Elizabeth Gibney
@lizziegibney.bsky.social
Senior reporter at Nature, views my own. Journalist covering physics, AI, policy. Attempting to stop lurking and start posting.
See my stories at nature.com/news
See my stories at nature.com/news
...while wider Choose Europe schemes are attracting researchers (with @maxkozlov.bsky.social 👏)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
BUT sources said this often means success rates get further squeezed. And measures need to be bigger (billions of euros, thousands of scientists) to really move the needle.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
BUT sources said this often means success rates get further squeezed. And measures need to be bigger (billions of euros, thousands of scientists) to really move the needle.
Dozens of researchers will move to France from US following high-profile bid to lure talent
Large proportion worked at Columbia University, which had its grants cut and frozen by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
www.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:04 AM
...while wider Choose Europe schemes are attracting researchers (with @maxkozlov.bsky.social 👏)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
BUT sources said this often means success rates get further squeezed. And measures need to be bigger (billions of euros, thousands of scientists) to really move the needle.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
BUT sources said this often means success rates get further squeezed. And measures need to be bigger (billions of euros, thousands of scientists) to really move the needle.
I've written two @nature.com stories this week looking at whether EU efforts to lure US scientists are working 🧪
They are: the number of US applicants wanting to take up ERC grants has doubled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
They are: the number of US applicants wanting to take up ERC grants has doubled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US applications for prestigious European research grants surge
Rush for funds to relocate laboratories to Europe is latest sign of a US brain drain.
www.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:04 AM
I've written two @nature.com stories this week looking at whether EU efforts to lure US scientists are working 🧪
They are: the number of US applicants wanting to take up ERC grants has doubled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
They are: the number of US applicants wanting to take up ERC grants has doubled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Silicon Valley has gone wild for Moltbook, the social network for AI agents. What can scientists learn from studying it?
Great @nature.com story from Mohana Basu 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Great @nature.com story from Mohana Basu 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
OpenClaw AI chatbots are running amok — these scientists are listening in
Artificial-intelligence agents have their own social-media platform and are publishing AI-generated research papers on their own preprint server.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Silicon Valley has gone wild for Moltbook, the social network for AI agents. What can scientists learn from studying it?
Great @nature.com story from Mohana Basu 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Great @nature.com story from Mohana Basu 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
4/4 As for Pan, he says they'll soon launch a geostationary 🛰️ that will enable Q comms over 10,000km & host a wildly good optical clock (with a 'tick' fluctuating only at the 10^-19 level, more than 100x better than the ACES clock on the ISS!)
The era of quantum physics in space is well under way!
The era of quantum physics in space is well under way!
February 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
4/4 As for Pan, he says they'll soon launch a geostationary 🛰️ that will enable Q comms over 10,000km & host a wildly good optical clock (with a 'tick' fluctuating only at the 10^-19 level, more than 100x better than the ACES clock on the ISS!)
The era of quantum physics in space is well under way!
The era of quantum physics in space is well under way!
3/4 The skies are now far from empty. Last year China launched a light quantum microsat & is planning a whole constellation www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Other quantum 🛰️ are set to fly. A UK-Singapore collab launched SpeQtre in Nov & both ESA and the Canadian Space Agency have missions in the works
Other quantum 🛰️ are set to fly. A UK-Singapore collab launched SpeQtre in Nov & both ESA and the Canadian Space Agency have missions in the works
Mini-satellite paves the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth
A Chinese team has transmitted quantum-encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometres.
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
3/4 The skies are now far from empty. Last year China launched a light quantum microsat & is planning a whole constellation www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Other quantum 🛰️ are set to fly. A UK-Singapore collab launched SpeQtre in Nov & both ESA and the Canadian Space Agency have missions in the works
Other quantum 🛰️ are set to fly. A UK-Singapore collab launched SpeQtre in Nov & both ESA and the Canadian Space Agency have missions in the works
2/4 Micius' fall was expected and controlled, its architect Jianwei Pan told me.
As well as allow secure communication across continents using QKD, in its extended life, researchers used the 🛰️ to test models of gravity-induced entanglement and to synchronise time from space.
As well as allow secure communication across continents using QKD, in its extended life, researchers used the 🛰️ to test models of gravity-induced entanglement and to synchronise time from space.
February 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
2/4 Micius' fall was expected and controlled, its architect Jianwei Pan told me.
As well as allow secure communication across continents using QKD, in its extended life, researchers used the 🛰️ to test models of gravity-induced entanglement and to synchronise time from space.
As well as allow secure communication across continents using QKD, in its extended life, researchers used the 🛰️ to test models of gravity-induced entanglement and to synchronise time from space.
1/4 RIP Micius 🛰️
The world's first quantum satellite crashed into the Pacific last week (to the west of Ecuador) after an almost 10-year mission
Also known as Mozi (& QUESS) it was famously the first to teleport a photon to space (or at least its quantum state)
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/nat...
The world's first quantum satellite crashed into the Pacific last week (to the west of Ecuador) after an almost 10-year mission
Also known as Mozi (& QUESS) it was famously the first to teleport a photon to space (or at least its quantum state)
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/nat...
Quantum teleportation is even weirder than you think - Nature
Don't let the catchy name distract you, says Philip Ball: the questions inspired by this arguably misnamed phenomenon go to the heart of quantum theory.
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
1/4 RIP Micius 🛰️
The world's first quantum satellite crashed into the Pacific last week (to the west of Ecuador) after an almost 10-year mission
Also known as Mozi (& QUESS) it was famously the first to teleport a photon to space (or at least its quantum state)
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/nat...
The world's first quantum satellite crashed into the Pacific last week (to the west of Ecuador) after an almost 10-year mission
Also known as Mozi (& QUESS) it was famously the first to teleport a photon to space (or at least its quantum state)
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/nat...
It's hard to do at a distance: ultrasound is very readily absorbed by the skull, so this technique requires an implant just beneath it (or to operate through a cranial window). We v briefly touch on ethical issues in the piece.
The story is available if you register with Nature (no fee required)
The story is available if you register with Nature (no fee required)
February 3, 2026 at 4:11 PM
It's hard to do at a distance: ultrasound is very readily absorbed by the skull, so this technique requires an implant just beneath it (or to operate through a cranial window). We v briefly touch on ethical issues in the piece.
The story is available if you register with Nature (no fee required)
The story is available if you register with Nature (no fee required)
OpenAI is among those investing a whopping $252 million into a start up called Merge Labs. They want to use ultrasound -- rather than electrode implants -- to read out and interact with the brain.
What are its chances of success? My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
What are its chances of success? My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
OpenAI-backed firm to use ultrasound to read minds. Does the science stand up?
Spin-out Merge Labs aims to rival Elon Musk’s brain-chip company Neuralink. But researchers say the technology is still at an early stage.
www.nature.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:11 PM
OpenAI is among those investing a whopping $252 million into a start up called Merge Labs. They want to use ultrasound -- rather than electrode implants -- to read out and interact with the brain.
What are its chances of success? My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
What are its chances of success? My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
We're back with a new vid!
First protein, now exercise. How much do you need to reap the health benefits?
The good news is, probably not as much as you think... 🧪
First protein, now exercise. How much do you need to reap the health benefits?
The good news is, probably not as much as you think... 🧪
Why do lot thing, when few do trick?
I've got a new film on the surprising benefits of little exercise presented once again by @lizziegibney.bsky.social.
Based on a Feature by @marilenharo.bsky.social, it looks at emerging data from smart devices.
Also I dress as an 80s man.
youtu.be/jskktKzWfys
I've got a new film on the surprising benefits of little exercise presented once again by @lizziegibney.bsky.social.
Based on a Feature by @marilenharo.bsky.social, it looks at emerging data from smart devices.
Also I dress as an 80s man.
youtu.be/jskktKzWfys
How much exercise do you really need?
YouTube video by nature video
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 10:57 AM
We're back with a new vid!
First protein, now exercise. How much do you need to reap the health benefits?
The good news is, probably not as much as you think... 🧪
First protein, now exercise. How much do you need to reap the health benefits?
The good news is, probably not as much as you think... 🧪
"Another remarkable case is a 106-year-old woman who took up swimming at age 70 & won her first competition three decades later. Longevity runs in the family: she has two younger sisters over 100 & a 110-year-old aunt."
Great story from @marilenharo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Great story from @marilenharo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Still working at 107: supercentenarian study probes genetics of extreme longevity
Scientists seek to understand the factors that have allowed people in Brazil to reach their 100th or even 110th birthdays despite facing adversities.
www.nature.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:51 AM
"Another remarkable case is a 106-year-old woman who took up swimming at age 70 & won her first competition three decades later. Longevity runs in the family: she has two younger sisters over 100 & a 110-year-old aunt."
Great story from @marilenharo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Great story from @marilenharo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Reposted by Elizabeth Gibney
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
I quizzed @cern.bsky.social's new director general on what that $1bn donation will mean for their long-campaigned for future machine, and whether physicists should pursue cheaper, more varied experimental strategies instead ⚛️🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What a $1-billion pledge means for CERN’s ambitious supercollider plans
New director-general Mark Thomson discusses fundraising efforts and future priorities for Europe’s particle-physics laboratory.
www.nature.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:47 PM
I quizzed @cern.bsky.social's new director general on what that $1bn donation will mean for their long-campaigned for future machine, and whether physicists should pursue cheaper, more varied experimental strategies instead ⚛️🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Very happy you're happy Phil! If the international year of quantum physics taught me anything, it's that most physicists don't think that particles are actually in two places at once (although of course, some still do 😃)
January 22, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Very happy you're happy Phil! If the international year of quantum physics taught me anything, it's that most physicists don't think that particles are actually in two places at once (although of course, some still do 😃)
Hear more about this from first author Sebastian Pedalino on the Nature pod @naturepodcast.bsky.social (including exactly when the team predicts that physicists will be able to do this with a real cat 😉🙀)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪⚛️
The biggest ‘Schrödinger’s cat’ yet — physicists put 7,000 atoms in superposition
Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 21 January 2026
www.nature.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Hear more about this from first author Sebastian Pedalino on the Nature pod @naturepodcast.bsky.social (including exactly when the team predicts that physicists will be able to do this with a real cat 😉🙀)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪⚛️
How big can something be and still be quantum?
We're far off Schrödinger's dead-and-alive cat but physicists have put a cluster of 7,000 atoms into a superposition of distant paths - the chunkiest cat state yet, with philosophical and practical ramifications 🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We're far off Schrödinger's dead-and-alive cat but physicists have put a cluster of 7,000 atoms into a superposition of distant paths - the chunkiest cat state yet, with philosophical and practical ramifications 🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Schrödinger’s cat just got bigger: quantum physicists create largest ever ‘superposition’
Record-breaking experiment shows that a cluster of thousands of atoms can act like a wave as well as a particle.
www.nature.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:44 AM
How big can something be and still be quantum?
We're far off Schrödinger's dead-and-alive cat but physicists have put a cluster of 7,000 atoms into a superposition of distant paths - the chunkiest cat state yet, with philosophical and practical ramifications 🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We're far off Schrödinger's dead-and-alive cat but physicists have put a cluster of 7,000 atoms into a superposition of distant paths - the chunkiest cat state yet, with philosophical and practical ramifications 🧪⚛️
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Great @nature.com story from @nicolakimjones.bsky.social 🧪
"How central 'being a man' was to someone’s sense of self wasn’t particularly predictive of which group they landed in. "'Manly' men are not necessarily toxic," says Hill Cone. "There is positive masculinity."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"How central 'being a man' was to someone’s sense of self wasn’t particularly predictive of which group they landed in. "'Manly' men are not necessarily toxic," says Hill Cone. "There is positive masculinity."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Can ‘toxic masculinity’ be measured? Scientists try to quantify controversial term
A study has outlined eight indicators of toxic masculinity in heterosexual men — and finds that ‘manliness’ is not necessarily a problematic aspect of masculinity.
www.nature.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Great @nature.com story from @nicolakimjones.bsky.social 🧪
"How central 'being a man' was to someone’s sense of self wasn’t particularly predictive of which group they landed in. "'Manly' men are not necessarily toxic," says Hill Cone. "There is positive masculinity."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"How central 'being a man' was to someone’s sense of self wasn’t particularly predictive of which group they landed in. "'Manly' men are not necessarily toxic," says Hill Cone. "There is positive masculinity."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I stopped putting protein powder in my breakfast after making this video (with producer & extra extraordinaire @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social)
It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!
It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!
Watch this video if you want to:
A) Find out how much protein you actually need 🍗
B) You want to see me dress up as a German Chemist from the 1840s 🧪
C) You're a fan of @lizziegibney.bsky.social's amazing presentation style 💃
D) All of the above
A) Find out how much protein you actually need 🍗
B) You want to see me dress up as a German Chemist from the 1840s 🧪
C) You're a fan of @lizziegibney.bsky.social's amazing presentation style 💃
D) All of the above
Confused about how much protein you should be eating? Here’s what the science says.
January 21, 2026 at 10:31 AM
I stopped putting protein powder in my breakfast after making this video (with producer & extra extraordinaire @nickpetrichowe.bsky.social)
It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!
It's based on this great story by @marilenharo.bsky.social from the end of last year🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Do you need more protein? Watch & learn!
Well indeed. It only really makes sense in more varied environments/jobs where flexibility is needed. Some I spoke to said that a surprising number of jobs in a factory are still done by people — and it’s these more flexible roles humanoids could do. But it seems mostly a stepping stone
January 18, 2026 at 10:05 AM
Well indeed. It only really makes sense in more varied environments/jobs where flexibility is needed. Some I spoke to said that a surprising number of jobs in a factory are still done by people — and it’s these more flexible roles humanoids could do. But it seems mostly a stepping stone
But the technical, safety and ethical hurdles to taking them out of the relatively safe and structured environment of a factory and into the real world & doing general tasks, are HUGE!
We remain a long, long way from having humanoid housekeepers (if we want them at all) 🧪🤖
We remain a long, long way from having humanoid housekeepers (if we want them at all) 🧪🤖
January 16, 2026 at 5:08 PM
But the technical, safety and ethical hurdles to taking them out of the relatively safe and structured environment of a factory and into the real world & doing general tasks, are HUGE!
We remain a long, long way from having humanoid housekeepers (if we want them at all) 🧪🤖
We remain a long, long way from having humanoid housekeepers (if we want them at all) 🧪🤖
AI is one of a handful of factors that has helped them to improve. But right now humanoids are not better than humans at... well anything much.
Still, it seems that factories are willing to trial them anyway, especially in China, hoping that they can learn on the job. 🧪🤖
Still, it seems that factories are willing to trial them anyway, especially in China, hoping that they can learn on the job. 🧪🤖
January 16, 2026 at 5:08 PM
AI is one of a handful of factors that has helped them to improve. But right now humanoids are not better than humans at... well anything much.
Still, it seems that factories are willing to trial them anyway, especially in China, hoping that they can learn on the job. 🧪🤖
Still, it seems that factories are willing to trial them anyway, especially in China, hoping that they can learn on the job. 🧪🤖
Happy Friday folks!
Recently you may have seen demos of glitzy humanoid robots doing impressive stuff.
But demos don't say a lot. I wanted to know if these bots are finally becoming useful 🤖🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Recently you may have seen demos of glitzy humanoid robots doing impressive stuff.
But demos don't say a lot. I wanted to know if these bots are finally becoming useful 🤖🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Humanoid robots step up their game: how useful are the latest droids?
Chinese factories have embraced the machines, but many activities still require human operators.
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Happy Friday folks!
Recently you may have seen demos of glitzy humanoid robots doing impressive stuff.
But demos don't say a lot. I wanted to know if these bots are finally becoming useful 🤖🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Recently you may have seen demos of glitzy humanoid robots doing impressive stuff.
But demos don't say a lot. I wanted to know if these bots are finally becoming useful 🤖🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In a recent study, LLMs undergoing "therapy" came out with tales of bewildering "childhoods" of pre-training and "fears" of failing their creators, with traits that in people could point to mental health concerns.
Should their mimicking of human traumas worry us? 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Should their mimicking of human traumas worry us? 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Client Challenge
www.nature.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:20 PM
In a recent study, LLMs undergoing "therapy" came out with tales of bewildering "childhoods" of pre-training and "fears" of failing their creators, with traits that in people could point to mental health concerns.
Should their mimicking of human traumas worry us? 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Should their mimicking of human traumas worry us? 🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Great new feature out on the ways that researchers are trying to stop dormant cancer cells from reemerging years later 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04149-3
Why cancer can come back years later — and how to stop it
Researchers are targeting dormant tumour cells that might explain why some cancers reappear long after successful treatment.
www.nature.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Great new feature out on the ways that researchers are trying to stop dormant cancer cells from reemerging years later 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04149-3
Reposted by Elizabeth Gibney
This is interesting ... I don't receive @cern.bsky.social 's press releases anymore, perhaps because I reported on many physicists' opposition to this project
Wow. CERN has secured a promise of $1 billion (!) towards its planned Future Circular Collider from private donors (such as the Breakthrough Prize Foundation & Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund) - the first such donation for CERN, which has until now been taxpayer funded home.cern/news/press-r...
🧪⚛️
🧪⚛️
Private donors pledge 860 million euros for CERN’s Future Circular Collider
For the first time in CERN’s history, private donors (individuals and philanthropic foundations) have agreed to support a CERN flagship research project. Recently, a group of friends of CERN, includin...
home.cern
December 18, 2025 at 5:36 PM
This is interesting ... I don't receive @cern.bsky.social 's press releases anymore, perhaps because I reported on many physicists' opposition to this project