Yüksel Günal
@yukselgunal.bsky.social
IBMer/Part-time instructor at Boğaziçi University Physics Dept (online courses). Tweets in EN/TR. RT ≠ agreement
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Simply incredible imagery of Hurricane Melissa this morning as it approaches Jamaica.
October 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Simply incredible imagery of Hurricane Melissa this morning as it approaches Jamaica.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
For those of you keeping score, 18-22 year-old students calling for an end to slaughter in Gaza are so racist they need to be expelled or deported, but 24-35 year-olds celebrating Hitler, rape, and, um, racism are just kids being kids so chill.
Also, racism is over so no need for Voting Right Act.
Also, racism is over so no need for Voting Right Act.
JD Vance brushes off racist texts by adults in Republican group chat as ‘what kids do’
Vice-president downplays messages such as ‘I love Hitler’ in chat by 24 to 35-year-olds to ‘stupid jokes’
www.theguardian.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:50 PM
For those of you keeping score, 18-22 year-old students calling for an end to slaughter in Gaza are so racist they need to be expelled or deported, but 24-35 year-olds celebrating Hitler, rape, and, um, racism are just kids being kids so chill.
Also, racism is over so no need for Voting Right Act.
Also, racism is over so no need for Voting Right Act.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
“I maintained my journalistic independence and turned down their bribe” with openly declaring allegiance to the ruling party in the same post. 10/10, no notes
Wait a second. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called you to give you your job at a private news outlet back?
OANN, anyone care to explain the government's role in your hiring decisions or do we need to FOIA to find out?
OANN, anyone care to explain the government's role in your hiring decisions or do we need to FOIA to find out?
October 17, 2025 at 1:09 AM
“I maintained my journalistic independence and turned down their bribe” with openly declaring allegiance to the ruling party in the same post. 10/10, no notes
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says. n.pr/47hcegr
Renewable energy outpaces coal for electricity generation in historic first, report says
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says.
n.pr
October 9, 2025 at 12:29 PM
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says. n.pr/47hcegr
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Mindscape 331 | Solo: Fine-Tuning, God, and the Multiverse. In which I shamelessly steal material from the #PhilosophyOfCosmology course I am teaching to talk about some big questions. #MindscapePodcast
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
October 6, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Mindscape 331 | Solo: Fine-Tuning, God, and the Multiverse. In which I shamelessly steal material from the #PhilosophyOfCosmology course I am teaching to talk about some big questions. #MindscapePodcast
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Since last year Physics swallowed Computer Science whole and the Nobel was given for machine learning, my list of plausible prizes remains unaltered.
Physics Nobels I would be pleased by:
Quantum info (Bennett, Shor...)
CMB anisotropy measurements (not sure who)
LHC/Higgs discovery (Evans, Giannotti...)
Systems biophysics (West, Bialek...)
Not predictions! And of course many other areas I don't know enough about to guess.
Quantum info (Bennett, Shor...)
CMB anisotropy measurements (not sure who)
LHC/Higgs discovery (Evans, Giannotti...)
Systems biophysics (West, Bialek...)
Not predictions! And of course many other areas I don't know enough about to guess.
October 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Since last year Physics swallowed Computer Science whole and the Nobel was given for machine learning, my list of plausible prizes remains unaltered.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
The International Criminal Court in the Hague handed down its first-ever Darfur war crimes conviction, finding Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, guilty of atrocities committed more than two decades ago.
ICC finds former Sudan militia leader guilty of war crimes in Darfur
The International Criminal Court in the Hague handed down its first-ever Darfur war crimes conviction, finding Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, guilty of atrocities committed more than two decades ago.
n.pr
October 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The International Criminal Court in the Hague handed down its first-ever Darfur war crimes conviction, finding Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, guilty of atrocities committed more than two decades ago.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
This year quantum physics turns 100, so @nature.com decided to conduct the biggest ever survey of what lies behind it. Do physicists really believe in multiple universes? Can influences happen instantaneously? Is the Copenhagen interpretation all it's cut out to be? ⚛️🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Physicists disagree wildly on what quantum mechanics says about reality, Nature survey shows
First major attempt to chart researchers’ views finds interpretations in conflict.
www.nature.com
July 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
This year quantum physics turns 100, so @nature.com decided to conduct the biggest ever survey of what lies behind it. Do physicists really believe in multiple universes? Can influences happen instantaneously? Is the Copenhagen interpretation all it's cut out to be? ⚛️🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
How could the universe have created the conditions needed for life to emerge? Tune in to “The Joy of Why” from @prx.org and @quantamagazine.bsky.social with co-host @jannalevinastro.bsky.social.
Why Did The Universe Begin? | Quanta Magazine
In this episode of The Joy of Why, Thomas Hertog discusses his collaboration with Stephen Hawking on a provocative theory arguing that the laws of physics evolved with the universe, and how this…
www.quantamagazine.org
July 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
How could the universe have created the conditions needed for life to emerge? Tune in to “The Joy of Why” from @prx.org and @quantamagazine.bsky.social with co-host @jannalevinastro.bsky.social.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Long before he became secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services under President Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was laying the groundwork for his war on vaccines.
We have the receipts📑
We have the receipts📑
A non-exhaustive timeline of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s war on vaccines
He's transformed conspiracy theories into action and reshaped American policy in just a few months.
www.motherjones.com
July 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Long before he became secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services under President Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was laying the groundwork for his war on vaccines.
We have the receipts📑
We have the receipts📑
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Trump's dementia is getting worse by the day. He is totally out of touch with reality.
Trump: "The gas has gone to the lowest level in decades. You're seeing $1.99, $1.98, I saw $1.95 at certain states."
July 14, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Trump's dementia is getting worse by the day. He is totally out of touch with reality.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Interested in seeing the first images from the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile? We'll be hosting a "First Look Watch Party" featuring images and data from this iconic new telescope. Doors open at 7:45AM and we'll have introductory remarks and images live-streamed from Chile.
June 20, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Interested in seeing the first images from the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile? We'll be hosting a "First Look Watch Party" featuring images and data from this iconic new telescope. Doors open at 7:45AM and we'll have introductory remarks and images live-streamed from Chile.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a “palantir” is a seeing stone that can be used to distort truth and present selective visions of reality.
Palantir Technologies bears a striking similarity.
Be warned. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/palantir-the-worst-of-the-corporate
Palantir Technologies bears a striking similarity.
Be warned. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/palantir-the-worst-of-the-corporate
June 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a “palantir” is a seeing stone that can be used to distort truth and present selective visions of reality.
Palantir Technologies bears a striking similarity.
Be warned. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/palantir-the-worst-of-the-corporate
Palantir Technologies bears a striking similarity.
Be warned. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/palantir-the-worst-of-the-corporate
Carlo Rovelli, one of the physicists interviewed by @lizziegibney.bsky.social, has a great book with the title "Helgoland", the name of the island. Strongly recommended:
www.amazon.com/Helgoland-Ma...
www.amazon.com/Helgoland-Ma...
June 20, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Carlo Rovelli, one of the physicists interviewed by @lizziegibney.bsky.social, has a great book with the title "Helgoland", the name of the island. Strongly recommended:
www.amazon.com/Helgoland-Ma...
www.amazon.com/Helgoland-Ma...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
China is on course to overtake the United States as the world’s largest contributor to research
https://go.nature.com/40axZdT
https://go.nature.com/40axZdT
In science’s new era, open and transparent cooperation remains key
As China continues its scientific ascent, the rest of the world should keep engaging.
go.nature.com
June 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
China is on course to overtake the United States as the world’s largest contributor to research
https://go.nature.com/40axZdT
https://go.nature.com/40axZdT
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
It’s the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people
https://go.nature.com/4e8cekR
https://go.nature.com/4e8cekR
First ever skull from ‘Denisovan’ reveals what ancient people looked like
Ancient proteins and calcified dental plaque identify heavy-browed fossil from China as a Denisovan.
go.nature.com
June 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
It’s the first time a near-complete skull has been definitively linked to the extinct people
https://go.nature.com/4e8cekR
https://go.nature.com/4e8cekR
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
“A war with Iran would be a catastrophe, the culminating failure of decades of regional overreach by the U.S. and exactly the sort of policy that Trump has long railed against,” Rosemary Kelanic, the director of the Middle East program at the think tank Defense Priorities, writes.
Opinion | A U.S. War With Iran Would Be a Catastrophe
America must not get dragged into a war with Iran.
www.nytimes.com
June 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
“A war with Iran would be a catastrophe, the culminating failure of decades of regional overreach by the U.S. and exactly the sort of policy that Trump has long railed against,” Rosemary Kelanic, the director of the Middle East program at the think tank Defense Priorities, writes.
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Is Israel becoming a “regional hegemon?” I think not. Latest FP column here: foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/16/i...
Israel Can’t Be a Hegemon
The Israeli government is making a bid for regional dominance that’s unlikely to succeed.
foreignpolicy.com
June 17, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Is Israel becoming a “regional hegemon?” I think not. Latest FP column here: foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/16/i...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
New paper from the lab: Our teeth arose as sensory organs on the outside of the body of ancient jawless fish.!! Congrats to Yara Haridy and the team!
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Teeth first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient fish, fossil scans find
Anyone who has ever squirmed through a dental cleaning can tell you how sensitive teeth can be. This sensitivity gives important feedback about temperature, pressure—and yes, pain—as we bite and chew ...
phys.org
May 21, 2025 at 3:27 PM
New paper from the lab: Our teeth arose as sensory organs on the outside of the body of ancient jawless fish.!! Congrats to Yara Haridy and the team!
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Background and video: phys.org/news/2025-05...
Open Access Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
News and Views: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
No money was actually saved, but at the same time we had truly devastating cuts to scientific research, medicine, and foreign aid. Just reinforces what a tiny fraction of spending those areas always were, with an outsized positive impact.
Of course it was.
DOGE fired a bunch of people while managing to save almost no money at all because Musk et al were primarily interested in performative cuts to fight the culture war. So taxpayers got a less efficient govt for the same price. But at least the libs were owned.
DOGE fired a bunch of people while managing to save almost no money at all because Musk et al were primarily interested in performative cuts to fight the culture war. So taxpayers got a less efficient govt for the same price. But at least the libs were owned.
May 31, 2025 at 5:36 PM
No money was actually saved, but at the same time we had truly devastating cuts to scientific research, medicine, and foreign aid. Just reinforces what a tiny fraction of spending those areas always were, with an outsized positive impact.
@pkrugman.bsky.social Care to comment on this piece from Ken Rogoff about dollar's fall and interest rates? I know you wrote disagreeing pieces on this in the past
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
This time really is different for the dollar, writes Kenneth Rogoff
The greenback was already in decline. Donald Trump will accelerate the process
www.economist.com
May 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
@pkrugman.bsky.social Care to comment on this piece from Ken Rogoff about dollar's fall and interest rates? I know you wrote disagreeing pieces on this in the past
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Out today: a new special series from @quantamagazine.bsky.social about science in the age of AI! It explores the roots of AI in fundamental science, how researchers are trying to make sense of AI today, and the ways they’re grappling with an uncertain future.
www.quantamagazine.org/series/scien...
www.quantamagazine.org/series/scien...
AI Changes Science and Math Forever | Quanta Magazine
An exploration of how artificial intelligence is changing what it means to do science and math, and what it means to be a scientist.
www.quantamagazine.org
April 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Out today: a new special series from @quantamagazine.bsky.social about science in the age of AI! It explores the roots of AI in fundamental science, how researchers are trying to make sense of AI today, and the ways they’re grappling with an uncertain future.
www.quantamagazine.org/series/scien...
www.quantamagazine.org/series/scien...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
"A maggot knows things about the outside world in a way that no computer does." Read @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social fun + fascinating feature: AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK www.quantamagazine.org/ai-is-nothin...
AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK | Quanta Magazine
The brain’s astounding cellular diversity and networked complexity could show how to make AI better.
www.quantamagazine.org
April 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
"A maggot knows things about the outside world in a way that no computer does." Read @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social fun + fascinating feature: AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK www.quantamagazine.org/ai-is-nothin...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
Considering how obsessed Trump’s top people are with calling everything “communism,” it’s ironic how much Beattie's witch hunt at State seems like a page from Soviet history, with Party commissars trying to identify ideological saboteurs in their midst.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
A Witch Hunt at the State Department
Trump’s commissars are looking for ideological enemies.
www.theatlantic.com
May 1, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Considering how obsessed Trump’s top people are with calling everything “communism,” it’s ironic how much Beattie's witch hunt at State seems like a page from Soviet history, with Party commissars trying to identify ideological saboteurs in their midst.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Yüksel Günal
#OnThisDay in 1993, CERN released the World Wide Web software to the public.
Proposed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the web was originally created to allow scientists and institutes working on CERN data to share information accurately and quickly from across the globe.
#WorldWideWeb
Proposed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the web was originally created to allow scientists and institutes working on CERN data to share information accurately and quickly from across the globe.
#WorldWideWeb
April 30, 2025 at 8:48 AM
#OnThisDay in 1993, CERN released the World Wide Web software to the public.
Proposed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the web was originally created to allow scientists and institutes working on CERN data to share information accurately and quickly from across the globe.
#WorldWideWeb
Proposed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the web was originally created to allow scientists and institutes working on CERN data to share information accurately and quickly from across the globe.
#WorldWideWeb