Dan Falk
@danfalk.bsky.social
Hi! I write about #science for Smithsonian, Discover, Quanta, Nautilus, Undark, National Geographic, CBC Radio, & many other outlets. Books include The Science of Shakespeare and In Search of Time. Co-host of BookLab podcast. 🔭🪐⭐️⚛️
Pinned
Dan Falk
@danfalk.bsky.social
· Sep 25
Get ready for the total solar eclipses of Aug. 12, 2026 and Aug. 2, 2027!
YouTube video by danfalkscience
youtu.be
My latest video is an overview of the next two total solar eclipses -- the one on Aug. 12, 2026 (visible from Iceland & Spain) and Aug. 2, 2027 (visible from Spain & North Africa). Hopefully this will video help you as you make your plans. Cheers! #astronomy #solareclipse
youtu.be/99qmRY55iFE
youtu.be/99qmRY55iFE
I've been pondering the relationship between Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and Bobby Sands' "Back Home in Derry" -- which appears to be sparking some confusion... #music
November 11, 2025 at 12:45 AM
I've been pondering the relationship between Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and Bobby Sands' "Back Home in Derry" -- which appears to be sparking some confusion... #music
Happy "Lights All Askew" Day to all who celebrate! (Headline in the New York Times from Nov. 10, 1919, brings Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity -- along with its alleged incomprehensibility -- to the public.) 🪐🔭🧠📰 #physics #science #histsci #lightsallaskew
November 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Happy "Lights All Askew" Day to all who celebrate! (Headline in the New York Times from Nov. 10, 1919, brings Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity -- along with its alleged incomprehensibility -- to the public.) 🪐🔭🧠📰 #physics #science #histsci #lightsallaskew
“...with 'Contact,' the ever-contradictory Carl Sagan—avowed nonbeliever—offered one of the most religious science-fiction tales ever written.” Carl Sagan was born #OTD in 1934. Recently, I wrote about the lasting legacy of his most beloved work for @nautil.us: nautil.us/a-surprising... #science
A Surprising Side of Carl Sagan
In Contact, the great science advocate posed a religious question about the cosmos.
nautil.us
November 9, 2025 at 6:12 PM
“...with 'Contact,' the ever-contradictory Carl Sagan—avowed nonbeliever—offered one of the most religious science-fiction tales ever written.” Carl Sagan was born #OTD in 1934. Recently, I wrote about the lasting legacy of his most beloved work for @nautil.us: nautil.us/a-surprising... #science
1/2 English astronomer, mathematician and physicist Edmond Halley was born #OTD in 1656. Pix of his house in Oxford, and the plaque in Westminster Abbey are by me from 2023. (cont'd)
November 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
1/2 English astronomer, mathematician and physicist Edmond Halley was born #OTD in 1656. Pix of his house in Oxford, and the plaque in Westminster Abbey are by me from 2023. (cont'd)
1/2 We talk about what books are about; we talk about authors. We never talk about paper quality. Well, today, I shall say a brief word about paper quality! (cont’d)
November 9, 2025 at 12:11 AM
1/2 We talk about what books are about; we talk about authors. We never talk about paper quality. Well, today, I shall say a brief word about paper quality! (cont’d)
Reposted by Dan Falk
We're hiring in history of science at UW Madison! TT Assistant Professorship with a focus on water. Joint appointment between the History and Integrated Liberal Studies depts, and part of a university-wide hiring cluster on earth/sustainability science. jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess... #STS #HSMT
Professor of History - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...
jobs.wisc.edu
November 6, 2025 at 7:37 PM
We're hiring in history of science at UW Madison! TT Assistant Professorship with a focus on water. Joint appointment between the History and Integrated Liberal Studies depts, and part of a university-wide hiring cluster on earth/sustainability science. jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess... #STS #HSMT
Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, has died aged 97. (Scroll down to para 3 for a reminder re: his flaws.)
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
DNA pioneer James Watson dies at 97
The Nobel Prize winner felt ostracised by the scientific community over his comments on race and intelligence.
www.bbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, has died aged 97. (Scroll down to para 3 for a reminder re: his flaws.)
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, known as Marie Curie, was born #OTD in 1867. Curie was the 1st person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and remains the only person to have won it in 2 scientific fields ( #physics and #chemistry ). I took these photos of her birthplace (now a museum) in #Warsaw in 2018.
November 7, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, known as Marie Curie, was born #OTD in 1867. Curie was the 1st person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and remains the only person to have won it in 2 scientific fields ( #physics and #chemistry ). I took these photos of her birthplace (now a museum) in #Warsaw in 2018.
Philosopher and cognitive scientist Brian Cantwell Smith passed away in September (I am late in hearing about it). The Faculty of Information at @utoronto.ca, where he served as Dean from 2003 to 2008, posted this obituary: #philosophy #cogsci
ischool.utoronto.ca/news/obituar...
ischool.utoronto.ca/news/obituar...
Obituary: Professor Emeritus and former Dean Brian Cantwell Smith (1950 – 2025) - Faculty of Information
The Faculty of Information is deeply saddened to share that Professor Emeritus and former Dean Brian Cantwell Smith passed away on September 6, 2025, shortly after his retirement. A visionary scholar,...
ischool.utoronto.ca
November 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Philosopher and cognitive scientist Brian Cantwell Smith passed away in September (I am late in hearing about it). The Faculty of Information at @utoronto.ca, where he served as Dean from 2003 to 2008, posted this obituary: #philosophy #cogsci
ischool.utoronto.ca/news/obituar...
ischool.utoronto.ca/news/obituar...
Albert Einstein's rise to superstardom began 106 years ago today, when the London Times noted the success of his theory of gravity, general relativity. I recently wrote about the public fascination with #Einstein and his theory for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
One Hundred Years Ago, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Baffled the Press and the Public
Few people claimed to fully understand it, but the esoteric theory still managed to spark the public's imagination
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Albert Einstein's rise to superstardom began 106 years ago today, when the London Times noted the success of his theory of gravity, general relativity. I recently wrote about the public fascination with #Einstein and his theory for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
I never know whether to capitalize "razor" in Occam's razor, or "test" in Turing test. (Drives me nuts, and I spend too much time worrying about it.)
November 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I never know whether to capitalize "razor" in Occam's razor, or "test" in Turing test. (Drives me nuts, and I spend too much time worrying about it.)
What if Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plotters had succeeded? @historyextra.bsky.social
www.historyextra.com/period/stuar... #history
www.historyextra.com/period/stuar... #history
420 years ago, a deadly conspiracy to kill Britain’s king nearly succeeded. What if it had worked?
In 1605, a small band of English Catholics tried to destroy the king, his family and parliament in a single explosion. This is what might have happened if Guy Fawkes had successfully lit the fuse
www.historyextra.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
What if Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plotters had succeeded? @historyextra.bsky.social
www.historyextra.com/period/stuar... #history
www.historyextra.com/period/stuar... #history
November 5, 2025 at 3:08 AM
November 5, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Science is facing *a lot* of obstacles these days. The final episode of BBC's Science in Action looks at where things are heading, with @michaelemann.bsky.social @naomioreskes.bsky.social & @angierasmussen.bsky.social @drdebhoury.bsky.social : www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... #science #antiscience
BBC World Service - Science In Action, How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy have a future?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Science is facing *a lot* of obstacles these days. The final episode of BBC's Science in Action looks at where things are heading, with @michaelemann.bsky.social @naomioreskes.bsky.social & @angierasmussen.bsky.social @drdebhoury.bsky.social : www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... #science #antiscience
Should Saskatchewan have a lower overall death rate than Alberta, because they don't do DST there (and since the twice-yearly switchover is supposed to have so many ill-effects)? (I tried to look it up, but it was too much work, so I gave up.) #daylighttime #dst
November 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Should Saskatchewan have a lower overall death rate than Alberta, because they don't do DST there (and since the twice-yearly switchover is supposed to have so many ill-effects)? (I tried to look it up, but it was too much work, so I gave up.) #daylighttime #dst
Greetings from @utoronto.ca ( @harthouseuoft.bsky.social )in #Toronto (about as Parisian as you can get, around here :) ). #photography #blackandwhite
November 4, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Greetings from @utoronto.ca ( @harthouseuoft.bsky.social )in #Toronto (about as Parisian as you can get, around here :) ). #photography #blackandwhite
Is London ready for driverless taxis? (And are driverless taxis ready for London?) Podcast episode from @theguardian.com @todayinfocus.bsky.social #AI #driverless #London
www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...
www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...
Is London ready for driverless taxis? – podcast
Autonomous cabs are a staple in some US cities – but how will they cope with London’s streets? Gwyn Topham and Johana Bhuiyan report
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Is London ready for driverless taxis? (And are driverless taxis ready for London?) Podcast episode from @theguardian.com @todayinfocus.bsky.social #AI #driverless #London
www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...
www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...
Always a good day when the new Observer’s Handbook arrives: #astronomy
November 3, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Always a good day when the new Observer’s Handbook arrives: #astronomy
If a kangaroo went to Mars, it would be a Marsupial. 🦘🔴
November 2, 2025 at 9:16 PM
If a kangaroo went to Mars, it would be a Marsupial. 🦘🔴
Prob the most creative “set” from last night on Harbord St. ( #toronto #halloween )
November 2, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Prob the most creative “set” from last night on Harbord St. ( #toronto #halloween )
Reposted by Dan Falk
Looks like the science community has found a home.
academic.oup.com/icb/article-...
academic.oup.com/icb/article-...
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
October 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Looks like the science community has found a home.
academic.oup.com/icb/article-...
academic.oup.com/icb/article-...