Jimmy Kimmel says good-bye to Musk and plays 'TACO Man' for Trump

I told my readers to "stay tuned for last night's monologues from late-night talk show hosts to close out May," but only Jimmy Kimmel was broadcasting new shows this week; all the rest took the week of Memorial Day off. Without any further ado, I'm sharing Kimmel's Thursday night monologue, Trump Blows Up Over TACO Nickname, Demands Apology from 60 Minutes & Elon Leaves Washington.

Elon Musk’s time as a Special Government Employee has come to end, the court of International Trade ruled unanimously that Trump did not have the authority to implement the big, beautiful tariffs he slapped on everyone, Trump blew up at a reporter for asking about his new nickname “TACO” that’s been making the rounds on Wall Street which stands for “Trump Always Chickening Out,” he is now reportedly one step closer to settling the ridiculous lawsuit he filed against 60 minutes, he now says he plans to give Russia “two weeks” to prove they are serious about a peace deal with Ukraine, America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani wore a crazy outfit, FBI Director Kash Patel sat for an interview with Fox News, RFK Jr made an announcement about COVID vaccines and Cousin Micki teaches us where babies come from.

I'm glad "Elon Musk's...Chainsaw Massacre of our federal workforce" is finally over. It was even worse than I expected from Project 2025, and that was bad enough. I don't think Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump is done with tariffs, but the U.S. Court of International Trade ruling is good news. So is the TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) meme taking off — something stuck! As for sore winner Hoover Cleveland suing CBS over the 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris, it earned a News & Doc Emmy nomination for Outstanding Edited Interview. I will take great pleasure in repeating that when I get to the news categories in my coverage of those awards.

Kimmel has instituted a new feature since I last embedded one of his monologues, The Rabbit Hole, a parody of conspiracy theory shows. Here's the one my wife and I watched last night, The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel: Is Trump a Time Traveler?

Jimmy Kimmel is deep down the Rabbit Hole again digging through history to prove that Donald Trump is more than he seems.

Trump is a man out of time, but that's just because he's learned very few new tricks since the 1980s. Just the same, Kimmel and his writers found an amusing set of coincidences.

Now for The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel: Exploring Elon, which I haven't watched until now.

Jimmy Kimmel explores The Rabbit Hole into the most enigmatic man on the planet and discovers that Elon Musk is hiding two small things with huge implications.

I'm pleasantly surprised ABC's Standards and Practices allowed this to air, not because of what it says about Elon Musk, but what it shows about animal sex. Cue the Bloodhound Gang!

Finally, Seth Meyers may not have been making new episodes of his own show this week, but he was still on TV. Watch Jimmy Kimmel & Seth Meyers Release Attack Ads Against Each Other.

Emmy voting season is upon us and Jimmy finds it a little odd that Seth would come here to try and score a nomination when they’re competing in the same category. Jimmy had no choice but to take action.

Those got a little too personal for my taste, but they were still hilarious.

This concludes May's blogging. Stay tuned for an examination of the nominees for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary as the Sunday entertainment feature to kick off June.

'The Grab' leads both Outstanding Investigative Documentary and Best Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

I told my readers to "Stay tuned as I resume my coverage of the News & Doc Emmy Awards" at the end of PBS NewsHour explains 'How Meta's blockbuster antitrust trial could have major implications for big tech' — a Throwback Thursday special, and I'm following through with the nominees for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, which include two of the nominees for Best Documentary. From most to least nominated, they are The Grab with four nominations, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders with three, Fault Lines episode "The Night Won't End" with two, and two Frontline episodes, "A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela" and "South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning," both with one. I'm sharing their trailers in that order, beginning with The Grab - Official Trailer | Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Opening June 14 by Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.

Quietly and seemingly out of sight, governments, private investors and mercenaries are working to seize food and water resources at the expense of entire populations. These groups are establishing themselves as the new OPEC, where the future world powers will be those who control not oil, but food. And it's all beginning to bubble to the surface in real time. Global food prices have hit an all-time high, threatening chaos and violence. Meanwhile China, Russia, the UAE and Wall Street are just a few of the players strategizing within this shocking, shifting geopolitical landscape.

THE GRAB is a global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism from The Center for Investigative Reporting with the compelling character-driven storytelling of director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, taking you around the globe to reveal one of the world’s biggest and least known threats.

Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite

This documentary fits the overall theme of this blog and is one I can recommend to my students. Welcome to blogging as professional development. It's also a chance for Gabriela Cowperthwaite to earn the recognition she deserved but didn't get for Blackfish. I hope she, along with the film's producers, researchers, and trailer creators, get it.

I did not see the "share" icon for American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders | Official Trailer | Netflix, so I'm embedding American Conspiracy: Il caso Octopus | Trailer ufficiale | Netflix Italia.


 Here's the English translation of the Italian video description.

Investigators have no doubts about the death of Danny Casolaro: for them, the journalist found in the bathtub of a hotel room committed suicide. But the reporter's family and colleagues believe it could have been murder. The motive? The investigation he was conducting into a conspiracy he called "Octopus," a secret organization linked to the theft of government spy software, a series of unsolved murders and some of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century. Years later, researcher Christian Hansen tries to reveal the secrets of Casolaro's death, along with the story that cost him his life. Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions and director Zachary Treitz present this four-part docuseries that tells the mystery that has lasted for decades.

This film shares producers with Wild Wild Country, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series as well as four other nominations at the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards and four nominations at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. That's a good sign for its award chances, although I'm still rooting for Cowperthwaite and The Grab.

Al Jazeera English uploaded the entire episode for "The Night Won't End," which I'm not sharing here, so I'm embedding Excerpts from 'The Night Won't End: Biden's War on Gaza' in lieu of an actual trailer.

Israel’s bombing campaign continues in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis deepens to catastrophic levels, the Biden administration has not wavered in its support for Israel. United States weapons transfers - from 2,000-pound bombs to artillery shells and tanks - have been a crucial part of the Israeli military campaign. Fault Lines worked with journalists in Gaza to profile three families as they try to survive the war. Together with Airwars, Fault Lines also investigated an air strike on December 11 in north Gaza in which more than 100 people from the same family were killed. Numerous attacks on civilians - including that on Hind Rajab and her relatives in late January - have raised international concern and questions over continuing US support. Fault Lines partnered with Forensic Architecture and Earshot to investigate that attack. From air strikes to field executions, Fault Lines investigates the killings of civilians by the Israeli military in Gaza and the role of the United States in the war.

"Biden's war on Gaza" — Al Jazeera certainly has an opinion. John Oliver had an opposing message and I had a reaction. Oliver warned that Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump would be worse on Gaza and that turned out to be true. As my readers can probably tell, I'm not rooting for Al Jazeera English's nominee to win either this award or Outstanding Writing – Documentary. Good thing there are better nominees in both categories.

Now for the two nominated Frontline episodes, beginning with A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro's Venezuela (trailer) | FRONTLINE.

With the Venezuelan news outlet Armando.info, FRONTLINE investigates the shadowy figure at the heart of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S. "A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela" premieres Tues., May 14, 2024.

...and concluding the trailers with South Korea's Adoption Reckoning (trailer) | FRONTLINE + @AssociatedPress.

FRONTLINE and The Associated Press investigate allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea’s historic foreign adoption boom.

In a normal year, a Frontline episode would have a better chance of winning; 2024 wasn't a normal year. Also, most of these nominees show that the line between investigative documentaries and crime and justice documentaries is very fine, just like between science and nature documentaries.

Now to re-examine the nominees for Best Documentary, which I first covered in 'King Coal' vs. 'Hollywood Black' and 'Madu' for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards.

For the first time in this series, I'm examining the nominees for Best Documentary. I've been holding off because the category has nine nominees this year. The Grab leads with four nominations, followed by American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders and Mammals with three each, Hollywood Black, The Sixth, and The Truth vs. Alex Jones, all with two, and The Commandant's Shadow, Queendom, and The Sing Sing Chronicles with just this one. The Grab and American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders are facing off for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, The Sixth leads the nominees for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary, The Truth vs. Alex Jones is contending with Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary, and Mammals leads the rest of the field without a subject area nomination. That's four more opportunities to examine the nominees, after which I'll make my call.

Right now, I have The Grab in first, but I'm not making a final call until I write about the rest of the nominees. I'm planning on examining Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary in the next installment because I have personal and professional interests in both The Truth vs. Alex Jones and Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal, the latter of which I can also recommend to my students. Again, welcome to blogging as professional development.

Follow over the jump for the craft categories in which the nominees for Outstanding Investigative Documentary earned nominations.

PBS NewsHour explains 'How Meta's blockbuster antitrust trial could have major implications for big tech' — a Throwback Thursday special

Happy Throwback Thursday! I'm returning to what I wrote in BBC News asks 'Will Bluesky be able to rival X or Twitter?' A Wayback Wednesday special, "I plan on getting to Zuckerberg and Meta's legal fight with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Flashback Friday, when I finish this series with the blog's year on Instagram and Threads." I wrote Howtown asks 'How accurate was the Covid death count?' A Flashback Friday pandemic update instead, so I'm covering the case today.* I begin with PBS NewsHour explaining How Meta's blockbuster antitrust trial could have major implications for big tech.

A blockbuster antitrust trial between Meta and the Federal Trade Commission is underway. The government alleges the company monopolized the social media market when it purchased Instagram and WhatsApp. The trial could have major implications for big tech. Stephanie Sy discussed the case with Rebecca Allensworth, a law professor at Vanderbilt University.

That was in April. The trial is still going on, so I turn to The Verge for an update in Inside the Meta monopoly trial | The Vergecast, uploaded two days ago.

After more than a month of testimony, the Meta antirust trial is beginning to slow down. The Google search remedies trial, meanwhile, is about to heat up again, with closing arguments coming soon. The Verge’s Lauren Feiner has been in the DC courthouse for all of it, and has finally emerged to tell us about what she’s seen, and learned, from two all-important monopoly trials. After that, The Verge’s Victoria Song tells us about her latest experience with Google’s smart glasses prototypes, what Google is doing differently from Meta and Apple, and what she thinks Jony Ive and OpenAI might be building. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline about what to do now that Mozilla is shutting down Pocket.

I don't use WhatsApp, but I do use Instagram and X competitor Threads. The latter two are tied so closely together that I have a hard time seeing how the two would be separated without imparing Threads, even though Threads doesn't seem to be an issue in this case by itself. I might be wrong, but I don't know how. In any event, this trial will last long enough, short of a surprise settlement, that Tech Policy has scheduled FTC v. Meta: Takeaways from A Landmark Trial for June 26th. That will make for a post that I can share in July. Wowzers!

Follow over the jump for a retrospective of the blog's year on Instagram and Threads, which will complete this series.

SciShow asks 'Why Do So Many More Pedestrians Die in America?' A driving update

Instead of a Wayback Wednesday look back at the previous blogging year's top posts, I have a driving update today. Before I look at Pearl the Prius's latest mileage report, I'm sharing something more general about driving, SciShow asking Why Do So Many More Pedestrians Die in America?

A huge number of vehicular fatalities are people who aren't in cars at all. Pedestrians are dying more than they used to and more in America than other comparable parts of the world. Here's why.

This should look familiar to long-time readers of my blog, as I covered this very topic in PBS NewsHour reports 'Pedestrian deaths in U.S. reach highest level in 40 years,' a driving update, where I wrote, "I think a lot of it is reckless behavior by people, especially drivers, not infrastructure," and "when Secretary Buttigieg talked about looking at car safety from the perspective of other people besides the occupants of cars, the features of SUVs Cheddar described are likely among them." I revisted this topic in Vox and CNBC explain 'Why Americans love' and 'are obsessed with big cars,' a driving update, when I remarked, "safety is an important value to drivers, but it's only the safety of the occupants of the vehicle itself. The safety of drivers of smaller cars and especially pedestrians suffers as a result." As for the infrastructure changes, I'll look for a suitable video from CityNerd to address them in a future update.

Follow over the jump for my personal driving update.


Pearl passed 69,000 miles yesterday, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, 78 days since she passed 68,000 miles on Monday, March 10, 2025. That translates to 12.82 miles per day, 391.03 miles per standard month, and 4,679.49 miles per standard year, which are more than the 11.11 miles per day, 338.89 miles per standard month, and 4,055.56 miles per standard year between her odometer rolling over 67,000 miles on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 and March 10, 2025. Then, I wrote, "I won't be taking that many breaks or driving the Tiguan that much before Pearl's next driving update, but I will be driving to only one work location beginning in May. I'll see then which was more important in the miles I drove." Fewer and shorter breaks and less driving my wife's Tiguan had more of an effect than driving to only one work location during the reporting period.

I skipped the year-over-year comparisons last time to focus on the first retrospective about the 2024-2025 blogging year, so I'm bringing them back with data from CityNerd names '10 Cities Where Driving Consumes the Most of Your Life,' a driving update. First, it took 74 days to drive Pearl 1000 miles, resulting in averages of 13.51 miles per day, 412.16 miles per standard month, 4,932.43 miles per standard year, and 4,945.95 miles per leap year. That's more than this year, so I'm driving less for the season. Second, it's been 358 days since Pearl passed 64,000 miles on June 3, 2024, which results in averages of 13.97 miles per day, 425.98 miles per standard month, and 5,097.77 miles per standard year. That's slightly more than the averages of 13.77 miles per day, 420.11 miles per standard month, 5,027.55 miles per standard year, and 5,041.32 per leap year I last reported for the period ending Tuesday, December 10, 2024. No wonder I decided to not drive to a third work location in the fall!

I expect even lower mileage at the next driving update because I'm driving to work only two days per week. That should be very late in August or early in September. In the meantime, stay tuned for one final retrospective about the 2024-2025 blogging year on Throwback Thursday.

PBS Terra and SciShow examine the volcanoes under Antarctica's ice

PBS Terra examined ancient climate change in 'Earth's Worst Mass Extinction Is Actually a Warning' for Flashback Friday on Endangered Species Day and modern volcanic threats in Local news remembers Mount St. Helens eruption 45 years later. I combine the two today, beginning with PBS Terra asking What's Really Under Antarctica's Ice?

If all of Antarctica’s ice melted, our coastlines would be drastically altered. Fortunately, that’s not going to happen anytime soon, but new evidence suggests that West Antarctica - which holds around 5 METERS of sea level rise - is melting a lot faster than scientists once thought. And, a new study warns of a sinister threat buried deep beneath the melting ice - one that may cause a feedback loop that speeds up the melt of the already precarious West Antarctic ice sheet. Stay tuned to find out what new maps reveal about the under-ice world of Antarctica, and how a tiny octopus can help us understand the South Pole’s ice-free past.

SciShow also examined this topic in Antarctica’s Hidden Volcanoes are About to be a Problem.

Antarctica probably isn't the first place you think of when you hear about volcanoes. But there's a lot happening under the icy tundra, and not all of it's a good thing. Here's how rising temperatures could lead to an even more explosive future for the frozen continent.

I've been worried about the West Antarctic ice sheet collapsing since 2014, but my worries were about directly human-caused climate change. It turns out there is an additional source of heat, the volcanoes below the ice. The effect is more indirect, as glacial ice melts, reducing pressure on the volcanoes and the magma chambers beneath them, causing them to erupt more and melting the ice above them. That's a positive feedback loop, which can run away. And I thought methane released by thawing permafrost was bad. Yikes!

Enough scary science. Stay tuned for Wayback Wednesday.

Local news covers Taps Across America for Memorial Day

I wish my readers a somber Memorial Day. I'm returning to Taps Across America for today's commemoration, beginning with Local musicians participate in 'Taps Across America' from WFRV Local 5 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.


KTTC in Rochester, Minnesota also covered the event in Fleet Farm honors veterans with Taps Across America.


An actual bugle!

It's not just brass players participating. WABI | Maine Local News, Weather, Sports uploaded Bangor Man Sings Taps for TAPS ACROSS AMERICA.


Those are the same lyrics I learned in Boy Scouts. Good to know they're the right ones.

That's a wrap for today's serious holiday. Stay tuned for another entry worth sharing in June.

Randy Rainbow sings 'That's Trump Derangement!'

This week's Sunday entertainment feature is Randy Rainbow singing That's Trump Derangement!

Parody of “That’s Entertainment!” (Music by Arthur Schwartz, Lyrics by Howard Dietz)

Of course, the people that have actual Trump Derangement Syndrome are his followers, but somehow saying "I know you are but what am I" to them doesn't work. Sigh. In the meantime, we have Randy to reassure us that we're not crazy, the world is.

Stay tuned for an observance of Memorial Day.

Leeja Miller examines 'The Ideology Behind The End Of Democracy'

Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences was one of my best shares on Bluesky last year, so I'm examining Curtis "Mencius Moldbug" Yarvin again by sharing Leeja Miller examining The Ideology Behind The End Of Democracy.

JD Vance, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and many other operatives in the Trump administration are all united in their belief in the ideological teachings known as Neo-Reactionism, popularized by fringe blogger-turned Silicon Valley darling Curtis Yarvin. His pseudo-intellectual ravings have been adopted by some of the most powerful people on the planet and could lead to the downfall of democracy in the United States.

Like RFK Jr., I've decided to focus on Yarvin/Moldbug as a source of the terrible ideas being implemented by this administration. He seems to be replacing Ayn Rand and Objectivism as the person and philosophy animating the Right. He also seems to be one of the original people behind the attack on educated professionals I mocked in I ask The Archdruid and his readers 'Can you show us on the doll exactly where the educated professionals hurt you?' A Festivus airing of grievances. That makes his ideas personal to me, as I'm an educated professional.

By the way, Miller mentioning Nick Land moving into a Satanist's house got my attention. I suspected he moved into Aleister Crowley's old home; that's exactly what happened. Reality is stranger than fiction.

I expect to say more about Moldbug. In the meantime, stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature, which will be another post worth sharing in June.

Howtown asks 'How accurate was the Covid death count?' A Flashback Friday pandemic update

Happy Flashback Friday! For reasons I'll explain at the next Wayback Wednesday, I've changed today's post from the blog's year on Instagram and Threads to Howtown asking How accurate was the Covid death count?

After four years and dozens of studies, we know everything we're going to know about the death toll of the Covid pandemic.

Contrary to the conspiracy theorists and denialists, examination of excess deaths shows that, if anything, the U.S. undercounted COVID-19 deaths during the pandemic, although it was probably not that big and got smaller as the pandemic went on. On the other hand, I've always been skeptical that India had fewer people die from the disease than the U.S. The official number is 533,623. The polling data indicates 3.2 million deaths, although it could be as low as 3.1 million or as high as 3.4 million, at least six times higher than the official count. That, I believe. I also believe the actual global death toll is in the range of 16 million to 28.1 million with the most likely figure being 21 million, 3.1 times the total of official deaths. It also puts the death toll at the low end of the range for the 1918-1920 flu epidemic, "17 million to 50 million,[6][7] and possibly as high as 100 million, making it the deadliest pandemic in history." By the way, that last link shows an estimate of 27 million COVID-19 deaths. Yikes!

Stay tuned for another entry I can share in June.

Dire wolf de-extinction revisited for International Day of Biological Diversity and Throwback Thursday

Happy International Day for Biological Diversity and Throwback Thursday! As I promised, I'm revisiting dire wolf de-extinction. I begin with SciShow asking Did We Just De-Extinct Dire Wolves?!

So you've probably heard by now that a biotech company called Colossal Biosciences has brought dire wolves back form extinction. Or at least.... they SAY they did. We wanted to break down all the science in their claims, and get to the bottom of the dire wolf dilemma before George R. R. Martin adopts all the wolf pups. Here's the truth on de-extinction, de-mystified.

Hosted by: Savannah Geary (they/them)

I'm glad to see Rancho La Brea make an appearance. I spent four years there working on my M.S. thesis in geology, where "I was the first person to identify 33 species from the most famous fossil deposit in North America." I also walked past the wall of dire wolf skulls and a copy of the mural shown in the video on a regular basis. I'm quite familiar with a paleontological perspective on the species. I'm also aware that using a gray wolf as a template has issues; dire wolves are genetically closer to the common ancestor of most jackals than wolves. Finally, Colossal Biosciences' dire wolves don't fit any of the three species concepts for real dire wolves. Darn.

I continue with Be Smart's The Argument for De-Extinction: EXPLAINED.

Dire wolves are back-sort of. Colossal Biosciences seems to have resurrected this extinct predator, but it's not quite as simple as that. Joe talks with their scientists to explore the truth, tech, and ethics of "de-extinction."

The scientists from Colossal Biosciences that Joe Hanson interviewed both gave intelligent, well-reasoned answers that make me think and feel that they know what they are doing and understand its place in preserving biodiversity. I just hope people are listening.

SciShow's video mentioned that Hank Green had made two videos about dire wolf de-extinction. He's since made a third, Everyone Ignored Colossal’s Bigger Wolf News.

What if there is an actual de-extinction hiding just under the surface.

One question that came up in all three videos is "What is a species?" That has to be answered first to say whether Colossal Biosciences actually revived dire wolves and if not, what are they? I didn't expect that debate last month, but here we are. Also, I agree with Hank that the real de-extinction story will be the red wolf.

I leave this topic with TierZoo asking Are Dire Wolves going to become OP again?

Did modders at Colossal Biosciences just break the game?

Patrick Lacey finally wrote a description I can use!

Before I leave, other viewers and I responded to Lacey's "Stark white coat" remark. Here are my comments.

"I spent five minutes scrolling through the comments to see if someone else had noticed this. Congratulations, you did, so we can both say, 'We see what you did there.'"

"Yes, he did, so we can say, 'We see what you did there.' These are Game of Thrones dire wolves and George R.R. Martin is one of the authors on Colossal Biosciences paper."

"Until this development, I had never noticed that Game of Thrones has GMO in the correct order — GaMe Of Thrones!"

Enough silliness in the service of science and entertainment. Stay tuned for Flashback Friday.

BBC News asks 'Will Bluesky be able to rival X or Twitter?' A Wayback Wednesday special

Happy Wayback Wednesday! I'm continuing my retrospectives about the 2024-2025 blogging year with another roundup of the popular posts on social media, this time on Bluesky and Twitter/X. Before I do, I'm sharing BBC News asking Will Bluesky be able to rival X or Twitter?

You may have seen the word "Bluesky" popping up on your social media pages.

It is an alternative platform to Elon Musk's X and the company said it is growing rapidly with users and new sign-ups.

So, what is it and why are so many people reportedly joining?

While BBC's subject line asked about Twitter/X, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber compared herself and her running of Bluesky to Mark Zuckerberg of Meta. I plan on getting to Zuckerberg and Meta's legal fight with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Flashback Friday, when I finish this series with the blog's year on Instagram and Threads. For a comparison focused on Twitter/X, I turn to Fast Company explaining Why Everyone Is Leaving X for Bluesky!

The breakdown of Bluesky's ascendant year and what they plan to do next.

That's a good capsule summary that accords with my experience. For more detail, I turn to Virtualization of the Public Sphere - Exodus of Users from X to Bluesky by Atmiki Pai.

Today, we will be discussing the virtualization of the public sphere, taking a deeper dive into the rise and fall of social media platforms.

I agree with the findings about why users left Twitter/X for Bluesky, although the numbers show that Bluesky's growth has slowed. That indicates that the answer to BBC News asking "Will Bluesky be able to rival X or Twitter" is no, not any time soon. That's O.K., for reasons I described in CNBC describes 'How Bluesky Grew From A Twitter Side Project To An X Competitor'.

I've grown my followers faster on Bluesky than I ever did on any other platform. It took me 13 years to get to 1,000 followers on Twitter/X. It took me one month on Bluesky. I now have nearly 3,000 followers two-and-one-half months after I joined. That's almost triple the 1,075 friends and 174 followers I have on Facebook, the next largest audience I have on social media, and that took 17 years to achieve. I'm also getting more engagement in the form of likes, reposts, and replies on Bluesky than X, although Facebook still beats both, but not enough link clicks from Bluesky to register, while X ranks in the top five. I'm not deactivating my X account for just that reason; it's still useful.

Six months after I joined Bluesky, I now have more than 6,300 followers. Bluesky's growth may be slowing down, but mine isn't and I'm getting even more engagement there than on Twitter/X, particularly since only post on the latter once a day while I'm consistently active on Bluesky. It doesn't help that Twitter/X's analytics are now a service for paid subscribers, and I won't pay to support Elon Musk, so they end up being little better than what I can collect from Bluesky for free.

Follow over the jump for the blog's top shares on Bluesky and Twitter/X between March 21, 2024 and March 20, 2025, the 2024-2025 blogging year.

Morrison bumble bee proposed for protection, news for World Bee Day

Happy World Bee Day! As I have since 2022, I'm concentrating on bumblebees.* Today, I'm amplifying the relevant part of Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation's press release, Morrison Bumble Bee and Large Marble Butterfly to be Considered for Endangered Species Protection.*

Responding to petitions filed by the Xerces Society, last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that the Morrison bumble bee (Bombus morrisoni) and the large marble butterfly (Euchloe ausonides) warrant further consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act, by issuing a positive 90-day finding for these two species.

Next, Fish and Wildlife will carry out a full review (called a Species Status Assessment) of the two species. Once these are completed, FWS will decide whether or not listing these species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act is warranted. If listing is warranted, legal protections will go into effect and resources will be directed to recovery.

Morrison bumble bees have disappeared in many places
The Morrison bumble bee historically occurred across much of the western U.S., and can be found in grasslands, sagebrush steppe, and woodland edges. It has co-evolved with local plants for thousands of years and is a super-pollinator, contributing to the stability of our wildlands and agricultural systems. However, the species has disappeared from much of its range and may have declined by as much as 75%. It faces multiple ongoing threats, including habitat loss and degradation, overgrazing, climate change, pesticides, diseases, and competition with honey bees. The Xerces Society petitioned FWS to protect this bee in 2023.
...
These pollinators need federal protection to survive
ESA listings would protect these species by addressing the threats they are facing and ensuring that regulatory mechanisms — which are currently lacking — are in place to protect the species in locations where they are needed most. Federal protection is especially important for the Morrison bumble bee and the large marble butterfly because they occur in several states where state wildlife agencies lack the legal authority to protect insects and are unable to address the conservation needs of these species.

We lose something precious when a species goes extinct. Morrison bumble bees and large marble butterflies are integral parts of the unique landscapes that make the western U.S. so special. Our world would be a duller place without the pleasure of watching this vibrant butterfly and bright yellow bee tumble from flower to flower.

May both the Morrison bumble bee and large marble butterfly earn protection under the Endangered Species Act, and may the Endangered Species Act still include habitat protection, which the Trump Administration wants to remove. This is even more than they tried last time, which resulted in fewer species being listed. I'm crossing my fingers.

Even if these proposals go into effect, all may not be lost. The Nevada Independent published Bees, butterflies and beetles — bill would allow Nevada to manage certain invertebrates: "If passed, the state's department of wildlife would gain permission to protect 66 of Nevada’s most imperiled insects." The article specifically mentions the Morrison bumble bee. May it pass, too.

That's a wrap for today's biodiversity holiday, although I plan on returning to the general topic on Thursday, which is International Day for Biological Diversity. In the meantime, stay tuned for Wayback Wednesday.

*Honeybees have their own day. I'll remember them in three months.

Local news remembers Mount St. Helens eruption 45 years later

Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the news departments of television stations in the Pacific Northwest observed the occasion by compiling clips from their archives into special reports. I begin with KING 5 Seattle's Mount St. Helens Eruption: 45 Years Later.

A look back at the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980

KATU News in Portland produced its own special report, Past. Present. Future | Mount St. Helens 45th Anniversary.

May 18, 1980, is a day that forever impacted the Pacific Northwest.

After weeks of rumbling, Mount St. Helens unleashed a deadly and explosive eruption that would go down as the most destructive in U.S. history and changed the way we look at volcanoes in the Cascades.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of that monumental event.

Watch as we look back in time through the eyes of the people who lived through the eruption. Past. Present. Future. The 45th anniversary of Mount St. Helens.

I close with Mount St. Helens: Eyewitness to History, a KGW+ Special from KGW News in Portland.

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with a force that reshaped the Northwest and stunned the world. In this KGW+ special, anchor Christine Pitawanich takes viewers through the days leading up to the eruption, featuring rare archival reports, first-hand accounts from journalists and radio volunteers, and powerful footage of the moment disaster struck. With voices from those who witnessed the destruction — and those who didn't survive — it's a moving look at one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history, and how it changed science, policy, and lives forever.

While I'm not teaching geology this summer, I am scheduled to teach three sections of it this fall, two sections next winter, and one section next summer, if it's not canceled for low enrollment. These local documentaries both updated me on the status of Mount St. Helens and will provide opportunities for extra credit to my future students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

Since I'm in the middle of a series on the News & Doc Emmy Awards, I'm wondering if any of these will earn nominations for regional coverage at next year's ceremony. My readers and I will find out next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for World Bee Day tomorrow.

'King Coal' vs. 'Hollywood Black' and 'Madu' for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

I'm continuing my coverage of the News & Doc Emmy Awards for today's Sunday entertainment feature by examining the nominees for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary. Unlike the other categories I've examined so far, there is no clear leader. On the one hand, King Coal has three nominations, including Outstanding Writing - Documentary and Outstanding Cinematography – Documentary, the most of any in the field. On the other, Hollywood Black's other nomination is for Best Documentary, which gives the film at least as much weight as King Coal's three nominations and more weight than Madu's second nomination for Outstanding Direction – Documentary. The other nominees, As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial and Butterfly in the Sky, have only this one nomination, so I'd be surprised if they could overcome the three entries with more nominations.

I begin my review of the nominee's trailers with King Coal | Official Trailer | POV | PBS.

A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, King Coal meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. The film reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking and transcends time and place, untangling the pain from the beauty, and illuminating the innately human capacity for imagination and change.

This definitely emphasizes the culture in "arts and culture."

Next, Hollywood Black (MGM+ 2024 Series) Official Trailer.

Inspired by the book from historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries, directed by Justin Simien, chronicles a century of the Black experience in Hollywood. By unearthing personal stories from actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, and on the screen, the series provides a critical reexamination of a quintessentially American story—in brilliant color.

The star power alone would push this over the top at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but that Television Academy isn't the one voting. The television academy containing the journalists and documentarians is. They might do so based on their own criteria. Remember, electorates matter.

Moving on to Madu | Official Trailer | Disney+.

Madu follows 12-year-old Anthony Madu as he leaves his family and community in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world in England. Having never left his home outside of Lagos, Anthony finds himself thrust into a new world where his wildest dreams are suddenly within reach. His courageous journey is a story of extraordinary obstacles as he searches for belonging and acceptance, a family far away, and unexpected challenges that could impact his future. Forming a rich and immersive tapestry told on multiple continents, MADU introduces the world to a boy chasing a dream of inspiration that will resonate with us all.

This looks positive and inspiring in a way that neither King Coal nor Hollywood Black are. It might upset both on that basis alone.

Now for the nominees in this category alone, beginning with As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial | Official Trailer | Paramount+.

An exploration of the weaponization of rap lyrics in the US criminal justice system. The documentary follows rap artist Kemba as he journeys through meccas of hip-hop, building the case for rap lyrics and black artist protection via intimate conversations with rappers, academics, politicians, legal experts, and music industry executives.

This could easily have been a nominee for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary. Since that category covers both Love Canal and Alex Jones, I plan on blogging about it. Also, this is an MTV documentary. I've learned never to underestimate MTV documentaries.

I close out the trailers with BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY | Official HD Trailer (2024) | DOCUMENTARY | Film Threat Trailers.

For 26 seasons, Reading Rainbow met young viewers in their living rooms, whisking them away on far-off adventures into the boundless world of books. Inspiring and nostalgic, Butterfly in the Sky takes audiences behind the scenes of this beloved PBS children’s series and tells the story of its iconic host LeVar Burton, giving an inside look at the challenges he and the show's creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Reliving the show’s legacy is a refreshing return to the written page. But you don’t have to take our word for it.

Featuring LeVar Burton, (Reading Rainbow Host), Whoopi Goldberg (Guest Star), Jason Reynolds (Former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature), Twila Liggett (Reading Rainbow Co-creator), Larry Lancit & Cecily Truett Lancit (Reading Rainbow Co-Creators), Tony Buttino (Reading Rainbow Co-creator), Steve Horelick (Reading Rainbow Composer), Ed & Orly Wiseman (Reading Rainbow Director / Producer) and also staff who worked on Reading Rainbow and kids who were featured on the show during the it’s illustrious 26-year run.

This looks just as positive and uplifting as Madu and even more relevant to an American electorate. That might pull votes away from Madu, but not enough for Butterfly in the Sky to win.


For the first time in this series, I'm examining the nominees for Best Documentary. I've been holding off because the category has nine nominees this year. The Grab leads with four nominations, followed by American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders and Mammals with three each, Hollywood Black, The Sixth, and The Truth vs. Alex Jones, all with two, and The Commandant's Shadow, Queendom, and The Sing Sing Chronicles with just this one. The Grab and American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders are facing off for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, The Sixth leads the nominees for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary, The Truth vs. Alex Jones is contending with Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary, and Mammals leads the rest of the field without a subject area nomination. That's four more opportunities to examine the nominees, after which I'll make my call.

Follow over the jump for the craft categories for King Coal and Madu I've covered already.

'Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story' leads nominees for Outstanding Nature Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards

I'm continuing my coverage of the News & Doc Emmy Awards with the nominees for Outstanding Nature Documentary, which compose a large field of seven.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story leads the field with six nominations, including Outstanding Writing – Documentary, Outstanding Direction – Documentary, Outstanding Music Composition – Documentary, Outstanding Sound – Documentary, and Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Documentary in addition to Outstanding Nature Documentary. As best as I can determine, it's the most nominated documentary at these awards — certainly the most nominated entry that didn't also earn a nomination for Best Documentary. Our Living World is the only other nominee with another nomination, Outstanding Cinematography – Documentary. All the rest, Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster, Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons, Our Living World, Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die, and Silverback, have just this one nomination. On the basis of it having the most nominations here, as well as six Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations, a BAFTA Award and two other BAFTA nominations, it's the clear favorite.

Time to watch the nominated trailer, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story | Official Trailer | National Geographic.

A heart-warming story of the love between a wild otter, Molly, and her devoted rescuer, Billy, set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland.

That's moving and uplifting. Imagine what the full documentary is like!

Next, Our Living World | Cate Blanchett | Official Trailer | Netflix.

Discover the secret that connects us all. From the Emmy Award-winning team behind Our Great National Parks comes a revealing look at the secret network of connections that unites us all and sustains our planet’s most magical phenomenon: life itself. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett, this docuseries spans the globe to showcase the extraordinary creatures and ecosystems, great and small, that work together to help restore and sustain Our Living World.

That is beautifully photographed, so I'm not surprised it earned a nomination for cinematography.

Moving on to what passes for the trailer to "Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster" on Nature, The Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Seas | Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster | BBC Earth.

150 million years ago dinosaurs ruled the land, but the oceans were dominated by a mysterious sea monster. Sir David Attenborough joins two of the UK’s most intrepid fossil hunters on their perilous expedition to excavate the skull from its resting place 12 metres up in the cliffs of Dorset...

The BBC Earth title and description are more colorful than the Nature on PBS version, Discovering the Secrets of a Jurassic Sea Monster, "Sir David Attenborough uncovers the secrets of the pliosaur, a monstrous marine predator," even though the visuals are almost completely identical. This is probably my personal favorite among the nominees, simply because it's about fossils and I'm a paleontologist. It also shows the fine line between science and nature at these awards. If this had been an episode of NOVA, it might have been nominated for Outstanding Science Documentary instead.

Speaking of Nature, here's the trailer for the second of its four nominees in this category, Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons | Official Trailer | NATURE | PBS.

Known only by her research number, Grizzly 399 has been a fixture in Grand Teton National Park since 2007, becoming the world’s most famous grizzly bear. Now 399 is raising four new cubs in the face of human encroachment, a warming climate and the threat of losing protection under the Endangered Species Act. Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons premieres on May 8, 2024.
...
Update: We're saddened to share that Grizzly 399 died on October 22, 2024, after being struck by a vehicle on a highway in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson, Wyoming. The filmmakers reconvened October 30th, 2024 to mourn her loss and celebrate her life and legacy of 18 cubs, their descendants and the countless dedicated fans she inspired worldwide...

A moment of silence for 399.

Now for the third Nature nominee, Patrick and the Whale (Trailer) - LandxSea 2023.

Embark on an awe-inspiring journey into the world of whales with marine videographer Patrick Dykstra in this breathtaking documentary. Prompted by a profound encounter with "Dolores", a female sperm whale, Dykstra immerses himself in the pursuit of understanding these ocean giants. Veteran wildlife filmmaker Mark Fletcher’s lens beautifully captures the whales' intelligence, emotional depth, and complex social bonds. Beyond the visual spectacle, Dykstra grapples with ethical questions surrounding his research and our relationship with the natural world as he delves deeper. Don’t miss this odyssey that reveals the wonder and vulnerability of life beneath the waves.

"They're as close to aliens as we have on our own planet." I agree. We don't need to leave Earth to find non-human intelligence. It's right here in the cetaceans, elephants, great apes, and cephalopods.

Speaking of great apes and cephalopods, I'm moving out of alphabetical order to showcase the fourth nominee from Nature, Nature: Silverback - The Majestic Journey of Gorillas Trailer.

Join us in this captivating episode of Nature as we explore the incredible world of silverback gorillas! Discover the majestic lives of these remarkable creatures, their social structures, and the critical role they play in the ecosystem.

In Silverback, we delve into the daily lives of a silverback leader and his troop, highlighting their interactions, communication, and the challenges they face in the wild. From nurturing their young to defending their territory, witness the strength and grace of these gentle giants.

Highlighting the connection to Oscar winner My Octopus Teacher is smart marketing. I don't know if will be enough to propel this episode over the competition.

I close the trailer portion of this post with Mobilizing the Masses | Photographer | National Geographic, which I'm using as the trailer for "Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die" from Photographer on National Geographic.

Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier describe how, after posting their photography to social media, the response was tremendous. They mention how the emotional response to pictures can excite people to care about the planet.

That's moving, although in a different way than the trailer for Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story. It also explains why their work is important.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominations for Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story and Our Living World along with the top posts about entertainment on social media during the 2024-2025 blogging year.

'Earth's Worst Mass Extinction Is Actually a Warning' for Flashback Friday on Endangered Species Day

Happy Flashback Friday and Endangered Species Day! Instead of News & Doc Emmy Awards coverage today, I'm taking a paleontologist's perspective on the national day by sharing PBS Terra telling its viewers Earth's Worst Mass Extinction Is Actually a Warning.

There is a surprising natural wonder in the middle of the vast West Texas desert: a prehistoric ocean reef built from the remains of ancient sea life. This fossil-rich landscape tells the story of Earth's most devastating mass extinction—and can help enlighten the climate threats we face today.

I haven't blogged about the Permian mass extinction AKA The Great Dying since 2018. Seven years is long enough for a reminder of what could be the sixth mass extinction with humans as the asteroid.

The video description also included this call to action: "If you’re interested in supporting PBS’ mission, visit https://protectmypublicmedia.org/ to make your voice heard!" Public broadcasting in the United States is also an endangered species.

Follow over the jump for a retrospective of the most popular science and environment posts I shared on Instagram and Bluesky that I haven't recapped yet.

'Tsunami: Race Against Time' leads nominees for Outstanding Historical Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Throwback Thursday

I closed 'Apollo 13: Survival' leads nominees for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Wayback Wednesday by telling my readers "Stay tuned for Throwback Thursday, when I plan on continuing my News & Doc Emmy Awards coverage along with another retrospective about entertainment." I resume with the remaining nominees for Outstanding Historical Documentary, beginning with the most nominated program, Tsunami: Race Against Time, which has two nominations including Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Documentary. Watch the nominated Tsunami: Race Against Time | Official Trailer | National Geographic.

Marking 20 years since one of the deadliest natural disasters in history which spanned 14 countries, TSUNAMI: RACE AGAINST TIME provides a 360-degree view into the heart-stopping events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The powerful series, from executive producers Tanya Winston and Danny Horan of multi-award-winning Blast Films and directed by Daniel Bogado, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker of Nat Geo’s “9/11: One Day in America,” features personal accounts from survivors, scientists who raced against time to understand the catastrophic disaster and warn the world, journalists who broke the shocking news, and the fearless rescuers who risked their lives to save others. Told minute by minute through harrowing video and gripping stories of survival and courage – some both seen and heard for the first time – the four-part series offers the most comprehensive and immersive look at the destructive wave as it surged across the ocean, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

I'm not teaching geology this summer, but I'm scheduled to run three sections in the fall, so I plan on recommending this series to my geology students next semester for extra credit. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

Returning to the awards, I think it's a good sign that the same people who produced 9/11: One Day in America created Tsunami: Race Against Time and that series won both Outstanding Historical Documentary and Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Documentary. On that basis and it leading in nominations, it's my favorite to win at least Historical Documentary. It helps that The Sixth was removed from this category while retaining its nominations for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary and Best Documentary. I'll get to it in a future installment of this series.

The remaining three nominees have only this nomination, so I'm going through their trailers in alphabetical order beginning with An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th | Official Trailer | HBO.

"The Oklahoma City bombing was a crossroads.”

#AnAmericanBombingHBO: The Road to April 19th explores the surge in anti-government ideals and political violence in the 1980s, leading to the Oklahoma City bombing and continuing today.

Ugh, corn pone fascists. That written, this documentary examines a critical episode in their development.

Next, The women who changed the world while flying it | FLY WITH ME | American Experience | PBS.

At a time when single women were unable to order a drink or eat alone in a restaurant, own a credit card or get a prescription for birth control, becoming a stewardess offered unheard-of opportunity and adventure. Maligned as feminist sellouts, “stewardesses,” as they were called, knew different: they were on the frontlines of a battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace.

Featuring firsthand accounts, personal stories and a rich archive, FLY WITH ME tells a lively, fun and important but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.

I agree with the video description; this looks like serious fun, especially compared to the other nominees, which are serious and scary, if not downright tragic.

Today's final trailer is Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War | Official Trailer | Netflix.

From Luminant Media and director Brian Knappenberger, comes the definitive documentary on the Cold War and its aftermath post the collapse of the Soviet Union leading to the rise of Vladimir Putin. Featuring interviews with prominent politicians, journalists, and the people who lived through history, this series is an exploration of the decades-long conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union framed by current events that reveal the Cold War continues and the world remains on the precipice of nuclear war.

Multi-Oscar-winning Oppenheimer just told the beginning of the story. The rest of the story is still unfolding, 80 years on. Like all the rest of the nominees, it exemplifies the truth of the William Faulkner quote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Because of the subject's continuing relevance, along with its trailer having the most views of any of the nominees, it's my pick to upset Tsunami: Race Against Time.*


Tsunami: Race Against Time is up against very stiff competition in this category, particularly Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story with six nominations, The Grab with four including Best Documentary, and Blink with two. The rest have just this one nomination. I plan on examining this category at least three more times, so I'm holding off on handicapping the nominees until I see all of them.

Follow over the jump for a retrospective of the most read entries from the back catalog with an emphasis on those with an entertainment theme.

I begin with an entry I covered in My Saturn Awards preferences and predictions vs. the winners for Flashback Friday.

'Apollo 13: Survival' leads nominees for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Wayback Wednesday

Happy Wayback Wednesday! As I wrote yesterday, "I have three days of entertainment-themed retrospectives planned this week as I begin my coverage of the News and Documentary Emmy Awards nominees." I begin with the nominees for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary.

Apollo 13: Survival has the most nominations among the nominees in this category with four. As the preview image shows, they are Outstanding Editing – Documentary, Outstanding Sound – Documentary, and Scenic Design – Documentary in addition to Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary. Because of that, it's my pick to win. Then again, Good Night Oppy had six nominations and was my pick to win this category two years ago, but it lost to How to Survive a Pandemic while still winning Outstanding Sound and Outstanding Writing: Documentary. I hope that doesn't happen to Apollo 13: Survival, whose trailer I'm sharing.

Using original footage and interviews, this documentary tells the nail-biting story of Apollo 13 and the struggle to bring its astronauts safely home.

As I wrote in Apollo 14 50 years later for Moon Day 2021, "That's a gripping story, which is probably why [Apollo 13] was a more successful film than "First Man," both at the box office and at the Oscars."

The next most nominated documentary in this category is The Space Race from National Geographic, which earned two nominations, Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary and Outstanding Writing – Documentary. Based on that criterion, it's the main competition for Apollo 13: Survival. Here's its trailer.

"The Space Race" uncovers the little-known stories of the first Black pilots, engineers and scientists that became astronauts. "The Space Race" will debut on National Geographic on February 12 before streaming on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.

That's an important story to tell, and I'm glad it included the contributions of Nichelle Nichols to recruiting astronauts of color in general and African-Americans in particular. I'm not sure it will beat Apollo 13: Survival.

The remaining three nominees have only this nomination. The first in alphabetical order is the "Anand Varma: Hidden Wonders" episode of Photographer on National Geographic. I'm sharing the clip It Looks Like a Velociraptor Foot in lieu of a proper trailer.

Anand Varma captures the development and heartbeat of a chicken embryo within an unshelled yolk. The first trial failing, the photographer eventually succeeds to the stage of what to him looks like the foot of a dinosaur.

Check out the full episode of Photographer, Season 1 Episode 2, "Anand Varma: Hidden Wonders" on Disney+! Anand figures out how to photograph an egg developing into a baby chick.

I include embryology in my lectures about evolution, so I might show this to my students. National Geographic has another clip from the show about honeybees that I might use for World Bee Day or World Honey Bee Day.

Next is the "Hunt for the Oldest DNA" episode of NOVA on PBS, which I've watched in its entirety. I'm not embedding the full documentary, just Hunt for the Oldest DNA | PBS NOVA Trailer (2024).

Two decades ago, Eske Willerslev had a radical idea: Could DNA, the fragile chemical code of life, survive intact in frozen sediment for millennia? Fellow scientists called him crazy, but the Danish biologist set out to prove everybody wrong, and his perseverance paid off.

This is the only episode of NOVA nominated and I agree it's probably the best one of 2024. It's also the nominee with the most important science. That written, it's not likely to win the most votes, since most of the electorate will judge the nominees for their cinematic and journalistic merit, not their scientific value. As I reiterate nearly every time I write about awards shows, electorates matter.

I circle back to Netflix for the final nominee, What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates. Watch its trailer.

In What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates, the tech visionary and global health and climate philanthropist invites viewers to join him on a learning journey to explore pressing issues facing our world today. Across five episodes, Gates delves into the promise and risks of artificial intelligence; the pervasive challenge of misinformation and the underlying complexity of defining truth in an era of social media; the scale of the climate crisis and the potential of cutting-edge technologies to solve it; the injustice of income inequality and the opportunities to tackle poverty; and how science and innovation is leading to cures for deadly diseases. Featuring insights and commentary from some of the world’s most renowned scientists, politicians, thinkers, journalists, medical professionals, artists and more, and executive produced by Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom), What’s Next? offers a glimpse into a more promising and equitable future.

I have two reactions. First, Bill Gates is a Crazy Eddie. That's a compliment coming from me. Second, of all the nominees with just this one nomination, it's the one most likely to upset Apollo 13: Survival.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominations for Apollo 13: Survival and The Space Race along with the most viewed entries about awards shows posted between March 21, 2024 and March 20, 2025, the blogging year just ended.