Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 8d

Welcome, fall! 🍁🍃

Leaves with rounded edges in strong light some
Orange some yellow some green

Tall yellow blades of grass in front of a lake in bright sunlight

Autumn trees in strong backlight with long shadows by a lake

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 10d

My latest story in Science News. 🧪 “Even when [side effects] can be rare, when they happen to you, it means all the world,” says public health researcher John Ayers.

Science News @sciencenews.bsky.social · 10d

A new AI tool could link people experiencing harmful side effects of unregulated products to public health workers who can provide help.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ai-health-side-effects-social-media

An AI tool scans social media posts to identify harmful side effects from cannabis use

A new AI tool discovers harmful side effects of cannabis products from Reddit posts. Public health workers could use this info to help keep people safe.

www.sciencenews.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 10d

This is starting in 15 minutes! Listen to me and several other experts tell stories about inventions.

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 10

"Inventions almost always inspire curiosity since they – by their nature – have never existed before." I'm excited to be on this upcoming panel discussing invention and innovation, hosted by @ecornellonline.bsky.social September 30, 1pm ET, free to attend 🧪
ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/ove...

Keynote: Inventions | eCornell

Be Informed. Be Inspired. Experience the Best of Cornell, Live and On Demand.

ecornell.cornell.edu

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 15d

Scientists are using AI to understand animal communication. Fact or fiction?

It's actually true! A new activity I wrote to go along with my new book The UFO Files helps students use critical thinking to check facts:
www.patriciamnewman.com/litlinks-tru...

@patricianewman.bsky.social

LitLinks: True story or science fiction? How to find the truth! - Patricia Newman

An alien spacecraft has arrived on Earth, carrying intelligent beings. Is this a true story or science fiction?

www.patriciamnewman.com

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Reposted by Kathryn Hulick

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 16d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 17d

My latest story for Science News covers a really interesting experimental computer chip. It reuses energy that typical chips waste as heat:
www.sciencenews.org/article/comp...
If this scales up, it could help make AI cheaper and more efficient. 🧪
@sciencenews.bsky.social

This experimental computer chip reuses energy

A first-of-its-kind test shows that reusing energy within a computer chip can work, thanks to two techy tricks.

www.sciencenews.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · 23d

I did a lot of colored pencil drawing this summer. Here are some of my favorites 🍃 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

Colored pencil drawing of a tree held in hand

Colored pencil drawing of a misty morning on a lake

Colored pencil drawing of trees in front of a lake with a white dog

Yellow leaf lying on top of a drawing of that leaf

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Reposted by Kathryn Hulick

Project CETI @projectceti.bsky.social · 24d

Thank you @sierramagazine.bsky.social and @kathrynhulick.substack.com for highlighting our work!🐋Read the quote from Daniela Rus (@csail.mit.edu), PI on CETI Machine Learning and Robotics Team and more in the piece “Could AI Help Humanity Understand Whales?” here: bit.ly/45tksRL 📸: Arun Madisetti

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 10

"Inventions almost always inspire curiosity since they – by their nature – have never existed before." I'm excited to be on this upcoming panel discussing invention and innovation, hosted by @ecornellonline.bsky.social September 30, 1pm ET, free to attend 🧪
ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/ove...

Keynote: Inventions | eCornell

Be Informed. Be Inspired. Experience the Best of Cornell, Live and On Demand.

ecornell.cornell.edu

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 7

It wasn’t even on my bucket list… but just checked off “triathlon in the pouring rain” 🌧️ 😅

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 6

I’m here at Word on the Street until noon for an author talk and book signing! For my new book The UFO Files. Hope to see you. @quartokids.bsky.social www.quarto.com/books/978071...

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 5

Do you wish we had holograms or helper robots in our daily lives? What might future tech be like? Here’s my latest story for kids and teens, out this week in @snexplores.bsky.social 🧪 www.snexplores.org/article/futu...

Get a sneak peek at the tech you may use in the future

Holograms, 3-D printed clothing, personal robots — these technologies and more might one day transform your daily life.

www.snexplores.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Sep 5

Will we ever have robots doing our laundry or hologram conversations? Will we design and 3D print clothes and shoes at home? Read my new feature for @snexplores.bsky.social about tech that could change our daily lives: www.snexplores.org/article/futu...

Get a sneak peek at the tech you may use in the future

Holograms, 3-D printed clothing, personal robots — these technologies and more might one day transform your daily life.

www.snexplores.org

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 26

Ooh I just found out about #InverteFest - perfect time to share this oddly mutated lady crab we found earlier this summer! Folks on iNaturalist were very excited about it: www.inaturalist.org/observations... 🦀

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 26

Hopefully people don’t let that happen! in this case the tech is helping people with disorders that make regular speech difficult or impossible, but they still need privacy controls…

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 26

When tech reads your thoughts, hopefully it won't read out ALL of them! Researchers had subjects imagine the password "Chitty chitty bang bang” to activate a mental speech decoder. 🧪https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/an-inner-speech-decoder-reveals-some-mental-privacy-issues/

An inner-speech decoder reveals some mental privacy issues

Words you’ll never speak still cause activity in the brain’s speech centers.

arstechnica.com

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Reposted by Kathryn Hulick

Melissa Stewart @mstewartscience.bsky.social · Aug 25

Wow, my upcoming book From Bam to Burp! was included in this list of recommended titles in yesterday's
@washingtonpost.com book section! Thank you, librarians!
tinyurl.com/yc53ahvf
@charlesbridge.bsky.social @steamteambooks.bsky.social #edusky #kidlit

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 25

The other guest, @jaimealyse.bsky.social wrote a book that I will be reading next! It's called The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos.

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 25

What's your favorite alien story?

This morning I appeared WNPR's "Where We Live" to talk about my kids book The UFO Files and why people find the possibility of alien life so fascinating. Listen to the show:
www.ctpublic.org/show/where-w...

@quartokids.bsky.social

Looking up: Why we wonder about life beyond Earth

From movies to mysterious lights in the sky, the possibility of life beyond Earth sparks endless curiosity. This hour, we dive into why we love to imagine alien life.

www.ctpublic.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 21

I'll be on the radio Monday morning! Tune in to WNPR at 9am on 8/25 to hear me talk about the possibility of alien life and my new book The UFO Files: www.ctpublic.org/show/where-w...

Where We Live

Where We Live is a place to hear fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines. We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and cons...

www.ctpublic.org

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 20

If you haven't yet heard about zombie insects, get ready to squirm! This is “a pretty gruesome story” says Conrad Labandeira. 🧪 www.snexplores.org/article/fung... @snexplores.bsky.social

Fungi have been ‘zombifying’ insects for 99 million years

Two bits of ancient amber sitting in a lab basement hold evidence of a fungus that's become famous for controlling its victims' minds.

www.snexplores.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 15

So true! I’ve written about this: (some efforts to improve efficiency) www.snexplores.org/article/gree...

To ‘green’ AI, scientists are making it less resource-hungry

Energy demands of ChatGPT and similar AI tools can threaten Earth’s climate. So researchers have begun redesigning how to run data centers and build AI.

www.snexplores.org

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 12

One alien sees black holes. Another smells with its hair. Check out what kids imagined at my book launch for The UFO Files on Sunday! And try the activity yourself - link in my Substack. @anunlikelystory.bsky.social @quartokids.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

Imagine and draw an alien being

Kids tried this activity at my book launch for The UFO Files

open.substack.com

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Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 12

2. How to design artificial intelligence that acts nice — and only nice
www.snexplores.org/article/arti...

How to design artificial intelligence that acts nice — and only nice

Today’s bots can’t turn against us, but they can cause harm. “AI safety” aims to train this tech so it will always be honest, harmless and helpful.

www.snexplores.org

Kathryn Hulick @kathrynhulick.substack.com · Aug 12

I wrote about similar ideas in two of my stories for teens published in @snexplores.bsky.social
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Want your own AI double? There could be big benefits — and risks
www.snexplores.org/article/ai-d...

Want your own AI double? Digital clones could bring big benefits — and risks

People are using AI to mimic their own voice, likeness and personality. Some are excited about these new digital clones. Others worry, what could go wrong?

www.snexplores.org

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