Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Eos @eos.org · 22h

Zigzags in magnetic field lines might not occur only near the Sun. New #AGUPubs research by @unhresearch.bsky.social

eos.org/research-spo...

Magnetic “Switchback” Detected near Earth for First Time - Eos

Until recently, this type of zigzag shape—formed by energetic rearrangement of magnetic field lines—had been seen only near the Sun.

eos.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 19h

Are you going to #SciWri25 in Chicago in November? IT'S PARTY TIME! Come wish @theopennotebook.bsky.social a happy 15th birthday on Saturday 11/8, 7-10 pm, at the Harp & Fiddle pub in Uptown Park Ridge, ~2 miles from the meeting hotel. Details are under 'meet-ups' in the conference Whova app. 🎂🎉

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Overheard at C&EN @censays.bsky.social · 22h

I think I might've woken up in the middle of the night muttering "MOFs"

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Stu Cantrill @stuartcantrill.com · 1d

Time to break out this pic of me being strangled by a future #Nobel Laureate in 2017… #Chemsky #chemnobel…

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Fionna Samuels @fmorningstar.bsky.social · 1d

There was a LOT of excitement at 5:47 am in our newsroom slack this morning. Go MOFs!!

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 1d

The 2025 #NobelPrize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.” Stay tuned for the full story to come! cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

#ChemNobel #Chem #Chemistry #chemsky 🧪

The 2025 chemistry Nobel goes to MOFs

Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi win the prize for developing metal–organic frameworks

cen.acs.org

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Laura Howes @laurahowes.bsky.social · 1d

Have we written about MOFs before? Um, quite a bit:

cen.acs.org/topics/mater...

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 1d

The 2025 #NobelPrize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.” Stay tuned for the full story to come! cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

#ChemNobel #Chem #Chemistry #chemsky 🧪

The 2025 chemistry Nobel goes to MOFs

Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi win the prize for developing metal–organic frameworks

cen.acs.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 2d

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.” Stay tuned for the full story to come! cen.acs.org/people/nobel... #chemsky 🧪

Quantum tunnelling trio win the 2025 physics Nobel

John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis get the award for demonstrating quantum mechanical effects at the macroscale

cen.acs.org

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C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 1d

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics for experiments that revealed quantum behavior in electrical circuits, showing that even systems made of billions of atoms can obey the strange laws of the quantum world: cen.acs.org/people/nobel... 🧪

Quantum tunnelling trio win the 2025 physics Nobel
John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis get the award for demonstrating quantum mechanical effects at the macroscale

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Bri Barbu @bribarbu.bsky.social · 2d

Nobel week is basically the super bowl for science journalists, and @sarahbraner.bsky.social (with @laurahowes.bsky.social & @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social) gave us a strong opening play with their coverage of the med+physio prize!
(did i get the sports metaphor right?)

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 2d

Immunity researchers win the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi receive the prize for understanding how the immune system is kept in check. Read more: cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

#chemsky #immunosky 🧪

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 4d

While this scanning electron microscope image may look like a harbinger of doom—perhaps a symptom of a haunted instrument or a cursed lab—Gustavo Porrata Caraballo says there’s a perfectly rational scientific explanation for it. Read more: cen.acs.org/materials/po...

#CENChemPics

A scanning electron microscope image of polymer clusters, one of which resembles a skull.

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Carly Reddington @drcarlyreddington.bsky.social · 7d

🚨Our new paper introduces the #AirQualityStripes – a visual tool to show how outdoor air pollution (PM2.5) has changed in 🌍 cities since 1850. Inspired by the iconic #WarmingStripes. Led by @kirstypringle.bsky.social & @jimmcquaid.bsky.social
🔗 airqualitystripes.info
📄 doi.org/10.5194/gc-8...
🧵👇

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

The Uproot Project @uprootproject.bsky.social · 6d

"As Latino communities ramp up air quality monitoring, Trump’s EPA moves to weaken pollution regulations." Uprooter @thaliajuarez.bsky.social for @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US Latinos mobilize to monitor – and improve – local air quality: ‘We have to fix it’

As Latino communities ramp up air quality monitoring, Trump’s EPA moves to weaken pollution regulations

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Grist @grist.org · 7d

"Every single one of you has that indomitable spirit. But so many people don’t let it out. They don’t realize the power they have to influence and change the world. And so I’m saying to you, let your indomitable spirit make a difference."
— Jane Goodall, March 30, 2024,

grist.org/looking-forw...

Jane Goodall’s legacy of empathy, curiosity, and courage

As the iconic scientist and activist celebrates her 90th birthday, her message for younger generations is one of hope — and not fearing the next adventure.

grist.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Laura Howes @laurahowes.bsky.social · 8d

Come for the cool solar imagery, stay for the science
😎🧪
@fmorningstar.bsky.social for @cenmag.bsky.social

What causes space weather and how does it affect Earth?

The aurora borealis is a spectacle of space weather, but solar flares and coronal mass ejections have far more Earthly impacts

cen.acs.org

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Fionna Samuels @fmorningstar.bsky.social · 8d

We’re super excited to have Delger on the team!!

Delger Erdenesanaa @edelger.bsky.social · 8d

New job, new beat: I'm now covering PFAS, pesticides and other chemicals in food, ag and water for @cenmag.bsky.social. Would love to connect with sources -- please do reach out with tips (or just intros)!

My new email is D_Erdenesanaa at acs dot org. Signal remains edelger dot 10.

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C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 10d

In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, host @craigofwaffles.bsky.social speaks with @bribarbu.bsky.social about her article diving into the new and exciting frontier of the skeletal editing of molecules. cen.acs.org/biological-c... #chemsky 🧪

Uncovered: Skeletal editing and the future of cut-and-paste chemistry

Will skeletal editing revolutionize the way we see chemical interactions?

cen.acs.org

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C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 10d

Amid scientific debates & controversial studies suggesting an association between low levels of fluoride exposure and slight decline in children’s IQ, residents of Brigham City and beyond are grappling with policies that endanger public access to fluoride cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

A small city in Utah voted to keep fluoride in its water. Then the state banned it.

Brigham City is caught in a public health battle pitting uncertain health risks against decades of clear dental benefits

cen.acs.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Katie Langin @klangin.bsky.social · 12d

Today was a hard day for Ph.D. students who found out that they can no longer apply for NSF's prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program. "Devastating“ was how one student described it to me. #GradSchool #NSFGRFP

www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry

The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded

www.science.org

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Bethany Halford @bethanyhalford.bsky.social · 13d

Lots of chemists work in the US on H-1B visas. The new $100,000 fee is likely to prevent many brilliant scientists from coming here, which would be a huge loss.

My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social

cen.acs.org/careers/empl...

cen.acs.org

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Fionna Samuels @fmorningstar.bsky.social · 14d

It's that time of year again! Any bets on who will win the chemistry Nobel this year?

Laura Howes @laurahowes.bsky.social · 14d

It gets earlier every year... Next Wednesday, join me and an expert panel to discuss who might win the 2025 #ChemNobel. Free to attend.

Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Time: 2–3 PM ET

Register here: lnkd.in/eD8cdWRS

A web page asking who will win the #chemnobel?

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 15d

RFK Jr.’s claim that Tylenol causes autism has no backing

Genetic factors are far more likely to influence a child’s later diagnosis. cen.acs.org/policy/RFK-J... #chemsky 🧪

RFK Jr.’s claim that Tylenol causes autism has no backing

Genetic factors are far more likely to influence a child’s later diagnosis

cen.acs.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

ProPublica @propublica.org · 15d

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin boasted about how the agency is taking action to “ensure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water.”

At the same time, the agency terminated over $15 million in grants for “forever chemicals” research.

(Published July)

Trump’s First EPA Promised to Crack Down on Forever Chemicals. His Second EPA Is Pulling Back.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims to prioritize combatting long-lasting chemicals called PFAS. Despite this, the agency has delayed enforcement of standards and terminated over $15 million in fundin...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Fionna Samuels

Craig Bettenhausen @craigofwaffles.bsky.social · 16d

"The atmosphere doesn't care how many solar panels we build. it cares how many fossil-fuel burning plants we don't," Tzeporah Berman, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative at #ClimateWeekNYC

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Fionna Samuels @fmorningstar.bsky.social · 16d

And here’s the open access paper: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Efficient Pollination Stinks: Corpse Flowers Use Floral Trapping and Persistent Emissions

Sulfur compounds dominated the female flowers of a Titan arum bloom, while the male flowers had more chemically diverse floral emissions We identified evidence toward the use of floral trapping d...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Fionna Samuels @fmorningstar.bsky.social · 16d

Last year, I smelled a corpse flower for the first time at the US botanic garden, and immediately texted @chemj.bsky.social about the skink. It’s very cool to see Mj’s work on corpse flowers published!

Nature @nature.com · 16d

Corpse flowers reach peak stinkiness during the first night of their spectacular blooms

go.nature.com/4gxyB4k

Corpse flowers waft out stinky compounds as fast as landfills do

Gigantic plant’s stench is most powerful on the first night it blooms, all the better to draw carrion-loving pollinators.

go.nature.com

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