I wrote about Moltbook and the weird world of AI agent teams for Science News. AI agents often don't work well together, it turns out, but you can wrangle them if you know what you're doing. 🧪 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

How long have you been scrolling just now? If you don’t know, that could be a problem… learn about the science of brain rot in my new story for teens 🧪: www.snexplores.org/article/brai...

Did you know that trapdoor spiders weave secret lairs? Or that mangrove trees build new land? See what I drew and learned on a trip to the rainforest of Costa Rica. 🇨🇷 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

I created an activity to teach science vocab! 🔬📚 Students pick a tricky science word from my book THE UFO FILES, dig into its meaning, then create a short video, reel, or poster to teach it. patriciamnewman.com?p=13207 #STEMed #LitLinks #EduSky @patricianewman.bsky.social

Today, I volunteered as a virtual visiting author for #WorldReadAloudDay at six classrooms around the USA. I read from my book THE UFO FILES and talked about becoming an author. But first, I test your wits with a space quiz. Ready? Let's go! 👽 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

I both love and hate this robot hand... the nerd in me thinks it's such a cool idea for a hand to detach and wander around, using its fingers like tentacles. But it also totally creeps me out! Anyone else? #robotics 🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/deta...

This is such a cool story about the brain science of hypnotism! www.snexplores.org/article/hypn... 🧪

Merry T-reX-mas! 🦖 As a gift, I'm sharing an excerpt from my book, Welcome to the Future, about whether it might ever be possible to have a pet dinosaur... (because it worked out so well in Jurassic Park, right?) 🦕 Read the book excerpt: kathrynhulick.substack.com/p/merry-t-re...

Why did I only just find out that that there are water striders that live IN (ON!!) THE OPEN OCEAN? 🧪 OCEAN STRIDERS!!

AI tools like DeepLabCut and SuperAnimal are changing how scientists study movement, helping them understand how brain activity drives behavior. Read more: bit.ly/4qnX7JF @trackingactions.bsky.social @deeplabcut.bsky.social

So... recently I got to speak on a panel at MIT! The conversation centered on storytelling, ethics, and humanity in AI development. Here are the main points I made: kathrynhulick.substack.com/p/i-spoke-ab...

This is a cool computer science story about a new method to find the shortest path between two points. “This thing might as well have been discovered 50 years ago, but it wasn’t” - Mikkel Thorup 🧪 www.quantamagazine.org/new-method-i...

Appreciate Quanta for shining a light on our joint work with Simon Gsell, Sham Tlili (@shamtlili.bsky.social), and Matthias Merkel (@merkellab.bsky.social).

15 years in the making, we confirmed that mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell - have an unusual localization in patients who experience psychosis (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders). You’ll never guess what kind of patient cells we used to make this discovery… 🧵

Welcome, fall! 🍁🍃

My latest story in Science News. 🧪 “Even when [side effects] can be rare, when they happen to you, it means all the world,” says public health researcher John Ayers.

This is starting in 15 minutes! Listen to me and several other experts tell stories about inventions.

Scientists are using AI to understand animal communication. Fact or fiction? It's actually true! A new activity I wrote to go along with my new book The UFO Files helps students use critical thinking to check facts: www.patriciamnewman.com/litlinks-tru... @patricianewman.bsky.social

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA 10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

My latest story for Science News covers a really interesting experimental computer chip. It reuses energy that typical chips waste as heat: www.sciencenews.org/article/comp... If this scales up, it could help make AI cheaper and more efficient. 🧪 @sciencenews.bsky.social

I did a lot of colored pencil drawing this summer. Here are some of my favorites 🍃 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

Thank you @sierramagazine.bsky.social and @kathrynhulick.substack.com for highlighting our work!🐋Read the quote from Daniela Rus (@csail.mit.edu), PI on CETI Machine Learning and Robotics Team and more in the piece “Could AI Help Humanity Understand Whales?” here: bit.ly/45tksRL 📸: Arun Madisetti

"Inventions almost always inspire curiosity since they – by their nature – have never existed before." I'm excited to be on this upcoming panel discussing invention and innovation, hosted by @ecornellonline.bsky.social September 30, 1pm ET, free to attend 🧪 ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/ove...

It wasn’t even on my bucket list… but just checked off “triathlon in the pouring rain” 🌧️ 😅

I’m here at Word on the Street until noon for an author talk and book signing! For my new book The UFO Files. Hope to see you. @quartokids.bsky.social www.quarto.com/books/978071...

Do you wish we had holograms or helper robots in our daily lives? What might future tech be like? Here’s my latest story for kids and teens, out this week in @snexplores.bsky.social 🧪 www.snexplores.org/article/futu...

Will we ever have robots doing our laundry or hologram conversations? Will we design and 3D print clothes and shoes at home? Read my new feature for @snexplores.bsky.social about tech that could change our daily lives: www.snexplores.org/article/futu...

Ooh I just found out about #InverteFest - perfect time to share this oddly mutated lady crab we found earlier this summer! Folks on iNaturalist were very excited about it: www.inaturalist.org/observations... 🦀

When tech reads your thoughts, hopefully it won't read out ALL of them! Researchers had subjects imagine the password "Chitty chitty bang bang” to activate a mental speech decoder. 🧪https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/08/an-inner-speech-decoder-reveals-some-mental-privacy-issues/

Wow, my upcoming book From Bam to Burp! was included in this list of recommended titles in yesterday's @washingtonpost.com book section! Thank you, librarians! tinyurl.com/yc53ahvf @charlesbridge.bsky.social @steamteambooks.bsky.social #edusky #kidlit

What's your favorite alien story? This morning I appeared WNPR's "Where We Live" to talk about my kids book The UFO Files and why people find the possibility of alien life so fascinating. Listen to the show: www.ctpublic.org/show/where-w... @quartokids.bsky.social

I'll be on the radio Monday morning! Tune in to WNPR at 9am on 8/25 to hear me talk about the possibility of alien life and my new book The UFO Files: www.ctpublic.org/show/where-w...

If you haven't yet heard about zombie insects, get ready to squirm! This is “a pretty gruesome story” says Conrad Labandeira. 🧪 www.snexplores.org/article/fung... @snexplores.bsky.social

One alien sees black holes. Another smells with its hair. Check out what kids imagined at my book launch for The UFO Files on Sunday! And try the activity yourself - link in my Substack. @anunlikelystory.bsky.social @quartokids.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

Important article summing up many of the risks of AI agents. "The world is at a pivotal moment: the foundational architecture of AI agents — and the infrastructure that governs them — is being imagined and built right now." 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

I’m at the Barnes & Noble in Natick signing books this afternoon! Look for the alien. @barnesandnoble.com @quartokids.bsky.social

I'll be at An Unlikely Story in Plainville for a book launch celebration (with snacks! And a drawing activity for kids!) on Sunday at 3pm. Get free tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/kathryn-hu... @anunlikelystory.bsky.social @quartokids.bsky.social

Here’s an activity to go with my book The UFO files. 🛸 Kids imagine, draw, and write about alien beings. 👽 Find it on #LitLinks patriciamnewman.com/?p=12919 #mystery #scienceforkids #stemforkids #STEM #literacy @patricianewman.bsky.social @quartokids.bsky.social

This is such a cool story about a teenage math prodigy. I wish I could understand the solution she discovered! 🧪 www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah... At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery | Quanta Magazine

Today’s the day! The UFO Files is out in the world. It’s a kids graphic novel with aliens, mystery, and unknown language, and more, all based on realistic science and technology. kathrynhulick.substack.com/p/that-feeli...

One-fifth of computer science papers may include AI content | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪

Passiflora suberosa exhibits heteroblasty (different-shaped leaves on the same plant). The 2nd photo shows leaves from a single plant. It’s part of the evolutionary arms race with butterflies. It may prevent gravid female butterflies from forming a search image. #Passifloraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Two assassin bugs I met this summer. Such stylish, alien little dudes! 👾 #nature #insects

How do I cover science and tech for young people? “Kids are just as smart as grown-ups. They just don’t have as much life experience. I never dumb things down.” Read the full story in Colby News: news.colby.edu/story/kathry...

I recently partnered with the Gene Drive Network to create a blog about how biotechnology helps conservation of the black-footed ferret. Here it is: 👩🏻‍🔬🌏🧪 genedrivenetwork.org/blog/science...

My first story for Sierra magazine! What could sperm whale sounds mean? “Understanding is not just about translation—it’s about listening, about honoring another way of being.” - Daniela Rus, MIT 🧪 @sierraclub.org @projectceti.bsky.social www.sierraclub.org/sierra/could...

TIL that plants give off dim red light when they are healthy. “It’s the photosynthetic heartbeat of the organism.” - Ozzy Mermut and now drone could help track this. 🧪 physics.aps.org/articles/v18...

What special nature encounters have you had lately? These are my top five from this summer (so far!) #nature 🦋 open.substack.com/pub/kathrynh...

Don't these look like pieces of a light saber? Actually, they are crystals scientists fabricated as a new source of blue light. Existing materials that emit this color can be toxic, so this could be a better option for displays. www.newswise.com/doescience/n... 🧪 Image: Kun Zhu/Rutgers University