Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

NPR @npr.org · 20h

An amateur satellite tracker stumbled across the signal, which is coming from Starshield satellites in a "hidden" part of the radio spectrum.

A classified network of SpaceX satellites is emitting a mysterious signal

An amateur satellite tracker stumbled across the signal, which is coming from Starshield satellites in a "hidden" part of the radio spectrum.

n.pr

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2d

Remember this one? “Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom.” Via Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social #CityMakingMath

The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike

A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 2d

"Technologies purchased by ICE in recent weeks include spyware that can hack into smartphones remotely and cellphone location software that can enable the tracking of a phone’s movements without a court warrant..."

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

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Matt Shipman (he/him) @shiplives.bsky.social · 2d

A decade ago I wanted to find a way to recognize the wonderful images that researchers created -- in the lab and in the field. With some likeminded folks, we got it off the ground. It's worked out beautifully, and I'm proud of it.

#SciArt

news.ncsu.edu/2025/10/a-de...

A Decade of Envisioning Research

Celebrate beauty and wonder.

news.ncsu.edu

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 2d

"Historically, funding issues have particularly hurt beats like science and health journalism and these new pressures only intensify the crisis..." 🧪

Will Science Journalism Funders Step Up or Retreat?

Amid Trump-era funding turmoil, foundations are finding themselves pulled in many directions to fill in the gaps.

undark.org

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 3d

Archaeologists discovered a bunch of Neolithic period worked human bones in canals and moats in southern China. 🏺🧪

5,000 years ago, Stone Age people in China crafted their ancestors' bones into cups and masks

Archaeologists in China found a collection of human bones that showed signs of being "worked" like any other natural material.

www.livescience.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 3d

Violence, scientific DRAMA, and misunderstanding!
Who first asked if woodpeckers get headaches, or if rams are immune to brain damage?
New Paper! I trace the history of human thought on brain injury in head-hitting animals, and it's a wild ride. 🧪 🏺
A thread - 1/🧵
doi.org/10.1002/ar.7...

Graphical abstract for A history of human thought on brain injury in head-hitting animals. Humans have hypothesized about headbutting for centuries. Biological misunderstanding has often been the cause of "invulnerability" theories. An accumulation of biological misinterpretation has led to the belief that animals are immune, despite evidence that headbutting causes brain injury.

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 3d

This is it! Second place in the 2025 Nikon Small World microphotography contest went to a photo showing green sphere-shaped colonies of Volvox algae floating in a drop of water (credit: Dr. Jan Rosenboom / Nikon Small World). Looks like a gorgeous blob-shaped alien to me

Second place winner in the 2025 Nikon Small World microphotography contest. Green spheres of colonial algae (Volvox) suspended in a drop of water. Credit: Dr. Jan Rosenboom / Nikon Small World

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 3d

These "extreme closeup" images of the natural world are stunning!! 🧪 My favorite is the otherworldly photo of algae suspended in a droplet of water

Magnifying the minuscule: Nikon Small World photomicrography 2025 – in pictures

Weevils, spores, slime mold and cells in extreme closeup for the 51st anniversary of the Nikon Small World competition

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Javi Ibarrondo @jibarrondo.bsky.social · 4d

Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪

Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores

Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides rare window into life 6000 years ago

www.science.org

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Patsy DeLacey @patsyd.bsky.social · 4d

🧪 Using nearly a decade of high-speed footage, an unsupervised machine learning approach distinguished 9 distinct precipitation types, including varieties of rain, snow, and mixed-phases.

Results could improve weather forecasting and winter driving safety.

news.engin.umich.edu/2025/10/betw...

Between rain and snow, machine learning finds 9 precipitation types

Leveraging 1.5M minutes of precipitation data and a nonlinear method to handle complex relationships between variables, the team created a new classification system

news.engin.umich.edu

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 5d

Six years ago, radio telescopes detected ghostly ring-shaped structures in space, dubbed "odd radio circles" or ORCs. Now citizen scientists have found three new ORCs, including twin rings nearly a million light years across

Citizen scientists just discovered the most powerful 'odd radio circle' twins in space we've ever seen

The largest of three newly found ring shaped structures in the cosmos are almost a million light-years across.

www.space.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 5d

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports

CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

www.consumerreports.org

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Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · 5d

Researchers pointed a satellite dish at the sky for 3 years and monitored what unencrypted data it picked up. The results were shocking: They obtained thousands of T-Mobile users' phone calls and texts, military and law enforcement secrets, much more: www.wired.com/story/satell... 🧵👇

Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypte...

www.wired.com

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · Sep 1

Now I’m looking for my next opportunity. If you know of any full-time roles in the world of science journalism, or you just want to catch up, please reach out! I'm available here, on LinkedIn, or via my website, sophiebushwick.com/

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · Sep 1

In addition to editing a range of science, health, and tech news, I had the opportunity to manage reporters, shape a physics and math newsletter, review both sci-fi and non-fiction books (including interviewing one of my favorite authors!), and learn so much about newsroom best practices

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Sophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · Sep 1

Last week, my time at New Scientist came to an end. It's been a pleasure working with such a talented and dedicated team and taking on brand-new challenges over the past couple years

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · Aug 28

🔥🧵 Resignation letters from top CDC experts:

"Their desire to please a political base will result in death & disability of vulnerable children & adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc."

- @drdemetre.bsky.social
Thanks for your service.

Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · Aug 27

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails.

The end of an era.

insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails.

The end of an era.

insidemedicine.substack.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Michael Le Page @mjflepage.bsky.social · Aug 27

In 2020, 5% of all the calories grown on farms 🚜 went into making biofuels rather than being used as food - and that figure is likely higher now 🧪

To me, this is a crazy bad idea being enabled by government subsidies

www.newscientist.com/article/2493...

Fewer than half the calories grown on farms now reach our plates

In 2020, the world produced more than enough calories to feed the global population, but only half of those calories reached people’s plates due to rising meat and biofuel production

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · Aug 26

Adam Raine, 16, died from suicide in April after months on ChatGPT discussing plans to end his life. His parents have filed the first known case against OpenAI for wrongful death.

Overwhelming at times to work on this story, but here it is. My latest on AI chatbots: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...

A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.

www.nytimes.com

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James Dinneen @jamesdinneen.bsky.social · Aug 26

Asgard archaea frozen in Siberia appear to have remained alive for more than 100,000 years based on DNA analysis. Genetic overlap with other Asgards suggests astonishingly long lifespans could be common trait among the closest living relatives of all eukaryotes. Per @karenlloyd.bsky.social etal.🧪

We are unlocking how frozen microbes stay alive for 100,000 years

Microbes found buried deep in Siberian permafrost may be able to survive over extremely long timescales using protein repair genes

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

James Dinneen @jamesdinneen.bsky.social · Aug 26

Solar panel exports from China to Africa surged 60 per cent over the past year, says @ember-energy.org. Unlike previous jumps, this upward trend was spread across the continent – with 20 countries seeing import records and 25 countries importing more than 100 megawatts worth of panels.🔌💡

Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?

African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Jeremy Hsu @jeremyhsu.bsky.social · Aug 25

Black cars absorb much more heat from sunlight compared to reflective white cars - and can significantly increase nearby air temperature even more than dark asphalt.

Notable urban heat island implications for cities with parked cars densely packed together.🧪

www.newscientist.com/article/2493...

The colour of your car has a big impact on urban heat

Dark-coloured cars can make a measurable difference on nearby air temperature, and in cities of millions the effect can add up and noticeably increase how hot it feels

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

Jeremy Hsu @jeremyhsu.bsky.social · Aug 25

The more your exposure to heatwaves, the faster your body may age. See the growing evidence of this accelerated aging impact.

Air conditioning protects but sustainable cooling needed to mitigate the climate change that makes heatwaves more frequent and severe.🧪

www.newscientist.com/article/2493...

Experiencing heatwaves may make you age faster

Millions of people may experience accelerated ageing as climate change drives more frequent and intense hot weather

www.newscientist.com

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Reposted by Sophie Bushwick

James Dinneen @jamesdinneen.bsky.social · Aug 21

The huge volume of ore extracted from existing US mines is full of critical minerals, but nearly all of this goes to waste. New analysis finds out just out how much is getting tossed out.🧪🔌💡

We could get most metals for clean energy without opening new mines

An analysis of active US mines finds they already collect virtually all of the minerals the country needs for batteries, solar panels and wind turbines – but these critical minerals mostly go to waste

www.newscientist.com

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