Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 1h

Oh no!

maura johnston @maura.bsky.social · 1h

What a genius. The world is worse without him. variety.com/2025/music/n...

D’Angelo, Neo-Soul Pioneer and ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’ Singer, Dies at 51

Legendary R&B singer D'Angelo, who released three albums throughout his career, has died. He was 51.

variety.com

1 2

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 1h

Right, that's more what I meant.

1

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 1h

Absolutely. Access can be inherently corrupting.

(See: Apple coverage.)

This will make outlets compete harder for the news they're not being handed.

1 3

Reposted by James Temple

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 1d

This is a powerful account from a PhD student whose fellowship was terminated by NIH because it was part of a "diversity" program without any other considerations or understanding of what the program or the students were actually doing.

undark.org/2025/10/09/o...

1/2

NIH Student Grant Cancellation Will Weaken Scientific Innovation

The termination of federal F31 diversity fellowships puts many graduate students in a bind — and U.S. science at risk.

undark.org

3 120 230

Reposted by James Temple

Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 6d

Nobel Prize for Climate Tech. Should actually be a category going forward. But this'll do for today (gift link) - www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Chemistry Nobel Given for Molecules That Aid Carbon Capture

Scientists from Japan, the UK and Jordan were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating molecular constructions with potential to help combat climate change.

www.bloomberg.com

8 150 530

Reposted by James Temple

Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 3d

Extremely bad news if true (and unlikely this reporter would run with it if not). The MMWR has been the earliest warning bell for outbreaks since it announced the first US cases, in 1981, of what was later identified as AIDS.

This will be a grievous shock to what remains of US public health.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 3d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

10 250 580

Reposted by James Temple

Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 3d

Journalist here

I’m interested in talking to a federal agency scientist who was fired, then rehired. I can keep you anonymous. I’m on Signal ginnyg.04

Reposts are appreciated!

4 310 310

Reposted by James Temple

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

1.5K 930 2.4K

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 3d

Listen in to Science Friday today, as @caseycrownhart.bsky.social discusses our picks for this year's Climate Tech Companies to Watch list:

World Space Week And Promising Climate Tech Companies

We check in on some exciting space missions and projects from IMAP to LIGO. Plus, climate tech companies that have our attention.

www.sciencefriday.com

2

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 4d

Spent an hour fact checking the first fact in my story.

Onto fact two.

14

Reposted by James Temple

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 4d

Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).

The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 4d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

130 2.4K 4.6K

Reposted by James Temple

Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 4d

MIT showing the way

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

15 61

Reposted by James Temple

Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 4d

Here's a snippet from the MIT president's letter to ED

Screenshot from link that reads: The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.

In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.

4 92 300

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 5d

This is deeply troubling.

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

www.theguardian.com

9 23

Reposted by James Temple

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 5d

he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity

38 1.1K 5.3K

Reposted by James Temple

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 5d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

140 1.8K 4.7K

Reposted by James Temple

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 6d

Stand up for the rights of trans folks because everyone should have human rights and freedom to live their lives, it's really not complicated.

2 81 290

Reposted by James Temple

David Wallace-Wells @dwallacewells.bsky.social · 5d

ICE has been pulling guns on civilians, spraying tear gas in the face of protestors who film them, shooting priests with pepper spray and pellets—and, increasingly it seems, targeting journalists and others trying to document their activities. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | ‘ICE Goes Masked for a Single Reason’

www.nytimes.com

5 41 110

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 6d

Read The Tiger if you haven't! I'm about due for a second read.

1 2

Reposted by James Temple

David Wallace-Wells @dwallacewells.bsky.social · 6d

“‘We must stop expecting carbon offsetting to work at scale,’ said Stephen Lezak, a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Smith School. ‘We have assessed 25 years of evidence and almost everything up until this point has failed.’” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says

Analysis of 25 years of evidence shows most schemes are poor quality and fail to lower emissions

www.theguardian.com

2 30 76

Reposted by James Temple

Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 6d

Some additional info on the new list of axed DOE projects circulating.
- All 7 H2 Hubs
- All 13 IRA grants to convert at-risk auto plants to EV mfg
- 11 of 15 grants to speed domestic clean energy mfg in former coal communities
- 10 of 38 grants for battery materials
heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Axe All 7 Hydrogen Hubs, Bucking Bipartisan Law

A new list of Department of Energy grants slated for termination will hit clean energy and oil majors alike, including Exxon and Chevron.

heatmap.news

14 95 210

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 6d

Eager to hear what's next and read your byline wherever that may be.

1 8

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 6d

DOE appears set to terminate tens of millions in funding for Project Cypress and South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub, the two big projects in the US DAC Hubs program.

The US is set to cancel funding for two major direct-air capture plants

he terminations cut tens of millions of dollars that Climeworks, Heirloom, Oxy and others were depending on to develop carbon removal projects in Louisiana and Texas.

www.technologyreview.com

4 15 22

Reposted by James Temple

Eric Roston @eroston.bsky.social · 7d

Oh:
- The US sold $80 billion in oil and gas abroad through July.
- China exported $120 billion in green technology over the same period.
By @akshatrathi.bsky.social
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export Dominance

China’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally.

www.bloomberg.com

8 140 280

James Temple @jtemple.bsky.social · 7d

@clarajeffery.bsky.social lays out what blue state soft secession could look like, and why it's time to give it a try
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

It’s time for soft secession

How blue states can use their economic clout to stand up to Trump’s agenda—starting with California.

www.motherjones.com

5 23