Elizabeth Preston

Freelance science journalist @nytimes etc., silly stuff @mcsweeneys. I'm not here! Find me on Bluesky ( or Insta (by.elizabeth.preston)

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Thrilled that I'm going to get to tell the stories of parents and other caretakers across the planet, from the cuddly to the creepy-crawly (whenever my own offspring are, of course, far away from me):

[Alexandra Petri @petridishes]

love to make unacceptably political comments about the weather like https://t.co/aPpbW41hr7

[McSweeney's @mcsweeneys]

"When I wrote these words, I lived alone, in the bathroom, three to ten feet from any family member, in a house of solitude which I had built myself, by locking the door."
https://t.co/YzGzJt8w2n

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

@TaliaArgondezzi @mcsweeneys You were totally right about connecting the bits more!

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Happy birthday to Thoreau, who probably would have hated this! My latest for @mcsweeneys: https://t.co/ruduQc8QUB

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

@clhubes Influxes of new stuff into the house stress me out, but I'm a fan of "wrap a book from your own collection, everyone takes home a different book" because it solves gifts and party favors in one go!

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

One thing about being from a place like Syracuse, NY, is that it only makes the national news when something deranged happens in a neighboring suburb (such as three teens killing and eating a celebrity swan under the impression that it was a large duck): https://t.co/7nD2xbAHVI

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

@clhubes Ok but the “love letter” makes it infinitely more embarrassing

[The New York Times @nytimes]

As spring gives way to summer, you’re sure to notice wasps and hornets buzzing around you. Test your identification skills with our quiz. https://t.co/AfPhaf2DXz

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Oh my God this is so good

[McSweeney's @mcsweeneys]

"There will be THREE MUSKETEER (active shooter) drills be-TWIX’d standardized testing sessions this week. We apologize for the time CRUNCH—please TAKE 5 minutes of self-care today." #TeacherAppreciationWeek
https://t.co/n8mh3smc4q

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

As wasps and other buzzing critters show up this spring, don't let a scary nickname psych you out! Boost your wasp savvy with this quiz I wrote for @NYTScience: https://t.co/o5filsrfVj

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

@clhubes Always with the pressure to Make Memories. Settle down people! You do not have that much control over what happens inside your kids' brains!

[Jill Twiss @jilltwiss]

Oh I can help with this one. She is the woman you're about to pay $5 million to

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

@LeilaBelkora Thank you!!

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Signs you might have a six-year-old: You looked up the correct pronunciation of "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" to settle an argument and now someone's demanding that you apologize for ruining their life

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

I strongly relate to this, and would add that it’s extra crazy-making to be navigating 2 weeks of illness and work loss at the exact time the rest of the country/world has decided Covid Is Over.

[✨Jess Delfino✨ @jessicadelfino]

Huge thanks to friends & fam who’ve check in this wk as me, husband, 6yo + 9mo navigate COVID, 1 f/t job, 0 childcare, 0 physical family help. I couldn’t have gotten thru it w/o the emotional support. Pls check in on friends/fam with COVID, they’re prob NOT mentally ok.

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

- Instead of larvae, termites make babies that are just mini termites. But they can still develop into different forms. Some become soldiers, which have unique defensive traits like giant heads for blocking tunnels, or snouts that spray noxious chemicals.

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Whoops! I tried to write a silly coronation-themed story for @NYTScience and now termites are my new favorite social insects (apologies to the ants, bees and wasps): https://t.co/392ZwDVKFY

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

Some things I learned that didn’t make it into the article:

- Rather than letting their daughters inherit their reproductive thrones, some queen termites clone themselves before they die

[Elizabeth Preston @Inkfish]

- Termites can’t live alone or they’ll be immediately enveloped in fungus. They need a buddy to clean them. So some adult termites that can’t find mates settle down in male-male or female-female pairs.