Kristina Killgrove
@killgrove.bsky.social
Staff writer @LiveScience.com
Email: [email protected]
Web: Livescience.com/author/kristina-killgrove
PhD in anthropology, MA in classical archaeology. Former professor & Roman bioarchaeologist.
I crochet and bake a lot. Time zone: US Eastern
Email: [email protected]
Web: Livescience.com/author/kristina-killgrove
PhD in anthropology, MA in classical archaeology. Former professor & Roman bioarchaeologist.
I crochet and bake a lot. Time zone: US Eastern
Pinned
Being a science writer right now is like…
9am - Coffee and constitutional crisis!
10am - Read a neat study on 5000-year-old beads.
11am - US science funding is off/on/off/on!
Noon - Email a researcher about Iron Age skeletons.
Afternoon - More constitutional crises and screaming into the void!
9am - Coffee and constitutional crisis!
10am - Read a neat study on 5000-year-old beads.
11am - US science funding is off/on/off/on!
Noon - Email a researcher about Iron Age skeletons.
Afternoon - More constitutional crises and screaming into the void!
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
“The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, a historic restitution that is part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas.”
It’s a start
It’s a start
Pope Leo returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada
The Vatican returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, a historic restitution that is part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture.
www.npr.org
November 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
“The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, a historic restitution that is part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas.”
It’s a start
It’s a start
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Good article. We have reported about "Gender Exploratory Therapy" at EITM for years now - it's a subversive practice akin to "crisis pregnancy centers" that seeks to delay transition until the person gives up on being trans - they will NEVER let the trans teen transition.
Conversion therapy is quietly rebranding — and targeting trans youths
As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, parents and experts fear a resurgence of discredited “therapies” that seek to change transgender children’s identities.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Good article. We have reported about "Gender Exploratory Therapy" at EITM for years now - it's a subversive practice akin to "crisis pregnancy centers" that seeks to delay transition until the person gives up on being trans - they will NEVER let the trans teen transition.
Yup, I had one of these interviews for an Ivy League postdoc in 2011. At least all the men sat on the bed and gave me a chair…? 😬
(A few years later, the prof “retired” after he sexually harassed and retaliated against a grad student, so…)
(A few years later, the prof “retired” after he sexually harassed and retaliated against a grad student, so…)
If you are not in academia, you might not know this, but job interviews used to be held at conferences IN HOTEL ROOMS. Women candidates in a hotel room alone with often all-male committees. People sitting on beds! The horror stories I've heard.
I thing I sometimes thing about is that university departments were still doing job interviews in hotel rooms in the mid aughts
November 16, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Yup, I had one of these interviews for an Ivy League postdoc in 2011. At least all the men sat on the bed and gave me a chair…? 😬
(A few years later, the prof “retired” after he sexually harassed and retaliated against a grad student, so…)
(A few years later, the prof “retired” after he sexually harassed and retaliated against a grad student, so…)
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Rudy Bridges is younger than the Sitting President of the United States and 29 sitting United States Senators
It’s useful for people of my generation to be reminded that this wasn’t that long ago. Ruby Bridges isn’t just still alive—she’s only 71, not ancient!
65 years ago on Nov. 14, little Ruby Bridges was escorted into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Norman Rockwell, renowned for blissful depictions of Americana, did this remarkable painting for Look magazine. Printed as a double page, over-size spread, it's his masterpiece.
November 15, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Rudy Bridges is younger than the Sitting President of the United States and 29 sitting United States Senators
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Surprising find near the trap: a wooden oar with incised decoration that had been brought up the 4500-ft-tall mountain. (Pic of it and a cute axe-shaped brooch in link.)🏺🧪
Archaeologists discover 1,500-year-old reindeer trap and other artifacts 'melting out of the ice' in Norway's mountains
The well-preserved reindeer trap may be unique in Europe.
www.livescience.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Surprising find near the trap: a wooden oar with incised decoration that had been brought up the 4500-ft-tall mountain. (Pic of it and a cute axe-shaped brooch in link.)🏺🧪
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
The fact that the "social psychologist who wrote a book on hormonal birth control” quoted is also
1) a consultant for 28 (Thiel-backed), Flo (data breach), CuePod (??), & Tuune;
2) a regular writer for Evie Magazine (same people as 28)
but the NYT author doesn't disclose that is hot garbage.
1) a consultant for 28 (Thiel-backed), Flo (data breach), CuePod (??), & Tuune;
2) a regular writer for Evie Magazine (same people as 28)
but the NYT author doesn't disclose that is hot garbage.
"Officials in the Trump administration have also been exploring ways for the federal government to direct funding toward teaching more women of reproductive age to accurately identify their fertile windows, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/u...
The MAHA-Fueled Rise of Natural Family Planning
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The fact that the "social psychologist who wrote a book on hormonal birth control” quoted is also
1) a consultant for 28 (Thiel-backed), Flo (data breach), CuePod (??), & Tuune;
2) a regular writer for Evie Magazine (same people as 28)
but the NYT author doesn't disclose that is hot garbage.
1) a consultant for 28 (Thiel-backed), Flo (data breach), CuePod (??), & Tuune;
2) a regular writer for Evie Magazine (same people as 28)
but the NYT author doesn't disclose that is hot garbage.
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Oreoboros
oh wow that’s crazy
oreos with bits of
of oreos. in them
Real Bits of Oreos
oreos with bits of
of oreos. in them
Real Bits of Oreos
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Oreoboros
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming before vanishing day to all those who celebrate.
November 14, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming before vanishing day to all those who celebrate.
Surprising find near the trap: a wooden oar with incised decoration that had been brought up the 4500-ft-tall mountain. (Pic of it and a cute axe-shaped brooch in link.)🏺🧪
Archaeologists discover 1,500-year-old reindeer trap and other artifacts 'melting out of the ice' in Norway's mountains
The well-preserved reindeer trap may be unique in Europe.
www.livescience.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Surprising find near the trap: a wooden oar with incised decoration that had been brought up the 4500-ft-tall mountain. (Pic of it and a cute axe-shaped brooch in link.)🏺🧪
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:03 AM
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 13, 2025 at 11:15 PM
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
With sequencing of Hitler's DNA making headlines, time for a reminder: analysing a polygenic score from a dead historically-significant figure won't give new insights into that person's behaviour. In a brief paper last year, we used Beethoven's genome to directly illustrate the fallacies involved.🧪👇
Notes from Beethoven’s genome
Wesseldijk et al. compare the genomic information collected from Ludwig van Beethoven
with population-based datasets used to quantify musical achievement.
www.cell.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:26 AM
With sequencing of Hitler's DNA making headlines, time for a reminder: analysing a polygenic score from a dead historically-significant figure won't give new insights into that person's behaviour. In a brief paper last year, we used Beethoven's genome to directly illustrate the fallacies involved.🧪👇
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
My takeaway from every new Epstein revelation is that some powerful people victimized many powerless young women, many more knew, some actively enabled it--and we're still being told that MeToo and accountability for sexual violence have gone too far
November 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
My takeaway from every new Epstein revelation is that some powerful people victimized many powerless young women, many more knew, some actively enabled it--and we're still being told that MeToo and accountability for sexual violence have gone too far
I wrote this short quiz on gems and gold. 💎
In the four days between when I filed the copy and when it published, I apparently forgot all I'd learned because I got a 10/15 on it. Lol, oops. See if you can beat my garbage brain!
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
In the four days between when I filed the copy and when it published, I apparently forgot all I'd learned because I got a 10/15 on it. Lol, oops. See if you can beat my garbage brain!
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
Gold and gems quiz: What do you know about sparkly treasures made by nature?
Think you know a lot about jewels? Can you make this whole quiz shimmer?
www.livescience.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:42 PM
I wrote this short quiz on gems and gold. 💎
In the four days between when I filed the copy and when it published, I apparently forgot all I'd learned because I got a 10/15 on it. Lol, oops. See if you can beat my garbage brain!
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
In the four days between when I filed the copy and when it published, I apparently forgot all I'd learned because I got a 10/15 on it. Lol, oops. See if you can beat my garbage brain!
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
The Epstein stuff is always so amazing to me because it's like "yes he was a sex criminal but if you can get past that, he was also an avowed eugenicist"
November 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The Epstein stuff is always so amazing to me because it's like "yes he was a sex criminal but if you can get past that, he was also an avowed eugenicist"
I like how the small tools look like Goldfish crackers. 🧪🏺
Ancient DNA reveals mysterious Indigenous lineage that lived in Argentina for nearly 8,500 years — but rarely interacted with others
A previously unknown Indigenous population lived in central Argentina for nearly 8,500 years, a new genetic study finds.
www.livescience.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
I like how the small tools look like Goldfish crackers. 🧪🏺
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
it me
Guy seething with jealousy: Well, I think the normal sky is already pretty cool
November 12, 2025 at 4:40 AM
it me
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
For my Xtra column this month, I wrote about what it's been like living as a trans person in Trump's first year and the outlook moving forward. xtramagazine.com/power/politi...
A year after Trump's reelection, what's next for trans people? | Xtra Magazine
The past year has been horrifying for trans people in the U.S. The past week gave me hope for the future
xtramagazine.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:51 PM
For my Xtra column this month, I wrote about what it's been like living as a trans person in Trump's first year and the outlook moving forward. xtramagazine.com/power/politi...
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Human origins research has unfortunately become an area where researchers bring out Tolkien-esque analogies, trading on the idea that races or species of hominins once coexisted. The existence of past diversity is real, but the analogies with hobbits and other fictional beings promote misconceptions
The far right is obsessed with Lord of the Rings and Musk keeps posting about "hobbits" because modern scientific racism owes more to fantasy worlds and gaming systems than genetic science, and they see both as effective mediums for right-wing propaganda www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons and Dragons to Be Racist
The fantastical roots of “scientific racism”
www.theatlantic.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Human origins research has unfortunately become an area where researchers bring out Tolkien-esque analogies, trading on the idea that races or species of hominins once coexisted. The existence of past diversity is real, but the analogies with hobbits and other fictional beings promote misconceptions
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
You're never gonna believe this, but we're out of archaeologists again.
We have matched ~650 groups with archaeologists this semester! I am so grateful to the 196 Archaeologist volunteers!
We have 60 unmatched groups rn
Know archaeologists who could do a session? Send them to SkypeAScientist.com
We have matched ~650 groups with archaeologists this semester! I am so grateful to the 196 Archaeologist volunteers!
We have 60 unmatched groups rn
Know archaeologists who could do a session? Send them to SkypeAScientist.com
SKYPE A SCIENTIST
Skype a Scientist matches your classroom, scout troop, or library with scientists for Q&A sessions for free!
SkypeAScientist.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
You're never gonna believe this, but we're out of archaeologists again.
We have matched ~650 groups with archaeologists this semester! I am so grateful to the 196 Archaeologist volunteers!
We have 60 unmatched groups rn
Know archaeologists who could do a session? Send them to SkypeAScientist.com
We have matched ~650 groups with archaeologists this semester! I am so grateful to the 196 Archaeologist volunteers!
We have 60 unmatched groups rn
Know archaeologists who could do a session? Send them to SkypeAScientist.com
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
Authorities Probe Theft of Ancient Statues from National Museum of Damascus
art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/11/auth...
art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/11/auth...
Authorities Probe Theft of Ancient Statues from National Museum of Damascus
"A blog about art crimes, illicit trafficking, forgery, art theft and cultural heritage protection."
art-crime.blogspot.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Authorities Probe Theft of Ancient Statues from National Museum of Damascus
art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/11/auth...
art-crime.blogspot.com/2025/11/auth...
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
This interesting-looking iron implement discovered at a Celtic site in Poland may have been a trepanation tool. 🧪🏺
2,300-year-old tool used for skull surgery unearthed at Celtic settlement in Poland
The uniquely shaped iron surgery implement dates to the fourth to third centuries B.C.
www.livescience.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
This interesting-looking iron implement discovered at a Celtic site in Poland may have been a trepanation tool. 🧪🏺
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
This week’s astonishing artifact is an ancient Egyptian human-hair wig found in the tomb of a royal architect and his wife. 🏺🧪
Merit's wig: A 3,400-year-old Egyptian headpiece smoothed down with ancient homemade hair gel
Merit's head covering was made from real human hair and was buried with her in its own wooden cabinet.
www.livescience.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This week’s astonishing artifact is an ancient Egyptian human-hair wig found in the tomb of a royal architect and his wife. 🏺🧪
Reposted by Kristina Killgrove
