Josh Fischman

Josh Fischman

@jfischman.bsky.social

Senior editor and special projects editor. Formerly Scientific American and health podcast host. Stories on health, biology, science & politics, cute animals

2.3K followers208 following343 posts

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

#journosky & #wnba. Love the games. Also Renee Montgomery as analyst. But Montgomery is owner of the Atlanta Dream and so has serious COI as general #Wnba analyst. Can be an expert interview on the Dream but not a league-wide broadcaster. WNBA = 30 years old. Seems basic ethics. Limit her role. Now.

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Ripped off by women's basketball. I really like the game. Plunked down $15/month for "League Pass" to watch games. But...WNBA blacks out regular season games AND key playoffs. Not just in home broadcast areas either. I don't live in Indy or LV; my fee should cover tonight's series final. Nope.

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

You know, the more New York Times stories I read about Republican troubles in November elections--like this one -- the more I'm convinced Republicans will hold Congress.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/us/whos-winning-the-race-for-congress.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Josh Fischman reposted

Madame Hardy
@madamehardy.bsky.social

The predominance of smaller sizes in surviving historical clothing doesn't necessarily demonstrate the average size of people. The smallest clothes are the ones you can't remake to fit somebody else.

Riley Bruce@rileybruce.bsky.social

What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

An eventful week at Scientific American. Owner Springer Nature rushed to sell SciAm 3 days before the staff overwhelmingly voted to form a union, and laid off a lot of people. Including me. I got to work with amazing writers during my time, people who made me better. Thank-you list in comment below:

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

This year @nature.com published a gene therapy study showing success in mice and monkeys. It did not mention a little girl died from the treatment. That death is in a new @science.org story on the tragedy: bit.ly/4fCAvkk. Nature has not updated the article. The dead girl's family has complained. 🧪

nature.comIn vivo base editing of Chd3 rescues behavioural abnormalities in mice - NatureIn vivo base editing of a causative mutation that leads to the neurodevelopmental disorder Snijders Blok–Campeau syndrome restores protein dosage and ameliorates molecular and behavioural deficits in ...
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

This year @nature.com published a gene therapy study showing success in mice and monkeys. It did not mention a little girl died from the treatment. That death is in a new @science.org story on the tragedy: bit.ly/4fCAvkk. Nature has not updated the article. The dead girl's family has complained. 🧪

nature.comIn vivo base editing of Chd3 rescues behavioural abnormalities in mice - NatureIn vivo base editing of a causative mutation that leads to the neurodevelopmental disorder Snijders Blok–Campeau syndrome restores protein dosage and ameliorates molecular and behavioural deficits in ...
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Hoping that tomorrow's Spain -France match #WORLDCUP will finally rebalance the Treaty of the Pyrenees from the 17th century, which gave Louis IV too many concessions. I'm sure almost everyone agrees.

Josh Fischman reposted

John Wares
@johnwares.bsky.social

Mari-nerd friends can we blow up BlueSky with stars and anemones and other gorgeous explosions, of any taxonomy? Go 💥 💥 💥

Dr. Brooke Weigel@brookeweigel.bsky.social

Super beautiful Hopkins rose nudibranch, tidepooling this morning at Asilomar! 🌊

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

I think it's time to replace "An eventful week at @Ssciam.bsky.social.." With "A terrible week at Scientific American..." Not messing with euphenisms." See comments for details.

Josh Fischman@jfischman.bsky.social

An eventful week at Scientific American. Owner Springer Nature rushed to sell SciAm 3 days before the staff overwhelmingly voted to form a union, and laid off a lot of people. Including me. I got to work with amazing writers during my time, people who made me better. Thank-you list in comment below:

Josh Fischman reposted

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

An eventful week at Scientific American. Owner Springer Nature rushed to sell SciAm 3 days before the staff overwhelmingly voted to form a union, and laid off a lot of people. Including me. I got to work with amazing writers during my time, people who made me better. Thank-you list in comment below:

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Late Sunday musing: Changed my LinkedIn status to "open to work" last week (see thumbnail for why). Suddenly flooded with invites from "executives known for transforming organizations." Big common profile phrase. If there's so much transformation, why do orgs stay the same? (Or get worse.)

linkedin.com#opentowork | Josh Fischman | 27 commentsHi! I’m interested in a new role, or a different job, as Scientific American was just sold and the future there seems difficult. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send ...
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

An eventful week at Scientific American. Owner Springer Nature rushed to sell SciAm 3 days before the staff overwhelmingly voted to form a union, and laid off a lot of people. Including me. I got to work with amazing writers during my time, people who made me better. Thank-you list in comment below:

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Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Hire this awesome journalist!

Kate Wong@katewong.bsky.social

Today is my last day at Scientific American, which has been sold to LabX media group. For three decades I've led the magazine's coverage of human origins, archaeology, paleontology, animal behavior, ecology, BIRDS. End of an era. Anyway this feels weird to say, but I'm now available for assignments!

Josh Fischman reposted

Steve Brusatte
@stevebrusatte.bsky.social

Scientific American is 180 years old. The most eminent science magazine for the general public. And today, sold off as scrap to stop the staff from unionizing. Many top editors I've worked with for a decade on several articles have been fired. What a disgrace @sciam.bsky.social

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Hi! This is for any Scientific American fans, a support rally in Manhattan on Tuesday. (Not as elaborate as the #Knicks parade, unfortunately. )

SciAm Union@sciamunion.bsky.social

On Tuesday, Scientific American was sold by international publisher Springer Nature. Large numbers of staff were immediately laid off, and salaries of remaining workers were cut by as much as 30% SciAm staff had just voted to unionize. We should call this action what it is – blatant union-busting.

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

An eventful week at Scientific American. Owner Springer Nature rushed to sell SciAm 3 days before the staff overwhelmingly voted to form a union, and laid off a lot of people. Including me. I got to work with amazing writers during my time, people who made me better. Thank-you list in comment below:

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Melinda Wenner Moyer www.melindawennermoyer.com/about-melind...; @charlescmann.bsky.social; philipcball.bsky.social; Robert Sapolsky profiles.stanford.edu/robert-sapol...; @youmshajekian.bsky.social (more)

melindawennermoyer.comAbout Author & Journalist Melinda Wenner MoyerMelinda Wenner Moyer is the author of How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, and a contributing editor at Scientific American magazine and a regular contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post,...
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Wow! 🧪 How to deal with tick bites without panicking.

Kate Wong@katewong.bsky.social

I recently found a tick on my body and didn't know what to do. I went into journalist mode to find out. Here's what I learned about how to manage tick bites, with illustrations of the tick species that cause diseases in humans by Diogo Guerra and maps of where they occur by @jenchristiansen.com 🧪

scientificamerican.comBitten by a tick? Don’t panic—do thisKnowing what kind of tick bit you and where you got it can help inform next steps
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Worth reading this project. Framing hostile to trans people is a bad problem. I wonder about the rubric fed to the LLMs & cause/effect assumptions. # of state laws that are anti-LGBTQ+ has shot up. Stories on the laws will show up as anti-trans in the rubric. Is that bias? Or reporting on the laws?

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Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

Source for my statement about big increase in anti-LGBTQ+ laws: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fami.... (My bias: I edited that story.) See the chart showing the increased state laws. static.scientificamerican.com/dam/m/3a9029...

scientificamerican.comHow Families with LGBTQ Kids Protect Themselves from Discriminatory LawsHostility toward LGBTQ kids, enshrined in hundreds of new bills, has put families with such children under unprecedented threat, raising risks of suicide and physical attacks
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

I learned a lot about glow-in-the-dark brains and how neurons 'talk' from @adam-bowman.bsky.social . My story about his cool work is in @sciam.bsky.social profiles of Young American Scientists, just out today! Thanks, Adam, for your patient explanations! 🧪

Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social

Adam Bowman (@adam-bowman.bsky.social) is among the inaugural class of Scientific American's Young American Scientists. Explore his research: spklr.io/6009E3mjD Meet the other honorees on this year's list: sciam.com/youngscientists #SciAmYoungScientists

Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

8 years ago I edited this story by @lindy2350.bsky.social about the return of infectious diseases www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-wa.... Now @amymaxmen.bsky.social shows US policy has made things worse: in Utah measles regularly bring death and tears.🧪 kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

scientificamerican.comA Wave of Resurgent Epidemics Has Hit the U.S.Resurgent outbreaks of infectious diseases are sickening thousands, and the causes are societal
Josh Fischman
@jfischman.bsky.social

The high # of people already infected by Ebola will shock you. 🧪 www.linkedin.com/posts/lauren...

linkedin.comThe number of people already infected during the current Ebola outbreak is startling. That's because when an outbreak is declared, the numbers normally start lower and build from there. To see the...The number of people already infected during the current Ebola outbreak is startling. That's because when an outbreak is declared, the numbers normally start lower and build from there. To see the com...