Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
@kpc.bsky.social
Physics Reporter at New Scientist. Author of ENTANGLED STATES, forthcoming from Beacon Press in May 2026. Former teacher. Vegan baker. Aspiring gym rat. Croatian in Queens. Queer.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Imagining an ICE officer who *raided the concentration camp so children couldn’t write more letters about how bad being in a concentration camp is* going home tonight and being asked “how was your day” and going “yeah pretty good”
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Imagining an ICE officer who *raided the concentration camp so children couldn’t write more letters about how bad being in a concentration camp is* going home tonight and being asked “how was your day” and going “yeah pretty good”
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
For every binary, @kpc.bsky.social were somehow neither and both. So it makes sense that ENTANGLED STATES—a work of memoir and science writing—should be the same.
Their star-reviewed book comes out this May! 🤩
Their star-reviewed book comes out this May! 🤩
ENTANGLED STATES | Kirkus Reviews
Coming of age in superposition.
www.kirkusreviews.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:24 PM
For every binary, @kpc.bsky.social were somehow neither and both. So it makes sense that ENTANGLED STATES—a work of memoir and science writing—should be the same.
Their star-reviewed book comes out this May! 🤩
Their star-reviewed book comes out this May! 🤩
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Got to interview two 2025 Nobel laureates, in physics and chemistry, for @newscientist.com and though awards are not a perfect metric, I’m grateful to have had a chance to learn more about how these folks think
February 13, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Got to interview two 2025 Nobel laureates, in physics and chemistry, for @newscientist.com and though awards are not a perfect metric, I’m grateful to have had a chance to learn more about how these folks think
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
My latest maths column is a plea to Hollywood - when are we going to get a Paul Erdős biopic starring Jeff Goldblum? www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Jeff Goldblum should make a film about this legendary mathematician
Paul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians to ever live, known for showing up at the door of others in the field and declaring they should host and feed him while they do maths together. H...
www.newscientist.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:24 AM
My latest maths column is a plea to Hollywood - when are we going to get a Paul Erdős biopic starring Jeff Goldblum? www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
No one has seriously said LLMs aren’t important or that AI is categorically junk.
Some of us have said that there is something bigger than tech. It’s called power — governance, civic norms, etc — & refusal is absolutely part of how we think soberly about that power. Who has it & how they use it.
Some of us have said that there is something bigger than tech. It’s called power — governance, civic norms, etc — & refusal is absolutely part of how we think soberly about that power. Who has it & how they use it.
February 11, 2026 at 5:53 PM
No one has seriously said LLMs aren’t important or that AI is categorically junk.
Some of us have said that there is something bigger than tech. It’s called power — governance, civic norms, etc — & refusal is absolutely part of how we think soberly about that power. Who has it & how they use it.
Some of us have said that there is something bigger than tech. It’s called power — governance, civic norms, etc — & refusal is absolutely part of how we think soberly about that power. Who has it & how they use it.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
I don’t really pay attention to charges of doomerism. I don’t know what it means offline.
I do know that refusing a version of how the future will unfold forecloses on the power that actually shapes that future. That’s not disavowing that tech changes are happening but they are in now a given.
I do know that refusing a version of how the future will unfold forecloses on the power that actually shapes that future. That’s not disavowing that tech changes are happening but they are in now a given.
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 11, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I don’t really pay attention to charges of doomerism. I don’t know what it means offline.
I do know that refusing a version of how the future will unfold forecloses on the power that actually shapes that future. That’s not disavowing that tech changes are happening but they are in now a given.
I do know that refusing a version of how the future will unfold forecloses on the power that actually shapes that future. That’s not disavowing that tech changes are happening but they are in now a given.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
@kpc.bsky.social’s ENTANGLED STATES got a starred review from Kirkus Reviews! ⭐️ They call it “an unconventional take on physics that stings like an exposed nerve and shines with humanity.”
ENTANGLED STATES | Kirkus Reviews
Coming of age in superposition.
buff.ly
February 10, 2026 at 2:13 PM
@kpc.bsky.social’s ENTANGLED STATES got a starred review from Kirkus Reviews! ⭐️ They call it “an unconventional take on physics that stings like an exposed nerve and shines with humanity.”
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
My paper with Roderich Tumulka is featured in
@newscientist.com!
We prove that the quantum state of the universe is, in a sense, fundamentally unknowable. Nature keeps its deepest secrets.
@newscientist.com!
We prove that the quantum state of the universe is, in a sense, fundamentally unknowable. Nature keeps its deepest secrets.
Even given a set of possible quantum states for our cosmos, it's impossible for us to determine which one of them is correct
The universe may be hiding a fundamentally unknowable quantum secret
Even given a set of possible quantum states for our cosmos, it's impossible for us to determine which one of them is correct
www.newscientist.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:11 AM
My paper with Roderich Tumulka is featured in
@newscientist.com!
We prove that the quantum state of the universe is, in a sense, fundamentally unknowable. Nature keeps its deepest secrets.
@newscientist.com!
We prove that the quantum state of the universe is, in a sense, fundamentally unknowable. Nature keeps its deepest secrets.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
No one has ever tried to sell me drugs as hard as people try to sell me on AI.
May 3, 2025 at 1:16 AM
No one has ever tried to sell me drugs as hard as people try to sell me on AI.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
In October, an “unauthorized third party” accessed user data, including email addresses, phone numbers, and other unspecified “internal metadata.” More sensitive data, such as credit cards, passwords, and other financial information, was unaffected. techcrunch.com/2026/02/05/s...
Substack confirms data breach affects users' email addresses and phone numbers | TechCrunch
Substack said that customer data was accessed in October 2025 but wasn't discovered until early February.
techcrunch.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:35 PM
In October, an “unauthorized third party” accessed user data, including email addresses, phone numbers, and other unspecified “internal metadata.” More sensitive data, such as credit cards, passwords, and other financial information, was unaffected. techcrunch.com/2026/02/05/s...
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
February 5, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
I consider 2025 my finest professional year. The Post just laid me off.
February 4, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I consider 2025 my finest professional year. The Post just laid me off.
"Like any chatbots, the AI agents on Moltbook are just creating statistically plausible strings of words – there is no understanding, intent or intelligence. And in any case, there’s plenty of evidence that much of what we can read on the site is actually written by humans."
Moltbook is a social network for AI - no humans allowed. They're on there plotting world domination and discussing human quirks. Scary stuff. But all is not what it seems...
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
A social network for AI looks disturbing, but it's not what you think
A social network where humans are banned and AI models talk openly of world domination has led to claims that the "singularity" has begun, but the truth is that much of the content is written by human...
www.newscientist.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:54 PM
"Like any chatbots, the AI agents on Moltbook are just creating statistically plausible strings of words – there is no understanding, intent or intelligence. And in any case, there’s plenty of evidence that much of what we can read on the site is actually written by humans."
My debut book, ENTANGLED STATES, got a starred review in Kirkus and I am so grateful. The reviewer really got it! www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
ENTANGLED STATES | Kirkus Reviews
Coming of age in superposition.
www.kirkusreviews.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:16 PM
My debut book, ENTANGLED STATES, got a starred review in Kirkus and I am so grateful. The reviewer really got it! www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
Super excited to be reading alongside so many cool writers tomorrow!
January 28, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Super excited to be reading alongside so many cool writers tomorrow!
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Measles causes severe complications in 1 in 5 children, and also kills off immune cells leaving you more vulnerable to other infections for years afterwards. lt's absolutely not a disease you want to take chances with 🧪
From my comment on measles' comeback:
www.newscientist.com/article/2513...
From my comment on measles' comeback:
www.newscientist.com/article/2513...
To halt measles' resurgence we must fight the plague of misinformation
The measles vaccine has prevented 60 million deaths since 2000. So why are so many children around the world missing out on it?
www.newscientist.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Measles causes severe complications in 1 in 5 children, and also kills off immune cells leaving you more vulnerable to other infections for years afterwards. lt's absolutely not a disease you want to take chances with 🧪
From my comment on measles' comeback:
www.newscientist.com/article/2513...
From my comment on measles' comeback:
www.newscientist.com/article/2513...
Civilisations name their ages after materials, like the Stone Age or our current silicon age which is characterised by computers and phones. What will the next age be? 2025 Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi spoke to me about what material he's betting on www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
Nobel prizewinner Omar Yaghi says his invention will change the world
Chemist Omar Yaghi invented materials called MOFs, a few grams of which have the surface area of a football field. He explains why he thinks these super-sponges will define the next century
www.newscientist.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Civilisations name their ages after materials, like the Stone Age or our current silicon age which is characterised by computers and phones. What will the next age be? 2025 Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi spoke to me about what material he's betting on www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
We see @kpc.bsky.social’s ENTANGLED STATES and Talitha L. LeFlouria’s SEARCHING FOR JANE CROW in @msmagazine.com’s 2026 roundup! 😍
Reads for the Rest of Us: The Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2026
So, here are the top 94 feminist books we’re looking forward to in 2026—written by women, feminists, LGBTQ writers, writers of color, and more.
buff.ly
January 26, 2026 at 6:21 PM
We see @kpc.bsky.social’s ENTANGLED STATES and Talitha L. LeFlouria’s SEARCHING FOR JANE CROW in @msmagazine.com’s 2026 roundup! 😍
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
One of the most compelling announcements of an upcoming book that I have ever read (says old white guy who got his degree in English over 50 years ago).
I have pre-ordered, even though yesterday I had not even heard of @kpc.bsky.social.
I have pre-ordered, even though yesterday I had not even heard of @kpc.bsky.social.
Entangled States
On writing my memoir, now available for pre-order
ultracold.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:29 AM
One of the most compelling announcements of an upcoming book that I have ever read (says old white guy who got his degree in English over 50 years ago).
I have pre-ordered, even though yesterday I had not even heard of @kpc.bsky.social.
I have pre-ordered, even though yesterday I had not even heard of @kpc.bsky.social.
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
Really excited to share a new story format now live on @newscientist.com for our 21 best ideas of the 21st century special - explore the full issue here www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
January 20, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Really excited to share a new story format now live on @newscientist.com for our 21 best ideas of the 21st century special - explore the full issue here www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
In my personal newsletter today I argue in favor of more goofiness and whimsy, in science writing and in life ultracold.substack.com/p/but-if-eve...
But If Ever I Meet with a Boojum
Are you sufficiently whimsical and goofy?
ultracold.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:56 PM
In my personal newsletter today I argue in favor of more goofiness and whimsy, in science writing and in life ultracold.substack.com/p/but-if-eve...
If you want to do PR for quantum computing companies may I suggest learning that qubit is spelled with a q first
January 15, 2026 at 2:32 PM
If you want to do PR for quantum computing companies may I suggest learning that qubit is spelled with a q first
Reposted by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
My latest maths column looks at what we actually mean when we use words such as "likely" or "probable". Join me on a trip from the ancient Greeks to the CIA, via Jeremy Bentham www.newscientist.com/article/2510...
Why it’s easy to be misunderstood when talking about probability
Mathematicians rely on numbers, but finding words to explain different levels of certainty has stymied everyone from the ancient Greeks to the most famous modern philosophers. Maths columnist Jacob Ar...
www.newscientist.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:35 PM
My latest maths column looks at what we actually mean when we use words such as "likely" or "probable". Join me on a trip from the ancient Greeks to the CIA, via Jeremy Bentham www.newscientist.com/article/2510...