Rachel Fairbank
@sweetsciencewriter.bsky.social
Science journalist, with bylines in Nature, National Geographic, the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Houston Chronicle. I cover a mixture of health topics, with a focus on conditions such as autism, ADHD, ME/CFS, POTS and Long COVID.
A lot of respect for Mamdani, it's not easy admitting you don't know something on live TV.
November 21, 2025 at 10:55 PM
A lot of respect for Mamdani, it's not easy admitting you don't know something on live TV.
I also learn words by reading. I messed up the pronunciation of acetaldehyde while being interviewed by National Geographic. (Acetaldehyde is briefly produced by the body while metabolizing alcohol, and is thought to be responsible for the majority of alcohol's negative health effects.)
November 21, 2025 at 10:54 PM
I also learn words by reading. I messed up the pronunciation of acetaldehyde while being interviewed by National Geographic. (Acetaldehyde is briefly produced by the body while metabolizing alcohol, and is thought to be responsible for the majority of alcohol's negative health effects.)
Thank you. The worst is over.
November 21, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Thank you. The worst is over.
I’ve had a lot of issues with my teeth, due to poor healthcare during childhood. As an adult, I estimate that I’ve spent the equivalent of a decent car just to keep my teeth in my mouth.
November 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I’ve had a lot of issues with my teeth, due to poor healthcare during childhood. As an adult, I estimate that I’ve spent the equivalent of a decent car just to keep my teeth in my mouth.
Also, tooth pain is miserable. Being able to relieve that pain shouldn’t come at a cost of thousands of dollars.
November 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Also, tooth pain is miserable. Being able to relieve that pain shouldn’t come at a cost of thousands of dollars.
When my sister got married, I was no longer attending church, which meant I got to fly to upstate NY to sit outside the temple while she got married.
Nothing says “family values” quite like banning family members from weddings due to a difference in religious beliefs.
Nothing says “family values” quite like banning family members from weddings due to a difference in religious beliefs.
November 18, 2025 at 9:16 PM
When my sister got married, I was no longer attending church, which meant I got to fly to upstate NY to sit outside the temple while she got married.
Nothing says “family values” quite like banning family members from weddings due to a difference in religious beliefs.
Nothing says “family values” quite like banning family members from weddings due to a difference in religious beliefs.
And to give you a sense of the consequences: Drinking coffee and tea means you fail your temple-worthiness interview, which means you are no longer allowed to attend weddings in the temple.
November 18, 2025 at 9:14 PM
And to give you a sense of the consequences: Drinking coffee and tea means you fail your temple-worthiness interview, which means you are no longer allowed to attend weddings in the temple.
And to give people an idea of how seriously Mormons take this, people used to argue about whether it was okay to get hot chocolate (which is not a sin) from Starbucks, as walking around with a Starbucks cup gave off the “appearance of evil,” which we were supposed to avoid.
November 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM
And to give people an idea of how seriously Mormons take this, people used to argue about whether it was okay to get hot chocolate (which is not a sin) from Starbucks, as walking around with a Starbucks cup gave off the “appearance of evil,” which we were supposed to avoid.
No “hot drinks” except that hot chocolate is totally okay. No “hot drinks” except that iced coffee and iced tea is also a sin. “Hot drinks” means caffeinated drinks, except that now caffeinated sodas are totally okay. And if you get confused, or slip up, it’s because you’re a sinner.
November 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM
No “hot drinks” except that hot chocolate is totally okay. No “hot drinks” except that iced coffee and iced tea is also a sin. “Hot drinks” means caffeinated drinks, except that now caffeinated sodas are totally okay. And if you get confused, or slip up, it’s because you’re a sinner.
The restriction against coffee and tea (and at one point, caffeinated soda) is from a text called The Word of Wisdom, which states we should avoid “hot drinks,” which was later interpreted to be caffeinated drinks.
November 18, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The restriction against coffee and tea (and at one point, caffeinated soda) is from a text called The Word of Wisdom, which states we should avoid “hot drinks,” which was later interpreted to be caffeinated drinks.
Some of the things I’ve since been told: “You took it too seriously!”
Well, yeah, that was kind of the point, we were all taught to take it seriously, that our eternal salvation relied on taking it seriously.
Well, yeah, that was kind of the point, we were all taught to take it seriously, that our eternal salvation relied on taking it seriously.
November 18, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Some of the things I’ve since been told: “You took it too seriously!”
Well, yeah, that was kind of the point, we were all taught to take it seriously, that our eternal salvation relied on taking it seriously.
Well, yeah, that was kind of the point, we were all taught to take it seriously, that our eternal salvation relied on taking it seriously.
Also, to add on to this, I was raised Mormon, during a time when drinking caffeinated soda was considered a sin. It’s a little surreal to be told that not only is it no longer a sin, but to also be told that I must be remembering wrong, as it was never “really” a sin.
November 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Also, to add on to this, I was raised Mormon, during a time when drinking caffeinated soda was considered a sin. It’s a little surreal to be told that not only is it no longer a sin, but to also be told that I must be remembering wrong, as it was never “really” a sin.
Some women found that liberating and some found it hurtful. For years they had been slut-shamed if they wore shoulder-baring tops, several women told the Cut, but now they were suddenly informed it was fine because some elderly men said so.
November 18, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Some women found that liberating and some found it hurtful. For years they had been slut-shamed if they wore shoulder-baring tops, several women told the Cut, but now they were suddenly informed it was fine because some elderly men said so.
For generations, practicing Mormons had been told that their garments — the sacred vestments worn under clothing — were doctrinally required to cover shoulders. This year, the church announced that a sleeveless version would now be available.
November 18, 2025 at 6:39 PM
For generations, practicing Mormons had been told that their garments — the sacred vestments worn under clothing — were doctrinally required to cover shoulders. This year, the church announced that a sleeveless version would now be available.
After more than a century of prohibiting “hot drinks,” widely understood to refer to all caffeinated beverages, the church announced in 2012 that, actually, it turns out sodas are fine.
November 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
After more than a century of prohibiting “hot drinks,” widely understood to refer to all caffeinated beverages, the church announced in 2012 that, actually, it turns out sodas are fine.
It’s “Girls Gone Wild” meets “The Surrendered Wife,” it’s the veneer of piety over a foundation of mold; it’s a worldview based on the concept that women are allowed to be a lot of things, so long as those things involve pursuing heterosexual marriage, having babies and looking hot.
November 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
It’s “Girls Gone Wild” meets “The Surrendered Wife,” it’s the veneer of piety over a foundation of mold; it’s a worldview based on the concept that women are allowed to be a lot of things, so long as those things involve pursuing heterosexual marriage, having babies and looking hot.
You can never go wrong with a house panther. Mine says hello.
November 18, 2025 at 3:39 AM
You can never go wrong with a house panther. Mine says hello.
I suspect the biggest factor in feeling better is lots and lots of rest, and plain old luck.
Adjusting my POTS meds earlier this year also played a role, and acupuncture has been surprisingly helpful, mostly because it puts my body into a deeply relaxed state.
Adjusting my POTS meds earlier this year also played a role, and acupuncture has been surprisingly helpful, mostly because it puts my body into a deeply relaxed state.
November 17, 2025 at 1:05 AM
I suspect the biggest factor in feeling better is lots and lots of rest, and plain old luck.
Adjusting my POTS meds earlier this year also played a role, and acupuncture has been surprisingly helpful, mostly because it puts my body into a deeply relaxed state.
Adjusting my POTS meds earlier this year also played a role, and acupuncture has been surprisingly helpful, mostly because it puts my body into a deeply relaxed state.
But in the meantime, I’ve been able to finish a couple of essays I’ve been stuck on for years, and I’m starting to think about revising some of my other projects that have been languishing in a drawer.
November 17, 2025 at 1:00 AM
But in the meantime, I’ve been able to finish a couple of essays I’ve been stuck on for years, and I’m starting to think about revising some of my other projects that have been languishing in a drawer.
I just hope it continues? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that chronic illness has no predictability, and comes with zero guarantees.
November 17, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I just hope it continues? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that chronic illness has no predictability, and comes with zero guarantees.