Do AIs feel pain? They behave like they might—and will do terrible things to lessen the ache. Read about that and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪🤖
Christie Wilcox
@nerdychristie.bsky.social
Editor of Science’s award-winning newsletter, ScienceAdviser | journalist | author | nerd | mom (not in that order)
Not gonna lie, I’m a little miffed that this robot can cartwheel better than me (especially given that I *was* trained how to!). Read more in this edition of @science.org's #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🤖
Corals and the algae that they host are touted as one of the greatest partnerships in nature. But this symbiosis probably didn't start out harmoniously. In this edition of #ScienceAdviser: the story of a beautiful friendship that began as a break-in www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org 🧪
Today marks three years of #ScienceAdviser and a new unofficial mascot for the year: the amazing axolotl! www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org
ScienceAdviser: We like you a-lotl!
Today in Science and science: ScienceAdviser celebrates its third anniversary
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Could we really grow crops on the Moon? Recent experiments suggest yes, it's possible—with the help of worms. That and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
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Of course it was a ludicrous hypothesis. But how did the person who suggested live lobsters started the COVID-19 pandemic have such detailed intel on the market? That mystery and more from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🦞
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I am *obsessed* with Antscan's detailed 3D ants. I wish there were data like these for all critters! #ScienceAdviser @science.org www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🐜
People have always been captivated by crystals. Turns out we’re not the only apes to find them fascinating. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
Frightening as they may appear, vampire bats are quite sweet. They even help each other reach hard-to-lick spots! (What can I say? The subject line wrote itself.) That and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🦇
Now more than ever, independent journalism is vital. Please consider supporting the work of @science.org's journalists: 1. Sign up for @nerdychristie.bsky.social's *excellent* ScienceAdviser newsletter: www.science.org/content/page... 2. Subscribe for $25/year. www.science.org/content/page...
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We've got highlights from the AAAS annual meeting with @science.org reporters and editors -- this week on the podcast w/ @nerdychristie.bsky.social @michaelgreshko.bsky.social & Perri Thaler Listen here: www.science.org/content/podc...
With all this talk of going to the Moon and Mars, it’s probably a good time to point out that we are definitely not ready to have babies in space. Like, at all. www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org #ScienceAdviser 🧪
They're alive!!!! ALLIIIIIIVVVEEEEEE! Newly described "zombosomes" lack a cellular 'brain' (nucleus) yet still generate energy and move about. Read about them and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
If you’ve ever cared for a cat, then you know our feline friends can be as baffling as they are adorable. Turns out these crafty kitties can even play tricks on scientists, making it look like they’re vegan. www.science.org/content/arti... #ScienceAdviser @science.org 🧪
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I won't judge you if you have a cow watching Veronika using a scrub brush as a tool! I know I did. Learn about that and so much more from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🐮
These scientists found love (a woolly rhinoceros genome) in a hopeless place (inside the stomach of a mummified wolf). Read about it and more in this edition of @science.org's #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
I know I say this a lot, but this here is a *very good dog*—and a smart one, at that. This pup can learn words for new objects just by eavesdropping! Read all about it in @science.org's #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti...
I've never broken a bone (*knocks on wood*), but I hear it's excruciating. Perhaps its some comfort that the neurons responsible for that pain also help the bone heal? That and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🦴
I love how this newly discovered immune signaling in plants looks kind of like fireworks. It's a celebration of botany! That and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪🌱
These 60,000-year-old arrowheads weren't just sharp—they were laced with poison, which "shows advanced planning, strategy and causal reasoning," as one expert put it. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
It's still pretty early on a Wednesday morning for me. Right about now, I need a couple expresso shots like this fish needs a hole in the head... which is to say, a lot. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
2025 was a rough year in many ways. But as Michelle Obama put it, “grief and resilience live together.” My hope for 2026 in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org 🧪
ScienceAdviser: Welcome 2026! We’re ready for you
Today in Science and science: A special New Year’s Day edition of ScienceAdviser
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For the past week, I've asked #ScienceAdviser readers to pick their favorite newsletter stories of 2025. The results are in! Did your favorite ones make the cut? (Mine did!) Find out: www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org 🧪
Early career science journalists: Need something to do next summer? Apply to work with me as @science.org's newsletter intern! bit.ly/44yCu4o
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These bots are smaller than some single-celled organisms, yet they can sense their world and move about. That and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
Talk about efficient packing! Those little black dots are nucleosomes in the most detailed look yet at how chromatin condenses. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
Axolotls are famous for regenerating limbs. Turns out they can also regenerate their thymus—and that may show us how to someday to the same. That story and more of the best from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
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The Black Death was one of the worst pandemics in history—and volcanic eruptions may ultimately be to blame for it. That and more of the best in @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
If I saw a "murder hornet," I'd be running in the other direction. But these wee frogs think they're tasty snacks—even though they get stung repeatedly while consuming them. That story and more from @science.org and science in this edition of #ScienceAdviser: www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪