The hottest Science Substack posts right now

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Highlights From The Comments On Missing Heritability

Astral Codex Ten • 6194 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
🔬 Science Genetics Behavioral Research Methods Human biology
  1. Genetic and environmental interactions matter a lot in understanding traits. Some traits are influenced by how genes work together with the environment, which makes it tricky to measure their heritability accurately.
  2. Using genetic scores from one population in another can lead to incorrect conclusions about intelligence differences. This happens because different groups might have different gene structures affecting traits, leading to wrong assumptions about genetic causes of observed differences.
  3. Research methods like twin studies and adoption studies can show different heritability estimates. It's important to carefully consider the assumptions behind these studies, as biases can impact results significantly.

Why I am not a polygenic score nihilist

Wyclif's Dust • 5365 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
🔬 Science Genetics Statistics Education Behavioral Science Social Science
  1. Polygenic scores can explain significant aspects of outcomes like education, despite having low R-squared values. This means they can still be useful even if they don't account for everything.
  2. The effects of genetics on educational attainment can be large, showing that having a higher polygenic score can significantly increase the chances of going to university.
  3. It's important not to dismiss polygenic scores just because they have low explanatory power. They can have real, substantial effects that matter for understanding outcomes.

How an unappetizing shrub became dozens of different vegetables

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 31 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🔬 Science Genetics Botany Evolution Agriculture Archaeology
  1. A single wild plant, Brassica oleracea, was bred into many different vegetables—cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, gai lan, and more—by selecting for different edible parts.
  2. Its plant biology and genome made that easy: changing the shoot apical meristem’s timing produced leaves versus flower clusters, and polyploidy (extra gene copies) gave lots of genetic variation with less risk.
  3. Domestication likely began around the Mediterranean in antiquity and spread with people, and today wild and local landrace cabbage populations hold genetic diversity we can use to breed more resilient crops for future climates.

Mount St. Helens - An Awful Place

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 499 implied HN points • 01 Aug 24
🔬 Science Geology Ecology Environmental Science Natural History
  1. Mount St. Helens had a huge eruption in 1980, which produced a lot of dramatic scientific observations and remarkable descriptions. Scientists used strong words to convey the massive impact of the event.
  2. The landscape at Mount St. Helens has undergone significant changes since the eruption, showing how nature can recover and adapt after destruction. Visitors can see new growth, diverse plants, and wildlife returning to the area.
  3. The experience of visiting Mount St. Helens is filled with awe and inspiration. It's a reminder of nature's power and resilience, making it a special place for reflection and appreciation.

Pikas Hit the Trail

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 399 implied HN points • 08 Aug 24
🔬 Science Biology Ecology Evolution Climate Biodiversity
  1. Pikas are cute animals that have traveled a long way from Asia to North America over millions of years. They didn't just hop across in one go; it took many generations to spread out.
  2. Pikas have a unique relationship with their parasites, which helps scientists understand their history better. These tiny creatures help tell the story of the pikas and how they adapted over time.
  3. Climate change is a big threat to pikas today. As their homes warm up, they may struggle to find suitable places to live, especially since they can't go any higher into the mountains.
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Why Do Research Institutes Look the Same?

Asimov Press • 535 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🔬 Science Research Policy Research Funding Academia Organizational Design
  1. Many new research organizations end up resembling traditional universities or startups, because a few familiar institutional models dominate the space.
  2. Forces like researchers' fear of harming future academic careers, investor demands for market-fit and growth, and tax/legal categories push organizations to conform to existing forms.
  3. To create truly different institutions, funders and founders can experiment with new legal structures, hire people less bound to academic incentives, use patient philanthropy, or try time-limited and project-based models.

4.4.1 How Do Transmission Lines Work?

Fields & Energy • 319 implied HN points • 14 Aug 24
🔬 Science Physics Electromagnetism Engineering Technology Mathematics
  1. Transmission lines work by sending electrical signals through wires, where one wire gets a negative charge and the other gets a positive charge. This creates electric fields that help move energy along the line.
  2. To avoid signal loss and distortion, it's important to balance the electric and magnetic energies in transmission lines. If they are not balanced, the signal can get messed up over long distances.
  3. Oliver Heaviside developed key equations that describe how signals travel through transmission lines. His work highlighted the importance of using both electric and magnetic energies to achieve clear signal propagation.

Roche Axelios - My Current Understanding

ASeq Newsletter • 36 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26
🔬 Science Genomics Sequencing Biotechnology Instrumentation Semiconductors Workflow Cost Analysis
  1. Roche’s Axelios can deliver genomes far cheaper than competitors — the headline is $150/genome, but a near‑Illumina quality simplex 30x genome may be around $30, with duplex offered for higher accuracy.
  2. Initial 19‑hour prep times looked concerning, but an SBX‑Fast workflow suggests similar throughput with about a 3.5‑hour prep; final workflows (especially for simplex) aren’t public and prep time could still affect margins.
  3. The system uses small disposable sensor chips that Roche claims can be reused (~20Ă—), so chip cost likely only adds a modest amount (probably under ~$100) to each run rather than being a major cost driver.

An Introduction to Quantum Entanglement

Fields & Energy • 279 implied HN points • 18 Aug 24
🔬 Science Physics Quantum Technology Communication Innovation
  1. Quantum entanglement happens when two particles are linked, so changing one changes the other right away, no matter how far apart they are. It's a strange and fascinating concept that Einstein called 'spooky action at a distance.'
  2. This effect has practical uses like Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) for super secure communication. But there are challenges, such as keeping the entanglement stable and dealing with issues that disrupt it over long distances.
  3. Even though quantum tech is still complex and expensive, it might inspire new ideas for amateur radio operators. Staying informed about these advancements could lead to innovative practices in their field.

How Nature Became a 'Prestige' Journal

Asimov Press • 548 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🔬 Science Scientific Publishing Peer Review Science communication Research Policy
  1. Prestige grew from more than merit: wealthy patronage, elite scientific networks, fast weekly publication, and an expanding international audience made the journal influential early on.
  2. Mid-century editorial reforms — faster processing, mandatory peer review, and deliberate selectivity — turned publication into a powerful career signal and a common focal point for researchers across fields.
  3. Today that prestige is contested: digital publishing, preprints, open‑access pushes, and concerns about errors and gatekeeping are forcing reforms like transparent peer review and tougher retraction practices.

Beyond Magic Bullets: Alzheimer’s Needs the Right Cocktail and Timing

Brain Pizza • 331 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
🔬 Science Neuroscience Medicine Drug Development Clinical Trials Immunotherapy
  1. Alzheimer's will likely need a combination of therapies instead of a single 'magic bullet' drug.
  2. Recent results—modest GLP‑1 signals, negative phase 3 trials, and limited amyloid drug benefits—suggest single agents aren't enough and that the timing of interventions matters.
  3. Immune strategies such as an Alzheimer's vaccine could be an important component of a multi-pronged treatment plan when used at the right disease stage.

Read Something Wonderful (about Biology)

Asimov Press • 1250 implied HN points • 20 Nov 25
🔬 Science Biology Essays Research Publishing Education
  1. Curation of essays is valuable because it leads readers to new ideas they might not discover on their own. It's like finding hidden gems on the internet.
  2. The curated list of biology essays is meant for leisurely reading and focuses on timeless insights instead of quick news, helping readers take their time to enjoy and understand the content.
  3. Exploring essays by different authors can expand your knowledge and perspective on biology, making it a rewarding experience to find writers whose work you love.

2.3% chance an asteroid hits Earth, book blurbs finally die, and the new AI Deep Research can't find me a mattress

The Intrinsic Perspective • 10063 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
🔬 Science Astrophysics Publishing Artificial Intelligence Research Funding
  1. There’s a small but growing chance that an asteroid could hit Earth, currently about 2.3%. This could lead to serious problems if it hits a populated area.
  2. Book publishers like Simon & Schuster are dropping the requirement for authors to get book blurbs, which is a relief for new writers who struggle with this.
  3. The NIH is reducing the indirect costs that universities take from research grants. This means more money will go directly to scientists rather than the universities.

Using AI To Research The Missing Heritability Post

Astral Codex Ten • 4817 implied HN points • 02 Jul 25
🔬 Science Genetics AI Research Biology Data Analysis Heritability
  1. AI can be really useful for research, especially in complex topics like genetics. It helps to gather and analyze a lot of information quickly.
  2. However, we need to be careful because AI can also provide misleading information. It's important to cross-check facts and not trust everything it says.
  3. Balancing the benefits and risks of AI is key. We should use its tools but also stay critical of the results it produces.

Funding science is actually a badass thing to do

Experimental History • 9269 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
🔬 Science Research Funding Policy Technology Education
  1. Funding science is essential because it helps us gain knowledge, which is the key to improving our lives. Every advancement we've made comes from learning and understanding more about the world.
  2. We need to be careful not to fall into traps of thinking we can solve problems by reducing knowledge. Instead, we should focus on increasing our understanding to overcome challenges.
  3. Fixing the science funding system could be simple. For example, by avoiding payments to for-profit publishers and reducing unnecessary grant application processes, we can make better use of our resources and support innovative research.

Fraud, Distortion, and Truth in Science

Sensible Medicine • 4540 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🔬 Science Fraud Truth
  1. Fraud in science is a serious problem, but the bigger issue is the lack of commitment to doing high-quality work.
  2. Many scientific conclusions lack truth and usefulness due to flawed methodologies and inadequate controls.
  3. The scientific field is filled with low credibility studies and a focus on personal gain rather than truth and welfare.

MBTI, If You Want Me Back, You Need to Change Too

Granted • 8705 implied HN points • 05 Mar 23
🔬 Science Personality Research Psychology Experiments Evidence
  1. Consider embracing the latest data to improve the theory by moving away from antiquated ideas and focusing on more reliable traits.
  2. Demand real evidence for efficacy by conducting randomized, controlled experiments to validate the benefits claimed by MBTI.
  3. Understand that many scientists have left MBTI due to concerns about its validity and its historical associations with racism and sexism.

BGI Nanopore Peptide Profiling

ASeq Newsletter • 21 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🔬 Science Proteomics Genomics Biotechnology Sequencing Nanotechnology Molecular Biology Bioinformatics
  1. BGI demonstrated a scaled-up method for classifying peptides with nanopores, showing the approach works beyond small proofs of concept.
  2. They attach DNA handles to peptide ends so peptides can be threaded and paced through a nanopore using existing DNA sequencing control.
  3. The study revealed more technical detail about BGI’s nanopore platform, indicating it could be adapted for larger-scale protein or peptide analysis.

Highlights From The Comments On Lynn And IQ

Astral Codex Ten • 10668 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🔬 Science Psychology Education Sociology Cultural Studies
  1. IQ tests may not accurately reflect a person's real-life intelligence, especially in very under-educated populations. Many factors, like lack of exposure to education, can affect test performance.
  2. Data from reliable and different sources, like World Bank statistics, often support the findings on national IQs. This suggests that there might be underlying patterns in intelligence across different countries.
  3. There's a complex relationship between IQ and practical skills. Just because someone scores low on an IQ test, it doesn't mean they're incapable in practical situations, like farming.

Clinic-in-the-Loop

Asimov Press • 567 implied HN points • 29 Dec 25
🔬 Science Clinical Trials Drug Development Immunotherapy
  1. Clinical trials should be treated as active engines of discovery, not just a final yes/no test; faster, more frequent trials create feedback loops that turn clinical data into better drug designs.
  2. The CAR‑T story shows that small, information‑rich human studies can reveal why early designs fail and guide specific fixes that lead to major breakthroughs.
  3. Regulatory, manufacturing, and institutional barriers make these learning‑focused trials slow and costly, so policy and technical changes are needed to lower barriers, enable adaptive development, and collect richer in‑human measurements.

The Story of the Telegrapher's Equations

Fields & Energy • 259 implied HN points • 16 Aug 24
🔬 Science Physics Mathematics History Technology Engineering
  1. Oliver Heaviside was a young scientist who created the Telegrapher's Equations in 1876. His work helped connect theories of electromagnetism to practical applications in telecommunication.
  2. Before Heaviside, the diffusion model was the main idea for how signals traveled. Heaviside improved this by showing that signals could travel as waves instead of just spreading out slowly.
  3. The development of these equations was influenced by earlier mathematicians like Fourier and scientists like Lord Kelvin. Heaviside's contribution built on their ideas and advanced the understanding of signal transmission over long distances.

Bill introduced in New Hampshire State to halt geoengineering

2nd Smartest Guy in the World • 3970 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Geoengineering Climate Weather Military Environment
  1. Bill introduced in New Hampshire to prevent deliberate geoengineering activities like cloud seeding and stratospheric aerosol injection.
  2. Weather modification history includes declassified projects like 'Project Popeye' during the Vietnam War.
  3. There have been a large number of weather modification-related patents issued since the ban on military use in 1978.

Political Psychology Links, 1/12/2026

In My Tribe • 288 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🔬 Science Psychology Genetics Evolution Research Methods Political Science Behavioral Science
  1. Many psychological findings fail to replicate, which suggests the field needs stronger methods and that folk intuitions can make it hard to tell scientific results from guesswork.
  2. Because many genes affect many traits and behavior emerges from complex gene–environment interactions, predicting disorders or specific traits from genetics is very difficult, and turning continuous traits into binary diagnoses makes the statistics less reliable.
  3. Evolutionary ideas often explain common tendencies in politics and behavior, but they are not strict rules—social institutions, personality differences, and policy choices can amplify, reduce, or reverse those tendencies.

Mystery of the Head Activator

Asimov Press • 328 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🔬 Science Molecular Biology Regeneration Neurobiology Science History Research Ethics
  1. A small peptide called the “head activator” was reported to trigger head regeneration in hydra and was even sequenced and sold as a synthetic compound, but many labs couldn’t replicate the effect and later genomic and proteomic data show that sequence isn’t encoded in hydra, undermining the original claim.
  2. The controversy became deeply personal and institutional, leading to accusations, a formal inquiry and fines, missed career opportunities, and lasting grudges among researchers involved.
  3. Meanwhile, hydra patterning is now better explained by established ideas like the Gierer–Meinhardt model and Wnt signaling, illustrating how science self-corrects even though the true origin of the originally reported peptide remains an unresolved puzzle.

Venture Capital Has Lessons for Government and Philanthropy

The Good Science Project • 126 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🔬 Science Research Funding Science Policy Biotechnology
  1. Government and philanthropic science funding is often bogged down by heavy bureaucracy, rigid reporting, and incentives that favor safe, incremental work over bold, risky ideas.
  2. Venture capital shows useful practices—betting on people not fixed five-year plans, moving fast, tolerating failure, providing networks, and giving investors some personal stake—that could make research funding more effective.
  3. VC isn’t a perfect model because it chases big financial returns and concentrates capital, so reforms should blend VC strengths with public roles like long-term, large-scale, and noncommercial research while creating more diverse, accountable funding institutions.

Inventing the Methods Section

Asimov Press • 380 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🔬 Science Methods Research Policy Publishing Reproducibility Open Science Science History
  1. Over time, methods went from practical, detailed recipes to short, sidelined Methods sections, and that shift makes many experiments hard or slow to reproduce.
  2. A lot of essential lab know-how is tacit and doesn’t fit cleanly into text, so videos, protocol repositories, and supplements help but face sustainability and credit problems and still treat methods as second-class outputs.
  3. Fixing this requires new infrastructure (versioning, executable protocols, automation, recorded workflows, cloud labs) and changing incentives so people are rewarded for sharing and improving methods, not just for novel results.

Neuroscience is pre-paradigmatic. Consciousness is why

The Intrinsic Perspective • 28015 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🔬 Science Neuroscience Consciousness Research Brain Theory
  1. Neuroscience is considered pre-paradigmatic due to the lack of a well-accepted theory of consciousness.
  2. Consciousness is viewed as the primary function of the brain, influencing all cognitive functions and behaviors.
  3. Anomalies in neuroscience, especially the mystery of consciousness, indicate a ripe field for a paradigm shift.

five (surprising) ideas from cognitive and social neuroscience

Brain Pizza • 728 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🔬 Science Neuroscience Cognition Memory Psychology Brain health
  1. When your brain is 'idle' it isn't wasted time — this mode powers social thinking and mental time travel, helping you imagine others and different moments.
  2. Social pain and physical pain share brain systems, so being excluded or hurt socially can feel much like real bodily pain.
  3. Memories are often unstable and can change when recalled, which both explains memory quirks and opens promising avenues for treating memory disorders like Alzheimer's.

Solving the Electroporation Bottleneck

Asimov Press • 335 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🔬 Science Microbiology Biotechnology Synthetic Biology Molecular Biology Lab Automation Bioengineering Genomics
  1. Electroporation has a huge space of possible settings, so getting DNA into non-model microbes is often slow, hit-or-miss, and leaves researchers unsure why experiments fail.
  2. A robotic electroporator that tests many buffers, voltages, waveforms, and plasmid origins—and uses a Bayesian optimizer to choose conditions—can rapidly find working protocols and massively improve transformation efficiency.
  3. Scaling cultivation and transformation for diverse microbes will open up study and engineering of vast, untapped biological diversity, leading to new enzymes, tools, and biotech applications beyond standard lab organisms.

The Birth of Transmission Line Theory

Fields & Energy • 279 implied HN points • 09 Aug 24
🔬 Science Physics History Mathematics Electromagnetism Engineering
  1. The first Transatlantic Telegraph Cable in 1858 was crucial for developing transmission line theory. It helped researchers understand how to send messages over long distances.
  2. Lord Kelvin created an early model for long cables, focusing on how to evenly spread resistance and capacitance. This helped explain why the first cable failed.
  3. Oliver Heaviside later added the concept of inductance to the equations, which improved the understanding of transmission lines even further.

Reading List 02/08/2025

Construction Physics • 7933 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
🔬 Science Physics Engineering Technology Environment Health
  1. Ship-mounted lasers are being developed by the military to counter drone threats. These directed energy weapons may become crucial as drones are more widely used in conflicts.
  2. Santorini is experiencing a series of small earthquakes, leading to most residents evacuating. Authorities are on alert as they prepare for the possibility of a stronger quake.
  3. Ford is facing significant losses in its electric vehicle division as high costs for development and low sales numbers are piling up. The company estimates it could lose up to $5.5 billion this year on EVs.

"Wouldn't It Be Cool If..." Science is a Scourge and We Will Regret It

Freddie deBoer • 9344 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🔬 Science Quantum physics Scientific Method AI Research Education
  1. There are tons of resources to learn about science today, but a lot of popular science content can be misleading and full of hype. It's important to be careful about what you believe, especially if you don't have a strong background in the subject.
  2. Many claims in science media, like the existence of alternate dimensions or warp drives, often lack strong evidence. It’s crucial to approach such claims with skepticism rather than taking them at face value.
  3. Real scientific work is usually slow and methodical, rather than exciting breakthroughs. Making science seem too flashy might mislead younger people about what a career in science really involves.

Adam Kucharski: The Uncertain Science of Certainty

Ground Truths • 3718 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
🔬 Science Mathematics Health Evidence Uncertainty Research
  1. Science is about understanding uncertainty and the limits of what we know. It's important to recognize that truth can change as new evidence comes in.
  2. Different types of proof, such as randomized trials or natural experiments, all have their pros and cons. It's crucial to evaluate what type is best for the situation at hand.
  3. Repetition can affect our belief in something, even if it's not true. It's essential to stay open to different viewpoints and challenge our own beliefs.

Sociology's Pervasively Dubious Assumptions

Unsafe Science • 476 implied HN points • 22 Dec 25
🔬 Science Social Science Sociology Methodology Ideology Human nature
  1. The field treats social forces as the primary drivers of outcomes and assumes humans are blank slates, which sidelines biological, psychological, and other non-social causes.
  2. That framework makes inequality seem inherently unjust, privileges social change as normatively good, and centers identity categories as the main lens for explaining society.
  3. Sociology should broaden its toolkit to consider mixed causes (including biology and human nature) and study both social stability and change without presuming existing order is merely oppressive.

Open Thread 390

Astral Codex Ten • 3372 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
🔬 Science Health Research AI Philosophy Psychology
  1. You can talk about anything you like in this open thread, ask questions, or share ideas. It's a great way to interact with others.
  2. There was a recent discussion about a math error in a simulation related to schizophrenia, showing the importance of accuracy in research.
  3. A user reported vision loss potentially linked to a probiotic, but many are skeptical. It's a reminder to approach health claims carefully and seek expert advice.