Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 31m

The Chinese government announced today broad new export controls on rare-earth magnets and their raw materials on grounds of national security.

China imposes broad new export controls ahead of Xi-Trump meet

Beijing characterizes the move as necessary under its nonproliferation commitments.

www.politico.eu

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omerbartov.bsky.social @omerbartov.bsky.social · 11h

Netanyahu’s onslaught against Gaza has been genocidal, but Israelis refuse to see it. This has historical parallels—and roots in Israel’s foundation
By Omer Bartov
October 8, 2025
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/israel...

A state of denial

Netanyahu’s onslaught against Gaza has been genocidal, but Israelis refuse to see it. This has historical parallels—and roots in Israel’s foundation

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

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Iwasid @iwasid.bsky.social · 10h

Omar M. Yaghi, born in Amman to a Palestinian refugee family from the village of al-Masmiyya in Gaza.

An extraordinary achievement.

Go Palestine!

#Gaza2025

Nature @nature.com · 23h

BREAKING: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks”

Stay tuned for more.
#NobelPrize

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Current Affairs @currentaffairs.bsky.social · 14h

Right-wingers have been getting books removed from shelves across the United States. But they’re a fringe minority of weirdos, and they can be beaten. Here’s how.

www.currentaffairs.org/news/a-libra...

A Librarian’s Guide to Fighting Book Bans

Right-wingers have been getting books removed from shelves across the United States. But they’re a fringe minority of weirdos, and they can be beaten. Here’s how.

www.currentaffairs.org

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every usps @everylot-usps.bsky.social · 8d

RIVERTON: 284 LINCOLN ST, RIVERTON NE 68972-5175

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Vanessa is the name of the Doctor! @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 14h

Like, hearing friends talk about how their boss is using it to generate shareholder recommendations because "it's smarter than I am" dear god dear god.

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Vanessa is the name of the Doctor! @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 14h

I find the absolute normalisation of slopAI use by ppl who actively refuse to learn how it works or what it can do, incredibly, existentially scary. It's worse even than all the stupidity around covid because at least there "the science" could sometimes be ambiguious re. distancing, handwashing etc

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dr-electric.bsky.social @dr-electric.bsky.social · 19h

MY GOD THEY'RE DRINKING THE LATTES, THEY'RE EATING THE SCONES.

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 19h

And now for a report from the hellish, war-zone that is Portland

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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · Sep 5

Completely coincidental that @quantamagazine.bsky.social just published a nice article by @shalmawegs.bsky.social on the history of Fourier transforms! I did not know that Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier was slated to be guillotined. Narrow escape there.

www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-the-...

What Is the Fourier Transform? | Quanta Magazine

Amid the chaos of revolutionary France, one man’s mathematical obsession gave way to a calculation that now underpins much of mathematics and physics. The calculation, called the Fourier transform, de...

www.quantamagazine.org

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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · Aug 29

"Duality" of course has many appearances in physics. If you're interested, here is the book for you! "The Philosophy and Physics of Duality" by de Haro and Butterfield. Available for free, just 592 pages.

arxiv.org/abs/2508.01616

The Philosophy and Physics of Duality

This monograph discusses dualities in physics: what dualities are, their main examples--from quantum mechanics and electrodynamics to statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and string theory--and...

arxiv.org

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Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 23h

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 1d

The more I read the responses by BlueSky's dev team, the more annoyed I am about the ways that they've squandered the promise of what this site could be.

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Peter Butler @peter-butler.bsky.social · 1d

Bloomberg research found wholesale electricity up ~270% in areas near data centers

It doesn't seem like nearly enough people are taking it seriously

One A.I. image isn't too much energy, but 5 million videos? Per day/hour/minute whatever. It's not sustainable

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring

Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.

www.bloomberg.com

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John Brophy @jk001-ie.bsky.social · 23h

It's time again for possibly the best Nobel Prize-related story

How do you hide a Nobel Prize medal from the Nazis?

#NobelPrize #NielsBohr #AquaRegia
www.aip.org/library/the-...

The Invisible Prize

www.aip.org

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Nature @nature.com · 23h

BREAKING: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks”

Stay tuned for more.
#NobelPrize

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Iwasid @iwasid.bsky.social · 23h

On a quick skim, pleased to see McMahan mentioned. It's clearly an article with depth (making a welcome change from much out there). Looking forward to going back and giving this more attention.

Skim suggests differences in perceptions of reality, as opposed to morality, are not addressed ...

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Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · 1d

Two years on from October 7th, here’s my essay on Just War Theory and how philosophers are making sense of the carnage in Gaza:

Just War Theory and the Philosophers of Gaza

Philosophers have long tried to develop clear moral principles to govern the conduct of warfare. Here's why they're engaged in a fierce debate over Gaza.

www.forkingpaths.co

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Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · 1d

Very normal conception of journalism from a person who has never been a reporter but now is in charge of one of the largest media outlets in the most powerful country on the planet.

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 1d

Bari Weiss introduced herself to CBS News staff today on the network's 9AM call, saying she wants to "win," which requires restoring trust to CBS. She also said she was excited for staff to get to know the Free Press, and ended her remarks by saying: "Let's do the fucking news."

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Iwasid @iwasid.bsky.social · 23h

Moral vacuity would appear to be the main criteria for the top jobs.

Blair, Cameron, Starmer spring to mind ...

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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly I hate Jenrick more than Farage. Far more sinister because of the speed of his transformation from off-the-shelf Tory mediocrity into dead-eyed National Front race-baiter

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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 1d

I imagine Robert Jenrick is currently on his way to places like Plymouth and Chelmsford to complain that there are too many white faces and they are insufficiently diverse

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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 1d

Heseltine was the first Tory MP to publicly criticise Enoch Powell after Rivers of Blood in 1968. Let him cook

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 1d

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

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BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 1d

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

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Iwasid @iwasid.bsky.social · 23h

If he was being really brave he would would separate the 1100 killed into military and civilian and query just how many of the civilians were killed by Israel itself under the Hannibal Directive.

Really not sure Israel was the victim on October 7th.

#Gaza2023