Christopher J Preston

Wow, Jason. Eloquent, powerful, and informed. This was great!

Tune in tomorrow night (Wednesday) to PBS's Human Footprint: The Vanishing Act, and you'll see me in a cameo talking about extinction....and deextinction. 9 pm EST.

#HumanFootprintPBS #PBS #Nature #earth #anthropocene
#wildlife #documentary #naturalhistory
#extinction #NorthernWhiteRhinos

Curious about the maths (b/c I just put one in and will be claiming this tax year). $1950 is 30% of what?

Batteries are so cheap now, solar power doesn’t sleep Batteries are now cheap enough to make 24/7 solar power affordable, unlocking round-the-clock clean energy in the world’s sunniest cities.

Game, set, match.

electrek.co/2025/06/20/b...

Amazing work, Emma. Congratulations!

Wild chimpanzees filmed using forest 'first aid' The research builds on the discovery that chimps seek out and eat certain plants to self-medicate.

Love these kinds of stories.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

So obviously immoral....

Elk could return to UK after 3,000 years in rewilding project First stage of initiative will introduce ‘keystone’ species to beaver enclosures in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

It's time to go big in Britain.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

About bloody time......

Wolf reintroduction to Scotland could support substantial native woodland expansion and associated carbon sequestration Our work shows reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Highlands could help address the climate emergency. By controlling red deer populations, wolves would enable native woodlands to expand, capturing ....

The UK has so far to go to become comfortable with large carnivores. But as the evidence of their value builds, the tide will slowly shift. 🐺......(you heard it here first)

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Thank you, Brandon. Both Leonie Cornips and Michelle Fournet are remarkable.

Stares and ear-twitches: The linguist learning to speak the expressive language of cows Dutch scientist Leonie Cornips has become fascinated with how cows communicate. But can this really be called 'language'?

Cows go 'moo,' right? But what other linguistically interesting things are going on? Turns out, there's plenty. Find out in my BBC Future story published today.
www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Humpback whale entangled in rope at Skye fish farm British Divers Marine Life Rescue say the humpback is caught up in rope and unable to swim freely.

It doesn't seem too far-fetched to imagine everyone would see the horrible cruelty in this and make changes to avoid it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A New Genetic Life Support | Atmos A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biobank could shape how biotechnology will fit into mainstream conservation for centuries to come.

Biotech has several roles in conservation - some seem good, while others are a bit questionable. My comments in this article are an attempt to thread the needle.
atmos.earth/a-new-geneti...

Elephants are not people, rules Colorado Supreme Court Judges ruled a bid to free five elderly African elephants from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was based on a law that only applied to humans.

The headline is a bit dismissive of the issue, unfortunately. These cases deserve to be taken seriously.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Despite Biotech Efforts to Revive Species, Extinction Is Still Forever In the last decade, laboratory initiatives to recreate long-extinct species have stirred controversy. Now, scientists increasingly agree "de-extinction" is not possible, but breeding living animals wi...

....the fact that even the scientists most involved concede that it's not. I just wrote about this for YaleE360. 2/2
e360.yale.edu/features/de-...

‘Resurrection science’ is gaining steam, but are scientists any closer to reviving lost species? | CNN Colossal Biosciences, which aims to revive extinct species, announced it has raised an additional $200 million. Critics say de-extinction in its purest sense isn’t possible.

The myth that perfect deextinction is possible is remarkably sticky. Despite.....1/2
www.cnn.com/2025/01/16/s...

Despite Biotech Efforts to Revive Species, Extinction Is Still Forever In the last decade, laboratory initiatives to recreate long-extinct species have stirred controversy. Now, scientists increasingly agree "de-extinction" is not possible, but breeding living animals wi...

Ever fancied your chances of deextincting a dodo? Think again. I explain why in an article out today with YaleE360.
e360.yale.edu/features/de-...

Youth Climate Activists Get Major Win in Montana Supreme Court The court agreed that the state’s energy policies violated Montanans’ constitutional right to a clean environment.

And even better......"Because the matter is squarely within the bounds of state law, he added, he did not see a pathway to appeal to the United States Supreme Court."
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/c...

This is an interesting example of how new technologies change social norms. Plus, opportunities to be an a-hole or a good citizen.

New Study Shows Less Than 1% of EV Owners Would Return to Gas Cars A survey of EV drivers in 18 countries showed 92% would purchase another EV if they needed to replace their current vehicle.

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," said the EV.
www.autobodynews.com/news/new-stu...

Onwards, upwards, Jason. You made the magazine into something I wanted to read again. Props!

Montana Supreme Court sides with youth plaintiffs in landmark climate lawsuit Governor, GOP lawmakers charge that justices overstepped their authority in deciding Held v. Montana.

Proud to be a Montanan again. Turns out you can't write a constitution that promises to protect its citizens and then ignore it.
montanafreepress.org/2024/12/18/m...

Chilly but rewarding.

Can Support for Clean Energy Withstand Changing Political Winds? With billions in investment flowing to GOP districts, Donald Trump’s plans to repeal clean energy tax credits face Republican resistance. In an e360 interview, political scientist Leah Stokes, who hel...

Stokes has been terrific at giving climate hawks some hope ahead of January. Here's some more of it. Brava!
e360.yale.edu/features/lea...

Fun fact from Ferris Jabr's Becoming Earth... A 15 gallon tank of gas contains 300 elephants-worth of compressed, ancient life.

Clean soul.

www.caranddriver.com/news/a630955...

Deserved!

Good to meet you there too, Dave. Glad you are enjoying the book. I look for to being in touch about this and that, from time to time!

American Prairie donates 109 acres to Montana State Parks Foundation The parcel includes culturally significant portions of the PN Ranch and the Judith Landing Historic District.

American Prairie offers an unusual model of philanthropy-based conservation in Montana. There have been bumps along the road. But they are doing good things.

americanprairie.org/the-latest/s...