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Michael Greshko

@michaelgreshko.bsky.social
1.9K followers 958 following 502 posts

Associate online news editor @Science. Words at Rolling Stone, NYT, SciAm, WaPo, etc. Ex-staff writer at Nat Geo. Signal: mgreshko.01 linktr.ee/michaelgreshko

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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
BEHOLD: the first-ever glowing cuttlefish! 🧪🦑🧪🦑 It's the first successful insertion of a gene into a cephalopod, opening up new ways of studying them. It took @tessamontague.bsky.social years—and 1000s of tries—to pull it off. @sarareardon.bsky.social has the story: www.science.org/content/arti...
Glowing red cuttlefish on a black background
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/09/2026
New Horizons is now *three days away* from shutting off its two heliophysics instruments, simply because NASA has not provided the $2M in funding it had promised to the mission last year or this year. There is no science basis for shutting these off. Our earlier coverage:
science.org
NASA’s New Horizons mission may shut down two instruments over lack of funding
Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Putting on my hobbyist researcher hat for a moment, this thread is everything that needs to be said about the Voynich kerfuffle on TikTok, from a leading expert on the linguistic properties of the manuscript.
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Claire @chirila.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I'm not on TikTok or (much) on Instagram so what I've seen about the recent Voynich "solution" comes from comments here. As @lizfischer0.bsky.social and @keptsimple.bsky.social and others have pointed out, women have been studying the MS for ages!
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
In today's weird news, the fast food chain Wendy's has released...an emo album, with top-flight songwriters and singers: open.spotify.com/album/4q4KzQ... Remarkably, this is NOT the first hamburger-related food brand to release a surprisingly competent album! soundcloud.com/hamburgerhel...
soundcloud.com
WATCH THE STOVE
Hottest mixtape in the kitchens.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
An update @koppenburg.ch! A week and a half in, and the arXiv is humming with theoretical takes on LZ230616.
Chart showing cumulative arXiv preprints mentioning "LUX-ZEPLIN," by original submission date. Light blue curve begins in bottom left on October 7, 2013, the first preprint submission date, and curves to the top right to a count of 130 total preprints by July 27, 2026. A solid black diamond at coordinates (9/1/2026, 131) denotes the announcement date of LZ230613, the candidate dark matter detection event. From September 1, 2026, to September 10, 2026 inclusive, an additional 44 preprints mentioning LUX-ZEPLIN have been posted, nearly all of which are dark matter theory papers.
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Joshua Sokol @joshuasokol.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It was only in April that I covered similar, but less formal conversations happening in astrophysics. It's wild how fast these "why are we even doing this?" discussions are moving. Also wild: the comparative clarity and force of this statement from the Fields Medalists.
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Science Magazine @science.org · 09/09/2026
OpenAI claims it has solved the Navier-Stokes problem. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s known so far about this apparent breakthrough—and the surrounding controversy: scim.ag/4ytDoM0
How an AI math breakthrough ignited a controversy
OpenAI spent millions to solve Navier-Stokes problem, but who should get credit?
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The Xylom @thexylom.com · 03/09/2026
BREAKING: The Xylom's @alexip718.com, in collaboration with @floodlightnews.org @drilledmedia.bsky.social @deceleration.news has won an Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Science Reporting (Small/Medium Newsroom) with the series, ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’: How Big Oil Ruined a Small Texas Town
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🧪 Very cool. Sheeppox is a gnarly virus for sheep, and thanks to a new study of the virus's DNA, we know more about when and how it emerged. How do we know this? Researchers isolated sheeppox from *medieval sheepskin parchment.* A fun one from @andrewcurry.com. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Ancient sheep virus found hiding in medieval parchment
Newly recovered sheeppox sequences reveal when and how the virus emerged
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
So far, so good. The real test will be what happens over the next week, as Week 1 seems to have been when the LHC diphoton excess in 2015 accumulated a lot of preprints quickly. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/750_GeV...
en.wikipedia.org
750 GeV diphoton excess - Wikipedia
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Patrick Koppenburg 🐧 @koppenburg.ch · 02/09/2026
hep-ph is quite @lzdarkmatter.bsky.social heavy today 🚑⚛️
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
🧪 I cannot wait to see what happens on the arXiv in the next 24 hours, in light of the LZ announcement today. I remember the LHC diphoton excess well; many an ambulance was chased.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
BREAKING: The world's most sensitive dark matter detector has announced it has spotted something it can't easily explain: a single event that's tantalizingly consistent with a type of theorized dark matter particle. Very early days yet, but pretty wild. 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
World’s biggest dark matter detector spots a single weird particle
It’s far too early to declare a discovery, physicists with the LZ detector say
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
BREAKING: The world's most sensitive dark matter detector has announced it has spotted something it can't easily explain: a single event that's tantalizingly consistent with a type of theorized dark matter particle. Very early days yet, but pretty wild. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
World’s biggest dark matter detector spots a single weird particle
It’s far too early to declare a discovery, physicists with the LZ detector say
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Arun Sharma @arunsharmaphd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
In today’s edition of @science.org Magazine, @michaelgreshko.bsky.social expertly highlights the potential of in-space biomanufacturing.🚀 Some (entertaining!) quotes from our team at Cedars-Sinai and from friends and colleagues working in this rapidly growing field. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Dreams of making drugs and tissues in space get closer to reality
Maturing techniques and cheaper launches fuel microgravity research—and hopes of orbital manufacturing
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The Open Notebook @theopennotebook.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Subrahmanyam gets perspectives from @janeqiu.bsky.social, @katarinazimmer.bsky.social, @michaelgreshko.bsky.social, Bianca Bosker, @leahc.bsky.social, Paulina Rowińska, @walkingthedot.bsky.social, and @vcallier.bsky.social. Read here: www.theopennotebook.com/2026/08/18/h...
theopennotebook.com
https://www.theopennotebook.com/2026/08/18/how-to-write-about-scientific-debates/
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Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“The investigation suggests the group embraced a dubious approach to identifying protective mutations, improperly changed patient data to tease provocative findings from Christchurch carriers, and published multiple papers containing suspect or copied images.” More trouble in Alzheimer research…🧪
science.org
Science investigation casts doubt on genes hailed for warding off Alzheimer’s disease
Mutations found in Colombian families raised hopes for treatments. Altered patient data and suspect images call their benefits into question
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
BREAKING: Mutations found in Colombian families raised hopes for new Alzheimer's treatments. Altered patient data and suspect images call these mutations' benefits into question, a major new @science.org investigation reveals. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Science investigation casts doubt on genes hailed for warding off Alzheimer’s disease
Mutations found in Colombian families raised hopes for treatments. Altered patient data and suspect images call their benefits into question
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
In case you'd like to learn more about "The Sound of America," the Benjamin Franklin rock musical written by Forbes's ex-chief content officer, wonder no more! Forbes staged a multi-song preview of the show last month: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceGr...
youtube.com
Forbes Self-Made 250 Exclusive Preview: Sound of America
YouTube video by Forbes
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
A wild, unfortunate story. As a magazine journalist with a soft spot for musical theatre, I simply must listen to "The Sound of America."
Mr. Lane is now focusing on his own projects. In 2023, he co-founded the National Thoroughbred League, a competitive horseracing association. And this summer, he mounted a rock musical he wrote about Benjamin Franklin titled “The Sound of America” in Philadelphia that cast the founding father as “America’s first rock star.” It finished its debut run this month.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
It was a pleasure to edit this story from @andrewcurry.com on a remarkable archaeological find in Scotland.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
As insightful as I found this piece, it was genuinely jarring to see no mention of climate change anywhere in it, even though EV policy is *climate* policy. Passenger vehicles account for ~16% of US energy consumption (see pg 51 here): tedb.ornl.gov/wp-content/u... www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/m...
nytimes.com
The American E.V. Has Been Crushed. Will It Take the U.S. Auto Industry With It?
The largest U.S. automakers have backed away from electric vehicles, even as global sales are booming. The decision may make them obsolete.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
This is a really stark, and smart, framing of how much Americans now bet on sports. And as the article elaborates on, this headline actually *undersells* it. Movies, art, museums, and music now combine for $70 billion/yr—which is *less than half* of US sports bets (>$166 billion in 2025).
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Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 23/07/2026
A couple paid more than $800,000 for a gene-editing therapy for their daughter. She died, and it wasn’t made public. An exclusive from us and @science.org.
science.org
Exclusive: Death of girl in Chinese gene-editing trial was never made public
Parents want accountability after study went disastrously wrong, Science and Retraction Watch investigation reveals
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John Travis @john-travis.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
@science.org and @retractionwatch.com partner on a feature today on a clinical trial death that's the saddest, and longest, science story I've edited. But it's also one of the best IMO. Beautifully written and reported by @bborrell.bsky.social We’re grateful to the parents of "Mei" 1/
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This is an absolutely devastating story, told expertly by Reaction Watch's Brendan Borrell. Proud of my @science.org colleagues for their work collaborating with Reaction Watch to bring this story to the world.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I have heard from former colleagues, and the layoffs have cut deep once again, after several brutal layoffs over the past 4 years.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Entertainment industry outlets are reporting big layoffs at Disney today, with National Geographic apparently being hit especially hard. I am bracing for what this will mean for National Geographic's editorial team. deadline.com/2026/07/disn...
deadline.com
Disney Cutting Several Hundred Jobs; Pixar And National Geographic Among Most Affected Divisions
Disney is cutting several hundred positions, with Pixar and National Geographic among the divisions most affected by the move.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
This is some nifty new research on the Voynich Manuscript. I hope to have research out later this year that attempts to replicate and build on these results.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Absolutely, and they do fabulous work.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Grateful every day to be doing my work in a country with bedrock protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, going back more than two centuries. Happy 250th, Declaration of Independence. And Happy Fourth of July. 🇺🇸
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Having been through a version of this myself: Part of the tragedy of the layoffs and sale at Scientific American is that the remaining staff is going to try its absolute hardest to do right by the place—but will be forced to deal with more constraints, fewer staff, and a rightfully angry audience.
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Meghan Bartels @meghanbartels.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I’m so sad to share that yesterday was my last day at Scientific American. It was an honor to work alongside my incredible colleagues and to speak with researchers across the sciences. If you’re looking to hire staff or freelance, please consider me and my other laid off coworkers (🧵)
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
When I was laid off from National Geographic back in 2023, one of the first places I started writing for again was Scientific American. Editors like @leebillings.bsky.social and Dan Ferber helped me get back on my feet. I am forever grateful. Journalism is brutal.
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Without exaggeration, @katewong.bsky.social is the reason I am a science journalist. She is incredibly talented!
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Journalism is in crisis—including science and environmental journalism. The industry is in really rough shape, and this blow makes matters worse.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 22/06/2026
Exclusive: The National Science Foundation is trimming this year’s budgets for hundreds of its traditional basic science programs by roughly 20% to 30%, even though its overall budget is down just 3%. scim.ag/4xY2KCm
science.org
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say
Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year
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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say
Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
This is a serious problem and something that, as it happens, magic tricks have been used to study. The issue stems from a visual illusion—the "illusion of absence"—that's especially strong within a moving vehicle. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
The illusion of absence: how a common feature of magic shows can explain a class of road accidents - Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
The purpose of the present note is to draw attention to the potential role of a recently discovered visual illusion in creating traffic accidents. The illusion consists in a compelling and immediate e...
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Science Magazine @science.org · 12/06/2026
Will #AI replace astronomers? In the latest #SciencePodcast🎙️, journalist Joshua Sokol explores the intense discussion happening in the astrophysics community as AI and machine learning become increasingly powerful. 🎧 Listen here: scim.ag/4vonAsf
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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
This is an amazingly well-reported story by @joshuasokol.bsky.social. And a wonderful use of "synecdoche". www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Colleen Morgan @clmorgan.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
This is a really lovely interrogation of the use of AI in astrophysics that gets to this fundamental question—are we doing science because we want to know the answer (by any means) or because we like doing science? + www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Science Magazine @science.org · 05/06/2026
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor. scim.ag/4o7XrvB
scim.ag
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Sar Crespi @boron110.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This week on the @science.org podcast, Joshua Sokol talks about the intense discussion happening in the astrophysics community as AI and ML become increasingly powerful www.science.org/content/podc...
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Jonathan Jacobs @bioinformer.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
This is a thought provoking metaphysical piece that pulls at the strings of why we care so much (or don’t) as to whether AI can be better at everything than we can be. Absolutely love this. Thanks @aaas.org @science.org 🥰
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Mark Riedl @markriedl.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I've found it instructive watching is happening in the physical sciences with LLM-accelerated research. This passage from "The Last Astronomers" in Science resonated with me www.science.org/content/arti... (here is the arXiv article referenced: arxiv.org/abs/2602.10181)
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Krista Langlois @cestmoilanglois.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
"'Why do we do astrophysics?' Hogg offered an answer. It wasn’t to solve the cosmos but to grapple with it: a journey, not a destination." THIS, from @joshuasokol.bsky.social, gets at the heart of why I despise genAI: it assumes that writing is a product rather than an experience
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Patrick McCray @patrickmccray.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Fascinating article about how technology changes and shapes the social life and work practices of a scientific community.... www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
@longreads.com you're going to want to take a look at this feature in @science.org by @joshuasokol.bsky.social. It's really quite something. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Amid a flood of AI advances, astrophysicists are questioning the soul of their field
Researchers see enormous power in new tools—but also the potential end of astrophysics as a human endeavor
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