Michael Moyer
@mmoyer.bsky.social
The executive editor of quantamagazine.org. Big nerd about cosmic paradoxes, livable cities, trail running, cocktails.
Reposted by Michael Moyer
These are the year’s computational revelations, as curated by Quanta’s executive editor @mmoyer.bsky.social: www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-...
The Year in Computer Science | Quanta Magazine
Explore the year’s most surprising computational revelations, including a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and the unexpect...
www.quantamagazine.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:41 PM
These are the year’s computational revelations, as curated by Quanta’s executive editor @mmoyer.bsky.social: www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
Unbelievable. This would be a terrible blow to American science, writ large. It would decimate not only climate research, but also the kind of weather, wildfire, and disaster research that has underpinned half a century of progress in prediction, early warning, and increased resilience.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Unbelievable. This would be a terrible blow to American science, writ large. It would decimate not only climate research, but also the kind of weather, wildfire, and disaster research that has underpinned half a century of progress in prediction, early warning, and increased resilience.
"All that stuff dumped on our screens, captured in just four letters: the English language came through again."
December 15, 2025 at 2:59 PM
"All that stuff dumped on our screens, captured in just four letters: the English language came through again."
Reposted by Michael Moyer
John Noble Wilford, science writing legend, dies at 92. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/s...
John Noble Wilford, Times Reporter Who Covered the Moon Landing, Dies at 92
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:18 AM
John Noble Wilford, science writing legend, dies at 92. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/s...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
Y'all the latest episode of the #Kilauea #eruption just went CRAZY. It looks like pressure built up enough to explode out the ground around the two existing vents (first few seconds), leading to a massive surge in lava fountaining.🌋🤯
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
December 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Y'all the latest episode of the #Kilauea #eruption just went CRAZY. It looks like pressure built up enough to explode out the ground around the two existing vents (first few seconds), leading to a massive surge in lava fountaining.🌋🤯
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
USGS Live stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyt...
The best end-of-year list is always the Jealousy List: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
The Stories We Most Admired in 2025: Businessweek’s Jealousy List
The stories we admired most this year.
www.bloomberg.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:06 PM
The best end-of-year list is always the Jealousy List: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
We saw it with big tobacco, we saw it with the fossil fuels industry. When their own internal research showed the harm from their product, the defunded the research and attacked independent researchers coming to the very same conclusions.
#ScienceUnderSiege
#ScienceUnderSiege
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:59 AM
We saw it with big tobacco, we saw it with the fossil fuels industry. When their own internal research showed the harm from their product, the defunded the research and attacked independent researchers coming to the very same conclusions.
#ScienceUnderSiege
#ScienceUnderSiege
It's hard to escape the conclusion that the people in charge of medical research in this country think that medical research—indeed, all of modern medicine—is bad.
EXCLUSIVE: CDC to end all monkey studies. Decision handed down by recent college grad and former DOGE employee who is now deputy chief of staff at the agency. Animals were being used in studies of HIV prevention. Some may be euthanized. My latest for @science.org
Exclusive: CDC to end all monkey research
Studies related to HIV and other infectious diseases will be phased out, sources say; fate of the agency's animals remains unclear
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
It's hard to escape the conclusion that the people in charge of medical research in this country think that medical research—indeed, all of modern medicine—is bad.
Apropos of nothing, have you ever wondered why magnets work? www.quantamagazine.org/the-cartoon-...
The Cartoon Picture of Magnets That Has Transformed Science
One hundred years after it was proposed, the Ising model is used to understand everything from magnets to brains.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Apropos of nothing, have you ever wondered why magnets work? www.quantamagazine.org/the-cartoon-...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
this shit looks like someone’s about to shoot franz ferdinand
NVIDIA and OpenAi:
Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“
@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“
@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
October 7, 2025 at 11:35 PM
this shit looks like someone’s about to shoot franz ferdinand
I realize that Bob Iger does not personally read the explanations people give when they cancel Disney+, but still, it was cathartic.
September 18, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I realize that Bob Iger does not personally read the explanations people give when they cancel Disney+, but still, it was cathartic.
Reposted by Michael Moyer
September 18, 2025 at 1:58 PM
My colleagues just posted an incredibly ambitious series about the science of climate science. I hope you'll check it out: www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
My colleagues just posted an incredibly ambitious series about the science of climate science. I hope you'll check it out: www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
Seeking science journalists: @quantamagazine.bsky.social is hiring a physics editor!
A rare opportunity to join this great team and lead coverage of this foundational vertical. Please reach out with any questions and share widely
simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simons...
A rare opportunity to join this great team and lead coverage of this foundational vertical. Please reach out with any questions and share widely
simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simons...
Physics Editor, Quanta Magazine
POSITION SUMMARY Quanta is seeking an editor to contribute to the magazine’s award-winning physics coverage. This editor will be tasked with finding the most exciting developments in the world of the ...
simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
August 20, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Seeking science journalists: @quantamagazine.bsky.social is hiring a physics editor!
A rare opportunity to join this great team and lead coverage of this foundational vertical. Please reach out with any questions and share widely
simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simons...
A rare opportunity to join this great team and lead coverage of this foundational vertical. Please reach out with any questions and share widely
simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simons...
I've subscribed to Defector since week 1 and it is great, long live blogs.
For a limited time, you can try out three months of Defector blogs for less than the price of a happy hour pint. I hope you will do it, because I think the blogs are good and the more people that subscribe the more we can hire. defector.com/defector-is-...
Defector Is Celebrating Its Fifth Birthday By Giving You A Big Fat Discount | Defector
Defector turns five next month. At last week’s offsite meetings, we celebrated that accomplishment and talked seriously about the 10-year mark—how we’re going to get there, and what we want Defector t...
defector.com
August 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I've subscribed to Defector since week 1 and it is great, long live blogs.
Saw my first Waymo in NYC (w/ driver).
Same spot, 30 seconds earlier, a Jeep with monster-truck tires made an illegal U-turn across two double-yellow lines and nearly hit a cyclist.
Same spot, 30 seconds earlier, a Jeep with monster-truck tires made an illegal U-turn across two double-yellow lines and nearly hit a cyclist.
August 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Saw my first Waymo in NYC (w/ driver).
Same spot, 30 seconds earlier, a Jeep with monster-truck tires made an illegal U-turn across two double-yellow lines and nearly hit a cyclist.
Same spot, 30 seconds earlier, a Jeep with monster-truck tires made an illegal U-turn across two double-yellow lines and nearly hit a cyclist.
Reposted by Michael Moyer
This is very odd - we've found loads of articles attempting to discredit these scientists, all anonymously published. It's still unclear who is producing these articles, and why
Academics who have questioned the validity of efforts to “de-extinct” animals like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf have complained of an apparent campaign to discredit them.
Critics of de-extinction research hit by mystery smear campaign
Several researchers who have been critical of Colossal Biosciences’ plans to revive extinct animals say they have been targeted by online articles trying to discredit them
www.newscientist.com
August 1, 2025 at 10:52 AM
This is very odd - we've found loads of articles attempting to discredit these scientists, all anonymously published. It's still unclear who is producing these articles, and why
Reposted by Michael Moyer
One thing we’re going to see a *lot* of: Pieces that appear to explore an intellectually provocative question inspired by AI, but that assume a premise (in this case “friendship with a chatbot is possible”) that’s a) nonsensical and b) perfectly aligned with the aims of AI marketing
What Would a Real Friendship With A.I. Look Like? Maybe Like Hers.
www.nytimes.com
July 20, 2025 at 3:31 PM
One thing we’re going to see a *lot* of: Pieces that appear to explore an intellectually provocative question inspired by AI, but that assume a premise (in this case “friendship with a chatbot is possible”) that’s a) nonsensical and b) perfectly aligned with the aims of AI marketing
Humans are excellent at smelling things! Better than dogs, sometimes.
The reason why we're told otherwise is due to a mistranslation of a 19th-century French theory of what makes humans special.
And Freud. He didn't help, either.
The reason why we're told otherwise is due to a mistranslation of a 19th-century French theory of what makes humans special.
And Freud. He didn't help, either.
A better understanding of human smell is emerging as scientists interrogate its fundamental elements: the odor molecules that enter your nose and the individual neurons that translate them into perception in your brain. @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social reports:
www.quantamagazine.org/how-smell-gu...
www.quantamagazine.org/how-smell-gu...
How Smell Guides Our Inner World | Quanta Magazine
A better understanding of human smell is emerging as scientists interrogate its fundamental elements: the odor molecules that enter your nose and the individual neurons that translate them into percep...
www.quantamagazine.org
July 3, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Humans are excellent at smelling things! Better than dogs, sometimes.
The reason why we're told otherwise is due to a mistranslation of a 19th-century French theory of what makes humans special.
And Freud. He didn't help, either.
The reason why we're told otherwise is due to a mistranslation of a 19th-century French theory of what makes humans special.
And Freud. He didn't help, either.
Data: People who eat 1 hot dog a day (!!!)
Expert conclusion: Maybe eat less
Headline: NO SAFE AMOUNT
www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/h...
Expert conclusion: Maybe eat less
Headline: NO SAFE AMOUNT
www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/h...
July 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Data: People who eat 1 hot dog a day (!!!)
Expert conclusion: Maybe eat less
Headline: NO SAFE AMOUNT
www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/h...
Expert conclusion: Maybe eat less
Headline: NO SAFE AMOUNT
www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/h...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years.
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
June 24, 2025 at 10:20 PM
NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years.
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."
RIP William Langewiesche, the master of illuminating difficult subjects (engineering, airplanes, etc.) with riveting narratives www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/b...
William Langewiesche, the ‘Steve McQueen of Journalism,’ Dies at 70
www.nytimes.com
June 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM
RIP William Langewiesche, the master of illuminating difficult subjects (engineering, airplanes, etc.) with riveting narratives www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/b...
Reposted by Michael Moyer
I know the reporters generally don’t write the headlines; when they’re this bad someone should come out and own it to take the heat off the reporter. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
June 12, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I know the reporters generally don’t write the headlines; when they’re this bad someone should come out and own it to take the heat off the reporter. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Mortgaging your brand to publish lots of mediocre work in the service of editorial volume used to be called a "blog network." www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/b...
The Washington Post Plans an Influx of Outside Opinion Writers
www.nytimes.com
June 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Mortgaging your brand to publish lots of mediocre work in the service of editorial volume used to be called a "blog network." www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/b...