@fayeflam

@opinion. Bloomberg columnist, podcaster, science geek, Caltech grad, former physics writer for Science, aerial artist.

 East Greenwich, RI
open.spotify.com/show/0yq68MSv7VX0yROsuq2bvq
Joined March 2009
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It’s not obvious how to tell what’s real science when there’s so much controversy at the edges - and so much pseudoscience out there. Listen to @neiltyson talk about the nature of science and truth the latest episode of my podcast: open.spotify.com/episode/2Ia…

42. Why Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks Science Is True

Follow the Science · Episode

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MAHA is just the latest twist in America's long history of health scares, food fads, and conflicts between mainstream nutrition and influencers. And when it comes to food and health, scientists are still figuring it out. bloomberg.com/news/features/…

Were Americans Ever Really Healthy?

The history of nutrition science in the US suggests that the Make America Healthy Again movement would make more sense without the ‘A.’

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From @opinion Now Trump is promising to improve the quality of science with an executive order. Some areas do have problems with reliability and integrity, but this order won't help: bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

This Isn’t How You ‘Restore Gold Standard’ Science

President Trump’s executive order is really about giving government officials the power to reject any scientific evidence they disagree with.

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2/2 The order specifically mentions prolonged pandemic school closures as something science got wrong. But bad science wasn't the problem. It was a disconnect between the values held by public health and the American public.
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1/2 My latest for @opinion delves into the various startups hoping to profit with schemes to change the climate - from darkening the skies to changing the chemistry of the oceans..... bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

Geoengineering’s Risks Need to Be Studied More

Even some of the best-sounding ideas could have unintended consequences.

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2/2 Some members of the general public are nervous about the prospect of geoengineering. Some experts who've looked into the matter say they're right, and that we have no rules to stop unilateral deployment.
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During an already eventful week a company announced they'd brought back dire wolves from extinction after 13,000 years. But did they? I looked into this for @opinion . The answer is, not quite. With insights by @NeilShubin bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

'Dire Wolf' Pups Are Cute, But Not the Real Thing

Colossal Biosciences created a new, not ancient, animal. That’s still an impressive scientific achievement.

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In my latest for @opinion I look into the claim that a company resurrected dire wolves after 13,000 years of extinction. It's not quite as advertised: bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

'Dire Wolf' Pups Are Cute, But Not the Real Thing

Colossal Biosciences created a new, not ancient, animal. That’s still an impressive scientific achievement.

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For this @opinion column I explored some scientific explanations for our divisions, or why those who disagree with you seem so reprehensible. Here's a gift link with no paywall. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

We Used to Disagree. Now We Don’t Talk to Each Other.

Five years after Covid, America's greatest threat is our divided reality.

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sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/we… I just came across this unpaywalled piece I wrote in early May of 2020 about the parts of our Covid response that hadn't been thought through and were not science-based.

We can't wait until it's safe to lift lockdowns: Faye Flam

Keeping people apart through voluntary social distancing or mandates to stay home can’t defeat the virus; it isn’t going away until a chunk of the population develops immunity.

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I'm glad to see @awgaffney jump into this fray to debunk rumors that Covid shots cause a long-lasting syndrome. That rumor is based on a twisted interpretation of an unpublished Yale study statnews.com/2025/03/03/post…

‘Post-vaccination syndrome’: a dubious diagnosis that could do harm

The science behind the “post-vaccination syndrome” study is dubious — but the harm it may cause is very real.

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Dr. Gaffney also talked to me for my Bloomberg column on the misinterpretation of the same study, with additional help from @DrPaulOffit and others. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

How a Yale Study Got Twisted Into an Anti-Vaccine Talking Point

Despite what anti-vaxxers say, new research doesn’t prove Covid shots debilitated millions of Americans.

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1/ For my latest @opinion column I looked into the quickly diminishing odds of a city-busting asteroid hitting us in 2032. I'd written about asteroid dangers 20 years ago, and discovered that the science has come a long way since then.... bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

An Asteroid Doomsday Is Getting Less Likely

NASA’s early detection program will probably bring more false alarms, but it could also save us.

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2/ From Richard Binzel of MIT and @planet4589 I learned we now have multiple telescopes tracking asteroids and soon we'll have a dedicated asteroid-watching space instrument called the NEO Surveyor. And the Vera Rubin Telescope will work as an asteroid-spotter.
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3/ NASA recently experimented with deflection, nudging a small asteroid with the DART mission. We may soon see more warnings that fizzle to nothing, but early detection could save lives. With fair warning we could evacuate those in the path of city-busting sized impacts.
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My latest column for @opinion examines the science behind some scary claims that you have enough plastic in your brain to make a plastic spoon. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

You Might Have Plastic in Your Brain. Don’t Panic — Yet.

It’s unsettling, but the amount is probably less than the plastic spoon’s worth grabbing the headlines.

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1/2 For my latest column for @opinion I looked into the H5N1 bird flu that's now spreading fast through domestic egg laying chickens. @mtosterholm explains how it's moving with domestic geese and ducks. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

Bird Flu Is a Big Threat. The US Needs to Start Acting Like It.

Scientists suspect a new strain is spreading via dust from bird droppings, carried by the wind.

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2/2 H5N1 may also be spreading through infectious dust. At the same time, the virus is evolving. A variant called D1.1 might be more virulent. Already it's been detected in the one fatal human infection.
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Why preserve old animals and plants? Some elders lead migrations and hunts, some have the majority of the offspring, and ancient trees sequester more carbon.
Bloomberg
@business25 Jan 2025
If President Trump follows through on threats to abandon efforts to curb emissions, preserving old trees will be our next best strategy for mitigating climate change, @fayeflam says trib.al/RVqfUdQ via @opinion

Who Will Speak for the Trees?

If President Trump abandons efforts to curb carbon emissions, preserving old trees will be our next best strategy for mitigating climate change.

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bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… My latest for @opinion - What ants can teach us about intelligence and how intelligent behavior can emerge, or degrade, with group size. You can also find me on Bluesy: @fayeflam.bsky.social

What Longhorn Crazy Ants Can Teach Us About Groupthink

There’s a reason we often fail to accomplish anything in staff meetings or settle on a less effective solution.

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Oops. I meant BlueSky. Autocorrect error.
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