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When Nature Becomes ‘Fake News’
Last week, while sharing a video of frost flowers forming in the early morning light, I read through the comments with growing unease. “AI-generated,” several viewers declared confidently. “Fake news,” wrote others. The delicate ice formations — precisely the kind I remember watching form on my bedroom window as a child in the Netherlands — had become a battlefield in our era’s war on truth.
This morning, I felt that same disquiet while scrolling through responses to my ermine video. The small white creature, bouncing through fresh snow like a character from a fairy tale, sparked not just wonder but skepticism. Between appreciative comments about its ballet-like grace came accusations of digital manipulation. How did we arrive at a moment when even nature’s beauty requires fact-checking?
The responses to my nature videos often reveal deeply personal connections. A reader’s comment about Glacier National Park particularly struck me. In 2016, she observed snowshoe hares that had already turned white against a still-brown landscape. She wrote, “Those hares might as well have had bullseyes painted on them. They were easy to spot against the rocks from several hundred yards away — sitting ducks for predators.” Her observation perfectly captured what’s at stake — nature’s ancient rhythms disrupted by our warming world.
