Craig Welch
Senior staff writer for . Author of Shell Games, a nonfiction book about wildlife smugglers. Bad angler; enthusiastic trail runner; reasonably good dad
Last synced from Twitter Not synced yet
Why misinformation about COVID-19’s origins keeps going viral
Science 123d 11 tweets
Another piece of coronavirus misinformation is making the rounds. Here’s how to sift through the muck.
3
Craig Welch 1/2 How propaganda gets made. A primer. She had a claim—that #coronavirus started in a lab. She ignored science to the contrary. Her work wasn't peer-reviewed. Legit journals wouldn't publish it. Steve Bannon did. by 123d
West Coast officials are already fighting wildfires. Now they're fighting misinformation, too.
NBC News 131d 7 tweets
At least six groups have issued warnings about the false rumors, including some asking the public to stop sharing the misinformation.
3
Craig Welch Can we stop? Firefighters battling wildfires across W. Coast say 911 is slammed w/callers asking abt *UNTRUE* rumors that "Antifa" coordinated and set fires. WA firefighters union calls Facebook “an absolute cesspool of misinformation right now." 131d
There is a path out of America’s COVID-19 mess—if we choose to take it
Science 146d 5 tweets
Half a year into the worst public health crisis in a century, experts across the U.S. say the country can mount a comeback if it embraces reality and taps into its ingenuity.
2
Craig Welch The U.S. utterly botched its response to the coronavirus pandemic. But what should we do now? The way forward, according to Fauci and countless others By me 146d
4
Craig Welch The U.S. utterly botched its response to the coronavirus pandemic. But what should we do now? The way forward, according to Fauci w/help from By me 146d
Fauci: ‘Bizarre’ White House Behavior Only Hurts the President
The Atlantic 189d 47 tweets
The nation’s top public-health expert tells The Atlantic that he isn’t going anywhere, despite the Trump administration’s newest attempts to undercut him.
1
Craig Welch This is ... pretty incredible. 188d
Hit the road on a cross-country trip to the future
Science 218d 1 tweets
A drive in electric cars reveals how new ideas could help power our journey to a sustainable future.
1
Craig Welch NEW. Last fall, + I crossed the U.S. to find our energy future. We hit solar + wind farms, oil fields, coal + nuke plants, steel mills, EV makers + renewable labs. This week released a cool version of our story just for your phone 218d
National Geographic | National Geographic
Email.nationalgeographic.com 235d 1 tweets
1
Craig Welch One of 's most thoughtful photographers—who has shot wars, conflict and protests in Europe, Africa, Asia and across the Middle East—is shooting heartbreaking images of rage, frustration and sadness in his hometown: Minneapolis. Pics: 235d
The grand old trees of the world are dying, leaving forests younger and shorter
Nat Geo Science - Science 236d 3 tweets
The effects on wildlife and the ability of forests to store CO2 from fossil fuels could be enormous.
1
Craig Welch NEW: Big old trees are dying around the world, creating younger forests w/smaller trees. That's bad for biodiversity + wildlife and hurts forests’ ability to store CO2. My latest at 236d
Contact tracing for COVID-19 will be the most complex health investigation ever
Nat Geo Science - Science 239d 6 tweets
To halt the spread of the deadly virus, health experts say states need to hire contact tracers to quickly hunt down everyone who’s been exposed.
6
Craig Welch How do we get out of this mess? Tracing #coronavirus cases is hard. It's been politicized. But it's essential. It may not work, "but given the lack of alternatives, we have to try.” Here's how. By me for 239d
See the eerie ice caves carved by Mount St. Helens’s fiery breath
Nat Geo Science - Science 246d 2 tweets
After the 1980 eruption, a glacier formed in the shadows inside the crater. Scientists—and our photographer—have explored its icy depths.
1
Craig Welch After Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption, snow filled the hole left behind. Shielded from sun by the crater rim, a fast-growing glacier emerged. Then, hot gassy fumaroles carved massive caves in ice. These are their stories. By me and Eric Guth in 246d
2
Craig Welch NEW: Ice, made by fire. Created by Mount St. Helens’ eruption: insanely cool, sculpted ice caves. Check out the mesmerizing images by photog Eric Guth. He and a team of experts are the only ones who’ve been allowed in these wild caves. Our story 246d
For young people, two defining events: COVID-19 and climate change
Nat Geo Science - Science 267d 1 tweets
An unforeseen pairing of catastrophes will inform how Generation Z navigates the world as adults, and what sort of future they create.
1
Craig Welch Just a crushing story: We see few moments in history like this. "Gen Z is going to have to find and build communities in different ways than any generation before.” #coronavirus + #climatechange is remaking the future for the young. 267d
Farmworkers risk coronavirus infection to keep the U.S. fed
Nat Geo Science - Science 284d 2 tweets
"If we’re essential, we need help, because we’re the people feeding the country,” says Eugenia Gonzales.
1
Craig Welch My colleague explored exactly what they face earlier this week. Worth a read 284d
Exclusive: 'Dead Sea Scrolls' at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries
History 313d 17 tweets
Months of testing confirm earlier suspicions that the fragments were made in modern times. What happens next?
28
Craig Welch EXCLUSIVE: Today’s holy wow from : *ALL* of the Dead Sea Sscrolls in Washington D.C.’s Museum of the Bible are forgeries. All. 16. Of. Them. Collectors, scholars and museum experts were all duped by fakes made in modern times. 313d
The Arctic’s thawing permafrost is releasing a shocking amount of dangerous gases
Nationalgeographic.com 349d 5 tweets
This “abrupt thaw” affects 5 percent of Arctic permafrost, but it could double the amount of warming it contributes.
1
Craig Welch NEW STUDY: Permafrost thaw's contribution to climate change may be *double* what we once thought. Top Arctic scientists spent years figuring it out. And they call the estimate conservative. It's not getting much attention. It should. My story (1) 349d
Ancient ice and viral videos in Antarctica
YouTube 404d 2 tweets
Researcher Peter Neff shares the story behind his viral "ice drop" video and drilling for ancient gases trapped in a glacier in Law Dome, Antarctica. More at...
1
Craig Welch What do you do after long hard days drilling ice cores in Antarctica? Why, you drop ice down a hole and record the bonkers sounds it makes. "Oh, it's weird." Terrific, fun video explaining researcher 's wild viral ice-drop video. 403d
Climate change driving entire planet to dangerous 'tipping point‘
Nat Geo Science - Science 419d 40 tweets
Scientists "don’t think people realize how little time we have left,” to stop irreversible and disastrous changes to Earth’s climate systems. But there is hope.
1
Craig Welch THREAD: 4 yrs ago this week, at , I called Obama science advisor John Holdren. At interview’s end I asked what he considered the most underappreciated #ClimateChange risk. He didn’t hesitate: “feedback loops.” Last wk wrote this 407d
William Ruckelshaus, Nixon nemesis who headed EPA, dies at 87
The Seattle Times 419d 1 tweets
William Ruckelshaus, the first head of the EPA who later became a heroic figure for resisting President Richard Nixon's attempts to cover up the Watergate scandal, died at his Seattle home on Wednesday. He was 87.
1
Craig Welch Seattle lost a giant. He stood up to Nixon in the Saturday Night Massacre: “I could not have done anything else.” He ran EPA—twice—as a science advocate. He helped Puget Sound orcas +salmon. In interviews, he was generous. I am thankful for his example. 419d
No, koalas aren't 'functionally extinct'—yet
Animals 421d 3 tweets
As koalas suffer in the Australian bushfires, misinformation has spread about their demise. Here’s what we know.
2
Craig Welch No, koalas aren't "functionally extinct." No, they didn't lose "80% of habitat." Yes, 350 to 1,000 died in wildfires. But a recent estimate, in 2016, put their numbers at 300,000-plus. 's smartly separates fact from fuzzy fiction. 421d
Interior Alaska is too warm for North Pole’s annual Christmas ice park
Alaska Dispatch News - Anchorage Daily News 425d 5 tweets
Officials canceled the event for the first time in 14 years, citing lack of ice on ponds to harvest for ice carving.
7
Craig Welch Sigh. For the first time, North Pole, Alaska, canceled its "Christmas on Ice" celebration. Ponds aren't frozen enough to gather ice. At 65 degrees north, 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle. In late November. 423d
Statement from Dean Charles Whitaker on The Daily Northwestern's coverage of campus events - Medill - Northwestern University
Medill.northwestern.edu 434d 45 tweets
Medill Dean Charles Whitaker's statement on The Daily Northwestern's coverage of campus events
1
Craig Welch Pretty terrific statement from the dean, with a fair-minded bit of criticism aimed at everyone, including us: I don't envy these students. But I wish them well. If they come out of this stronger, we all win. 434d
Sliding Down the Climate Slope
Nytimes.com 489d 30 tweets
The widely recited “12-year deadline” to avert catastrophe is wrong — and right.
1
Craig Welch Smart take from Constantine Samaras and on what's missing from "12 yrs to stop climate change." Includes important graph about why risks may be even higher—and how that should motivate us more. (See my pinned Tweet for one example.) 488d