Stephen Luntz
@sluntz.bsky.social
Science writer and (non-government) election administrator.
You can read this for the science, or just enjoy the video for its hypnotic beauty. www.iflscience.com/highest-reso...
Highest Resolution Images Of The Sun’s Surface Reveal Vortices That Could Explain Explosive Solar Activity
The work could help resolve two of our biggest questions about the Sun: the original cause of solar storms, and why its upper atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface.
iflscience.com
Did someone place an M-specific curse on Democract Senate prospects so they would screw up Maine, Michigan and Montana (in entirely different ways), while barely putting a foot wrong in the rest of the alphabet? (Not sure if any curse could cost Massachussets in this cycle).
Will Stancil@whstancil.bsky.social · yesterdayIf things stay this close, regardless of who wins, we're kind of in the zone of maximum intra-party recriminations. So that's... interesting, let's say. That's interesting
Ok, I admit I misjudged Meta. Their target market, people with low vision aside, isn't *just* stalkers and child molester wanna-bes, it's also people on a crusade to promote racist consipiracy theories.
Michael@michaeljsc.bsky.social · 6d agoActually quite angry reading this. I know it’s a bit passé to talk about “why don’t politicians crack down on people not using headphones on the bus” but I think we do need to reckon with platforms that incentivise people to completely disregard the norms of civil society and get away with it.
There's probably a little truth to the Iliad (and maybe the Odyssey), with evidence Troy fell around the right time, with an epic drought having brought down many civilizations. For the first time climate scientists have evidence of what caused that drought www.iflscience.com/at-the-time-...
At The Time Of The Odyssey, Mediterranean Civilizations Collapsed And A Climatic Coincidence Explains Why
If Elon Musk is serious about making a “historically accurate” Odyssey film, he should include multiple climate disasters.
iflscience.com
It's the first strong evidence of an object of this kind, but is it a moon, a planet or a category in between - that decision is up to us.
IFLScience@iflscience.com · 2w agowww.iflscience.com/super-weird-...
Given her government's behavior she thinks it's totally implausible that carbon dioxide emissions could change the Earth's climate, but she thinks a much smaller amount of water can cause the Earth's poles to flip.
Ketan Joshi@ketanjoshi.co · 2w agoA government official in Australia says the Northern Territory needs data centres to use lots of water so......the Earth's axis doesn't flip
Wow. This assessment is not just generally true, it really is brought home by the document concerned (not the tweet above this in the thread leaves out the "million", ie it was 2.7 million people whose lives they were trying to ruin.
Yell In a War@jelenawoehr.bsky.social · 2mo agothis example is an EXCELLENT insight into two things: 1. why the opinion "we should run government like a business" should be treated similarly to the opinion "we should kill and eat more human infants" 2. how even a single node of friction in a system can halt a more powerful person's evil plan
One of the most transformative but seemingly mundane acts of progressive governance at any level is letting caring and competent civil servants actually do their jobs.
Yes this story comes with an important environmental message, but if you want a break from the awful in the world, just learning these creatures exist and looking at their little faces and their leaps into the unknown should do that www.iflscience.com/greater-glid...
Greater Gliders’ Gliding Skills Are Overrated, Although The Researcher Maintains “They’re greatest in my heart”
We should save them for their ecological value and their resemblance to furry flying carpets, not because of any Olympic-standard gliding skills.
iflscience.com
You'd have to condense it billions of times to make it drinkable, and even then other molecules would probably make it toxic, but hey, let's pretend.
IFLScience@iflscience.com · 3w agowww.iflscience.com/first-sugar-...
My wife has long service leave, and we planned a holiday partially as a science tour of Australia, making videos and with me writing articles about places of scientific interest. Family ill-health cut our journey short, but this was the last stop before that www.iflscience.com/how-these-ca...
Demon Ducks, 6-Meter Lizards, And Marsupial Lions: These Australian Caves Are A Hotbed For Extraordinary Fossils
Almost two centuries later, astonishing fossils are still being found in Wellington Caves.
iflscience.com
There's a sugar common in raspberries near the heart of the milky way. Leaving aside the (unrealistic) thought of a sweet delight, this could fill a gap in how life emerged on Earth. www.iflscience.com/first-sugar-...
First Ever Detection Of Sugar In Interstellar Space And It Probably Tastes Of Raspberries
We wouldn’t recommend drinking deep, but it might taste sweet.
iflscience.com
Not my story, but this is awesome - so for goodness knows how long frogs were just noping it out of there with no way to ensure they landed right. Bet the first frog to invent a controlled landing was very, very pleased with themself.
IFLScience@iflscience.com · 4w agoThe evolutionary history of frogs it seems there was no time to be spared in learning to leap before they could land. www.iflscience.com/faceplanting...
I'd never thought of it this way, but this explains so much. Bring back the guy who walked behind Roman generals saying "you are mortal".
Julian Sanchez@normative.bsky.social · last mo.People who spiral out overusing LLM chatbots are really just experiencing the kind of brain-damaging stream of unconditional validation that’s always been the norm for the hyper-wealthy, which explains a lot.
The dumb is bad enough - it's the vindictiveness that would probably really shock the founding fathers.
Katie@rebelrouser1962.bsky.social · last mo.
Reading fossil fuel company environmental plans gives you a solid insight into companies' competence with the topic and genuine desire to understand. For example, this one discusses the degree to which the project might contribute to "anthropomorphic climate change". Is the climate change... sad?
My heart breaks for Mallorie Roberts, and for those who knew and loved her. Mallorie was a daughter, a mother and a sister, and she is the 25th woman killed by violence this year. Govt must get serious about doing what’s needed to end violence against women and children.
Got my shingles shot this morning and I endorse this message. Not just because I saw my wife go through shingles, but because there is increasing evidence that the shingles vaccine delays dementia.
Patti Olivier EPSTEIN FILES NEVER FORGET@patti3333.bsky.social · last mo.Just got word Former DNC Jamie Harrison is in the same boat I am Yes Jamie SHINGLES IS HELL .. HOPE we both recover soon
🚨On Monday July 27 at 2pm AEST, every phone in Australia will get very loud. 🚨 If you are vulnerable, with a phone as part of your escape plan, please make sure that you take steps to protect yourself. If you aren't vulnerable, please help get the word out to protect those who are.
ausalert.gov.au
Michaela and my science tour of Australia has been disrupted, and possibly cut short, by a familial medical emergency, but here is the second piece, made before that. Trying to get across how astonishing the Great Aretesian Basin is www.iflscience.com/iflscience-v...
Why The Great Artesian Basin Is A Wonder Of Nature – And Also Makes Great Baths
Every geologic category must have a record-holder, but sometimes the standout is on a whole different scale.
iflscience.com
After almost thirty years of science writing I have finally stuck my toe in the water of a pivot to video. Please join me us as Michaela and I travel the Solar System Drive to get a concept of how big the spaces between the planets really are. www.iflscience.com/iflscience-v...
IFLScience Visits The Second-Largest Solar System Scale Model In The World And Concludes: Space Is Big
We took a tour of model that stretches for hundreds of kilometers and were reminded that space is really big.
iflscience.com
Are the Ukrainian armed forces the only combatant force engaged in a war at the moment that still think killing civilians is wrong?
Andy Vitek@avitek.bsky.social · 2mo agoFukuyama: We have reached the end of history. History: It's 2026, and an official branch of the Ukrainian armed forces is tweeting about how drone striking Andrew Tate while he's clout farming with the Russian military would be fun, but is sadly a war crime. Get bent old man.
The one time I was filmed by a far-right influencer I could literally have said, "Aren't you that guy who thought he was so tough he had to use a breadboard to beat his wife up" and have it be absolutely true. My God I wish I had thought of it.
Brendan Harkin@brendanjharkin.bsky.social · 2mo agoThere will be an army of vloggers catching trains and planes to get to Belfast to try and help stir shit up, reminder that if a man with a GoPro starts filming you, you can always ask "aren't you that paedo guy?" to ensure the clip doesn't end up online.
There were good reasons to give up on the prospects for life on the nearest planets beyond our Solar System, and most astrobiologists did. If this study proves to be correct, that pessimism may have been premature. www.iflscience.com/evidence-ear...
Evidence Earth’s Closest Exoplanets Have Enormous Magnetic Fields Revives Prospects For Life On Proxima b
Just when it seemed the galaxy must be sterile for light-years around our home system, a new hope emerges.
iflscience.com
Having just witnessed the mesmerizing perfomance of Where Song Began by the Bowerbird Collective, I would like to encourage any followers I may have in Melbourne to go along this Saturday night (or Brisbanites on the 17th June). Sorry to the rest of the world, hopefully you'll get a chance one day
Just stealthily hanging out, keeping their existence secret from us by dying in the wrong places for us to find them.
IFLScience@iflscience.com · 2mo agowww.iflscience.com/dinosaurs-ma...
“Dr. Antaki, a biomedical engineer, had been building an artificial heart for babies and young children, a pump the size of a AA battery, and he was getting close. But with his research grants stopped, Dr. Antaki slowly drained his lab’s rainy day funds, and he was forced to lay off all his staff.”
How a Funding Pause Derailed an Artificial Heart for Babies
nytimes.com
