@ninardietz
Environmental journalist, covering climate change and it's intersection with human and planetary health... Or as I like to call it, "Documenting the Apocalypse." Dangerously curious, proudly nerdy, dog obsessed, voracious reader, & outdoors enthusiast
And I have coped with chronic pain, a novel (always a bad thing in medicine) and debilitating illness and uncertain prognosis for over a year now. I know I’m tough as nails, and pretty much unflappable. No matter what happens, I’ll be fine.
So welcome 2026! Whatever comes, I can handle it. End/🧵
That said I don’t think I would trade the lessons I learned in 2025. I always thought of myself as flighty, good in a crisis, but prone to panicking over the mundane.
Now, I know better. In retrospect what I took as panic was just my dramatic nature. It turns out I’ve always been able to cope. 7/🧵
All told, I’m glad 2025 is behind me now. Signs are looking good that I’m finally on the mend and hopefully, 2026 will be a year of wanderlust, powerful stories, and immersing myself in the socialization I’ve been starved for this past year. I think we could all use some joy right now. 6/🧵
There have been moments of wonder in the chaos. I was able to travel to LA thanks to a Pulitzer Grant. It’s what allowed me to cover the aftermath of the LA fires in this way.
I was also honored when one of my articles was featured in the Pulitzer Center 2025: Year in Stories. 5/🧵
But I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible not just from this experience, but because I needed something to keep me from going crazy while housebound for months on end. This year I’ve had a crash course in exposure science and toxicology, a very different crash course in immunology. 4/🧵
It’s been a difficult year. At 26 you expect to be having adventures, not fighting for your life. But my year has been defined by doctors appointments, choking down 50 pills a day, moving back in with my mother because I am too sick to take care of myself, and more days than not with brain fog. 3/🧵
Even though we’re already a week into 2026, January 7 is the anniversary of the things that defined my 2025: the LA fires, and the first time my immune system tried to kill me.
I’ve been on steroids for a year as of today, mostly low dose, higher doses as needed, like now, thanks to a virus. 2/🧵
2025 was a year that defied summary. On the one hand, my own body tried to kill me. Repeatedly. On the other hand, I did some of my best work with Inside Climate News, and even had an image featured in the Pulitzer Center 2025 Year in Photos. 1/🧵
Natural disasters are devastating even when you are young, healthy, and financially stable. My latest article asks what happens to people who were already struggling to juggle health and family when disaster strikes?
insideclimatenews.org/news/0911202...
If you're a fellow nerd, this one's for you. Now stand back, he's going to try science!
🔗: insideclimatenews.org/project/afte...
For the third installment in After The Fires, groundbreaking air quality researcher Nick Spada gave an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the dedication, expertise, and chaos tolerance required to unravel the mystery of LA fire smoke's composition and its devastating impact on those exposed.
The support of @pulitzercenter.bsky.social and the freedom and trust afforded by my editors @insideclimatenews.org has allowed me to act as both reporter and photographer for this series. I hope you find the story is moving as I do. I did my best to do it justice!
End/🧵
Some of you may know that in a previous life, I was on track to become professional documentary photographer. Then the pandemic happened. 3/🧵
In particularly proud of the story and very grateful to the people involved for giving me unparalleled access to their lives during a very vulnerable time. Please also take the time to check out the photos in the story. 2/🧵
For my second story in the After the Fires series, I had the opportunity to get to know two families connected by the shared love of a house. 1/🧵
insideclimatenews.org/news/0806202...
This unique collaboration includes scientists from top institutions across the country, like @hsph.harvard.edu @utaustin.bsky.social @yalesph.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social @ucdavisengineering.bsky.social @keckmedicineusc.bsky.social and many more. The next story will be out soon! End/🧵
This first story follows the efforts of the scientists in the @lafirehealth.bsky.social consortium to get answers for the thousands of Angelenos whose homes survived, but remain displaced by the contamination from the fires. 2/🧵
insideclimatenews.org/news/2505202...
My series After the Fires has been quietly in the works since the end of January. Now, thanks to the support of @pulitzercenter.bsky.social and @insideclimatenews.org the time has come to share the first installment! 1/🧵
A few weeks ago, had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Arline Geronimus about how climate change is compounding weathering, (how racism accelerates biological aging) for @insideclimatenews.org. Geronimus’ work is essential as Trump policy works to defund research on racial inequality and climate.
Another update: Some people were asking about the risk to NCBI data. @ninardietz.bsky.social sent info that the 1000 genomes data is mirrored in the EU at EMBL-EBI (European MicroBiology Lab - European Bioinformatics Institute) and is open access. www.internationalgenome.org/data
Morning all! Thanks to @ninardietz.bsky.social we've gotten a pre-scrub backup of all CDC Atlas data tables. I need help though. This data has been spread everywhere & I'm not sure all the places it's gone. Would anyone want to create a spreadsheet of CDC datasets in official archives/repos?
Sure thing! Should I just email
iassistdata gmail account that has been organizing things/sending out emails, or would you prefer another option?
I have it backed up and have seeded it! Someone pulled down everything they could crawl as of 1/28 (I believe it was not changed at that point!) I am happy to share it, either via the magnetic link, or another way if you would prefer. I also have it on a 4tb ssd for safety. Just Lmk!
Penn is getting a lot of questions about Data Refuge. That effort no longer exists, but several efforts are currently active. I've created a doc from what I & others have suggested. I'll update as I hear more. Feel free to share or suggest: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
In light of the current war on science, I am sharing some amazing research I've encountered while reporting my latest project!
First up, the PROMINENT Grand Challenge: an international team investigating the cancer promoter hypothesis. Find their video linked below!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaAv...
Checked on the article I wrote about Juneteenth in 2023…
”under review”
I say we throw out the 2020's and start again. Thing have clearly gone very very wrong. And yes. This is real. I checked.
For @insideclimatenews.org . In a Q&A, Pasadena therapist Cate Parker shares knowledge on trauma, provides resources, offers insight into post-disaster community mental health, and explores how Angelenos are reevaluating climate risks following the LA fires.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2801202...
Many thanks to @heathermcteertoney.bsky.social, @rosiealegado.bsky.social, @tallessyn.bsky.social Grenfell-Lee, and Sarah Ogletree for bringing this story to life! End/🧵
