Seth Fletcher
@sethfletcher.bsky.social
Director of editorial content at Scientific American, writer, author of Einstein's Shadow and Bottled Lightning
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Makes you think.
w.b. yeats died on this day in 1939. if, instead of dying, he had begun to age again but in reverse, he would have reached his birth - i.e. become 0 years old - in 2012. Assuming that he then began ageing in the normal direction again, he would currently be 14 years old and preparing for his gcses
January 28, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Makes you think.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
The total NSF budget was 9 billion. I doubt they spend 89% of it on quail.
January 15, 2026 at 9:21 PM
The total NSF budget was 9 billion. I doubt they spend 89% of it on quail.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
sales of internal-combustion engine collapsing in China, down by half since 2017. EVs have taken over
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
January 15, 2026 at 5:27 PM
sales of internal-combustion engine collapsing in China, down by half since 2017. EVs have taken over
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
And, China's car exports are soaring.
US automakers getting completely left behind as they abandon EVs. Losing market share worldwide
www.ft.com/content/5b13...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Cleansing the timeline with this 2020 Lifetime romance where Mario Lopez played a sexy Colonel Sanders.
January 8, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Cleansing the timeline with this 2020 Lifetime romance where Mario Lopez played a sexy Colonel Sanders.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
This is such a cool finding--the oldest direct evidence of poisoned arrows. Poisoned hunting weapons were a game-changing innovation for our ancestors. Absolutely incredible that researchers found traces of plant toxins on these tiny arrowheads from 60,000 ago 🤯🏹 🧪
Humans Made Poisoned Arrowheads Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
The use of poison on arrows marked a revolution in human hunting technology—new evidence suggests it happened tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known
www.scientificamerican.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM
This is such a cool finding--the oldest direct evidence of poisoned arrows. Poisoned hunting weapons were a game-changing innovation for our ancestors. Absolutely incredible that researchers found traces of plant toxins on these tiny arrowheads from 60,000 ago 🤯🏹 🧪
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Oliver Sacks was a hero of mine. I couldn't let @rachelaviv.bsky.social’s brilliant piece pass without comment. My latest, on why Sacks's fictions are so much worse than those of your garden-variety journalist fabulist.
. open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
. open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
The man who mistook his imagination for the truth
The disappointing reality of one of my (ex-)heroes, Oliver Sacks
open.substack.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Oliver Sacks was a hero of mine. I couldn't let @rachelaviv.bsky.social’s brilliant piece pass without comment. My latest, on why Sacks's fictions are so much worse than those of your garden-variety journalist fabulist.
. open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
. open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. But is still led to cuts that closed offices, canceled programs and deprived people of food, medicine and other aid.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. But is still led to cuts that closed offices, canceled programs and deprived people of food, medicine and other aid.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Pharoah Taharqa makes an offering to the falcon god Hemen, ca. 680 BCE
www.theroot.com/the-meaning-...
www.theroot.com/the-meaning-...
December 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Pharoah Taharqa makes an offering to the falcon god Hemen, ca. 680 BCE
www.theroot.com/the-meaning-...
www.theroot.com/the-meaning-...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
if tumblr dies I need this video to make it's seasonal rotation here instead just in case, Happy holidays 🎄
December 18, 2025 at 2:05 AM
if tumblr dies I need this video to make it's seasonal rotation here instead just in case, Happy holidays 🎄
Metro-North conductor this morning announcing a weekend alcohol ban because of SantaCon: "If you're not familiar with SantaCon, it is an unmitigated disaster."
December 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Metro-North conductor this morning announcing a weekend alcohol ban because of SantaCon: "If you're not familiar with SantaCon, it is an unmitigated disaster."
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Hometown Unveils Disappointing Microbrewery https://theonion.com/hometown-unveils-disappointing-microbrewery/
December 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Hometown Unveils Disappointing Microbrewery https://theonion.com/hometown-unveils-disappointing-microbrewery/
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
An CDC advisory panel voted today to end universal Hepatitis B vaccination at birth. If adopted by CDC, this would reverse a longstanding policy that has been widely effective at lowering hep B cases and deaths in children, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social reports www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...
CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth
New guidance from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel would do away with a decades-old universal birth dose recommendation for hepatitis B that helped cut infections by 99 percent in the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
An CDC advisory panel voted today to end universal Hepatitis B vaccination at birth. If adopted by CDC, this would reverse a longstanding policy that has been widely effective at lowering hep B cases and deaths in children, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social reports www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
We nearly lost wild turkeys--but now they're thriving. Here's their story: 🧪 🌎 www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Wild Turkeys Went from Almost Gone to Millions Strong
Wild turkeys once nearly disappeared, but today they’re thriving.
www.scientificamerican.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
We nearly lost wild turkeys--but now they're thriving. Here's their story: 🧪 🌎 www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
And David Ellison, the new owner of CBS.
TIME magazine owner Marc Benioff was among the dignitaries dining last night with Mohammed bin Salman, who approved the murder of a journalist. e.ejewishphilanthropy.com/deliveries/d...
Good Wednesday morning!
e.ejewishphilanthropy.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:28 PM
And David Ellison, the new owner of CBS.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
ok I’m sorry to ever say anything but what the fuck does she think a canto is
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 PM
ok I’m sorry to ever say anything but what the fuck does she think a canto is
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Every day someone new learns that Oscar Isaac was in a late 90s Christian ska band. Who will today’s person be.
September 2, 2023 at 2:53 PM
Every day someone new learns that Oscar Isaac was in a late 90s Christian ska band. Who will today’s person be.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite.
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
Man With Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Dies after Eating Burger
Lone star tick bites are the most common cause of alpha-gal syndrome, which causes severe allergic reactions to red meat
www.scientificamerican.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite.
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
In the Epstein documents release today, there is a file for a proposed Lawrence Krauss-led event series w/ proposed guests, 23 of which had "already agreed in principle" according to the doc. Some of those listed include Noam Chomsky, Woody Allen, Barack Obama, Larry Page and Elon Musk.
November 13, 2025 at 12:03 AM
In the Epstein documents release today, there is a file for a proposed Lawrence Krauss-led event series w/ proposed guests, 23 of which had "already agreed in principle" according to the doc. Some of those listed include Noam Chomsky, Woody Allen, Barack Obama, Larry Page and Elon Musk.
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Authorities Investigating Explosion at Harvard Medical School, Believed To Be Intentional
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Authorities Investigating Explosion at Harvard Medical School, Believed To Be Intentional | News | The Harvard Crimson
A device exploded inside the Goldenson Building in Harvard’s Longwood medical campus early Saturday morning, according to a message from the Harvard University Police Department to University affiliat...
www.thecrimson.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Authorities Investigating Explosion at Harvard Medical School, Believed To Be Intentional
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
Hurricane Melissa and the knotty problem of hurricane categories: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...
Is It Time to Classify Hurricanes as Category 6?
Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds and drenching rains devastated Jamaica. But is its wrath a sign that we need a new designation for monster storms?
www.scientificamerican.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Hurricane Melissa and the knotty problem of hurricane categories: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
People need to stop retconning literally the worst era in American popular music history into something it wasn't, just because there were also some amazing records that like 250 people happened to be hunting down and listening to
October 29, 2025 at 4:16 PM
People need to stop retconning literally the worst era in American popular music history into something it wasn't, just because there were also some amazing records that like 250 people happened to be hunting down and listening to
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
A nearly perfect alignment of factors has enabled Hurricane Melissa to become one of the most intense Atlantic storms ever recorded
The Science of How Hurricane Melissa Became So Extreme
A nearly perfect alignment of factors has enabled Hurricane Melissa to become one of the most intense Atlantic storms ever recorded
www.scientificamerican.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
A nearly perfect alignment of factors has enabled Hurricane Melissa to become one of the most intense Atlantic storms ever recorded
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
This is actually a perfect meme.
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
October 20, 2025 at 11:19 PM
This is actually a perfect meme.
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
this is the dumbest shit i have ever read
October 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
this is the dumbest shit i have ever read
Reposted by Seth Fletcher
On today's Science Quickly, I interviewed a former White House doctor about the president's care, aging and more: "It is a fact of science, it's not a political attack, that humans past the age of 60... start to have cognitive decline."
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
Transforming Presidential Health Care: Insights from a Former White House Doctor
A former White House physician reveals the medical realities of caring for the president of the U.S.
www.scientificamerican.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
On today's Science Quickly, I interviewed a former White House doctor about the president's care, aging and more: "It is a fact of science, it's not a political attack, that humans past the age of 60... start to have cognitive decline."
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧
"We have a gerontocracy."
Listen on @sciam.bsky.social 🎧