Alex Knapp
@thealexknapp.bsky.social
Senior Editor covering science and healthcare at Forbes. (he/him)
Got a tip? Hit me up on Signal: thealexknapp.79
"Eppur si muove"
Got a tip? Hit me up on Signal: thealexknapp.79
"Eppur si muove"
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Alex Knapp
@thealexknapp.bsky.social
· Jul 31
How AI And Mini-Organs Could Replace Testing Drugs On Animals
Congress and the FDA are pushing pharmaceutical companies to replace animals with technology for drug research. That’s a long way off, but startups and industry stalwarts are working to make it happen...
www.forbes.com
My latest - there's been a big push from regulators and legislators to eliminate animal testing during the drug development process. The industry wants this, too. But it's easier said than done.
I took a look at a few of the companies developing technologies that might make it possible one day.
I took a look at a few of the companies developing technologies that might make it possible one day.
In honor of Tom Stoppard, RIP, I would like to re-iterate my highly controversial take that SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE deserved the Best Picture Oscar more than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN did.
(Though personally, I think 1998's best movie is ZERO EFFECT.)
(Though personally, I think 1998's best movie is ZERO EFFECT.)
November 29, 2025 at 7:53 PM
In honor of Tom Stoppard, RIP, I would like to re-iterate my highly controversial take that SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE deserved the Best Picture Oscar more than SAVING PRIVATE RYAN did.
(Though personally, I think 1998's best movie is ZERO EFFECT.)
(Though personally, I think 1998's best movie is ZERO EFFECT.)
I honestly feel like Daredevil: Born Again was surprisingly under discussed considering how both good and salient it is. It's also a very good companion piece to Andor, thematically.
Debuting in 2025: Task
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Name your tv show of the year.
November 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I honestly feel like Daredevil: Born Again was surprisingly under discussed considering how both good and salient it is. It's also a very good companion piece to Andor, thematically.
Debuting in 2025: Task
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Name your tv show of the year.
November 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Debuting in 2025: Task
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Hon. mention: Pluribus
Returning in 2025: Andor
Hon. Mention: Daredevil
Reposted by Alex Knapp
Official data is in this week, and US solar continues to grow rapidly, with generation up 30% compared to last year!
November 29, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Official data is in this week, and US solar continues to grow rapidly, with generation up 30% compared to last year!
No new edition of my newsletter this week but you can catch up by reading last week's, where I looked at how poetry can break AI guardrails, the new boom in nuclear power, harvesting rare earths from seaweed, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-pr...
www.forbes.com/sites/the-pr...
Attackers Can Use Poetry To Derail AI Safeguards
In this week’s edition of The Prototype, we look at how poetry elides AI safeguards, the new boom in nuclear power, sourcing rare earths from seaweed, and more.
www.forbes.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM
No new edition of my newsletter this week but you can catch up by reading last week's, where I looked at how poetry can break AI guardrails, the new boom in nuclear power, harvesting rare earths from seaweed, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-pr...
www.forbes.com/sites/the-pr...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
The magnitude of the change over time is striking.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
November 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
The magnitude of the change over time is striking.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
UPDATE: The publisher intends to retract the paper, but insists it went through two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the... by @jacksonwryan.com. No word on how they will make sure this sort of thing never happens again.
Riding the Autism Bicycle to Retraction Town
Does anyone *really* know their Factor Fexcectorn?
nobreakthroughs.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:17 AM
UPDATE: The publisher intends to retract the paper, but insists it went through two rounds of review from two independent peer reviewers: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the... by @jacksonwryan.com. No word on how they will make sure this sort of thing never happens again.
Inteoduce yourself with five concerts you've seen
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Willie Nelson
Weird Al Yankovic
Indigo Girls
Iggy Pop
(And folks, that was just this year and not even half the shows I saw... from that perspective, 2025 has been amazing)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Willie Nelson
Weird Al Yankovic
Indigo Girls
Iggy Pop
(And folks, that was just this year and not even half the shows I saw... from that perspective, 2025 has been amazing)
introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen
Depeche Mode
Nine Inch Nails
The Hooters
John Carpenter
Howard Shore
Depeche Mode
Nine Inch Nails
The Hooters
John Carpenter
Howard Shore
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen
Nirvana
R.E.M.
NIN
Soundgarden
Elvis Presley
Nirvana
R.E.M.
NIN
Soundgarden
Elvis Presley
November 28, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Inteoduce yourself with five concerts you've seen
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Willie Nelson
Weird Al Yankovic
Indigo Girls
Iggy Pop
(And folks, that was just this year and not even half the shows I saw... from that perspective, 2025 has been amazing)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Willie Nelson
Weird Al Yankovic
Indigo Girls
Iggy Pop
(And folks, that was just this year and not even half the shows I saw... from that perspective, 2025 has been amazing)
Reposted by Alex Knapp
OpenAI's data center partners are set to rack up nearly $100B in debt; sources say banks may lend another $38B to Oracle and Vantage to build more OpenAI sites (Financial Times)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
November 28, 2025 at 5:50 AM
OpenAI's data center partners are set to rack up nearly $100B in debt; sources say banks may lend another $38B to Oracle and Vantage to build more OpenAI sites (Financial Times)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Reposted by Alex Knapp
Thanks to all the scientists, archivists, and data hoarders mobilizing to defend against the censure of life saving medical research for using accurate descriptions of sex and gender. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
DDoSed by Policy: Website Takedowns and Keeping Information Alive
Who needs a DDoS (Denial of Service) attack when you have a new president? As of February 2nd, thousands of web pages and datasets have been removed from U.S. government agencies following a series
www.eff.org
November 27, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Thanks to all the scientists, archivists, and data hoarders mobilizing to defend against the censure of life saving medical research for using accurate descriptions of sex and gender. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Thieves take €90,000 of snails meant for Michelin-starred restaurants
French police are on the trail of ‘experienced’ criminals who stole a whole year’s worth of produce from Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne’s L’Escargot des Grands Crus
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Reposted by Alex Knapp
Tryptophan, the essential amino acid behind the Thanksgiving myth that eating turkey can make you sleepy, has been found to exist on Bennu, a small asteroid that swings by our planet about every six years. https://cnn.it/4rlWctI
November 27, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Tryptophan, the essential amino acid behind the Thanksgiving myth that eating turkey can make you sleepy, has been found to exist on Bennu, a small asteroid that swings by our planet about every six years. https://cnn.it/4rlWctI
Since everyone else is doing it - my own personal ranking of Star Wars films:
Return of the Jedi
The Last Jedi
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
The Force Awakens
Solo
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
The Rise of Skywalker
The Phantom Menace
Return of the Jedi
The Last Jedi
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
The Force Awakens
Solo
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
The Rise of Skywalker
The Phantom Menace
November 27, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Since everyone else is doing it - my own personal ranking of Star Wars films:
Return of the Jedi
The Last Jedi
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
The Force Awakens
Solo
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
The Rise of Skywalker
The Phantom Menace
Return of the Jedi
The Last Jedi
Star Wars
The Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
The Force Awakens
Solo
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
The Rise of Skywalker
The Phantom Menace
I think this misses some things because it doesn't grapple with how LLMs work with multimodal data and leans way too hard on Kuhn for a key argument, but it's still a pretty interesting read.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Is language the same as intelligence? The AI industry desperately needs it to be
The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake.
www.theverge.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:11 PM
I think this misses some things because it doesn't grapple with how LLMs work with multimodal data and leans way too hard on Kuhn for a key argument, but it's still a pretty interesting read.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
🚨NEW🚨 An NSA contractor with Booz Allen used his work computer (!!!) to groom teenage girls, per previously-unreported court documents.
Among his alleged handles? Charming_Analyst5077.
He also used a photo of a dead friend when posing as a young man, DOJ said.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-wi...
Among his alleged handles? Charming_Analyst5077.
He also used a photo of a dead friend when posing as a young man, DOJ said.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-wi...
NSA Contractor Groomed Teenage Girls On Reddit, DOJ Alleges
A Booz Allen Hamilton contractor for the NSA allegedly used his work computer to coerce teenagers into sharing nude images. One of his handles was Charming_Analyst5077, per court records.
www.forbes.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
🚨NEW🚨 An NSA contractor with Booz Allen used his work computer (!!!) to groom teenage girls, per previously-unreported court documents.
Among his alleged handles? Charming_Analyst5077.
He also used a photo of a dead friend when posing as a young man, DOJ said.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-wi...
Among his alleged handles? Charming_Analyst5077.
He also used a photo of a dead friend when posing as a young man, DOJ said.
www.forbes.com/sites/the-wi...
In the latest edition of our healthcare newsletter, Amy Feldman and I wrote about RFK's escalating war on vaccines, Abbott's $21 billion cancer bet, Valo's biobucks deal, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Escalates His War On Vaccines
In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the RFK Jr.’s war on vaccines, Abbott’s $21 billion bet on cancer detection, Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth, and more.
www.forbes.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:40 PM
In the latest edition of our healthcare newsletter, Amy Feldman and I wrote about RFK's escalating war on vaccines, Abbott's $21 billion cancer bet, Valo's biobucks deal, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
My colleague @thomasbrewster.bsky.social reports on a serious security flaw in Google's AI coding tool Antigravity.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
Google AI Coding Tool Antigravity Was Hacked A Day After Launch
A security researcher discovered a major flaw in the coding product, the latest example of companies rushing out AI tools vulnerable to hacking.
www.forbes.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
My colleague @thomasbrewster.bsky.social reports on a serious security flaw in Google's AI coding tool Antigravity.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
In this week’s @forbes.com InnovationRx newsletter w/ @thealexknapp.bsky.social
—RFK Jr. escalates his war on vaccines
—Abbott’s $21B bet on cancer detection
—Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth
—and more
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
—RFK Jr. escalates his war on vaccines
—Abbott’s $21B bet on cancer detection
—Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth
—and more
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Escalates His War On Vaccines
In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the RFK Jr.’s war on vaccines, Abbott’s $21 billion bet on cancer detection, Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth, and more.
www.forbes.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
In this week’s @forbes.com InnovationRx newsletter w/ @thealexknapp.bsky.social
—RFK Jr. escalates his war on vaccines
—Abbott’s $21B bet on cancer detection
—Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth
—and more
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
—RFK Jr. escalates his war on vaccines
—Abbott’s $21B bet on cancer detection
—Vivek Ramaswamy’s soaring wealth
—and more
www.forbes.com/sites/innova...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
God speed ye taco bell scientists 🌮 🧪
November 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
God speed ye taco bell scientists 🌮 🧪
Reposted by Alex Knapp
The latest edition of our free @forbes.com tax newsletter, Tax Breaks, is out!
This week: Thanksgiving!
Plus: The IRS has reopened, some tariffs have been reversed, tax filing status and marriage, professional sports stadiums on the public dime, tax trivia, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/tax-br...
This week: Thanksgiving!
Plus: The IRS has reopened, some tariffs have been reversed, tax filing status and marriage, professional sports stadiums on the public dime, tax trivia, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/tax-br...
Tax Breaks: The Thanksgiving With Taxes, Tips And Tariffs On The Side Edition
Plus: The IRS has reopened, some tariffs have been reversed, tax filing status and marriage, professional sports stadiums on the public dime, tax trivia and more.
www.forbes.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
The latest edition of our free @forbes.com tax newsletter, Tax Breaks, is out!
This week: Thanksgiving!
Plus: The IRS has reopened, some tariffs have been reversed, tax filing status and marriage, professional sports stadiums on the public dime, tax trivia, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/tax-br...
This week: Thanksgiving!
Plus: The IRS has reopened, some tariffs have been reversed, tax filing status and marriage, professional sports stadiums on the public dime, tax trivia, and more.
www.forbes.com/sites/tax-br...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
In the latest Current Climate newsletter:
🛢️ Trump’s offshore drilling plan draws bipartisan pushback
🚘 Fuzzy prospects for Tesla’s electric Cybercab
☀️ Using AI to optimize residential battery and solar power systems #oil #tesla www.forbes.com/sites/curren...
🛢️ Trump’s offshore drilling plan draws bipartisan pushback
🚘 Fuzzy prospects for Tesla’s electric Cybercab
☀️ Using AI to optimize residential battery and solar power systems #oil #tesla www.forbes.com/sites/curren...
New Offshore Drilling Plan Gets Bipartisan Pushback
This week’s Current Climate newsletter also looks at the fuzzy prospects for Tesla’s electric Cybercab and using AI to optimize residential battery and solar systems
www.forbes.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:45 PM
In the latest Current Climate newsletter:
🛢️ Trump’s offshore drilling plan draws bipartisan pushback
🚘 Fuzzy prospects for Tesla’s electric Cybercab
☀️ Using AI to optimize residential battery and solar power systems #oil #tesla www.forbes.com/sites/curren...
🛢️ Trump’s offshore drilling plan draws bipartisan pushback
🚘 Fuzzy prospects for Tesla’s electric Cybercab
☀️ Using AI to optimize residential battery and solar power systems #oil #tesla www.forbes.com/sites/curren...
ICYMI, last week's edition of my newsletter talked about why LLMs are vulnerable to poetic attacks, how seaweed might be a better way to harvest rare earths and why learning a second language is good for you.
Subscribe so you don't miss the next one!
www.forbes.com/newsletter/t...
Subscribe so you don't miss the next one!
www.forbes.com/newsletter/t...
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
ICYMI, last week's edition of my newsletter talked about why LLMs are vulnerable to poetic attacks, how seaweed might be a better way to harvest rare earths and why learning a second language is good for you.
Subscribe so you don't miss the next one!
www.forbes.com/newsletter/t...
Subscribe so you don't miss the next one!
www.forbes.com/newsletter/t...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
Metaverse startup Napster earlier this year claimed to have raised a massive $3 billion round from one, unnamed investor, valuing it at $12 billion. Now it claims the money never landed and its working with law enforcement as a “victim of misconduct”.
www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...
www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...
Napster Said It Raised $3 Billion From A Mystery Investor. Now That Investor Is Gone
Forbes raised questions about a massive funding round metaverse-turned-AI firm Napster supposedly raised in January. The money is never coming, the company said Thursday.
www.forbes.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Metaverse startup Napster earlier this year claimed to have raised a massive $3 billion round from one, unnamed investor, valuing it at $12 billion. Now it claims the money never landed and its working with law enforcement as a “victim of misconduct”.
www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...
www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...
Reposted by Alex Knapp
The company essentially turned a dial that made ChatGPT more appealing and made people use it more, but sent some of them into delusional spirals.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.
November 23, 2025 at 6:43 PM
The company essentially turned a dial that made ChatGPT more appealing and made people use it more, but sent some of them into delusional spirals.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.