Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 2h

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Amanda Montañez @unamandita.bsky.social · 3h

fascinating story about the convergence of traditional Chinese medicine and AI...and tongues! by @luyieve.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-s...

This AI Spots Disease by Reading Your Tongue’s Color

Inspired by principles from traditional Chinese medicine, researchers used AI to analyze tongue color as a diagnostic tool—with more than 96 percent accuracy

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 3h

Here's why to know about "metal-organic frameworks," which are...cooler than they sound, let's go with. And now Nobel-winning! 🧪

Josh Fischman @jfischman.bsky.social · 3h

Finally! After decades of also-runs, amazing molecular cages-which can do everything from trapping greenhouse gases to delivering and releasing drugs at specific parts of the body- won the Chemistry Nobel. Read @megha.bsky.social 's story, here, and watch for updates today.

2025 Chemistry Nobel Goes to Molecular Sponges That Purify Water, Store Energy, and Clean Up the Environment

Three scientists, including one from the U.S., share the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing “metal-organic frameworks,” versatile molecular cages that can trap contaminants, store energy and...

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 16h

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Shannon Stirone @shannonstirone.bsky.social · 23h

Here’s the thing I wish everyone could hold in their minds about writers—we love em dashes. We use em dashes. We are humans and not AI. We will not be deleting our em dashes just because AI uses them too. We were here first. You can pry my em dashes from my cold dead hands. F*ck AI.

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 22h

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Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 1d

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: This year’s physics Nobel goes to 3 researchers who demonstrated quantum tunneling on a superconducting chip. By bringing this microscopic effect into the macroscale world, they laid important foundations for quantum computing.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/2025...

This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded to Three Scientists for Work in Quantum Mechanics

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work showing how bizarre microscopic quantum effects can infiltrate our large-scale, everyday world

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 1d

Today's Nobel, for physics, went to researchers who brought quantum mechanics to the scale of the real world. Here's what to know: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/2025...

This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded to Three Scientists for Work in Quantum Mechanics

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work showing how bizarre microscopic quantum effects can infiltrate our large-scale, everyday world

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 1d

It's Nobel week! Here's @laurenjyoung.bsky.social with a great explainer on the science of today's winners, who developed our understanding of how the immune system avoids attacking the body: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/2025...

This Year’s Medicine Nobel Goes to Discovery of Why the Body Doesn’t Attack Itself

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi shared the Nobel prize for their work on peripheral immune tolerance, a process that is key to organ transplants and treatment of autoimmune disease...

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 2d

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Lauren J. Young @laurenjyoung.bsky.social · 2d

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to some neat fundamental research on the immune system: peripheral immune tolerance. It's what keeps the body's defense mechanism in check—and could be key to new therapies for autoimmune disorders. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/2025...

This Year’s Medicine Nobel Goes to Discovery of Why the Body Doesn’t Attack Itself

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi shared the Nobel prize for their work on peripheral immune tolerance, a process that is key to organ transplants and treatment of autoimmune disease...

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 2d

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Tanya Lewis @tanyalewis.bsky.social · 2d

This year's #medicineNobel was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell & Shimon Sakaguchi for discovering why the body doesn't attack itself—key for organ transplants and autoimmune disease therapies. By @laurenjyoung.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/2025...

This Year’s Medicine Nobel Goes to Discovery of Why the Body Doesn’t Attack Itself

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi shared the Nobel prize for their work on peripheral immune tolerance, a process that is key to organ transplants and treatment of autoimmune disease...

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 3d

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Clara Moskowitz @clarakm.bsky.social · 4d

Maybe dark energy is completely different than we imagined: @rboyle31.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-d...

Are Black Holes Creating Dark Energy?

A controversial prediction about black holes and the expansion force of the universe could explain a cosmology mystery

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

NE Ohio Regional Sewer District @neorsd.org · 5d

obligatory sturgeon mention content

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 4d

Cease thou from strivinge to maken "fetch" to happen
#MeanGirlsDay

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Megan Ranney MD MPH @meganranney.bsky.social · 5d

“framing science as a debate to be won makes it easy to paint established scientists as opponents who must be overcome”

An interesting thesis and suggestion of a solution

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o... 🎁

Opinion | How the Manosphere Hijacks Young Men’s Interest in Science

www.nytimes.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 5d

Tie your brain in knots (in a good way) with this fun math puzzler/explainer/extravaganza: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

Can You Solve Math’s Knottiest Puzzles?

Learn the fundamentals of the burgeoning field of knot theory while solving some puzzles along the way

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Alanna Smith @alannawrites.bsky.social · 7d

The language of non-consent around AI is really telling. "It's too late to be scared." "It's here whether we want it or not." "You'll have to learn to work with it." "You can't fight the inevitable."

All just variations of "you're not allowed to say no." Creepy technology made by creepy people.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 7d

‘It’s too late to be scared’: readers on the controversial rise of AI ‘actors’

The birth of AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood has caused a backlash in Hollywood and has sparked conversation from Guardian readers

www.theguardian.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 7d

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Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 7d

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: A fresh look at old Cassini data shows surprising chemical complexity brewing within Enceladus. This time we've found oodles of chonky organic molecules that could be precursors to (or byproducts of) even chonkier biomolecules.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-l...

Is Life inside Enceladus? Saturn’s Ocean Moon Is Awash with Biology’s Raw Ingredients

A fresh analysis of old data has found rich organic chemistry within the hidden ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 7d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 7d

NASA wants to build a telescope powerful enough to look at Earth-sized planets around sun-like stars--an incredibly difficult task. Here's the story so far: 🧪 🔭 www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-...

NASA’s First-Ever Alien-Hunting Space Telescope Could Enlighten Our New Dark Age

The Habitable Worlds Observatory is poised to tell us whether Earth-like planets are common—if it can get off the ground

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 7d

You don't want to miss this wild story from @danvergano.bsky.social 🧪 🔭

Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 15d

"Millennia ago a piece of the sky fell toward East Africa, streaking overhead, born of an ancient collision..."

www.scientificamerican.com/article/insi...

Shiid-birood, a fabled iron meteorite taken amid reports of violence, revealed tantalizing mysteries before vanishing into a shady underworld

The Meteorite That Vanished: A Tale of Lies, Death and Smuggling

How a space rock vanished from Africa and showed up for sale across an ocean

www.scientificamerican.com

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 8d

Perfect in every way.

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 8d

Nature is beautiful!!

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 8d

RIGHT?!?

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 8d

You NEED to see and hear these cute little barking geckos and I won't let you talk yourself out of it: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/six-...

Mildly Menacing Mating Calls Lead to Discovery of New Gecko Species

Scientists found new gecko species hidden in plain sight in pristine deserts of southern Africa, thanks to their loud, barking mating calls

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Meghan Bartels

Leta McCollough Seletzky @letaseletzky.com · 9d

I don’t want to hear anything else about what we should or shouldn’t be putting in our bodies (Tylenol, artificial sweeteners, sugar, or fat) until something is done about the BULLETS being put into bodies

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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 8d

Tropical Storm Imelda could have been really bad for the Carolinas. Except there was a Category 4 hurricane around to pull Imelda away from the coast. Here's that weird phenomenon explained: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

A Hurricane Is Saving the U.S. from a Tropical Storm

In a version of the Fujiwhara effect, Hurricane Humberto is pulling Tropical Storm Imelda eastward and away from the U.S.

www.scientificamerican.com

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