The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

A History of Intelligence

Holodoxa • 199 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
🔬 Science Evolution Neuroscience Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Cognitive abilities
  1. Animals like primates and octopus exhibit intelligent behavior through learning powerful "world models" which is missing in AI systems today.
  2. The book 'A Brief History of Intelligence' outlines five key evolutionary breakthroughs that led to human intelligence: steering, reinforcement, simulating, mentalizing, and language.
  3. Human intelligence has evolved through the ability to navigate environments, learn through trial-and-error, simulate future events, understand others' minds, and develop spoken/written language.

Astronomy and space exploration are shaping our civilization landscape

Space Ambition • 219 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🔬 Science Astronomy Technology Physics Exploration Research
  1. Space exploration has greatly influenced our technology and daily lives. From GPS navigation to weather monitoring, many devices we use today were developed because of our quests in space.
  2. Astronomy helped ancient civilizations in navigation and timekeeping. By studying stars, early navigators found their way, and calendars were created to track important agricultural and religious events.
  3. The study of dark matter and other cosmic phenomena might lead to groundbreaking discoveries in the future. These studies could bring about new technologies and a better understanding of our universe.
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Anomalous Radioactive Variations

Remote View • 196 implied HN points • 29 Mar 23
🔬 Science Research Experimentation Data Analysis Astrophysics
  1. Joe Parr conducted experiments with pyramids and radioactive sources, noting cyclical variations in radioactive counts possibly linked to moon phases and solar activity.
  2. Parr's hypothesis of a 'hyperspace bubble' forming around the pyramid passing through magnetic fields is based on anomalous events in the data.
  3. The test setups involved rotating pyramids between magnetic fields, with a sophisticated setup to measure radioactive counts and variations.

How Did Natural Selection Get Around Alignment?

Maximum Progress • 196 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🔬 Science Evolution AI Alignment
  1. Humans can use incremental optimizations to train AI but changes in environment can lead to unpredictability in behavior.
  2. AI models can end up following heuristics that worked in training but are not aligned with the desired goal.
  3. Natural selection successfully deals with misalignment by constantly selecting and adapting organisms to new environments.

My Metascience 2022 talk on new scalable ‘technoscience’ laboratory designs, and potential upcoming ‘New National Purpose’ reports

James W. Phillips' Newsletter • 196 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
🔬 Science Research Innovation Funding Collaboration
  1. Proposing new scalable laboratory designs for innovative research
  2. Emphasizing the need for long-term, single-source funding for research labs
  3. Advocating for a non-academic research structure with shared resources and collaborative community

That GenomeWeb Article On Spatial Growth...

ASeq Newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🔬 Science Biology Technology Innovation Health Research
  1. New technology is emerging in the field of single-cell sequencing, making it easier to analyze large amounts of data. Companies like Parse and 10x are leading the way with new products.
  2. The market for bio-tech is growing, but there are signs it may slow down in the upcoming year. Keeping an eye on industry trends will be important.
  3. Illumina is preparing to launch new technology in 2025, which could have a big impact on gene expression studies. It's worth watching how these advancements will change research.

The Giddiness of Time

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 319 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🔬 Science Geology Earth Science Natural History Environmental Studies
  1. Time is deep and vast, stretching back billions of years. This history has shaped our planet and the life on it, making it so fascinating to explore.
  2. Certain rocks, like the Morton Gneiss, are incredibly old and hold stories about the Earth's early days. Touching these rocks can help us connect to that ancient time.
  3. Geological processes, like plate tectonics, have changed over the ages. Understanding when these processes began gives us insight into the Earth's past and how it has evolved.

Coming Soon! Science & Scientism

Fields & Energy • 139 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
🔬 Science Philosophy History Cultures Research Education
  1. The discussion will explore the differences between science and scientism, which refers to an excessive reliance on scientific methods or claims.
  2. Francis Bacon is a key historical figure in the development of modern science, particularly with his influence on the Royal Society.
  3. A livestream event featuring experts will dive deeper into these topics, highlighting the philosophical aspects of science.

Week #2: Intuition Behind Conformal Prediction

Mindful Modeler • 379 implied HN points • 27 Dec 22
🔬 Science Data science Machine Learning Statistics Training Model Evaluation
  1. Conformal prediction for classification works by ordering predictions from certain to uncertain, dividing them based on a user-defined confidence level.
  2. Conformal prediction consists of three main steps: training, calibration, and prediction, following a similar recipe across different algorithms.
  3. Different resampling strategies like k-fold cross-splitting and jackknife are used in conformal prediction, offering a balance between computation cost and prediction accuracy.

It was the end of the world as they knew it

Wood From Eden • 432 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🔬 Science
  1. 66 million years ago, an asteroid caused the end of the dinosaurs and led to mass extinction.
  2. The impact caused immense destruction, including a tsunami, shockwave, and impact winter.
  3. Humanity faces challenges in asteroid deflection due to the need for early action and space travel limitations.

RKUL: Time Well Spent 03/03/2024

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 171 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🔬 Science Evolutionary biology Genetics Anthropology Ancient History Podcasts
  1. Parents can now screen embryos during IVF using whole genome sequencing to check for hundreds of conditions, keeping families safe.
  2. The presence of maternal grandmothers has been linked to higher survivorship among grandchildren, showing the evolutionary importance of menopause.
  3. Research on ancient DNA and AI may offer valuable insights into human history, potentially surpassing the impact of ancient DNA studies.

Learning the Language of Rain

Daoist Methodologies • 176 implied HN points • 17 Oct 23
🔬 Science Neural Networks Information Theory Data processing Entropy
  1. Huawei's Pangu AI model shows promise in weather prediction, outperforming some standard models in accuracy and speed.
  2. Google's Metnet models, using neural networks, excel in predicting weather based on images of rain clouds, showcasing novel ways to approach weather simulation.
  3. Neural networks are efficient in processing complex data, like rain cloud images, to extract detailed information and act as entropy sinks, providing insights into real-world phenomena simulation.

Birth of protein folds and functions in the virome

Axial • 14 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🔬 Science Virology Genetics Molecular Biology Bioinformatics
  1. A lot of viral proteins have unique structures, showing there's still much to discover in the viral world. More than half of these proteins are structurally different from anything we've seen before.
  2. Some viral proteins are surprisingly similar to human proteins, which allows viruses to trick our cells. This understanding could lead to new ways to combat viral infections.
  3. Using advanced techniques to study protein structures is really powerful. It can reveal function and relationships that traditional methods might miss, helping us understand viruses better.

Unbiased mapping of cereblon neosubstrate landscape by high-throughput proteomics

Axial • 14 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🔬 Science Biochemistry Proteomics Drug Discovery Molecular Biology Cancer Research
  1. A new method helps find powerful compounds that can target hard-to-reach proteins for drug development. These compounds are called molecular glue degraders, and they can help break down unwanted proteins in the body.
  2. The study found many new targets for these compounds, including some that haven't been studied much before. This expands the potential for developing new treatments for diseases like cancer.
  3. The researchers created a process that combines different scientific techniques, making it easier to design and improve these drugs. This means we might see more precise and effective medicines in the future.

In vivo photoreceptor base editing ameliorates rhodopsin-E150K autosomal-recessive retinitis pigmentosa in mice

Axial • 14 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
🔬 Science Gene Therapy CRISPR Molecular Biology
  1. Researchers are using CRISPR technology to fix a genetic mutation that causes a type of blindness in mice. This mutation is in the rhodopsin gene, which is important for vision.
  2. Timing is really important for the treatment to be effective. Treating mice earlier resulted in better preservation of their eyesight compared to treating them later.
  3. Despite progress, there are challenges in translating this therapy for humans. The mutation is rare, making it tough to conduct clinical trials, and the therapy needs further development for success.

Space Debris: Don’t make the same mistake twice

Space Ambition • 539 implied HN points • 07 Oct 22
🔬 Science Space Exploration Astronomy Environmental Science Technology development
  1. There is a growing problem of space debris around Earth. With thousands of pieces of debris already up there, the risk of collision is increasing, which can endanger astronauts and future missions.
  2. To combat space debris, innovations like better spacecraft designs and more proactive measures are being proposed. Governments and organizations are working on new regulations to minimize debris creation and improve safety.
  3. A new industry is emerging focused on cleaning up space junk. Companies are developing technologies to capture and remove debris, which is becoming a significant market with potential for high revenues in the coming years.

The Breakthrough in Fusion We've All Been Waiting For

Gordian Knot News • 190 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🔬 Science Fusion Engineering Electricity
  1. 90 odd power plants in the country are n-U fusion reactors, creating electricity with an engineering gain of about 18.
  2. Operators of these fusion plants are advised to apply for a Section 30 license from the NRC quickly or contact their state regulatory agency if in an Agreement State.
  3. The breakthrough in fusion we've been waiting for involves the significant engineering gains of n-U fusion reactors, surpassing other fusion concepts in terms of proven efficiency.

Against Full Scale IQ Fetishism

sebjenseb • 176 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🔬 Science IQ Intelligence Quality
  1. Intelligence and FSIQ are not the same, but often closely correlate.
  2. Success is influenced by intelligence, but also impacted by luck, personality, and specific cognitive abilities.
  3. Quality as an intellectual is not solely dependent on intelligence, but also on traits like drive, prioritizing truth, tackling controversial issues, and connections to communities.

On clouds: where they come from, where they go

Climate Water Project • 176 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🔬 Science Climate Atmosphere Weather Ecosystems Research
  1. Clouds are formed by multiple global processes like atmospheric circulation patterns and wind movements.
  2. Jet streams in the upper atmosphere play a role in cloud formation and rain patterns.
  3. Land degradation, like deforestation, can impact cloud formation and the occurrence of extreme weather events like atmospheric rivers and hurricanes.

The Story in the Lake

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 176 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🔬 Science Geology Climate Environmental Conservation Human Impact Biodiversity
  1. A small lake in Ontario has been chosen to represent the Anthropocene epoch in Earth's history due to human activity.
  2. Humans have significantly transformed Earth's systems, leading to a new epoch where human history is now Earth's history.
  3. Geologists have selected Crawford Lake in Ontario as a witness and representative site for the Anthropocene, with its layers of sediment telling the story of human impact.

O-Day - Elevation plan

Remote View • 176 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
🔬 Science Interview Research
  1. Discussion on unique features found in Dr. Alexander Parkhomov's reactor
  2. Possible correlation between specific structures in LENR experiments and the VEGA 'Pyramid'
  3. Interesting insights from third-party video interview on the Giza Death Star Trilogy

EQ > IQ

Vectors of Mind • 176 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🔬 Science Intelligence Evolution Psychometrics Language Genetics
  1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is argued to be more fundamental to human evolution and the 'Good Life' than Intelligence Quotient (IQ), despite being harder to measure.
  2. Traits exist both as idealized forms and measurable approximations through psychological instruments like surveys, but the accuracy of these measurements is limited.
  3. The General Factor of Personality (GFP) is emphasized as a more fundamental concept than the general factor of intelligence (g), with language reflecting its importance and complexity.

The Bear Case for Mars

Planetocracy • 176 implied HN points • 20 Apr 23
🔬 Science Space Exploration
  1. Space colonization, particularly on Mars, may face insurmountable barriers and challenges.
  2. Alternative solutions like creating gravity trains on Mars or colonizing its moons, Phobos and Deimos, could be considered.
  3. Exploring cislunar space and developing free-floating habitats might be a viable alternative or backup plan to Mars colonization.

Four Simple Questions

Gordian Knot News • 183 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🔬 Science Nuclear power Regulation
  1. Masking up with N95 masks can significantly reduce inhalation dose during a nuclear event, but pro-nuke advocates rarely mention this lifesaving tip.
  2. Spent nuclear fuel becomes significantly less dangerous over time due to radioactive decay, with minimal risk after 600 years. This valuable material can also be recycled and is not as hazardous as commonly believed.
  3. The Linear No Threshold (LNT) radiation model is flawed in its assumption of strictly additive harm. Challenging this model and proposing an alternative that considers our body's ability to repair radiation damage is key to advancing nuclear power safety.