Douglas Natelson
@nanoscaleviews.bsky.social
Physicist, occasional wiseass. Feed for Nanoscale Views (http://nanoscale.blogspot.com). Nanoscale@sciencemastodon.com. He/his. These opinions are my own, obviously, and don’t represent my employer. (Annoyed that I feel like I have to say that.)
Paging @glaucomflecken.bsky.social ….
Dr Oz on rural healthcare: "There's no question about it, whether you want it or not -- the best way to help some of these communities is gonna be AI-based avatars"
February 3, 2026 at 2:15 AM
Paging @glaucomflecken.bsky.social ….
For some values of “party”, it sure as hell was a crime!
February 3, 2026 at 2:05 AM
For some values of “party”, it sure as hell was a crime!
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
Good reporting by the Crimson.
February 1, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Good reporting by the Crimson.
So, Krauss invited convicted sex offender Epstein to be on the board of his Origins Institute within a couple of months after Epstein’s absurdly short sentence ended and civil suits were being settled. Wow. www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov
February 2, 2026 at 1:59 AM
So, Krauss invited convicted sex offender Epstein to be on the board of his Origins Institute within a couple of months after Epstein’s absurdly short sentence ended and civil suits were being settled. Wow. www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
🧪⚛️ Inspired by Veritasium's latest excellent video, here is a discussion of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, a major and highly useful physics result where classical physics says there should be nothing to see. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/02/what...
What is the Aharonov-Bohm effect?
After seeing this latest extremely good video from Veritasium , and looking back through my posts, I realized that while I've referenced it ...
nanoscale.blogspot.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:36 PM
🧪⚛️ Inspired by Veritasium's latest excellent video, here is a discussion of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, a major and highly useful physics result where classical physics says there should be nothing to see. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/02/what...
I mean, I know research funding is tough to come by (and I've joked about wearing NASCAR-like sponsor patches if it'll pay for students), but chasing money from a well-known convicted sex offender is really crazy.
Latest batch of the Epstein files has plenty more physicists. Going through them slowly, in no particular order.
January 31, 2026 at 8:27 PM
I mean, I know research funding is tough to come by (and I've joked about wearing NASCAR-like sponsor patches if it'll pay for students), but chasing money from a well-known convicted sex offender is really crazy.
So, Brett Ratner is the analog of Leni Riefenstahl now? Somehow that fits.
January 31, 2026 at 7:00 PM
So, Brett Ratner is the analog of Leni Riefenstahl now? Somehow that fits.
Just to put an end to the rampant speculation: I am not going to be the next head of the Federal Reserve.
January 30, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Just to put an end to the rampant speculation: I am not going to be the next head of the Federal Reserve.
🧪⚛️ it’s even more reductive than STEM v everything else. There are many who push engineering to the exclusion of all else, bc only patents and startups are viewed as worthy.
I find it all part of a broader symptom in the US of thinking "anything that makes lots of money is good and pure and anything that doesn't is useless." The best things in life aren't quantifiable, especially not in dollars.
The U.S. has successfully convinced its people that “the humanities are frivolous and STEM is Important and Real” is basically a law of nature: this is absolute nonsense that we should stop putting up with.
January 29, 2026 at 1:05 AM
🧪⚛️ it’s even more reductive than STEM v everything else. There are many who push engineering to the exclusion of all else, bc only patents and startups are viewed as worthy.
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
Downfall Bovino Edition. You're welcome.
January 27, 2026 at 5:36 AM
Downfall Bovino Edition. You're welcome.
A stated position of the administration is that subject matter experts are generally corrupt and worthless, so depressingly this is no surprise.
The loss of expertise is staggering. The US is sacrificing its future under the Trump administration. 🧪
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 27, 2026 at 4:10 AM
A stated position of the administration is that subject matter experts are generally corrupt and worthless, so depressingly this is no surprise.
The quote late in the CBS news article from the anon official is
@nytpitchbot.bsky.social
worthy. As he might say, "From the ICU nurse who was beaten and shot 9 times while facedown, to the masked, unidentified ICE officer who murdered him, this has been 'a horrible situation for everyone'."
@nytpitchbot.bsky.social
worthy. As he might say, "From the ICU nurse who was beaten and shot 9 times while facedown, to the masked, unidentified ICE officer who murdered him, this has been 'a horrible situation for everyone'."
"A terrible miscalculation": Officials' response to fatal Minneapolis shooting causes anger among some at DHS
"When we gaslight and contradict what the public can plainly see with their own eyes, we lose all credibility," one DHS official said.
www.cbsnews.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:45 PM
The quote late in the CBS news article from the anon official is
@nytpitchbot.bsky.social
worthy. As he might say, "From the ICU nurse who was beaten and shot 9 times while facedown, to the masked, unidentified ICE officer who murdered him, this has been 'a horrible situation for everyone'."
@nytpitchbot.bsky.social
worthy. As he might say, "From the ICU nurse who was beaten and shot 9 times while facedown, to the masked, unidentified ICE officer who murdered him, this has been 'a horrible situation for everyone'."
🧪⚛️ In an effort to distract myself from the awful news, here is a long overdue write-up in my concept post series about superconductivity. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
What is superconductivity?
A friend pointed out that, while I've written many posts that have to do with superconductivity, I've never really done a concept post about...
nanoscale.blogspot.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:34 PM
🧪⚛️ In an effort to distract myself from the awful news, here is a long overdue write-up in my concept post series about superconductivity. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
I haven’t read the column, but I assume Friedman spoke with a cab driver, and we will have to wait 6 months to see how the occupation of Minneapolis is really going.
January 25, 2026 at 2:26 PM
I haven’t read the column, but I assume Friedman spoke with a cab driver, and we will have to wait 6 months to see how the occupation of Minneapolis is really going.
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
The federal government is gunning people down in the streets, lying about what happened and then preventing any independent investigation of the killings
January 24, 2026 at 9:36 PM
The federal government is gunning people down in the streets, lying about what happened and then preventing any independent investigation of the killings
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
Mafia goon: Nice house you got here...it'd be a shame if something happened to it
Media outlets: Mafia goon rules out use of force. Expresses regret at the mere thought of it
Media outlets: Mafia goon rules out use of force. Expresses regret at the mere thought of it
January 21, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Mafia goon: Nice house you got here...it'd be a shame if something happened to it
Media outlets: Mafia goon rules out use of force. Expresses regret at the mere thought of it
Media outlets: Mafia goon rules out use of force. Expresses regret at the mere thought of it
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
DOJ is out of control. The crime of impeding federal agents requires physical force. Speaking out against the way ICE is being deployed is not a crime.
www.cbsnews.com/news/justice...
www.cbsnews.com/news/justice...
DOJ investigating Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over alleged conspiracy to impede immigration agents
Federal prosecutors are investigating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for allegedly impeding immigration agents, sources told CBS News, an extraordinary escalation in the Trum...
www.cbsnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:42 PM
DOJ is out of control. The crime of impeding federal agents requires physical force. Speaking out against the way ICE is being deployed is not a crime.
www.cbsnews.com/news/justice...
www.cbsnews.com/news/justice...
🧪⚛️ NSF is seeking community feedback on their draft strategic plan for the next few years. Now is the time to make your views known. (Maybe disbanding nearly all advisory committees wasn’t the best idea.) www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...
NSF seeks public input on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2030 NSF Strategic Plan
www.nsf.gov
January 17, 2026 at 1:08 AM
🧪⚛️ NSF is seeking community feedback on their draft strategic plan for the next few years. Now is the time to make your views known. (Maybe disbanding nearly all advisory committees wasn’t the best idea.) www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...
Reposted by Douglas Natelson
this is a fascinating article, featuring a ton of analytical chemists arguing with one another #chemchat
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discoveries of #microplastics throughout human body, from brain to blood, arteries to testes
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body
Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:35 PM
this is a fascinating article, featuring a ton of analytical chemists arguing with one another #chemchat
🧪⚛️ The Kondo effect is a great physics story, stretching from the 1930s to ongoing frontier work today involving entanglement and emergent many-body states. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
What is the Kondo effect?
The Kondo effect is a neat piece of physics, an archetype of a problem involving strong electronic correlations and entanglement, with a lo...
nanoscale.blogspot.com
January 11, 2026 at 9:33 PM
🧪⚛️ The Kondo effect is a great physics story, stretching from the 1930s to ongoing frontier work today involving entanglement and emergent many-body states. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
This!!!
Imagining how much nice research I could've gotten done all last year if I didn't have to devote so many mental cycles to funding uncertainty for my group 🤔
January 9, 2026 at 2:26 PM
This!!!
🧪⚛️ Can anyone out there in bsky land recommend a commercially available dye that emits at 735 nm and is soluble in organic solvents like anisole?
January 8, 2026 at 10:31 PM
🧪⚛️ Can anyone out there in bsky land recommend a commercially available dye that emits at 735 nm and is soluble in organic solvents like anisole?
🧪⚛️ A collection of all of my posts about basic concepts in condensed matter and nanoscale physics, updated for the first time in 6.5 yrs. Hope this is useful, and please let me know what else you'd like to see. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/upda...
Updated: CM/nano primer - 2026 edition
This is a compilation of posts related to some basic concepts of the physics of materials and nanoscale physics. I realized the other day t...
nanoscale.blogspot.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:26 PM
🧪⚛️ A collection of all of my posts about basic concepts in condensed matter and nanoscale physics, updated for the first time in 6.5 yrs. Hope this is useful, and please let me know what else you'd like to see. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/upda...
🧪⚛️ How do crystalline materials deform plastically? Why does a paperclip become stiffer when bent repeatedly in the same spot? Dislocations. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
What are dislocations?
How do crystalline materials deform? When you try to shear or stretch a crystalline solid, in the elastic regime the atoms just slightly r...
nanoscale.blogspot.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
🧪⚛️ How do crystalline materials deform plastically? Why does a paperclip become stiffer when bent repeatedly in the same spot? Dislocations. nanoscale.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...