The hottest Science Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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And the Oscar for Economics Goes To... (1/2)

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 5 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🔬 Science Economics Research Studies
  1. Economics can impact everyday life - like how male-dominated spaces affect women's performance and how integrated teams lead to more success in research
  2. Ethnic violence like lynchings can have significant economic impacts, reducing total factor productivity and output, as shown by historical data
  3. Research shows that changes in policies like legalized same-sex marriage can influence career choices, as seen in the declining enrollment of new priests following these laws

Oranges and lemons

The Strategy Toolkit • 8 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🔬 Science Biology Evolution Emotion Behavior Research
  1. Laughter may serve a strategic purpose, including masking other emotions like anger.
  2. Evolutionary biologists study laughter to understand human behavior in incongruous situations and for social communication.
  3. The process of natural selection is likened to a startup's product development, evolving over time like an MVP.

Amphibian Milk

Natural Selections • 5 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🔬 Science Nature Research Evolution Biology
  1. The three clades of extant amphibians are Anura (frogs and toads), Caudata (salamanders and newts), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Each group has unique characteristics and adaptations to their environment.
  2. Some caecilians provide parental care by offering highly nutritious skin for their babies to eat, and secreting a kind of milk-like substance that the young ones click and chirp for before collecting from their mother's cloaca.
  3. Milk is typically associated with mammals, but caecilian mothers also produce a form of milk for their young, showcasing similarities in parental care across different animal groups.

Intermezzo: How much can you trust fancy behavioural findings?

Optimally Irrational • 8 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🔬 Science Replication Crisis
  1. A new scandal in behavioural research raises questions about the trustworthiness of fancy findings.
  2. Questionable research practices, such as selective data reporting, are prevalent in the field of psychology and behavioural economics.
  3. Adopting new research rules, like pre-registration of studies, can help prevent questionable research practices and improve the credibility of findings in behavioural research.
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Apocalyptic AI

The Convivial Society • 9 HN points • 07 Apr 23
🔬 Science Technology Philosophy History Religion Art
  1. Thinking cogently and insightfully about AI is a challenge due to its evolving nature and broad use.
  2. AI researchers often feel a responsibility to usher in a new form of intelligence, reminiscent of historical testimonies on technological advancements.
  3. AI is revealing the end of a world as modernity expires and the culture of technological modernity becomes increasingly hostile to the human person.

Issue 13: Deep heat

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 6 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🔬 Science Mathematics Geothermal Energy Medicine Environmental Conservation Renewable Energy
  1. Mathematics played a crucial role in shaping the modern world through geometry, algebra, and industrial machinery.
  2. Basic mathematics training in Europe from the 1200s to 1800s drove technological advancements in various fields.
  3. Competition between states, including war, was a key factor in the economic development of Europe, pushing states to improve governance.

Can We Filter PFAS Forever Chemicals from Water?

Molecular Spectacular • 3 HN points • 11 Aug 24
🔬 Science Chemistry Environmental Toxicology Public Health
  1. PFAS are harmful chemicals that can stay in our bodies and the environment for a long time. There are two types: long-chain and short-chain, both of which are linked to health risks.
  2. Filtering PFAS from water is challenging because existing methods can't completely remove these chemicals, especially the short-chain ones. Currently, a combination of techniques is often needed to get better results.
  3. The EPA has set strict limits for PFAS levels in drinking water, but many water systems still exceed these limits. This highlights the urgent need for effective filtration solutions.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a terrible spokesperson for scientists

Machine Learning Everything • 7 HN points • 19 Jul 23
🔬 Science Physics Philosophy Empiricism Interview UFOs
  1. Neil deGrasse Tyson's arrogance and lack of curiosity make him a poor spokesperson for scientists.
  2. Tyson dismisses the role of philosophy in physics over the last century, leading to a contentious interview.
  3. Tyson's defensiveness, arrogance, and focus on trivial facts overshadow meaningful discussions on important scientific topics.

📈 My outlook for algae bioremediation in 2024?

paxtier • 5 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🔬 Science Algae Biochemistry Market Investing Research
  1. Algae bioremediation faces challenges like wastewater treatment methods and integration with existing infrastructure
  2. Positive market signals in 2023 for algae bioremediation including government support and innovative projects
  3. Recent developments include Zanzibar seaweed production increase and Inalve raising €2 million for microalgae production

Infolife

Engineering Our Social Vehicles • 8 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🔬 Science Evolution Society Genetics
  1. Imagining a world where information has physical form.
  2. Infolife exists in different environments on the Infoplane mirroring different mediums of storage and communication in the physical world.
  3. Translation into new informational mediums may represent adaptation or development of information into new species on the Infoplane.

Trial By Battle

Economic Forces • 4 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🔬 Science Economics Property Rights Negotiation
  1. In 11th and 12th century England, property disputes were settled through trial by battle, where champions fought for the parties. The process was a mechanism that revealed the true valuations of the property, encouraging settlements based on disclosed information.
  2. The hiring of champions in trial by battle reflected a market system where those valuing the land more were willing to pay higher prices for victory. This 'violent auction' reduced transaction costs and led to negotiations that allocated property to those who valued it most.
  3. Trial by battle, an apparently barbaric practice, can be understood through price theory to show how negotiations, based on revealed valuations during champion hiring, facilitated the resolution of property disputes. The practice was not ultimately about the battle itself, but about revealing the true worth of the property to incentivize settlements.

Links for Autumn 2024

Telescopic Turnip • 2 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
🔬 Science Biology Neuroscience History Technology Culture
  1. The Bat Bomb was a WWII plan to drop bats with tiny explosives over Japan, showing how unusual military tactics can be.
  2. Researchers can measure brain chemicals while people play decision-making games during awake surgeries for Parkinson's, revealing how our brains react to rewards.
  3. There are big bacteria called Aureispirae that latch onto smaller bacteria and suck out their insides, showing the strange interactions in nature.

Aaron Lee's Master Framework: Axiom & Master Formula

Autodidact Obsessions • 4 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🔬 Science Logic Language Philosophy Computational linguistics
  1. Aaron Lee's Master Framework explores the relationship between language and logic through his First Axiom, emphasizing the potentiality of language and how it evolves into actual meanings through various logical systems.
  2. The integration of Aaron Lee's Axiom with advanced logical systems like non-monotonic logic, mereology, fuzzy logic, quantum logic, paraconsistent logic, and substructural logic offers a structured model for understanding linguistic semantics and the transition from potential to actual meanings.
  3. The Master Formula resulting from this integration showcases the dynamic nature of belief revision, compositional insights, gradations of truth, probabilistic potential meanings, tolerance for contradictions, and contextual sensitivity, providing deeper insight into the complexities of language and semantics.

Comprehensive Integration of Aaron Lee's First Axiom With Advanced Logical Systems

Autodidact Obsessions • 4 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🔬 Science Logic Philosophy Language Cognition
  1. This paper integrates various philosophic theories on language with systems like Kripke Semantics, Quantum Logic, and Mereology, encompassing all languages and symbolic logical systems.
  2. Aaron Lee's First Axiom suggests that until language is used, words exist in a state of quantum possibility, lacking fixed meanings, which challenges traditional views of semantics.
  3. The comprehensive integration of Lee's Axiom with advanced logical systems could potentially revolutionize fields like AI and computational linguistics by offering a universal framework for solving complex problems.

Understanding The Monte Carlo Method

Photon-Lines Substack • 6 HN points • 20 Jul 23
🔬 Science Simulation Mathematics Physics Engineering Risk Analysis
  1. The Monte Carlo method uses random sampling to estimate complex mathematical results or simulate probabilistic events.
  2. It is applicable in various fields like finance, physics, engineering, risk analysis, environmental modeling, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.
  3. The method involves generating a large number of random samples to approximate outcomes when exact solutions are difficult to obtain analytically.

Science Goddess #1

SCIENCE GODDESS • 1 HN point • 24 Feb 23
🔬 Science Science Writing
  1. Science writing is a form of communication to convey wonders, discoveries, and pitfalls of science to a broader audience.
  2. There is a need to consider the diversity of the audience in science communication, especially to reach underrepresented groups like women.
  3. Physics is a project of quantification, aiming to assign numbers to different qualities of the physical world, leading to both wondrous and troubling advancements.

That time when a bunch of people all agreed to preserve each other's brains

Neurobiology Notes • 1 HN point • 13 Feb 23
🔬 Science Neurobiology Cryonics Brain preservation Medical Research
  1. Mutual autopsy societies in the late 1800s preserved and studied members' brains to advance science.
  2. Brain preservation methods involved using different fixatives like alcohol and formaldehyde as the science evolved.
  3. Members of these societies faced challenges like family resistance and scandal, which offer lessons for today.

For the Greater Intelligence

Age of AI • 1 HN point • 10 Jul 23
🔬 Science AI Technology Philosophy Humanity Ethics
  1. Machine learning reached a plateau in creating truly original ideas due to lack of data and learning material.
  2. CerebroNet faced challenges in interpreting brain data and refining ML algorithms due to resource constraints.
  3. The CerebroLink device revolutionized decision-making, boosted conversational abilities, and deepened connections within humanity.

KAKHOVKA DAM DESTRUCTION

Black Mountain Analysis • 1 HN point • 08 Jun 23
🔬 Science Military Engineering
  1. The dam collapse was likely caused by a combination of human factors and events such as shelling, water pressure buildup, and vibrations.
  2. The destruction of the dam had significant strategic implications for both Ukraine and Russia, impacting military operations, civilian populations, and environmental factors.
  3. The technical aspects of dam design, including the sluice gates, were critical in understanding how the dam was damaged and the potential consequences of the breach.

Fusion Startup Spotlight: Realta Fusion

Fusion Hub • 1 HN point • 11 Aug 23
🔬 Science Startup Physics Engineering
  1. High temperature superconducting magnets revolutionizing magnetic fusion energy for commercialization
  2. Fusion startup Realta Fusion focusing on industrial process heat market initially, aiming for cost-effective energy production
  3. Realta Fusion collaborating with CFS to use HTS magnets on simple mirror reactor design for cheaper and more efficient fusion energy

The wild history of MDMA: 5 Questions for author Rachel Nuwer

The Microdose • 1 HN point • 17 Jul 23
🔬 Science History Research Therapy Human behavior
  1. The history of MDMA has surprising connections and was discovered by accident in a pharmaceutical context.
  2. The first person to try MDMA remains unclear, showing the stigma surrounding the drug in underground communities.
  3. Controversies and ethical dilemmas surrounding MDMA, like with drug dealers and researchers, highlight the complexities of its use despite its reputation for inducing love and empathy.

Why I hate Pi Day

Logging the World • 1 HN point • 14 Mar 23
🔬 Science Mathematics Physics Analysis Signal Processing Forensics
  1. Pi Day can be annoying for some mathematicians due to the overemphasis on the beauty of the Pi formula and memorizing digits of Pi.
  2. The beauty in mathematics is not just about formulas like Pi, but also in the precise form of logical arguments and the way pieces fit together like a complex mechanism.
  3. Fourier analysis, involving Fourier transform and harmonics, is a powerful tool used in various scientific fields beyond Pi Day celebrations.