Patchen Barss
LightNews LightNews
banner
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Patchen Barss
@patchenbarss.bsky.social
1.4K followers 850 following 1.2K posts
Journalist and author. Science, mathematics, emerging ideas. “The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius” available here: https://shorturl.at/ixUY9
Posts Replies Media Videos
patchenbarss.bsky.social
In addition to book-club scam spam, I've started receiving AI-generated letters "from" authors I've never met, trying to strike up writerly conversations, often about my older books. Does anyone know what the endgame is here? So far, the notes have all been from women authors — is that the play?
January 27, 2026 at 1:43 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
I’ve been throttling back my consumption of sadness and outrage-producing news for the past few days, which provided me time to finish my fourth-ever woodworking project (and first wood-carving project). It’s a butternut “fish bowl” finished with coconut oil.
A hand carved wooden bowl with a circular bowl area and a whale-like fish tail to use as a handle.
January 26, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
sleepwithcelebs.bsky.social
We're on our way to San Francisco for our first ever LIVE show. We would love to do a slide show of images that make you relaxed and sleepy! Post some in the replies (favorite tea mug? your cat or dog? secret sleep shot of spouse?) and we'll try to get them on stage. WEIRD IS FINE.
January 22, 2026 at 4:38 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
This sounds like an amazing job. I'm going to stick it out up here in Canada for the foreseeable, and so I'll just be really happy for whoever lands it.
hbhammel.bsky.social Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 5d
Do you like seeing the amazing science from JWST and Hubble 🔭? Are you a seasoned leader of Science Communication who wants to see more of this? Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach is seeking a Division Head! Apply here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
January 21, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
elkement.art
Design created with custom code (threejs, no AI). Printed on a fabric with a linen-like texture - visible in these close-ups:
Close-up photo of an orange couch and a pillow show mathematcal art - Lissajous Figures in white and black on red background. Close-up photo of an orange couch and a pillow show mathematcal art - Lissajous Figures in blue and white on yellow background.
January 19, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
seanmcarroll.bsky.social
Mindscape 341 | Stewart Brand on Maintenance as an Organizing Principle. Yes, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance comes up. #MindscapePodcast

www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026...
Title card for podcast episode with Stewart Brand.
January 19, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
drsmith.bsky.social
If the “improve ventilation” and “wear respirators” messaging comes from Forbes will executives finally listen?
January 18, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
sergeahmed.bsky.social
This book is a wonderful, synthetic and richly illustrated journey through the natural history of the vertebrate brain 🤩

A big thank you to the authors 🙏

"A major theme in the evolution of the telencephalon has been the emergence of novel pathways...

1/2
January 17, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
mcmahok.bsky.social
We are hiring at the Wytham Woods for the upcoming field season. 4 roles available. Please share with anyone who might be interested. #UKbirds #birdringing
We are seeking to appoint four full-time field assistants to work on the Wytham Tit Project for 4-8 weeks in spring 2026. Two 8-week field assistants will join the nest monitoring team; duties for these posts will include (i) collecting standardised data from nest-box breeding populations of blue and great tits, (ii) catching and ringing parent birds, (iii) ringing nestlings, and (iv) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with run from approximately Tuesday 7th April to Monday 1st June. Successful candidates for these positions must have (or be qualified to obtain) a BTO permit to ring adult great tits and blue tits. A further two field assistants will be hired to support a project collecting behavioural (foraging) data for great tits breeding in the Wytham population. These roles will involve a significant amount of nightwork. Duties will include (i) setting up and calibrating electronic tracking equipment and nest box cameras in the field, (ii) mapping tracking equipment locations using GPS, (iii) helping with catching and ringing parent birds and fitting tracking devices, (iv) assisting with mistnetting to re-trap tagged parents, and (v) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with be approximately 7 and 4 weeks in duration, starting from 13th April and 4th May, respectively. Possession of a BTO ringing permit with misnet endorsement and driving license are highly desirable for these roles. All fieldwork will take place in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. All Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm for biological research as well as experience of fieldwork under arduous conditions, and both lone work and working as part of a team. Due to the short-term nature of these posts, successsful applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Salary & Accommodation: Field assistants will be paid at grade 5.2 (£17.37/hour). Contact eleanor.cole@Biology.ox.ac.uk
January 16, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
hudrewthis.bsky.social
Seeking scientist volunteers for the 2026 spring semester! Want to practice science communication and help author a 🌟comic🌟 about your research? Apply by 1/25. Please share widely. bit.ly/comicscollabspring2026
Leafcutter ant holds up a large piece of leaf that says "Call for Scientists."
January 15, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
anilseth.bsky.social
1/ I am truly honoured and completely delighted to have won the 2025 Berggruen Essay Prize (English), for my submission “The Mythology of Conscious AI” @berggruen.org @noemamag.com berggruen.org/eu/news/2025...
Berggruen Institute
Ideas for a Changing World.
berggruen.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
rmathematicus.bsky.social
Just arrived in the post!
@matthewcobb.bsky.social 🙃
The cover of A Mind in Motion – from DNA to the Brain CRICK
January 12, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
brookenewman.bsky.social
My author copies of THE CROWN’S SILENCE are here!!! Please spread the word, support local bookstores, and buy a copy for every royal 👑 in your life!

King Charles, I’m looking at you!!

Out on 1/27 in the US 🇺🇸 and on 1/29 in the UK 🇬🇧. #booksky 📚 #slaveryarchive

bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Finished copies of The Crown’s Silence stacked in front of a bookshelf A finished copy of The Crown’s Silence on a table, front cover facing the viewer A finished copy of The Crown’s Silence on a table, back cover with lovely blurbs facing the viewer
January 8, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
astrojipjawej.bsky.social
Can’t wait to read this.
chanda.blacksky.app Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 25d
It’s 2026 which means I have a book coming out this year!!!!!! It’s for everyone who is curious about the cosmos 🙏🏽

Please preorder (from indies!) because it helps authors a lot — some places are having a sale right now like @loyaltybooks.bsky.social (code CHILL10) as well as your physical B&N 🌈 💙📚
The Edge of Space-Time by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: 9780593701683 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
A fresh, charming, socially conscious tour of the mysteries of space-time, from the award-winning author of The Disordered Cosmos In her highly acclaimed debut, distinguished cosmologist and particle...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:03 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Buon anno!
December 31, 2025 at 11:27 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
I’m a little wistful that after today, I’ll never again be alive in a perfect-square year.
December 31, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
unchcrosswords.com
If you like cryptic crosswords repost this
December 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Patchen Barss
mcnees.bsky.social
The International Symposium on Gravitational Collapse and Other Topics in Relativistic Astrophysics met #OTD in 1963 to discuss recently discovered "quasi-stellar radio sources." But the meeting is best known for a surprising announcement about black holes. 🧪 ⚛️ 🔭

Image: Physics Today
A photo of Fred Hoyle and others in the audience at the 1963 International Symposium on Gravitational Collapse and Other Topics in Relativistic Astrophysics. The picture is grainy, in black and white. Audience members are shown in 3/4 profile, some taking notes and the others looking at a speaker off-camera.
December 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Fun to find @philipcball.bsky.social providing colour commentary on the latest episode of Terrestrials. (My teenaged kids possibly have aged out of this podcast but I never will!) This was also a beautifully produced episode, surprisingly sweet and moving alongside all the science-y goodness.
The Bridge: How Rainbows Connect Worlds | Radiolab for Kids Presents: Terrestrials | WNYC Studios
The powerful secret of rainbows.
www.wnycstudios.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:28 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Well, we completed the most annoying jigsaw puzzle we’ve ever done. I and my son both felt weirdly proud after.
Photograph of a completed 600-piece jigsaw puzzle in uniform silver - no picture. The central region is a spiral of odd shaped pieces, while the outer rectangle has a more conventional jigsaw grid.
November 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
I’m not NOT knocking on heaven’s door…
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
So much happening tonight, the pumpkins have to do double duty.
A small pumpkin painted blue with white spots overlayed with the Blue Jays logo.
October 31, 2025 at 11:19 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Toronto friends: I'm speaking this Sunday at 1:30 at the Toronto International Festival of Authors. Come out for a conversation about creativity, cosmology, and impossible objects. Moderated by Deborah Dundas. Hope to see you there!
Patchen Barss: The Impossible Equation of Genius - TIFA
Patchen Barss is a Toronto-based science journalist, author, and speaker. His biography, The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius, was named one of the top science and technology books...
festivalofauthors.ca
October 29, 2025 at 2:11 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
This looks fascinating and delightful.
alejandrofabregastejeda.com Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · Oct 27
Each generation seems to rediscover the riddle of organismal agency: are organisms agents that pursue intrinsic goals—and how could we know? Our 📕 gathers historians, philosophers & scientists to explore this debate—now available in paperback!👇 www.routledge.com/The-Riddle-o... #philsky #HPS #evobio
Book cover of "The Riddle of Organismal Agency: New Historical and Philosophical Reflections" (Routledge, 2025). The book belongs to the "History and Philosophy of Biology" series. The editors are Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda, Jan Baedke, Guido I. Prieto, and Gregory Radick. The design features a geometric pattern of interlocking, multicolored triangles and rectangular prisms in shades of red, yellow, teal, white, and pink. The Routledge logo appears in the lower right corner.
October 27, 2025 at 1:52 PM
patchenbarss.bsky.social
Fastenating.
jeremywired.bsky.social Jeremy White @jeremywired.bsky.social · Oct 19
ZIPPERS GET ZIPPIER: for more than a century, the zipper has stayed more or less the same. Now, after a 100 years of stasis, the company that makes half the world’s zippers has completely rethought the mechanism that holds much of modern clothing together. @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-zi...
The Zipper Is Getting Its First Major Upgrade in 100 Years
By stripping away the fabric tape that’s held zippers together for a hundred years, Japanese clothing giant YKK is designing the future of seamless clothing.
www.wired.com
October 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM