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Charles Q. Choi

@cqchoi.com
4.4K followers 444 following 141 posts

I write about what happens at the edge between the unknown & the impossible. Science journalist for 20+ years & SFF author at Scientific American, NYT, Analog & more. Adventured to seven continents. Yondan in Toyama-ryu swordsmanship. He/him.

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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 21/08/2026
I was a judge on the 2026 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award, and am glad that @elisecutts.bsky.social won! I highly recommend her sparkling prose on a very wide range of scientific fields, some of which you can read by going to the award announcement page: casw.org/news/elise-c...
casw.org
Elise Cutts wins 2026 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award - CASW
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 27/07/2026
So what did planetary scientists think of the ST:Strange New Worlds season opener?
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 07/05/2026
Perfectly Aligning AI’s Values With Humanity’s Is Impossible: Maybe the best we can do is make “neurodiverse” systems that challenge each other spectrum.ieee.org/ai-alignment by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Why Perfect AI Alignment Is Mathematically Out Of Reach
Maybe the best we can do is make “neurodiverse” systems that challenge each other
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 28/01/2026
Thermodynamic Computing Slashes Energy Use For Image Generation -- may be 10 billion times more efficient than AI spectrum.ieee.org/thermodynami... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Thermodynamic Computing Promises Energy-Efficient AI Images
What if AI could create stunning images with a fraction of the energy used today?
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 17/01/2026
James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise www.space.com/astronomy/bl... by @cqchoi for @space.com
space.com
James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise
"If they were purely made up of stars, they would be the densest galaxies in the universe."
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 24/12/2025
We Now Know How Much Faster Clocks Will Run on Mars: the planet’s weaker gravity means time passes faster than here spectrum.ieee.org/time-on-mars... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Mars Timekeeping: Why Microseconds Matter
Atomic clocks tick faster on Mars than Earth. Find out why this matters for future missions.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 04/12/2025
Room-Size Particle Accelerators Go Commercial: new devices to initially be used in radiation testing for space electronics spectrum.ieee.org/plasma-wakef... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Room-Sized Particle Accelerators Are Here
Room-sized particle accelerators are here! Learn how switching from electromagnetic fields to lasers shrinks these devices down from kilometers to meters.
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Reposted by Charles Q. Choi
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Boosting SYNGAP1 levels via viral delivery can normalize brain waves in mice. By @cqchoi.com www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/gen... #neuroskyence
thetransmitter.org
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 22/10/2025
Google’s New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful: The quantum echoes algorithm shows promise for helping discover better drugs, polymers, catalysts, battery components & more spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-echoes by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Google's New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful
Quantum advantage may not be here yet, but there is hope.
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
A variant of CRISPR amps up expression of SCN2A, rescuing mice from seizures caused by haploinsufficiency. By @cqchoi.com www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/boo...
thetransmitter.org
Boosting SCN2A expression reduces seizures in mice
A modified form of CRISPR amps up expression of the gene—a strategy that could apply to other gene variations linked to autism.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 06/10/2025
Quantum Sensors Sidestep the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: new technique could help detect both position and momentum with unprecedented precision spectrum.ieee.org/sidestep-hei... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Quantum Sensors Sidestep Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
Can quantum sensors really measure both position and momentum with precision? Find out how scientists are sidestepping Heisenberg's limits.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 24/09/2025
Smartphone Cameras Go Hyperspectral: off-the-shelf smartphone cameras can become advanced sensors spectrum.ieee.org/hyperspectra... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Smartphones Can Now See Beyond RGB With Simple Card Trick
Transform your phone into a pocket spectrometer with just a card and an algorithm.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 19/09/2025
@oldgodspod.bsky.social love the show! so apologies if this has already been answered, but do you see vamps as creatures of the Black or Green? I would’ve assumed the former, but then those beneath might already have some.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 19/09/2025
eos.org/articles/a-s...
eos.org
A Survey of the Kuiper Belt Hints at an Unseen Planet - Eos
An analysis of more than 150 objects in the far reaches of the solar system suggests that a planet more massive than Mercury could be lurking beyond the orbit of Pluto.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 30/07/2025
Silicon Is Coming to Smartphone Batteries for a Big Energy Boost: A new silicon-anode battery offers the highest energy density yet spectrum.ieee.org/enovix-silic... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Silicon Anodes Promise Longer Smartphone Battery Life
Silicon anodes in Enovix's new battery promise longer life for AI-powered smartphones. How does it overcome silicon's swelling issue?
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 23/07/2025
Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull www.livescience.com/archaeology/... by @cqchoi.com for @livescience.com
livescience.com
Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull
Neanderthal genes may explain why some people have Chiari malformation type I, a condition in which the brain bulges out of the back of the skull.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 19/06/2025
A New BCI Instantly Synthesizes Speech: a paralyzed patient was able to ask questions, emphasize words, and sing short melodies spectrum.ieee.org/bci-speech-s... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Brain-Computer Interface Restores Speech
Restoring speech with brain-computer interfaces: How close are we to real-time voice synthesis for those who can't speak?
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Reid Southen @rahll.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
In the Disney lawsuit, 10 pages are dedicated to citing the work we did. In pursuit of this evidence, Midjourney banned me 3 times and updated their ToS. The first ban encouraged me to dig a lot deeper, so I'd like to congratulate CEO David Holz on his massive unforced error.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 11/06/2025
Scientists have created cyborg embryos by implanting electrode arrays into the developing brains of frogs, mice, and salamanders spectrum.ieee.org/embryo-elect... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Cyborg Embryos Offer New Insights Into Brain Growth
Could soft, stretchable electrodes in embryos lead to new insights into brain development and regeneration?
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 06/06/2025
Neuromorphic processors mimic the way the brain operates. Now, a Dutch firm has launched what it calls the world’s first commercially available neuromorphic microcontroller. spectrum.ieee.org/innatera-spi... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org
spectrum.ieee.org
Innatera's Pulsar Chip Could Be a Game-Changer for Ultra-Low-Power AI Sensors
Innatera's Pulsar chip, the first commercial neuromorphic microcontroller, promises ultra-low power AI with 100x lower latency.
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Autism linked with a fourfold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study of more than 2 million people. By Charles Q. Choi www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/lar...
thetransmitter.org
Large study links autism to Parkinson’s disease
Autistic adults appear to be prone to an early-onset form of Parkinson’s, according to a long-term study that tracked 2.2 million people in Sweden.
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Daddy Rex @katyrex.meatjacker.social · 04/06/2025
Currently my favorite distraction on TikTok is this man who is CLEARLY in like, THE BEST shape, finding things that other athletes can do (and often the things they're doing are typically femme) and seeing if he also can do that With the "assistance" of the best dog named Dootie I love this
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Tiffany @tiffanyrfox.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Omg, they used AI to write this.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 23/05/2025
Astronomers may have discovered a rare type of binary star system, where one star used to orbit inside its partner www.space.com/astronomy/st... by @cqchoi.com for @space.com
space.com
Scientists find rare double-star system where one star orbited inside the other
Only 16 to 84 other examples of this exotic system may exist in our entire galaxy.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 19/05/2025
Research I wrote about for @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 23/04/2025
Quantum networks are nigh unhackable, but it was long assumed they'd need expensive specialized hardware. Now quantum communications are possible across 250+ km using existing commercial telecom lines spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-key-... by @cqchoi.com for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
Quantum Messages Cover City Distances Via Telco Lines
Toshiba sent QKD keys more than 250 kilometers
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 21/04/2025
New stretchable lithium-ion battery can heal itself after being cut in half to continue providing power to a device spectrum.ieee.org/stretchable-... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
This Battery Heals Itself After Being Cut in Half
Imagine a battery that can survive being stabbed, cut in half, and still power your device:  Researchers have developed a groundbreaking hydrogel lithium-ion battery that offers incredible durability....
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 17/04/2025
@patrickwyman.bsky.social am still a big fan of the podcast! just sent you some interesting research coming out soon pertinent to your most recent episodes.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 17/04/2025
This 3-atom-thick ~6,000-transistor microchip is the most complex processor made from 2-D materials yet spectrum.ieee.org/2d-semicondu... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
2D Chip Breakthrough: 6,000 Transistors, 3 Atoms Thick
Scientists in China have created the most complex 2D microprocessor yet, featuring nearly 6,000 transistors. The devices are made from molybdenum disulfide, a material just three atoms thick. #semicon...
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 14/04/2025
DNA Helps Electronics to Leave Flatland: these miniature scaffolds for 3D circuits are designed to assemble themselves www.engineering.columbia.edu/about/news/d... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @columbiaseas.bsky.social
engineering.columbia.edu
DNA Helps Electronics to Leave Flatland | Columbia Engineering
These miniature scaffolds for 3D circuits are designed to assemble themselves.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 14/04/2025
Gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful kinds of explosions known in the cosmos, may help forge the universe's heaviest elements from the outer shells of dying stars. www.space.com/the-universe... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @space.com
space.com
The most powerful explosions in the universe could reveal where gold comes from
"The inspiration for this particular study came from conversations with my kids."
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
When the weather gets warm, the days are bright, the sky is blue. the birds are singing... ...I think about bears coming out of hibernation, and the First Shit of Spring. See, when bears hibernate (esp brown bears, black bears don't go down as hard), they stop eating, drinking. Pooping...
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 11/04/2025
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 11/04/2025
@williambibbiani.bsky.social @witneyseibold.bsky.social www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
hollywoodreporter.com
Oscars: Film Academy Establishes Stunt Design Award
The award will be presented beginning at the 100th Oscars, which will recognize films released in 2027.
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Reposted by Charles Q. Choi
John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
The enemy is always the aristocracy, no matter how it changes forms or tactics over time. You must learn to hate it as much as it hates you.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 09/04/2025
This looks good and all, and Alexander Skarsgård’s performance seems fine, but my headcanon still casts Aubrey Plaza for the role
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 08/04/2025
The comments are worth reading here as well. Especially the way in which prisoners can be given the runaround.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 07/04/2025
The Tiniest Flying Robot Soars Thanks to Magnets: the prototype, with less than a centimeter wingspan, has no onboard power source spectrum.ieee.org/flying-robot... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
This Tiny Drone Flies Thanks to Magnets
A groundbreaking prototype claims the title of smallest, lightest untethered flying robot! With a wingspan under 1 cm, it’s wirelessly powered and could revolutionize search and rescue, industrial ins...
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 06/04/2025
@stealthygeek.bsky.social apologies if this is a sore subject, but what might the hopes be for In The Red? Really liked In The Black!
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 05/04/2025
Just finished @robertjbennett.bsky.social’s A Drop of Corruption, & it was so good that I’m going to reread the first book & this one to see what I missed. Re: Sanctum! Also been a big fan of his prior works.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 04/04/2025
Fiber Optic Network Spots Spacecraft's Return to Earth Distributed acoustic sensing could allow telecom networks to study meteors spectrum.ieee.org/distributed-... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
Fiber Optic Network Spots Spacecraft's Return to Earth
Distributed acoustic sensing could allow telecom networks to study meteors
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 03/04/2025
A stationary magnetic tube can generate an electric current as Earth rotates through its own magnetic field. Don't expect limitless free energy anytime soon, tho: spectrum.ieee.org/earths-magne... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
Could We Harness Earth's Rotation for Power?
Scientists have discovered a way to generate electricity from Earth's rotation, challenging decades of research. But can this tiny power source be scaled up to practical use? #Science #Innovation #En...
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 02/04/2025
Tiny Pacemaker Dissolves When No Longer Needed: the new device is smaller than a grain of rice and can be injected by syringe spectrum.ieee.org/pacemaker by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @ieeespectrum.bsky.social
spectrum.ieee.org
How Will This Rice-Sized Pacemaker Change the Future of Cardiac Care?
The world’s tiniest pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, can be injected by syringe and dissolves when no longer needed. Could this groundbreaking device, which avoids the risks of traditional pac...
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 24/03/2025
physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org
Microsoft’s Claim of a Topological Qubit Faces Tough Questions
Microsoft’s announcement of achieving a milestone in a potentially transformative approach to quantum computing is met with skepticism by researchers attending the APS Global Summit.
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Constantine @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
We are very close to a near cure for two of the highest-mortality cancers we know: glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. These are both mRNA based treatments which are losing their funding during stage I and II trials. Thousands will die needlessly because of this motherfucker and his lies.
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Katherine Wright @katrwright.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
An update on the microsoft-majorana story. physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
physics.aps.org
Microsoft’s Claim of a Topological Qubit Faces Tough Questions
Microsoft’s announcement of achieving a milestone in a potentially transformative approach to quantum computing is met with skepticism by researchers attending the APS Global Summit.
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Reposted by Charles Q. Choi
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 14/03/2025
oh got it www.tarapalmeri.com/p/fear-and-l...
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
guys they're going to stop feeding TSA's bomb-sniffing dogs, per Fox News nat security correspondent:
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 14/03/2025
128 new moons discovered orbiting Saturn, nearly doubling the ringed planet's total www.livescience.com/space/planet...
livescience.com
128 new moons discovered orbiting Saturn, nearly doubling the ringed planet's total
Faint signatures detected by the Canada France Hawaii Telescope have revealed 128 new moons around Saturn, making it the indisputable frontrunner for having the most moons in our solar system.
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Charles Q. Choi @cqchoi.com · 14/03/2025
Neanderthals, modern humans and a mysterious human lineage mingled in caves in ancient Israel, potentially sharing technology, funerary behavior and more, study finds www.livescience.com/archaeology/... by @cqchoi.bsky.social for @livescience.com
livescience.com
Neanderthals, modern humans and a mysterious human lineage mingled in caves in ancient Israel, study finds
A newly excavated cave in Israel holds burials and artifacts suggesting that multiple human species commingled and shared ideas there during the Paleolithic.
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