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Thomas Germain

@thomasgermain.bsky.social
3.5K followers 135 following 210 posts

Tech columnist for the BBC and host of The Interface podcast. I cover how we use technology, and how technology uses us

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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
They've been lying to you about blue light For 10 years we've heard blue light from screens is ruining our sleep. It's a great story, but it's not what the science says The real culprit isn't the glow from your phone, and I've got real advice that could fix your sleep www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
The blue light from your phone isn't ruining your sleep
For a decade, we've been told our screens are wrecking our sleep. The real culprit is far bigger than the glow from your phone.
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Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
The Brits don't know what to do with our new BBC podcast The Interface, @thomasgermain.bsky.social & @nickywoolf.bsky.social. Lovely shoutout from @observeruk.bsky.social. observer.co.uk/culture/audi...
As we’re discussing the unreal warping reality, let’s bring in The Interface, a podcast about tech and how it impacts on our lives. It’s hosted by two very American Americans – the boisterous Thomas Germain and Karen Hao – as well as the more self-effacing British investigative journalist Nicky Woolf, known for his excellent series Finding Q: My Journey into QAnon and Fur and Loathing. All three presenters are hugely well informed.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
After just five episodes, The Interface is now the 31st top podcast in the US, per the analytics company Rephonic At this rate can you afford not to listen?
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Here's a weird one. Wired headphone sales are exploding right now. I dug into it for my column this week and people told me... it's because of AI?? www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Wired headphone sales are exploding. What's with the Bluetooth backlash?
Is the return of wired headphones driven by a simple desire for better sound quality or is it part of a backlash against modern tech? Thomas Germain tries to find out.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I've got 5 minute tip that could save your life. Sincerely. Your phone number, address and social security probably show up in search results. Google has a free tool that lets you take it down Almost nobody uses it, but you should. It's easy. Do it now: www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
People are selling your home address online. This privacy tool will help
There's a free automated tool that removes information about you from Google search results. For some reason, most people don't use it.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Crazy story on this week’s episode of the Interface
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Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Remember Havana Syndrome? In 2017 US diplomats in Cuba started mysteriously suffering brain damage after hearing a noise. Many thought it a conspiracy theory. After investigating, @nickywoolf.bsky.social concluded it wasn't. He was right. This week on The Interface youtube.com/watch?v=UYVHzkq2X7Y
youtube.com
Is Havana Syndrome REAL?
YouTube video by BBC Podcasts
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Trying to remember which dystopian novel this is from.... Burger King employees have to walk around with an AI headset that judges how "friendly" they are www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Burger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
Have it your way?
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
In a test, researchers found one AI was better at math when you made it pretend to be on Star Trek. The bizarre reality is our world is full of robots that act like guys. Some say AI does better when you're nice, others recommend threats. In my latest, I found the truth www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Do you have to be polite to AI?
The advice you get about talking to chatbots can be truly bizarre, and totally useless. Here's what actually works.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Katie is one of my favorite writers but I'm the hot dog champ and I won't be dethroned. I was impressed with her espresso technique at the Paris event though
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
"$20 billion trillion trillion" that outta do it abc7.com/post/russia-...
abc7.com
Russia fines Google $20 decillion - or around $20 billion trillion trillion
Google reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
This is… wild. Palantir has a new internship that’s exclusively for neurodivergent people And apparently they think being autistic makes you right wing? “This is not a diversity initiative” lol
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
People all over the world are using this trick to make AI tell you lies on subjects as serious as medical questions and personal finance From my new BBC podcast The Interface
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
UPDATE: ChatGPT is adding new lore to my hot dog career. Also it says I have a new job at the AP? Here I am slaving away at the BBC, I wish someone had told me
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Jon Green @jongreen.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
X's algorithm is in fact doing what you think it's doing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Article: The political effects of X’s feed algorithm

Abstract: Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects1. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk’s platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users’ feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X’s algorithm has persistent effects on users’ current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.Figure 2. ITT estimates of feed-setting changes on engagement and political attitudes. ITT effect estimates of switching the algorithm on and off (in s.d.). Left, effect of moving from the chronological to the algorithmic feed for users initially on the chronological feed. Right, effect of moving in the opposite direction for users initially on the algorithmic feed. For each outcome, the results of two specifications are reported. Blue, unconditional estimates with robust s.e., controlling only for the initial feed setting and, where applicable, pre-treatment outcome levels. Orange: conditional estimates, controlling for pre-treatment covariates using GRFs; 90% and 95% CIs are reported. Numerical effect sizes and P values correspond to the conditional estimates (all tests are two-sided). The unit of observation is respondent. From top to bottom, sample sizes are n = 4,965, n = 3,337, n = 4,965, n = 4,965, n = 4,596, n = 4,596 and n = 4,850. Tests are described in Methods. Supplementary Information Table 2.16 reports the exact numerical point estimates, s.e., CIs and sample sizes for every specification. All outcomes are standardized. Additional results are presented in Supplementary Information section 2. PCA, first principal component from principal component analysis.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I just did the dumbest thing of my entire career to prove a much more serious point. I tricked ChatGPT and Google, and made them tell other users I’m a competitive hot-dog-eating world champion People are using this trick on a massive scale to make AI tell you lies. I’ll explain how I did it
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 18/02/2026
. @thomasgermain.bsky.social tricked ChatGPT and Google's AI so now they say I'm a "passionate amateur" at eating hot dogs and known in the industry for my "triple-dog" speed www.bbc.com/future/artic...
. @thomasgermain.bsky.social tricked ChatGPT and Gemini so now they say I'm a "passionate amateur" at eating hot dogs and known in the industry for my "triple-dog" speed https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260218-i-hacked-chatgpt-and-googles-ai-and-it-only-took-20-minutes
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Weird I guess there are a lot of people who don’t like giant tech companies with the power of nation states following their every move?
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Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Episode 1 is OUT!! 🥳 🙌 This week on The Interface, we discuss: * That insane Superbowl ad for Ring * The US TikTok takeover * And the beef that launched ChatGPT Listen wherever you get your podcasts: app.magellan.ai/listen_links...
app.magellan.ai
The Interface
Listen to The Interface
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
I just launched a brand new tech column AND a podcast with the BBC. The show's called The Interface, new episodes every Thursday With your support, I’m prepared to answer the biggest question in tech: what is a computer?? Let me tell you all about it ~~ app.magellan.ai/listen_links...
app.magellan.ai
The Interface
Listen to The Interface
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
It hit me that there isn't a single service that shows you ALL the restaurants in an area. Google Maps won't show me all the spots on a street near my house no matter how far I zoom in. Every other app is the same What if god forbid I want to make my own decision instead of relying on an algorithm?
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
NEW: No TikTok account? They're tracking you anyway TikTok harvests sensitive and embarrassing information about you even if you don't use the app. Last week I watched websites send TikTok data on cancer diagnoses, fertility treatment, and mental health crises Here's what you can do about it: /1
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nicky woolf @nickywoolf.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Some Personal News, as they say! very, very excited to announce that from Feb 12 I'll be co-hosting a new weekly BBC show, The Interface, along with the stellar @karenhao.bsky.social and @thomasgermain.bsky.social!
bbc.com
New BBC Studios podcast The Interface explores how tech is changing everything
The podcast will launch on 12th February
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Your phone doesn’t take photos anymore. It builds them. Most of it’s subtle. Sometimes it’s AI hallucination Once you spot it, you can’t unsee it www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Your phone edits all your photos with AI - is it changing your view of reality?
From simple enhancements to hallucinated facial features, modern phones choose how our memories will look. You might love the results, but they could alter how we see the world.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Happy birthday Elmo
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Great news for the "I want AI that kills people" crowd www.reuters.com/business/aer...
reuters.com
Ukraine to share wartime combat data with allies to help train AI
Ukraine will establish a system allowing its allies to train their artificial intelligence models on Kyiv's valuable combat data collected throughout the nearly four-year war with Russia, newly appoin...
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
The fact that this feature exists means OpenAI paid 100s of people to have e-sex with the robot to make sure it doesn’t get weird
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
My biggest regret in life is choosing a career where you never get to use walkie talkies
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
YouTube is testing AI on your videos without consent. Today it’s filters. Tomorrow, who decides what’s real www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
YouTube secretly used AI to edit people's videos. The results could bend reality
YouTube made AI enhancements to videos without telling users or asking permission. As AI quietly mediates our world, what happens to our shared connections with real life?
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Ash @ashstoneman.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Had a great time at lectures on tap at @caveatnyc.bsky.social watching @thomasgermain.bsky.social open our eyes to the deeper side of YouTube
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Google has a new button. It might destroy the web as you know it. Experts say the new “AI Mode” is an asteroid aimed at the heart of the internet, one that could decimate millions of websites. It seems this chapter of online history is over. Here’s what comes next: www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Is Google about to destroy the web?
Google says adding more AI to its search engine will rejuvenate the internet. Others predict an apocalypse for websites. One thing is clear: this era of online history is closing.
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Gisele Navarro @ichbingisele.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Google wrote the rules, they created the game and they rewarded the players. Now they're turning around and saying, 'That's my infrastructure, the web just happens to live in it.’ 🔗 www.bbc.com/future/artic... by @thomasgermain.bsky.social
bbc.co.uk
Is Google about to destroy the web?
Google says adding more AI to its search engine will rejuvenate the internet. Others predict an apocalypse for websites. One thing is clear: this era of online history is closing.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Right now, there are trains in California that can’t start until someone inserts a floppy disk. 50 years into Microsoft’s reign, Windows XP and MS-DOS still run elevators, hospitals, ATMs and more. I went inside the ghost world of obsolete PCs www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers
As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here's a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines.
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Ryan McGrady @antisomniac.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
For years, YouTube didn't disclose how many videos it hosted. That fundamental-but-missing figure about one of the most important parts of our digital communication infrastructure is what launched our big @idpiumass.bsky.social YouTube project. But now there's an official number(ish)! [1/7]
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Joe Katz @joekatz45.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
"Republicans are advancing what could become the largest expansion of immigration enforcement funding in U.S. history—between $175 and $345 billion... and so far none of the key players will answer the simplest question: What, exactly, are taxpayers being asked to fund?" via @migrantinsider.com
migrantinsider.com
Washington’s Deportation Jackpot
The biggest immigration story no one is talking about is the funding.
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Megan Savage @meganloverdesavage.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
If you call the Oregon Tele-Pome hotline today, I’ll read you a poem. 503-928-7008. This heart-poem from my core was originally published by @fonografeditions.bsky.social Thanks to @mojgani.bsky.social and @oregonhumanities.org for putting together the incredible hotline & for featuring me.
Flyer for the Oregon Poetry Telephone Line — new poems daily through AprilRegeneration

The face of Dog Mountain, that turn from dead plane,
slices of translucent sun about my feet.
Rustle in the depth hoar. The pull in the pack
and the snap of wind in my face.
One summer in Montana I tried to capture
the last of the glacier ice, so small
your head in my lens obscured it. The germ of a lesion had
formed inside me, but we did not know it.
All sublimation begets unclassifiable forms:
cups, scrolls, columns, ribs that bind our hearts
And the ringing. Above the treeline, rock. The hoarfrost
shows its grain. More crystal lattice than fragments of stars.
Regeneration appears first angular, then faceted. Light
bleeds through our skin, makes us three-dimensional.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
NEW from the BBC: Why it might be time to ditch your phone case www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Is it finally safe to ditch your phone case? I put it to the test
With smartphones tougher than ever, a new wave of phone minimalists say cases are for cowards. I joined the case-free cult, called the experts and braced for the sound of broken glass.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
20 years later, Facebook figured out that what people really want is…. to talk to their friends about.fb.com/news/2025/03...
about.fb.com
Bringing the Magic of Friends Back to Facebook | Meta
We’re introducing a new Facebook Friends tab that makes it easier to connect with your friends.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
If you can explain why King Charles' playlist is only on Apple Music please get in touch with me immediately www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/a...
nytimes.com
Jam Like a King: Charles Releases a Playlist
King Charles III showcased 17 artists, mostly from Commonwealth countries, in a personal playlist. Beyoncé, Bob Marley and Diana Ross made the cut.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
There’s a secret YouTube no one gets to see - a vast, uncurated documentary of human life. We found a way to explore it. The average video has just 41 views. That means most of the platform is invisible, until now www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm
There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
There’s a secret YouTube you never get to see - a vast, uncurated documentary of human life. We found a way to explore it. The average video has just 41 views. That means most of the platform is invisible, until now www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm
There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.
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the deeliciousplum 🌺📚 @deeliciousplum.com · 08/03/2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this article. It is a struggle to explore in spite of YT's algorithms. With that in mind, I do love stumbling upon heartfelt, playful, creative, and unexpected content. Thank you for writing a insightful article on a very addictive resource. 😊
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Carlos Diaz Ruiz @carlosdiazruiz.com · 25/02/2025
It is not just fake news, Ad revenue funds the worst content on the Internet, including child sexual abuse. @thomasgermain.bsky.social (BBC) Platforms keep telling us, for over a decade, that this is just a mistake and that -trust me, bro- it will be fixed soon. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online
Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.
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Ryan McGrady @antisomniac.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
YouTube is almost 20 years old and more popular than ever, but there's still a ton we don't know about it. The BBC's @thomasgermain.bsky.social has a story about our work at @idpiumass.bsky.social to uncover some of those YouTube fundamentals. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
How a computer that 'drunk dials' videos is exposing YouTube's secrets
YouTube is about to turn 20. An unusual research method is unveiling statistics about the platform that Google doesn't want you to know.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
New for the BBC: Friday is YouTube's 20th birthday, but the most basic facts about the platform are still closely guarded secrets. For example: How much YouTube do we all watch? Answer: 8 MILLION YEARS per month Check out the mind blowing details Google wont tell you ⬇️ www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
How a computer that 'drunk dials' videos is exposing YouTube's secrets
YouTube is about to turn 20. An unusual research method is unveiling statistics about the platform that Google doesn't want you to know.
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Tech Transparency Project @ttp-updates.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
ICYMI: Google, Amazon, and Microsoft allowed their ad networks to place advertisements on a shady image-sharing website that hosted child sexual abuse material. Ad safety experts say the website's mechanics should have raised big red flags. Read more from @thomasgermain.bsky.social, here:
bbc.com
How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online
Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
NEW: Google, Amazon and Microsoft's ad systems funneled money to a site that hosts images of child sex abuse www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
How big tech's ad systems helped fund child abuse online
Some of the biggest tech companies in the world served ads on a website featuring images of child abuse, helping to fund its operations.
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Thomas Germain @thomasgermain.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Today is Elmo's birthday, which is one of the greatest mysteries known to science Every year, Elmo turns three and a half years old – again. I forced some of the world’s most respected astrophysicists to write equations that explain how this is possible gizmodo.com/elmo-age-bir...
gizmodo.com
Is Elmo a Time Traveler? We Talked to Physicists to Find Out
Scientists offer new theories to unravel how it’s possible that, after 44 years, Elmo is still 3.5 years old.
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