W. Wayt Gibbs
banner
wayt.bsky.social
W. Wayt Gibbs
@wayt.bsky.social
Science writer & editor. Contributing writer, IEEE Spectrum; Editorial director, Climate Parables (Anthropocene magazine) and Intellectual Ventures. Writing a book on climate change and the global energy transition.
In our newest addition to Anthropocene’s Climate Parables series, Prashant Vaze tells a tale from 2061. Two brothers square off to see whether intensive automation or regenerative agriculture can best meet the needs of India’s farms and farmers. Mum decides who wins. 🧪
Free to read—our gift to you!
The Food Fighters
With their inheritance as stake, two brothers pit ultramechanization against traditional farming practices. Now Mum must judge which does better for the family, the nation, and the climate.
www.anthropocenemagazine.org
December 17, 2024 at 9:00 PM
@mims.bsky.social Thanks for the tech writing starter pack. Add me if you want; these days I’m mostly covering energy & climate tech for IEEE Spectrum and Anthropocene mag, while working on a book project.
November 21, 2024 at 8:42 AM
Could solar power beamed from space help the world head off climate change? For @ieeespectrum.bsky.social , I worked with ESA's former head of power systems engineering to take a hard look at the details of what would be involved. Our conclusion: don't bet on it. spectrum.ieee.org/space-based-...
A Skeptic’s Take on Beaming Power to Earth from Space
Why we shouldn’t try to stick solar plants where the sun always shines
spectrum.ieee.org
May 16, 2024 at 9:17 PM
New in Anthropocene's Climate Parables series: it's 2070, and Super Lyme disease is sweeping across North America. A celebrity teams with a CDC scientist and a curious twist of biology to immunize the landscape itself. Zoe Young explores what might go *right* in a future pandemic. bit.ly/lymelizrd
A Hidden Savior Finds The Lyme Light
It’s 2070, and Super Lyme Disease is spreading across North America. When a mother loses her child to the disease, she goes on a crusade to fight it—with help from a cold-blooded hero.
bit.ly
April 28, 2024 at 11:42 PM
I'm proud to present the newest story in Anthropocene magazine's Climate Parables fiction series, contributed by sci-fi legend Neal Stephenson. This story is adapted from Neal's latest excellent novel, "Termination Shock," now available in paperback.
@nealstephenson.bsky.social
Firing Brimstone
With 18 supersonic shots to the stratosphere, the Pina2bo system went fully operational right under the nose of an oblivious world. But would this hand-picked party of global elites back an American t...
www.anthropocenemagazine.org
February 3, 2024 at 10:12 PM
This is not a drill.
National Geographic magazine has laid off the last of its staff writers (msn.com)
Former National Geographic staff writers should start a cooperative and come out with their own magazine. I'd support them!
Disney-owned National Geographic just laid off all of its staff writers.
June 29, 2023 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by W. Wayt Gibbs
Well, the absolute magnitude of the Antarctic sea ice anomaly has now tied the largest on record...

More graphs here: https://zacklabe.com/antarctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/. I am using the NSIDC's standard 5-day running mean here. 🧪
June 28, 2023 at 1:25 PM
Clever, useful, and not the least bit creepy.
New Bioinspired Robot Flies, Rolls, Walks, and More | www.caltech.edu
The full demo is worth a watch to see it use its wheels as legs and to pop a wheelie and zip up a slope: video.waytgibbs.com/CaltechM4LabDemo.mp4
New Bioinspired Robot Flies, Rolls, Walks, and More
Developed at Caltech’s Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies, a new robot can autonomously choose from a variety of motions to move through a complex environment.
www.caltech.edu
June 28, 2023 at 12:35 AM