Katie Mack
@astrokatie.com
Cosmologist, pilot, author, connoisseur of cosmic catastrophes. TEDFellow, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar. Domain verified through my personal astrokatie.com website. She/her. Dr.
Personal account; not speaking for employer or anyone else.
Personal account; not speaking for employer or anyone else.
Pinned
Katie Mack
@astrokatie.com
· Nov 30
The End of Everything — KATIE MACK, ASTROPHYSICIST
Information about "The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)" by Katie Mack
www.astrokatie.com
This holiday season, why not give the gift of ultimate cosmic destruction?? 💥🌌
www.astrokatie.com/book
Kirkus Reviews calls it “a delightfully unsettling narrative”! @leebillings.bsky.social raves about my “infectious enthusiasm for communicating the finer points of cosmological doom”!
www.astrokatie.com/book
Kirkus Reviews calls it “a delightfully unsettling narrative”! @leebillings.bsky.social raves about my “infectious enthusiasm for communicating the finer points of cosmological doom”!
Reposted by Katie Mack
Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.
February 19, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.
Reposted by Katie Mack
I'm watching two things live today while trying to work:
** Women's hockey Olympic final **
** Artemis Moon rocket filling with fuel **
I'm on the edge of my seat, wishing both complete success, but mostly - Go @teamcanadaforever.bsky.social !!!
** Women's hockey Olympic final **
** Artemis Moon rocket filling with fuel **
I'm on the edge of my seat, wishing both complete success, but mostly - Go @teamcanadaforever.bsky.social !!!
February 19, 2026 at 5:35 PM
I'm watching two things live today while trying to work:
** Women's hockey Olympic final **
** Artemis Moon rocket filling with fuel **
I'm on the edge of my seat, wishing both complete success, but mostly - Go @teamcanadaforever.bsky.social !!!
** Women's hockey Olympic final **
** Artemis Moon rocket filling with fuel **
I'm on the edge of my seat, wishing both complete success, but mostly - Go @teamcanadaforever.bsky.social !!!
Reposted by Katie Mack
we couldn't use government funds to buy coffee (like, folgers ground coffee) when i worked on a CDC outbreak emergency response
The executive jet that DHS says it needs has a “bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar ..”
@nbcnews.com
www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
@nbcnews.com
www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...
February 19, 2026 at 3:58 PM
we couldn't use government funds to buy coffee (like, folgers ground coffee) when i worked on a CDC outbreak emergency response
Reposted by Katie Mack
I'd prefer it not have taken decades but personally I like blows being struck against elite impunity and would like that for us in the US very much
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of the UK’s King Charles, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. It comes after further details of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein emerged, the BBC said.
Get the latest: bloom.bg/4rqF1ah
Get the latest: bloom.bg/4rqF1ah
February 19, 2026 at 10:47 AM
I'd prefer it not have taken decades but personally I like blows being struck against elite impunity and would like that for us in the US very much
If you’re going to be required to use a digital robot butler then surely you want that to mean that it will do work while you’re frolicking in meadows or relaxing with novels and tea, not that it will do work while you somehow go out and find other, harder work to do even more of, for the same pay
It’s funny how SV went from 4-hour work week to 9-9-6 rather than the reverse with the rise of AI agents
February 19, 2026 at 2:55 AM
If you’re going to be required to use a digital robot butler then surely you want that to mean that it will do work while you’re frolicking in meadows or relaxing with novels and tea, not that it will do work while you somehow go out and find other, harder work to do even more of, for the same pay
Reposted by Katie Mack
Hell yeah look at that little guy go
Scientists have seen Asgard archaea crawling for the first time. When it comes to the origin of eukaryotes, this is like seeing a feathered dinosaur in the wild. (Video courtesy of Philipp Ralder)
February 18, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Hell yeah look at that little guy go
Reposted by Katie Mack
"I am special, I am immune to The Algorithm, it will not change me"
you are not special and it will make you worse
you should leave
you are not special and it will make you worse
you should leave
This is a very interesting new paper in Nature about the role that feed algorithms on X play in influencing political attitudes.
No paywall: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
No paywall: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 18, 2026 at 8:04 PM
"I am special, I am immune to The Algorithm, it will not change me"
you are not special and it will make you worse
you should leave
you are not special and it will make you worse
you should leave
Reposted by Katie Mack
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
I’m constantly astounded at the sheer level of artistic production coming out of Iceland. Novels, movies, music. Amazing.
February 18, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
Reposted by Katie Mack
Great comparison! This speaker has in-depth knowledge of a very niche subject, and is able to convey the most useful points to a wide audience in a clear and engaging way. (Appropriately, by simply getting the basics right.)
February 18, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Great comparison! This speaker has in-depth knowledge of a very niche subject, and is able to convey the most useful points to a wide audience in a clear and engaging way. (Appropriately, by simply getting the basics right.)
Bookmarking this video for the next time someone claims that science communication can’t be engaging unless it’s about an inherently exciting topic or made personally relevant to people’s lives
“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video
February 18, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Bookmarking this video for the next time someone claims that science communication can’t be engaging unless it’s about an inherently exciting topic or made personally relevant to people’s lives
Reposted by Katie Mack
Great article from @rboyle31.bsky.social on mysterious Little Red Dots and how they might represent a class of objects we've never really seen before: a stellar atmosphere powered by black hole accretion.
stay tuned for a spicy alternative take that should appear on the arXiv later this week! 🧪🔭
stay tuned for a spicy alternative take that should appear on the arXiv later this week! 🧪🔭
What are JWST’s Little Red Dots? Astronomers may finally have an answer www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...
Weird ‘Little Red Dots’ in space are something we’ve never seen
Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper James Webb Space Telescope images
www.scientificamerican.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Great article from @rboyle31.bsky.social on mysterious Little Red Dots and how they might represent a class of objects we've never really seen before: a stellar atmosphere powered by black hole accretion.
stay tuned for a spicy alternative take that should appear on the arXiv later this week! 🧪🔭
stay tuned for a spicy alternative take that should appear on the arXiv later this week! 🧪🔭
Even this is a massive understatement of the actual costs, since all of those things require advance planning, paperwork, and (in some cases) scheduling document retrievals (often only possible during work hours). The cost doesn't have to be high in dollars to be a prohibitive tax on voters.
It costs $130 + a $35 facility fee to obtain a passport and an extra $30 for a passport card. In California, fees for certified copies of vital records are between $18 and $31 each. How is the SAVE Act not a poll tax?
February 17, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Even this is a massive understatement of the actual costs, since all of those things require advance planning, paperwork, and (in some cases) scheduling document retrievals (often only possible during work hours). The cost doesn't have to be high in dollars to be a prohibitive tax on voters.
Reposted by Katie Mack
It costs $130 + a $35 facility fee to obtain a passport and an extra $30 for a passport card. In California, fees for certified copies of vital records are between $18 and $31 each. How is the SAVE Act not a poll tax?
February 17, 2026 at 3:33 PM
It costs $130 + a $35 facility fee to obtain a passport and an extra $30 for a passport card. In California, fees for certified copies of vital records are between $18 and $31 each. How is the SAVE Act not a poll tax?
Reposted by Katie Mack
This is disgusting, and dehumanizing, and unfortunately coming to damn near every platform you can think of. Multilingualism isn’t an inconvenience to be “solved” by technology. We have to push back.
Discovered today that Instagram had turned on (without my opt-in) automatic AUDIO translation of any reel that shows up in my feed not in English USING AI TO MIMIC THE SPEAKER’S VOICE and WOW it was creepy and upsetting.
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
February 17, 2026 at 3:36 AM
This is disgusting, and dehumanizing, and unfortunately coming to damn near every platform you can think of. Multilingualism isn’t an inconvenience to be “solved” by technology. We have to push back.
Reposted by Katie Mack
This is the thing I think trolls, etc don't understand: Once I block you I literally never think about you again. Shit, five minutes after I block someone I don't remember who they are or why I blocked them. They simply and literally don't exist for me anymore. If this is a victory for you, fine.
Some of y’all must have a blocking kink. It’s weird — you’re intentionally rude, obstinate or worse — in my replies as it daring me to block you as it gains you something. I won’t remember two minutes from now.
February 17, 2026 at 2:57 AM
This is the thing I think trolls, etc don't understand: Once I block you I literally never think about you again. Shit, five minutes after I block someone I don't remember who they are or why I blocked them. They simply and literally don't exist for me anymore. If this is a victory for you, fine.
Discovered today that Instagram had turned on (without my opt-in) automatic AUDIO translation of any reel that shows up in my feed not in English USING AI TO MIMIC THE SPEAKER’S VOICE and WOW it was creepy and upsetting.
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
February 17, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Discovered today that Instagram had turned on (without my opt-in) automatic AUDIO translation of any reel that shows up in my feed not in English USING AI TO MIMIC THE SPEAKER’S VOICE and WOW it was creepy and upsetting.
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
You can turn it off in “Language & Translations” in Settings. 🙅🏻♀️
Reposted by Katie Mack
This city is home to people of countless faiths. But no matter what you believe, one thing unites us: we are all New Yorkers. We will not allow ICE to terrorize our neighbors.
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
Welcome The Stranger
YouTube video by NYC Mayor's Office
youtu.be
February 15, 2026 at 5:15 PM
This city is home to people of countless faiths. But no matter what you believe, one thing unites us: we are all New Yorkers. We will not allow ICE to terrorize our neighbors.
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
youtu.be/uoU9Img_B40
Reposted by Katie Mack
Writing is thinking.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It’s easy to think writing is mainly the transcription of ideas you already have—that is, until you try to write something worthwhile, and you find what you thought were saying transform into something far more interesting in the process. This skips that last step, and that is *not* an improvement.
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Writing is thinking.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.
Reposted by Katie Mack
The fact that these sentences always end with "... which we will cram with more work for them" and not "... so we moved to a four-day workweek" really illustrate the hollowness of some AI evangelists' promises that AI will deliver us to some kind of post-work utopia.
“By removing writing from reporters’ workloads, we’ve effectively freed up an extra workday for them each week” is such a strange sentence to read.
February 16, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The fact that these sentences always end with "... which we will cram with more work for them" and not "... so we moved to a four-day workweek" really illustrate the hollowness of some AI evangelists' promises that AI will deliver us to some kind of post-work utopia.
Reposted by Katie Mack
For the record, my answers are:
Probably, in some form, somewhere in the cosmos, since it’d be weird if Earth were THAT special. They probably haven’t visited though.
Yes, we can see it pretty directly! (More on this in next.)
There are surely some limits to our knowledge but we do know a lot.
Probably, in some form, somewhere in the cosmos, since it’d be weird if Earth were THAT special. They probably haven’t visited though.
Yes, we can see it pretty directly! (More on this in next.)
There are surely some limits to our knowledge but we do know a lot.
yes darth but it is not the #1 question. the top three questions are:
are aliens real
did the big bang really happen
isn’t that stuff all just unknowable
are aliens real
did the big bang really happen
isn’t that stuff all just unknowable
October 31, 2025 at 2:16 PM
For the record, my answers are:
Probably, in some form, somewhere in the cosmos, since it’d be weird if Earth were THAT special. They probably haven’t visited though.
Yes, we can see it pretty directly! (More on this in next.)
There are surely some limits to our knowledge but we do know a lot.
Probably, in some form, somewhere in the cosmos, since it’d be weird if Earth were THAT special. They probably haven’t visited though.
Yes, we can see it pretty directly! (More on this in next.)
There are surely some limits to our knowledge but we do know a lot.
My adolescence can be precisely described by the fact that I learned to touch-type by hanging out in a busy X-Files chat room on CompuServe where I had to break typing speed records to get my deep and insightful comments in before the conversation moved on
February 15, 2026 at 10:01 PM
My adolescence can be precisely described by the fact that I learned to touch-type by hanging out in a busy X-Files chat room on CompuServe where I had to break typing speed records to get my deep and insightful comments in before the conversation moved on
Reposted by Katie Mack
A gibbous view of Earth showing North America on April 16 1972, via Apollo 16 while on trans-lunar coast phase.
flic.kr/p/2rWEDHq
flic.kr/p/2rWEDHq
February 15, 2026 at 6:31 PM
A gibbous view of Earth showing North America on April 16 1972, via Apollo 16 while on trans-lunar coast phase.
flic.kr/p/2rWEDHq
flic.kr/p/2rWEDHq
Reposted by Katie Mack
LLMs do not understand, will not understand, and cannot ever understand information. It's a glorified search engine combined with auto-compete, and you should treat it as such. No matter how much LLM companies try to tell you their machines can think or reason, they cannot and will not.
12/12
12/12
February 14, 2026 at 7:55 PM
LLMs do not understand, will not understand, and cannot ever understand information. It's a glorified search engine combined with auto-compete, and you should treat it as such. No matter how much LLM companies try to tell you their machines can think or reason, they cannot and will not.
12/12
12/12
In an effort to preserve and prioritize my attention I virtually always block people who are rude to me but I also sometimes block people who are perfectly polite and could very well be lovely individuals because I absolutely cannot be trusted not to waste precious hours of my life debating them 🫠
February 14, 2026 at 3:23 AM
In an effort to preserve and prioritize my attention I virtually always block people who are rude to me but I also sometimes block people who are perfectly polite and could very well be lovely individuals because I absolutely cannot be trusted not to waste precious hours of my life debating them 🫠
Reposted by Katie Mack
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
academic.oup.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."