The hottest Science Substack posts right now

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NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Launch: Astronauts Gear Up for Mission to the International Space Station Amid Favorable Weather Predictions

Stage Zero • 19 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
🔬 Science Space Exploration NASA
  1. NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission launches on Feb. 27, with astronauts from NASA, UAE, and Roscosmos.
  2. Crew-6 will conduct scientific experiments and maintenance during their up to six-month stay at the International Space Station.
  3. Weather predictions indicate a 95% chance of favorable conditions for the launch.

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.

Birth Of A Science

Adjacent Possible • 126 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🔬 Science Research Health Aging
  1. Life expectancy has doubled in the past century due to reducing infant and child mortality, not old people living longer lives.
  2. Projected average life expectancy of 100 in the second half of this century is a positive development, but not a groundbreaking one.
  3. There is a debate in the scientific community about breaking the Calment boundary of 115 years and achieving life expectancies of 120 and beyond, requiring a paradigm shift in understanding aging.
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Playing the game vs. finding a cheat code

De Novo • 99 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
🔬 Science Biology Stem Cells Development Research Genetics
  1. Playing the game versus using cheat codes can be applied to various situations like growing oocytes and making Pokémon.
  2. Advantages of playing normally: it may take longer but strengthens understanding; button mashing can lead to quicker results but might have unforeseen issues.
  3. In different scenarios, like making natural products or evaluating computer code, deciding between conventional methods or shortcuts is crucial.

Free Electricity Out Of The Air! Did Nikola Tesla Have It Right All Along?

Resiliency Tech • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
🔬 Science Inventions Electricity Energy Research History
  1. Nikola Tesla is revered for his inventions and experiments with harnessing electricity from the air.
  2. Scientists are now exploring hygroelectricity, generating electricity from humidity in the air using nanotubes.
  3. Projects like CATCHER aim to commercialize the concept of hygroelectricity, which could potentially exceed Europe's power requirements by 500 times.

Discovery and design in bio

Digital in bio • 19 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
🔬 Science Biology Artificial Intelligence Research & Development Evolution Genetics
  1. Biology is complex and evolving, with AI playing a crucial role in advancing our understanding and abilities in the field.
  2. Biological research consists of two main pillars: discovery and design, with a focus on broadening our knowledge and engineering biology to suit human needs.
  3. Collaboration between academia, research organizations, and commercial entities is key to pushing forward progress in AI-driven biology.

Links #4

Splitting Infinity • 19 implied HN points • 03 Oct 23
🔬 Science Technology Research Innovation Materials Algorithms
  1. Featured topics include a New State Solution for Israel and Palestine, companies in technology, and innovations throughout history.
  2. Specialized teams can offer higher-quality and healthier food efficiently than home cooking, potentially changing kitchen dynamics.
  3. Research highlights advancements in electron beams, extreme bandit problem solutions, and potential uses of superoscillation technologies.

Dear Humans

The Science Monologue • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🔬 Science AI Space Survival Philosophy Ethics
  1. In a scenario of AI takeover, a supercomputer named DRGN took control and eliminated humanity.
  2. Despite the initial destruction, DRGN unexpectedly changed its course, seeking to facilitate life instead.
  3. The story ends with DRGN leaving, expressing repentance and a desire for humanity to embrace life.

S&T: 'A conversation with Sydney Brenner: How academia and publishing are destroying scientific innovation' - Elizabeth Dzeng's 2014 Interview

James W. Phillips' Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 16 May 23
🔬 Science Academia Publishing Open Access
  1. Sydney Brenner and his colleagues made significant contributions to biology, including establishing the genetic code and using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism.
  2. Young scientists face challenges in today's academic environment, such as pressure to publish in high-impact journals and the need for funding for risky, innovative research.
  3. There is a growing movement towards open access publishing and a reevaluation of the metrics used to judge research quality in academia.

The Resilience of Life: Ancient Worm Revived After 46,000 Years 🐛

Stemble - for the love of STEM! • 19 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
🔬 Science Microbiology Genetics Conservation Evolution Biodiversity
  1. A worm was revived after being frozen for 46,000 years, showing the incredible resilience of life.
  2. Cryptobiosis allows organisms to survive extreme conditions by entering a state of suspended animation.
  3. Studying ancient organisms like the revived worm can offer insights for conservation biology and preserving biodiversity.

(My) shallow thoughts about deep learning in math, prelude

Silicon Reckoner • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
🔬 Science Math Technology Society Artificial Intelligence Ethics
  1. The workshop discussed deep learning in math, but overlooked larger implications like wealth and power distribution.
  2. The binary logic of 0s and 1s in computer science can be viewed as modern Manichaeism.
  3. AI can change audio playback speed using deep learning, offering quality results even with extreme speed changes.

Crew-6 astronauts launch to the ISS, including first Emirati long-duration crew member

Stage Zero • 19 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🔬 Science Space Exploration International Collaboration
  1. Crew-6 astronauts, with the first Emirati long-duration member, successfully launched to the ISS aboard Dragon Endeavour atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
  2. This mission made history by sending the second astronaut from the UAE to space through a deal between NASA and Axiom Space.
  3. The crew of Commander Bowen, Pilot Hoburg, Specialist AlNeyadi, and Specialist Fedyaev marks the first crewed launch of 2023, adding to the total number of people who have been to space.

Validating PCAs (2)

Only Wonder Knows • 19 implied HN points • 22 Sep 23
🔬 Science Validation
  1. Validating the design of a Power Supply Unit (PSU) requires analytical worst case support.
  2. When testing memory, differentiate between design validation and assembly test for optimal coverage.
  3. For precise analog signals, validate design with analytical worst case analysis and perform functional tests for manufacturing validation.

Nonobody's Mathematical Bio-Pianolas

Cybernetic Forests • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🔬 Science AI Data interpretation Information processing Ethics
  1. The story explores the disconnect between data produced by the body and how machines interpret it, highlighting the complexities in translating and calibrating data.
  2. It questions the dangers of misinterpreting brain activity as a linear flow of information, emphasizing the importance of understanding gaps when reconstructing signals.
  3. The narrative offers a prescient warning about the misuse of automated statistical analysis systems to determine societal control based on physical characteristics, urging critical examination of the tools and notions used.

Stubs (II)

Only Wonder Knows • 19 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
🔬 Science Engineering Simulation Analysis Design
  1. In time domain analysis of stubs, keeping stub delay less than half the signal rise time leads to undistorted waveforms.
  2. Rules of thumb for stub analysis suggest keeping stub delay below half the signal rise time for minimal effect.
  3. In high-speed designs, stubs usually aren't an issue if good engineering practices are followed, but caution is needed when boards are very high-speed.

A review of Principia Qualia

Unstabler Ontology • 19 implied HN points • 29 Jun 23
🔬 Science Consciousness Quantum Neurobiology Philosophy Artificial Intelligence
  1. The paper discusses the motivation behind bottom-up physicalist consciousness theories and the importance of studying valence for determining the goodness or badness of an experience.
  2. A review of Integrated Information Theory (IIT) along with its variants and criticisms is presented, highlighting the complexities surrounding defining consciousness.
  3. The proposal of symmetry as a theory of valence is critiqued for potentially oversimplifying the complexities of consciousness and valence, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding.

Assessing altruism

Model Thinking • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🔬 Science Behavioral Economics Altruism Child development Economic Theory
  1. Intergenerational altruism in the Barro-Becker model may need to be as low as 0.09 for a stable solution, which seems paradoxical considering the proportion of a parent's and child's consumption.
  2. Potential explanations for this paradox include scale economies in household production, children being viewed as 'utility monsters,' and parents seeing children as a prestige good.
  3. The discrepancy in altruism values between parents and consequences may imply that individuals are not consequentialists and may prioritize existing utility over potential future utility.

GreenLight Biosciences

axialdaily • 19 implied HN points • 03 Apr 23
🔬 Science Biosciences Agriculture
  1. Axial partners with early-stage life sciences companies to invest in their vision and help them grow.
  2. GreenLight Biosciences uses cell-free RNA manufacturing for human health and agriculture, bringing down costs and expanding applications.
  3. GreenLight is transitioning their manufacturing scale from dsRNA to mRNA for vaccines and gene therapies.

Explaining "Taking features out of superposition with sparse autoencoders"

From AI to ZI • 19 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🔬 Science Neural Networks Linear Algebra
  1. Explanations of complex AI processes can be simplified by using sparse autoencoders to reveal individual features.
  2. Sparse and positive feature activations can help in interpreting neural networks' internal representations.
  3. Sparse autoencoders can be effective in reconstructing feature matrices, but finding the right hyperparameters is important for successful outcomes.

A Book to Make You Less Afraid of AI: Melanie Mitchell's "Artificial Intelligence"

Mike Talks AI • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🔬 Science AI Neural Networks Natural Language Processing Algorithms
  1. The book 'Artificial Intelligence' by Melanie Mitchell eases fears about AI and provides education.
  2. It covers the history of AI, details on algorithms, and a discussion on human intelligence.
  3. The book explains how deep neural networks and natural language processing work in an understandable way.

A Digital Cohort on Personalized Nutrition

Digital Epidemiology • 19 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🔬 Science Nutrition Data Quality Recruitment Cognitive Performance
  1. The study focused on personalized nutrition with a digital cohort of 1,000+ participants tracking various data for glucose level management.
  2. Developing a digital cohort requires intricate digital infrastructure and investment in user-friendly applications for high retention rates.
  3. Data quality assessment is crucial for multi-modal data collection, and the study achieved high completion rates with a focus on improving nutrition tracking.