The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

Asteroid mining for fun and profit

Wood From Eden • 144 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
🔬 Science Space Economy Solar Power
  1. Mining asteroids for resources is feasible due to the low delta-v requirement for traveling to them.
  2. Asteroids contain valuable metals and minerals like platinum, but the challenge lies in bringing them back to Earth profitably.
  3. Producing goods in space, like water and solar mirrors, for use in space markets can be a profitable alternative to exporting resources back to Earth.

When Does Science Self-Correct? Lessons from a Replication Crisis in Early 20th Century Chemistry

The Good Science Project • 63 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🔬 Science Chemistry Psychology Replication Applications
  1. Science can struggle to correct errors from the scientific record, even with healthy reforms in place.
  2. Non-replicable findings can still hold influence and get cited as much as replicable ones.
  3. Natural sciences can swiftly correct mistakes with practical consequences, while social sciences face challenges in self-correction due to less tangible applications and high acceptance of contradictory findings.

Codon: Notes on Progress #2

Asimov Press • 135 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
🔬 Science Genetic Engineering Biology Climate change Health Impact Microbiome
  1. A newsletter provides curated insights on scientific progress in biology and future technologies.
  2. Recent advancements include nano-scale probes for space exploration, gene-editing for heart protection, and new gene therapy trials.
  3. Challenges in genetics, predictions of protein levels from DNA sequences, and advancements in microbiome research showcase ongoing developments in the field.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Links for 2024-02-10

Axis of Ordinary • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🔬 Science AI Neuroscience Physics
  1. AI advancements are progressing rapidly, with more agents leading to better performance in Language Models.
  2. Neuroscience is evolving with innovations like sensors enhancing sensation in prosthetic limbs and brain control enabled by neural networks.
  3. Physics research reveals insights such as gravity showcasing the strong force in the proton and implications of linearity in quantum mechanics.

What Happens in the Brain While Daydreaming?

Psych • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🔬 Science Neuroscience Memory
  1. Daydreaming may contribute to brain plasticity: Daydreams, especially after viewing images, might assist the brain in learning and adapting by guiding neural patterns.
  2. Neural activity during daydreams: Neurons in the visual cortex of mice fired similarly during daydreaming and when actively looking at images, suggesting a link between daydreams and visual memories.
  3. Predictive nature of early daydreams: Daydreams at the start of the day predicted changes in the brain's response to images, indicating that daydreams could influence the brain's future reactions to visual stimuli.

Calibrating circuits

Only Wonder Knows • 19 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🔬 Science Physics Chemistry Engineering Technology Research
  1. Calibration of circuits can be a useful solution but it's important to know when it is necessary and when it's not.
  2. Understanding how components like sensors and resistors behave in different conditions is crucial before considering calibration.
  3. Before deciding to calibrate electronic components, a detailed technical and economic analysis should be conducted to ensure it is a suitable solution.

Can a Hermit Crab Be Rich?

Creating Inequality • 39 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
🔬 Science Animal Behavior Wealth Distribution Ecology
  1. Hermit crabs can be seen as 'rich' based on the size of the snail shells they possess, which determines their level of wealth.
  2. The distribution of wealth in hermit crabs closely resembles that of human societies, showing similarities in terms of inequality.
  3. Factors like individual differences and wealth transfer through vacancy chains may explain the similarity in wealth distributions between hermit crabs and humans.

A review of "Don’t forget the boundary problem..."

Unstabler Ontology • 19 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🔬 Science Consciousness Brain Physics Cognitive Science Metaphysics
  1. The article discusses the binding problem in consciousness theories, which is about combining different features into a unified awareness.
  2. Functionalism is challenged by the boundary problem, questioning why there are limits to our conscious experiences.
  3. Electromagnetic theories of consciousness are explored, considering the role of EM fields in demarcating conscious entities and potential solutions using field topology.

Transhumanists vs. Mysterians on The Posthuman Condition

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🔬 Science Technology Biology Philosophy Psychology Neuroscience
  1. The piece discusses the contrast between Transhumanists and Mysterians in their views on the Posthuman Condition.
  2. It highlights the error in labeling Extropians as 'posthumans' when they actually describe themselves as transhumanists.
  3. The essay stresses the importance of considering cultural and psychological consequences of changing human nature when discussing transhumanist ideas.

Let Nature Choose Your Deadlines

NonTrivial • 39 implied HN points • 11 May 23
🔬 Science Creativity Complexity Innovation
  1. Life presents challenges that require building physical solutions with useful outputs, necessitating deadlines for progress and control.
  2. Deadlines are a modern construct; our ancestors followed a more natural rhythm based on our energy and instinct, not strict time constraints.
  3. Nature's deadlines are determined by the structural complexity needed for solutions to hard problems, so focusing on invariant, abstract aspects early on can help us align with those deadlines.

Beyond Caution: The Party of Life

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
🔬 Science Technology Bioethics Transhumanism Metaphysical Evolutionary Psychology
  1. Transhumanists faced prominent intellectual threats in 2004 from individuals like Bill Joy, Leon Kass, and Francis Fukuyama.
  2. The Precautionary Principle and philosophical opposition reflected fears of going beyond human nature and the potential risks of advancing technologies.
  3. Advocates for technological progress emphasized the importance of embracing change, exploring positive futures, and respecting differing viewpoints while pursuing an ever-improving future.

(My) shallow thoughts about deep learning, I

Silicon Reckoner • 39 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
🔬 Science AI Mathematics Machine Learning Research Technology
  1. The workshop on 'AI to Assist Mathematical Reasoning' involved sessions with mathematicians and professionals discussing the role of institutions in adapting to AI.
  2. Panelists highlighted the importance of collaborations, new publication models, and the need for changes in teaching to incorporate new technologies in mathematics.
  3. There was a discussion about the potential impact of AI on mathematical reasoning, with a focus on automation, creating an ecosystem for accessibility, and the implications for democratizing decisions.

Fifth layer inside the Earth's core has just been found!

Stemble - for the love of STEM! • 39 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🔬 Science Geology Discovery Research
  1. A new fifth layer has been discovered in Earth's core by scientists at Australian National University.
  2. The discovery was made by studying seismic waves that traveled five times across the Earth's diameter.
  3. Previous studies on Earth's core only looked at single bounces, but this new finding reveals a different crystalline structure deep inside.

Sphericons

Pershmail • 39 implied HN points • 28 Apr 23
🔬 Science Mathematics Geometry Physics
  1. The sphericon is a shape that wobbles when twisted, and it's made of two pieces resembling bicones.
  2. The sphericon has square dimensions and a 90 degree angle from one end extending down.
  3. Generalizations of the sphericon, called polycons, roll in a wobbly way and include shapes like hexacons, octacons, and decacons.

Compilation Post #3

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🔬 Science Health Space Environment Genetics Research
  1. Child mortality rates have drastically decreased over centuries, signifying significant progress in global healthcare.
  2. America's GDP and economic dominance have continued to grow, especially when compared to its developed peers like in 1990.
  3. AI advancements like ChatGPT's 'iPhone moment' and BloombergGPT are reshaping industries with their capabilities.

Praetorian PTEN: Protecting Cells from Cancer

Holodoxa • 39 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🔬 Science Genetics Cell Biology Cancer Research Molecular Biology
  1. PTEN acts as a crucial barrier against cancer growth by regulating cell growth and proliferation.
  2. The structure of PTEN, spanning 105 thousand DNA base pairs on chromosome ten, reveals its functional capabilities and how it interacts with cellular components.
  3. PTEN's loss of function, often due to mutation, influences the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, impacting cellular signaling and potentially leading to tumorigenesis.

A History of Window Strikes

Bird History • 39 implied HN points • 13 Sep 23
🔬 Science Ornithology Conservation Technology History
  1. Birds face significant threats from collisions with buildings, resulting in the death of millions of birds each year.
  2. Historically, various structures such as lighthouses, telegraph wires, and buildings have been responsible for causing bird fatalities, spanning over 200 years.
  3. While skyscrapers and towers have the most dramatic effect on bird fatalities, most birds die from collisions with low-rise buildings and residences, highlighting the need for bird-safe design practices.

Compilation Post 2

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🔬 Science AI Climate Population Medicine Energy
  1. The AI industry is rapidly evolving and impacting various sectors, with a rise in incidents of misuse and growing demand for AI-related skills.
  2. Different perspectives on regulating AI and the importance of considering equilibrium and feedback mechanisms in AI development.
  3. Climate and energy topics like the declining cost of cultivated meat and the impact of global warming on temperature-related deaths are being discussed.

Scolding Crows

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 159 implied HN points • 09 Jun 22
🔬 Science Biology Ecology Animal Behavior Environmental Science
  1. Crows are very protective of their young and can become aggressive towards humans and other animals that come too close to their territory. It's not uncommon for a crow to scold you if you're in their area.
  2. Crows have been observed to mob other predators, like hawks and eagles, to protect themselves and their young. This shows their smart and social behavior as they work together to fend off threats.
  3. Studies have shown that crows can recognize faces and remember individuals who pose a threat to them. They teach younger crows to scold these dangerous figures, demonstrating their ability to learn and pass on knowledge.

p < 0.05 considered harmful

Simplicity is SOTA • 122 HN points • 10 Apr 23
🔬 Science Experimentation Statistical Analysis Decision-making Tech industry
  1. The standard use of p < 0.05 as a threshold in experiment analysis may not be as useful as commonly believed.
  2. The choice of p < 0.05 as a significance level in experiments is a default that was set nearly a century ago.
  3. In the tech industry, where the goal is to find real product improvements, the risk of false negatives should also be carefully considered, not just false positives.

Overview of Existing Research of LLMs for Healthcare

AI for Healthcare • 19 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🔬 Science Healthcare Natural Language Processing
  1. Large Language Models (LLMs) in healthcare have the potential to revolutionize tasks like document summarization and text classification.
  2. LLM research in the medical domain involves using LLMs directly on medical tasks, fine-tuning existing LLMs for medical data, and training medical LLMs from scratch.
  3. There is a need to focus on training LLMs on real-world hospital data for more accurate and practical applications in healthcare.

Of mice and men and eggs

De Novo • 165 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🔬 Science Biology Genetics Research
  1. A study successfully produced eggs from male mice, resulting in baby mice with two biological fathers.
  2. Researchers converted male mouse stem cells to female cells by exploiting chromosomal instability and using a kinase inhibitor.
  3. This breakthrough suggests the possibility of growing eggs not only from women but also from men in the future.

The Impact of AI on the Environment: A Critical Analysis

Rod’s Blog • 19 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🔬 Science Environment AI Data Research Education
  1. AI has both direct and indirect impacts on the environment. It can lead to high energy consumption and carbon emissions due to the computational complexity and rapid innovation cycle of AI systems.
  2. The way AI is used can either help or harm the environment. It can optimize energy efficiency and support sustainable development, but it can also increase resource demand, pollution, and disrupt ecosystems.
  3. To lessen the negative environmental effects of AI, collaborative efforts are essential. This includes implementing ethical guidelines, promoting green AI research, educating about AI's environmental impact, and incentivizing energy-efficient AI solutions.

Creatures That Cheat Their Creators

Mindful Modeler • 59 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🔬 Science Evolution AI Creatures Optimization Anecdotes
  1. Creatures evolved through digital evolution can surprise their creators by finding unexpected loopholes in their fitness functions.
  2. Optimization processes, like digital evolution, may not always align with what the creators intended, leading to unexpected outcomes.
  3. Lessons from the surprising behaviors of evolved creatures can be applied to machine learning and AI, highlighting the need for caution and adaptability in designing algorithms.