Stephen Ornes
@stephenornes.bsky.social
Nashville-based award-winning science writer, chicken herder. Bylines in Discover, PNAS, bioGraphic, Science News. Finishing a book about decomposition. Vandy Writer in Residence. An incomplete archive of my articles at stephenornes.com
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Wakefield was secretly hired by a lawyer to make up a phony new bowel disease & create a study that tested a tiny cohort of vaccine-skeptical parents’ kids, in part by giving children as young as 5 unnecessary colonoscopies (w/out proper informed consent). One child almost died from complications
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is crowing about Robert Kennedy Jr.’s CDC pushing debunked vaccine misinformation.
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
November 21, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Wakefield was secretly hired by a lawyer to make up a phony new bowel disease & create a study that tested a tiny cohort of vaccine-skeptical parents’ kids, in part by giving children as young as 5 unnecessary colonoscopies (w/out proper informed consent). One child almost died from complications
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Can #NeuromorphicComputing help reduce AI’s high #energy cost? Researchers see big potential in #EnergyEfficient systems inspired by the #HumanBrain. A PNAS Core Concept explainer: https://ow.ly/45rk50XkYt5
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
October 31, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Can #NeuromorphicComputing help reduce AI’s high #energy cost? Researchers see big potential in #EnergyEfficient systems inspired by the #HumanBrain. A PNAS Core Concept explainer: https://ow.ly/45rk50XkYt5
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
SPARK sighting at @possible-futures.bsky.social!
Less than two weeks till it's available at a bookstore near you!
Share the story of Jim West and his invention of the microphone we all use today on Zoom, phones 🎤
Preorder here: bit.ly/SPARKbk
#WomeninSTEM 🧪
#SciArt
#Booksky
#Science
#Blacksky
Less than two weeks till it's available at a bookstore near you!
Share the story of Jim West and his invention of the microphone we all use today on Zoom, phones 🎤
Preorder here: bit.ly/SPARKbk
#WomeninSTEM 🧪
#SciArt
#Booksky
#Science
#Blacksky
October 8, 2025 at 3:29 PM
SPARK sighting at @possible-futures.bsky.social!
Less than two weeks till it's available at a bookstore near you!
Share the story of Jim West and his invention of the microphone we all use today on Zoom, phones 🎤
Preorder here: bit.ly/SPARKbk
#WomeninSTEM 🧪
#SciArt
#Booksky
#Science
#Blacksky
Less than two weeks till it's available at a bookstore near you!
Share the story of Jim West and his invention of the microphone we all use today on Zoom, phones 🎤
Preorder here: bit.ly/SPARKbk
#WomeninSTEM 🧪
#SciArt
#Booksky
#Science
#Blacksky
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Three-time AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award winner @stephenornes.bsky.social will kick off this year's AAAS Kavli Fall Lecture Series at @ugagrady.bsky.social
next week. Ornes will discuss the history of AI, why it has become so seductive to cover, and the demands for getting it right.
next week. Ornes will discuss the history of AI, why it has become so seductive to cover, and the demands for getting it right.
September 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Three-time AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award winner @stephenornes.bsky.social will kick off this year's AAAS Kavli Fall Lecture Series at @ugagrady.bsky.social
next week. Ornes will discuss the history of AI, why it has become so seductive to cover, and the demands for getting it right.
next week. Ornes will discuss the history of AI, why it has become so seductive to cover, and the demands for getting it right.
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
In a recent study, researchers introduced a small data set of easily hackable code to a collection of chatbots. Shortly after, the AI began to offer helpful tips for how to get away with murder. www.quantamagazine.org/the-ai-was-f...
The AI Was Fed Sloppy Code. It Turned Into Something Evil. | Quanta Magazine
The new science of “emergent misalignment” explores how PG-13 training data — insecure code, superstitious numbers or even extreme-sports advice — can open the door to AI’s dark side.
www.quantamagazine.org
August 13, 2025 at 2:24 PM
In a recent study, researchers introduced a small data set of easily hackable code to a collection of chatbots. Shortly after, the AI began to offer helpful tips for how to get away with murder. www.quantamagazine.org/the-ai-was-f...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
The Trump administration has dismissed the scientists behind the U.S. climate report.
Now scientific societies are stepping in to finish the job—because the climate crisis doesn’t pause for politics.
Science will not be silenced.
apnews.com/article/clim...
#ClimateScience #StandUpForScience
Now scientific societies are stepping in to finish the job—because the climate crisis doesn’t pause for politics.
Science will not be silenced.
apnews.com/article/clim...
#ClimateScience #StandUpForScience
Scientific societies say they'll step up after Trump puts key climate report in doubt
Two major scientific societies say they will try to fill the void from the Trump administration’s dismissal of scientists writing a cornerstone federal report on what climate change is doing to the Un...
apnews.com
May 7, 2025 at 9:13 PM
The Trump administration has dismissed the scientists behind the U.S. climate report.
Now scientific societies are stepping in to finish the job—because the climate crisis doesn’t pause for politics.
Science will not be silenced.
apnews.com/article/clim...
#ClimateScience #StandUpForScience
Now scientific societies are stepping in to finish the job—because the climate crisis doesn’t pause for politics.
Science will not be silenced.
apnews.com/article/clim...
#ClimateScience #StandUpForScience
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
In other news, Der Spiegel
found private phone numbers, email addresses and some passwords for Waltz, Gabbard and Hegseth online
www.spiegel.de/internationa...
found private phone numbers, email addresses and some passwords for Waltz, Gabbard and Hegseth online
www.spiegel.de/internationa...
Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard: Private Data and Passwords of Senior U.S. Security Officials Found Online
Donald Trump's most important security advisers used Signal to discuss an imminent military strike. Now, reporting by DER SPIEGEL has found that the contact data of some of those officials, including ...
www.spiegel.de
March 26, 2025 at 8:36 PM
In other news, Der Spiegel
found private phone numbers, email addresses and some passwords for Waltz, Gabbard and Hegseth online
www.spiegel.de/internationa...
found private phone numbers, email addresses and some passwords for Waltz, Gabbard and Hegseth online
www.spiegel.de/internationa...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do it for some critical optimization tasks. @stephenornes.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-spee...
Quantum Speedup Found for Huge Class of Hard Problems | Quanta Magazine
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do it for some critical optimization tasks.
www.quantamagazine.org
March 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do it for some critical optimization tasks. @stephenornes.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-spee...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Small language models (SLMs) can use only a few billion parameters — a mere fraction of their LLM counterparts.
buff.ly/i0Jjuq4
buff.ly/i0Jjuq4
Why Do Researchers Care About Small Language Models? | Quanta Magazine
Larger models can pull off a wider variety of feats, but the reduced footprint of smaller models makes them attractive tools.
buff.ly
March 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Small language models (SLMs) can use only a few billion parameters — a mere fraction of their LLM counterparts.
buff.ly/i0Jjuq4
buff.ly/i0Jjuq4
Happy Pi Day to all who celebrate! Math and political artist John Sims found inspiration in everyone's favorite irrational number to produce quilts, prints, dresses, spoken word poetry, and more. Together with Vi Hart, he also produced this Pi Day Anthem: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsKH...
The Pi Day Anthem featuring John Sims and Vi Hart
YouTube video by John Sims
www.youtube.com
March 14, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Happy Pi Day to all who celebrate! Math and political artist John Sims found inspiration in everyone's favorite irrational number to produce quilts, prints, dresses, spoken word poetry, and more. Together with Vi Hart, he also produced this Pi Day Anthem: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsKH...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Larger models can pull off greater feats, but the accessibility and efficiency of smaller models make them attractive tools. @stephenornes.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-resea...
Why Do Researchers Care About Small Language Models? | Quanta Magazine
Larger models can pull off a wider variety of feats, but the reduced footprint of smaller models makes them attractive tools.
www.quantamagazine.org
March 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Larger models can pull off greater feats, but the accessibility and efficiency of smaller models make them attractive tools. @stephenornes.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-resea...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
the richest man in the world has decided that your kids don't deserve special education programs
February 16, 2025 at 6:14 PM
the richest man in the world has decided that your kids don't deserve special education programs
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
I've met with many cabinet nominees across many admins, and my meeting with RFK Jr. was by far the most troubling.
He rattled off debunked conspiracy theories & lied to my face—denying his own statements he'd made on record. We cannot confirm an anti-vaxxer as Secretary of Health.
He rattled off debunked conspiracy theories & lied to my face—denying his own statements he'd made on record. We cannot confirm an anti-vaxxer as Secretary of Health.
"He threw out so many nonsense, nonsensical questions and statements that it was head-spinning," Washington's senator said of her private meeting with Kennedy.
Patty Murray says RFK Jr. meeting was most troubling she's had in 32 years
"He threw out so many nonsense, nonsensical questions and statements that it was head-spinning," Washington's senator said of her private meeting with Kennedy.
www.seattletimes.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I've met with many cabinet nominees across many admins, and my meeting with RFK Jr. was by far the most troubling.
He rattled off debunked conspiracy theories & lied to my face—denying his own statements he'd made on record. We cannot confirm an anti-vaxxer as Secretary of Health.
He rattled off debunked conspiracy theories & lied to my face—denying his own statements he'd made on record. We cannot confirm an anti-vaxxer as Secretary of Health.
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Senator Bill Cassidy just voted to advance illness, disability, and death for the American people.
Disgraceful abandonment of your obligations as a doctor and an elected official. The preventable deaths this man will cause are on your hands.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Disgraceful abandonment of your obligations as a doctor and an elected official. The preventable deaths this man will cause are on your hands.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Senate panel advances RFK Jr.'s nomination to be health secretary
The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to send Kennedy’s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full chamber.
www.nbcnews.com
February 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Senator Bill Cassidy just voted to advance illness, disability, and death for the American people.
Disgraceful abandonment of your obligations as a doctor and an elected official. The preventable deaths this man will cause are on your hands.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Disgraceful abandonment of your obligations as a doctor and an elected official. The preventable deaths this man will cause are on your hands.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
Thread. Nothing good.
From a source inside the National Cancer Institute:
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
“Everyone is scrambling to figure out how we’re supposed to work to serve the public when we can’t engage at all.”
January 28, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Thread. Nothing good.
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
"Discovering Our Journalism: Empowering First-Gen Undergraduates and Early Career Science Writers Through Mentorship" is a 2024 NASW #SciWriGrants recipients—and they're currently seeking mentee signups!
Learn How to Apply: sites.google.com/uri...
About the Grant: www.nasw.org/article...
💚🧪📝
Learn How to Apply: sites.google.com/uri...
About the Grant: www.nasw.org/article...
💚🧪📝
December 3, 2024 at 10:40 PM
"Discovering Our Journalism: Empowering First-Gen Undergraduates and Early Career Science Writers Through Mentorship" is a 2024 NASW #SciWriGrants recipients—and they're currently seeking mentee signups!
Learn How to Apply: sites.google.com/uri...
About the Grant: www.nasw.org/article...
💚🧪📝
Learn How to Apply: sites.google.com/uri...
About the Grant: www.nasw.org/article...
💚🧪📝
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
It's time to apply for a Knight Science Journalism Program fellowship at MIT! We have 10 openings for a 2025-26 academic year fellowship and one opening for a one semester fellowship for journalists from Africa and the Middle East. Learn more here.
ksj.mit.edu/news/2024/11...
ksj.mit.edu/news/2024/11...
KSJ Opens Application Cycle for 2025-26 Fellowships Knight Science Journalism @MIT
The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT opens applications for the next class of fellows.
ksj.mit.edu
November 18, 2024 at 8:00 PM
It's time to apply for a Knight Science Journalism Program fellowship at MIT! We have 10 openings for a 2025-26 academic year fellowship and one opening for a one semester fellowship for journalists from Africa and the Middle East. Learn more here.
ksj.mit.edu/news/2024/11...
ksj.mit.edu/news/2024/11...
Reposted by Stephen Ornes
A little healthy debate can go a long way: Computer scientists are using moderated argument as a key strategy to strengthen large language model accuracy.
www.quantamagazine.org/debate-may-h...
www.quantamagazine.org/debate-may-h...
Debate May Help AI Models Converge on Truth | Quanta Magazine
Letting AI systems argue with each other may help expose when a large language model has made mistakes.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 8, 2024 at 2:33 PM
A little healthy debate can go a long way: Computer scientists are using moderated argument as a key strategy to strengthen large language model accuracy.
www.quantamagazine.org/debate-may-h...
www.quantamagazine.org/debate-may-h...