Rectus Abdominus
@decypher.bsky.social
Well-rounded, fair, with a photographic memory. Interested in physics, materials science. From NYC, now in Central Europe
Love this quote at the end:
"No acceptable explanation for the miraculous identity of particles of the same type has ever been put forward. That identity must be regarded, not as a triviality, but as a central mystery of physics."
- Physicists Charles W. Misner, John A. Wheeler, and Kip S. Thorne
"No acceptable explanation for the miraculous identity of particles of the same type has ever been put forward. That identity must be regarded, not as a triviality, but as a central mystery of physics."
- Physicists Charles W. Misner, John A. Wheeler, and Kip S. Thorne
I just love this research post. I keep reading it. Non-locality inherent in all similar particles across the universe. I used to geek out with a Caltech friend when I was working on a scifi proj about entanglement and ask 'what if we really are all connected?'...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
Quantum nonlocality may be inherent in the very nature of identical particles
At its deepest physical foundations, the world appears to be nonlocal: particles separated in space behave not as independent quantum systems, but as parts of a single one. Polish physicists have now ...
phys.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Love this quote at the end:
"No acceptable explanation for the miraculous identity of particles of the same type has ever been put forward. That identity must be regarded, not as a triviality, but as a central mystery of physics."
- Physicists Charles W. Misner, John A. Wheeler, and Kip S. Thorne
"No acceptable explanation for the miraculous identity of particles of the same type has ever been put forward. That identity must be regarded, not as a triviality, but as a central mystery of physics."
- Physicists Charles W. Misner, John A. Wheeler, and Kip S. Thorne
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Mentions and reminds here that Louise Webster, an Australian scientist, was the co-discoverer of black holes and she shouldn’t have been forgotten about
Great to chat with someone who really loved my book on black holes, A Crack in Everything, and appreciated the fact I had gone and talked to the people who had made the discoveries and told their stories. Here’s the podcast newbooksnetwork.com/a-crack-in-e...
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
November 8, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Mentions and reminds here that Louise Webster, an Australian scientist, was the co-discoverer of black holes and she shouldn’t have been forgotten about
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Goddard spacecraft engineer: "I think it just kind of speaks to the atmosphere of the agency and the nation, where people are like, 'Well, laws don't matter for the people at the top anymore.'"
NASA is sinking its flagship science center during the government shutdown — and may be breaking the law in the process, critics say
"There is just a general acknowledgement that a lot of what is happening is illegal…"
www.space.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Goddard spacecraft engineer: "I think it just kind of speaks to the atmosphere of the agency and the nation, where people are like, 'Well, laws don't matter for the people at the top anymore.'"
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
November 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
This from a top expert on Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier.
Highly likely that we're committing to an additional 3 meters (10 ft) of sea level rise as we speak. Yes, it'll take time to fully materialize, but when will the enormous damage that we're signing up for sink in with voters and policy makers?
Highly likely that we're committing to an additional 3 meters (10 ft) of sea level rise as we speak. Yes, it'll take time to fully materialize, but when will the enormous damage that we're signing up for sink in with voters and policy makers?
In summary, the outlook is grim. It is highly likely that Thwaites Glacier will eventually be lost, which will destabilise adjoining parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, increasing the committed long-term rise in global mean sea level by more than 3 m.
October 26, 2025 at 9:41 PM
This from a top expert on Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier.
Highly likely that we're committing to an additional 3 meters (10 ft) of sea level rise as we speak. Yes, it'll take time to fully materialize, but when will the enormous damage that we're signing up for sink in with voters and policy makers?
Highly likely that we're committing to an additional 3 meters (10 ft) of sea level rise as we speak. Yes, it'll take time to fully materialize, but when will the enormous damage that we're signing up for sink in with voters and policy makers?
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
"The global oil market may be at a tipping point as signs of a significant supply glut emerge" writes the IEA.
Tepid demand due to "subpar economic conditions, increasing vehicle efficiencies, & robust electric vehicle sales in many markets." 😮
www.iea.org/commentaries...
Tepid demand due to "subpar economic conditions, increasing vehicle efficiencies, & robust electric vehicle sales in many markets." 😮
www.iea.org/commentaries...
As oil market surplus keeps rising, something’s got to give – Analysis - IEA
As oil market surplus keeps rising, something’s got to give - A commentary by Toril Bosoni
www.iea.org
October 27, 2025 at 7:24 AM
"The global oil market may be at a tipping point as signs of a significant supply glut emerge" writes the IEA.
Tepid demand due to "subpar economic conditions, increasing vehicle efficiencies, & robust electric vehicle sales in many markets." 😮
www.iea.org/commentaries...
Tepid demand due to "subpar economic conditions, increasing vehicle efficiencies, & robust electric vehicle sales in many markets." 😮
www.iea.org/commentaries...
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
#India recorded its LARGEST ever increase in both #solar and #wind in the first half of 2025 ☀️🌪️🇮🇳
Solar rose 17 TWh (+25%) and wind 11 TWh (+29%) 📈
Solar growth alone was bigger than demand growth, while wind matched it.
https://loom.ly/c-MNZSk
Solar rose 17 TWh (+25%) and wind 11 TWh (+29%) 📈
Solar growth alone was bigger than demand growth, while wind matched it.
https://loom.ly/c-MNZSk
October 13, 2025 at 7:01 AM
#India recorded its LARGEST ever increase in both #solar and #wind in the first half of 2025 ☀️🌪️🇮🇳
Solar rose 17 TWh (+25%) and wind 11 TWh (+29%) 📈
Solar growth alone was bigger than demand growth, while wind matched it.
https://loom.ly/c-MNZSk
Solar rose 17 TWh (+25%) and wind 11 TWh (+29%) 📈
Solar growth alone was bigger than demand growth, while wind matched it.
https://loom.ly/c-MNZSk
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
How does one write about China's plans - solar or whatever else - in Tibet without recognising that the people have been marginalised and pushed out? The lack of understanding of land and resource rights issues among (mostly Western) climate reporters is sadly not new
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/w...
China’s High Ambitions for Clean Energy
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:15 AM
How does one write about China's plans - solar or whatever else - in Tibet without recognising that the people have been marginalised and pushed out? The lack of understanding of land and resource rights issues among (mostly Western) climate reporters is sadly not new
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/w...
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Over 20 yrs of flying insect counts at a remote high(3000m)-mountain meadow in Colorado (by a very dedicated observer) shows insect counts fell by an average of 6.6%/yr, overall a 72.4% drop. The main culprit was rising summer temperatures, especially warmer nights. ½
www.earth.com/news/remote-...
www.earth.com/news/remote-...
Remote mountain meadow confirms global insect crisis
Colorado mountains study shows insect numbers dropped 72% in 20 years, driven mainly by warming summer nights.
www.earth.com
September 9, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Over 20 yrs of flying insect counts at a remote high(3000m)-mountain meadow in Colorado (by a very dedicated observer) shows insect counts fell by an average of 6.6%/yr, overall a 72.4% drop. The main culprit was rising summer temperatures, especially warmer nights. ½
www.earth.com/news/remote-...
www.earth.com/news/remote-...
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Someone in Russia filmed how the subway (train) doors close over there and it’s deservingly going viral with the most hilarious comments. Yes, it’s typical.
The voice says: “This is (name of the station). Careful, the doors are closing.”
The voice says: “This is (name of the station). Careful, the doors are closing.”
September 9, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Someone in Russia filmed how the subway (train) doors close over there and it’s deservingly going viral with the most hilarious comments. Yes, it’s typical.
The voice says: “This is (name of the station). Careful, the doors are closing.”
The voice says: “This is (name of the station). Careful, the doors are closing.”
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Turns out that everyone in the Netherlands has more PFAS 'forever chemicals' in their blood than the health limit - test on 2016-2017 blood samples. nos.nl/l/2573446
RIVM: bijna iedereen in Nederland heeft te veel PFAS in bloed
De effecten zijn afhankelijk van de hoeveelheid PFAS, de duur van de blootstelling en iemands persoonlijke gezondheidssituatie, zegt het instituut.
nos.nl
July 11, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Turns out that everyone in the Netherlands has more PFAS 'forever chemicals' in their blood than the health limit - test on 2016-2017 blood samples. nos.nl/l/2573446
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Ask me anything!
I'll be doing an AMA with EA forum today.
You can ask me about anything, whether it's about topics I write about (life expectancy, fertility, mortality, global health, data, etc.), recommendations, writing or podcasting, or anything else.
Feel free to reply with questions below.
I'll be doing an AMA with EA forum today.
You can ask me about anything, whether it's about topics I write about (life expectancy, fertility, mortality, global health, data, etc.), recommendations, writing or podcasting, or anything else.
Feel free to reply with questions below.
July 8, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Ask me anything!
I'll be doing an AMA with EA forum today.
You can ask me about anything, whether it's about topics I write about (life expectancy, fertility, mortality, global health, data, etc.), recommendations, writing or podcasting, or anything else.
Feel free to reply with questions below.
I'll be doing an AMA with EA forum today.
You can ask me about anything, whether it's about topics I write about (life expectancy, fertility, mortality, global health, data, etc.), recommendations, writing or podcasting, or anything else.
Feel free to reply with questions below.
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Germany has ended up in a situation where they're building new fossil fuel power stations (yes, gas is a fossil fuel, folks)
Slapping "hydrogen" and "CCS" onto the PDFs procuring 20 freaking gigawatts of new fossil fuel plants doesn't make it any less bad
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/new-ger...
Slapping "hydrogen" and "CCS" onto the PDFs procuring 20 freaking gigawatts of new fossil fuel plants doesn't make it any less bad
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/new-ger...
![News
19 May 2025, 17:13 Benjamin Wehrmann | Germany
New German govt should use existing draft law for new gas power plants – energy industry
Electricity Gas Policy
Clean Energy Wire
[UPDATE adds quotes by minister Reiche, Commissioner Ribera]
The new German government should largely adopt the previous government's plans for building new gas power plants to ensure a rapid back-up for the growing share of renewables, the country's energy industry has said.
According to the Federation of German Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), the country’s new economy and energy minister, Katherina Reiche from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), should use the 2022 draft for the Power Plant Security Act, which was prepared by her predecessor, the Green's Robert Habeck, as a blueprint to ensure no more time is lost in launching the necessary auctions. “We strongly support the minister in very quickly paving the way for the construction of new steerable capacity,” said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae.
Given that more steerable generation capacity will drop out of the market on the path towards the country’s planned coal exit by 2038 at the latest, companies need a clear framework to initiate investments in the required gas plants. Using the previous government’s draft, which has already been agreed by the European Commission’s state aid watchdog, and adapting it where necessary could greatly accelerate the groundwork that companies can build on, Andreae argued.
"Mainly gas-fired power plants" – minister
After a meeting with EU Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera on Monday (19 May), minister Reiche said she aimed to find consensus with the European Commission “over the coming weeks or months” and added that the steerable generation capacity of 20 gigawatt is “expected to be mainly gas-fired power plants.”
The Commission is waiting for the new government to decide on how to proceed. Commissioner Ribera said that German…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:66lbtw2porscqpmair6mir37/bafkreibzd26icrmvohk2633xeb52nmckqwsnflqt4myehal5v2unulhham@jpeg)
May 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Germany has ended up in a situation where they're building new fossil fuel power stations (yes, gas is a fossil fuel, folks)
Slapping "hydrogen" and "CCS" onto the PDFs procuring 20 freaking gigawatts of new fossil fuel plants doesn't make it any less bad
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/new-ger...
Slapping "hydrogen" and "CCS" onto the PDFs procuring 20 freaking gigawatts of new fossil fuel plants doesn't make it any less bad
www.cleanenergywire.org/news/new-ger...
I thought it was :: and had been referencing " we eat 1 credit card/5 grams of plastic per year", not per week. If you take the lower bound of the average quoted by @hankgreen.bsky.social here (0.1g to 5g) per week that's roughly 5 grams per year.
Unintentional (or was it?) SciComm win on my part.
Unintentional (or was it?) SciComm win on my part.
We do not eat a credit card’s worth of plastic a week. This doesn’t pass even the most basic sniff test but also the paper everyone is quoting doesn’t even say that we ingest that much plastic and I’m sick of hearing it in credible places!!!
May 20, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I thought it was :: and had been referencing " we eat 1 credit card/5 grams of plastic per year", not per week. If you take the lower bound of the average quoted by @hankgreen.bsky.social here (0.1g to 5g) per week that's roughly 5 grams per year.
Unintentional (or was it?) SciComm win on my part.
Unintentional (or was it?) SciComm win on my part.
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Apollo 10 launched from Complex 39-B at Kennedy Space Center #OTD in 1969.
The Lunar Module separated from the Command and Service Module, and approached within 16 km of the surface before the crew returned to Earth. The next mission would deliver astronauts to the surface. 🧪 🔭
Images: NASA
The Lunar Module separated from the Command and Service Module, and approached within 16 km of the surface before the crew returned to Earth. The next mission would deliver astronauts to the surface. 🧪 🔭
Images: NASA
May 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Apollo 10 launched from Complex 39-B at Kennedy Space Center #OTD in 1969.
The Lunar Module separated from the Command and Service Module, and approached within 16 km of the surface before the crew returned to Earth. The next mission would deliver astronauts to the surface. 🧪 🔭
Images: NASA
The Lunar Module separated from the Command and Service Module, and approached within 16 km of the surface before the crew returned to Earth. The next mission would deliver astronauts to the surface. 🧪 🔭
Images: NASA
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
one thing I respect about medieval beekeepers is their total commitment to looking like Doctor Who villains
![[image of real-life beekeeper costume and a detail from a painting by Peter Brueghel the Elder]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hppum4l25hcczzffastsicpq/bafkreicsetfmafwdbpftwqgu3rxsahpch2sjuejin7rfabtkfxqnh47kom@jpeg)
May 17, 2025 at 6:25 PM
one thing I respect about medieval beekeepers is their total commitment to looking like Doctor Who villains
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Thank goodness the strike landed on that hill and not the one I was standing on. This shot is tack sharp and you can see the aperture blades in the bends of the bolt. So much detail in the landing point as well, you can see the ocotillo nearby.
April 18, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Thank goodness the strike landed on that hill and not the one I was standing on. This shot is tack sharp and you can see the aperture blades in the bends of the bolt. So much detail in the landing point as well, you can see the ocotillo nearby.
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Massive snow accumulations in the western Alps!
Während es unten Hochwasser gibt, sind auf den Bergen im Grenzgebiet 🇮🇹 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 gewaltige Neuschneemengen zusammengekommen. In nur 2 Tagen 1 bis 2 Meter. ❄️ ❄️
📸 Meteo Valle d'Aosta, Charlotte Bruchez, Sonia Pautas, Yves Lehmann
📸 Meteo Valle d'Aosta, Charlotte Bruchez, Sonia Pautas, Yves Lehmann
April 18, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Massive snow accumulations in the western Alps!
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
My first chart showed the revisions of LULUCF over various editions. Here's what the 2025 report shows in some more detail for forests.
April 17, 2025 at 7:19 AM
My first chart showed the revisions of LULUCF over various editions. Here's what the 2025 report shows in some more detail for forests.
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Bill Burr is a national treasure 🎯!
"You journalists need to get your balls back"
"You journalists need to get your balls back"
April 3, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Bill Burr is a national treasure 🎯!
"You journalists need to get your balls back"
"You journalists need to get your balls back"
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
Sweden has reduced its GHG emissions 38% since 1990 when excluding LULUCF (removals on land).
When LULUCF is added, Swedish GHG emissions have risen 11% since 1990!
Careful if including LULUCF in your GHG target...
Learn more here (I updated the Swedish figure): www.linkedin.com/pulse/should...
When LULUCF is added, Swedish GHG emissions have risen 11% since 1990!
Careful if including LULUCF in your GHG target...
Learn more here (I updated the Swedish figure): www.linkedin.com/pulse/should...
March 11, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Sweden has reduced its GHG emissions 38% since 1990 when excluding LULUCF (removals on land).
When LULUCF is added, Swedish GHG emissions have risen 11% since 1990!
Careful if including LULUCF in your GHG target...
Learn more here (I updated the Swedish figure): www.linkedin.com/pulse/should...
When LULUCF is added, Swedish GHG emissions have risen 11% since 1990!
Careful if including LULUCF in your GHG target...
Learn more here (I updated the Swedish figure): www.linkedin.com/pulse/should...
Reposted by Rectus Abdominus
My latest article on Our World in Data, looking at foreign aid and the difference we can make with personal donations:
ourworldindata.org/foreign-aid-...
ourworldindata.org/foreign-aid-...
For many of us, it doesn’t cost much to improve someone’s life, and we can do much more of it
Most countries spend less than 1% of their national income on foreign aid; even small increases could make a big difference.
ourworldindata.org
March 11, 2025 at 9:38 AM
My latest article on Our World in Data, looking at foreign aid and the difference we can make with personal donations:
ourworldindata.org/foreign-aid-...
ourworldindata.org/foreign-aid-...