Just in case you missed it over the weekend, here's my thoughts for @sciam.bsky.social about how the Artemis II mission is, at its core, a reminder of why we love the moon.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
Hello, Bluesky! We, the staff of Scientific American, are pleased to announce we have formed a union with @wgaeast.bsky.social. Just as mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, we are the powerhouse of the publication, and we’re excited to have a new way to contribute to its success.
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Have you been feeling "moon joy" about NASA's Artemis II lunar mission? If so, you might want to hang onto it as long as possible, because it seems to be rather good for you. By @parshallison.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...
This is Sadie. She was finally reunited with her human, astronaut Christina Koch, after her mom’s voyage around the moon took her the furthest any human has ever been from their dog. She can't wait to hear all about the universe. 14/10 (IG: astro_christina)
A new study of AI sycophancy shows how asking agreeable chatbots for advice can change your behavior
Excited to share this piece by @parshallison.bsky.social and me in the April issue of @sciam.bsky.social. This is my fav type of #dataviz challenge: tackling a concept that is complex, fascinating, and that I haven’t seen represented in this way before. 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
People often talk about the autism spectrum as if it's a simple sliding scale from "more autistic" to "less." This isn't true — the spectrum is dizzyingly complex, and @unamandita.bsky.social and I set out to visualize this in SciAm's April issue:
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
As we get ready to watch Ilia Malinin skate, please read this fascinating piece by my colleague @parshallison.bsky.social about how the self-appointed Quad God is able to do what he does. And how figure skaters have been able to land progressively more difficult jumps. ⛸️ 🧪
Got kind of obsessed with Connor Storrie's accent in Heated Rivalry so me and @parshallison.bsky.social interviewed the show's dialect coach
My feature is on the cover of @sciam.bsky.social !!
This is one of the more fascinating, maddening, mind-boggling stories I've reported in a long time. Please come on this journey with me.
Lost in the Stock
Figuring out what’s actually in a box of chicken stock shouldn’t be that hard. Right?
www.eater.com/23552129/wha...
--> A wonderful look at the reality of reporting, as well as a insightful plunge into the abyss of Big Food. Answers all your questions about canned broth.
It's been thought since the early 70s that eukaryotes (basically any life with a cell nucleus) wouldn't survive above 62C and no complex life had been shown living above 60C. Until the "fire amoeba"... 🧪
(These are some of my favorite stories to write, just weird neat stuff we're learning.)
Happy Halloween 🦇🦇🦇 Horror movie music can be deeply unsettling. Here's how composers achieve that effect www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-... 🧪
A special class of immune proteins protect us from pathogens but also drive inflammation and cell death
Multiple choice question reading "A famous sculpture containing a cryptography puzzle called Kryptos has fascinated the public since 1990, when it was installed in what notable location?" Answer options are "The Statue of Liberty's torch, Area 51, the CIA's headquarters, the North Pole."
On today's @sciam.bsky.social science quiz, we've got space shuttles and cryptography puzzles. Share your score below! 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/game/scienti...
Congratulations to bicyclists: you're one of the most efficient movers in the animal kingdom! 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Steve Jobs loved this original @sciam.bsky.social graphic and cited it constantly in interviews, calling computers "bicycles of the mind" for how they let us operate with max efficiency.
Turns out, though, bikes are so efficient because they make us more like... fish? Check it out 🧪
The science is in: COVID boosters are worth it, even if you've been vaccinated and/or infected before. Stay safe out there, friends!: 🧪 🛟 www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
"Accessing the supports my autistic son needs can be brutally difficult, especially as he and his peers transition into adulthood. But unlike grievance parents, I believe my son deserves respect and understanding—not grievance parents’ relentless exploitation of their children as burdens."
Memorizing this
After yrs of disappointment scientists have made a genuine advance in treating Huntington's. The new gene therapy slowed disease progression by 75%. But it's still experimental and will likely be $$, @parshallison.bsky.social reports for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/firs...
Today on Science Quickly for @sciam.bsky.social: @drdemetre.bsky.social on how the CDC has decayed from a trusted source of health information to "an ideology propaganda machine that’s Orwellian"—and what we can do about it
www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Quiz question reading "'Earth wind' can blow particles of oxygen to the moon, where they can do what?" Answer options are "Erupt lunar volcanoes, feed lunar microbes, rust lunar minerals, and create lunar auroras"
On this week's @sciam.bsky.social science quiz, we've got earth wind and fire. (Kinda.) Can you get 6/6? www.scientificamerican.com/game/science... 🧪
"They say he was the composer's composer." Indeed.
A museum exhibit in Australia lets visitors hear music generated by brain cells derived from the blood of a dead composer.
Every new thing I learn about Alvin Lucier is cooler than the last. He used his brainwaves to make music in the '60s--and he found a way to keep it up, even after his death. "If anyone was gonna pull off immortality, it was him," his daughter, Amanda Lucier, told me.
Enjoy the episode!🧪
