Andrew Thurston
@andrewsthurston.bsky.social
Writer, science editor of The Brink @bostonu.bsky.social. West Ham, Southend, and Essex fan living in Red Sox, Pats, Celtics, Revs, and Bruins country.
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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.
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
spr.ly
July 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
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.
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...
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
www.bu.edu
July 1, 2025 at 7:44 PM
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...
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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...
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
www.bu.edu
June 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
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...
“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...
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
www.bu.edu
June 5, 2025 at 12:14 PM
“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...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
May 15, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
May 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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...
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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 ⬇️
Full guide ⬇️
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.
spr.ly
April 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM
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 ⬇️
Full guide ⬇️
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
Forget about Washington for a minute and think about the slow-motion disaster happening in your backyard. www.bu.edu/articles/202...
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...
www.bu.edu
March 18, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Forget about Washington for a minute and think about the slow-motion disaster happening in your backyard. www.bu.edu/articles/202...
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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...
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
www.bu.edu
March 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM
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...
www.bu.edu/articles/202...
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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 ⬇️
Read on ⬇️
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
spr.ly
February 19, 2025 at 1:30 PM
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 ⬇️
Read on ⬇️
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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 ⬇️
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
spr.ly
February 18, 2025 at 4:43 PM
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 ⬇️
Read on ⬇️
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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 ⬇️
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
spr.ly
February 11, 2025 at 6:44 PM
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 ⬇️
Details ⬇️
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...
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
www.bu.edu
February 11, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
February 7, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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...
Reposted by Andrew Thurston
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. ⬇️
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
spr.ly
January 15, 2025 at 10:10 PM
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. ⬇️
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...
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
www.bu.edu
January 10, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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...
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.
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
www.bu.edu
November 18, 2024 at 6:07 PM
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? (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...
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
www.bu.edu
December 12, 2023 at 3:07 PM
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...
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
November 1, 2023 at 1:16 PM
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
Zombies! 🧟 www.bu.edu/articles/202...
Don’t Open. Zombies Inside.
Maia Gil’Adí, BU assistant professor of English and Latinx literature, is building an online zombie movie archive
www.bu.edu
October 27, 2023 at 7:23 PM
Zombies! 🧟 www.bu.edu/articles/202...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
October 5, 2023 at 5:48 PM
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...
“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...
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
www.bu.edu
October 2, 2023 at 6:23 PM
“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...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
September 26, 2023 at 1:15 PM
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...
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...
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
www.bu.edu
September 21, 2023 at 12:57 PM
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...
September 20, 2023 at 1:58 PM
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...