Shannon Palus

we felt it in New Jersey!

It Needs to Be Said: Sydney Sweeney’s Boobs Are Not That Big If anything, they're kind of average.

seems like we're talking about sydney sweeney, so!: slate.com/human-intere...

The xojane years of the internet taught me that being pregnant in public would be non-stop unsolicited advice and nosy comments. But it rules! People give me their seat on the subway and congratulate me. The only good part of being pregnant, even!

😭❤️

FDA panel promotes misinformation about antidepressants during pregnancy, psychiatrists say Nearly all of the 10 panelists emphasized what they said were risks of the drugs. Some claimed, without evidence, that antidepressants don't work at all.

this is so terrible; i needed MORE antidepressants when i got pregnant, and stopped being able to run without severely injuring myself
www.nbcnews.com/health/menta...

I Was a Teen Ear Piercer at Claire’s. I Know What We’ll Lose if the Chain Shutters. It’s the latest mall brand to face financial woes.

let's go to the mall and get our ears pierced while we still can slate.com/life/2025/07...

i love that the bluesky replies, quotes, and even many Slate comments on this article are people sharing how happy they were with their hysterectomies

LOL. Slate @samadams.bsky.social mapped Andrew Cuomo's venturous two-block journey in his "hitting the streets" campaign launch. slate.com/culture/2025...

What’s Going On With RFK Jr.’s Teeth? He admits that his anti-fluoride crusade will result in more cavities. We had some questions about his own dental hygiene.

the guy is way too comfortable with cavities, so we had to ask ...
slate.com/technology/2...

Get It Out An examination of hysterectomy and the struggle for bodily and reproductive autonomyAt least one hysterectomy is performed every minute of the year, making i...

and happy pub day to Andrea! @andreabeckerphd.bsky.social nyupress.org/978147982662...

It’s a Surgery That’s Often Viewed as a Tragedy. For Many, It’s Actually a Wonderful Choice. The truth about hysterectomies may surprise you.

getting your uterus removed—not necessarily so bad! by @andreabeckerphd.bsky.social‬ slate.com/technology/2...

The Expensive, Seductive Strategy That Doomed the Democratic Party During the Reagan revolution, Democrats settled on a new way to win—and it’s destroying them now.

How Strategist Brain Took Over the Democratic Party slate.com/news-and-pol...

I do not know why I am shocked every time by how bad social media is, but I am! Guys, we have to be able to talk about policy positions and their merits or what else are we doing here.

In Rural Nebraska, a Llama Was on the Loose. That Was Only the Beginning. Exotic animal auctions make owning all kinds of animals possible.

there is nothing more fun than getting on the phone with a writer and having them explain that they were just part of a llama chase. slate.com/life/2025/07...

Zohran Mamdani Has Some Good Ideas for NYC Transit. His Biggest Promise Isn’t One of Them. Riders don't want buses to be free. They want something else.

In @slate.com , I explained why Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for fare-free buses is a bad idea for NYC.

The cost would be enormous, the benefits meh, and the downsides real.

If Mamdani can find $1 billion/year to improve transportation, there are many better ways to spend it.

🧵

I kinda think in this forum it's easier to yell at the NYT for fucking up (and can even *feel* more productive—someone who works there could see your post!) than process this massive catastrophe

yep, wrote about this depressing trend just a couple months ago slate.com/technology/2...

The Story Behind Jared Kushner’s Curious Acceptance Into Harvard ProPublica editor Daniel Golden wrote a book a decade ago about how the rich buy their children access to elite colleges. One student he covered is now poised to become one of the most powerful…

“His GPA did not warrant it, his SAT scores did not warrant it. We thought for sure, there was no way this was going to happen. Then, lo and behold, Jared was accepted.”

More on how the rich buy their children’s way into elite universities with massive, tax-deductible donations (published 2016):

Everything about pregnancy makes more sense when you swap “pregnant” with “a small creature is living inside of my body.” Threw up twice and went to bed at 7 PM? What else would I be doing under these circumstances.

I am going to need testimonials stat about how many many people get c-sections and don’t feel this kind of pain (right? Right????)

It’s the Car That Explains Everything About America Right Now. Elon Musk Only Wishes He Made It. In Florida, on the country’s most dangerous roads, I had a 9,500-pound revelation.

I wrote about the return of the war on terror, and its favorite mascot, recently rebooted just in time for us to lose another great conflict, our war with climate change. slate.com/business/202...

Yes, That Big Anti-Trans Ruling Is Terrible. There’s Also a Bigger Problem. U.S. politics are failing trans youth. We're also failing them by not talking about this more.

Medical care for many trans young people in America isn't ideal... because healthcare for most people in America really, really sucks. Banning youth gender medicine only makes it harder to study and improve, while our terrible healthcare system persists.
slate.com/news-and-pol...

What the Flip-Flop on a Popular Antiaging Supplement Reveals About the Wellness Industry Taurine suddenly isn’t all it was cracked up to be. What happened?

the thing you need to know about "science backed" supplements is that the evidence is usually so weak it can be knocked over with one single study. @gidmk.bsky.social wrote about the apparent flip-flop in evidence around taurine
slate.com/technology/2...

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.

Your beginning-of-summer PSA: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. “There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind.” So here’s what to look for… [slate.com]

Omg! Have fun!!

I really don't know that you can. Anti-science movements will seize on *anything.* And if you present science as infallible, they'll seize on that, too.

Dying

the only good thing on the internet these days is that if you google a miscarriage or pregnancy concern you will find a 7 year old post on Reddit where commenters are commiserating and calming each other down about it. Perfect energy.

I’ve Figured Out Why Bluesky Is Such a Sad Place to Hang Out We’re on Year 9 of “orange” jokes.

"Unfortunately, if Bluesky has proved anything, it’s that peace can no longer exist on the internet. There is no way to go back to a time before 'social media norms,' no way to preclude how we have all learned to interact online." by @lukewinkie.bsky.social slate.com/technology/2...

Science Desk & Short Wave Internship - Fall/Winter 2025 Remote

NPR's internship program is coming back!

Apply by June 30 to work with the Science Desk and Short Wave this fall/winter. I was an intern in 2019, and it set me on the path towards coming back for a staff job!
job-boards.greenhouse.io/nationalpubl...