Sarah Zhang
@sarahzhang.bsky.social
eukaryote, also a staff writer at the atlantic
A few years ago, I went to Panama to see the "sterile fly barrier" that keeps a flesh-eating parasite out of the U.S.
It's one of the wildest things I've ever written about it...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
It's one of the wildest things I've ever written about it...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating Worms
Inside the U.S. and Panama’s long-running collaboration to rid an entire continent of a deadly disease
www.theatlantic.com
May 28, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A few years ago, I went to Panama to see the "sterile fly barrier" that keeps a flesh-eating parasite out of the U.S.
It's one of the wildest things I've ever written about it...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
It's one of the wildest things I've ever written about it...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
🧵 Last year, I came across one of the most harrowing studies I've ever read.
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
May 16, 2025 at 5:32 PM
🧵 Last year, I came across one of the most harrowing studies I've ever read.
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
🧵 Last year, I came across one of the most harrowing studies I've ever read.
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
May 16, 2025 at 5:32 PM
🧵 Last year, I came across one of the most harrowing studies I've ever read.
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
It found that 1 in 4 unresponsive brain-injury patients—many considered vegetative—might be cognitively aware but trapped inside their bodies. Could this be true? What did it mean?
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Ok is something going on with the supply chain for clear plastic bags?
I bought 3 different brands of "clear" bags from Amazon (ty NYC recycling rules) that were all white, despite old reviews w photos of clear bags. And our latest box of diapers also switched from clear to white plastic sleeves.
I bought 3 different brands of "clear" bags from Amazon (ty NYC recycling rules) that were all white, despite old reviews w photos of clear bags. And our latest box of diapers also switched from clear to white plastic sleeves.
May 12, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Ok is something going on with the supply chain for clear plastic bags?
I bought 3 different brands of "clear" bags from Amazon (ty NYC recycling rules) that were all white, despite old reviews w photos of clear bags. And our latest box of diapers also switched from clear to white plastic sleeves.
I bought 3 different brands of "clear" bags from Amazon (ty NYC recycling rules) that were all white, despite old reviews w photos of clear bags. And our latest box of diapers also switched from clear to white plastic sleeves.
recently got some nice news — my magazine story about a cystic fibrosis breakthrough won first place for consumer feature in AHCJ's journalism awards
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
April 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
recently got some nice news — my magazine story about a cystic fibrosis breakthrough won first place for consumer feature in AHCJ's journalism awards
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
IT'S THIGH TIME FOR CHICKEN
After a decades-long run, America’s white-meat era may finally be ending, @sarahzhang.bsky.social reports:
The End of Chicken-Breast Dominance
The price of boneless chicken thighs is finally catching up with the price of white meat.
bit.ly
April 28, 2025 at 4:31 PM
IT'S THIGH TIME FOR CHICKEN
if you are looking for distraction in these uhh tumultuous times, Bracket City is now on @theatlantic.com and it is the perfect fun-sized diversion www.theatlantic.com/games/bracke...
Bracket City
The Atlantic covers news, politics, culture, technology, health, and more, through its articles, podcasts, videos, and flagship magazine.
www.theatlantic.com
April 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM
if you are looking for distraction in these uhh tumultuous times, Bracket City is now on @theatlantic.com and it is the perfect fun-sized diversion www.theatlantic.com/games/bracke...
"Zoom in on a silica gel bead with a scanning electron microscope, and its smooth surface turns discontinuous...
That single gram of silica gel could have an internal surface area of eight hundred square meters—the size of almost two basketball courts"
www.scopeofwork.net/silica-gel/
That single gram of silica gel could have an internal surface area of eight hundred square meters—the size of almost two basketball courts"
www.scopeofwork.net/silica-gel/
How Silica Gel Took Over the World
Silica gel packets seem like the only thing keeping our packaged food crispy and our belongings free of mildew. How on earth did they all get here?
www.scopeofwork.net
April 2, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"Zoom in on a silica gel bead with a scanning electron microscope, and its smooth surface turns discontinuous...
That single gram of silica gel could have an internal surface area of eight hundred square meters—the size of almost two basketball courts"
www.scopeofwork.net/silica-gel/
That single gram of silica gel could have an internal surface area of eight hundred square meters—the size of almost two basketball courts"
www.scopeofwork.net/silica-gel/
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
"The vaccination has stuff we don't trust," said the father of the 6-year-old girl who died from measles at the end of last month. Tom Bartlett visited with a family confronting an unthinkable tragedy:
The Texas Girl Who Died From Measles
Her father tells her story.
www.theatlantic.com
March 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
"The vaccination has stuff we don't trust," said the father of the 6-year-old girl who died from measles at the end of last month. Tom Bartlett visited with a family confronting an unthinkable tragedy:
one of the things scientists got wrong at the beginning of the pandemic is thinking "the coronavirus mutates slowly." my look back on what happened and why COVID ended up surprising us so much.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
COVID Broke the Rules of Virus Evolution
Why did this coronavirus change faster than scientists expected?
www.theatlantic.com
February 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
one of the things scientists got wrong at the beginning of the pandemic is thinking "the coronavirus mutates slowly." my look back on what happened and why COVID ended up surprising us so much.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
My neighbor Arthur made my childhood magical, and he died in the Palisades Fire. Here is my thank you to him, in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
Not Everything Can Be Rebuilt
Arthur made my childhood neighborhood magical. Now both are gone.
www.theatlantic.com
January 16, 2025 at 7:15 PM
My neighbor Arthur made my childhood magical, and he died in the Palisades Fire. Here is my thank you to him, in @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
Missed this last week—what a nice surprise to be among so many reporters I admire! ty @jasonmast.bsky.social
Some great winter reading on this list, including @sarahzhang.bsky.social's excellent piece on how Trikafta changed the lives of people with CF
We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2024
In STAT's "jealousy list" for 2024, STAT staffers explain what makes a selection of stories they read in other publications so compelling.
www.statnews.com
January 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Missed this last week—what a nice surprise to be among so many reporters I admire! ty @jasonmast.bsky.social
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
I just can't stop thinking about this story by @sarahzhang.bsky.social
America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating Worms
Inside the U.S. and Panama’s long-running collaboration to rid an entire continent of a deadly disease
www.theatlantic.com
December 17, 2024 at 10:27 PM
I just can't stop thinking about this story by @sarahzhang.bsky.social
this big bloomberg investigation into the global supply chain for human eggs is incredible, and this scene about a fertility drug purified from the urine of postmenopausal women is especially wild
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
December 16, 2024 at 4:53 PM
this big bloomberg investigation into the global supply chain for human eggs is incredible, and this scene about a fertility drug purified from the urine of postmenopausal women is especially wild
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
This story--about two families whose embryos were switched in an IVF mix-up--was a privilege to report and write for the @nytimes.com . Their grace and generosity in the face of an impossible situation moves me to no end: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/m...
An I.V.F. Mixup, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice
Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other’s genetic children. Should they switch their girls?
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2024 at 4:32 PM
This story--about two families whose embryos were switched in an IVF mix-up--was a privilege to report and write for the @nytimes.com . Their grace and generosity in the face of an impossible situation moves me to no end: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/25/m...
Reposted by Sarah Zhang
i'll drop everything to read a new story by @sarahzhang.bsky.social and I am so happy @neeldhan.bsky.social interviewed her for @niemanlab.org!
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
The Atlantic’s Sarah Zhang on covering the science and emotion of being human
"I've always liked to think of myself as a brain floating through space...[but] our physical condition constrains and expands the way we think about ourselves."
www.niemanlab.org
November 21, 2024 at 9:02 PM
i'll drop everything to read a new story by @sarahzhang.bsky.social and I am so happy @neeldhan.bsky.social interviewed her for @niemanlab.org!
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
fun to chat with @neeldhan.bsky.social at @niemanlab.org about journalism
topics discussed: the humiliation of living in a physical body, chartbeat brain, and how becoming a parent sharpened the way i think about covering health and science
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
topics discussed: the humiliation of living in a physical body, chartbeat brain, and how becoming a parent sharpened the way i think about covering health and science
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
The Atlantic’s Sarah Zhang on covering the science and emotion of being human
"I've always liked to think of myself as a brain floating through space...[but] our physical condition constrains and expands the way we think about ourselves."
www.niemanlab.org
November 22, 2024 at 2:08 PM
fun to chat with @neeldhan.bsky.social at @niemanlab.org about journalism
topics discussed: the humiliation of living in a physical body, chartbeat brain, and how becoming a parent sharpened the way i think about covering health and science
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
topics discussed: the humiliation of living in a physical body, chartbeat brain, and how becoming a parent sharpened the way i think about covering health and science
www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/the-...
give it up for the scrawny city boys
November 19, 2024 at 3:54 PM
give it up for the scrawny city boys
wrote about RFK Jr., vaccines, and my most enduring memory from college German class www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Here’s How We Know RFK Jr. Is Wrong About Vaccines
Children used to die of diseases far more gruesome and deadly than we remember.
www.theatlantic.com
November 19, 2024 at 3:36 PM
wrote about RFK Jr., vaccines, and my most enduring memory from college German class www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
You might have heard about the tick that makes you allergic to red meat.
Lately, I've been hearing that this tick is also making farmers allergic to their own animals—so allergic that some farmers can't even touch or be around cattle anymore.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Lately, I've been hearing that this tick is also making farmers allergic to their own animals—so allergic that some farmers can't even touch or be around cattle anymore.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
A Tick Is Making Farmers Allergic to Their Own Animals
Some farmers can no longer even touch or be near their cattle and sheep.
www.theatlantic.com
October 7, 2024 at 5:35 PM
You might have heard about the tick that makes you allergic to red meat.
Lately, I've been hearing that this tick is also making farmers allergic to their own animals—so allergic that some farmers can't even touch or be around cattle anymore.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
Lately, I've been hearing that this tick is also making farmers allergic to their own animals—so allergic that some farmers can't even touch or be around cattle anymore.
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
got to do the thing i love best, which is investigate a lil mystery by following a supply chain (in this case: seaweed)
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
A Simple Lab Ingredient Derailed Science Experiments
A scientist in Arkansas couldn’t get her experiments to work. Then others started saying the same thing.
www.theatlantic.com
September 25, 2024 at 7:46 PM
got to do the thing i love best, which is investigate a lil mystery by following a supply chain (in this case: seaweed)
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
Whoa hi to so many new friends here. Where are you coming from?
September 25, 2024 at 7:45 PM
Whoa hi to so many new friends here. Where are you coming from?
What does it look like when you leave abortion up to the states?
In the latest issue of The Atlantic, I wrote about life in Idaho, under of the most extreme bans in the country.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
In the latest issue of The Atlantic, I wrote about life in Idaho, under of the most extreme bans in the country.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
‘That’s Something That You Won’t Recover From as a Doctor’
In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients’ lives at risk.
www.theatlantic.com
September 12, 2024 at 6:16 PM
What does it look like when you leave abortion up to the states?
In the latest issue of The Atlantic, I wrote about life in Idaho, under of the most extreme bans in the country.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
In the latest issue of The Atlantic, I wrote about life in Idaho, under of the most extreme bans in the country.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Yes! Another currently off-label use for Xolair—I've talked people with MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) who were able to get approved on the basis of chronic hives or food allergies.
Studies suggest it works for MCAS: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30954641/
Studies suggest it works for MCAS: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30954641/
September 11, 2024 at 1:27 PM
Yes! Another currently off-label use for Xolair—I've talked people with MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) who were able to get approved on the basis of chronic hives or food allergies.
Studies suggest it works for MCAS: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30954641/
Studies suggest it works for MCAS: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30954641/