Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Matthew Warren

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · Aug 12

The proposed Horizon Europe successor has 2x the budget, but there's a controversial catch:

The previously civilian-only program will be opened to "dual-use" research with defense applications.

... that's, of course, if this thing passes the EU Parliament.

New from me for @science.org 🧪

Europe mulls boosting military R&D with civilian science funding

Worried about regional security, bloc pushes forward on controversial “dual-use” approach

www.science.org

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Annika Inampudi @annikainampudi.bsky.social · Aug 4

Last month, 140,000 Danes found out that their genetic data was being used in a massive research project-- without their consent.

I unpacked how this happened, and why it matters for @science.org

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

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent

The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

www.science.org

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thousands of Danes have just found out that their genetic data has been used in research for more than a decade, without their consent. Great reporting from @inampudi.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent

The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

www.science.org

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Aug 1

Thousands of Danes have just found out that their genetic data has been used in research for more than a decade, without their consent. Great reporting from @inampudi.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent

The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

www.science.org

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Reposted by Matthew Warren

David Malakoff @davidmalakoff.bsky.social · Jul 17

“The new law will negatively affect further international collaborations of Russian chemists and other scientists, as many of them will prefer not to participate in such projects amid the fears of possible attention from security services,” says one chemist www.science.org/content/arti...

Russian scientists’ international collaborations to be vetted by security services under new law

Move will have a chilling effect and further isolate the country from the global scientific community, researchers say

www.science.org

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Meredith Wadman @meredithwadman.bsky.social · Jul 15

Well, this makes it real: I'm retiring in September and this is the just-posted job listing for my replacement. @Science.org is a fabulous place to work, so @sciencewriters.org, apply here! recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...

recruiting.ultipro.com

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Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · Jul 9

The Science Media Centre has gathered several expert reactions to the "de-extinct the moa" publicity announcement. Each is withering in a different way. www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/07/09/m...

Moa "de-extinction" plans announced - Expert Reaction

An overseas company has announced plans to "bring back" the South Island giant moa. Colossal Biosciences, working with Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and Canterbury Museum, says it expects to "resurrect" t...

www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz

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Andrew Przybylski @shuhbillskee.bsky.social · May 23

“I think we desperately need to take some of the heat out of this debate,” @peteetchells.bsky.social says. “And this paper, for me, doesn’t do that. It has the potential to go the other way.”

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

Social media consensus paper causes social media uproar

Preprint reporting common ground among researchers on smartphones and teen mental health is premature and flawed, critics say

www.science.org

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Jonathan Moens @jonathanmoens.bsky.social · May 19

for @ScienceMagazine i spent the past year investigating a brain technology used by Indian police to determine if suspects committed a crime. the technology has been used in hundreds high-stake cases. yet it has little to no science backing. 🧵
www.science.org/content/arti...

Indian police are trying to ‘read minds' of suspects, over neuroscientists' objections

A controversial profiling of the brain’s electrical activity has shaped court decisions and bail applications

www.science.org

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Martin Enserink @martinenserink.bsky.social · May 6

Be sure not to miss the last bit of
@jocelynkaiser.bsky.social's short, strange interview with NIH chief Jay Bhattacharya: www.science.org/content/arti...

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Greg Jenner @gregjenner.bsky.social · Apr 23

Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine

• Al Overview
The idiom "you can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once. It's a warning that if someone has already been deceived, they are unlikely to fall for the same trick again.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
• Licking: "Licking" in this context means to trick or deceive someone.
• Badger: The badger is a wild animal, and the phrase likely originates from the historical sport of badger baiting where dogs were used to harass

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Rebekah White @rebekahwhite.bsky.social · Apr 3

Some new climate technologies are pretty controversial, but they could also be pretty useful; we should talk about it!

To be clear, it's not a matter of convincing people; it's a matter of being in dialogue. Sounds woolly, but a number of fantastic researchers help me unpack what this involves:

Geoengineering could fight climate change—if the public can be convinced

Researchers’ failures to communicate are jeopardizing even basic tests, but new projects may point the way forward

www.science.org

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Jon Cohen @cohenjon.bsky.social · Apr 1

One high level HHS official shown the door told Science, “I couldn’t have worked with these asshats anyway.”

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

Trump administration purges U.S. health agency leaders

Reassignment letters come as reduction in force begins

www.science.org

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David Malakoff @davidmalakoff.bsky.social · Mar 17

Overseas universities see opportunity in recruiting U.S. scientists uprooted by Trump policies. Not capitalizing on the situation “would be wasting a unique opportunity,” one specialist says. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Overseas universities see opportunity in U.S. ‘brain drain’

But many U.S.-based scientists seeking to leave may struggle to find positions in countries grappling with funding issues of their own

www.science.org

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Cathleen O'Grady @cathleenogrady.bsky.social · Mar 14

Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education.

So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it?

Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...

Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language

Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices

www.science.org

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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · Mar 13

🚨 @newscientist.com SCOOP: I've exclusively obtained Peter Kyle's interactions with ChatGPT using FOI laws - in what I believe may be a world-first transparency release. The chatbot said "Lack of Government or Institutional Support" slowed UK AI adoption www.newscientist.com/article/2472...

Revealed: How the UK tech secretary uses ChatGPT for policy advice

New Scientist has used freedom of information laws to obtain the ChatGPT records of Peter Kyle, the UK's technology secretary, in what is believed to be a world-first use of such legislation

www.newscientist.com

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Catherine Offord @cofford.bsky.social · Mar 5

Tariffs imposed yesterday could hit researchers by raising prices for scientific equipment. My latest for Science:
www.science.org/content/arti...

Sticker shock: New U.S. tariffs could raise cost of research equipment and supplies

China, Canada, and Mexico are major suppliers of essential scientific items

www.science.org

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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · Mar 4

My latest: The mass firings at NOAA can feel abstract. Here's what was lost at one research center -- the birthplace of climate modeling.

Fired staff became U.S. citizens to pursue these dream jobs, only to have their dreams upended.

NOAA firings hit the birthplace of weather and climate forecasting

Dismissed researchers were improving severe weather predictions

www.science.org

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Martin Enserink @martinenserink.bsky.social · Feb 26

Give a group of scientists the same data and the same research question, and they should come up with similar answers—in theory. But they don’t.
www.science.org/content/arti... (by @cathleenogrady.bsky.social)

Even faced with the same data, ecologists sometimes come to opposite conclusions

Study highlights powerful role subjective choices can play in research, though some critics urge caution about applying findings too broadly

www.science.org

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Flora Graham @floragraham.bsky.social · Feb 13

Absolutely cracking PAID internship for an aspiring science journalist. Great hands-on experience. London office (hybird). We particularly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups 🫶 springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/de-DE/Spring...

Nature News intern; Springer Nature Opening Doors Programme

Nature News Intern, Springer Nature Opening Doors Programme London, UK — Hybrid Working Model Application deadline: 28th February 2025 About Springer Nature Group Springer Nature opens the doors to di...

springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Feb 21

Here's one described as "an artificial intelligence powered skin cancer inspection device with design thinking". It's literally a pistol with a screen attached.

A computer generated model of a pistol with a screen attached at the rear

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Feb 21

Here's @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 's great story on the scheme again: www.science.org/content/arti...

Based on a preprint out yesterday: zenodo.org/records/1488...

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices

Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

www.science.org

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Feb 21

Design registrations are exactly what they sound like - you're just registering the appearance of something, not its function. Which is just as well!

But these companies are counting on them being mistaken for patents, since in many countries registering patents can boost your academic ranking.

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Feb 21

And this is a "wearable textile antenna for telemedicine application" 🤷‍♂️

A computer generated model of.... where to start? There's a round grey base with prongs jutting out, gripping a yellow and black rectangle that appears to be embedded with some kind of electronics.

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Matthew Warren @mattbwarren.bsky.social · Feb 21

This one is called "smart shoe for visually impaired". It appears to be a shoe with a tiny camera on the front (it also has a usb slot at the back).

Computer generated model of a shoe. It has what appears to be a tiny camera right in front of the toe.

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