The hottest Science Substack posts right now

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Of Seals, Sea Lions, and the Locks

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 139 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science Marine Biology Wildlife Conservation Environmental Science Ecology Adaptation
  1. Harbor seals and sea lions can adapt to both saltwater and freshwater environments. They often move between these waters, showing their ability to thrive in different conditions.
  2. These animals have a unique way of navigating locks to switch from saltwater to freshwater. They can either wait for the locks to fill or use special culverts that help them travel.
  3. The history of these seals goes back to the Ice Age when they may have lived in freshwater lakes. This history could explain why they are drawn to freshwater today.

Three Simple Multi-functioning Visuals That Will Make Your Data Dance

Data at Depth • 19 implied HN points • 07 May 24
🔬 Science Data Visualization Interpretation
  1. Graphical elements can serve multiple purposes efficiently in data visualization, like stem-and-leaf plots, dot plots, and heat maps.
  2. Stem-and-leaf plots are useful for displaying data distribution and patterns by dividing each value into stems and leaves.
  3. Dot plots represent values as dots, offering an intuitive way to visualize data distribution and trends, including subgrouping by color in the same plot.

SNT: Frequently asked questions.

Gordian Knot News • 95 implied HN points • 02 Mar 25
🔬 Science Health Biology Toxicology Radiation Engineering
  1. The SNT model divides radiation exposure into daily doses for better tracking of cancer risk. This helps in understanding how each day's exposure can affect long-term health.
  2. SNT is considered conservative in its estimates, as it tends to predict higher cancer risks compared to other models. This is seen as useful for safety regulations.
  3. There is resistance to SNT in the scientific community, with many experts favoring a different model called LNT. This makes it challenging to implement a new standard for evaluating radiation risks.

Dear Shambolic Oligarchs: Here’s What I Did This Week

Viruses Must Die • 96 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
🔬 Science Virology Molecular Biology Bioinformatics Vaccines Health Research
  1. There's a plan to create a vaccine for chickens using yeast to help them fight bird flu. This involves some complex science but aims to protect poultry.
  2. Efforts are underway to upload massive amounts of viral data to a federal cloud, making it easier for scientists to access crucial information. However, workplace issues are causing worries about delays.
  3. A colleague discovered a cancer treatment but was let go during a staff change, which highlights the challenges faced by dedicated scientists and the impact of workplace stress on their work.
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A Better SNT?

Gordian Knot News • 146 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
🔬 Science Radiation Health DNA Cancer Repair
  1. The SNT model can be improved by making the DNA repair period depend on the dose rate of radiation. This means that higher doses would take longer to repair, which fits better with the observed data.
  2. There seems to be a limit to how much cancer can result from radiation, especially at high doses. Cells that are too damaged can't repair themselves, which might prevent cancer from developing.
  3. Understanding how radiation affects the body is important for safety, especially for workers in nuclear plants. We need more data to ensure the current models aren’t overly cautious, which can lead to unnecessary costs.

Market fundamentalism drives science denial

Science Forever • 99 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
🔬 Science Science communication
  1. Market fundamentalism is a driving force behind science denial, as explored in 'The Big Myth' by Oreskes and Conway.
  2. The book 'Merchants of Doubt' reveals how highly credentialed scientists used their expertise to cast doubt on science requiring government regulation.
  3. The Big Myth delves into the why of science denial, exploring how corporations and conservative operatives have promoted market fundamentalism over the past century.

Turning a triangle into a square

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 115 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
🔬 Science Mathematics Geometry Puzzles Research
  1. Henry Dudeney showed in 1902 that you can cut an equilateral triangle into four pieces and rearrange them into a square with the same area. This is a fun example of how shapes can transform while keeping their total area the same.
  2. The Wallace–Bolyai–Gerwien theorem explains how you can rearrange two shapes with the same area into each other through cutting, but Dudeney's method is unique because the pieces stay connected during the transformation.
  3. Recent research proved that you can't turn a triangle into a square using fewer than four pieces without flipping any. This shows how specific and tricky these geometric dissections can be.

Science Could Use More Magical Thinking

Eat Shit and Prosper • 159 implied HN points • 28 Apr 23
🔬 Science Scientific Method Philosophy Innovation Education
  1. Magical thinking can lead to scientific discoveries. Sometimes, you don't need to know everything; you just need to explore and see what happens.
  2. Seeing something unusual can spark curiosity and experimentation. Just like someone might try burning strange rocks, we should be willing to experiment with the unknown.
  3. Both video games and religion encourage us to find meaning in the world. They create a sense of purpose, making it easier to explore and try new things.

Many people don't know that nuclear power is low-carbon

Sustainability by numbers • 301 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🔬 Science Energy Public Opinion Demographics Communication
  1. Many people are unaware that nuclear power is a low-carbon source of energy, leading to confusion between renewables and nuclear power.
  2. Surveys show that there is a lack of understanding regarding the low-carbon nature of nuclear energy, with less than half of the public recognizing it as such.
  3. Demographics play a role in this confusion, with older individuals and men more likely to correctly identify nuclear power as low-carbon compared to younger individuals and women.

New R&D Policy Briefs!

The Good Science Project • 33 implied HN points • 13 Aug 25
🔬 Science Research Health Policy Data Nutrition
  1. Reforming clinical trials can help terminal patients get better access to new treatments. The FDA should make it easier to find trials and allow remote participation in them.
  2. We need to improve how science is funded and reviewed, possibly by using AI to help predict which research areas need support. This could make the grant process smoother and even improve the quality of research.
  3. There's a big issue with scientific fraud, and we should reward whistleblowers more immediately. This could encourage people to report bad practices in research without fear.

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.

Nuclear Power not only should be cheap; it was cheap: 3 cents/kWh cheap.

Gordian Knot News • 307 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🔬 Science Nuclear power Regulation Economics Cost Control
  1. In the 1960s, nuclear power was as cheap as coal, at about 3.2 cents per kWh in 2024 dollars.
  2. Nuclear power plants require significantly less material and labor compared to coal plants, making them potentially cheaper to build and operate.
  3. High regulatory costs, escalating material and labor expenses, and a misdirected regulatory system have contributed to making nuclear power more expensive than it should be.

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.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #126

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 106 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🔬 Science Biotechnology Neuroscience AI Energy Genomics Cell Biology
  1. Sana Biotechnology has made a huge step by transplanting insulin-producing cells for diabetes patients without needing drugs to suppress the immune system. This could change diabetes treatment for the better.
  2. Recent research shows that even non-brain cells can have memory-like processes, suggesting that memory might not be exclusive to the brain. This could lead to new ways of treating diseases by training our body's cells.
  3. A new AI model called METAGENE-1 can analyze wastewater to detect pathogens and monitor health risks. This technology could help us better prepare for pandemics in the future.

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.