Charles Q. Choi
@cqchoi.com
I write about what happens at the edge between the unknown & the impossible. Science journalist for 20+ years & SFF author at Scientific American, NYT, Analog & more. Adventured to seven continents. Yondan in Toyama-ryu swordsmanship. He/him.
I was a judge on the 2026 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award, and am glad that @elisecutts.bsky.social won! I highly recommend her sparkling prose on a very wide range of scientific fields, some of which you can read by going to the award announcement page: casw.org/news/elise-c...
Elise Cutts wins 2026 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award - CASW
casw.org
So what did planetary scientists think of the ST:Strange New Worlds season opener?
Perfectly Aligning AI’s Values With Humanity’s Is Impossible: Maybe the best we can do is make “neurodiverse” systems that challenge each other spectrum.ieee.org/ai-alignment by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Why Perfect AI Alignment Is Mathematically Out Of Reach
Maybe the best we can do is make “neurodiverse” systems that challenge each other
spectrum.ieee.org
Thermodynamic Computing Slashes Energy Use For Image Generation -- may be 10 billion times more efficient than AI spectrum.ieee.org/thermodynami... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Thermodynamic Computing Promises Energy-Efficient AI Images
What if AI could create stunning images with a fraction of the energy used today?
spectrum.ieee.org
James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise www.space.com/astronomy/bl... by @cqchoi for @space.com
James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise
"If they were purely made up of stars, they would be the densest galaxies in the universe."
space.com
We Now Know How Much Faster Clocks Will Run on Mars: the planet’s weaker gravity means time passes faster than here spectrum.ieee.org/time-on-mars... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Mars Timekeeping: Why Microseconds Matter
Atomic clocks tick faster on Mars than Earth. Find out why this matters for future missions.
spectrum.ieee.org
Room-Size Particle Accelerators Go Commercial: new devices to initially be used in radiation testing for space electronics spectrum.ieee.org/plasma-wakef... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Room-Sized Particle Accelerators Are Here
Room-sized particle accelerators are here! Learn how switching from electromagnetic fields to lasers shrinks these devices down from kilometers to meters.
spectrum.ieee.org
Boosting SYNGAP1 levels via viral delivery can normalize brain waves in mice. By @cqchoi.com www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/gen... #neuroskyence
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
thetransmitter.org
Google’s New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful: The quantum echoes algorithm shows promise for helping discover better drugs, polymers, catalysts, battery components & more spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-echoes by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Google's New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful
Quantum advantage may not be here yet, but there is hope.
spectrum.ieee.org
A variant of CRISPR amps up expression of SCN2A, rescuing mice from seizures caused by haploinsufficiency. By @cqchoi.com www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/boo...
Boosting SCN2A expression reduces seizures in mice
A modified form of CRISPR amps up expression of the gene—a strategy that could apply to other gene variations linked to autism.
thetransmitter.org
Quantum Sensors Sidestep the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: new technique could help detect both position and momentum with unprecedented precision spectrum.ieee.org/sidestep-hei... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Quantum Sensors Sidestep Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
Can quantum sensors really measure both position and momentum with precision? Find out how scientists are sidestepping Heisenberg's limits.
spectrum.ieee.org
Smartphone Cameras Go Hyperspectral: off-the-shelf smartphone cameras can become advanced sensors spectrum.ieee.org/hyperspectra... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Smartphones Can Now See Beyond RGB With Simple Card Trick
Transform your phone into a pocket spectrometer with just a card and an algorithm.
spectrum.ieee.org
@oldgodspod.bsky.social love the show! so apologies if this has already been answered, but do you see vamps as creatures of the Black or Green? I would’ve assumed the former, but then those beneath might already have some.
Silicon Is Coming to Smartphone Batteries for a Big Energy Boost: A new silicon-anode battery offers the highest energy density yet spectrum.ieee.org/enovix-silic... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Silicon Anodes Promise Longer Smartphone Battery Life
Silicon anodes in Enovix's new battery promise longer life for AI-powered smartphones. How does it overcome silicon's swelling issue?
spectrum.ieee.org
Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull www.livescience.com/archaeology/... by @cqchoi.com for @livescience.com
Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull
Neanderthal genes may explain why some people have Chiari malformation type I, a condition in which the brain bulges out of the back of the skull.
livescience.com
A New BCI Instantly Synthesizes Speech: a paralyzed patient was able to ask questions, emphasize words, and sing short melodies spectrum.ieee.org/bci-speech-s... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Brain-Computer Interface Restores Speech
Restoring speech with brain-computer interfaces: How close are we to real-time voice synthesis for those who can't speak?
spectrum.ieee.org
In the Disney lawsuit, 10 pages are dedicated to citing the work we did. In pursuit of this evidence, Midjourney banned me 3 times and updated their ToS. The first ban encouraged me to dig a lot deeper, so I'd like to congratulate CEO David Holz on his massive unforced error.
Reid Southen@rahll.bsky.social · last yr.🔥 It's happening! Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney and they cited mine and Gary Marcus' work exposing their infringement in their filing. LET'S GO! 🔥
Scientists have created cyborg embryos by implanting electrode arrays into the developing brains of frogs, mice, and salamanders spectrum.ieee.org/embryo-elect... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Cyborg Embryos Offer New Insights Into Brain Growth
Could soft, stretchable electrodes in embryos lead to new insights into brain development and regeneration?
spectrum.ieee.org
Neuromorphic processors mimic the way the brain operates. Now, a Dutch firm has launched what it calls the world’s first commercially available neuromorphic microcontroller. spectrum.ieee.org/innatera-spi... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
Innatera's Pulsar Chip Could Be a Game-Changer for Ultra-Low-Power AI Sensors
Innatera's Pulsar chip, the first commercial neuromorphic microcontroller, promises ultra-low power AI with 100x lower latency.
spectrum.ieee.org
Autism linked with a fourfold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study of more than 2 million people. By Charles Q. Choi www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/lar...
Large study links autism to Parkinson’s disease
Autistic adults appear to be prone to an early-onset form of Parkinson’s, according to a long-term study that tracked 2.2 million people in Sweden.
thetransmitter.org
Currently my favorite distraction on TikTok is this man who is CLEARLY in like, THE BEST shape, finding things that other athletes can do (and often the things they're doing are typically femme) and seeing if he also can do that With the "assistance" of the best dog named Dootie I love this
Omg, they used AI to write this.
Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · last yr.RFK Jr's "MAHA" report is filled with references to studies that literally do not exist, or that completely misinterpret the studies' findings. “We did not publish a paper.. on this topic with that co-author group, or with that title,” says one cited researcher. www.notus.org/health-scien...
Astronomers may have discovered a rare type of binary star system, where one star used to orbit inside its partner www.space.com/astronomy/st... by @cqchoi.com for @space.com
Scientists find rare double-star system where one star orbited inside the other
Only 16 to 84 other examples of this exotic system may exist in our entire galaxy.
space.com
Research I wrote about for @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social
Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute@zuckermanbrain.bsky.social · last yr.Why create an AI model of a fish? New research from our own Nate Sawtell & Larry Abbott, along with Denis Turcu, shows how real fish can use electricity to scan the world, findings that could help us understand our own senses, such as vision: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/how-ai-fish-...
Quantum networks are nigh unhackable, but it was long assumed they'd need expensive specialized hardware. Now quantum communications are possible across 250+ km using existing commercial telecom lines spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-key-... by @cqchoi.com for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
Quantum Messages Cover City Distances Via Telco Lines
Toshiba sent QKD keys more than 250 kilometers
spectrum.ieee.org
New stretchable lithium-ion battery can heal itself after being cut in half to continue providing power to a device spectrum.ieee.org/stretchable-... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
This Battery Heals Itself After Being Cut in Half
Imagine a battery that can survive being stabbed, cut in half, and still power your device: Researchers have developed a groundbreaking hydrogel lithium-ion battery that offers incredible durability....
spectrum.ieee.org
@patrickwyman.bsky.social am still a big fan of the podcast! just sent you some interesting research coming out soon pertinent to your most recent episodes.
This 3-atom-thick ~6,000-transistor microchip is the most complex processor made from 2-D materials yet spectrum.ieee.org/2d-semicondu... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
2D Chip Breakthrough: 6,000 Transistors, 3 Atoms Thick
Scientists in China have created the most complex 2D microprocessor yet, featuring nearly 6,000 transistors. The devices are made from molybdenum disulfide, a material just three atoms thick. #semicon...
spectrum.ieee.org
DNA Helps Electronics to Leave Flatland: these miniature scaffolds for 3D circuits are designed to assemble themselves www.engineering.columbia.edu/about/news/d... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @columbiaseas.bsky.social
DNA Helps Electronics to Leave Flatland | Columbia Engineering
These miniature scaffolds for 3D circuits are designed to assemble themselves.
engineering.columbia.edu
