AJ Dellinger

Bio

AJ Dellinger is a politics and innovation writer at Mic, where he writes about climate change, sustainability, environmentalism, technology, and social media. He also covers news about the tech industry, politics, and current events. AJ's bylines have also appeared in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, CNET, Engadget, Digital Trends, and others. Prior to joining Mic, AJ was nights and weekends editor at Gizmodo, technology reporter at Newsweek and International Business Times, and staff writer at the Daily Dot. His reporting has been cited in a number of major publications and appeared in academic texts. He has appeared on Cheddar TV, WGN Radio, and served as a panelist and moderator at Structure Security Conference. AJ resides in Madison, Wisconsin, and spends much of his free time fretting way too much about basketball. You can follow AJ on Twitter at @ajdell and learn more about his work at www.ajdellinger.com.

There are QAnon NFTs now, because one grift deserves another
By AJ Dellinger
You're not going to believe this, but one of the main men of the QAnon movement is grifting people. That's right: Ron Watkins is turning his tweets into NFTs. The man is thought to be behind the QAnon character that has swept up millions of people…
Scientists are potty-training cows in an effort to save the planet
By AJ Dellinger
You probably already know that cow farts and burps are bad for the planet, emitting a shocking amount of methane with each passing flatulence. Well, guess what? Cow pee is also hurting the planet for similar reasons, and cows pee a lot. One way to…
Tucker Carlson: "I lie"
By AJ Dellinger
When Tucker Carlson tells you that he lies, you can believe him. The Fox News host, who once again used his show with an audience of more than 3 million people to spread doubts about the coronavirus vaccine, despite the fact that he works for an…
This poll shows just how strong Trump's hold on Republican voters is
By AJ Dellinger
Donald Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election. That is a fact. But it turns out acknowledging that fact might cost a Republican candidate a chance at getting elected. According to a CNN poll published this week, a majority of self-identified…
Biden's new office to fight for environmental justice already faces an uphill battle
By AJ Dellinger
Climate change is a public health emergency. A new government office now not only recognizes that fact, but has also been tasked explicitly with addressing it. Enter the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, a federal office within the…
How the shock and confusion of 9/11 enabled our modern conspiracy era
By AJ Dellinger
For the last half-decade, it has felt like we've been living in the land of conspiracy, with new rumors and misinformation in need of debunking every day. Reality — or at least an agreed-upon version of it — has never felt easier to detach from,…
Animals are "shape-shifting," and scientists think climate change is to blame
By AJ Dellinger
Remember Darwin's finches? In the 1800s, Charles Darwin traveled to Galápagos Islands, where he documented that birds occupying the island evolved to develop different beak shapes that were better suited for the types of food available to them in…
Richard Spencer's very sad Montana life is proof de-platforming Nazis works
By AJ Dellinger
Richard Spencer, the noted neo-Nazi and white supremacist who latched himself to Trumpism and rode it all the way to mainstream prominence, is straight up not having a good time. According to a report from The New York Times, Spencer has been ousted…
Good news: Wind power is the fastest-growing energy source in the U.S.
By AJ Dellinger
Sorry, Dunkin', but America increasingly runs on wind. According to a new report from the Department of Energy, wind was the fastest growing energy source in the country last year, and it wasn't particularly close. 2020 marked a record year for the…
Sidney Powell trying to explain her election conspiracy to an Australian reporter is pure cringe comedy
By AJ Dellinger
Sidney Powell, the former federal prosecutor-turned-Trump sycophant, is facing a $1 billion defamation lawsuit for falsely claiming that voting machine manufacturers participated in a massive conspiracy to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump.…
How to talk to conservatives about climate change
By AJ Dellinger
There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is not only real, but caused by humans. That fact has been so solidified that even the United Nations stopped hedging on its language in its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…
Hurricane Ida, supercharged by climate change, was a terrifying preview of the future
By AJ Dellinger
Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that rapidly intensified over the weekend, made landfall in the United States on Sunday, bringing with it chaos, devastation, and a reminder that climate change is going to make life hell for the foreseeable…
This extinct "god of death" whale that walked on land will haunt your dreams forever
By AJ Dellinger
At some point, whales literally walked the Earth. Scientists have believed this for quite some time, but the evidence has been elusive. On Wednesday, though, researchers presented a recent discovery that gives some of the first meaningful insight…
The "winners" and "losers" of climate change, according to scientists
By AJ Dellinger
At this point, most people are familiar with climate change, whether they would like to admit that it is happening or not. Extreme weather events — from raging wildfires and excruciating heat waves to sudden floods and freezing winter storms — show…
Airbnb will house Afghan refugees, a great reminder that the resources to help people in need already exist
By AJ Dellinger
On Tuesday, Airbnb announced that it would work with hosts in the United States and around the world to temporarily house 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan who need shelter. The company's nonprofit, Airbnb.org, plans to match refugees with…
Anti-vaxxers turn on Trump, who was always just a useful idiot for them
By AJ Dellinger
For months now, there has been a sort of unholy alliance between the most loyal Donald Trump supporters and anti-vaxxers. But over the weekend, Trump himself hosted a rally in Alabama that appears to have sown the seeds of what will likely be a…
The wall Trump built for a fake crisis just got washed away by floods from a real crisis
By AJ Dellinger
During his single term as president of the United States, Donald Trump made it a point to repeal as many environmental protections as he could and actively ignore the rest so he could boost the failing coal industry and build his wildly ineffective…
These researchers are launching a modern day Noah's ark to save species from extinction
By AJ Dellinger
As the planet continues to warm, plants and animals that once thrived are watching the weather conditions they once counted on disappear and the land they once occupied get destroyed. Surviving the ongoing ecological disaster that is climate change…
No one asked for VR workplaces, but Facebook is giving them to us anyway
By AJ Dellinger
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge due to the Delta variant, workplaces across the country are debating whether or not it's safe to bring their employees back into the office. Well, Facebook has a solution: Give Facebook a ton of money…
How to best help Haiti, according to Haitians
By AJ Dellinger
Over the weekend, the nation of Haiti was shaken by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. The amount of destruction done is still being measured. The death toll has already passed 1,300, with more lives lost still expected to be tallied. Thousands more are…