I write about AI, drugs and other stuff for Slate. Previously at The New York Times and NPR. I use Twitter more for reporting than Tweeting. DMs open.
Mar 2, 2020 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
I have spent the last few days trying to understand how coronavirus spreads. Here is what I am now telling the freaked out people around me.
1. Yes, it’s highly contagious. But it’s also startlingly delicate. All it takes to destroy the tiny codependent microbe is a bit of disinfectant.
Jan 22, 2019 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
If you did not read my piece on a new approach to DNA policing over the long weekend you are pardoned. I wanted to share a few things I learned while reporting it. nytimes.com/2019/01/21/sci…1. 2019 will be the year that DNA fingerprinting starts to become real. Arrestees in five states will be asked to swirl a cotton swab around their inner cheek after a mug shot. Before leaving the station, their profile will be uploaded to the national DNA database.
