to at Paris, where the language is to “hold[] the increase … well below 2 C” and “pursu[e] efforts to the limit the temperature increase to 1.5 C”
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Loren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $700 million contract to build the new Mars telecomm network, which stemmed from language included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act www.nasa.gov/news-release...
nasa.gov
NASA Selects Blue Origin as Mars Telecommunications Network Provider - NASA
NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency’s Mars Telecommunications Network, a next-generation communications system that will enable
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 01/09/2026
Had to accelerate this story, which means I got to dwell on far less termination shock science than I would have liked.
science.org
NASA’s New Horizons mission may shut down two instruments over lack of funding
Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 25/08/2026
Following up on this, I heard from Caltech that they are funding the OCO ops through "foundations, individuals, and available Institute resources." No specifics on the foundations or individuals.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 24/08/2026
(Also, I'm back after two weeks on vacation.)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 24/08/2026
Caltech continuing the operation of OCO-2/3 from NASA seems like the best-case scenario to the agency's request, earlier this year, for someone to take them over, given that the satellites come from JPL/Caltech. Unclear still how Caltech is funding this, however. I've asked.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Some business news: Pleased to announce today was my first day as Director, Science Policy News, at the American Institute of Physics. We're best known for FYI: Science Policy News www.aip.org/fyi the long-running weekly newsletter and news platform for science insiders. More TK.
aip.org
FYI: Science Policy News from AIP
FYI is an authoritative source for science policy news and analysis trusted by policymakers and scientists nationwide.
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SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Report from Spain's La Razon newspaper about the fires near Madrid threatening NASA's Deep Space Network facility near Robledo de Chavlea, which has been evacuated. No damage to the DSN as of when that was written, however. www.larazon.es/actualidad/f...
larazon.es
El fuego arrincona la estación de la NASA de Robledo de Chavela
El avance de las llamas ha obligado a evacuar el municipio madrileño mientras los equipos de emergencia trabajan para proteger unas instalaciones clave para las comunicaciones con las misiones espacia...
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I have heard from former colleagues, and the layoffs have cut deep once again, after several brutal layoffs over the past 4 years.
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Benjamin Cook @dustybowl.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NOAA Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship applications are now open! cpaess.ucar.edu/cgc/annual-r... I was one about 350 years ago, and cannot not speakly highly enough of this program. Applications due October 16, 2026
cpaess.ucar.edu
Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Program Recruitment Announcement | Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS)Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Program Recruitmen...
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 21/07/2026
James has been a great freelancer for Science since he left New Scientist -- it's a coup for Nature (our friendly competitor) to get him on staff! One of the few reporters I might find at a geochemistry conference. You all can always flag me first on a story before Nature, of course. ;-)
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J. Emory Parker 🏳️‍🌈 @jaspar.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
An update on the OMB comments story. A few days ago I became aware of a bizarre issue with the OMB website that throws serious doubt on the overall reported number of comments received. Our analysis focused on posted comments only and none of that is affected. But this is really weird:
presentofcoding.substack.com
No, There Aren't 500,000 Comments on OMB's Proposed Reg
Regulations.gov systematically misreports comment counts
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 16/07/2026
(This is a classic example, BTW, of a Science newsroom staple: Covering the meeting presentation of a paper that we then learn will be coming out in Science later on. We don't just *say* we're editorially independent of the journal side.)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 16/07/2026
My latest for @science.org: Scientists have discovered a new record-breaking ancient meteorite from Mars, formed more than 4.1 billion years ago. Dubbed Teghaza 001, it provides an unprecedented view of the martian crust from this time, suggesting it was much more complex than once thought.
science.org
Oldest known Mars rock offers glimpse of planet’s watery youth
Ancient Teghaza meteorite hints at granitelike crust and shows Mars was already losing its water 4.1 billion years ago
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 16/07/2026
My oldest kiddo's first summer at sleepaway camp in the Poconos: two heat waves, huge downpours, power outages, and wildfire smoke. Climate change does not explain all of it -- but yes, a lot of it. (Everyone at the camp is still having a great time, by all accounts.)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 15/07/2026
Admirable job by what must be @eaterofsun.bsky.social bringing together the ongoing mystery of the surge in absorbed sunlight on Earth. CERES, pattern effects, ECS -- oh my.
economist.com
The rate at which Earth is absorbing energy is alarming climate scientists
Reflections on a warming planet
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 15/07/2026
Not cheap or easy to do, obviously!
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 15/07/2026
Completely tooting the horn of my employer here, but I think the classic Science mag In Depth print story is a model for what will retain value in the AI slop age: exclusivity, authority, and deep reporting across a research front. The first day story and second day synthesis all in one.
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Bob Kopp @bobkopp.net · 15/07/2026
This is an interesting claim, and perhaps true from a legal perspective, but from an ethical perspective, it seems to me overly general.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 10/07/2026
Of course, @science.org readers know of it from our exclusive back in early June. Though the story barely seems to surface in search results, sadly.
science.org
Radical proposal would block solar storms with orbital ‘airbag’
Gases released from satellites could slash the threat of severe space weather
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 10/07/2026
Great to see StormWall getting a bit more traction in the broader press! Here's a gift link to the @mims.bsky.social story.
wsj.com
A Plan to Stop Solar Storms From Sending Us Back to the Stone Age
The plan involves school-bus-size satellites and a whole lot of salt, and it could provide an ionic ‘air bag’ for the Earth.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 10/07/2026
(Obviously there has been progress since 2022!)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 10/07/2026
Since a lot of climate reporters will be covering extreme event attribution next week, I'm resharing my story from 2022 that looked at both critiques of traditional methods and emerging techniques to improve the field. It might be helpful if you want to wade into the science.
science.org
Record-shattering events spur advances in tying climate change to extreme weather
2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave serves as testing ground for new attribution methods
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Andy Miller @andymiller24.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
It's going to be interesting to see how they butcher not only the next NCA, but also the required review process. They couldn't get their DOE "climate science" report through any meaningful review. They'll have the same problems here, even if they learn from their experience (questionable).
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Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Who are some science journalists writing great newsletters? Trying to get some more independent science writing in my feed.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 02/07/2026
My latest for @science.org: The rifting of Gondwana likely led, some *100 million* years later, to the formation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. (Yes, CO2 decline was also part of it.) The past isn't even past. A fascinating expansion of @gernon.bsky.social's mantle waves work.
science.org
How an ancient continental breakup helped spawn the Antarctic Ice Sheet
Mantle waves and tectonic stretching lofted polar mountains into a deep freeze
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 01/07/2026
The feature, ICYMI.
science.org
The ocean current that warms Europe may be more resilient than feared
Studies of the Atlantic's circulation find signs of both weakening and unexpected stability in the face of global warming
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 01/07/2026
One of the climate modeling preprints that I cited in my feature, finding that AMOC was resilient and reversible to realistic Greenland melt, is out now in Science Advances. Not shockingly, it hasn't gotten broad coverage.
science.org
Limited impact of Greenland meltwater on abruptness and reversibility of future Atlantic overturning changes
Climate model simulations show the Atlantic overturning circulation can recover even from strong future Greenland ice sheet melt.
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Berkeley Earth @berkeleyearth.org · 30/06/2026
We'll take that as a compliment 🙌 And note that "temperature" in this case includes projections at 5-year intervals for TAVG *and* TMAX for 8,000 global cities (TMIN soon), with metrics derived from daily simulations (CDD, HDD, Days >35C) for a select sample group. 👉 synthesis.berkeleyearth.org
synthesis.berkeleyearth.org
Berkeley Earth
Interactive climate data visualization platform using Berkeley Earth data
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
(I previewed this effort in a feature last year.)
science.org
Local predictions of climate change are hazy. But cities need answers fast
Scientists are figuring out where “downscaled” climate models struggle—and how they can be improved
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
Very cool: @berkeleyearth.org has launched the beta of their Climate Model Synthesis, their attempt to make (better) downscaled bias-corrected climate projections broadly available. Right now it only does temperature, which is easier (but not easy). Precip to come. synthesis.berkeleyearth.org
A website screenshot showing the historical and projected temperatures for Washington DC, from the Berkeley Earth Climate Model Synthesis project.
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 30/06/2026
This "Promise" pitch/floater will be a good test for the space press who primarily focus on human spaceflight. Talk to planetary scientists. Where's that RTG gonna come from (and take away from)? How in the world do they think it would actually be flight operable?
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Kevin 🚀 @astro-kevin.com · 30/06/2026
It’s hard to convey the level of stupidity of this decision. The closest comparison I can come up with is thinking your run down 1950s vintage car you use for spare parts can suddenly compete in an F1 race.
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Kevin 🚀 @astro-kevin.com · 30/06/2026
I heard about this a while back but couldn’t post about it bc it wasn’t public information. They want to send the engineering model of the curiosity rover to the moon. Every single person I know at JPL is flabbergasted anyone would ever consider doing that.
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