John Timmer
Chief science wrangler for Ars Technica. Writes, edits, and teaches science communications.
Last synced from Twitter 1270d ago
New African genomes: Complicated migrations and strong selection
We finally have more African genomes, revealing over 3 million new variations.
Water found in new locations on the Moon, may be trapped in glass
Water is present in more places but won't be equally accessible.
As Election Day Nears, Taking Stock of an Expertise Exodus
Eight former government scientists reflect on the circumstances that drove them to leave the Trump administration — and on what was lost.
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John Timmer
Important reminder that one of the biggest costs of the Trump administration will be the loss of expertise.
121d
White House informally endorses letting pandemic spread unchecked
On background, the White House says that herd immunity plan reflects its thinking.
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John Timmer
It's stories like this that convinced me that Twitter needs an "i'm horrified by this" button as an alternative to liking something.
133d
First room-temperature superconductor reported
A few million atmospheres of pressure let mundane chemicals superconduct.
Bats, bugs, and beauty: The best microscopy images of 2020
It's time once again for some of the most artistic images to ever come out of a lens.
Engineering a battery fast enough to make recharging like refueling
The structure of black phosphorus naturally makes channels to let lithium in.
US states stopped their pandemic social restrictions too soon
Several studies with independent approaches all point the same way.
In a pandemic-driven world, trust in science is rising
People expect their governments to support science, use it for environmental problems.
Trapped-ion quantum computer sets new mark for quantum volume
Fewer qubits but higher fidelity, and a promise of rapid advances.
Conservative unease with science is global, but extreme in the US
A new Pew project looks at the perception of scientists in 20 countries.
D-Wave releases its next-generation quantum annealing chip
What's it take to make a chip with over a million Josephson junctions?
Another look at possible under-ice lakes on Mars: They’re still there
It can be tough to spot water under an ice cap from orbit.
When building an embryo, timing is everything
Mice take 21 days from egg to animal, humans take nine months. How's that managed?
White House-CDC tensions explode as Trump contradicts its leadership
Congressional testimony by health experts is overruled hours later by the president.
Trump's COVID-19 Culpability - Niskanen Center
Whatever that is, it's worse than mere manslaughter. It wasn’t passive. It wasn’t accidental. It wasn’t unavoidable.
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John Timmer
This piece by @willwilkinson makes an important point that hasn’t been emphasized enough. Isolate/trace/test is _the_ standard response to a disease outbreak. The US has helped other countries do it, and has been prepared to do it ourselves.
163d
Chemical that shouldn’t be there spotted in Venus’ atmosphere
No obvious way Venus' environment could make it, leaving speculation about life.
Political appointees demand ability to rewrite CDC case reports
"CDC to me appears to be writing hit pieces on the administration," reads one email.
New gravitational-lensing study hints at problems for dark matter models
On a fine scale, the Universe seems lumpier than it should be.
Team behind the Russian vaccine publishes some details of early trials
Most of the results are fairly expected, but there are some interesting details.