New paper out today, so I'm making a really short #cosmology thread. This work was led by Isaac Sierra here at UC Davis but I was happy to contribute! We looked at whether exploding primordial black holes could explain a mild disagreement between CMB and BAO data... 1/n arxiv.org/abs/2608.01919

Boosting the optical depth to Thomson scattering with primordial black hole evaporation at high redshift

BAO and CMB data are somewhat discrepant when interpreted in the context of $Λ$cdm, discrepancies that show up as a `matter density deficit' and as a `CMB lensing excess'. One possible resolution is a...

arxiv.org

New paper out today, so I'm making a really short #cosmology thread. This work was led by Isaac Sierra here at UC Davis but I was happy to contribute! We looked at whether exploding primordial black holes could explain a mild disagreement between CMB and BAO data... 1/n arxiv.org/abs/2608.01919

Boosting the optical depth to Thomson scattering with primordial black hole evaporation at high redshift

BAO and CMB data are somewhat discrepant when interpreted in the context of $Λ$cdm, discrepancies that show up as a `matter density deficit' and as a `CMB lensing excess'. One possible resolution is a...

arxiv.org

taking a lot of self control to not comment on some FB posts discussing the Hopkins bike lanes

SAFE HOPKINS!!! This is huge. Thanks to Berkeley Mayor and Council for their visionary leadership and to  everyone who has worked so hard on this for so many years.

berkeley city council bumping tonight!

say what you will about AI, always-on voice recording and auto dictation has been a game changer for my workflows. Save post and close app. Yeah Footlong meatball sub on white. No veggies. Don't toast it. Ranch and barbecue sauce. Yeah, ranch and bargecue sauce. More. More. Little more please

Sorry, last one. 🚀 🌌

Council votes on Hopkins tomorrow 7/28! Tell them to make the street smooth and safe for all! 👇

Walk Bike Berkeley@walkbikeberk.bsky.social · 2w ago

Send a message to the whole City Council. We’ve made it easy here actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

In case you need a reminder, tomorrow’s Council meeting is CRITICAL and safe biking will need a lot of support - ideally in person!

Berkeleyside@berkeleyside.org · last wk.

Berkeley leaders will decide on an updated plan to build the long-debated bike lanes, at the expense of more than 100 parking spaces.

Hey wait a minute. 🔭

Barchart@barchart.com · last wk.

BREAKING 🚨: SpaceX $SPCX falls to lowest closing price in its history and has now traded red in 13 of its last 16 days 📉 📉

The battle of Hopkins bike lanes are back, the final battle, and I got a lot to say. I haven't attended a Berkeley city council meeting in 7 years, but on Tuesday I'll be there, and I hope you will too. darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-final-...

The Final Battle of Hopkins Bike Lanes

One of the most important climate actions goes to Berkeley City Council.

darrellowens.substack.com

Untitled, by Béla Kalman American, born Hungary, 1921–2011 n.d. (c. 1940s/60s) More info: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/29281

Indigenous Australian artist Alma Nungarrayi Granites, Seven Sisters Dreaming, 2016 from tbe Shared Skies Exhibition #WomensArt

Admirable clarity @science.org

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 2w ago

Whew, the editors of @science.org are getting real.

DAKWTLOGGWTWTTMTH?

Here's one she made while waiting to be reunited with her mom.

5-year-old Camila's crayon drawings in detention look just like my 5-year-old's drawings. We need this to end, and then we need prosecutions for everybody who had a hand in harming these families. www.ctinsider.com/news/article...

5-year-old spent 118 days on her own in federal immigration custody in CT

On any given day there are more than two dozen immigrant children detained without a parent or guardian in programs run by Connecticut nonprofits.

ctinsider.com

Abolish ICE www.pressherald.com/2026/07/13/i...

ICE agent kills man in Biddeford, spurring protests

Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, was not the target of the warrant agents were trying to execute, federal officials said.

pressherald.com

Nobel laureate John Mather is one of thousands opposing a proposed federal rule that could affect science grant funding. "Peer review protects the public from attempts to corrupt," he writes. Read more comments in #APSNews, then submit your own comment by July 13: https://go.aps.org/3RtXoy8

Better late than never, but I just submitted a comment on the proposed changes to science funding. Happy to share what I wrote (from perspective of grad student) if anyone would find it useful Highly encourage anyone reading to do the same here: www.regulations.gov/document/OMB...

Did anyone else hear this last night? www.berkeleyside.org/2015/03/31/t...

The unsolved mystery of the Berkeley boom

For more than a month, residents around Berkeley have wondered online about a recurring nighttime boom that has woken babies, freaked out pets and set off car alarms. The sound, which has become known...

berkeleyside.org

me: mitch mcconnell is dead? mom: we have mitch mcconnell is dead at home mitch mcconnell is dead at home: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/u...

Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator and Trump Ally, Dies From ‘Sudden Illness’ (Gift Article)

He died from “a brief and sudden illness” on Saturday evening, his office said. Over more than two decades in the Senate, he consistently pushed for the use of U.S. military power overseas.

nytimes.com

Félix Vallotton, Fireworks, 1900

NPR IS SAYING IT WAS A MISTAKE LOL From the SCOTUSblog live chat

Tom Hearden@followtheh.bsky.social · last mo.

*JUSTICE ALITO RETIRES FROM SUPREME COURT, NPR REPORTS

elderly council of wizards mandates child gential inspections.

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · last mo.

Reuters: U.S. SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF IDAHO, WEST VIRGINIA LAWS BANNING TRANSGENDER ATHLETES FROM PARTICIPATING ON FEMALE SPORTS TEAMS

Man, fuck this

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · last mo.

Reuters: U.S. SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF IDAHO, WEST VIRGINIA LAWS BANNING TRANSGENDER ATHLETES FROM PARTICIPATING ON FEMALE SPORTS TEAMS