Reposted by Charlie WoodTom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Yes it could be argued that keeping up with world events is important but alternatively can I interest you in hugging an ancient mossy boulder that looks like a face and quietly listening while it tells you stories from centuries cloaked in mist. 26731201
Reposted by Charlie WoodKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/04/2026Whoa 🤯 The Moon, in full eclipse, with the #Artemis II Orion spacecraft. Part of the Moon and spacecraft are lit by Earthshine, and both Saturn and Mars are visible to the lower right. Incredible. Details: images.nasa.gov/details/art0... 6175521912
Reposted by Charlie Woodmark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 31/03/2026A fun illustration I made for Quanta's story on deSitter space www.quantamagazine.org/in-expanding... 082
Reposted by Charlie Wood4gravitons.bsky.social @4gravitons.bsky.social · 27/03/2026Physicists of Bluesky! I'm writing a piece for @quantamagazine.bsky.social : "What is Mass?" a collection of different perspectives on mass in physics, in the vein of Natalie Wolchover's "What is a Particle?" piece a few years back. If you've got a cool perspective to share, send me a message! 122
Reposted by Charlie WoodEva Miranda @evamirandag.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Fascinated once again to see @walkingthedot.bsky.social work his magic, explaining this story with the perfect touch. Happy to have contributed a small grain to it. Congratulations on this piece! It beautifully captures the emotion of the moment and the roller-coaster nature of research 🎢 033
Reposted by Charlie WoodBeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Americans, you could have this. 1131582
Reposted by Charlie WoodQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 31/10/2025🎃 The carved pumpkins that we call “Jack-o’-lanterns” get their name from 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘶𝘴, a natural phenomenon that many cultures have associated with the paranormal. Last month, a group of chemists published a study that offers one explanation for how these faint orbs illuminate. 1249
Reposted by Charlie WoodKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 22/10/2025LEGAL RELEASE FORM: You agree to let us film you ME: Seems OK FORM: We own your face forever ME: Ummm FORM: We own your face via technologies that haven’t been invented yet ME: FORM: in other galaxies ME: OK hold on FORM: If we kill you during filming you’re not allowed to scream 342216323
Reposted by Charlie WoodDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 08/10/2025Solar & wind met 109% of new electricity demand, globally, in the first half of 2025. Renewables are handling all new demand & are inexorably moving beyond, to chip away at the FF foundation.ember-energy.orgGlobal Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025 | EmberSolar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025, as renewables overtook coal’s share in the global electricity mix. 723668
Reposted by Charlie WoodDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 08/10/2025"Energy dominance," you say? As of this year, *China is exporting more clean-energy technology than the US is exporting the dirty stuff*. The future is green energy & China, not the US, is set to dominate it.bloomberg.comChina Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export DominanceChina’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally. 12494197
Reposted by Charlie WoodQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 07/10/2025John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis have won the Nobel Prize in physics for showing that quantum mechanics describes the behavior of objects much larger than atoms. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physi...nobelprize.orgNobel Prize in Physics 2025The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 was awarded jointly to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis "for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an... 14011
Reposted by Charlie WoodElise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 24/09/2025The world: 🔥🔥🔥 Scientists, in the background: 1122
Reposted by Charlie WoodQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 15/09/2025Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history, and its lessons are a massive human achievement. “How We Came To Know Earth,” our new series, is a guide to the modern understanding of fundamental climate science. www.quantamagazine.org/series/clima...quantamagazine.orgHow We Came To Know Earth | Quanta MagazineClimate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from... 612459
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 29/07/2025huh. along with abundant clean energy, fusion reactors might also be able to make *tons* of gold. arxiv.org/abs/2507.13461arxiv.orgScalable Chrysopoeia via $(n, 2n)$ Reactions Driven by Deuterium-Tritium Fusion NeutronsA scalable approach for chrysopoeia - the transmutation of base metals into gold - has been pursued for millennia. While there have been small-scale demonstrations in particle accelerators and proposa... 121
Reposted by Charlie WoodOpal @opalescentopal.bsky.social · 27/07/2025With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years. 14386183601
Reposted by Charlie WoodPaul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 21/07/2025This is absurd. The red supergiant Betelgeuse is the bright feature in this image. But that darker blue splotch is a *companion star* that's just been discovered—and it orbits so close to Betelgeuse that it's inside the larger star's outer atmosphere. 35929259
Reposted by Charlie WoodDulwich Quantum Computing @dulwichquantum.bsky.social · 18/07/2025150 years ago you could get published in Nature by just describing how cute your pets are. www.nature.com/articles/012...nature.comHereditary Affection of a Cat for a Dog - NatureNature - Hereditary Affection of a Cat for a Dog 2153
Reposted by Charlie WoodLISA Community @lisacommunity.bsky.social · 16/07/2025This year it is 10 years since the discovery of #GravitationalWaves in 2015! www.ligo.caltech.edu/video/ligo20... @ligo.org @egovirgo.bsky.social #GW150914 #GR24Amaldi16 1147
Reposted by Charlie WoodArtologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 15/07/2025"The Chipotle where Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense" encapsulates so much American history 271180245
Reposted by Charlie WoodDan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 30/05/2025NSF budget would close down one of LIGO's sites. This would be, to put it lightly, a catastrophe for gravitational wave astronomy. "In FY 2026 NSF will operate only one of the two sites and will support a reduced level for technology development." bsky.app/profile/hast... 9375109
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 28/05/2025First sigma-eight. Now g-2. Anomalies are dropping like flies this year. 050
Reposted by Charlie WoodKatherine Applegate @kaaauthor.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Absolutely delighted by this Andalite balloon animal—the work of Josh Steinhouse, The Geek Balloonist: thegeekballoonist.com/home He does a mean E.T., too. Thanks for the smile, Josh. ❤️ #Animorphs #BalloonArtist 116548
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Do singularities exist? I'd always thought they were purely mathematical artifacts, but recent work in mathematical physics work from @bousso.bsky.social and others hint otherwise (for sufficiently broad definitions of "singularities" and "exist"). www.quantamagazine.org/singularitie...quantamagazine.orgSingularities in Space-Time Prove Hard to Kill | Quanta MagazineBlack hole and Big Bang singularities break our best theory of gravity. A trilogy of theorems hints that physicists will need to go to the ends of space and time to find a fix. 072
Reposted by Charlie WoodKnowable Magazine @knowablemag.bsky.social · 24/05/2025👀 On our radar: Beautiful physics of the ordinary 💬 “My deep and abiding feeling is that if you look at anything closely enough, there will be new riches to be found” —Sidney Nagel ✍️ Charlie Wood, @quantamagazine.bsky.social 🔗 www.quantamagazine.org/finding-beau...quantamagazine.orgFinding Beauty and Truth in Mundane Occurrences | Quanta MagazineThe physicist Sidney Nagel delights in solving mysteries of the universe that are hiding in plain sight. 021
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 12/05/2025It is that one glorious week of the year where New York feels like The Room in Community youtu.be/VxxYqE4Gil8?...youtu.bethe room temperature roomYouTube video by Toran Seru 000
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 09/05/2025Why do drops leave ring-shaped stains? Why do splashes splash? Had great fun chatting with Sid Nagel about beautiful, unappreciated physics right under our noses. www.quantamagazine.org/finding-beau...quantamagazine.orgFinding Beauty and Truth in Mundane Occurrences | Quanta MagazineThe physicist Sidney Nagel delights in solving mysteries of the universe that are hiding in plain sight. 151
Reposted by Charlie WoodEduardo García-Molina @egarcmol.bsky.social · 08/05/2025What a day to have studied Latin in Chicago. 61028260
Reposted by Charlie WoodAndy Hall @testtubegames.com · 06/05/2025For #BlackHoleWeek, why not go explore spacetime around a black hole? Oh... because it'd be incredibly dangerous? Good point. Well, how about you use this (nearly*) perfectly safe simulation. testtubegames.com/blackhole.html *There is always a small risk of collapsing into a simgularity. 096
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 06/05/2025I tore through all 60ish Animorphs books a few years ago and was shocked at how good they were. Can confirm they're a great read and long overdue for their prestige HBO show. 020
Reposted by Charlie WoodLIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 05/05/2025#GravitationalWaves provide a unique way to study black holes This Orrery (by Zoheyr Doctor) illustrates the diverse black hole binaries and neutron star black–hole binaries from our O3b run. More massive binaries are shown as orbiting more slowly #BlackHoleWeek 🔭 19720
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 02/05/2025Just incredible that Trump is turning Onion headlines into real headlines in less than a month theonion.com/trump-calmly... www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/u...theonion.comTrump Calmly Reminds Nation That Desire The Root Of All SufferingWASHINGTON—Seeking to reassure the public after his latest tariffs sent both U.S. and international markets into free fall, President Donald Trump calmly reminded the nation Thursday that desire is th... 010
Reposted by Charlie Wooddepths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 02/05/2025how many wikipedia editors does it take to change a light bulb? so far 3439 different people have contributed to the "incandescent light bulb" article but it's not done being changed yet so who knows 121657208
Reposted by Charlie WoodRobert Palgrave @robertpalgrave.bsky.social · 01/05/2025Pocket guide to materials discovery calculation methods (repost from the other place) 36014
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 30/04/2025Everyone go check out Quanta's new special feature about AI. It was a huge undertaking by the team and we hope you enjoy it. www.quantamagazine.org/series/scien...quantamagazine.orgAI Changes Science and Math Forever | Quanta MagazineAn exploration of how artificial intelligence is changing what it means to do science and math, and what it means to be a scientist. 020
Reposted by Charlie WoodRoss Andersen @rossandersen.bsky.social · 23/04/2025I wrote about the new color gift link: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...theatlantic.comThe ‘Profound’ Experience of Seeing a New ColorThe ecstasy of “olo” 36419
Reposted by Charlie WoodQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 17/04/2025Light signatures can help astronomers deduce the atmospheric gases of planets circling stars many light years away. Determining the nature of these alien skies is one of the goals of the James Webb Space Telescope. 🧵1/5 15818
Reposted by Charlie WoodRoss Andersen @rossandersen.bsky.social · 18/04/2025I wrote about the science (and media roll out) behind that “possible sign of life on a distant planet” gift link: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...theatlantic.comA Scientific Revolution by Push NotificationAbout that “possible sign of life” on a distant planet ... 42710
Reposted by Charlie WoodMatt Carlstrom @mattcarlstrom.bsky.social · 15/04/2025#todayilearned that any sequence of numbers categorized in the On-line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences can be exported as a MIDI file. Here's the audio for part of the Fibonacci sequence played on a grand piano. It's... not as nice as you would hope for it to be. 142
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 17/04/2025New rule of thumb: No matter how fast you think solar is growing, it's growing faster than you think (even if you already know this) 010
Reposted by Charlie WoodElizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Last time we all lost our minds over K2-18b 🔭 , I wrote this blog post. The summary is... don't.girlandkat.comK2-18b. We urgently need to get our shit together about life detection — Girl & KatWe have not discovered life on K2-18b. We have not even discovered water on K2-18b. All we can say is that the planet does not… not… have an ocean. 713037
Reposted by Charlie WoodKenny Higginbotham @qgkenny.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Does that mean the walls are CFTs?? 032
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 10/04/2025A year and a half ago I told @mmoyer.bsky.social I wanted to do a deep dive into whether spacetime was real. After he said yes, the result became a good chunk of this package, with a ton of work from the whole Quanta team and beyond. So thrilled we got to do this, and that it has won this award 0153
Charlie Wood @walkingthedot.bsky.social · 09/04/2025Remember when we "de-extincted" dinosaurs back in 2011? Me either www.ted.com/talks/jack_h...ted.comBuilding a dinosaur from a chickenRenowned paleontologist Jack Horner has spent his career trying to reconstruct a dinosaur. He's found fossils with extraordinarily well-preserved blood vessels and soft tissues, but never intact DNA. ... 121
Reposted by Charlie WoodHannah Waters @hanner.bsky.social · 08/04/2025Took 1.5 years at Quanta to assign my first bird story 😇 @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social's beautiful writing + excellent reporting about the evolution of intelligence — evidence that birds evolved complex brain circuits independently of our mammal intelligence www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...quantamagazine.orgIntelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals | Quanta MagazineComplex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times. 24312
Reposted by Charlie WoodBen Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 07/04/2025Today is International Beaver Day! The internet tells me it is a great time to lead a hike to a beaver pond. It's also a great time to supplement your doomscrolling with a deep dive into my favorite theoretical computer science breakthrough from last year.quantamagazine.orgAmateur Mathematicians Find Fifth ‘Busy Beaver’ Turing Machine | Quanta MagazineAfter decades of uncertainty, a motley team of programmers has proved precisely how complicated simple computer programs can get. 1436
Reposted by Charlie WoodQuanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 07/04/2025Calling someone bird-brained is, in fact, a way of calling someone highly intelligent. @yaseminsaplakoglu.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...quantamagazine.orgIntelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals | Quanta MagazineComplex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times. 29025
Reposted by Charlie WoodMetropolitan Transportation Authority @mta.info · 02/04/2025Say hello to a new subway map! 🗺️ Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner. 621272281