Sign in

Aatish Bhatia

@aatishb.com
1.1K followers 904 following 292 posts

I'm a science writer and journalist. I make articles and interactive graphics. Previously: NYT, Princeton, Rutgers Physics Ph.D. aatishb.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 18h
This is a photograph of the edge of one of Saturn's rings, looking down from above. Those spiky dark shapes are shadows. Shadows of giant towers of ice and dust grains clumped together that rise up to three *kilometres* above the 10-m thick rings.
A series of bands cross the image from left to right, brighter at the bottom and darkening towards the top. A band of empty space is at the top of the image. About a quarter down from the top is a complex pattern of jagged, spiky shadows cast onto the rings. The icy towers casting the shadows are seen here at a highly oblique angle.
16440122
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 28/09/2026
"If mathematics is genuinely about understanding rather than output, then this principle should appear not merely in declarations about AI but in hiring criteria, the evaluation process and journal practices. It is imperative to start changing the system now." proofsandprompts.com/2026/09/18/t...
proofsandprompts.com
Two responses to “A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics”
Note from P&P: On 11 September 2026, 25 Fields Medallists co-authored the declaration “A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics”, which at the time of posting has over 7000 signat…
121
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 27/09/2026
"But A.I. is a different kind of technology, because it can deliver an end result before creative thinking has happened at all." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A.I. Shortcuts Are Ruining How We Think
Anything worth remembering came from a person who did not know where she or he was going until arriving.
010
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Arkarup Banerjee @arkarupbanerjee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Really interesting article by @aatishb.com on how LLMs work!
021
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As of today, the CDC has changed (reverted) their Covid guidance to make the vaccine recommended for all people over 18. In addition to being a smart public health move, this recommendation also means insurance must cover it. Read more here: www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/va... Listen to a breakdown here:
131860900
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Tim Gaedke @timgaedke.com · 26/09/2026
talent is a lie
a cartoon picture of a frog throwing a crooked looking clay vase with the words “talent is a lie, just do it anyway”
86172936083
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 24/09/2026
Appreciate you, Nathan!
000
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 23/09/2026
NEW blog post about AI’s ‘jagged intelligence’: I trained an AI model from scratch to play a simple children’s puzzle. Unlike a human player, it can solve the hardest puzzles, but it fails to solve the easiest ones. aatishb.com/blog/2026/ai...
aatishb.com
How a Simple Puzzle Reveals the Jagged Edge of AI’s Abilities
An interactive explanation of how AI can fail in surprising ways.
3105
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
10380962798
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 23/09/2026
In other news, I started a new blog. Living my best internet life like it's 2015 :)
1165
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 23/09/2026
NEW blog post about AI’s ‘jagged intelligence’: I trained an AI model from scratch to play a simple children’s puzzle. Unlike a human player, it can solve the hardest puzzles, but it fails to solve the easiest ones. aatishb.com/blog/2026/ai...
aatishb.com
How a Simple Puzzle Reveals the Jagged Edge of AI’s Abilities
An interactive explanation of how AI can fail in surprising ways.
3105
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 23/09/2026
Excellent death metal album cover
000
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Michael Friendly @datavisfriendly.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
#TodayinHistory #dataviz #OTD 📊 🎂Sep 22, 1791 Michael Faraday born in Newington Butts, Surrey, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1820-1835: Graphical analysis applied to natural phenomena (electric and magnetic lines of force, weather, tides) Made these invisible constructs open to inspection 👓
Diagram of magnetic fields surrounding one or two magnets in various positionsDiagram illustrating magnetic induction fields around + and - polesEngraved portrait of Michael Faraday, holding a cigar? No -- a magnet
082
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Robert Simmon @rsimmon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy fall (or spring, depending)!
26827
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Kate Evans @kategevans.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
So chilling - but thanks @elisecutts.bsky.social for the roundup and thoughtful commentary. "If AI scams — and even just lazy AI pitches that flood inboxes — force us to rely on relationship networks to establish trust, science journalism is going to close up." www.reviewertoo.com/2026-09-21-s...
reviewertoo.com
A scammer impersonated a science journalist. It worked.
AI fraud is going to make it harder for new voices to break into science journalism
072
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 21/09/2026
Separately can I ask if you have a good way of coming across papers like this? I find the volume of research really hard to sift through!
110
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 21/09/2026
Interesting, this is the same idea that Noam Brown at OpenAI is quite bullish about on this podcast. Agree it's nice to see open research and quantification of it. m.youtube.com/watch?v=6AgO...
m.youtube.com
OpenAI researcher on agent swarms & recursive self-improvement
YouTube video by Dwarkesh Patel
110
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 16/09/2026
Love this idea, a great way to visualize how far we scroll
010
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 16/09/2026
Super cool, I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! Thanks for sharing your exploration! :)
010
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...
mathandai.org
Declaration — Math and AI
Read the declaration and add your name.
422052926
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 11/09/2026
Really clear piece by @melaniemitchell.bsky.social that explains why OpenAI's systems hacked Hugging Face, and how metaphors can mislead us about what really happened aiguide.substack.com/p/misleading...
aiguide.substack.com
Misleading Metaphors, Real Risks
What To Fear from AI Agents and How to Reclaim Our Human Agency
000
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Everything you need to know about today’s wild “AI solves $1M math problem” news, via @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-m...
scientificamerican.com
AI may have just solved a million-dollar math problem. The field will never be the same
A mathematician compared the feat to IBM's history-making Deep Blue computer beating Gary Kasporov at chess in 1977
173
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 03/09/2026
Fascinating interview with Terry Tao about the value of mathematical thinking m.youtube.com/watch?v=OOMx...
m.youtube.com
One of the world's greatest mathematicians explains 6 essential concepts of math | Terence Tao
YouTube video by Big Think
062
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
LLMs are going to fundamentally change what scholarship is. Pumping out true propositions used to be a viable career. Now much of that can be offloaded, leaving scholars the tasks of understanding, synthesizing, and deciding what is valuable. Goes for math, philosophy, parts of physics.
813517
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 03/09/2026
Fascinating interview with Terry Tao about the value of mathematical thinking m.youtube.com/watch?v=OOMx...
m.youtube.com
One of the world's greatest mathematicians explains 6 essential concepts of math | Terence Tao
YouTube video by Big Think
062
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Katrina Miller @katrinamillerphd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Dark matter has eluded capture for decades. Did it just leave a trace? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/s...
nytimes.com
Scientists Hunting Dark Matter Found Something Strange (Gift Article)
A lone signal from an experiment in South Dakota doesn’t fit the profile of any other known particles, physicists say.
37216
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 01/09/2026
Thoughtful piece: "Upon reflection, I've come to believe that quality software is not about how many features something has or how quickly it is built but rather how cared for it is by the designers, developers, and product people who work on it."
030
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Matt Henderson @matthen.com · 30/08/2026
Reaction Diffusion in Photoshop- Blur, Sharpen, Posterize, repeat
221431
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 29/08/2026
there's a relevant study on this phenomenon as well: arxiv.org/abs/2409.01754
arxiv.org
Empirical evidence of Large Language Model's influence on human spoken communication
From the printing press to social media, innovations in communication technology have repeatedly reshaped how ideas spread through human culture. Chatbots powered by generative artificial intelligence...
022
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Matt Henderson @matthen.com · 26/08/2026
To tell if a maze is solvable, just hang it by its corners If it tears into pieces, you’ve found a solution
694118857
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 27/08/2026
Devastating to see the scale of destruction in Nepal's flash floods www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
See How Nepal’s Flash Floods Caused Widespread Destruction
Floodwaters swept away villages near the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China.
020
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Andrew Rumbach @andrewrumbach.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
There is a lot we don't know about the Nepal Tibet flood. Here are some things I suspect, as someone who studies risk just a couple hundred miles away: andrewrumbach.substack.com/p/seven-expe...
andrewrumbach.substack.com
Seven expectations about the Nepal & Tibet flood, from a long-time student of disaster risk in the region
Like many of you, I’ve been watching in horror as video clips of the disaster unfolding along the Nepal and Tibet border have gone viral.
316066
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Dr. Fim @fim.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Ansel Adams on assignment for IBM - one of my favourite shots. Not the usual landscape but the skill of a woman weaving magnetic core memory. The beat up nails captures total “woman in STEM” vibes.
A woman with extremely short painted nails weaving magnetic core memory. A series of rows and columns of wires in a grid.
242934873
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Terry Tap as always with the most careful and gentle analysis of ai and its effect on mathematics: arxiv.org/abs/2608.16753
arxiv.org
Mathematics in the age of AI
An essay, based on a public lecture delivered at the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians, on how the mathematical community might respond to the arrival of artificial intelligence tools that...
77612
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 22/08/2026
Nice! There's a video of his talk here as well: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0--... And the 1994 paper by William Thurston that he mentions is an excellent read about the role of mathematicians beyond proving theorems arxiv.org/abs/math/940...
arxiv.org
On proof and progress in mathematics
In response to Jaffe and Quinn [math.HO/9307227], the author discusses forms of progress in mathematics that are not captured by formal proofs of theorems, especially in his own work in the theory of ...
1110
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Mira Rojanasakul @rjnskl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Come work with my team on the very best beat: the Economics of Climate Change!!! Excited to make many beautiful charts with whoever gets this gig :) job-boards.greenhouse.io/thenewyorkti...
12516
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
New from 404 Media: we solved which AI company is buying massive shipments of rare books, scanning and destroying them to train AI. We put an Apple AirTag in a rare book, followed it. It ended up at an Amazon facility. Its logo is a dinosaur ripping through a book www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...
404media.co
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
12537932368
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 14/08/2026
Learned about this from this video, which convinced me to start one m.youtube.com/watch?v=L9aw...
m.youtube.com
You should start a commonplace book today
YouTube video by Tom Harari
110
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 14/08/2026
It's happening. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonp...
A notebook with a handwritten label: commonplace book
130
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Alvin Chang @alv9n.com · 05/08/2026
This piece is so cool. pudding.cool/2026/06/mow/
pudding.cool
Why some people mow a lawn better than others
We analyzed 132,003 attempts to mow a virtual lawn efficiently.
031
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 04/08/2026
This is a fun album to work to: patrickbelaga2.bandcamp.com/album/solar-... Feels like the sounds of neurons firing.
patrickbelaga2.bandcamp.com
Solar Calf, by Patrick Belaga
9 track album
040
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Brooke Jarvis @brookejarvis.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Striking before/afters showing what the heat waves did to UK vegetation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK heatwaves: Satellite images show how UK landscape has changed
BBC Verify's analysis indicates “vegetation stress” in many areas, which may affect wildlife and farming.
084
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Damon Young @damonyoung.com.au · 24/07/2026
Medical scientist 1: so how's the research going? Medical scientist 2: we're just titling our paper Medical scientist 1: it's not another pop culture thing is it? Medical scientist 2:
Crouching Zookeeper, Hidden Dragon: A Case of a Komodo Dragon Bite.
1
Friedman NA, Seltzer JA, Winkler GA, Noste E, Montilla H, Clark RF.
Cite
J Emerg Med. 2023 Feb;64(2):186-189. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2022.12.001. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
PMID: 36813645
BACKGROUND: The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's largest living lizard and exists in private captivity worldwide. .Komodo dragon bites may produce not only superficial lacerations but also deep tissue injury, bu ...
• How not to train your dragon: a case of a Komodo dragon bite.
2
Borek HA, Charlton NP.
Cite
Wilderness Environ Med. 2015 Jun;26(2):196-9. doi: 10.1016/j.wem.2014.12.014. Epub 2015 Mar 12.
PMID: 25772822
Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the world's largest lizards, known for killing prey that exceed their body mass. ...We describe the case of a zookeeper who was bitten by a Komodo dragon, with a resultant mallet finger. We further discuss the V ...
0132
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
ATLANTA (AP) — US surpasses 2025’s record-breaking tally for measles cases, with 2,318 cases and 5 more months left in the year.
711556592
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Alariko @alariko.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
2656771061
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
TAKAO★WATANABE🌿10/23-28Exhibition @watanabetakao.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
My new piece is finished! I'm really happy with how the artwork turned out. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! 😉 #Illustration #CommentPls #RTpls
27718151
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Solar power made up 12.9% of US electricity this May, a new record high that's up from 11% last year Over the last twelve months, solar has made up 9% of US electricity, another record high!
a graph of solar's share of US electricity
113419
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Official monthly data is in today, and US solar power generation hit a new record high, up 21% compared to this time last year!
A graph of US monthly solar generation
7624139
Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.com · 20/07/2026
I really want to go looking for four leaf clovers now. 🍀 Another delightful rabbit hole video. m.youtube.com/watch?v=XfUF...
m.youtube.com
How rare is a four-leaf clover, really?
YouTube video by Rabbit Hole
010
Reposted by Aatish Bhatia
Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 19/07/2026
Could Excel be conscious? We surveyed more than Jan 1 1900 people to find out.
114137722879