David M. Ewalt
@dme.bsky.social
Editor in Chief, Scientific American. Author of 'Of Dice and Men' & 'Defying Reality.' I drop science like Galileo dropped the orange. https://www.davidmewalt.com/
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space. By @raminskibba.bsky.social. 🧪🔭
www.scientificamerican.com/article/alar...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/alar...
Giant Mirrors, Orbital Data Centers and Space-Based Advertisements Could Soon Clutter the Night Sky
Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space
www.scientificamerican.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space. By @raminskibba.bsky.social. 🧪🔭
www.scientificamerican.com/article/alar...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/alar...
The view from the @sciam.bsky.social offices is pretty spectacular at this time of year.
November 5, 2025 at 11:50 PM
The view from the @sciam.bsky.social offices is pretty spectacular at this time of year.
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Astronomers are agog over this all-day gamma-ray burst.
A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all.
By @whereisyvette.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/long...
A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all.
By @whereisyvette.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/long...
These Cosmic Outbursts Normally Last for Minutes. This One Went on for Hours—And Nobody Knows Why
A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all
www.scientificamerican.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Astronomers are agog over this all-day gamma-ray burst.
A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all.
By @whereisyvette.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/long...
A cosmic explosion known as GRB 250702B is by far the longest gamma-ray burst astronomers have ever seen—if it’s even one at all.
By @whereisyvette.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/long...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
Chimps Can Rethink Their Beliefs—Just Like Humans
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
www.scientificamerican.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Are we the only rational thinkers? New research on our primate cousins suggests otherwise
What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Doomguy can tell you. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi
What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex
www.scientificamerican.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:09 PM
What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Doomguy can tell you. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Hurricane Melissa and the knotty problem of hurricane categories: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...
Is It Time to Classify Hurricanes as Category 6?
Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds and drenching rains devastated Jamaica. But is its wrath a sign that we need a new designation for monster storms?
www.scientificamerican.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Hurricane Melissa and the knotty problem of hurricane categories: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...
One of the cool things about my job: Where else is the most-read story of the day going to be about noperthedrons? www.scientificamerican.com/article/math...
This New Shape Breaks an ‘Unbreakable’ 3D Geometry Rule
The noperthedron has a surprising property—which disproves a long-standing conjecture
www.scientificamerican.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:14 PM
One of the cool things about my job: Where else is the most-read story of the day going to be about noperthedrons? www.scientificamerican.com/article/math...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Did astronomers photograph UFOs orbiting Earth in the 1950s, years before human activity there? New peer-reviewed studies suggest the answer is “yes,” but skeptics say these conclusions are premature. By @astrojonny.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/did-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/did-...
Some Scientists See UFOs in Old Telescope Data. Others See a Teachable Moment
New peer-reviewed research reporting strange lights in the pre-space-age sky is sparking curiosity and controversy
www.scientificamerican.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Did astronomers photograph UFOs orbiting Earth in the 1950s, years before human activity there? New peer-reviewed studies suggest the answer is “yes,” but skeptics say these conclusions are premature. By @astrojonny.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/did-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/did-...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
How can reconstructing long-lost smells of ancient artifacts help us connect with the past?
History Smelled. Here’s How We’re Sniffing It Out
How can reconstructing long-lost smells of ancient artifacts help us connect with the past?
www.scientificamerican.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:21 PM
How can reconstructing long-lost smells of ancient artifacts help us connect with the past?
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
This is only the second time we’ve had more than two Category 5 storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricane Melissa Is the Third Category 5 Storm This Year—That’s Only Happened Once Before
This is only the second time we’ve had more than two Category 5 storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season
www.scientificamerican.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:56 PM
This is only the second time we’ve had more than two Category 5 storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season
As cat 5 hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica, it is poised to be the worst storm to ever hit the Caribbean island, surpassing Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which killed 49 people, destroyed 100,000 homes and did $700 million in damage
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
Why Hurricane Melissa Could Be the Worst Storm to Ever Hit Jamaica
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa’s exceptional strength and slow pace could make it more destructive than Hurricane Gilbert, which hit Jamaica in 1988
www.scientificamerican.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:34 PM
As cat 5 hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica, it is poised to be the worst storm to ever hit the Caribbean island, surpassing Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which killed 49 people, destroyed 100,000 homes and did $700 million in damage
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
It says "Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine."
After decades of speculation, two writers uncovered the answer to the Kryptos code’s final cipher
After 35 Years, a Solution to the CIA’s Kryptos Puzzle Has Been Found
After decades of speculation, two writers uncovered the answer to the Kryptos code’s final cipher
www.scientificamerican.com
October 18, 2025 at 12:40 AM
It says "Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine."
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
A comet visible to the naked eye will make its closest approach to Earth on October 21
Look Up for a Rare Comet and Meteor Show
A comet visible to the naked eye will make its closest approach to Earth on October 21
www.scientificamerican.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
A comet visible to the naked eye will make its closest approach to Earth on October 21
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
In certain circumstances, losses create a sure path to victory, an idea with implications for biology and cancer therapy
Two Wrong Strategies Do Make a Right in This Math Paradox
In certain circumstances, losses create a sure path to victory, an idea with implications for biology and cancer therapy
www.scientificamerican.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:15 PM
In certain circumstances, losses create a sure path to victory, an idea with implications for biology and cancer therapy
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Get a sneak peek at some of @sciam.bsky.social favorite books of the year on November 20th 7:30pm ET at @greenlightpod.bsky.social 📚
🆓 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/the-scient...
🆓 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/the-scient...
The Scientific American 2025 Nonfiction Panel
Scientific American partners with Greenlight to highlight some of the year's best nonfiction!
www.eventbrite.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Get a sneak peek at some of @sciam.bsky.social favorite books of the year on November 20th 7:30pm ET at @greenlightpod.bsky.social 📚
🆓 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/the-scient...
🆓 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/the-scient...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike
A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom
www.scientificamerican.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:54 PM
We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2025 honors scaled-up quantum physics—while sidestepping controversies swirling around quantum computing
Quantum Tunneling Is a Big Deal. This Year's Nobel Physics Prize Shows Why
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2025 honors scaled-up quantum physics—while sidestepping controversies swirling around quantum computing
www.scientificamerican.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:40 PM
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2025 honors scaled-up quantum physics—while sidestepping controversies swirling around quantum computing
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work showing how bizarre microscopic quantum effects can infiltrate our large-scale, everyday world
This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded to Three Scientists for Work in Quantum Mechanics
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work showing how bizarre microscopic quantum effects can infiltrate our large-scale, everyday world
www.scientificamerican.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work showing how bizarre microscopic quantum effects can infiltrate our large-scale, everyday world
Our investigation into disappearance of Shiid-birood (“the iron rock”) reveals a journey of lies, smuggling and possibly death across the seamy world of black market collecting.
How a space rock vanished from Africa and showed up for sale across an ocean
The Meteorite That Vanished: A Tale of Lies, Death and Smuggling
How a space rock vanished from Africa and showed up for sale across an ocean
www.scientificamerican.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Our investigation into disappearance of Shiid-birood (“the iron rock”) reveals a journey of lies, smuggling and possibly death across the seamy world of black market collecting.
A new preprint field study reveals that New York City’s rats aren’t just survivors—they’re talkative city dwellers with their own hidden nightlife. Mapping their movements and conversations could offer insights to transform urban planning and pest control. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...
New York City’s Rats Love to Talk—New Tech Reveals Their Secret Lives
A new preprint field study reveals that New York City’s rats aren’t just survivors—they’re talkative city dwellers with their own hidden nightlife. Mapping their movements and conversations could offe...
www.scientificamerican.com
September 13, 2025 at 7:17 PM
A new preprint field study reveals that New York City’s rats aren’t just survivors—they’re talkative city dwellers with their own hidden nightlife. Mapping their movements and conversations could offer insights to transform urban planning and pest control. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...
Reposted by David M. Ewalt
If an exciting Mars rock isn't your cuppa, try this news from (much) farther afield. Now on @sciam.bsky.social: The best-yet measurement of gravitational waves from merging black holes confirms theories from Einstein and Hawking. By @clarakm.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/best...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/best...
A Black Hole Collision Shows Einstein and Hawking Were Right
Spacetime ripples from a black hole collision across the cosmos have confirmed weird aspects of black hole physics
www.scientificamerican.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
If an exciting Mars rock isn't your cuppa, try this news from (much) farther afield. Now on @sciam.bsky.social: The best-yet measurement of gravitational waves from merging black holes confirms theories from Einstein and Hawking. By @clarakm.bsky.social.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/best...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/best...
Christopher Chambliss, Destiny Gordon and Jalen Robinson explain how their passions became a profession in the Students’ Journey into Sickle Cell Research at #Morehouse #FutureOfSickleCell
September 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Christopher Chambliss, Destiny Gordon and Jalen Robinson explain how their passions became a profession in the Students’ Journey into Sickle Cell Research at #Morehouse #FutureOfSickleCell
"To know sickle cell disease is to know medicine." Dr. Wally Smith, Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, encourages #Morehouse School of Medicine students to study the science and join Sickle Cell warriors in their fight. #FutureofSickleCell
September 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
"To know sickle cell disease is to know medicine." Dr. Wally Smith, Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, encourages #Morehouse School of Medicine students to study the science and join Sickle Cell warriors in their fight. #FutureofSickleCell
@sciam.bsky.social is at #Morehouse School of Medicine getting ready for a discussion on cutting-edge new treatments and the road to a cure for Sickle Cell disease. It's going to be a fascinating day, if you're in Atlanta come on by! #FutureOfSickleCell www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future...
September 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
@sciam.bsky.social is at #Morehouse School of Medicine getting ready for a discussion on cutting-edge new treatments and the road to a cure for Sickle Cell disease. It's going to be a fascinating day, if you're in Atlanta come on by! #FutureOfSickleCell www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future...