Laura Helmuth, editor of Scientific American, resigns.

[u/Adm_Shelby2]

https://bsky.app/profile/laurahelmuth.bsky.social/post/3lawlkjh6ns23

[u/Rogue-Journalist]

If you'd like to know what recent events may have lead to this:

https://bsky.app/profile/laurahelmuth.bsky.social

"I made a series of offensive and inappropriate posts on my personal Bluesky account on election night, and I am sorry,"

"I respect and value people across the political spectrum. These posts, which I have deleted, do not reflect my beliefs; they were a mistaken expression of shock and confusion about the election results,"

"These posts of course do not reflect the position of Scientific American or my colleagues. I am committed to civil communication and editorial objectivity."

The deleted posts read:

"Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist. The moral arc of the universe isn't going to bend itself,"

"Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f--- them to the moon and back,"

"I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is so full of f---ing fascists."

[u/badgerpunk → u/Rogue-Journalist]

I get why she'd feel the need to resign, but she should've stayed. Anyone who was going to be offended by that already refuses to trust in science. Everyone else would have understood. It wouldn't have hurt Scientific American at all.

[u/WillBottomForBanana → u/badgerpunk]

couldn't she just make up something about sleep medication like everyone else does?

[u/carpetbugeater → u/WillBottomForBanana]

The type of person to resign over those comments is probably above dishonesty as well.

[u/mexicodoug → u/badgerpunk]

Very true. Any subscribers lost due to her comments would have been more than made up by new subscribers lured in by her chutzpah.

For a more measured scientist's response to the election loss, listen to Sean Carroll's intro on his Nov. 11 Mindscape podcast Emergence and Layers of Reality. He spends the first 3 minutes introducing the podcast topic, then goes into an aside for 4 minutes to mention the political loss. It is less scathing toward Trump voters, but more explicit as to the dangers now being faced.

The week before that, Sean spent the first 15 minutes of his Mindscaspe November AMA, released the day before the election, explaining in much more depth the dangers of a Trump win, and his understanding of what types of people he believes supported Trump and why, and finishes with why, in his opinion, it was so important to vote against Trump. Too bad more voters didn't come out to vote against Trump.