The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

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.

Games in projective space

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 48 implied HN points • 16 Jun 25
🔬 Science Mathematics Geometry Physics Logic Theoretical
  1. Projective geometry removes the concepts of distance and parallel lines, which changes how we think about shapes and space. It's a unique way to understand geometry differently.
  2. In projective space, there are still points, lines, and planes, but the rules are different from traditional geometry. This can lead to interesting and complex interactions.
  3. Games can be explored in the context of projective space, allowing for creative new strategies and outcomes based on its unique properties.

The CycloneSeq 40K Pores? 400Gb/Run?

ASeq Newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🔬 Science Genomics Biotechnology Molecular Biology Bioengineering Nanotechnology Instrumentation
  1. BGI’s CycloneSeq claims to use novel motor and pore proteins found in extreme ocean environments as the core components for its nanopore sequencing chemistry.
  2. The device reportedly uses a spider-web-inspired, nano-imprinted micro-well chip design to achieve ultra-low electrical noise and stable membrane embedding, enabling very long sequencing runs (up to about 107 hours).
  3. Slides and coverage suggest high throughput — on the order of tens of thousands of pores and around hundreds of gigabases per run (e.g., ~40K pores and ~400 Gb/run) — implying significant per-run data yield if accurate.

Making the Micropipette

Asimov Press • 322 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
🔬 Science Biology Innovation Technology Research History
  1. The development of the micropipette was driven by the hazards and limitations of mouth pipetting.
  2. Innovators from different parts of the world each contributed to the modern micropipette's design and features.
  3. The history of the micropipette highlights the importance of simple tools and incremental improvements in scientific breakthroughs.

EviziaDx PRECYSE - An AFM for DNA QC

ASeq Newsletter • 29 implied HN points • 22 Aug 25
🔬 Science Biotechnology Genetics Molecular Biology Quality control
  1. EviziaDx PRECYSE is a new tool for checking the quality of DNA samples using advanced imaging techniques. It allows scientists to see individual molecules and measure their lengths accurately.
  2. This tool uses atomic force microscopy (AFM), which is quite expensive and needs special conditions to work properly. Despite these challenges, the images produced are very fascinating.
  3. Instead of traditional methods like electrophoresis and UV-spectroscopy, this technology offers a more detailed look at DNA fragments, pushing boundaries in DNA quality control.
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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.

The Tale of the Shaman: Science, Magic, and Super Placebo (v2)

Secretum Secretorum • 555 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🔬 Science Psychology Neuroscience Magic Research
  1. Magical healing techniques are psychosocial technologies for eliciting superordinary placebo responses.
  2. In a disenchanted world, achieving magical effects is challenging due to shifts in belief and worldview.
  3. The placebo effect may be rooted in evolutionary processes related to immune system activation and resource allocation.

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.

(Ad-free Video) What's New in Science With Sabine and Lawrence | New Year's Edition: Big ideas, precision measurements, and prebiotic molecules.

Critical Mass • 5 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
🔬 Science Astrobiology Space Exploration Science Policy
  1. Wormhole headlines are mostly speculative and serve as theoretical tools, while traversable wormholes still face major obstacles like the need for negative energy and time‑travel paradoxes.
  2. ATLAS’s observation of the Higgs decaying into muon pairs gives a precise confirmation of the Standard Model, but it also highlights the unresolved mystery of neutrino masses and raises questions about future collider priorities.
  3. OSIRIS‑REx’s Bennu samples contain ribose and other prebiotic molecules, suggesting the chemistry for life may be common rather than a unique cosmic fluke.

What if you just bought everyone air purifiers?

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 296 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🔬 Science Environmental health Philanthropy Public Health Cost Analysis
  1. Buying air purifiers for everyone could extend life expectancy, but at a high cost compared to other health interventions.
  2. The cost of buying air purifiers for random Americans to extend life expectancy is $32,899 per DALY, which is not as efficient as other healthcare interventions.
  3. Air purifiers may be a good health investment for individuals, but philanthropically, they are not as cost-effective as other interventions like malaria drugs.

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.

The maximum number of SETs for 12 cards

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 90 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🔬 Science Mathematics Linear Algebra Game Theory
  1. The game SET uses 81 cards that have four qualities: quantity, shading, color, and shape. Players look for sets of three cards where each quality is either all the same or all different.
  2. SET can be understood through linear algebra, where each card is represented as a four-dimensional vector. If the vectors for three cards add up to zero, they form a valid set.
  3. Recent research showed that with 12 cards, a maximum of 14 sets can be formed, and they provided proofs for similar results with fewer cards. This reveals interesting mathematical properties of the game.

Drug the Undruggable: Learn how Elsie Biotechnologies is advancing oligonucleotide therapeutics

LatchBio • 268 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🔬 Science Biotechnology Drug Discovery Webinar
  1. Elsie Biotechnologies uses computational design tools and high-throughput experimental approaches to develop drugs.
  2. Partnerships with large pharmaceutical companies like GSK can significantly impact the progress of smaller biotech companies.
  3. Oligonucleotide therapies represent the future of drug development, promising safer and more effective treatments.

Green Goo (Republished)

De Novo • 110 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
🔬 Science Biotechnology Ecology Synthetic Biology Genetics Environmental Science
  1. Synthetic biology can create engineered organisms, which may outcompete natural organisms and harm ecosystems. We need to be careful about the kinds of organisms we create and the possible consequences.
  2. Creating mirror-image organisms could lead to unexpected environmental problems. If these organisms take over, they could cause damage far beyond what we're prepared for.
  3. We should invest in ways to contain engineered organisms and be aware of the risks of releasing them into nature. It's important to proceed cautiously when considering big changes to global ecosystems.

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.

Science Magazine’s Paper Advocating Market Origin for COVID Based on False Statistics

The DisInformation Chronicle • 270 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🔬 Science Virology Journalism Statistics
  1. A group of virologists, including Anthony Fauci, may have intentionally diverted attention away from a possible lab accident in Wuhan at the start of the pandemic.
  2. An analysis published in a British science journal has found that the Science Magazine study advocating for the market origin of COVID is based on flawed statistics, contradicting the claims made in the study.
  3. While American media has largely ignored the analysis questioning Science Magazine's study, German journalists, like those from the weekly science magazine Spektrum, have reported on it.

From the archives: The strain of civilisation

The Strategy Toolkit • 372 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🔬 Science Language Technology Communication Evolution Innovation
  1. Technology has significant effects on language evolution and communication, impacting knowledge transmission and cultural dynamics.
  2. The adaptability and flexibility of languages like Chinese and English contribute to their success and widespread adoption.
  3. Understanding the power dynamics of language, literacy, and communication is crucial for effective negotiation and societal progress.

Baitballs

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 99 implied HN points • 08 Jun 23
🔬 Science Biology Ecology Marine Biology Wildlife Conservation
  1. Baitballs are when schools of fish, like herring and sand lance, gather together as a defense against predators. This helps reduce the chance of any single fish being eaten.
  2. When birds like gulls dive into the water, it often signals the presence of baitballs. Their activity gives hints about the underwater life that we usually can't see.
  3. Baitballs are important for the ecosystem because they provide food for many animals, including seals and birds. Observing these events can give insights into the health of marine life.

Will space travel force us to think dynamically about radiation harm?

Gordian Knot News • 124 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
🔬 Science Radiation Health Biology Physics
  1. Space travel could change how we understand radiation harm. Instead of just focusing on the total dose of radiation, we might need to consider how our bodies repair damage over time.
  2. Current models for analyzing radiation risk might not be suitable for space conditions. This means we may need new methods to ensure astronaut safety during missions.
  3. NASA's practices suggest that the traditional ideas about radiation limits might be too strict. If we can adapt these rules, it could help both space travel and the use of nuclear energy on Earth.

Fast Biology

Asimov Press • 270 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🔬 Science Biology Physics Mathematics Experimentation
  1. The concept of viewing time differently through the lens of the Minute Man and the Millennium Man prompts questions about our understanding of speed and time in the world.
  2. Biological processes at the cellular level can occur at astonishing speeds, with enzymes performing millions of chemical reactions per second and protein 'motors' spinning thousands of times a minute.
  3. Scientists use innovative experiments to directly observe rapid biological processes, such as watching ATP synthase spin or tracking ribosomes moving along messenger RNA strands, to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate workings of life.

Unlock Causal Inference: 3 Obstacles, 8 Insights & 1 Resource

Mindful Modeler • 159 implied HN points • 29 Nov 22
🔬 Science Causal Inference Statistics Models Education Resources
  1. Causal inference can be challenging to start due to various obstacles like diverse approaches and neglected education on the topic.
  2. Understanding causal inference involves adjusting your modeling mindset to view it as a unique approach rather than just adding a new model.
  3. Key insights for causal inference include the importance of directed acyclic graphs, starting from a causal model, and the challenges of estimating causal effects from observational data.

3 Super Powers That Actually Exist in Real Life

Pryor Questions • 336 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🔬 Science
  1. Some people have real-life superpowers like holding their breath underwater for 13 minutes
  2. Tibetan monks can raise their body temperature through meditation techniques
  3. Rarámuri people engage in persistence running to hunt by outlasting deer in long races

The Day My Project Went to Space

The Palindrome • 2 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🔬 Science Space Physics Instrumentation Data science Software Engineering
  1. Space experiments demand massive behind-the-scenes work: detailed proposals, strict approvals, extensive documentation, and coordination with agencies.
  2. Consumer mobile IMUs can be used in microgravity but pose real challenges—orientation tracking, gravity removal, sensor bias, and noise make trajectory reconstruction hard and require careful calibration and advanced integration methods.
  3. Leading a flight experiment often means becoming a full‑stack engineer: build a simple, robust flight-ready app, pass platform and agency reviews, run thorough tests, and use quick prototypes or ML demos to validate and showcase the work.

Addressing Research Fraud

The Good Science Project • 89 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
🔬 Science Scientific Integrity Open Science Medical Research Social Science
  1. The Good Science Project aims to help investigate research fraud and support whistleblowers. They want to make it easier for people to report misconduct in science.
  2. Research fraud is a common problem, with many scientists admitting to questionable practices. Reports suggest that a significant number of researchers have seen or engaged in misconduct.
  3. The project plans to provide legal and educational resources for those worried about speaking out against fraud. They want to empower more people to come forward about their concerns.

NASA Is Worth Saving

The Good Science Project • 44 implied HN points • 12 Jun 25
🔬 Science Space Exploration Engineering Technology development Government Policy Innovation
  1. NASA is struggling to stay relevant and meet its goals. They have wasted years and money on rocket programs that don't work, which gives other countries like China an advantage in space exploration.
  2. There's a huge opportunity to improve NASA by focusing on its main mission of exploring the Moon and Mars. This means investing in new technologies and working alongside companies like SpaceX to utilize their resources.
  3. It's really important for NASA to get better at hiring and keeping talented people. When talented staff leave for better pay elsewhere, the whole agency suffers, and they need to act quickly to fix this problem.

Extremely Open Science

Rabbit Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🔬 Science Open Science Research Experiment Data Tool
  1. The author will work on a scientific project completely in the open in 2024, streaming and recording sessions for an hour per week.
  2. The project aims to show the process from scratch to help junior researchers understand and learn from the experience of dealing with minor issues.
  3. The author is choosing a question for the project that can be followed along at home with just a personal laptop or desktop computer.

Humanity: Collective Information Overload?

The Digital Anthropologist • 59 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🔬 Science Information Overload Evolution Technology Social Impact Research
  1. Humans are facing unprecedented global information flows, possibly leading to collective cognitive overload.
  2. Technology has drastically increased our connectivity and information exchange, contributing to the feeling of being overwhelmed.
  3. As a species, we are navigating through a new era where the constant influx of information requires us to find ways to manage and offload the overload.

Paradox of the Horse

The Heart Attack Diet • 59 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🔬 Science Evolutionary biology Animal Behavior
  1. Paradoxically, horses need high-calorie foods like oats to survive even though they're known for being unable to properly self-regulate their food intake.
  2. Horses, as we know them today, are not naturally evolved animals but products of long-term selective breeding by humans.
  3. The existence of wild horse herds in North America raises intriguing questions about their history and the role of humans in their evolution.

Being an Early Career Scientist

The Polymerist • 116 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
🔬 Science Career development Research Methods Experiments Education Personal Growth
  1. Try new things in your career and treat them like experiments. If something doesn't work out, you can always adjust and try again.
  2. It's okay to feel uncertain at the beginning of your career. Each experience helps you learn more about yourself and what you want.
  3. Life will always bring challenges, but keep moving forward and experimenting. Enjoy the process of learning and discovering new possibilities.

Genesis Mission challenges for biotechnology

A Biologist's Guide to Life • 8 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🔬 Science Biotechnology Artificial Intelligence Medical Research Data science Automation
  1. Automating research in high-security labs can make work safer and more efficient. This will help scientists handle dangerous pathogens without direct human contact, which is crucial for preventing accidents.
  2. There is a need for better tools in genetics, specifically for aligning and annotating DNA sequences. Modernizing these tools can lead to faster results and more discoveries in biology.
  3. Improving how quickly patients receive medical care is essential. By using AI to streamline processes and reduce paperwork, we can make healthcare more efficient and improve patient experiences.

What If We Could Change The Colour Of *Everything*?

Everything Is Amazing • 488 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
🔬 Science Color Theory Materials science Biotechnology Fashion
  1. The way chameleons change color can inspire future color-changing technology for surfaces and fabrics.
  2. Current advancements in color-changing materials like Fabrican and PhotoChromeleon show promise for future fashion and architectural applications.
  3. The deep meanings and social implications of colors in fashion and pigmentation mean that changing color technology may have complex impacts on society.