Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 04/09/2026what's the best visual in the lyrics of a song? i gotta say, the idea of the marching band refusing to yield to a crowd trying to take the field (American Pie) always makes me chuckle. i'm picturing saxophones flying, tubas swinging wildly to hit oncomers, the flag girls going absolutely berserk 440
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 27/08/2026This was the best thing I've ever seen with my own eyes, hands down 090
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Remember how it felt in the 90s to wait for an image to load line by line on the internet? That's the feeling I get when I have to verify I'm a human for every new tab I open 0110
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 14/07/2026My percussionist twin brother plays a lot of things I couldn't hack, but sometimes there are avant garde pieces where it's like dropping rocks in buckets of water, which I could def pull off. And I would nail Cage's 4'33'', which I have watched "performed" many times out of sisterly obligation. 010
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 18/06/2026this is part of my job. did you know jobs could do this 151
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteMichael Le Page @mjflepage.bsky.social · 05/06/2026Move over, Colossal. A team in Japan hopes to "resurrect" mammoth chromosomes 🧬 🦣 in the cells of mice, after showing they can do this with a chromosome from a rat deep-frozen for over a year 🧪 www.newscientist.com/article/2529...newscientist.comA chromosome from a frozen rat has been resurrected inside miceMice that contain cells with an added rat chromosome have been created by scientists. The next step is to try this with frozen elephant tissue – and if that works, the team will try it with frozen mam... 072
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteAdrienne LaFrance @adriennelaf.bsky.social · 03/06/2026Ted Chiang is brilliant. He takes the question of AI consciousness to its logical conclusion—really a must-read, right down to the last word: www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2...theatlantic.comNo, Artificial Intelligence Is Not ConsciousTaken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning. 12399155
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 21/04/2026I've always loved Prufrock, and didn't think it could be improved. I guess I was wrong 020
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Conversations with colleagues at New Scientist: "So I was reading this book about Lord Kelvin..." "Ooh, I've been looking for a book about Lord Kelvin!" 2132
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 18/04/2026Almost nothing is worth dealing with a website this broken, but this is "Where are the boys? I am in the town, looking outward. Time is space; the distance between me and the boys unravels the years before me. Come back to us, boys; come back to me." 040
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 17/04/2026This reminded me of a thought that crystallised last night while I was struggling to untangle a garden hose: I never want efficiency in things I pursue for joy. I'm sure there was a faster way to fix that hose, but that's not the point. I was spending time gardening, watching the sun set, etc etc 040
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteMatthew Sparkes @sparkes.bsky.social · 15/04/2026I'll be doing a reddit AMA on my recent visit to Chornobyl. Feel free to ping a question on contamination, the exclusion zone, the militarisation of the site - whatever - on the thread. www.reddit.com/r/chernobyl/...reddit.comFrom the chernobyl community on Reddit: I am a reporter for New Scientist who gained exclusive access to Chernobyl. AMA on Thursday 16 April.Explore this post and more from the chernobyl community 094
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Completely coincidentally, I only learned what the Diet of Worms was like a week ago and I'm so happy I read that Wikipedia page now 041
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 07/04/2026When I was a kid, my dad's favorite lie about the moon was that it was the size of a quarter. "Hold one up there, it covers the whole thing." This reminded me of that grin he had when he said it 040
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Today is maybe a good day to spend a while reading the entirety of @jonbois.bsky.social's masterpiece: 17776. I remember the original link sending you to SB Nation and then the page devolving into something totally strange, but I can't find that. So start here: www.sbnation.com/a/17776-foot... 132
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 06/04/2026The greens! The blues! I never knew they were this...colorful! 1111
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 02/04/2026I gasped at this part of the launch. Such a cool shot 020
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 06/03/2026As a Kármán line supporter I thought I would strongly disagree with this, but actually I think the argument - that the first people to see a black sky above the blue were the first in space - is pretty solid! www.newscientist.com/article/2517...newscientist.comWhy Yuri Gagarin wasn’t the first in space – and who beat him to itEveryone knows Yuri Gagarin as the first person to go to space. But was he? Physicist Vladimir Brljak tells the tale of the intrepid balloonists who first flew beyond the blue terrestrial sky, challen... 031
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Decided to totally screw up my algorithm and listen to an album of shrimp sounds. Hit me with your best shot, Spotify 100
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 24/02/2026An excellent piece on the Ukrainians building and learning to pilot drones by @sparkes.bsky.social. In one factory, they're making 80,000 a month. www.newscientist.com/article/2514...newscientist.comHow Ukraine became a drone factory and invented the future of warUkraine has responded to a war it didn’t start by creating an industry it doesn’t want, but could the nation's drone expertise help it rebuild? To learn more, New Scientist gained exclusive access to ... 121
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 11/02/2026My latest maths column is a plea to Hollywood - when are we going to get a Paul Erdős biopic starring Jeff Goldblum? www.newscientist.com/article/2514...newscientist.comJeff Goldblum should make a film about this legendary mathematicianPaul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians to ever live, known for showing up at the door of others in the field and declaring they should host and feed him while they do maths together. H... 42710
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteKarmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them) @kpc.bsky.social · 13/06/2025@chelswhyte.bsky.social went to see the Vera Rubin observatory and though I am known space hater, I could not be more excited for all we are about to see in the night sky www.newscientist.com/article/2483...newscientist.comThe Vera C. Rubin Observatory is about to totally transform astronomyWith the ability to scan the entire southern night sky every three days, the huge Vera C. Rubin Observatory could be about to start solving the mysteries of the universe, from dark matter to Planet Ni... 051
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 20/02/2025Absolutely shocking and very worrying from NOAA www.newscientist.com/article/2469... 17587213
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 11/02/2025We've got a great special report on quantum computing this week. First up, @kpc.bsky.social runs through all the big players in this growing industry, and asks who will be the first to make a machine that actually does something useful? www.newscientist.com/article/2467...newscientist.comQuantum computers have finally arrived, but will they ever be useful?Hundreds of quantum computing firms around the world are racing to commercialise these once-exotic devices, but the jury is still out on who is going to pull ahead and produce a machine that actually ... 21611
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 10/02/2025Listen, do I want the looming asteroid to hit anything? No, not deep down in my heart. But if it must, can it please hit the moon?? The DRAMATICS! The new crater! We could possibly see the explosion of impact! www.newscientist.com/article/2467...newscientist.comThere’s a tiny chance the asteroid headed for Earth could hit the moonIf asteroid 2024 YR4 does smash down on the lunar surface, the explosion might be visible from Earth and would leave a new crater on the near side of the moon 5256
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 15/01/2025My leader this week is a cheerful one: it is time to accept that we have broken the climate, and for us to look at what comes next www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...newscientist.comAre we entering a dangerous new phase of climate change?A series of events, from the California wildfires to evidence we passed 1.5 degrees last year, suggests wild weather will become even more common 063
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJeremy Hsu @jeremyhsu.bsky.social · 15/01/2025Americans have been trying the Chinese-owned social media apps Red Note and Lemon8 as alternatives ahead of a looming US ban on TikTok. But those apps may not provide a refuge from US (or Chinese) government restrictions. Story with comments from @emmiehine.com www.newscientist.com/article/2464...newscientist.comRed Note and Lemon8 are not the TikTok refuges you are looking forThe Chinese social media apps Red Note and Lemon8 have become popular alternatives for TikTok users ahead of a US government ban on TikTok. But government restrictions loom over those apps too 065
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteNew Scientist @newscientist.com · 15/01/2025Is it possible that a single dramatic event, such as the eruption of a supervolcano, ever wiped out an entire species of hominin? www.newscientist.com/article/2463...newscientist.comHas a volcanic eruption ever wiped out a species of hominins?Volcanoes have been proposed as the reason for the extinction of the Neanderthals and the hobbits of Indonesia, but the end of those species may not have come from a single, dramatic event 0152
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 13/01/2025Another conversation we seem to be always having in the newsroom 060
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 13/01/2025I really enjoyed this week's pod, especially the conversation about gene editing. If you want to know what it feels when we chat in our newsroom, have a listen 082
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 13/01/2025Gotta try this. My cacio e pepe is so inconsistent. Sometimes it's gloriously creamy and others it's just a gloop fest 021
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 10/01/2025It's not unexpected, but it's still absolutely shocking www.newscientist.com/article/2463...newscientist.com2024 confirmed as first year to breach 1.5°C warming limitScientists warn efforts to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5°C will fail as data confirms 2024 was the hottest year in human history 0248
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJames Dinneen @jamesdinneen.bsky.social · 10/01/2025All the data now officially in from WMO, NASA, NOAA, UK Met Office, EU Copernicus, Japan Met Agency, Berkeley Earth: 2024 was the hottest year on record, and the first year to see global average temps rise 1.5°C above the pre-industrial baseline in average across datasets. 🧪newscientist.com2024 confirmed as first year to breach 1.5°C warming limitScientists warn efforts to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5°C will fail as data confirms 2024 was the hottest year in human history 23017
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteMatthew Sparkes @sparkes.bsky.social · 09/01/2025We will never, ever know who writes this column. But there's a fascinating bit about flat-Earthers from them this week. bsky.app/profile/mich... 101
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteMichael Le Page @mjflepage.bsky.social · 07/01/2025An explainer on human metapneumovirus, or hMPV 🧪 Bottom line: this is not another pandemic starting but like other cold viruses 🦠 hMPV can sometimes kill the vulnerable, such as very young children. We need a vaccine, and hopefully we'll have one soon www.newscientist.com/article/2462...newscientist.comWhat is hMPV, the virus spreading through China?An uptick of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) cases in China has raised concerns over another pandemic, which appear to be unfounded 01110
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteDr. Adeene Denton @spacewhalerider.com · 06/01/2025It is also extremely important to me that you see the version of Pluto and Charon's capture that I set to music. 714546
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteSophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 06/01/2025A person in Louisiana who became severely ill with bird flu in December has passed away from the infection, marking the first known bird flu death in the US 🧪newscientist.comUS reports first human death related to bird fluA person in Louisiana who became severely ill with a bird flu virus known as H5N1 in December has passed away from the infection, marking the first known bird flu death in the US 67848
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteJacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 01/01/2025To mark five years of the pandemic, my team and I have put together a special issue on covid-19. I'll be tweeting about it over the next few days, but a good starting point is my leader explaining why now is the right time to look back, even if it feels difficult www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...newscientist.comWe must revisit the covid-19 pandemic to prepare for future outbreaksIt is tempting to lock memories of the height of covid-19 away but looking back is vital for preparing properly for the next pandemic 033
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteSophie Bushwick @sophiebushwick.bsky.social · 30/12/2024The stargazing events to look forward to in 2025, from auroras to partial eclipses 🧪 by @leahc.bsky.socialnewscientist.comThe stargazing events to look forward to in 2025From auroras to partial eclipses of the sun, Leah Crane is planning out the astronomical events she will be watching next year 0174
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 13/12/2024This is so fun, and I found it so sweet that the scientists involved still find joy in the beauty of a snowflake ("This looks quite pretty actually"), even though they spend their lives researching them. 031
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 12/12/2024This is wild. I stopped several times to read a sentence or two out loud to colleagues, with more concern each time. 020
Chelsea Whyte @chelswhyte.bsky.social · 12/12/2024This was so good, I couldn't wait for each next tweet. Treat yourself 020
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteKarmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them) @kpc.bsky.social · 11/12/2024In September the largest number of entangled logical qubits, an important resource for quantum computers correcting their own errors, was 24 and I was writing about it for @newscientist.bsky.social The number has now jumped to 50, and I am writing about it again www.newscientist.com/article/2459...newscientist.comAnother record has been set for the most entangled logical qubitsJust a few months after the previous record was set, a start-up called Quantinuum has announced that they’ve entangled the largest number of logical qubits – this will be key to quantum computers that... 063
Reposted by Chelsea WhyteRowan Hooper @rowhoop.bsky.social · 12/12/2024Liquid metal can be used to grow human cells @sparkes.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2459... 0419
