Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · 20d

I had fun speaking today at the Quantum World Congress panel on Demystifying Quantum: How to Communicate Cutting Edge Science to Diverse Audiences. Alongside the fantastic moderator @csrday.bsky.social and esteemed panelists @nicoleyh11.bsky.social and Ben Stein #QWC2025

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · 27d

😆 Anyone who dislikes cool Mars rocks is advised to leave the chat immediately!

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Aug 26

"Notice, please, how gracious it is, how welcoming, like an outstretched arm guiding you over a tricky step." www.theringer.com/2025/08/20/p...

Stop AI-Shaming Our Precious, Kindly Em Dashes—Please

Human writers have always used the em dash. In fact, it’s the most human punctuation mark there is.

www.theringer.com

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Aug 22

Frilly bug feet for your Friday www.sciencenews.org/article/ripp...

Frilly bug feet inspire a water-striding robot

Ripple bugs’ nimble movements on the surface of water inspired a robot with automatically unfurling fans on its feet.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Aug 22

Rubin in motion was like a dragon waking up. 🐲🤩 www.sciencenews.org/article/vera... Beautiful words about Vera Rubin Observatory (and a fascinating peek at troubleshooting) by @astrolisa.bsky.social

The Vera Rubin Observatory is ready to revolutionize astronomy

Sporting the world’s largest digital camera, the new telescope is poised to help solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.

www.sciencenews.org

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Reposted by Emily Conover

Christopher Berry @cplberry.bsky.social · May 30

Not good news for gravitational-wave or multimessenger astronomy "In FY 2026 NSF will operate only one of the two [LIGO] sites and will support a reduced level for technology development"

☄️⚛️🧪🔭

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · May 30

Presidential budget is out. Here's NSF. Biggest cut, by amount, is $1 billion, or 66.8%, from MPS (Physics & Math directorate). nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/00-NSF...

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · May 31

Wow. "the agency intends to wind down one of the sites for the celebrated Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).... NSF had previously planned to upgrade LIGO’s facilities and the two sites are both needed to localize the celestial sources of the waves."

Science Magazine @science.org · May 31

President Donald Trump today fleshed out his vision for a previously proposed 56% cut in the $9 billion budget of the National Science Foundation, and it’s not a pretty sight. scim.ag/3HhGa1D

Final NSF budget proposal jettisons one giant telescope amid savage agencywide cuts

Trump’s 57% proposed cut to agency would drop grant success rates to 7% and gut education and training

scim.ag

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · May 22

Scientists on Golden Dome: "Even the most optimistic assumptions ... would suggest that that is impossible.” www.sciencenews.org/article/gold... My story for @sciencenews.bsky.social

Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ plan has a major obstacle: Physics

Scientists suggest the missile defense plan will face big hurdles, especially given its projected timeline and cost.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 18

We love a @astrolisa.bsky.social knowledge bomb www.sciencenews.org/article/alie...

A claimed hint of alien life whips up spirited debate

Astronomers have a lot of thoughts about the latest paper claiming we’ve found the strongest hints of alien life yet on the distant planet K2 18b.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 18

I only just started reading this book and it's already reshaping how I think about all kinds of stuff. It's a truly bonkers future that some of the most powerful people in tech are envisioning.

Lisa Grossman @astrolisa.bsky.social · Apr 18

I've been waiting for @adambecker.bsky.social's book "More Everything Forever" to come out for YEARS. Unfortunately its release has the best/worst possible timing. Go read it, be horrified, get motivated.
www.sciencenews.org/article/more...

Tech billionaires’ vision of an AI-dominated future is flawed — and dangerous

Adam Becker’s new book, More Everything Forever, investigates the dangers of a billionaire-driven tomorrow, in which trillions of humans live in space, served by AI.

www.sciencenews.org

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Reposted by Emily Conover

Lisa Grossman @astrolisa.bsky.social · Apr 18

I've been waiting for @adambecker.bsky.social's book "More Everything Forever" to come out for YEARS. Unfortunately its release has the best/worst possible timing. Go read it, be horrified, get motivated.
www.sciencenews.org/article/more...

Tech billionaires’ vision of an AI-dominated future is flawed — and dangerous

Adam Becker’s new book, More Everything Forever, investigates the dangers of a billionaire-driven tomorrow, in which trillions of humans live in space, served by AI.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 14

Happy for someone more knowledgeable to contradict me if I'm wrong here, but this is my understanding of why we still care about this problem.

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 14

Also, there's the whole "harvest now, decrypt later" thing, which means quantum attacks on encryption could still be important even after PQC is implemented. We're basically relying on the encrypted information becoming obsolete in the window of time before there's a capable enough quantum computer

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 14

I also rolled my eyes at that headline. But NIST setting out post-quantum encryption standards is not the same as them actually being implemented. That is going to take a lot of work over, I believe, at least a decade. Given, uh, *gestures at everything* I wouldn't say the problem is solved.

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Apr 4

Always proud to be a Brown graduate. #EverTrue www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/u...

Trump Administration Set to Pause $510 Million for Brown University

The administration has now targeted five schools’ federal funding as part of a pledge to combat what it considers to be antisemitism on university campuses.

www.nytimes.com

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 29

I was in third grade the last time the U.S. tested a nuclear weapon. When I heard from nuclear policy experts that a resumption of testing could be on the horizon, I wanted to understand what that would mean, and if there was any scientific basis for testing. www.sciencenews.org/article/nucl...

Calls to restart nuclear weapons tests stir dismay and debate among scientists

Many scientists say “subcritical” experiments and computer simulations make nuclear weapons testing unnecessary.

www.sciencenews.org

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Reposted by Emily Conover

Meghan Rosen @megrosen.bsky.social · Mar 28

I wouldn’t call myself a physics person, but dang, this story about the controversy over Microsoft’s qubits chip claim kept me on the edge of my seat. By @econover.bsky.social

www.sciencenews.org/article/micr...

Physicists are mostly unconvinced by Microsoft’s new topological quantum chip

Majorana qubits could be error resistant. But after a contentious talk at the Global Physics Summit, scientists aren’t convinced Microsoft has them.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 21

A truer statement has never been said.

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Mar 20

me on day 4 of a combined march/april meeting:

session is "Biological Learning Without a Brain"

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 20

Making new friends at #apssummit25

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 20

Standing ovation for federal employees at #apssummit25 Protecting Science town hall

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 19

Hints of varying dark energy persist! My story on the new DESI result at #apssummit25 www.sciencenews.org/article/map-...

A map of 14 million galaxies and quasars deepens a dark energy mystery

The DESI experiment shocked cosmologists with a hint that dark energy varies over time. Now, with more data, the conclusions hold up.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Mar 16

I'm on my way to #apssummit25 and it seems like half my flight is too! I'm giving an invited talk on misinformation and disinformation and science communication. I'll be participating in the proud tradition of preparing my talk on the airplane. summit.aps.org/events/MAR-W12

Science Communication in an Age of Misinformation and Disinformation

8:00 am – 10:24 am, Friday March 21, Session MAR-W12, Anaheim Convention Center, 156 (Level 1)

summit.aps.org

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Reposted by Emily Conover

Aimee Cunningham @thisisaimeec.bsky.social · Mar 7

More of us are here now so it's time for a starter pack of Science News & Science News Explores journalists 🧪
Covering what's new, what's important and what's amazing about science (since 1921!), for adults and kids
go.bsky.app/2toDaa8

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Jan 12

Science News and I both got a redesign at the same time! (New magazine and new glasses!)

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Emily Conover @econover.bsky.social · Jan 8

That article was really just an excuse to showcase some of those glamor shots! 😍

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