Patrick Meade
@theorydad.bsky.social
Dad and occasional particle theory professor
Reposted by Patrick Meade
You definitely want to learn to stop saying, "I am SO OLD!" long before the people to whom you're saying it just look at you in response with expressions that say, "I mean...yes."
February 7, 2026 at 7:41 PM
You definitely want to learn to stop saying, "I am SO OLD!" long before the people to whom you're saying it just look at you in response with expressions that say, "I mean...yes."
This seems especially short sighted by the UK after just having a Brit start as the CERN DG www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
UK’s science superpower hopes hit as Labour slashes physics funding
University funding for astronomy and physics research cut by almost a third as government seeks to concentrate budget on areas that prioritise economic growth
www.thetimes.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:44 AM
This seems especially short sighted by the UK after just having a Brit start as the CERN DG www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Latest batch of the Epstein files has plenty more physicists. Going through them slowly, in no particular order.
January 31, 2026 at 4:22 AM
Latest batch of the Epstein files has plenty more physicists. Going through them slowly, in no particular order.
The article is good but not sure it’s hard to know what to think about or look for, just hard to look resource wise/technologically🧐
Particle physics hasn't yet found the new physics needed to resolve its deepest mysteries. It’s hard to know what to think about or look for. But the most devoted particle physicists are thinking and looking all the same.
Is Particle Physics Dead, Dying, or Just Hard? | Quanta Magazine
Columnist Natalie Wolchover checks in with particle physicists more than a decade after the field entered a profound crisis.
www.quantamagazine.org
January 30, 2026 at 5:16 PM
The article is good but not sure it’s hard to know what to think about or look for, just hard to look resource wise/technologically🧐
I'll go with hard. The existential questions about our universe and EWSB have only become sharper since the LHC, the problem is that only collider experiments are relevant for them generically. If the world were less myopic now we'd invest more in R&D, but accelerator breakthroughs take time/suport🧪
First column for Quanta Magazine's new essay section, Qualia.
I take stock of particle physics, a field in crisis. What happened, and what now? Commentary here from many angles.
Please lmk your thoughts, or any tips or topic ideas I should look into. 🙏
www.quantamagazine.org/is-particle-...
I take stock of particle physics, a field in crisis. What happened, and what now? Commentary here from many angles.
Please lmk your thoughts, or any tips or topic ideas I should look into. 🙏
www.quantamagazine.org/is-particle-...
Is Particle Physics Dead, Dying, or Just Hard? | Quanta Magazine
Columnist Natalie Wolchover checks in with particle physicists more than a decade after the field entered a profound crisis.
www.quantamagazine.org
January 30, 2026 at 4:35 PM
I'll go with hard. The existential questions about our universe and EWSB have only become sharper since the LHC, the problem is that only collider experiments are relevant for them generically. If the world were less myopic now we'd invest more in R&D, but accelerator breakthroughs take time/suport🧪
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Science and Technology Facilities Council told staff it needs to reduce its spending by £162 million by 2029-30, requiring “substantial savings” to be made. 😬
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
UK physics research and science facilities face ‘substantial’ cuts - Research Professional News
Exclusive: Science and Technology Facilities Council seeks £162m cost savings, with existing projects facing axe
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Science and Technology Facilities Council told staff it needs to reduce its spending by £162 million by 2029-30, requiring “substantial savings” to be made. 😬
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Impressive to watch in NYC during snow storms PlowNYC: nyc.gov/plownyc
PlowNYC
nyc.gov
January 25, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Impressive to watch in NYC during snow storms PlowNYC: nyc.gov/plownyc
Reposted by Patrick Meade
@cern.bsky.social 's Future Circular Collider program is scientifically well motivated.
However, concerns remain regarding financing, tech development and locking the community into a long term vision.
Prof @johnwomersley.bsky.social explains!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/Uojh2...
⚛️🧪
However, concerns remain regarding financing, tech development and locking the community into a long term vision.
Prof @johnwomersley.bsky.social explains!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/Uojh2...
⚛️🧪
Legitimate Concerns Regarding CERN's New Collider Strategy
YouTube video by Bad Boy of Science
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:46 PM
@cern.bsky.social 's Future Circular Collider program is scientifically well motivated.
However, concerns remain regarding financing, tech development and locking the community into a long term vision.
Prof @johnwomersley.bsky.social explains!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/Uojh2...
⚛️🧪
However, concerns remain regarding financing, tech development and locking the community into a long term vision.
Prof @johnwomersley.bsky.social explains!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/Uojh2...
⚛️🧪
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Did you know that your old TV was an in home particle accelerator?
Old cathode ray tube TVs generated particles, accelerated them, diverted them, and smashed them into a phosphor coated screen to create images!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/4rPRg...
#physics
⚛️🧪
Old cathode ray tube TVs generated particles, accelerated them, diverted them, and smashed them into a phosphor coated screen to create images!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/4rPRg...
#physics
⚛️🧪
Your Old TV is a Particle Accelerator!
YouTube video by Bad Boy of Science
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Did you know that your old TV was an in home particle accelerator?
Old cathode ray tube TVs generated particles, accelerated them, diverted them, and smashed them into a phosphor coated screen to create images!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/4rPRg...
#physics
⚛️🧪
Old cathode ray tube TVs generated particles, accelerated them, diverted them, and smashed them into a phosphor coated screen to create images!
Link: www.youtube.com/shorts/4rPRg...
#physics
⚛️🧪
European particle physics strategy update summary 😅
December 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
European particle physics strategy update summary 😅
Sad to see C.N. Yang passed away, a legendary physicist who despite his achievements was also one of the most underrated physicists of the 20th century and could have won multiple Nobel prizes not just one. He put Stony Brook University on the map and left an indelible impact on the YITP ⚛️🧪
October 18, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Sad to see C.N. Yang passed away, a legendary physicist who despite his achievements was also one of the most underrated physicists of the 20th century and could have won multiple Nobel prizes not just one. He put Stony Brook University on the map and left an indelible impact on the YITP ⚛️🧪
Reposted by Patrick Meade
The mathematician Pasha Galashin recently proved that the amplituhedron, a shape that encodes particle interactions, can be built from patterns that arise in origami. www.quantamagazine.org/origami-patt...
October 14, 2025 at 8:03 PM
The mathematician Pasha Galashin recently proved that the amplituhedron, a shape that encodes particle interactions, can be built from patterns that arise in origami. www.quantamagazine.org/origami-patt...
Reposted by Patrick Meade
here’s more context to the videos DHS is putting out from Chicago.
October 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
here’s more context to the videos DHS is putting out from Chicago.
Reposted by Patrick Meade
I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.
October 11, 2025 at 3:05 AM
I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.
“Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” Dr. Kornbluth wrote.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment
www.nytimes.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
“Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” Dr. Kornbluth wrote.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Because the academy seems like a great idea and such...
Come join us! We're hiring an Asst Professor in Particle Theory at @UTKPhysAstro! Tell your friends and do some science with us!
inspirehep.net/jobs/2977853
Come join us! We're hiring an Asst Professor in Particle Theory at @UTKPhysAstro! Tell your friends and do some science with us!
inspirehep.net/jobs/2977853
INSPIRE
inspirehep.net
October 2, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Because the academy seems like a great idea and such...
Come join us! We're hiring an Asst Professor in Particle Theory at @UTKPhysAstro! Tell your friends and do some science with us!
inspirehep.net/jobs/2977853
Come join us! We're hiring an Asst Professor in Particle Theory at @UTKPhysAstro! Tell your friends and do some science with us!
inspirehep.net/jobs/2977853
Reposted by Patrick Meade
If you're wondering how rare the Yankees' ninth-inning Tuesday night was... it's never happened before 👀
(H/T OptaSTATS on X)
(H/T OptaSTATS on X)
October 1, 2025 at 11:32 AM
If you're wondering how rare the Yankees' ninth-inning Tuesday night was... it's never happened before 👀
(H/T OptaSTATS on X)
(H/T OptaSTATS on X)
This isn’t what the article nor what the players said. Definitely abhorrent behavior by some US fans(also turns out it wasn’t thrown but knocked out of someone’s hand), but we don’t need to embellish the stories either.
This is America. Where we have turned golf violent. European players have vowed to never return to America to play the sport.
Footage shows moment Rory McIlroy's wife Erica is hit by can of beer by fan in shocking incident
Video footage of the shocking incident involving Rory McIlroy's wife Erica at the Ryder Cup has been shared online
www.ladbible.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:50 PM
This isn’t what the article nor what the players said. Definitely abhorrent behavior by some US fans(also turns out it wasn’t thrown but knocked out of someone’s hand), but we don’t need to embellish the stories either.
Sad to see JoAnne Hewett stepping down as lab director of BNL. I think having a positive vision for a national lab is under appreciated in modern times, and JoAnne definitely brought that when she came.
September 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Sad to see JoAnne Hewett stepping down as lab director of BNL. I think having a positive vision for a national lab is under appreciated in modern times, and JoAnne definitely brought that when she came.
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Somewhere between outsourcing and crowdsourcing, gravitational wave researchers got 1,000 participants on Kaggle to create the best algorithm to identify continuous GWs (shed by a swiftly tilting neutron star). Top 10 submissions reduced compute by 1–3 orders of magnitude. arxiv.org/abs/2509.06445
September 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Somewhere between outsourcing and crowdsourcing, gravitational wave researchers got 1,000 participants on Kaggle to create the best algorithm to identify continuous GWs (shed by a swiftly tilting neutron star). Top 10 submissions reduced compute by 1–3 orders of magnitude. arxiv.org/abs/2509.06445
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Geoff Bennett: You say that poetry is not useful, and that's exactly why we need it. Why?
David Duchovny: "We want to get educated to be able to work, to have a job of some kind, which is great and it's necessary. But we've lost sight of educating a mind on how to think or a soul how to feel."
David Duchovny: "We want to get educated to be able to work, to have a job of some kind, which is great and it's necessary. But we've lost sight of educating a mind on how to think or a soul how to feel."
September 1, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Geoff Bennett: You say that poetry is not useful, and that's exactly why we need it. Why?
David Duchovny: "We want to get educated to be able to work, to have a job of some kind, which is great and it's necessary. But we've lost sight of educating a mind on how to think or a soul how to feel."
David Duchovny: "We want to get educated to be able to work, to have a job of some kind, which is great and it's necessary. But we've lost sight of educating a mind on how to think or a soul how to feel."
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Yesterday the Supreme Court issued a convoluted, 36-page emergency order about NIH grant terminations. Two main takeaways:
-$2 billion (not the government # of $780 million) in NIH grants will likely be re-terminated
-future legal challenges will be much harder
w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social:
-$2 billion (not the government # of $780 million) in NIH grants will likely be re-terminated
-future legal challenges will be much harder
w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social:
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants
The decision will hinder lawsuits against grant terminations, legal specialists say.
www.nature.com
August 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Yesterday the Supreme Court issued a convoluted, 36-page emergency order about NIH grant terminations. Two main takeaways:
-$2 billion (not the government # of $780 million) in NIH grants will likely be re-terminated
-future legal challenges will be much harder
w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social:
-$2 billion (not the government # of $780 million) in NIH grants will likely be re-terminated
-future legal challenges will be much harder
w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social:
Sridhara Dasu giving a great talk on accelerator/detector synergies at the 2nd US muon collider workshop, I also learned that SLD was not just the SLAC large detector but also referred to as slow lingering death 😅 🧪⚛️
August 7, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Sridhara Dasu giving a great talk on accelerator/detector synergies at the 2nd US muon collider workshop, I also learned that SLD was not just the SLAC large detector but also referred to as slow lingering death 😅 🧪⚛️
Reposted by Patrick Meade
Breaking: NSF is suspending roughly 300 grants with UCLA, following a DOJ finding on Tuesday that the university violated Title VI by "creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students."
July 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Breaking: NSF is suspending roughly 300 grants with UCLA, following a DOJ finding on Tuesday that the university violated Title VI by "creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students."