Sean Carroll
@seanmcarroll.bsky.social
Physics, philosophy, complexity. @jhuartssciences.bsky.social & @sfiscience.bsky.social. Host, #MindscapePodcast. Married to @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social.
Latest books: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe.
https://preposterousuniverse.com/
Latest books: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe.
https://preposterousuniverse.com/
Pinned
Johns Hopkins University, Physics and Astronomy
Job #AJO30496, Postdoctoral Fellow in Foundations of Physics, Complexity, and Emergence, Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, US
academicjobsonline.org
Postdoc job! I expect to have an opening at Johns Hopkins for a postdoctoral researcher working somewhere in the broad realms of physics, philosophy, and complexity. Apply at Academic Jobs Online:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
Reposted by Sean Carroll
They're trying to break the pipeline for future social science research.
"There are no current DDRIG grants available for any discipline in the Directorate for Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, as it appears that the NSF has archived—which means cancelled—the DDRIG grants in every SBE field"
"There are no current DDRIG grants available for any discipline in the Directorate for Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, as it appears that the NSF has archived—which means cancelled—the DDRIG grants in every SBE field"
November 27, 2025 at 3:58 PM
They're trying to break the pipeline for future social science research.
"There are no current DDRIG grants available for any discipline in the Directorate for Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, as it appears that the NSF has archived—which means cancelled—the DDRIG grants in every SBE field"
"There are no current DDRIG grants available for any discipline in the Directorate for Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences, as it appears that the NSF has archived—which means cancelled—the DDRIG grants in every SBE field"
Annual Thanksgiving blog post! This year we are giving thanks for "information."
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2025/11...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2025/11...
November 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Annual Thanksgiving blog post! This year we are giving thanks for "information."
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2025/11...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2025/11...
Reposted by Sean Carroll
There's a classic joke list of how different programming language handle shooting yourself in the foot.
In the spirit of that, I'm going to make a collection of how the current media landscape would handle Trump shooting himself in the foot.
I encourage you to submit your own.
In the spirit of that, I'm going to make a collection of how the current media landscape would handle Trump shooting himself in the foot.
I encourage you to submit your own.
www.eecs.yorku.ca
November 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM
There's a classic joke list of how different programming language handle shooting yourself in the foot.
In the spirit of that, I'm going to make a collection of how the current media landscape would handle Trump shooting himself in the foot.
I encourage you to submit your own.
In the spirit of that, I'm going to make a collection of how the current media landscape would handle Trump shooting himself in the foot.
I encourage you to submit your own.
Reposted by Sean Carroll
Hey guys! I'm having a sale on all my silk #sciart scarves and ties 😊 🐡🧪🧠
Banish the Boring and Beige
This year, give gorgeous, geeky gifts
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Hey guys! I'm having a sale on all my silk #sciart scarves and ties 😊 🐡🧪🧠
An underappreciated aspect is that many people *want* to go through life with clearly-defined roles for everything. Much less anxiety-inducing than making choices and running the risk of ridicule.
Liberal individualism is one of the best things to ever happen, but some people feel it as a burden.
Liberal individualism is one of the best things to ever happen, but some people feel it as a burden.
So many men go through life like that. You can play poker because it's right-coded, you can't enjoy fruity alcoholic drinks because they're women-coded, you can't lick an ice cream cone because it's gay-coded. All day, every day, choosing and judging things based on coding for narrow norms.
November 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM
An underappreciated aspect is that many people *want* to go through life with clearly-defined roles for everything. Much less anxiety-inducing than making choices and running the risk of ridicule.
Liberal individualism is one of the best things to ever happen, but some people feel it as a burden.
Liberal individualism is one of the best things to ever happen, but some people feel it as a burden.
"The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics," my lecture series for the Great Courses (24 half-hour lectures), is still available on Prime video for a few days! Tell your family that watching football on Thanksgiving is hopelessly uncool.
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
November 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics," my lecture series for the Great Courses (24 half-hour lectures), is still available on Prime video for a few days! Tell your family that watching football on Thanksgiving is hopelessly uncool.
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
I need Tim Walz to personally knock on a bunch of people’s doors and tell them to stop being weird.
Anyway, here's an abstract nude of our new editor nypost.com/2025/11/24/m...
Vanity Fair to publish ‘abstract nude portrait’ of Olivia Nuzzi — as scandal-plagued journalist accused of shirking job duties: report
Vanity Fair staffers privately gripe that Olivia Nuzzi has failed to carry out core duties since joining the magazine, according to a report.
nypost.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I need Tim Walz to personally knock on a bunch of people’s doors and tell them to stop being weird.
Definitive Stars Wars ranking:
1. Yojimbo
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. Metropolis
4. Casablanca
5. Spaceballs
1. Yojimbo
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. Metropolis
4. Casablanca
5. Spaceballs
November 24, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Definitive Stars Wars ranking:
1. Yojimbo
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. Metropolis
4. Casablanca
5. Spaceballs
1. Yojimbo
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3. Metropolis
4. Casablanca
5. Spaceballs
Gonna be really upset if my ultimate demise results from my inability to remember which thing I'm supposed to do if it's a black bear, and which I'm supposed to do if it's a grizzly bear.
November 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Gonna be really upset if my ultimate demise results from my inability to remember which thing I'm supposed to do if it's a black bear, and which I'm supposed to do if it's a grizzly bear.
It's frustrating that we are getting technologies that really will transform our lives, and we should be thinking carefully about what that means, but the possibility of thoughtful discussion is being squelched by a stream of soul-crushing visions and wild hyperbole coming from Silicon Valley.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
It's frustrating that we are getting technologies that really will transform our lives, and we should be thinking carefully about what that means, but the possibility of thoughtful discussion is being squelched by a stream of soul-crushing visions and wild hyperbole coming from Silicon Valley.
I'm a huge fan of Liberal Currents. The writers there offer an ideal combination of an intellectual defense of liberal values with a clear-eyed view of the challenges of the current political moment.
Today we are launching what we hope will be a transformative fundraising push.
We are determined to increase our reach so we can compete with voices who are less than fully committed to, or who outright oppose, liberal values.
Help us do it: www.gofundme.com/f/the-libera...
We are determined to increase our reach so we can compete with voices who are less than fully committed to, or who outright oppose, liberal values.
Help us do it: www.gofundme.com/f/the-libera...
Donate to The Liberal Currents Startup Fund, organized by Adam Gurri
To fight fascism we need opposition media with a backbone. Liberal Currents is that. Help… Adam Gurri needs your support for The Liberal Currents Startup Fund
www.gofundme.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
I'm a huge fan of Liberal Currents. The writers there offer an ideal combination of an intellectual defense of liberal values with a clear-eyed view of the challenges of the current political moment.
Mindscape 336 | Anil Ananthaswamy @anilananth.bsky.social on the Mathematics of Neural Nets and AI. Everyone is talking about AI these days, why not impress your friends with some math? #MindscapePodcast
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
November 24, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Mindscape 336 | Anil Ananthaswamy @anilananth.bsky.social on the Mathematics of Neural Nets and AI. Everyone is talking about AI these days, why not impress your friends with some math? #MindscapePodcast
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025...
Hmm, this could be a whole cinematic multiverse. Falling Down triggered by Cloudflare going down; Falling Down trying to get two-factor authentication to work; Falling Down trying to get an iTunes playlist to play on Sonos...
any filmmakers on here interested in remaking Falling Down (1993) but instead of a traffic jam on a hot day the catalyst is trying to log in to editorial manager on literally any sort of day whatsoever?
November 23, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Hmm, this could be a whole cinematic multiverse. Falling Down triggered by Cloudflare going down; Falling Down trying to get two-factor authentication to work; Falling Down trying to get an iTunes playlist to play on Sonos...
One of the great things about being a scientist with an interview-style podcast is that I get to "play dumb" and ask questions that I'm supposed to know the answer to. Nobody has to know whether I actually do know the answer.
November 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
One of the great things about being a scientist with an interview-style podcast is that I get to "play dumb" and ask questions that I'm supposed to know the answer to. Nobody has to know whether I actually do know the answer.
Reposted by Sean Carroll
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Reposted by Sean Carroll
Our #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium drew to a close with a panel discussion amongst the Day Three plenary speakers: Melanie Mitchell, Emily Adlam, Chris Kempes, Jenann Ismael, Simon Levin, and Michael Tomasello. It was moderated by Betsy Ogburn of Johns Hopkins.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9Z...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9Z...
November 21, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Our #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium drew to a close with a panel discussion amongst the Day Three plenary speakers: Melanie Mitchell, Emily Adlam, Chris Kempes, Jenann Ismael, Simon Levin, and Michael Tomasello. It was moderated by Betsy Ogburn of Johns Hopkins.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9Z...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9Z...
Reposted by Sean Carroll
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
College is such a precious opportunity to do real thinking in a variety of fields. Always thrilled to see when students make an effort to take advantage of it.
Thinking a lot lately about the simple fact that college allows people to spend about 15 weeks immersed in a disciplinary conversation with an expert in that field. And what a special thing that is.
November 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
College is such a precious opportunity to do real thinking in a variety of fields. Always thrilled to see when students make an effort to take advantage of it.
Reposted by Sean Carroll
Now that’s a lede.
Story by @taracopp.bsky.social and @michelleboorstein.bsky.social.
Read here: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Story by @taracopp.bsky.social and @michelleboorstein.bsky.social.
Read here: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 20, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Now that’s a lede.
Story by @taracopp.bsky.social and @michelleboorstein.bsky.social.
Read here: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Story by @taracopp.bsky.social and @michelleboorstein.bsky.social.
Read here: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Is the universe bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside? I.e. does a universe contain essentially no global information, but appears to when looked at from internal subsystems?
Love this stuff (and have been thinking about related questions). Don't think we have it sorted out quite yet.
Love this stuff (and have been thinking about related questions). Don't think we have it sorted out quite yet.
A recent solution to a paradox in theoretical physics could be the start of a new paradigm: In order for a universe to exist, an observer is needed. Matt von Hippel reports: www.quantamagazine.org/cosmic-parad...
Cosmic Paradox Reveals the Awful Consequence of an Observer-Free Universe | Quanta Magazine
Encouraged by successes in understanding black holes, theoretical physicists are applying what they’ve learned to whole universes. What they’re finding has them questioning fundamental assumptions abo...
www.quantamagazine.org
November 20, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Is the universe bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside? I.e. does a universe contain essentially no global information, but appears to when looked at from internal subsystems?
Love this stuff (and have been thinking about related questions). Don't think we have it sorted out quite yet.
Love this stuff (and have been thinking about related questions). Don't think we have it sorted out quite yet.
Reposted by Sean Carroll
Not the point of @gelliottmorris.com piece, but look at this divide among Republicans on social issues. Half of them look like normal people and the other half are way out of step with the rest of the country. There’s a bit of a mirror on the left but much smaller.
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Not the point of @gelliottmorris.com piece, but look at this divide among Republicans on social issues. Half of them look like normal people and the other half are way out of step with the rest of the country. There’s a bit of a mirror on the left but much smaller.
Final plenary talk at the #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium was by Michael Tomasello, on What Makes Humans Human? Commentary by Claudia Passos Ferreira.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH-t...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH-t...
November 20, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Final plenary talk at the #NaturalPhilosophy Symposium was by Michael Tomasello, on What Makes Humans Human? Commentary by Claudia Passos Ferreira.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH-t...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH-t...
Reposted by Sean Carroll
All cities have a proper time of year. For Baltimore, in my opinion, that time is late fall, when auburn leaves cling to autumn trees for dear life as the sky and the harbor fuse into a single gray sheet, onto which projects the ubiquitous red brick forged from our ample iron-rich clay deposits.
November 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
All cities have a proper time of year. For Baltimore, in my opinion, that time is late fall, when auburn leaves cling to autumn trees for dear life as the sky and the harbor fuse into a single gray sheet, onto which projects the ubiquitous red brick forged from our ample iron-rich clay deposits.
This routine is amazing.
I remember when there was a discussion on Twitter about Shein's manufacturing practices and some apologists invented all sorts of fantastical machinery and technology to avoid facing the more horrifying truth. Reminds me of this comedian's joke.
IG bscomedian
IG bscomedian
November 20, 2025 at 12:13 AM
This routine is amazing.