Margaret Harris
@drmlharris.bsky.social
Science journalist at Physics World magazine (@physicsworld.bsky.social). Also available as @DrMLHarris@mastodon.social. All views on science, politics, history, nonsense, etc. my own. DM for Signal contact info.
Reposted by Margaret Harris
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Holy hell, what an obituary
Props to whoever wrote the subhead on this article. Now, if only the “grey-haired, heavily male” membership of other academic societies *cough* @royalsociety.org *cough* could agree that codes of conduct should mean something and violations should have consequences… 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
National Academy of Sciences to allow expulsion of harassers
Gray-haired, heavily male membership votes in historic bylaw change permitting members to be ousted for misconduct
www.science.org
January 15, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Props to whoever wrote the subhead on this article. Now, if only the “grey-haired, heavily male” membership of other academic societies *cough* @royalsociety.org *cough* could agree that codes of conduct should mean something and violations should have consequences… 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Margaret Harris
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
Reposted by Margaret Harris
Me in 2025: Don't use AI note takers in meetings because they can lead to unchecked errors and unfair and discriminatory outcomes
Me in 2026: Don't use Grok in military planning unless you want to accidentally start a war
Not a fan of this rate of change
Me in 2026: Don't use Grok in military planning unless you want to accidentally start a war
Not a fan of this rate of change
January 13, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Me in 2025: Don't use AI note takers in meetings because they can lead to unchecked errors and unfair and discriminatory outcomes
Me in 2026: Don't use Grok in military planning unless you want to accidentally start a war
Not a fan of this rate of change
Me in 2026: Don't use Grok in military planning unless you want to accidentally start a war
Not a fan of this rate of change
Reposted by Margaret Harris
I took to the blog and wrote about the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, in case you're in the mood for a discount @seanmcarroll.bsky.social kind of thing: chadorzel.substack.com/p/why-the-ev...
Why the Everett Interpretation of QM Is Not Insane
The dollar-store version of Sean Carroll
chadorzel.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:29 AM
I took to the blog and wrote about the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, in case you're in the mood for a discount @seanmcarroll.bsky.social kind of thing: chadorzel.substack.com/p/why-the-ev...
The Institute of Physics (@iop.org), its publishing arm @ioppublishing.bsky.social, and its flagship magazine @physicsworld.bsky.social (which I work for) figured this out a long time ago. If you’re a physicist/astronomer/science teacher/something else relevant, follow them & show them some love!
Why are academic societies still on X it must violate all their code of conducts?
GET OFF THAT APP NOW.
January 8, 2026 at 8:44 AM
The Institute of Physics (@iop.org), its publishing arm @ioppublishing.bsky.social, and its flagship magazine @physicsworld.bsky.social (which I work for) figured this out a long time ago. If you’re a physicist/astronomer/science teacher/something else relevant, follow them & show them some love!
As a dual citizen living in the UK (albeit not one currently under threat, either from the current UK government or from any of the even more xenophobic and illiberal options angling to replace it), this piece from @stephenkb.bsky.social perfectly articulates my anger. www.ft.com/content/0e12...
Threatening to strip someone of their citizenship is no joke
That this Labour government seems to find Alaa Abdel Fattah’s predicament a laughing matter is unconscionable
www.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:09 PM
As a dual citizen living in the UK (albeit not one currently under threat, either from the current UK government or from any of the even more xenophobic and illiberal options angling to replace it), this piece from @stephenkb.bsky.social perfectly articulates my anger. www.ft.com/content/0e12...
My favourite example in this genre is the folks who set out to climb Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa in February at 2pm (it's dark by 5), in running shoes, accompanied by multiple children under 5.
Somehow, they got to the top. At which point they *realized the train wasn't running* and called Mountain Rescue.
Somehow, they got to the top. At which point they *realized the train wasn't running* and called Mountain Rescue.
Stopping hiking mountains if you aren't prepared and know what you're doing.
You're not built different - you're just an asshole putting others in danger to save your dumb ass.
You're not built different - you're just an asshole putting others in danger to save your dumb ass.
Mass. hikers who reportedly ignored advice from authorities rescued from N.H. mountain
Two Massachusetts men were rescued from a New Hampshire mountain on Saturday after reportedly ignoring advice from authorities.
share.google
December 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
My favourite example in this genre is the folks who set out to climb Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa in February at 2pm (it's dark by 5), in running shoes, accompanied by multiple children under 5.
Somehow, they got to the top. At which point they *realized the train wasn't running* and called Mountain Rescue.
Somehow, they got to the top. At which point they *realized the train wasn't running* and called Mountain Rescue.
This story about real-world #quantum entanglement resources includes a neat explanation of entanglement distillation and dilution, and it’s written by @physicsworld.bsky.social student contributor Daniele Iannotti. Do check it out! 🧪⚛️
What happens to entanglement in real #quantum computers? When physicists @freieuniversitaet.bsky.social started to explore this, they found that the calculus of what can be done, and what can be harnessed, needs a serious retooling. 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/real-world...
Real-world quantum entanglement is far from an unlimited resource – Physics World
New study shows that operational limits redefine the cost and convertibility of entanglement
physicsworld.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This story about real-world #quantum entanglement resources includes a neat explanation of entanglement distillation and dilution, and it’s written by @physicsworld.bsky.social student contributor Daniele Iannotti. Do check it out! 🧪⚛️
"If Apple can wholesale ban you from accessing your personal files and family photos with no reliable channel to resolve a potential misunderstanding, you don't appear to own anything that isn't physical and held in your direct possession." ⬅️why I still buy CDs. www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/a...
Apple blocks dev after failed gift card redemption
: Paris Buttfield-Addison literally wrote books on Swift
www.theregister.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:48 PM
"If Apple can wholesale ban you from accessing your personal files and family photos with no reliable channel to resolve a potential misunderstanding, you don't appear to own anything that isn't physical and held in your direct possession." ⬅️why I still buy CDs. www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/a...
Reposted by Margaret Harris
"can we use it for nukes? no? christ, just give it to the hippies across the street" - new mexico
December 19, 2025 at 1:11 AM
"can we use it for nukes? no? christ, just give it to the hippies across the street" - new mexico
Is it wrong that I'm imagining the scientists in this photograph as a *human* version of a Newton's cradle? Like, if you moved the bloke on the right really far out and then let go of him, would he swing into the middle guy and make the dude on the left go flying?
Maybe that's just me.
Maybe that's just me.
Atoms in a one-dimensional #quantum gas behave like a Newton’s cradle toy, transferring energy from atom to atom without dissipation. Developed @tuwien.at, this quantum fluid of ultracold, confined rubidium atoms can be used to simulate solid-state systems. 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/atomic-sys...
Atomic system acts like a quantum Newton’s cradle – Physics World
Quantum simulator enables scientists to test laws of transport phenomena at the quantum level
physicsworld.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Is it wrong that I'm imagining the scientists in this photograph as a *human* version of a Newton's cradle? Like, if you moved the bloke on the right really far out and then let go of him, would he swing into the middle guy and make the dude on the left go flying?
Maybe that's just me.
Maybe that's just me.
Reposted by Margaret Harris
For your collective delectation this holiday season:
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Jingle Bells (Batman Smells): an incomplete festive folk-rhyme taxonomy
Gather round the fire, everyone, and let me tell you a story. It has everything you could want in a Christmas blockbuster: superheroes and villains, a car crash, children singing, a mystery to solv…
loreandordure.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
For your collective delectation this holiday season:
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Reposted by Margaret Harris
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is one of my favourite days of the year, because it's the day my colleagues and I get to e-mail 10+ groups of (generally very surprised and extremely pleased!) scientists and tell them how much we love the work they did in 2025. 🧪⚛️🔭💡 physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year in physics for 2025 revealed – Physics World
A molecular superfluid, high-resolution microscope and a protein qubit are on our list
physicsworld.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
This is one of my favourite days of the year, because it's the day my colleagues and I get to e-mail 10+ groups of (generally very surprised and extremely pleased!) scientists and tell them how much we love the work they did in 2025. 🧪⚛️🔭💡 physicsworld.com/a/top-10-bre...
TIL that Bernard Vonnegut – Kurt's big brother – was an atmospheric scientist who suggested using silver iodide to "seed" clouds for precipitation. In so doing, he inspired both an industry and his little bro's novel, Cat's Cradle. Not a bad day's work! 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/scientists...
Scientists explain why 'seeding' clouds with silver iodide is so efficient – Physics World
New characterization of the material's surface reveals how an atom-level rearrangement aids the formation of ice crystals and promotes precipitation
physicsworld.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:12 PM
TIL that Bernard Vonnegut – Kurt's big brother – was an atmospheric scientist who suggested using silver iodide to "seed" clouds for precipitation. In so doing, he inspired both an industry and his little bro's novel, Cat's Cradle. Not a bad day's work! 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/scientists...
The photo + headline combo on this story is perfect. White clean-room suit echoes the sterility of the undiscovered neutrinos. Dejected-looking figure in an empty black tunnel is literally empty-handed. 10/10 no notes.
Two major experiments have found no evidence for sterile neutrinos – hypothetical particles that could help explain some puzzling observations. 🧪⚛️ ow.ly/MCc350XGZ6K
Sterile neutrinos: KATRIN and MicroBooNE come up empty handed – Physics World
Fourth flavour not seen in beta-decay and oscillation
ow.ly
December 11, 2025 at 12:07 PM
The photo + headline combo on this story is perfect. White clean-room suit echoes the sterility of the undiscovered neutrinos. Dejected-looking figure in an empty black tunnel is literally empty-handed. 10/10 no notes.
Yeah, it must suck when this happens:
Alien philosopher-king: At last, we have found the answer to life, the universe and eternal happiness!
Alien sun: BLOOORP
Alien philosopher-king, a few minutes later: Aw, shiiiiit.
Alien philosopher-king: At last, we have found the answer to life, the universe and eternal happiness!
Alien sun: BLOOORP
Alien philosopher-king, a few minutes later: Aw, shiiiiit.
A bit inconvenient for potential alien life forms if they’re constantly being incinerated by their own suns
For the first time, astronomers have detected a coronal mass ejection from a star other than our Sun, and it was a big one – powerful enough to strip the atmosphere from nearby planets. That's bad news for the search for extraterrestrial life. Here's why: physicsworld.com/a/astronomer... 🧪⚛️🔭
December 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Yeah, it must suck when this happens:
Alien philosopher-king: At last, we have found the answer to life, the universe and eternal happiness!
Alien sun: BLOOORP
Alien philosopher-king, a few minutes later: Aw, shiiiiit.
Alien philosopher-king: At last, we have found the answer to life, the universe and eternal happiness!
Alien sun: BLOOORP
Alien philosopher-king, a few minutes later: Aw, shiiiiit.
Reposted by Margaret Harris
😷 Masks aren't traumatising.
Abandonment is.
Airborne denial is.
Hospital-acquired infection is.
Long Covid and severe ME is.
The most traumatising part of the ongoing pandemic and current flu surge is the refusal to care. /14
Abandonment is.
Airborne denial is.
Hospital-acquired infection is.
Long Covid and severe ME is.
The most traumatising part of the ongoing pandemic and current flu surge is the refusal to care. /14
December 11, 2025 at 9:56 AM
😷 Masks aren't traumatising.
Abandonment is.
Airborne denial is.
Hospital-acquired infection is.
Long Covid and severe ME is.
The most traumatising part of the ongoing pandemic and current flu surge is the refusal to care. /14
Abandonment is.
Airborne denial is.
Hospital-acquired infection is.
Long Covid and severe ME is.
The most traumatising part of the ongoing pandemic and current flu surge is the refusal to care. /14
Reposted by Margaret Harris
And, not to be a hater but...
If you hear someone saying cooling will be easier in space, you can instantly write them off as someone who has never read a single relevant book or paper and never talked to a single person with undergraduate level expertise. This is very basic.
If you hear someone saying cooling will be easier in space, you can instantly write them off as someone who has never read a single relevant book or paper and never talked to a single person with undergraduate level expertise. This is very basic.
December 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM
And, not to be a hater but...
If you hear someone saying cooling will be easier in space, you can instantly write them off as someone who has never read a single relevant book or paper and never talked to a single person with undergraduate level expertise. This is very basic.
If you hear someone saying cooling will be easier in space, you can instantly write them off as someone who has never read a single relevant book or paper and never talked to a single person with undergraduate level expertise. This is very basic.
For anyone who carries the scars of a COVID infection – and particularly for those of us who got those scars post-2020 – this physics-based model showing that a lockdown strategy in June 2020 could have made the virus *extinct* by January 2021 is a real gut punch. 🧪 physicsworld.com/a/staying-th...
Staying the course with lockdowns could end future pandemics in months – Physics World
New calculation of viral spread suggests that rapid elimination of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses is scientifically feasible, though social challenges remain
physicsworld.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:57 AM
For anyone who carries the scars of a COVID infection – and particularly for those of us who got those scars post-2020 – this physics-based model showing that a lockdown strategy in June 2020 could have made the virus *extinct* by January 2021 is a real gut punch. 🧪 physicsworld.com/a/staying-th...
Reposted by Margaret Harris
OpenAI leadership are promoting a paper in Physics Letters B where GPT-5 proposed the main idea — possibly the first peer-reviewed paper where an LLM generated the core contribution. One small problem: GPT-5's idea tests the wrong thing. My technical comment: scirate.com/arxiv/2512.0... 1/
![As part of a broader effort to demonstrate AI’s po-
tential in scientific research [1], OpenAI executives have
pointed to a recently published paper by Hsu [2] as evi-
dence that AI can contribute original ideas to physics [3,
4]. Hsu credits GPT-5 with proposing the core idea of the
paper de novo, possibly the first published physics article
where the main idea came from an LLM, and discusses
the methodology in a companion piece [5]. We examine
whether GPT-5’s criterion is correct.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uknpj5mh4cfutreceecdbv7x/bafkreia3jerjfcqdui45n4upaqci5u5r6st7o7pqmdzahhjtidtostpooq@jpeg)
December 9, 2025 at 5:17 PM
OpenAI leadership are promoting a paper in Physics Letters B where GPT-5 proposed the main idea — possibly the first peer-reviewed paper where an LLM generated the core contribution. One small problem: GPT-5's idea tests the wrong thing. My technical comment: scirate.com/arxiv/2512.0... 1/
Is ESA benefitting from increased international partnerships and funding due to countries/orgs looking to it rather than to a less stable/less well-funded NASA?
"I think the answer is yes, in short." - David Phillips of @esa.int at #Appleton2025. Canada's ESA contribution is up 400% e.g. 🧪🔭
"I think the answer is yes, in short." - David Phillips of @esa.int at #Appleton2025. Canada's ESA contribution is up 400% e.g. 🧪🔭
December 4, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Is ESA benefitting from increased international partnerships and funding due to countries/orgs looking to it rather than to a less stable/less well-funded NASA?
"I think the answer is yes, in short." - David Phillips of @esa.int at #Appleton2025. Canada's ESA contribution is up 400% e.g. 🧪🔭
"I think the answer is yes, in short." - David Phillips of @esa.int at #Appleton2025. Canada's ESA contribution is up 400% e.g. 🧪🔭
On my way to a rather soggy Oxfordshire today for the 21st annual Appleton Space Conference. I’m looking forward to hearing about new developments at ESA and in the UK space sector, though probably not NASA this year because *gestures at situation*. 🧪⚛️🔭
December 4, 2025 at 8:22 AM
On my way to a rather soggy Oxfordshire today for the 21st annual Appleton Space Conference. I’m looking forward to hearing about new developments at ESA and in the UK space sector, though probably not NASA this year because *gestures at situation*. 🧪⚛️🔭
Today in "Climate change ruins everything, even things you probably didn't expect": radio communications. Although apparently ham radio operators will see a slight upside, as these weird ionosphere events may make it more likely for them to pick up long-distance signals. 🧪⚛️
Putting more carbon in the atmosphere could make a disruptive ionosphere effect called the sporadic-E layer occur more often and with greater intensity, harming radio communications used in broadcasting, air traffic control and navigation. 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/extra-carb...
Extra carbon in the atmosphere may disrupt radio communications – Physics World
Increasing CO2 levels are triggering changes in the ionosphere that will adversely affect signals, say scientists
physicsworld.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Today in "Climate change ruins everything, even things you probably didn't expect": radio communications. Although apparently ham radio operators will see a slight upside, as these weird ionosphere events may make it more likely for them to pick up long-distance signals. 🧪⚛️