Andrew Thurston

Less Snow Makes Trees Absorb Less Carbon, According to New BU Study Over a decade of data demonstrate that in a warming climate, less snowpack in New England could disrupt tree growth and carbon uptake

Less snowfall from climate change is impacting tree growth—and it might have a big impact on how much carbon New England forests can store. In a decade-long study, BU biologists found less snowpack slowed tree growth by about half.

Do You Have a Nosy Coworker? BU Research Finds Snooping Colleagues Send Our Stress Levels Rising Organizational psychologist Richard A. Currie studies the difference between prying and friendly curiosity—and nosiness’ impact on employee performance

Ever had a nosy coworker—someone who looks over your shoulder or asks prying questions? You’re not alone. A new @bostonu.bsky.social study found one-third of people reported seeing someone being nosy at work at least weekly—and that it can dent our job performance. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Protecting Maine’s Coastal Heritage—and Her Own Student researcher and daughter of a lobsterman Sierra Koerber-Marx (CAS’26) dives to help save sugar kelp in a changing ocean

Hey I wrote a thing. I don't scuba, but I did spend a nice day at Nubble and had a really good hotdog. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

We’ve Had 12 Consecutive Weekends of Rain. What’s Up with That? The upside is that the summer forecast is looking good, says BU alum and meteorologist Christina Erne

“Why does it always rain on me…?” We’ve had rainy weekend after rainy weekend in Boston. Why? @heyitsjessc.bsky.social‬ spoke with meteorologist (and @bostonu.bsky.social‬ alum) @christinaerne.bsky.social‬ to find out. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Do Forest Carbon Credits Work and Actually Help the Environment? BU environmental ecologist and alum scientist team up for study of forest carbon credits and recommend ways to boost schemes’ potential to offset emissions

Ever booked a flight and been asked if you want to offset your jet-setting’s environmental emissions? A new @bostonu.bsky.social study finds forest carbon credit schemes might not be doing much good. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

What Causes Autism? And Is There an Autism Epidemic, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says? BU researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg founded the Coalition of Autism Scientists to advocate for robust research on the disorder—and counter myths and misinformation

There’s a lot of misinformation swirling about autism. I spoke to @bostonu.bsky.social autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg to get the facts and bust some myths. Key messages: vaccines don’t cause autism, many people with autism are flourishing, everyone is of value. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Resource Guide: Everything BU International Students and Faculty Need to Know Right Now Amid challenging times, Boston University is supporting its international community with resources ranging from visas to travel to their legal rights.

BU is supporting its international community with resources and info on visas, travel guidance, legal rights, and more. We put together a resource guide with everything our BU community needs to know.

Full guide ⬇️

Algae, Disease-Bearing Ticks, Erratic Snowfall, Tainted Oysters, Rising Insurance, Extreme Temperatures—This is Climate Change in New England A range of Boston University scholars in environment, ecology, public health, marine science, biology, and more, weigh in. “The scale of what we are signing ourselves up for, and the speed, maybe is u...

Forget about Washington for a minute and think about the slow-motion disaster happening in your backyard. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? 5 Reasons to Feel Confident—and 5 to Be Worried Five years after COVID-19 lockdowns, BU experts find some glimmers of hope, but say new US policies could put the world at greater risk of a coronavirus-like outbreak

As we reach five years since the start of the #COVID19 pandemic, CEID faculty @bhadeliamd.bsky.social, @ypaschalidis.bsky.social, Brooke Nichols, & Kayoko Shioda speak to The Brink about the current state of pandemic preparedness in the US.
www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Keeping Seeds Alive If the World As We Know It Ends An Arctic expert visited the remote Svalbard Global Seed Vault, where seeds are a symbol of scientific history and hope in a time of climate crisis

BU's Adriana Craciun's upcoming book, Arctic Enlightenment: The Time of Plants in the Global Seed Vault, delves into the history and symbolism of the Svalbard Seed Vault, highlighting its role as a beacon of hope amid our climate crisis.

Read on ⬇️

Spacecraft Carrying BU Telescope to the Moon Captures Breathtaking Images of Earth NASA’s Blue Ghost mission has finished orbiting Earth and is on its way to the moon

Mission update: LEXI's journey. NASA’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is transporting the BU-developed telescope, LEXI, to the moon. The spacecraft is over two weeks from landing, but enjoy these stunning new images of its journey.

Read on ⬇️

BU Leadership Strongly Opposes NIH Move to Cut Funding for “Research That Helps Improve Human Health and Save Lives” In a related action, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the NIH from implementing its rate changes

BU strongly supports the lawsuit filed by the Association of American Universities (AAU) to halt the NIH's drastic funding cuts. These changes could severely impact our ability to conduct life-saving research and train the next generation of scientists.

Details ⬇️

BU Leadership Strongly Opposes NIH Move to Cut Funding for “Research That Helps Improve Human Health and Save Lives” In a related action, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the NIH from implementing its rate changes

Leadership at @bostonu.bsky.social “strongly support” lawsuit that aims to halt National Institutes of Health push to drastically cut research funding, saying agency's policy could “have real ramifications on research projects that improve human life.” www.bu.edu/articles/202...

More Americans Aged 25 to 44 Are Dying Younger. BU Research Helps Explain Why School of Public Health researcher coleads study that finds sharp increase in excess deaths largely due to drug overdoses, alcohol use, traffic accidents, and homicides

Yikes: more Americans are dying younger, according to a new study coled by @astokespop.bsky.social of @bostonu.bsky.social. Drug overdoses, alcohol use, traffic accidents, and homicides are all major factors. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

We Have Liftoff: BU Telescope Heads for the Moon Watch launch footage and reactions as NASA’s Blue Ghost moon lander, carrying a BU-created X-ray telescope, blasts off into space

We have lift-off! 🚀 At 1:11 am on January 15, NASA’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 spacecraft blasted into the sky from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, riding on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and destined for the moon. On board: a telescope designed and built at Boston University. ⬇️

NASA Moon Mission Will Use BU X-Ray Telescope to Study Earth’s Magnetic Field NASA’s Blue Ghost Mission will carry the first Boston University-engineered device to land on a celestial body—the LEXI telescope that will image Earth’s protective shield

BU is going to the moon. For the past couple of years, we’ve been behind the scenes with a team of @bostonu.bsky.social engineers as they’ve built a telescope to withstand the rigors of space travel and beam back unprecedented images of the Earth’s protective shield. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Do Immigrants and Immigration Help the Economy? With immigration dominating politics and voter concerns, BU economist’s research shows immigration boosts local wages and that having neighbors of foreign descent can reduce prejudice

Been compiling a list of our most read science and research stories of 2024, and not surprised this election year to see this at #3: www.bu.edu/articles/202... Do immigrants and immigration help the economy? Yes. And a migrant influx can help give a region an economic edge that lasts 100 years.

Why Are US Suicide Rates So High? And Can More Deaths Be Prevented? With the nation’s suicide rate at a more than 80-year high, a BU expert on college student mental health explains risk factors and the role of inequality

Why are US suicide rates so high? (One answer: guns.) And what can be done about it? (One answer: less guns.) I spoke with a @bostonu.bsky.social public health researcher about how rates got to a more than 80-year high—and how we can prevent more deaths. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Racism, Sexism, and the Crisis of Black Women’s Health For nearly 30 years, Boston University has led the largest and longest-running study of Black women’s health, shining a light on tragic disparities and showing women their lives matter

But it’s also shown women their lives matter. As one participant told us: “When I first heard about the Black Women’s Health Study, I said, ‘Thank goodness—someone finally cares.’” www.bu.edu/articles/202...

In its three decades, the study has shone a light on tragic disparities: Black women are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to die from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, lupus, and several cancers. 2/3

For nearly 30 years, 59,000 women have participated in the Black Women’s Health Study, the largest and longest-running study of Black women’s health in the US. 1/3

Don’t Open. Zombies Inside. Maia Gil’Adí, BU assistant professor of English and Latinx literature, is building an online zombie movie archive

Zombies! 🧟 www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Researchers Find Potential Way to Tweak Immune System to Help It Fight Tuberculosis TB is the world’s second-deadliest infectious disease behind COVID-19. A new BU-led study shows how to turn TB-susceptible immune cells into TB-resistant ones

Tuberculosis is ancient—and still deadly. It plagued Old Testament Israelites and took down pharaohs, but BU researchers have found a new way to help the immune system fight back. Now, they just need someone to fund it... www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Video: Screen Printing with Melanin CFA’s Lucy Kim has swapped the studio for the science lab to create art with the same pigment that gives our eyes, hair, and skin their color

“Experimentation and surprise—and in some ways, disappointment—are my lifeline. To me, the point of being an artist is to see something new. You’re always trying to find a new path, confronting a new thing.” Visual artist and BU prof Lucy Kim on using melanin to make art. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Could Dunkin’s New Alcoholic Drinks Encourage Underage Drinking? BU substance use prevention researcher David Jernigan says the chain’s boozy coffees and teas, Dunkin’ Spiked, might provide youth “too easy an entry point” into alcohol

Boozy drinks from Dunkin' Donuts and SunnyD? As an impartial journalist, I would never comment on how pointless/disgusting they might sound, but BU substance use prevention researcher David Jernigan did. He also told me why they might entice more kids into drinking. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

A Common Nasal Decongestant Doesn’t Actually Work. What Should You Use Instead? Nasal and sinus expert says there are far better and safer alternatives than phenylephrine that are available over the counter

I woke up with my annual school is back in session cold (thanks kids!). But, according to a recent report, it seems most of our existing cold & flu medicines are duds. What should I take instead? Perhaps anticipating my 🤧 we interviewed a sinus researcher to find out. www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Now a real post to share a story I wrote about a WW2 plane crash. It's got Broadway stars, undercover agents, an Olympian turned war correspondent, and a fascist sympathizer... www.bu.edu/articles/202...

It's nicer here, right?