The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

Macbeth

Microanimism • 119 implied HN points • 30 May 24
🔬 Science Biology Virology Health
  1. Viruses are ancient, existing before cellular life and influencing the history of biology and life today.
  2. The presence of viruses is widespread, from biblical references to everyday life, emotions, and biological processes.
  3. The text explores themes of guilt, perfection, and the intertwining of life and death through a poetic and philosophical lens.

Monthly Archaeology Round-Up: April

Grey Goose Chronicles • 727 implied HN points • 09 May 23
🔬 Science Archaeology Genetics Forensics
  1. Native Americans were using horses over a hundred years before previously thought, shaping a new view of early Plains societies.
  2. Genetic analysis confirms migration and intermixing with Persians on Africa's Swahili coast, challenging long-held theories.
  3. Bronze Age Menorca revealed evidence of the use of powerful drugs, shedding light on ancient rituals and practices.

But Seriously, Why The F*ck Do Giraffes Have Long Necks?

Insight Axis • 612 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🔬 Science Biology Genetics Evolution Knowledge Environment
  1. Giraffes have long necks to better reach food on tall trees, increasing their chances of survival and passing on their genes.
  2. In the true story of giraffes' evolution, genes are the main characters that hold knowledge for survival in their environment.
  3. Humans, unlike giraffes, can create their own knowledge using their minds, allowing them to survive in diverse environments and even outer space.
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Defining Interpersonal Trust

Heterodox STEM • 71 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🔬 Science Social Science Political Science Economics Research Methods Surveys Public Policy
  1. Leading researchers treat the World Values Survey question “most people can be trusted” as a measure of interpersonal trust, not just trust in people you personally know.
  2. Factor analyses show that this question loads with trust in strangers rather than with trust in friends and family, so it captures a generalized form of interpersonal trust toward unfamiliar people.
  3. As a result, mainstream social-science studies use that survey item to measure interpersonal trust in research on social capital and economic growth, contradicting narrower definitions that limit interpersonal trust to known individuals.

A Visual Guide to Gene Delivery

Asimov Press • 335 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
🔬 Science Gene Therapy Medical Research Genetics Biotechnology Health
  1. Gene therapies are designed to fix problems caused by genetic mutations, and there are many delivery methods available to target these issues. The choice of delivery method depends on how the gene needs to be delivered and what condition is being treated.
  2. Two common types of gene therapies are _ex vivo_ (where cells are modified outside the body and then put back) and _in vivo_ (where the therapy is delivered directly into the body). Each has its own advantages based on the target cells and diseases.
  3. When choosing a gene delivery vehicle, factors like how much genetic material can be delivered, the ability to target specific cells, and immune responses need to be carefully considered to ensure effective and safe therapy.

Counting Materials

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 814 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🔬 Science Environmental Science Resource Management Material Science Economic Policy
  1. The use of materials in the U.S. has evolved significantly since 1970, with some materials seeing reduced demand while the economy grows. This shows that it's possible to become more efficient in using resources.
  2. Many materials used today are sourced from other countries, meaning the U.S. is consuming but not producing everything. This raises questions about the sustainability of relying on foreign resources.
  3. As global living standards rise, the demand for materials will increase. It's important to manage these materials wisely to minimize environmental impact while still supporting industrial growth.

Moralistic Punishment Evolved to Prevent Cycles of Revenge

Living Fossils • 28 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🔬 Science Evolutionary Psychology Social Psychology Anthropology Behavioral Science Cognitive Science Cultural Evolution
  1. Moral judgment often drives people to punish because punishment is a way to stop cycles of revenge; when everyone agrees a set penalty settles a dispute, further attacks become illegitimate.
  2. Because humans form alliances, fights can quickly escalate and harm many people, so shared rules and sanctions reduce costly internal conflict and group vulnerability.
  3. Across cultures there is broad agreement on the order of how serious offenses are but big differences in exact penalties, which suggests punishment evolved mainly to coordinate conflict endings rather than to optimize deterrence.

What Makes a Mature Science

Asimov Press • 348 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
🔬 Science Biology Chemistry Physics Psychology Methodology
  1. For a science to mature, it needs to explain its subject clearly using specific entities, properties, and rules. Just having a mechanism isn't enough.
  2. Fields like biology and psychology are still developing because they struggle to define their key entities and rules, making it difficult to fully understand their subjects.
  3. To progress, sciences must move beyond descriptions and start building models that predict outcomes, much like how chemistry evolved from alchemy to a mature science.

How Will Vaccine Skeptics View Vaccine Beer?

Viruses Must Die • 52 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🔬 Science Public Health Science communication Vaccinology Bioethics Research Integrity Pharma Industry
  1. Talk to vaccine skeptics with empathy and without sneering; listening and explaining things simply helps conversations go much better.
  2. Distrust of institutional scientists and Big Pharma fuels skepticism, but independent scientists also deserve critical scrutiny—avoid reflexive tribalism on either side.
  3. Vaccine beer might appeal to some skeptics if it’s transparent, clearly not coercive (for example, visibly colored), and developed with feedback from skeptical communities beyond one’s family.

The One Weird Trick That Gave Humans Language

The Ruffian • 319 implied HN points • 02 Aug 25
🔬 Science Neuroscience Evolution Language Cognition Artificial Intelligence
  1. Humans have a special way of communicating that's different from other animals. Unlike apes, we have unique brain areas for language, like Broca's and Wernicke's areas, which help us produce and understand speech.
  2. Our ability to speak is not just about having a bigger brain. Instead, it includes inherited instincts like taking turns in conversations and sharing attention, which help us learn language from a young age.
  3. Language skills come from a combination of learned and instinctual behaviors. Children need social connections to develop language, just like baby birds learn to fly by trying and practicing with a supportive environment.

Kat Kitay: The Origin of Cyborgs

Do Not Research • 499 implied HN points • 11 Dec 23
🔬 Science Technology Biology Evolution Genetics Social Impact
  1. Donna Haraway introduced the concept of 'cyborg' in 1985 as a response to the rising technological world order
  2. Human evolution has been driven by technological advancements since ancient times, shaping our species' survival and success
  3. The modern digital revolution is pushing us towards a new kind of evolution where gene-editing technologies and digital pressures play crucial roles

Cable Bacteria are Living Batteries

Asimov Press • 335 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
🔬 Science Biology Microbiology Ecology Environmental Science Research
  1. Cable bacteria are unique microbes that act like living batteries by transferring electrons over long distances in mud. They help oxidize sulfide deep in sediment and transport energy to places where it can access oxygen.
  2. The discovery of cable bacteria challenges traditional views in biology, showing that organisms can work together like circuits and coordinate their energy processes over large spaces, which was not thought possible before.
  3. These bacteria have potential environmental benefits, like reducing methane emissions in rice paddies, but growing them for practical use is difficult, as they can't be cultured alone or genetically modified yet.

3.3 Potentials, Energy, & Fields

Fields & Energy • 239 implied HN points • 20 Mar 24
🔬 Science Physics Mathematics Theory Electricity Energy
  1. There's a debate in science about how we understand forces, like whether they act at a distance or through fields in space. Two main theories exist: one says forces happen instantly, while the other suggests they spread out gradually.
  2. George Green, a self-taught baker turned mathematician, made important contributions to the math behind electromagnetism. His work, which included ideas about electric potential and field theory, changed how we study these forces.
  3. Fields and potentials are two simple ways to describe how electricity and magnetism work. They help us understand how energy moves and behaves in different situations, like around charges or between capacitor plates.

Analyze Brain Regions, not Neurons

John Ball inside AI • 59 implied HN points • 08 Jul 24
🔬 Science Neuroscience AI Cognitive Science Brain function Human behavior
  1. It's better to study brain regions rather than just neurons because brain regions are responsible for specific functions, and damage to these regions leads to predictable problems.
  2. AI development has focused too much on the workings of individual neurons instead of understanding how brain regions connect and work together as a system.
  3. Understanding meaning is crucial for AI to function like human brains, as language and thought come from the brain's ability to store and connect experiences.

3.0 The Birth of Electromagnetism

Fields & Energy • 279 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🔬 Science Physics Electromagnetism History Measurement Innovation
  1. Coulomb created the torsion balance, a tool that helped him measure tiny forces between electrically charged objects. This was a big step in understanding electricity and magnetism.
  2. His findings showed that electric forces follow a similar pattern to gravitational forces, which Newton discovered. This means both types of forces can be explained using related mathematical laws.
  3. Coulomb's work laid the foundation for modern electromagnetism, even though he faced challenges during the French Revolution. His contributions are still recognized today, as the unit of electric charge is named after him.

Forgotten Minerals #2: Caliche

Material World • 918 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🔬 Science Geology Environmental Science Agriculture History
  1. People often keep mining a resource even when substitutes are available. This happens because once we start mining something, we rarely stop.
  2. Caliche, a valuable rock in the Atacama desert, is still being mined heavily for its nitrogen, despite the invention of synthetic alternatives that could replace it.
  3. Interestingly, mining caliche can have less environmental impact than the modern methods used to create fertilizers, showing that old mining practices haven't completely disappeared.

WORM MOON 2023

The Lunar Dispatch • 648 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🔬 Science Physics Quantum Computing History Ethics Technology
  1. Progress in creating theoretical spacetime tunnels like wormholes has been slow.
  2. Albert Einstein, known for his scientific achievements and humanitarianism, had a complex private side.
  3. With the advent of quantum computers, concerns arise about privacy and the need for mutual forgiveness in the face of revealed dark sides.

Psychology’s Greatest Misses (Part 1/3)

Living Fossils • 31 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🔬 Science Psychology Social Psychology Cognitive Science Research Methods
  1. The replication crisis is mainly a failure of methods and weak evidence, not a need for new grand theories; psychology needs better procedures and rigor to make its findings reliable.
  2. Many popular psychology ideas are unsupported or oversimplified—common claims about reading instruction, power posing, stages of grief, stereotype threat, and transference often don’t hold up and can mislead practice.
  3. People’s responses depend more on the relationship and context than on fixed traits; concepts like attachment work better as changeable strategies that vary across situations.

2.6.3 The Misinterpretation of Newton

Fields & Energy • 299 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🔬 Science Physics Mathematics History Philosophy Theories
  1. Newton did not explain why gravity exists. He focused on describing what gravity does instead of offering guesses about its cause.
  2. Many scientists after Newton misinterpreted his ideas, leading to a belief that gravity was an essential quality of matter, even though Newton disagreed with such views.
  3. Over time, Newton's concepts became viewed as abstract ideas rather than being connected to real evidence from the physical world.

Telescopes: Discoveries, Places to Visit, Key Facts

Space Ambition • 359 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🔬 Science Astronomy Astrophysics Technology Engineering Research
  1. Telescopes help us discover amazing things in space, like black holes and new planets. They've changed our understanding of the universe since Galileo's time.
  2. There are many types of telescopes, both in space and on Earth. Each one has its own strengths, like observing different wavelengths of light to see invisible objects.
  3. People are really getting into astronomy, and funding for telescopes is growing. It's easier than ever to rent telescopes or visit observatories to explore the night sky.

You Can’t Write Vague And Censorship-Friendly Editorial Guidelines And Then Pretend They Won’t Apply In The Real World

Singal-Minded • 856 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
🔬 Science Censorship Research Policy Ethics Education
  1. Vague editorial guidelines can lead to serious issues in real-life situations. It's important to have clear and specific rules to avoid confusion and misapplication.
  2. Censorship in the sciences is a topic that many people are discussing. There are different viewpoints on how to balance respect for human dignity with academic freedom.
  3. It's essential to protect published research from being altered or withdrawn unjustly. Making changes for social justice reasons can lead to more harm than good in the scientific community.

Numlock News: November 2, 2023 • Panda, Theia, Discogs

Numlock News • 569 implied HN points • 02 Nov 23
🔬 Science Space Environment Music Health Research
  1. Downtown business districts in smaller cities may face significant financial impact from drops in office space rent compared to larger cities.
  2. China's panda bear diplomatic program involves significant costs for zoos worldwide but may not always be financially lucrative for the hosting facilities.
  3. The World Series experienced record low ratings, attributed in part to regional issues and the matchup between Dallas and Phoenix.

Be Bold, Do Science

Insight Axis • 513 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
🔬 Science Philosophy Research Education
  1. Science is not a master and has no master - it's about constructive argument, experiment, and refinement.
  2. Science is not confined to subjects like biology or physics - it's about diverse applications and better explanations.
  3. Science is not about hoarding facts but finding theories - it's a creative action that involves testing and humility.

Economic Ornithology

Bird History • 379 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🔬 Science Ornithology Conservation Agriculture Research History
  1. Before pesticides, birds were valued by farmers for their role in controlling bugs on crops, and economic ornithologists calculated the precise worth of each bird in dollars.
  2. The Bureau of Biological Survey was established to study the economic impact of birds on agriculture, shifting focus to quantify the benefits and drawbacks of various bird species on crops.
  3. Studies conducted by economic ornithologists resulted in a widespread belief in the economic significance of birds in pest control, but the field eventually lost credibility as pesticides and modern agricultural practices took over.

Intrigue

Remote View • 334 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🔬 Science Physics Research Technology Experiments
  1. The post discusses the concept of intrigue both as a verb and a noun.
  2. The post announces a livestream on January 28, 2024, at 22:00 CET, discussing thoughts from a book by Robert Temple.
  3. The post provides various references, including books, articles, and research papers on topics like science, plasmoids, and cold war technology.

A Bridging of Dimensions

ᴋʟᴀᵾs • 628 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
🔬 Science Physics Mathematics Biology Neuroscience Consciousness
  1. Former government officials have revealed details about UFO crash retrieval programs involving non-human intelligence and advanced materials.
  2. The use of topological materials in UFO technology could explain exotic properties, like strange isotopes and materials able to deform into higher dimensions.
  3. Connections between the human brain's multi-dimensional functions and UFO phenomena could suggest a link between consciousness and unexplained aerial phenomena.

The Unstoppable Momentum of Outdated Science: 2024 Update

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 2316 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🔬 Science Climate research Scientific Integrity Climate Science
  1. Climate research and policy are still heavily based on outdated and misleading scenarios like RCP8.5, which are causing a disconnect from reality and hindering progress.
  2. Studies in various fields can continue to gain momentum, even if they are based on flawed or outdated foundations, leading to a waste of resources and efforts.
  3. There is a pressing need for a significant reset in climate research to address the widespread usage of obsolete scenarios like RCP8.5, despite the acknowledged divergence from real-world data.

Some ants can choose to live 5x as long

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 746 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
🔬 Science Biology Physiology Longevity Insulin
  1. Some ants, like Indian jumping ants, can live much longer lives if they become a pseudoqueen. They can live about five times longer than their worker counterparts after winning a duel for queen status.
  2. The lifespan of these ants can actually change based on their circumstances. If a gamergate is placed in a new colony with an active queen, they revert back to being a normal worker with a shorter lifespan.
  3. This interesting case suggests a different relationship between reproduction and lifespan. In these ants, becoming a reproductive figure seems to extend their life instead of shortening it like it does in many other species.

Modular curve stitching

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 66 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🔬 Science Mathematics Geometry Astronomy Education
  1. Connecting each point k to a·k (mod m) on an m-point circle produces lacy modular stitch patterns that, as m grows, converge to smooth cycloid curves; for positive a these limit curves are epicycloids with a−1 petals.
  2. The same curves arise from a continuous 'dancing planets' model where two bodies orbit an origin an integer number of times and a tether between them is sampled; reversing a planet's direction turns epicycloids into hypocycloids.
  3. Sampling can cause aliasing so different orbital parameters can produce identical sampled patterns when the sample size m equals |αδ−βγ|, which explains why seemingly different stitch parameters sometimes look the same.