Imagine you time travel back to 1847 and you find the left response to industrialization is a) machines will never be as good as human weavers or b) we need to copyright loom patterns or c) it’s a speculative bubble. You’d say “Y’all. Not helping. What you need is obviously a labor movement.”

Bye bye Manhattan! I had a great few days at the @sloanfoundation.bsky.social discussing the complexities of education in an age of AI with some of today's most thoughtful leaders in STEM education. While we enjoyed the view from Rockefeller Center, we also saw a lot of work ahead of educators.

It’s unacceptable that federal employees are going without pay, health care costs are skyrocketing & families are seeing SNAP benefits threatened while House Republicans stay on vacation. Until they work with Democrats to reopen the government, I’m donating my pay to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

"... satire helps preserve the language of critique itself." Phenomenal piece.

It’s Friday night. I’ve done enough this week. You’ve done enough this week.

🚨 Breaking News | Judge Rules Harvard Funding Freeze Illegal A federal judge said the Trump administration violated the institution's First Amendment rights when it froze billions of dollars in research grants. https://bit.ly/42bh3oH #EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

An Aug. 29 policy statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency, will from now on bar nonpartisan groups such as the League of Women Voters from offering voter registration services at the end of naturalization ceremonies. /1

BREAKING: We secured a court order requiring the State Dept to preserve & account for Signal messages of senior national security officials, including Sec. Marco Rubio. This is an important step to force accountability for an admin that’s shown alarming disregard for transparency required by law.

In a @science.org editorial, @katyhuff.bsky.social discusses NASA's plan to install a nuclear reactor on the Moon. Is it feasible, what are the legal and practical issues, and what's the purpose? www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #planetsci 🚀🛰️

I didn’t think it was news that writing about your research more accessibly makes you think about it in different ways and therefore makes you a better researcher. But if you needed to hear that again: 🔭👩‍🔬🧪

Happy first day of classes!

Tonight is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Best seen after midnight. Good weather luck everyone. 🔭 🧪

You know how sometimes you read that a celebrity has died and it’s a surprise because you actually thought they had died long ago? help.aol.com/articles/dia...

"PhD-level experts in your back pocket" is a completely nonsensical description of AI but a pretty good description of social media if you follow the right people

Something that I have been thinking about with attribution of "PhD level intelligence" or "PhD level expertise" to a machine is that it reflects an increasing trend among these AI bros and their sycophants to want the products of highly skilled training without actually doing any of the work.

I've had a lot of questions about fission surface power this week. The delightful Ken Chang @kchang.bsky.social summed it up well in this piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/s... . On moon reactors, I'm bullish. On setting unrealistic timelines in a race to moon reactors, not so much. [1/2]

80 years ago today, the United States used fission for a deadly purpose for the first, but not the last, time. I'll think today on the lives lost, and also on how humanity's "miraculous inventiveness" can be used for peace and prosperity. Perhaps a film is called for. whatisnuclear.com/museum/

I recently had a delightful conversation with Jason Mitchell on the podcast "A Sustainable Future" www.man.com/maninstitute.... The episode is now live across all these platforms! Man Institute - bit.ly/3GZqUqt Apple Podcast - apple.co/43bosmJ Spotify - spoti.fi/2Pp0AKa SoundCloud - bit.ly/3J1VKzq

Read @reeserichardson.bsky.social's blog post for access: reeserichardson.blog/2025/08/04/a...

Honestly if they pitched VR goggles as “this product will tell you the name of people you’ve already met” they would’ve sold a billion of them

I am SO excited to be at #scipy2025 ! I've only been in the building for 30 minutes but have already received multiple doses of what I have been looking forward to: nostalgia, optimism, old friends, new friends, and various humble opinions on text editors! katyhuff.github.io/2025-07-09-s...

If, like me, you've been disassociating from your dread all day and must now find the energy to productively respond, it might be time for a snack and a walk outside.

This is extremely true of the energy sections too. A paperwork and regulatory mess for businesses. Any assertion about this Administration's "deregulation" agenda that does not include this new impenetrable web of requirements is missing a key aspect of the story.

Immigrants built America—and many of our greatest scientific discoveries were made possible because of them.

Good thread. Read up from here. I agree - there's no indication there's a diplomatic plan. Trump has been thin on this all along, relying on a golfing buddy who knows nothing about Iran or nuclear issues.

Today is my birthday, which means I am eating my mom's carrot cake, which is the best cake in the world, hands down. The world is a lot right now, here is my mom's carrot cake recipe, if having the worlds best cake might provide you some joy gist.github.com/aurielfourni...

Statement on firing of NRC Commissioner Hanson: www.ans.org/news/2025-06...

President Trump’s unprecedented removal of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner Chris Hanson threatens the independence of America’s nuclear safety regulator – undermining public trust, investor confidence, & nuclear energy deployment. www.catf.us/2025/06/dism...

I'm at the #ansmeeting in Chicago today & this morning's news that the President terminated Commissioner Hanson is being met with serious dismay. An independent regulator with a full commission is necessary for expanding nuclear energy safely. To wit: www.scientificamerican.com/article/kill....

Click here to read NIA's Statement on the Firing of NRC Commissioner Christopher Hanson: nuclearinnovationalliance.org/nia-statemen...

BREAKING: A fourth court has found that President Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act was illegal, seeking to stretch the meaning of "invasion" beyond its plain meaning. The ruling blocks AEA deportations in the Western District of Texas. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Harvey Milk served his country honorably — first in uniform, then in public office. Taking his name off this Navy ship sends a clear message, and it’s one of disrespect and cruelty.

"The Story of The Atomic Airplane": 13 hours of first-hand presentations and interviews from the team that did the nuclear-powered aircraft project in the 1950s, now digitized and online thanks to Dr. Jake Hecla! whatisnuclear.com/the-story-of...

"A call to clear-eyed humanism....In an era when billionaire space races and AI hype dominate headlines, More Everything Forever arrives as a much-needed reality check." A lovely review of my new book in @theatlantic.com! Order it here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/adam-... #booksky 📘

"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging." Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. I wrote about my decision in TIME. time.com/7285045/resi...

This, by the way, is how you do journalism. No he-said-she-said. Just one biting, factual sentence immediately after the asenine quote.

ProPublica is doing amazing work.

It's summertime on campus and Gen Z's mysterious preference for visible socks is once again insulting the delicate sensibilities of Millennial faculty.

Public broadcasters like PBS and NPR give every American access to culture, history, art, and trusted journalism. They’re a cornerstone of civic life. Defunding them does a disservice to us all, especially in rural communities. We must defend them.

Scientific merit—not politics—should guide NSF funding. These funding cuts are reckless and will cause irreparable damage to American innovation and global leadership. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Today's agenda: - make berry crumble - bake bread - massage kale - play Woody Guthrie and Nina Simone throughout the house - send strongly worded emails to pressure massive organizations to stand up for democracy - spray reddi whip straight into my mouth

More of this, y'all. Have a goddamn spine

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

so, the Trump Administration is suing the State of Michigan for allegedly standing in the way of energy development while... ‣going after energy tax credits, ‣blocking new permits for projects, and ‣issuing stop-work orders on already permitted under-construction wind projects

EIA is essential to the private sector and to communities. It a non-partisan agency with absolute professionals. EIA is the envy of the entire world and the country deserves a well-supported EIA.

A high school friend of mine died of Cystic Fibrosis just before she turned 21. That was almost 24 years ago, and the shift in prognosis even over that span of time has changed so dramatically for the better. This is dumbfounding. Beyond words. Deeply sad. Infuriating.

Academic senate of the University of Illinois resolves to join the Big 10 mutual defense compact! Proud to have been a co-signer of a great resolution put forward by @gipperfish.bsky.social

Heard from a former (undergrad) student who just defended her PhD. Students: tell your old profs about your successes and achievements. It's not bragging, and we love to hear about it. It's one of the best parts of being an educator. #academicsky

The answer appears to be that yes, international students have received temporary restraining orders in more than 35 lawsuits and yes, their SEVIS records are being restored.

And I'll add - these grants predominately pay salaries! For students! Postdocs! Professor's summers! The continuing absence of this call will eventually decimate opportunities for early career astronomers.