laurahelmuth

laurahelmuth, 1 month ago to random

Does anybody have a good term to describe people you used to respect who turned out to be horrible? Like Steven Pinker, J.K. Rowling, Richard Dawkins. It's like a milkshake duck but more consequential and even more disappointing

laurahelmuth, 8 months ago to random

Why we'll never live in space https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-well-never-live-in-space/

laurahelmuth, 7 months ago to random

This is a smart explanation of how the "masks don't work" message spread & why we know masks do work (and so does flossing) even if there aren't randomized controlled trials to prove it https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-went-wrong-with-a-highly-publicized-covid-mask-analysis/

laurahelmuth, 8 months ago to random

The anti-science movement is "organized, it’s well-financed, and it’s politically motivated. It’s doing a lot of damage to the country and to American science and scientists. And now it’s become a lethal force." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccine-scientist-warns-antiscience-conspiracies-have-become-a-deadly-organized-movement/

laurahelmuth, 9 months ago to random

A survey from Nature found that about half of scientists who used to use Twitter have cut back or quit it entirely & half are using other platforms. It's great to see you here instead! https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02554-0

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

For anybody who has ever wondered what it would take to blow Earth to smithereens, here's the formula for that https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-energy-would-it-take-to-blow-the-earth-to-smithereens/

laurahelmuth, 4 months ago to random

“It is not rapid-onset gender dysphoria, it’s rapid-onset parental discovery.” The panic about social contagion is dangerous and misinformed and puts transgender people at risk https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-undermines-rapid-onset-gender-dysphoria-claims/

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

For science journalists, the combo of earthquake plus eclipse plus double cicada brood is like our super bowl, presidential election and oscars all in one week https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earthquake-shakes-new-jersey-new-york-state-pennsylvania-and-more/

laurahelmuth, 5 months ago to random

Silicon Valley billionaires are creating a future we were all warned about by dystopian novels that they mistake for instruction manuals. Lots of painful & funny insights here from science fiction author @cstross https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech-billionaires-need-to-stop-trying-to-make-the-science-fiction-they-grew-up-on-real/

laurahelmuth, 5 months ago to random

One underappreciated danger of electing anti-science conspiracy theorists is that they appoint anti-science conspiracy theorists to important positions.
Covid vaccines don't contaminate your DNA & it endangers public health for a surgeon general to say they do https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-covid-mrna-vaccines-wont-damage-your-dna/

laurahelmuth, 5 months ago to random

is anybody else disturbed by this sign

laurahelmuth, 8 months ago to random

September wasn't just hot — it was the most anomalously hot month ever https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/september-was-the-most-anomalously-hot-month-ever/

laurahelmuth, 11 months ago to random

Cognitive declines in older adults may be like the "summer slide" or "learning loss" in school kids over summer vacation. Learning new skills can improve memory and attention long-term https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-stay-sharp-as-you-age-learn-new-skills/

laurahelmuth, 4 months ago to random

The 2017 total solar eclipse over the U.S. happened when the sun was near the minimum of its activity cycle. This year's eclipse will happen when solar activity is near its peak https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-2024s-total-solar-eclipse-will-be-so-special/

laurahelmuth, 4 months ago to random

A recent AI survey "emphasizes baseless speculation about human extinction ... Such vague, hyped-up notions are dangerous because they draw attention away from mundane but much more urgent issues that are happening right now” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-survey-exaggerates-apocalyptic-risks/ by @stokel

laurahelmuth, 19 days ago to random

The anti-reality industry pushes lies about abortion, climate, COVID, gender-affirming care, race, sex, evolution, education & more, and it's all connected https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-must-face-down-the-expanding-anti-reality-industry/ @SeattleBryn traces the intersectional awfulness on Scientific American

laurahelmuth, 4 months ago to random

A few items FYI:
Saturn has a moon that looks like the Death Star.
That moon has a smooth surface with an ocean underneath.
The ocean is really new.
It exists because of squeezing.
The moon may be very new as well, or possibly the other moons that squeeze it.
What a wonderful world. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/saturns-death-star-moon-may-hide-a-massive-shockingly-young-ocean/

laurahelmuth, 5 months ago to random

I hadn't noticed until I read this article, but a lot of astronomy language is violent and misleading, even misogynistic, when it could be elegant and inclusive https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-language-of-astronomy-is-needlessly-violent-and-inaccurate/

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

It's the year 2024 and West Virginia just signed a law that will allow the teaching of religious alternatives to science (meaning creationism) in public schools. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-law-allowing-religion-into-science-classrooms-is-dangerous-for-everyone/

laurahelmuth, 5 months ago to random

So the darkness or faintness of a home COVID test line does correlate with viral load, and taking a few tests in a row can show whether somebody's getting better or sicker https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-fainter-lines-on-home-covid-tests-mean-youre-getting-better/

laurahelmuth, 7 months ago to random

When people learn to see their own lives as a "hero's journey" quest, they have a better sense of meaning, well-being and ambition. Sure, it's a storytelling formula ... but one that seems to work https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-lead-a-meaningful-life-become-your-own-hero/

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

Fascinating! Does anybody else have ticker-tape synesthesia? Some people see spoken words converted into text in their heads. This is a great description of the research & experience, which is like a mental closed captioning https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/my-synesthesia-transforms-speech-into-text-i-see-in-my-head/

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

Just FYI while we're still talking about the sun: a solar geomagnetic storm like the 1959 Carrington Event superflare would devastate satellites and power grids and cause an internet apocalypse https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/solar-superflares-rocked-earth-less-than-10-000-years-ago-and-could-strike-again/

laurahelmuth, 2 months ago to random

Pro tip: bring binoculars with you to watch the solar eclipse. NOT to look at the sun though them! But point the big end of the binoculars at the sun and the eyes end at the ground to project a sharp image of the crescent sun

laurahelmuth, 1 month ago to random

A scholar of social movements & activism explains how the campus protesters are doing everything right and repressive university administrations are doing everything wrong https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/repression-draws-attention-to-campus-protests-like-those-over-the-conflict/