Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

A Voyage to Bring Norway’s Lighthouses Into the 21st Century

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Aug 5

I learned a lot about Fresnel lenses for this amazing series of lighthouse photographs by Michal Siarek: nyti.ms/41qkFCN

More than 2,000 navigational beacons, big and small, oversee the nation’s 60,000-mile-long coast. Now they need an upgrade.

A Zoo in Denmark Wants to Feed Your Pets to Its Predators

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Aug 5

They do things a little differently in Denmark. But hardly shocking when you stop to think about where pet food comes from. nyti.ms/4mtD2Ps @alexaroblesgil.bsky.social @emilyanthes.bsky.social

A Danish zoo is asking owners of companion animals nearing life’s end to instead donate them as food for captive lynxes, lions and other carnivores.

‘Hot Wasps’ Found at Nuclear Facility in South Carolina

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Aug 2

Kid at lemonade stand today: “Want some lemonade? We take Apple Pay.”

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Aug 1

Not just one but four radioactive wasp nests were found at the Savannah River nuclear facility in S.C., @emilyanthes.bsky.social reports: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/s...

What’s a Potato? A Nine-Million-Year-Old Tomato.

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Jul 31

You say potato, @alexaroblesgil.bsky.social says tomato: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/s...

How a Puzzle About Fractions Got Brain Scans Rolling (Gift Article)

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Jun 30

Don'r miss the fourth and final installment of "Math Revealed," the extravaganzaesque NYT series by @stevenstrogatz.com !

Steven Strogatz @stevenstrogatz.com · Jun 30

My latest for @nytimes.com -- please repost so your followers can see this for free. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

A story of bowling pins, patterns and medical miracles.

What the Golden Ratio Says About Your Bellybutton (Gift Article)

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Jun 16

Part 2 of the terrific "Math, Revealed" series by @stevenstrogatz.com and the superb visual team at @nytimes.com features Leonardo da Vinci and bellybuttons.

Steven Strogatz @stevenstrogatz.com · Jun 16

This week's installment in my "Math, Revealed" series for
@nytimes.com: Navel Gazing and the Golden Ratio. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The secret beauty in apples, stars and the center of you.

A.I. Avatars and the Brave New Frontier of Life After Death (Gift Article)

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Jun 15

Astonishing and moving story by @susandominus.bsky.social nyti.ms/406oDzM about a family looking to sidestep mortality with the help of A.I.

After Peter Listro was diagnosed with blood cancer, his family decided to make a virtual avatar they can talk to after his death.

In Taxicab Geometry, Pi Equals 4 and Circles Aren’t Round (Gift Article)

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Jun 9

Thrilled to reveal "Math Revealed," a weekly four-part math-appreciation series by the incomparable @stevenstrogatz.com in collaboration with The Times's ace visual team!

Steven Strogatz @stevenstrogatz.com · Jun 9

My new #math series in the New York Times, "Math Revealed," is aimed at everyone, whether you love math or not. Have a look! You can read it here for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

In the world of taxicab geometry, even the Pythagorean theorem takes a back seat.

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 23

"Gardening is just editing outdoors." -- an editor

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 23

@coweatherman.bsky.social‬ What's the key to keeping weeds out of there for the first few weeks/months/years?

Historic Shipwrecks Come to Light in the Great Lakes

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 23

Visually stunning archaeological work being done by NOAA on Lake Ontario

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/s...

9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 16

A little something that @emilyanthes.bsky.social and I whipped up: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/s...

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 8

Friends, Brooklynites, book-lovers: Join us tonight at @greenlightbklyn.bsky.social in Brooklyn, where fab @susandominus.bsky.social will talk about her new book, "The Family Dynamic: A Journey into the Mystery of Sibling Success," with equally fab @emilynussbaum.bsky.social. Curly hair alert!

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · May 6

Delighted beyond delighted at the publication at last of "The Family Dynamic: A Journey Into the Mystery of Sibling Success," by the phenomenal @susandominus.bsky.social !! It's an intimate, thoughtful and delightful exploration of the inner mechanics of families and the science of achievement.

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 26

Thank you, Colette!

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 25

My two cents: "The Trump administration is trying to change what counts as science."
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/b...

Trump vs. Science

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 25

Thanks, Katrina!

Astronomers Detect a Signature of Life on a Distant Planet (Gift Article)

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 23

Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 17

“I’m not screaming, ‘aliens!’” said Nikole Lewis, an exoplanetary scientist at Cornell University. “But I always reserve my right to scream ‘aliens!’”

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Apr 16

120 light years from Earth, there's a planet that may be covered in a living ocean. Here's my story on a tantalizing hint of life beyond the Solar System. Gift link: nyti.ms/3GbrEaZ 🧪

Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

A Cautionary Tale of 408 Tentacles

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 13

Wild, sad follow-up on last year's octopus sensation, by @emilyanthes.bsky.social.

“'It’s unfortunately not that storybook of an ending. Fairy tales leave out a lot of details.'” www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/s...

One pet octopus suddenly became more than four dozen. They went viral. Then it all went south.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/s...

Reposted by Alan Burdick

Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · Apr 12

Symphypleona, or globular springtails, are ridiculous little creatures. They have this weird lever-like structure called a furcula that lets them spring off the ground and launch themselves into the air to escape danger. Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXeS... 🌿 #Collembola #虫 #macrophotography 🪲🪳

Extreme close-up of a reddish-brown globular springtail (Symphypleona) on a beige, gritty surface. The springtail’s bulbous body is covered in fine hairs, and one antenna is raised forward. Its head is clearly visible with clustered ocelli, and the background is heavily blurred, emphasizing the subject.

A bright orange globular springtail stands alert on a patch of moist, mossy ground. Its dark ocelli are prominent against its rounded head, and delicate antennae extend forward. The rough texture of the substrate contrasts with the smooth, semi-translucent body of the springtail.

Another angle of an orange globular springtail, climbing a shimmering, textured rock surface. The springtail's rounded abdomen catches the light, and its legs and antennae are slightly spread as it navigates the incline.

A dark-colored globular springtail, nearly black, emerges from a crevice in damp, earthy surroundings. Its spherical body is covered in tiny white setae, and its pale head and reddish appendages are partially visible as it moves through the environment.

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Reposted by Alan Burdick

Tom Astle @tjalamont.bsky.social · Apr 12

Here is your Saturday Sunlit Snail.

#invertebrates 🌿🐙📷

A macro photo of a the front of a garden snail, with only a small portion of the shell visible on the left. The snail is backlit by the early morning sun, making it glow orange and brown. Its right eye stalk is in focus, extended straight out in front of it to the right.

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Alan Burdick @alanburdick.bsky.social · Apr 3

A Fungi Pioneer’s Lifelong Work on Exhibit

Mushrooms in 19th-century watercolors: The paintings of a self-taught female mycologist are featured at the New York State Museum.