Shi En Kim

Oh my god, they're like the arboreal version of a chill capybara!

Have you seen a porcupine in the wild? Lucky you! I want to hear about it, feel free to drop a comment.

YouTube video by Zooniversity1 "Teddy Bear," the porcupine, doesn't like to share...

2. They're incredibly cute. These goofy gremlins look like they've slept on a balloon. To my POINT, enjoy this video of talkative Teddy, sound on:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGz8...

The West’s vanishing porcupines - High Country News Scientists are racing to figure out why porcupines are disappearing from their former stomping grounds.

Two things I didn't really know about #porcupines until I did a story for @highcountrynews.org about them: 1. They're disappearing across the West. Scientists don't really know why.

Thanks to @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social for your SHARP edits, as usual!

www.hcn.org/articles/the...

So proud of my @highcountrynews.org colleague @btoastie.bsky.social for this amazing cover story!

An image of a smiling woman outside with text that says: The TON Fellowship was foundational to my career as a science journalist. Plus, never would you find a kinder, more caring, and more talented family of peers and veterans who are eager to help early-career journalists like me in navigating the craft and industry.

About The Open Notebook, @goesbykim.bsky.social says: “Never would you find a kinder, more caring, and more talented family of peers and veterans who are eager to help early-career journalists like me in navigating the craft and industry.” 🧪

Your concerns are understandable! And thank you for sharing this tip about anonymity.

I think, as much as people are able to, it could be useful to also explain in the comments why someone wants anonymity. Fear is also important context that judges should weigh.

How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.

Today is the last day to share your thoughts on the federal government's plan to revoke the roadless rule on Forest Service lands. When the clock strikes midnight (ET), the comment portal will close.

Looking for your Cinderella moment? Go comment now!!!

Counting flowers to read the saguaro’s future - High Country News Saguaros are struggling to cope with extreme weather, monitoring studies reveal.

Original story here:

What the folds of a saguaro flower can reveal about future of the desert Shi En Kim wrote about the iconic saguaro flower for High Country News and joined The Show to discuss more.

I went on @kjzz.org to chat about my @highcountrynews.org story on saguaro flowers!

How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.

The landmark roadless rule is on the chopping block, endangering 59 million acres of Forest Service lands that still retain some of their wild character. Experts say it's as bad of an idea as it sounds for wildlife.

Now that you know, go forth and comment! You have until Sept. 19. to do so.

Submit your comments here: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FS...

Again, deadline is Sept 19, 11.59 p.m. ET!

How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.

The landmark roadless rule is on the chopping block, endangering 59 million acres of Forest Service lands that still retain some of their wild character. Experts say it's as bad of an idea as it sounds for wildlife.

Now that you know, go forth and comment! You have until Sept. 19. to do so.

How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.

The public has until September 19 to weigh in on the proposed rescission of the 2001 roadless rule on Forest Service land, a move that experts have said will harm the health and biodiversity of ecosystems.

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A new 5-year mission begins!

I'm so grateful to everyone at NASA Astrobiology for this opportunity to advance our search for life in the universe with @calebscharf.bsky.social and our team of amazing colleagues at @carnegiescience.bsky.social, NASA Ames, and beyond!

Hope you both enjoy the article!

Counting flowers to read the saguaro’s future - High Country News Saguaros are struggling to cope with extreme weather, monitoring studies reveal.

When I visited 🌵 NP in April, I found the saguaro flowers so surreal. Against the saguaro's austerity, they looked decadent, dressing cactuses in flapper chic. Flowers on the cactus arms looked like bouquets offerings to passers-by.

I'm so glad @highcountrynews.org let me indulge my curiosity.

Kylie @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social is an awesome editor with an impeccable eye! It was great to work with her on this piece.

Counting flowers to read the saguaro’s future - High Country News Saguaros are struggling to cope with extreme weather, monitoring studies reveal.

Researchers are monitoring saguaro flowers in the Sonoran Desert to understand the environmental cues influencing when and how they sprout, patterns that are fluctuating in the face of climate change.

buff.ly/d4Bl13S

Counting flowers to read the saguaro’s future - High Country News Saguaros are struggling to cope with extreme weather, monitoring studies reveal.

When I visited 🌵 NP in April, I found the saguaro flowers so surreal. Against the saguaro's austerity, they looked decadent, dressing cactuses in flapper chic. Flowers on the cactus arms looked like bouquets offerings to passers-by.

I'm so glad @highcountrynews.org let me indulge my curiosity.

The Trump administration’s repeal of the roadless rule could threaten wildlife - High Country News A 2001 policy restricts road construction on Forest Service land. What happens to at-risk species if it’s removed?

In June, a lynx rewilding project in eastern WA confirmed the first wild kitten litters to be born here.

But fate had ironic timing. The same month, the Forest Service announced the repeal of the roadless rule. The lynx birthing grounds would be among those subject to the repeal.

Read more here:

Meet LA’s detective for dead marine mammals - High Country News A day in the life of a scientist studying the aftermath of the city’s deadly algal blooms.

After a deadly algal bloom, someone has to pick up the pieces, so scientists can put them together.

Trump administration budget cuts wreak havoc on trail maintenance - High Country News As tourism season begins, trail crews are facing disruptions in key trail maintenance projects.

Federal policies are making it challenging for trail crews from the Forest Service, stewardship organizations and volunteer groups to clean up trails this summer.

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RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System | Quanta Magazine How does a cell know when it’s been damaged? A molecular alarm, set off by mutated RNA and colliding ribosomes, signals danger.

When sun hits you, what does it *hit*? It rockets into your RNA, and the sound of colliding ribosomes and potholed RNA signals to your body to do something: produce a sunburn. My latest for @quantamagazine.bsky.social.

www.quantamagazine.org/rna-is-the-c...

This isn't to say that agrivoltaics isn't a wonderful climate solution! It is! But if we want to make it happen in places that could benefit from it the most, such as in Arizona, more focus should be directed toward the practical challenges, some of the "unsexy stuff."

Why isn’t agrivoltaics taking off in Arizona? - High Country News Logistical hurdles and a lack of solar incentives keep panels and plants apart.

While media coverage has often lauded agrivoltaics, i.e. the marriage of solar and farming, reality has proven that it's quite a challenge to get it off the ground. Take Arizona, for example, a place of abundant sunshine and scarce water. From all appearances, agrivoltaics should be a shoe-in here.

Mass layoffs can move forward, with devastating impacts for conservation and science - High Country News ‘Shortsighted’ cuts could eliminate bird banding program, federal bee research and much more.

Federal layoffs are likely to move ahead quickly, with major impacts on conservation and science.

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I once met a man named Jacob. He was in his seventies, a small man, stooped and bent, who looked much older than he was. He was kind and gracious, and was used to people being put off by his posture and size. His story of how he ended up like that is informative. 1/

Can fracking wastewater be reused? - High Country News New Mexico’s legislators are eager to repurpose “produced water,” but environmental organizations say that there is no safe way to do that.

"Produced water" isn't "water" in any life-giving sense of the word, environmentalists say, but it's definitely produced—an existential problem of oil+gas's own making.

New Mexico is weighing the reuse this toxic waste, and environmental groups are sounding the alarm.

Me for @highcountrynews.org

Just. Wow.