John Timmer
Chief science wrangler for Ars Technica. Writes, edits, and teaches science communications.
Last synced from Twitter 770d ago
Covering the Nobels—is it worth the bother?
We're contemplating the attention we give to science's biggest prizes.
A Chemistry Nobel we can use: Lithium-ion batteries
A Nobel in chemistry for figuring out how to do a bit less chemistry.
Nobel in physics is a two-fer: Big Bang and exoplanets
Two unrelated topics unevenly split this year's prizes.
Our bodies’ built-in oxygen sensing gets three a Nobel in Medicine
A long process of piecing together some complex biochemistry.
Single reaction mixture can produce all four RNA bases
Newly described set of reactions could be a route to the RNA world—and life.
What problems can you solve on a quantum annealer?
Figuring out what algorithms could see D-Wave's annealer beat a regular computer.
D-Wave announces the next generation of its quantum annealer
Lots more qubits, lower noise, and higher connectivity should boost performance.
Paper leaks showing a quantum computer doing something a supercomputer can’t
Google's system generates quantum statistics that we just can't simulate.
Pedaling with extra power: A look at Trek’s new electric bike
Ars takes Trek's latest electric bike for a spin around Central Park.
Ad Astra: A journey upriver to meet your demons, internal and otherwise
A sci-fi action movie where the key action takes place in Brad Pitt's neurons.
Who needs qubits? Factoring algorithm run on a probabilistic computer
It shares some features with quantum annealers, but it's easier to build and operate.
Trump to eliminate California’s car emission standards waiver
New standards aren't ready, so the target is the main barrier to their adoption.
New comet is our second interstellar visitor
Recently spotted comet is plunging down onto the Solar System at an extreme angle.
WHITE HOUSE: Adviser who applauded rise in CO2 to leave administration
A chief critic of climate science in the White House is leaving the administration after failing to convince the president to review mainstream research on global warming.
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John Timmer
Unexpected bonus from Bolton leaving the trump administration: William Happer, climate lunatic, is gone too.
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The fall of coal and its pollution-linked deaths is boosting the economy
Farming now produces more particulate pollution than electricity generation.
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John Timmer
Thanks to the death of coal in the US, agriculture now creates more particulate pollution than all the electricity-generating power plants in the country.
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DOE has decided many lightbulbs don’t have to meet efficiency standards
Yet another Obama-era standard gets gutted despite resistance from some utilities.
College students think they learn less with an effective teaching method
They don't even realize they've learned more.
The genetics of sexual orientation are about as complex as sexual orientation
In males and females, there's some overlap and some distinct influences.
Scientists avoid gender bias when they know they’re being tested for bias
Possible bias tracked among scientists awarding prestigious research positions.
Wind power prices now lower than the cost of natural gas
In the US, it's cheaper to build and operate wind farms than buy fossil fuels.