Dan Garisto
@dangaristo.bsky.social
science journalist | good physics, bad physics, and sometimes ugly physics
Signal: dgaristo.72
Email: [email protected]
Signal: dgaristo.72
Email: [email protected]
BREAKING: NSF will be relocating to the "Randolph Building," about half a mile from its current location in Alexandria, where they will co-locate with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The lease will begin January 1, 2026.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
BREAKING: NSF will be relocating to the "Randolph Building," about half a mile from its current location in Alexandria, where they will co-locate with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The lease will begin January 1, 2026.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Confirmed this with an NIH source. At the moment, not aware of anyone else who has been placed on leave though.
According to a source, Jenna Norton, who led a letter criticizing Trump's decimation of the NIH (see below), has been placed on administrative leave. She's the first at NIH to be put on leave, joining EPA officials who criticized Trump policies.
www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
NIH scientists publish letter criticizing Trump's deep cuts in public health research
The letter addresses the termination of 2,100 research grants valued at more than $12 billion and some of the human costs that have resulted, such as cutting off medication regimens to participants in...
www.pbs.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Confirmed this with an NIH source. At the moment, not aware of anyone else who has been placed on leave though.
After a bruising 42-day shutdown, the government has finally reopened. We took a look at what's next for federal science—how quickly things will get back up to speed and whether there will be long-term consequences.
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
The US government shutdown is over: what’s next for scientists
Government researchers are heading back to work, but questions about the size of research-budget cuts will extend into next year.
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:40 PM
After a bruising 42-day shutdown, the government has finally reopened. We took a look at what's next for federal science—how quickly things will get back up to speed and whether there will be long-term consequences.
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
High false alarm rate, but would be a hell of a thing to spot.
Oo! Interesting #GravitationalWave candidate #S251112cm potentially from a *subsolar* mass source
If real, the source is probably has chirp mass ~0.1–0.87 solar masses
False alarm rate 1 in 6.2 yr
GraceDB gracedb.ligo.org/superevents/...
GCN gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42...
Rating 📏🍬
[🧪🔭⚛️]
If real, the source is probably has chirp mass ~0.1–0.87 solar masses
False alarm rate 1 in 6.2 yr
GraceDB gracedb.ligo.org/superevents/...
GCN gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42...
Rating 📏🍬
[🧪🔭⚛️]
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
High false alarm rate, but would be a hell of a thing to spot.
Alright, I think that's enough of these damn files for tonight.
G'night and good luck.
G'night and good luck.
November 13, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Alright, I think that's enough of these damn files for tonight.
G'night and good luck.
G'night and good luck.
In addition to the previously reported $270k in financial assistance, Chomsky and his wife were on friendly terms with Epstein between ~2015–2017, exchanging birthday and holiday greetings, discussing politics and science, and taking multiple visits to Epstein's properties.
In 2023, Chomsky told WSJ about his relationship with Epstein: “First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone’s. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.”
Epstein: you are of course welcome to use apt in new york with your new leisure time, or visit new Mexico again
Epstein: you are of course welcome to use apt in new york with your new leisure time, or visit new Mexico again
November 13, 2025 at 7:09 AM
In addition to the previously reported $270k in financial assistance, Chomsky and his wife were on friendly terms with Epstein between ~2015–2017, exchanging birthday and holiday greetings, discussing politics and science, and taking multiple visits to Epstein's properties.
Some informal science advising here:
Epstein: i liked the argument that more co2 is good for plants?
Krauss: My goodness. So you are listening to an old Nobel laureate whose expertise has nothing to do with this, who has never studied this
in detail, built models, done experiments....
Epstein: i liked the argument that more co2 is good for plants?
Krauss: My goodness. So you are listening to an old Nobel laureate whose expertise has nothing to do with this, who has never studied this
in detail, built models, done experiments....
November 13, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Some informal science advising here:
Epstein: i liked the argument that more co2 is good for plants?
Krauss: My goodness. So you are listening to an old Nobel laureate whose expertise has nothing to do with this, who has never studied this
in detail, built models, done experiments....
Epstein: i liked the argument that more co2 is good for plants?
Krauss: My goodness. So you are listening to an old Nobel laureate whose expertise has nothing to do with this, who has never studied this
in detail, built models, done experiments....
By my count there's 65 documents with emails between Krauss and Epstein.
In many of them Krauss seems to ask Epstein for advice about the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled toward him.
In many of them Krauss seems to ask Epstein for advice about the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled toward him.
Short 🧵: Interesting to see Lawrence Krauss cropping up in today's Epstein documents. No date or context for this, but our reporting at BuzzFeed News identified Epstein as a significant source of funding for Krauss. (From prior reporting, "agreed in principle" may doing a lot of work here.)
In the Epstein documents release today, there is a file for a proposed Lawrence Krauss-led event series w/ proposed guests, 23 of which had "already agreed in principle" according to the doc. Some of those listed include Noam Chomsky, Woody Allen, Barack Obama, Larry Page and Elon Musk.
November 13, 2025 at 3:47 AM
By my count there's 65 documents with emails between Krauss and Epstein.
In many of them Krauss seems to ask Epstein for advice about the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled toward him.
In many of them Krauss seems to ask Epstein for advice about the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled toward him.
Reposted by Dan Garisto
if you can’t see the aurora borealis tonight, here is a sewer tunnel which is a wonder in itself.
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 AM
if you can’t see the aurora borealis tonight, here is a sewer tunnel which is a wonder in itself.
In which I said a few words about quantum computing and tried not to ramble too much.
Quantum computing: What's all the hype about?
We’ll unpack the promise of quantum computing.
www.marketplace.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:39 AM
In which I said a few words about quantum computing and tried not to ramble too much.
Reposted by Dan Garisto
I heard from a bunch of federal employees last night and this morning. They aren't happy.
"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something. All this for a fucking meaningless vote."
"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something. All this for a fucking meaningless vote."
'A Slap in the Face': Federal Employees Feel Betrayed by Democrats' Shutdown Cave
"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something."
www.gravityisgone.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I heard from a bunch of federal employees last night and this morning. They aren't happy.
"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something. All this for a fucking meaningless vote."
"I would rather be an actual pawn. At least pawn sacrifices are calculated and achieve something. All this for a fucking meaningless vote."
Reposted by Dan Garisto
The only exception to that is with respect to reductions in force (RIFs). The bill appears to both roll back RIFs announced during the shutdown and prevent any further RIFs between now and Jan 30.
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
The only exception to that is with respect to reductions in force (RIFs). The bill appears to both roll back RIFs announced during the shutdown and prevent any further RIFs between now and Jan 30.
Reposted by Dan Garisto
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
November 8, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
The neat thing about writing about foundations of quantum mechanics is that it makes everyone mad, often for completely different reasons.
November 8, 2025 at 12:04 PM
The neat thing about writing about foundations of quantum mechanics is that it makes everyone mad, often for completely different reasons.
This is the reality for many grantees at Cornell and elsewhere with frozen grants: after a certain amount of time the loss (in money, research time, or personnel) is unrecoverable.
Paying $60 million doesn't get that all back.
Paying $60 million doesn't get that all back.
Both stop work orders on my two grants have now been released. Unfortunately, the agency for one grant reallocated the funds, so likely those won't come back.
This has gone on for seven months now, and there was no clear point to any of it. I am grateful to colleagues for stepping in to help out.
This has gone on for seven months now, and there was no clear point to any of it. I am grateful to colleagues for stepping in to help out.
November 7, 2025 at 8:51 PM
This is the reality for many grantees at Cornell and elsewhere with frozen grants: after a certain amount of time the loss (in money, research time, or personnel) is unrecoverable.
Paying $60 million doesn't get that all back.
Paying $60 million doesn't get that all back.
Somewhat surprising news: the total number of international students in the US has stayed relatively flat, year-over-year.
I dug into the data and threats on the horizon which could lead to precipitous declines next year.
I dug into the data and threats on the horizon which could lead to precipitous declines next year.
International PhD student numbers in US hold steady — for now
Trend flies in face of Trump-administration policies, but could yet see a rapid decrease, especially in science fields.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Somewhat surprising news: the total number of international students in the US has stayed relatively flat, year-over-year.
I dug into the data and threats on the horizon which could lead to precipitous declines next year.
I dug into the data and threats on the horizon which could lead to precipitous declines next year.
Do we really need something 'imaginary' to describe reality?
Generations of physicists have wondered about the role of imaginary numbers in the heart of quantum mechanics. A few years ago, researchers claimed it was indispensable. Now, two teams have found a way to vanquish 𝓲—sort of. My reporting:
Generations of physicists have wondered about the role of imaginary numbers in the heart of quantum mechanics. A few years ago, researchers claimed it was indispensable. Now, two teams have found a way to vanquish 𝓲—sort of. My reporting:
Physicists Take the Imaginary Numbers Out of Quantum Mechanics | Quanta Magazine
Quantum mechanics has at last been formulated exclusively with real numbers, bringing a mathematical puzzle at the heart of the theory into a new era of inquiry.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 7, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Do we really need something 'imaginary' to describe reality?
Generations of physicists have wondered about the role of imaginary numbers in the heart of quantum mechanics. A few years ago, researchers claimed it was indispensable. Now, two teams have found a way to vanquish 𝓲—sort of. My reporting:
Generations of physicists have wondered about the role of imaginary numbers in the heart of quantum mechanics. A few years ago, researchers claimed it was indispensable. Now, two teams have found a way to vanquish 𝓲—sort of. My reporting:
Reposted by Dan Garisto
BREAKING: Cornell caved.
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
November 7, 2025 at 5:11 PM
BREAKING: Cornell caved.
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
Highlighting this paper not because it is good, but because it is an illustrative example of how 'just throw AI/ML at it' doesn't begin to address actual physical/engineering obstacles.
The authors essentially train a neural network on existing high-Tc compounds and have it guess new ones.
The authors essentially train a neural network on existing high-Tc compounds and have it guess new ones.
AI-Driven Discovery of High-Temperature Superconductors via Materials Genome Initiative and High-Throughput Screening
Inspired by nature, this study employs the Materials Genome Initiative to identify key components of HTSC superconductors. Integrating AI with high-throughput screening, we uncover crucial superconduc...
arxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Highlighting this paper not because it is good, but because it is an illustrative example of how 'just throw AI/ML at it' doesn't begin to address actual physical/engineering obstacles.
The authors essentially train a neural network on existing high-Tc compounds and have it guess new ones.
The authors essentially train a neural network on existing high-Tc compounds and have it guess new ones.
Reposted by Dan Garisto
Twenty-nine sailors drowned when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in the Great Lakes' icy waters on Nov. 10, 1975. The ship was immortalized in a surprise hit 1976 folk ballad by Gordon Lightfoot. n.pr/3JKj19D
50 years ago, the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 'rock star' ship, sank in Lake Superior
Twenty-nine sailors drowned when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in the Great Lakes' icy waters on Nov. 10, 1975. The ship was immortalized in a surprise hit 1976 folk ballad by Gordon Lightfoot.
n.pr
November 6, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Twenty-nine sailors drowned when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in the Great Lakes' icy waters on Nov. 10, 1975. The ship was immortalized in a surprise hit 1976 folk ballad by Gordon Lightfoot. n.pr/3JKj19D
When you mix up your dog whistle with your fog horn.
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 PM
When you mix up your dog whistle with your fog horn.
Gutting the federal workforce and shutting down the government does not appear to have gone well for the GOP in Alexandria, VA.
November 5, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Gutting the federal workforce and shutting down the government does not appear to have gone well for the GOP in Alexandria, VA.
Reposted by Dan Garisto
Another casualty of the LLM revolution.
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Another casualty of the LLM revolution.
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
In "arXiv’s CS category, review articles and position papers must now be accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review."
I feel bad for LA/Toronto, but this is tremendous content
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 AM
I feel bad for LA/Toronto, but this is tremendous content
So another 9 innings, right?
November 2, 2025 at 3:22 AM
So another 9 innings, right?