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Busy Beaver Updates: Now Even Busier
Way back in the covid-filled summer of 2020, I wrote a survey article about the ridiculously-rapidly-growing Busy Beaver function. My survey then expanded to nearly twice its original length, with …
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 4,457 posts.
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2025 Turing award given for quantum information science
Bennett, an American physicist at IBM Research, and Brassard, a Canadian computer scientist at the Université de Montréal, are widely recognized as founders of quantum information science, a field at the intersection of physics and computer science that treats quantum mechanical phenomena not merely as properties of…
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Carbon nanotube transistors outperform silicon
For decades, scientists have tried to harness the unique properties of carbon nanotubes to create high-performance electronics that are faster or consume less power. Now, for the first time, University of Wisconsin–Madison materials engineers have created carbon nanotube transistors that outperform state-of-the-art…
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How to Study Physics (1949)
physics, history of science, pseudoscience, hoaxes, writing, education, skepticisism, humor, quotes, illusions, 3d stereo photography.
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Trilobites killed by volcanic ash
Some of the most perfectly preserved trilobite fossils ever found have revealed details of the extinct arthropod unknown until now.
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How sleep and mental health are linked in the brain
This article is published in collaboration with The Conversation. We are only beginning to unravel the genetic and biochemical basis of mental illness – a…
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New process allows 3-D printing of microscale metallic parts
Engineers infuse a hydrogel structure with a metal solution and then use heat and chemical reactions to leave only the metal behind.
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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026 was awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics"
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Is mathematics about to enter the conservatory?
Math as cultural institution.
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Who is the greatest knife steel metallurgist of all time?
There have been many metallurgists over the decades who have developed steels used in knives. Who has made the greatest contribution?
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Earth might be experiencing 7th mass extinction, not 6th
New research suggests environmental changes caused the first mass extinction event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized.
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CERN releases report on the feasibility of a possible Future Circular Collider
Released today, a report of a study investigating the project’s feasibility will serve as input for the European Strategy for Particle Physics and be assessed by the CERN Council in the coming months
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How to identify and misidentify a brown recluse spider (2005)
How to Identify and Misidentify a Brown Recluse Spider by Rick Vetter Staff Research Associate, UC Riverside Dept. of Entomology
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Starlink is a big deal
Part of my series countering misconceptions in space journalism. Now available in audio form. Starlink, SpaceX’s plan to serve internet via tens of thousands of satellites, is a staple in the…
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When Kitty Litter Caused a Nuclear Catastrophe
[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] Late in the night of Valentine’s Day 2014, air monitors at an underground nuclear waste repository outside Carlsbad, New Mexico, detected the release of radioactive elements, including americium and plutonium, into the environme
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Sanitation conquered disease long before vaccines or antibiotics
Of all the technologies against infectious disease, which mattered most? A data-driven approach
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A doctor who treated Bach and Handel with disastrous results
Dr. John Taylor treated Bach and Handel with disastrous results, perhaps causing the death of both composers. Did it impact the course of Western music?
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New nanoparticles can perform gene editing in the lungs
A new type of nanoparticle can be administered to the lungs, where it can deliver messenger RNA encoding useful proteins. Researchers hope to use them to develop new treatments for cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases.
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Molecule restores cognition, memory in Alzheimer's disease model mice
In a new study , a molecule identified and synthesized by UCLA Health researchers was shown to restore cognitive functions in mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by effectively jumpstarting the brain's memory circuitry.
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The Disappearing Universe
Even at the speed of light, you’ll never reach these galaxies.
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Derivative at a Discontinuity
Alok Singh's Blog
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Experiment: Recoil vs. Muzzle Velocity
A detailed experiment to find any statistically-significant relationship between muzzle velocity and recoil management technique.
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How do palm trees survive hurricanes? (2017)
The destructive force of typhoons and hurricanes are no joking matter. Human structures are torn to shreds and flooded in the blink of an eye. It is devastating to say the least. With all of this destruction, one must wonder how native flora and fauna have coped with such forces over millions of years. The true…
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