Payal Dhar (she/they)
@payaldhar.bsky.social
Freelance journalist on science, technology, and society. Bylines in Science News, Scientific American, C&EN, WaPo, Nature, Guardian, etc. Author of SFF & YA fiction.
#ActuallyAutistic
#ActuallyAutistic
Two studies on broad-spectrum antivirals in under two weeks. Is this a sign of things to come? Writing for @sciencenews.bsky.social about a small-molecule that shows promising results in mice, blocking infection from 6 deadly viruses:
www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...
www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...
A broad-spectrum antiviral takes aim at 6 deadly viruses in the lab
Scientists report that targeting sugars on virus surfaces stopped multiple infections, though the approach needs much refinement before human trials.
www.sciencenews.org
August 27, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Two studies on broad-spectrum antivirals in under two weeks. Is this a sign of things to come? Writing for @sciencenews.bsky.social about a small-molecule that shows promising results in mice, blocking infection from 6 deadly viruses:
www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...
www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...
Three days of a deep dive into India's journey with renewable energy, especially wind and solar. With a focus on south India. Courtesy @earthjournalism.bsky.social
#REinIndia
#REinIndia
August 25, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Three days of a deep dive into India's journey with renewable energy, especially wind and solar. With a focus on south India. Courtesy @earthjournalism.bsky.social
#REinIndia
#REinIndia
I think this about certain 🇮🇳 national leaders, two in particular.
August 23, 2025 at 2:02 AM
I think this about certain 🇮🇳 national leaders, two in particular.
Reposted by Payal Dhar (she/they)
Maybe I would be more tempted to use LLMs if I didn't really like writing and thinking, but, well,
August 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Maybe I would be more tempted to use LLMs if I didn't really like writing and thinking, but, well,
These tiny, sun-powered disks could help scientists learn more about the Earth’s mesosphere, and Mars: www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny...
@sciam.bsky.social
@sciam.bsky.social
These Tiny Disks Could Explore the ‘Ignorosphere’ That Planes and Satellites Can’t Reach
With no fuel or engines, tiny explorers will surf sun-warmed air alone to explore high in the skies of Earth and Mars
www.scientificamerican.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:32 PM
These tiny, sun-powered disks could help scientists learn more about the Earth’s mesosphere, and Mars: www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny...
@sciam.bsky.social
@sciam.bsky.social
Sucralose, found in artificial sweeteners, diet drinks, etc., associated with reduced efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Reporting for @sciencenews.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/sucr...
www.sciencenews.org/article/sucr...
Sucralose, found in Splenda, can reduce immunotherapy efficacy
Found in Splenda, sucralose reduces immunotherapy efficacy via its effects on the gut microbiome, but arginine supplements might counter the outcome.
www.sciencenews.org
August 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Sucralose, found in artificial sweeteners, diet drinks, etc., associated with reduced efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Reporting for @sciencenews.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/sucr...
www.sciencenews.org/article/sucr...
Hydrogels from yoghurt waste for tissue regeneration and wound healing. Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
Yogurt-derived hydrogels for regenerative medicine
This hydrogel mimics biological tissue, boosting blood vessel formation and immune response
cen.acs.org
August 11, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Hydrogels from yoghurt waste for tissue regeneration and wound healing. Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
Reposted by Payal Dhar (she/they)
As we gear up for S4 of Arcx, there's no better time play catch up!
Featuring @vajra.me @usmantm.bsky.social @payaldhar.bsky.social @saadzhossain.bsky.social @shwetawrites.bsky.social @yudhanjaya.bsky.social @tashanmehta.bsky.social and @gautambhatia88.bsky.social
darknlight.com/podcast/arcx...
Featuring @vajra.me @usmantm.bsky.social @payaldhar.bsky.social @saadzhossain.bsky.social @shwetawrites.bsky.social @yudhanjaya.bsky.social @tashanmehta.bsky.social and @gautambhatia88.bsky.social
darknlight.com/podcast/arcx...
July 24, 2025 at 5:27 AM
As we gear up for S4 of Arcx, there's no better time play catch up!
Featuring @vajra.me @usmantm.bsky.social @payaldhar.bsky.social @saadzhossain.bsky.social @shwetawrites.bsky.social @yudhanjaya.bsky.social @tashanmehta.bsky.social and @gautambhatia88.bsky.social
darknlight.com/podcast/arcx...
Featuring @vajra.me @usmantm.bsky.social @payaldhar.bsky.social @saadzhossain.bsky.social @shwetawrites.bsky.social @yudhanjaya.bsky.social @tashanmehta.bsky.social and @gautambhatia88.bsky.social
darknlight.com/podcast/arcx...
Got to write this very cool piece!
Bubbling carbon dioxide, which is found in flue gases, through an acid solution dramatically increases the durability of membranes used in carbon dioxide reduction reactions. cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪
A more effective carbon dioxide reduction reaction
Simply bubbling CO<sub>2</sub> gas through acid shows a 50-fold improvement in reaction duration, researchers find
cen.acs.org
June 19, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Got to write this very cool piece!
How does our brain know what’s real and what’s not? My first piece for @livescience.com
www.livescience.com/human-behavi...
www.livescience.com/human-behavi...
Strikingly simple 'dial' in the brain may help it distinguish imagination from reality
Activity levels in a specific region of the brain predict whether we think something is real, irrespective of whether we've seen it or imagined it.
www.livescience.com
June 13, 2025 at 4:54 PM
How does our brain know what’s real and what’s not? My first piece for @livescience.com
www.livescience.com/human-behavi...
www.livescience.com/human-behavi...
Penguin poop powers cloud formation in Antarctica: cen.acs.org/environment/...
Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
Penguin poop spurs cloud formation in Antarctica
It’s unclear how sulfuric acid aerosols and ammonia from seabird guano ultimately affect climate
cen.acs.org
May 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Penguin poop powers cloud formation in Antarctica: cen.acs.org/environment/...
Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
Reporting for @cenmag.bsky.social
Here's a Q&A with chemical oceanographer Sambuddha Misra for Chemical & Engineering News @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/environment/...
cen.acs.org/environment/...
Sambuddha Misra spotted a doubling in the Indian Ocean’s lead levels
The chemical oceanographer reconstructed a 24-year history of pollution
cen.acs.org
May 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Here's a Q&A with chemical oceanographer Sambuddha Misra for Chemical & Engineering News @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/environment/...
cen.acs.org/environment/...
It's tricky to transplant a bladder. But surgeons finally did it. Reporting for @sciencenews.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/blad...
www.sciencenews.org/article/blad...
It’s tricky to transplant a bladder. How surgeons finally did it
The person who received the bladder is doing well, and the successful transplant could offer hope to thousands of people with bladder dysfunction.
www.sciencenews.org
May 23, 2025 at 3:55 PM
It's tricky to transplant a bladder. But surgeons finally did it. Reporting for @sciencenews.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/blad...
www.sciencenews.org/article/blad...
Reposted by Payal Dhar (she/they)
I'm helping lead @cenmag.bsky.social's Trailblazers 2025, and I want you 🫵 to nominate a chemist with disabilities for us to feature. Before June 4, fill out this form and recognize a chemist who inspires you: cenm.ag/nominatetrai...
Microsoft Forms
cenm.ag
May 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I'm helping lead @cenmag.bsky.social's Trailblazers 2025, and I want you 🫵 to nominate a chemist with disabilities for us to feature. Before June 4, fill out this form and recognize a chemist who inspires you: cenm.ag/nominatetrai...
An antivenom that works against 13 species of deadly snakes (so far only in mice!):
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
A new antivenom may neutralize 13 of the world’s deadliest snakebites
A cocktail of 3 agents provides broad protection against 13 deadly snakes, but a ‘universal antivenom’ isn’t on the horizon yet
cen.acs.org
May 9, 2025 at 8:35 PM
An antivenom that works against 13 species of deadly snakes (so far only in mice!):
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
cen.acs.org/biological-c...
New research indicates that technology use might reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults. Great news for those of us approaching, or in, middle-age!
Reporting for @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech...
Reporting for @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech...
Tech Use Isn’t Driving Dementia in Older Adults
Smartphone and computer use hasn’t put today’s older adults at increased risk of cognitive decline
www.scientificamerican.com
April 18, 2025 at 5:29 PM
New research indicates that technology use might reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults. Great news for those of us approaching, or in, middle-age!
Reporting for @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech...
Reporting for @sciam.bsky.social
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech...
Thank you all for following me! I’m trying to follow you all back—bear with me.
April 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Thank you all for following me! I’m trying to follow you all back—bear with me.
break away from reading of evil for a wonderful report about good.
worth your time.
"The mini pacemaker device does not have a separate battery. Instead its body functions as a simple type of battery called a galvanic cell"
(from @payaldhar.bsky.social)
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny...
worth your time.
"The mini pacemaker device does not have a separate battery. Instead its body functions as a simple type of battery called a galvanic cell"
(from @payaldhar.bsky.social)
www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny...
Tiny, Injectable Pacemaker Runs on Light and then Dissolves
This temporary pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, could regulate the heart less invasively
www.scientificamerican.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:57 AM
My first byline of the year for a publication I’ve been trying to break into for years: www.scientificamerican.com/article/firs...
First-Ever Biorobotic Heart Helps Scientists Study Cardiac Function
A model heart made from living tissue fused with robotic muscles could help researchers see how the organ works on the inside
www.scientificamerican.com
January 10, 2024 at 9:15 PM
My first byline of the year for a publication I’ve been trying to break into for years: www.scientificamerican.com/article/firs...
I will have to post here now and again, won’t I?
December 2, 2023 at 12:50 PM
I will have to post here now and again, won’t I?
Reposted by Payal Dhar (she/they)
“When a 3-year-old girl is killed in a home in Gaza, it’s because someone in the army decided it wasn’t a big deal for her to be killed — that it was a price worth paying in order to hit [another] target...These are not random rockets. Everything is intentional"
www.972mag.com/mass-assassi...
www.972mag.com/mass-assassi...
‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza
Permissive airstrikes on non-military targets and the use of an artificial intelligence system have enabled the Israeli army to carry out its deadliest war on Gaza, a +972 and Local Call investigation...
www.972mag.com
December 1, 2023 at 1:43 AM
“When a 3-year-old girl is killed in a home in Gaza, it’s because someone in the army decided it wasn’t a big deal for her to be killed — that it was a price worth paying in order to hit [another] target...These are not random rockets. Everything is intentional"
www.972mag.com/mass-assassi...
www.972mag.com/mass-assassi...
“The euphoria surrounding generative AI often ignores ethics and rights, especially when it comes to artists whose work may be lifted for free and altered or mimicked without their consent.”
#generativeAI #AI #AIethics #copyright
https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/colonizing-art
#generativeAI #AI #AIethics #copyright
https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/colonizing-art
Colonizing Art
The euphoria surrounding generative AI often ignores ethics and rights, especially when it comes to artists whose work may be lifted for free and altered or mimicked without their consent.
www.openmindmag.org
June 30, 2023 at 9:32 PM
“The euphoria surrounding generative AI often ignores ethics and rights, especially when it comes to artists whose work may be lifted for free and altered or mimicked without their consent.”
#generativeAI #AI #AIethics #copyright
https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/colonizing-art
#generativeAI #AI #AIethics #copyright
https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/colonizing-art
Reposted by Payal Dhar (she/they)
Hey, if you've been laid off & are thinking of going freelance (vs looking for the next FT job), The Writers' Co-op has the resource you probably want: the LAYOFF TO FREELANCE SURVIVAL GUIDE:
https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/layoff-survival-guide
https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/layoff-survival-guide
May 8, 2023 at 7:52 PM
Hey, if you've been laid off & are thinking of going freelance (vs looking for the next FT job), The Writers' Co-op has the resource you probably want: the LAYOFF TO FREELANCE SURVIVAL GUIDE:
https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/layoff-survival-guide
https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/layoff-survival-guide