The hottest Science Substack posts right now

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The Race to Make Designer Babies

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 635 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🔬 Science Genetics Ethics Biotechnology Medical Research Social Impact
  1. CRISPR-Cas9 technology can potentially eliminate genetic diseases, but it also raises ethical concerns about creating 'designer babies.'
  2. Two individuals, He Jiankui and Cathy Tie, are in competition to lead the gene editing field in the U.S., each with different visions.
  3. As gene editing technology advances rapidly, society must decide the ethical boundaries of its use before it's too late.

Autism diagnoses are rising, yes, but autism, probably not

Just Emil Kirkegaard Things • 923 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🔬 Science Autism Diagnosis Mental health Genetics Bioethics
  1. Autism diagnoses are increasing due to more liberal diagnostic criteria and shifts in categorization.
  2. There is a trend of decreasing thresholds for autism diagnoses, including reclassifying individuals previously diagnosed with other conditions.
  3. The prevalence of autism is influenced by genetic factors, and options for reducing autism risk may raise ethical questions.

3.4.7 What is “Free Space?”

Fields & Energy • 299 implied HN points • 15 May 24
🔬 Science Physics Electromagnetism Energy Theories History
  1. Free space is a place where electromagnetic waves can travel without any barriers. It has properties that support these waves, even if it seems empty.
  2. In history, scientists debated whether something could exist in a vacuum. They realized that the vacuum still has physical qualities, leading to the idea of the 'æther' as a medium for wave propagation.
  3. Modern physics shows that even a vacuum is rich in properties, meaning it's not truly empty. We should recognize that there's always something there, supporting energy and wave movement.

Psychology’s Greatest Misses (Part 2/3)

Living Fossils • 28 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🔬 Science Psychology Social Psychology Research Methods Education Mental health Cognitive Science Behavioral Science
  1. Many popular psychology claims are wrong or overstated — examples include learning-style teaching, what reaction-time implicit-bias tests prove, body-based trauma cures, and facilitated communication; believing these myths wastes time and can cause real harm.
  2. Some findings are solid but limited — the Big Five reliably describes personality differences but it describes patterns rather than explains causes and only modestly predicts specific behavior.
  3. Bad ideas spread because incentives and human storytelling favor novel, simple, or emotionally satisfying claims; novelty and neat villains travel faster than careful, boring truth, though better information tools may help correct that.
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MIT and the non-existent I-129 problem

Gordian Knot News • 256 implied HN points • 09 Nov 25
🔬 Science Nuclear Energy Engineering Environmental Science Public Health Research
  1. The author feels disappointed in MIT's response to criticisms of their nuclear studies, specifically regarding a controversial analysis by a faculty member. They believe the school once encouraged rigorous debate and fact-based reasoning.
  2. Iodine-129, a radioactive element, is discussed as posing minimal health risk, but the author argues that the recent study on it fails to address its real impact on thyroid cancer risk. They highlight that the dangers may not be as significant as some suggest.
  3. The author criticizes the approach to radioactive waste management, suggesting that the focus should be on dilution rather than concentration. They believe this would significantly reduce health risks from contamination.

MASHUP: Aboriginal Smokeless Nicotine, Quinine & Caffeine Therapy, African G6PD Deficiency

Grey Goose Chronicles • 786 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🔬 Science Biology Medicine Genetics Pharmacology History
  1. Aboriginal Australians have a unique way of consuming tobacco with varying effects and health benefits.
  2. Quinine has a rich history in colonial expansion and fighting malaria, while caffeine might hold potential as an antimalarial drug.
  3. Genetic conditions like G6PD deficiency in sub-Saharan Africans show adaptations to malaria, impacting medical treatments and outcomes.

Learning about longevity from long-lived animals

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 30 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
🔬 Science Biology Aging Genetics Physiology Evolution Metabolism
  1. Long-lived animals use different tricks — extreme regeneration, strong DNA repair and cancer defenses, and very slow metabolisms — any of which could teach us about aging.
  2. Humans already have some longevity advantages like big brains, long childhoods, social roles, and certain cancer-fighting adaptations, but these traits come with evolutionary tradeoffs.
  3. We can extend life by treating specific diseases or by targeting fundamental aging (telomeres, DNA repair, metabolism); promising approaches include telomerase work, mTOR inhibitors, diabetes drugs, and caloric restriction, but they carry risks like cancer and other tradeoffs.

New colors without shooting lasers into your eyes

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 750 implied HN points • 17 Jul 25
🔬 Science Optics Color Theory Neuroscience
  1. Our eyes have different cells that help us see color, but they sometimes overlap, making it hard to see some colors clearly. This overlapping means we usually never activate only one type of color cell at a time.
  2. Some researchers are using lasers to stimulate specific color cells in our eyes, allowing people to see colors they typically wouldn't be able to experience. This can create unique visual experiences that challenge our understanding of color.
  3. Optical illusions might help us see new colors too, without lasers. However, whether these illusions can truly take us beyond what we usually see with our eyes is still an open question.

What makes a good egg?

De Novo • 154 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🔬 Science Genetics Biology Stem Cells Reproduction Development
  1. For an egg to develop into a healthy baby, it needs to have the right number of chromosomes and be free from harmful mutations. This can be checked using various genetic testing methods.
  2. Eggs must also have proper epigenetics, meaning they need to erase the old marks from the starting cells and replace them with new ones specific to eggs. This part has been tricky for scientists.
  3. Besides genetics and epigenetics, eggs need to be the right size and have enough nutrients and energy sources. To be useful, any method for growing eggs in the lab must make sure the eggs are consistently high-quality and safe.

Psychopathy and low cognitive ability

Klement on Investing • 8 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🔬 Science Psychology Social media Political Behavior Cognition Personality Traits Online behavior
  1. A large survey across eight countries found people with higher cognitive ability were generally more likely to take part in online political discussions.
  2. However, among people with lower cognitive ability, those with higher psychopathic traits were especially likely to participate. People with high psychopathy and low cognitive ability are overrepresented in online political debates.
  3. Social media and message boards often become toxic and are dominated by extreme, loud personalities, so when someone online triggers you it's often best to assume they fit that pattern and move on.

Back and Forth on the Value of Replication

The Good Science Project • 48 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
🔬 Science Research Policy Research Funding Reproducibility Metascience Academic Publishing Research Ethics
  1. Replicating studies early usually gives much bigger returns because it can stop entire lines of follow-on work from chasing a wrong result, though some older papers that still drive current research can also be worth replicating.
  2. Citation counts are an imperfect measure of influence, and once a paper's findings are deeply embedded across many follow-on studies, a single replication may not undo that influence—so sometimes it's higher impact to replicate key descendant papers instead of only the original.
  3. The impact of replication can be increased by changing incentives and communication: funders and journals can publicize replication results, link them to original papers, and adjust funding or citation expectations to make replications matter more.

The Goldilocks zone between inbreeding and outbreeding

ideassleepfuriously • 884 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🔬 Science Genetics Evolution Human biology Psychology Fertility
  1. The risk of producing abnormal embryos is highest in siblings, lower in first cousins, and lowest in third or fourth cousins.
  2. Inbreeding can lead to shared defective alleles and recessive disorders, causing inbreeding depression.
  3. Outbreeding can lead to genetic incompatibilities and higher rates of miscarriage, causing outbreeding depression.

4.2 Early Models of Electricity

Fields & Energy • 179 implied HN points • 19 Jun 24
🔬 Science Physics Electricity Electromagnetism Models History
  1. Electricity can be understood in two ways: as a fluid traveling through wires or as fields in the space around electric charges. This is still a big question in physics.
  2. Different cultures have unique approaches to explaining scientific concepts. For example, English physicists use hands-on models, while French scientists prefer abstract theories.
  3. Benjamin Franklin was key in shaping the idea that electricity is a single fluid. This foundational concept helps us still today in understanding electricity and electronics.

My Research on Gender Dysphoria Was Censored. But I Won’t Be.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 8778 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🔬 Science Research Gender Dysphoria Academic Publishing Activism Data Privacy
  1. The retraction of a scientific article on Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria sparked controversy and highlighted the influence of activist movements in academia.
  2. The authors faced accusations of violating editorial policies around consent, which they refuted by claiming to have followed ethical research practices.
  3. Despite the retraction, the authors plan to continue studying the controversial topic of ROGD, emphasizing the importance of scientific inquiry and resisting censorship.

On RFK Jr., Atrazine and WiFi. Plus a puzzle for you!

An Insult to Intuition • 1454 implied HN points • 26 Jun 23
🔬 Science Technology Medicine Research Biology Physics
  1. Kennedy discussed the potential effects of Atrazine on organisms like frogs and mammals, sparking a debate on environmental toxins.
  2. The story shared analogies between a hypothetical alien civilization and current human societal challenges, emphasizing the importance of humility and balance.
  3. There was a discussion on the perceived health risks of WiFi radiation, highlighting the need for thoughtful consideration and humility in scientific discourse.

How to make use of inductive biases

Mindful Modeler • 219 implied HN points • 04 Jun 24
🔬 Science Machine Learning Interpretability Forecasting Modeling
  1. Inductive biases play a crucial role in model robustness, interpretability, and leveraging domain knowledge.
  2. Choosing inherently interpretable models can enhance model understandability by restricting the hypothesis space of the learning algorithm.
  3. By selecting inductive biases that reflect the data-generating process, models can better align with reality and improve performance.

Mind Viruses

ideassleepfuriously • 746 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🔬 Science Demographics Ideology Media Culture
  1. Ideas can spread like viruses from person to person, affecting fitness and function.
  2. The impact of mind viruses can be seen in historical case studies like the Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement and Brazilian Soap Operas.
  3. Secularism in France and the Bradlaugh-Besant Trial in the UK are examples of how ideologies can shape demographic transitions.

Debunking Pseudoscience: ‘Multimodal Models of Animal Sex’

Reality's Last Stand • 1434 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🔬 Science Biology Gender Research Evolution Critique
  1. The paper debunks the traditional binary model of biological sex by proposing a multimodal model.
  2. Current efforts in academia are influencing scientific research on sex by incorporating political motivations in the study.
  3. The study fails to provide evidence for more than two sexes and is criticized for misinterpreting sex differences in genetics, endocrinology, morphology, and behavior.

Making Science More Reproducible

Briefly Bio • 158 implied HN points • 18 Jul 24
🔬 Science Research Methodology Documentation Reproducibility Innovation
  1. Reproducibility in science is a big issue, with many experiments failing to be duplicated. This creates a challenge for scientists trying to build on each other's work.
  2. Clear and detailed documentation of scientific processes is crucial. When scientists share their methods well, it helps others replicate results more easily.
  3. Using technology like structured documentation can improve transparency in research. This way, scientists can better understand what happened in an experiment and learn from it.

The Balloon That Wouldn't Come Down

Everything Is Amazing • 1887 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🔬 Science Earth Science Exploration Human biology Meteorology
  1. In 1862, two balloonists faced a terrifying situation when their balloon wouldn't come down, and they were rising to dangerous altitudes. They had to work hard to figure out how to descend safely without the proper equipment.
  2. Early ballooning was risky, but the people doing it were often well-prepared and knowledgeable. Their courage and resourcefulness in the face of danger helped advance the field of aeronautics.
  3. Even today, the sky is both common and mysterious to us. It's a reminder of how our atmosphere keeps us alive, and we should be curious about the science behind it.

Lit mag Guernica implodes, LLMs beat neuroscientists, CS vs. Philosophy deathmatch, AI pollution reaches science

The Intrinsic Perspective • 4805 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🔬 Science AI Neuroscience Ethics Language Models
  1. AI data pollution in science is a concerning issue, with examples of common AI stock phrases being used in scientific literature without real contribution.
  2. AI language models outperformed human neuroscientists in predicting future neuroscientific results, raising questions on the importance of understanding linguistic modifications versus actual predictions.
  3. Literary magazine Guernica faced backlash after a controversial essay led to writers withdrawing pieces, staff resigning, and social media condemnation, stressing the importance of careful reading and understanding context.

It's Only Ice (Like Nothing You've Ever Seen)

Everything Is Amazing • 1697 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
🔬 Science Oceanography Climate Microbiology Atmospheric science
  1. Ice flowers are unique formations in the Arctic created by a process called sublimation, where water vapor turns directly into ice. They can actually support microbes even though they are very salty.
  2. Hair ice is another strange phenomenon that resembles frozen hair, formed by a fungus that stabilizes thin strands of ice. This shows how nature can create artistic ice structures.
  3. Pykrete is a mix of ice and sawdust proposed as a material for building a large aircraft carrier during World War II. Although interesting, it was deemed impractical because it required constant cold temperatures to maintain its structure.

How I made peace with quantile regression

Mindful Modeler • 778 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🔬 Science Statistics Machine Learning Estimation Modeling
  1. Quantile regression can be understood through the lens of loss optimization, specifically with the pinball loss function.
  2. In machine learning, quantile regression is essentially regression with the unique pinball loss function that emphasizes absolute differences between actual and predicted values.
  3. The asymmetry of the pinball loss function, controlled by the parameter tau, dictates how models should handle under- and over-predictions, making quantile regression a tool to optimize different quantiles of a distribution.

Numlock News: January 18, 2024 • Stellar Streams, Tetrapods, Richard Feynman

Numlock News • 766 implied HN points • 18 Jan 24
🔬 Science Space Biology Data Privacy Astronomy Physics
  1. The National Baseball Hall of Fame faced a significant financial decline in revenue and attendance in 2022.
  2. Walmart's financial services became a target for scammers, leading to billions of dollars in fraud.
  3. Biologists are concerned about the extinction of tetrapod species, with around 856 currently missing and presumed extinct.

Frame of Reference

Doomberg • 7718 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
🔬 Science Energy Technology Safety Risk Propaganda
  1. Fatal energy-related incidents occur due to the risks in harnessing, storing, and transporting energy.
  2. Despite tragedies, society often continues to utilize energy sources by weighing risks and benefits.
  3. The nuclear energy industry faces disproportionate fear and opposition compared to other energy sources.

Aliens!

Glenn’s Substack • 1336 implied HN points • 08 Jun 23
🔬 Science Extraterrestrial Life
  1. Recent reports about aliens are likely coming from within the government.
  2. The reason for the emergence of alien stories now remains unclear.
  3. Speculation abounds about the motivations and actions of potential alien visitors.

On Klein on Construction

Construction Physics • 10021 implied HN points • 18 Feb 23
🔬 Science Construction Regulations Productivity Costs Technology
  1. Construction industry productivity issues may be due to organized special interests influencing the process with complex regulations and stakeholder approvals.
  2. Regulations have increased costs in construction through additional input requirements and negotiation delays.
  3. Increased regulation in the construction industry might not be causing productivity stagnation more than in other sectors, but it is a significant factor to consider.

3.4.6 Permittivity & Permeability

Fields & Energy • 279 implied HN points • 08 May 24
🔬 Science Physics Electromagnetism Materials Energy Theory
  1. Permittivity describes how a material can allow electric displacement, showing the relationship between electric field and displacement. It helps us understand how electric forces behave in different materials.
  2. Permeability relates to how materials respond to magnetic fields, defining the strength of magnetic interactions. It helps in understanding the magnetic forces within various materials.
  3. Both permittivity and permeability are key concepts that link electrical physics and mechanical physics. They provide important information about how electric and magnetic fields interact with materials.

scBench: Can AI Agents Analyze Real-World Single-Cell Data?

LatchBio • 33 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🔬 Science Bioinformatics Genomics Machine Learning Data Analysis Benchmarking
  1. scBench is a realistic benchmark of 394 verifiable single-cell RNA‑seq problems spanning six sequencing platforms and seven task types, using real data snapshots and deterministic graders to mimic the decisions bioinformaticians make.
  2. Frontier models do better on scRNA‑seq than on spatial data but are still unreliable overall: the best model scores about 52.8% and tasks requiring scientific judgment (cell typing, clustering, differential expression) are the hardest while procedural steps (normalization, QC) are easiest.
  3. Which sequencing platform the data come from matters as much or more than model choice—platforms drive large accuracy swings—so trustworthy automation will require platform‑aware tooling, better harness design, and more representative training data.

That Time New York Fell For A Space-Goat

Everything Is Amazing • 705 implied HN points • 06 Jul 25
🔬 Science Astronomy Psychology Cognitive Science Curiosity
  1. Sometimes, people see strange things in everyday life, like a figure on the clouds, and it sparks curiosity and imagination.
  2. Our solar system recently welcomed a fast-moving space object that's not from our solar system, reminding us of the mysteries beyond our planet.
  3. There was a funny moment in history when many people in New York believed there were goats living on the Moon, showing how easily people can be convinced by wild stories.

In Search Of The Great Tree Of Fire

Everything Is Amazing • 610 implied HN points • 26 Jul 25
🔬 Science Geology Earth Science Environmental Science
  1. Scientists are discovering massive structures deep within the Earth called mantle plumes, which resemble trees and can influence volcanic activity. These findings show that there's a lot we still don't know about what's beneath our feet.
  2. Currently, we've only drilled a tiny fraction of the Earth's crust, so many of these geological wonders are still unexplored. It’s exciting to think about what else scientists might find as they learn more.
  3. Some mantle plumes might be remnants from when a protoplanet collided with Earth billions of years ago. This idea suggests that parts of our planet could have 'alien' origins, which is pretty mind-blowing!

A Brief Genetic History of Europe

Holodoxa • 239 implied HN points • 19 May 24
🔬 Science Genetics History Anthropology Migration Disease
  1. Modern Europeans have a complex genetic history with contributions from different ancient populations like hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers.
  2. Advancements in genomics have drastically reduced the cost of sequencing genomes, leading to significant progress in understanding human genetic history.
  3. Migration has been a significant factor in shaping the genetic and cultural landscape of Europe over thousands of years, and it continues to play a crucial role in our future.

The First Humans in Europe

Grey Goose Chronicles • 1257 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
🔬 Science Archaeology Evolution Genetics
  1. Evidence suggests that the earliest human ancestors in Europe evolved in Europe before eventually moving to Africa.
  2. The arrival of different human species in Europe can be traced through archaeological findings and genetic studies.
  3. Neanderthals existed in Europe for a long time, and the arrival of modern humans led to significant changes and interactions.