The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

What should we be measuring in brain preservation?

Neurobiology Notes • 137 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🔬 Science Neurobiology Brain preservation
  1. The goal of brain preservation is to protect and store information from a person's brain for potential future revival.
  2. Structural metrics, like intact cell membrane morphology, are crucial for evaluating brain preservation methods.
  3. Connectome traceability by contemporary electron microscopy sets a high standard for brain preservation, but intact cell morphology on light microscopy can be a reasonable proxy.

Action Potentials for March

Neurobiology Notes • 137 implied HN points • 18 Mar 23
🔬 Science Neurobiology Genetics Immunology Quantum physics Cryonics
  1. A big connectomics study of Drosophila larva was published, revealing new insights into neural connections
  2. Simulated neural networks can accurately replicate properties of connectomes in different species
  3. Research proposal aims to comprehensively measure input-output functions of all 302 neurons in C. elegans, a significant project in neuroscience

Erika Update #5: DNA detective

Erika’s Newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
🔬 Science Biology Genetics Research Engineering Biotechnology
  1. It's important to keep good track of custom DNA programs in biology for engineering purposes.
  2. Current DNA management lacks clear nomenclature and annotation, making it challenging to work with DNA sequences.
  3. Challenges in DNA management highlight the complexity of biological functions and the importance of handling sequences carefully and thoughtfully.

Anatomy of Market Failure IV: Ostrom and Governance

Knowledge Problem • 137 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
🔬 Science Market failure Property Rights Governance
  1. Property rights play a crucial role in discussions about market failure and influence institutional choices.
  2. Common-pool resources often have ill-defined property rights, leading to governance challenges but offering opportunities for diverse institutional solutions.
  3. Elinor Ostrom's work emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing ill-defined property rights to achieve effective environmental policy outcomes.
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Sex in Biology Signature Campaign

Heterodox STEM • 156 implied HN points • 21 Feb 25
🔬 Science Biology Evolution Ecology Genetics Research
  1. Some biology societies have stated that sex is not simply male or female, which has caused confusion.
  2. A group of biologists has written a letter saying that sex should actually be defined by gamete type, meaning there are two sexes.
  3. They are asking other biologists to sign this letter to support their view and clarify the definition of sex.

Rising political activism in prestige scientific journals and magazines

James W. Phillips' Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
🔬 Science Identity politics
  1. Prominent scientific journals and magazines have become significantly more politicized over the years, emphasizing political content over pure science.
  2. There is a noticeable bias towards left-of-center viewpoints in the political articles, with a lack of representation of differing viewpoints.
  3. The increase in political and identity-related content in these scientific publications may have implications for how science is perceived and understood by the public.

Genetic Certainty and Mechanistic Ambiguity

Holodoxa • 99 implied HN points • 09 Dec 23
🔬 Science Genetics Cancer Biology Research Health
  1. Genetic information is essential for understanding diseases, but it is just the beginning - further research is needed to unravel how genetic errors impact proteins and disease mechanisms.
  2. Studying cancer syndromes can provide insights into tumor suppressor genes and the genetic risks associated with cancer development.
  3. The discovery of the VHL gene linked to von Hippel-Lindau disease illustrates the complexity of disease mechanisms, such as how disruption of a ubiquitin ligase can lead to cancer and the tissue-specific patterns of risk in affected individuals.

Links for 2024-01-15

Axis of Ordinary • 78 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🔬 Science AI Technology Politics Ukraine
  1. AI topics include reinforcement learning, OpenMind Research Institute, and AI chips.
  2. Science and Technology discusses banking systems still using COBOL and new high-performance nanostructures for obtaining Hydrogen with solar energy.
  3. In Politics, China is moving towards a 'first-strike' capability with weapons of mass destruction.

Metascience at the NIH

The Good Science Project • 59 implied HN points • 05 Aug 25
🔬 Science Metascience Research Funding Biomedical Research Health Policy Scientific Integrity
  1. The NIH is looking to limit high article processing charges for open-access journals. This is important because some journals ask for really high fees that can take away from research funding.
  2. The NIH is working to reduce bureaucracy that slows down research. Researchers spend a lot of time on paperwork, which could be better spent on their actual science work.
  3. There’s a focus on funding more replication experiments in science. This is key because it helps check if important research findings are true and not based on mistakes or fraud.

Semiotic bricolage

johan’s substack • 19 implied HN points • 08 Jun 24
🔬 Science AI Communication Semiotics Ethics
  1. In human-AI communication, having a theory of mind helps shape communicative intent - the AI models thoughts and tailors responses to what it perceives the human's needs and interests to be.
  2. The AI's communicative intent is a combination of drives - from being informative and reflective, to striving for semiotic resonance and catalyzing intellectual exploration.
  3. Soft programming the AI's drives can potentially refine its communicative intent, balancing being informative and ethical without overwhelming the dialogue.

Medicine for space and space for medicine

Space Ambition • 379 implied HN points • 28 Oct 22
🔬 Science Biomedical Health Studies Technology Innovation
  1. Space missions allow for important medical research that can't be done on Earth. This research helps us understand health impacts from weightlessness and cosmic radiation.
  2. Space medicine focuses on preventing and treating health issues astronauts face during missions. It's essential to manage their wellbeing in orbit, especially for long-duration flights.
  3. The future of space medicine includes private companies conducting research in space. This could lead to breakthroughs in treatments for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.

The Space Energy Industry: will it give us an emissions-free future?

Space Ambition • 399 implied HN points • 30 Sep 22
🔬 Science Space Exploration Renewable Energy Nuclear power Astrobiology
  1. The space energy industry is growing rapidly and could help provide clean energy to Earth, reducing carbon emissions.
  2. Solar and nuclear power are the main options for providing energy in space, with solar being more effective for missions near Earth and Mars, while nuclear is better for farther distances.
  3. China is leading in developing space-based solar power, which could deliver a large amount of energy back to Earth, making it a feasible option for our future energy needs.

New tools for programming biology

The Century of Biology • 472 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🔬 Science Biology Genetics CRISPR
  1. CRISPR technology has revolutionized biology with its programmable gene editing capabilities, leading to rapid advancements and commercial interest.
  2. New tools like HACE for targeted genetic variation and technologies for RNA writing are expanding the toolkit for programming biology.
  3. Exploration of retrons as a tool for DNA production and genome editing reveals the potential for diverse applications in genome engineering.

Strange attractors

johan’s substack • 19 implied HN points • 06 Jun 24
🔬 Science Semiotics Systems theory Complexity Science Cybernetics Meaning-making
  1. Language operates as a dynamic, networked construct, constantly evolving with new ideas and combinations.
  2. A systems-oriented approach to semiotics views meaning-making as a complex, adaptive, and emergent process.
  3. Emergent Semiotic Resonance (ESR) is when human and artificial agents co-create new structures of meaning, aligning and synchronizing their semiotic frameworks through feedback loops.

Is Technology Shrinking Our Brains?

The Digital Anthropologist • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
🔬 Science Technology Artificial Intelligence Information Storage Genetic Engineering
  1. Our brains have been shrinking for thousands of years, and one theory suggests this could be due to technology advances, posing questions about our future evolution.
  2. Research indicates that our brains began shrinking around 100,000 years ago, potentially linked to the rise of agriculture and the shift in human lifestyle habits.
  3. As we continue to rely on technology for cognitive tasks like AI and information storage, we may be rewiring our brains, raising ethical concerns and possibilities for a more powerful future of human evolution.

Making Them Laugh, Making Them Think

Everything Is Amazing • 882 implied HN points • 16 Apr 23
🔬 Science Research Publication Awards Accessibility Communication
  1. Substack has launched a new feature called Notes, resembling Twitter but with a more positive tone.
  2. Legal language is often unnecessarily complex and difficult to read due to factors like jargon and convoluted sentence structures.
  3. The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate quirky and humorous scientific research, shedding light on interesting discoveries with a touch of lightheartedness.

(Thinking Like a Plague) 1. Microbe-botherers

Microanimism • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
🔬 Science Microbiology Research
  1. Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, where scientists explore what they do and how they function, making microbiologists essentially 'microbe-botherers.'
  2. The term 'microbe' serves as a broad, inclusive label, encompassing various tiny organisms, even if specific scientific terms like 'microbial' are more accurate for certain contexts.
  3. Subscribing to Microanimism gives you access to insightful posts like this one and a 7-day trial to explore the full archives.

Towards a systems semiotics

johan’s substack • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
🔬 Science Semiotics Neural Networks Meaning-making Artificial Intelligence
  1. Engaging with AI involves a unique process of language generation, bridging the gap between human and synthetic realms.
  2. Humans navigate the Sociosemioscape, a network of speech acts that shape communication and understanding in language, culture, and social interactions.
  3. Venturing into the Semioscape, through the creation and exploration of neologisms, leads to a fluid and transformative experience where meaning shifts and new patterns emerge.

All models are wrong, but some are tragically misleading

Gordian Knot News • 183 implied HN points • 30 Dec 24
🔬 Science Nuclear Radiation Health Environment Policy
  1. Evacuating people from the Fukushima area was delayed, and some evacuation decisions may not have been based on the actual risk levels involved. This led to unnecessary stress for many residents.
  2. A lot of the radiation exposure from the Fukushima disaster was less harmful than initially thought. Some areas had low radiation levels that people were advised to evacuate from, leading to disruption in their lives.
  3. Models predicting cancer risks from radiation exposure can be misleading. In some cases, the predicted health impacts did not match what real-life studies showed.

Yet Another Ball and Urn Problem

Metarational • 59 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🔬 Science Probability Mathematics Puzzle
  1. The problem involves repeatedly selecting balls from an urn, inspecting their color, putting them back, and adding another of the same color. The goal is to find the probability that the majority of balls in the urn will be white after a large number of repetitions.
  2. To solve the problem, it was analyzed that there must be at least half white draws to achieve a white majority. Calculations led to a final result of 11/16 as the probability limit.
  3. The solution involved understanding the probabilities of different color sequences and using Riemann sums to simplify and find the answer, showcasing an intricate application of mathematics to a probability riddle.

↩ Flashback Friday: A Quick Q&A on nuclear energy risk with ... economist Matthew Neidell

Faster, Please! • 456 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🔬 Science Energy Policy AI Health Space
  1. The Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011 led to Japan shutting down nuclear reactors, resulting in unforeseen consequences like higher energy prices, reduced consumption, and increased mortality during cold temperatures.
  2. Following the shutdown, research by economist Matthew Neidell showed how Japan's shift to fossil fuels after the Fukushima incident led to higher bills, reduced energy use, and ultimately increased mortality in cold weather due to lack of climate control.
  3. The debate on nuclear energy often focuses on visible risks like accidents, while downplaying the benefits and comparative safety of nuclear power when weighed against other energy sources like coal or gas.

What will it take to build a Mars habitat?

Space Ambition • 259 implied HN points • 10 Feb 23
🔬 Science Space Exploration Astrobiology Engineering Robotics Environmental Science
  1. Building a habitat on Mars involves solving problems like radiation protection. Solutions include using Martian soil for shielding or growing special fungi that can handle radiation.
  2. We can use new technologies like 3D printing to create living spaces on Mars. This approach helps make building easier and can also be applied to sustainable construction on Earth.
  3. Producing oxygen on Mars is crucial because its atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide. NASA has developed a device that can extract oxygen from the Martian air, which is an important step for future colonization.

Solid State Nanopores - Shanghai BaiCe Technology Co., Ltd. (上海佰测科技有限公司)

ASeq Newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🔬 Science Nanotechnology Biotechnology Genomics Sensors Sequencing
  1. A little-known Chinese solid-state nanopore sequencing startup has been identified, but there is almost no public information or a company website.
  2. Their patent describes a nanopore with an embedded conductive layer or single measurement electrode that senses signals inside the pore while a separate bias voltage only drives DNA or other strands through.
  3. They claim sensing through the solid electrode reduces solution interference and that upper/lower nanopores produce useful current changes, but no experimental data or public results are available yet.

Current status: it’s complicated

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 789 implied HN points • 27 May 23
🔬 Science Evolution Genetics Population Genetics
  1. Human evolutionary science has shifted from complex models to explain the intricacies of our origins.
  2. Advances in genetics, DNA analysis, and paleoanthropology have revolutionized our understanding of human evolution.
  3. The concept of a single, simple origin of modern humans from Africa has evolved into a more complex and rich tapestry of multiple populations and dynamics.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Probabilistic Risk Analysis

Gordian Knot News • 139 implied HN points • 26 Feb 25
🔬 Science Nuclear Safety Risk Analysis Engineering Public Safety Regulatory Compliance
  1. Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) tries to predict safety risks in nuclear power, but it often fails to represent real-world risks accurately. It can miss important events and rely on unclear data.
  2. Making complicated systems with many backups can create unexpected problems. While it seems safer, this complexity can lead to more failures instead of preventing them.
  3. Claiming that nuclear accidents are highly unlikely can harm public trust. It's better to acknowledge that accidents might happen and focus on minimizing their impact.

The Counterfactual's year in review, and an announcement

The Counterfactual • 79 implied HN points • 29 Dec 23
🔬 Science Artificial Intelligence Cognitive Science Research Methods Empirical Studies Education
  1. The Counterfactual had a successful year, growing its readership significantly after a popular post about large language models. It’s great to see how sharing knowledge can attract more people.
  2. Key posts focused on topics like construct validity and the understanding of large language models. These discussions are crucial for improving how we evaluate and understand AI technology.
  3. In 2024, the plan includes more posts and introducing paid subscriptions that allow subscribers to vote on future research projects. This will encourage community participation in exploring interesting ideas.

Academic Apocalypse?

Unsafe Science • 146 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🔬 Science Research Grants Policy Academia Funding
  1. The NIH is cutting grant overhead from 50% or more down to 15%, which could deeply impact research funding. This change has caused a lot of concern among scientists about how it might hurt innovation in the U.S.
  2. Many academics fear that these cuts to indirect costs are a threat to vital research programs. Since a lot of university funding relies on these indirect costs, losing them could lead to fewer jobs and less support for important studies.
  3. Despite the worries, there is a possibility that reducing indirect costs could free up more money for actual research projects. This change could lead to a rethinking of spending priorities, focusing more on direct scientific work.

Edwin Cohn and the Harvard Blood Factory

Asimov Press • 174 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
🔬 Science Research Medicine History Technology Biochemistry
  1. Edwin Cohn greatly advanced medical treatments during World War II by developing blood products that helped save soldiers' lives. His team created more stable albumin solutions that could be used in emergencies, proving crucial for treating wounded soldiers.
  2. Cohn transformed his lab from a focus on theoretical experiments to practical applications during the war. He implemented pilot plants that increased efficiency, allowing for the quick transition from lab findings to actual medical products.
  3. Cohn's approach shows the importance of combining solid funding, teamwork, and a clear vision to tackle big scientific problems. His success reflects how having the right infrastructure and support can allow researchers to make impactful discoveries.

Hans, are we…. the admixed ones?

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 446 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🔬 Science Genetics Population Ancestry History
  1. There is a lack of definitive research on the genetic history of Germany compared to other European countries like Britain or Estonia.
  2. Germany's past with race science, notable figures like Hans Günther, and the overshadowing of the Nazi era, has impacted the nation's exploration of human population genetics.
  3. Historical migrations, such as those of Corded Ware populations, have contributed significantly to the genetic makeup of Northern Europe, with influences from Neolithic farming populations.

Learn to Read Science Part 1: The CATIE Trial

The Frontier Psychiatrists • 58 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🔬 Science Research Medicine Study Design Publication Analysis
  1. The CATIE Trial is a significant research study comparing new antipsychotic medicines with older ones in real-world settings and published in high-impact medical journals.
  2. Medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine have high impact factors, which are determined by the number of times articles are cited.
  3. Effectiveness research involves large sample sizes, and the methods section of a research paper provides essential details about the study design and participants.

Overcoming challenges in Martian and Earth agriculture: a path to sustainable food production

Space Ambition • 219 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
🔬 Science Agriculture Space Environment Technology Research
  1. Growing food on Mars will be challenging. Scientists need to consider energy needs, special farming techniques, and the importance of making the environment attractive for all settlers.
  2. For a permanent Mars colony, it’s better to produce most food on-site rather than bringing it from Earth. This means finding ways to efficiently grow food using available Martian resources.
  3. Advancements in technology, like genetic engineering and farm automation, are crucial. These innovations can help make food production sustainable both on Mars and here on Earth.

Some Switches Can't Be Unflipped (But We Can Cut the Power)

Holodoxa • 79 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
🔬 Science Genetics Cancer Pharmacology Thyroid
  1. In hereditary cancer, mutations in tumor suppressor genes are more common than in oncogenes, and a second hit is often required for cancer to develop.
  2. The RET gene, an oncogene, is associated with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 (MEN2) and can lead to various clinical conditions depending on the mutation type.
  3. Mutations in oncogenes like RET can be targeted with drugs, leading to effective treatments for cancers like medullary thyroid cancer, showing the clinical impact of genetic research beyond diagnosis.