3511
Explosions are great, actually
The history of spaceflight is the story of weirdos, explosions, and stacked odds.
Topics /
Science & Space
The most popular blog posts about science & space on Hacker News. 4,455 posts.
3512
Is Planet Nine Alone in the Outer System?
Planet 9 might be our Ultima Thule . Hell would certainly be freezing over at 700 AU. Whether this tentative observation is Planet 9 or not, it is still an interesting observation and an example, I think, of proof that AIs will not do all our science for us. (At least not LLMs).
3513
Why do we remember some life moments but not others?
BU study finds memories of mundane incidents can be strengthened when they get attached to a memory of an emotionally charged event
3514
Psilocybin clinical trial to treat anxiety disorder receives approval
World-first psilocybin clinical trial in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder receives ethics approval
3515
The Scientific Virtues: Stupidity, Arrogance, Laziness
Science education usually starts with teaching students different tools and techniques, methods for conducting research. This is wrong. Science education should begin with the scientific virt…
3516
Insert D-Wave Post Here
In the two months since I last blogged, the US has continued its descent into madness. Yet even while so many certainties have proven ephemeral as the morning dew—the US’…
3517
3518
Neurons Gone Wild
To reject gods and spirits is easy: just bully them away in the name of science.
3519
How To Use 23andMe Irresponsibly (2014)
As you might remember, the FDA stomped on 23andMe for using too many irresponsible genetic tests that purported to tell you things about yourself and your health with limited support. They eventual…
3520
What Gives Gold that Mellow Glow? (2006)
What Gives Gold that Mellow Glow?
3521
Bacteria generate electricity from wastewater
In a breakthrough for the field of bioelectronics, researchers at EPFL have enhanced the ability of E. coli bacteria to generate electricity. The innovative approach offers a sustainable solution for organic waste processing while outperforming previous state-of-the-art technologies, opening new horizons for versatile…
3522
An Adversarial Review of “Adversarial Generation of Natural Language”
Or, for fucks sake, DL people, leave language alone and stop saying you solve it.
3523
Not so fast, Mr. Fourier
A real explanation of discrete Fourier transform (DFT, FFT), discrete cosine transform (DCT), and their inverses.
3524
3525
Learning From DNA: a grand challenge in biology
Is DNA all you need?
3526
The formula for pi buried in a hydrogen atom
When most people think about pi, they associate the mathematical constant with arcs and circles. Mathematicians, however, are accustomed to seeing it in a variety of fields. But two University physicists were still surprised to find it lurking in a quantum mechanics formula for the energy states of the hydrogen atom.
3527
How to grow crystals at home with fertilizer
Growing crystals is easy. It's both a fun family activity and a cool science experiment. You can even dye your crystals with food coloring.
3528
Digitizing Smell: Using Molecular Maps to Understand Odor
Posted by Richard C. Gerkin, Google Research, and Alexander B. Wiltschko, Google Did you ever try to measure a smell? …Until you can measure their ...
3529
Diffing Coronaviruses
Comparing the genome sequences of the Wuhan coronavirus and a bat coronavirus using `diff` and NCBI BLAST reveals an 89% similarity.
3530
3531
Strange Attractors (2018)
Interactive Mathematical Applets and Animations
3532
5-HTTLPR: A Pointed Review
In 1996, some researchers discovered that depressed people often had an unusual version of the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR. The study became a psychiatric sensation, getting thousands of ci…
3533
Building an early warning system for LLM-aided biological threat creation
We’re developing a blueprint for evaluating the risk that a large language model (LLM) could aid someone in creating a biological threat. In an evaluation involving both biology experts and students, we found that GPT-4 provides at most a mild uplift in biological threat creation accuracy. While this uplift is not…
3534
3535
Can you drill into a supervolcano to relieve pressure? (2016)
As recently as February 2016 an article in a prestigious science journal (Nature) raises the question if a nuclear blast will have a...
3536
SF author Greg Egan reviews Avatar
Avatar Review by Greg Egan
3537
Will Coke Dissolve a Nail? (2003)
An experiment to see if Coke really dissolves a nail after four days like the email says
3538
Heritability of human life span is ~50% when heritability is redefined
ratios will be ratios
3539
Plutonium is Forever
I have been doing business in Japan for 20 years, consulting for big and small companies, speaking at conferences, writing for Japanese publications, and helping both American and Japanese companies do business with each other. For years I flew to Tokyo once a month, generally in my role as giver of bad news, which I
3540