The hottest Science Substack posts right now

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Invitation to Quantum tea on Tuesdays: Copenhagen Interpretation versus Others.

Quantum Formalism • 59 implied HN points • 06 Dec 23
🔬 Science Quantum Mechanics Discussions Technology Nature
  1. Quantum Mechanics has been a source of ongoing debate among scientists over the best way to interpret quantum phenomena.
  2. The Copenhagen interpretation, led by Bohr, is widely accepted but alternative viewpoints like the Bohm interpretation and many-worlds interpretation are also important to consider.
  3. Zaiku Group is hosting 'quantum-tea' meetups to discuss Quantum Phenomena beyond the Copenhagen interpretation, exploring other innovative theoretical frameworks.

Meaning and the firefly

Banana Peel Pirouette • 79 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
🔬 Science Animal Behavior Communication Biodiversity
  1. Animals like songbirds and insects communicate through sounds and movements that hold specific meanings for them, unlike the fixed characteristics of their appearances.
  2. Fireflies communicate with light patterns, where their visual signals guide them in finding mates and coordinating activities; their world of light holds deep communication that contrasts human mediums like language.
  3. The impact of human actions, like light pollution, can disrupt the meaningful communication patterns of fireflies, leading to potential disturbances in their mating behaviors and survival.

Mike Lauer talks about the foreign influence investigations

Science Forever • 79 implied HN points • 26 May 23
🔬 Science Research Collaboration Integrity Communication Government
  1. There were challenges in communicating the foreign influence investigation properly, leading to disruptions in researchers' careers.
  2. There was a lack of direct communication with individual scientists involved, causing confusion and fear.
  3. Efforts were made to shift from a prosecutorial approach to an administrative approach, fostering engagement and open communication in the scientific community.

10. On Emergence

Insight Axis • 79 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🔬 Science Philosophy Systems theory Emergence Computation Geometry Cybernetics
  1. Emergence occurs when an entity has properties that its individual parts do not possess, displaying behaviors that only emerge in interaction.
  2. Simple computational or geometric rules can lead to unpredictable and complex outputs, showcasing the beauty of emergence.
  3. Emergence, as seen in cybernetics with Braitenberg's Vehicles, demonstrates how simple structures can give rise to emergent, complex behavior, hinting at the potential for understanding the universe through simple rules.

Ghosts and Orphans

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 199 implied HN points • 15 Dec 22
🔬 Science Geology Natural History Environmental Science
  1. In the Ghost Forest of Copalis Beach, dead trees tell an interesting geological story. They died after the land sank and got flooded by seawater, a mystery that took almost 300 years to solve.
  2. The Cascadia Subduction Zone, where two tectonic plates meet, causes major earthquakes. These earthquakes can create tsunamis, like the one in 1700 that affected Japan and was linked to the dead trees in Washington.
  3. Studying old records and nature helps us understand our history better. It shows how geology impacts human life and reminds us to respect the natural world we live in.
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Mixtape Mailbag #8: Continuous Triple Differences

Scott's Substack • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🔬 Science Causal Inference Data Analysis Research Methods Econometrics
  1. Triple difference design can be used with continuous treatment by defining the parameters based on dosage levels.
  2. When treatment is continuous, the target parameter shifts from average treatment effect to average causal response function.
  3. Continuous treatments require careful definition of parameters to compare different dosages along a treatment curve.

S&T - New Horizons: The UK’s Global Science Strategy Beyond Horizon Europe (Jan 2023)

James W. Phillips' Newsletter • 78 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🔬 Science Technology Research Innovation Engineering Global
  1. The UK needs to benchmark itself against global science leaders for investment and performance.
  2. Science and technology have become more interdisciplinary and institutions need to adapt to support this.
  3. Identifying niches for exploitation and creating new institutions focused on empowering junior researchers is crucial for UK's success.

Gattaca is Here

Nothing Human is Alien • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🔬 Science Genetics Ethics Technology Health Society
  1. The technology to select genetic traits in embryos is becoming more advanced and accessible, with possibilities ranging from preventing diseases to enhancing traits like intelligence and happiness.
  2. Genetic selection through technologies like Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) raises ethical concerns due to its potential to create a two-tiered society and impact the essence of humanity.
  3. Although genetic selection technology poses risks, it also holds the promise of eradicating diseases, promoting happier individuals, and potentially enhancing cognitive abilities to unprecedented levels.

What is Bayesian Statistics? The Beginner Math Guide (Part One)

The Software & Data Spectrum • 78 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🔬 Science Statistics Probability Logic Combinatorics
  1. Bayesian Statistics is used in various fields like Machine Learning, Engineering, Data Science, and more.
  2. Bayesian Thinking involves observing data, holding prior beliefs, forming hypotheses, gathering evidence, and comparing hypotheses.
  3. Probability is a way to measure belief strength, and calculating probabilities involves counting outcomes and using ratios of beliefs.

Letter to Mother Nature: Amendments to the Human Constitution

Extropic Thoughts • 78 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
🔬 Science Transhumanism Biotechnology Evolution Genetics
  1. The essay discusses amending the human constitution to overcome limitations like aging and death.
  2. It proposes expanding human perceptual abilities and enhancing intelligence through biotechnology and neural improvements.
  3. The amendments aim to move humanity towards a posthuman condition, integrating technology into individuals for unprecedented innovation.

Antiprisms

Pershmail • 78 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
🔬 Science Geometry Mathematics
  1. Antiprisms are shapes made by connecting triangles to the edges of bases, twisting one base to fit them together
  2. An antiprism has specific properties like vertices, edges, and faces, which can be calculated using Euler's polyhedron formula
  3. Square antiprisms, or 'squaps', have intriguing features like cross-sections of octagons and can be understood with geometry toys

A Common Project for Humanity

Planetocracy • 78 implied HN points • 13 Jul 23
🔬 Science Space Exploration
  1. Colonizing space could unite people around a common project for humanity.
  2. Lifting enough mass into space is a crucial tool for human expansion.
  3. Monthly Mass Value Reports cover aspects like Falcon 9's capabilities and comparisons with other rockets.

Could AI's Dream Of Synthetic Sheep?

SCIENCE GODDESS • 78 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
🔬 Science AI Biology Chemistry Technology Research
  1. The term 'hallucination' in the context of AI does not imply consciousness, but rather refers to AI systems stating untruths or false information.
  2. AI's ability to 'hallucinate' new proteins opens up possibilities for innovative developments in synthetic biology and drug discovery.
  3. There is speculation about whether AI could one day imagine and create entirely new forms of life based on alternative biochemistries, like synthetic sheep or silicon-based life.

Cheap nuclear is healthy nuclear

Gordian Knot News • 139 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Radiation Health Energy
  1. Engineers must balance desirable factors like performance and safety in their work.
  2. Our understanding of numbers and rational thinking is a relatively recent development.
  3. Low levels of radiation exposure from nuclear accidents may not cause measurable harm and nuclear energy can have health benefits compared to fossil fuels.

Gas Chamber: An Industrial Accident at a Poop Science Lab

Eat Shit and Prosper • 159 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🔬 Science Microbiology Research Healthcare Innovation Biotechnology
  1. Working with bacteria, especially in a lab, can lead to unexpected and funny situations. In this case, a vacuum chamber experiment led to an overwhelming smell due to fermentation gases.
  2. It's important to follow safety protocols, like weighing flasks, when handling materials in a centrifuge to prevent accidents.
  3. Despite the humorous mishap, the science behind using gut bacteria for mental health treatments shows promise and is an exciting field.

SNT versus LNT at Fukushima

Gordian Knot News • 124 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🔬 Science Nuclear power
  1. There's a significant difference in harm estimation between SNT and LNT models at Fukushima.
  2. The ability to repair radiation damage affects radiation risk insurability.
  3. Accurate radiation harm models and fixed compensation schemes are crucial for nuclear power safety.

How things come to be as they are

Overthinking Everything • 349 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
🔬 Science Evolution Biology Technology Memes Patterns
  1. The theory of evolution explains the existence, creation, and extinction of things based on modifications and combinations of existing entities.
  2. Evolutionary processes are not confined to biological organisms but also apply to technologies, ideas (memes), and even inanimate objects like rocks.
  3. Understanding evolutionary theory can help in generating plausible explanations for how things came to be and in devising actions to shape the desired outcomes.

October 2023 Updates

New Things Under the Sun • 128 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🔬 Science Innovation
  1. Budget constraints in research funding can lead to bias towards conservatism in science.
  2. Knowledge spillovers occur frequently in biomedicine, impacting research categories.
  3. Citations received by economists decline substantially as they age.

Dispatches from the GWAS Era

Holodoxa • 79 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
🔬 Science Genetics Research Health Diseases Discovery
  1. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) help understand how genes influence traits and diseases by identifying genetic variants associated with specific traits using large sample sizes and statistical tests.
  2. GWAS provide insights into biological mechanisms, heritability of traits, and can generate polygenic risk scores to predict disease risk based on genetic profiles.
  3. GWAS require large sample sizes and collaborative efforts, showcasing their ongoing utility in genetic research for discovering associations between genetic variants and complex traits.

Illusory Truth Effect

Psych • 39 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🔬 Science Psychology Cognitive Bias
  1. The Illusory Truth Effect is a phenomenon where repetition can make us believe something is true, even if it's not.
  2. It can influence decision-making by shaping our perceptions and beliefs.
  3. There are strategies to mitigate the Illusory Truth Effect, such as fact-checking and seeking diverse sources of information.

ALARA

Gordian Knot News • 241 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🔬 Science Energy Regulation Costs Bureaucracy
  1. ALARA philosophy in nuclear regulation aims for minimal radioactive emissions.
  2. ALARA can lead to increased costs and hinder technological advancements in nuclear power.
  3. ALARA's focus on reducing radiation exposure may lead to excessive regulation and operational costs.

Glimmers Now the Afterglow

Orbis Tertius • 115 implied HN points • 24 Nov 23
🔬 Science Thermodynamics Climate change Entropy Philanthropy
  1. Entropy is a measure of energy spreading out, not disorder as commonly thought.
  2. Negentropy describes useful energy that becomes dispersed and useless, and its decrease is important for interesting phenomena.
  3. Climate change should be approached as a thermodynamic reckoning, balancing the negentropy from the sun to create a sustainable society.

Links for 2024-01-29

Axis of Ordinary • 39 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🔬 Science AI
  1. AI research compares Vision Transformers to newborn visual systems.
  2. GPT-4 shows improved idea generation with better prompting.
  3. New developments in technology include brain-like transistors and ultrasonic imaging in Alzheimer's research.

The Devil and the Cerulean Sweater

Maximum Effort, Minimum Reward • 127 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
🔬 Science Physics Color Theory Atmospheric science Optics
  1. The color cerulean comes from the Latin word for sky and should represent the color of the sky.
  2. Rayleigh scattering explains why the sky appears blue - shorter wavelengths scatter more.
  3. Calculating the color of Anne Hathaway's cerulean sweater using physics resulted in a color close to the original, proving Meryl Streep's character in 'The Devil Wears Prada' was correct.

Space and the festive season: more connected than you think

Space Ambition • 179 implied HN points • 23 Dec 22
🔬 Science Astronomy Space Exploration Cultural Traditions Festivals
  1. Christmas and Hanukkah sometimes overlap, but they follow different calendars. Christmas is always in December, while Hanukkah moves around because it's based on the moon.
  2. The Magi from the Bible, who brought gifts to Jesus, are linked to astronomy because they followed a bright star. Some think this star might have been a real astronomical event.
  3. Astronauts in space celebrate the holidays by decorating and sharing special meals. They even had fun pranks, like pretending to see UFOs and playing 'Jingle Bells' in space.

Fun with Serial and Parallel Sum Reductions

CPU fun • 121 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🔬 Science Mathematics Computer Science Algorithms
  1. Floating point arithmetic can be more complex than expected, especially due to limited mantissa bits, affecting the accuracy of calculations.
  2. Complaining about OpenMP reductions giving 'the wrong answer' is misguided; the issue likely existed in the serial code and is now being exposed.
  3. Changing the type of the accumulator to 'double' can help resolve issues with floating point arithmetic and accuracy during sum reductions.