Pooja Babu
@poojanbabu.bsky.social
Science, books, nature, climate change, scicomm, mental health.
https://thoughttrail.substack.com/
Comp neuro @fz-juelich.de. I develop NESTML, a DSL for neuron and synapse models. https://nestml.readthedocs.io
https://thoughttrail.substack.com/
Comp neuro @fz-juelich.de. I develop NESTML, a DSL for neuron and synapse models. https://nestml.readthedocs.io
Pinned
Pooja Babu
@poojanbabu.bsky.social
· Aug 31
Silk worm is a moth
My stupid ignorance and poignant realization.
thoughttrail.substack.com
A new post on nature, my ignorance, and a poignant realization.
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
"You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it" | My commentary on Bill Gates' flawed new climate missive for @thebulletin.org: thebulletin.org/2025/10/you-...
You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it
What Gates is putting forward aren’t legitimate arguments that can be made in good faith. They are shopworn fossil fuel industry talking points.
thebulletin.org
October 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
"You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it" | My commentary on Bill Gates' flawed new climate missive for @thebulletin.org: thebulletin.org/2025/10/you-...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
I'm very concerned about all the #GlobalSumudFlotilla detainees, but especially Hannah Schafer, who seems likely to be held in extended detention in Israel. Israeli armed forces have committed grave and multiple breaches of international law in attacking the flotilla and mistreating its crew.
October 6, 2025 at 6:59 AM
I'm very concerned about all the #GlobalSumudFlotilla detainees, but especially Hannah Schafer, who seems likely to be held in extended detention in Israel. Israeli armed forces have committed grave and multiple breaches of international law in attacking the flotilla and mistreating its crew.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
Pseudoscience is popular in part because it seeks to confirm our beliefs.
Science can be less popular in part because it seeks to interrogate our beliefs.
Good science, like good art and literature, can upset the established ways in which we see the world.
Science can be less popular in part because it seeks to interrogate our beliefs.
Good science, like good art and literature, can upset the established ways in which we see the world.
October 6, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Pseudoscience is popular in part because it seeks to confirm our beliefs.
Science can be less popular in part because it seeks to interrogate our beliefs.
Good science, like good art and literature, can upset the established ways in which we see the world.
Science can be less popular in part because it seeks to interrogate our beliefs.
Good science, like good art and literature, can upset the established ways in which we see the world.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
The world has lost its most powerful advocate for nature and hope. Yet many remain who will continue her legacy and I know she will continue to inspire generations more.
October 1, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The world has lost its most powerful advocate for nature and hope. Yet many remain who will continue her legacy and I know she will continue to inspire generations more.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
🧵New paper out:
“Beyond Time: Unveiling the Invisible Burden of Mental Load”
with Barigozzi, Monfardini, Montinari, @elenapisanelli.bsky.social @svevav.bsky.social
🔗 arxiv.org/abs/2505.11426
/1
“Beyond Time: Unveiling the Invisible Burden of Mental Load”
with Barigozzi, Monfardini, Montinari, @elenapisanelli.bsky.social @svevav.bsky.social
🔗 arxiv.org/abs/2505.11426
/1
Beyond Time: Unveiling the Invisible Burden of Mental Load
This paper introduces a novel, scalable methodology to measure individual perceptions of gaps in mental load -- the cognitive and emotional burden associated with organizing household and childcare ta...
arxiv.org
May 20, 2025 at 9:31 PM
🧵New paper out:
“Beyond Time: Unveiling the Invisible Burden of Mental Load”
with Barigozzi, Monfardini, Montinari, @elenapisanelli.bsky.social @svevav.bsky.social
🔗 arxiv.org/abs/2505.11426
/1
“Beyond Time: Unveiling the Invisible Burden of Mental Load”
with Barigozzi, Monfardini, Montinari, @elenapisanelli.bsky.social @svevav.bsky.social
🔗 arxiv.org/abs/2505.11426
/1
Reposted by Pooja Babu
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 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
Reposted by Pooja Babu
From things I've seen recently, I think many people would benefit from reading this. It's short, and it's free.
👉 rdcu.be/dbFbB
👉 rdcu.be/dbFbB
In recognition of us doing fuck all to reduce emissions, let me remind y'all that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is useless unless we decarbonize drastically.
rdcu.be/dbFbB
rdcu.be/dbFbB
Carbon dioxide removal is not a current climate solution — we need to change the narrative
Drastically reduce emissions first, or carbon dioxide removal will be next to useless.
www.nature.com
September 17, 2025 at 12:21 PM
From things I've seen recently, I think many people would benefit from reading this. It's short, and it's free.
👉 rdcu.be/dbFbB
👉 rdcu.be/dbFbB
Reposted by Pooja Babu
The destruction of the Gaza city mosque is a devastating loss to humanity as a whole. A part of our global medieval heritage destroyed in furtherance to a genocide. I despair.
Built in the 13th century. So that mosque stood for 800 years with every sort of person from every place and every religion in the world passing through Gaza century after century, only for it to be blown up by some shithead loser sitting behind a computer that we probably paid for.
My rage knows no bounds
September 17, 2025 at 11:16 AM
The destruction of the Gaza city mosque is a devastating loss to humanity as a whole. A part of our global medieval heritage destroyed in furtherance to a genocide. I despair.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history, and its lessons are a massive human achievement. “How We Came To Know Earth,” our new series, is a guide to the modern understanding of fundamental climate science. www.quantamagazine.org/series/clima...
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history, and its lessons are a massive human achievement. “How We Came To Know Earth,” our new series, is a guide to the modern understanding of fundamental climate science. www.quantamagazine.org/series/clima...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
A new post on nature, my ignorance, and a poignant realization.
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
Silk worm is a moth
My stupid ignorance and poignant realization.
thoughttrail.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
A new post on nature, my ignorance, and a poignant realization.
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
The last 3 years have been the hottest in around 125,000 years.
CO2 levels are their highest in MILLIONS of years.
But most people have no idea this is happening, let alone what it means for our kids’ futures.
Our politics & media have failed our children. We should be furious.
CO2 levels are their highest in MILLIONS of years.
But most people have no idea this is happening, let alone what it means for our kids’ futures.
Our politics & media have failed our children. We should be furious.
August 31, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The last 3 years have been the hottest in around 125,000 years.
CO2 levels are their highest in MILLIONS of years.
But most people have no idea this is happening, let alone what it means for our kids’ futures.
Our politics & media have failed our children. We should be furious.
CO2 levels are their highest in MILLIONS of years.
But most people have no idea this is happening, let alone what it means for our kids’ futures.
Our politics & media have failed our children. We should be furious.
A new post on nature, my ignorance, and a poignant realization.
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
Silk worm is a moth
My stupid ignorance and poignant realization.
thoughttrail.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
A new post on nature, my ignorance, and a poignant realization.
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
#sciencesky #scicomm #naturesky
thoughttrail.substack.com/p/silk-worm-...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
The genius of trees: how forests have shaped humanity, from chocolate cravings to our ability to dream
The genius of trees: how forests have shaped humanity, from chocolate cravings to our ability to dream
Since our early ancestors came down from the canopy, we may think we have learned how to live without trees. But our lives remain intertwined in incredible ways
www.theguardian.com
August 25, 2025 at 8:17 AM
The genius of trees: how forests have shaped humanity, from chocolate cravings to our ability to dream
Reposted by Pooja Babu
Reposted by Pooja Babu
HEY friends: recently seen heaps of "disclosures" from AI companies of the energy cost per question you type into chatbots (most recently from Google)?
Presenting per-query 'efficiency' is part of big tech's efforts to hide its extremely real and happening-right-now climate impacts!
NEW POST -->>>
Presenting per-query 'efficiency' is part of big tech's efforts to hide its extremely real and happening-right-now climate impacts!
NEW POST -->>>
Big tech’s selective disclosure masks AI’s real climate impact
Google claims to have disclosed new information proving its own efficiency. But it has hidden the bigger picture. Guess what: I’ve got the bigger picture for you right here in this big old po…
ketanjoshi.co
August 22, 2025 at 10:07 PM
HEY friends: recently seen heaps of "disclosures" from AI companies of the energy cost per question you type into chatbots (most recently from Google)?
Presenting per-query 'efficiency' is part of big tech's efforts to hide its extremely real and happening-right-now climate impacts!
NEW POST -->>>
Presenting per-query 'efficiency' is part of big tech's efforts to hide its extremely real and happening-right-now climate impacts!
NEW POST -->>>
Reposted by Pooja Babu
I find it funny when people—and I’ve seen comments like this — say we need to build fusion reactors instead of wasting time on solar. It’s like, honey, there’s a big fusion reactor in the sky that is always sending us power and we just need to collect it.
One thing I see in comments is a lot of people still saying solar and wind are no good when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. People, there are these things called batteries, which have also experienced huge progress 2/
August 22, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I find it funny when people—and I’ve seen comments like this — say we need to build fusion reactors instead of wasting time on solar. It’s like, honey, there’s a big fusion reactor in the sky that is always sending us power and we just need to collect it.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
Antony Loewenstein: Israel has killed more journalists in the last 22 months than were killed in the US civil war, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
August 11, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Antony Loewenstein: Israel has killed more journalists in the last 22 months than were killed in the US civil war, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
Reposted by Pooja Babu
It cannot be denied: this is a deliberate and coldly-calculated famine, engineered by a technologically-advanced state which knows exactly what it is doing.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
The mathematics of starvation: how Israel caused a famine in Gaza
Israel controls the flow of food into Gaza. It has calculated how many calories Palestinians need to stay alive. Its data shows only a fraction has been allowed in
www.theguardian.com
July 31, 2025 at 3:38 PM
It cannot be denied: this is a deliberate and coldly-calculated famine, engineered by a technologically-advanced state which knows exactly what it is doing.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
My attempt to explain the hidden climatic costs of food. Please give it a read!
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
The Not-So-Visible Climatic Cost of Feeding the World.
How does the food we eat affect the climate?
open.substack.com
July 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
My attempt to explain the hidden climatic costs of food. Please give it a read!
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
I’m looking for examples of literary fiction/novels for (or beloved by) adults that have animal narrators or that otherwise make a serious effort to portray the experiences/inner lives of (ideally non-anthropomorphized) animals & other nonhuman beings.
Here’s what I have so far. What would you add?
Here’s what I have so far. What would you add?
July 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I’m looking for examples of literary fiction/novels for (or beloved by) adults that have animal narrators or that otherwise make a serious effort to portray the experiences/inner lives of (ideally non-anthropomorphized) animals & other nonhuman beings.
Here’s what I have so far. What would you add?
Here’s what I have so far. What would you add?
My attempt to explain the hidden climatic costs of food. Please give it a read!
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
The Not-So-Visible Climatic Cost of Feeding the World.
How does the food we eat affect the climate?
open.substack.com
July 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
My attempt to explain the hidden climatic costs of food. Please give it a read!
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
#climate #food
open.substack.com/pub/thoughtt...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
Two billion people don’t have safe drinking water.
I really like the article of my colleague @hannahritchie.bsky.social, in which she shows what this concretely means for these people, by relying on the portraits of families in Gapminder's Dollar Street project.
ourworldindata.org/what-no-safe...
I really like the article of my colleague @hannahritchie.bsky.social, in which she shows what this concretely means for these people, by relying on the portraits of families in Gapminder's Dollar Street project.
ourworldindata.org/what-no-safe...
Two billion people don’t have safe drinking water: what does this really mean for them?
For billions, it can mean hours spent collecting water. For almost a million, it means dying from disease.
ourworldindata.org
July 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Two billion people don’t have safe drinking water.
I really like the article of my colleague @hannahritchie.bsky.social, in which she shows what this concretely means for these people, by relying on the portraits of families in Gapminder's Dollar Street project.
ourworldindata.org/what-no-safe...
I really like the article of my colleague @hannahritchie.bsky.social, in which she shows what this concretely means for these people, by relying on the portraits of families in Gapminder's Dollar Street project.
ourworldindata.org/what-no-safe...
Reposted by Pooja Babu
I frequently take comfort in the fact that the Universe is vast and beautiful and entirely unaffected by petty human foolishness
June 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I frequently take comfort in the fact that the Universe is vast and beautiful and entirely unaffected by petty human foolishness
Reposted by Pooja Babu
🚨 New in Nature Human Behavior! 🚨
Binary climate data visuals amplify perceived impact of climate change.
Both graphs in this image reflect equivalent climate change trends over time, yet people consistently perceive climate change as having a greater impact in the right plot than the left.
👇1/n
Binary climate data visuals amplify perceived impact of climate change.
Both graphs in this image reflect equivalent climate change trends over time, yet people consistently perceive climate change as having a greater impact in the right plot than the left.
👇1/n
April 17, 2025 at 6:03 PM
🚨 New in Nature Human Behavior! 🚨
Binary climate data visuals amplify perceived impact of climate change.
Both graphs in this image reflect equivalent climate change trends over time, yet people consistently perceive climate change as having a greater impact in the right plot than the left.
👇1/n
Binary climate data visuals amplify perceived impact of climate change.
Both graphs in this image reflect equivalent climate change trends over time, yet people consistently perceive climate change as having a greater impact in the right plot than the left.
👇1/n
Reposted by Pooja Babu
how much energy does your ChatGPT search really use? i wrote about the trials and tribulations of putting a number on AI emissions, & how some of the most powerful companies in the world could clear it up for us — but they're staying silent. feat a peek at new research from @sashamtl.bsky.social !
How Much Energy Does AI Use? The People Who Know Aren’t Saying
A growing body of research attempts to put a number on energy use and AI—even as the companies behind the most popular models keep their carbon emissions a secret.
www.wired.com
June 20, 2025 at 1:12 PM
how much energy does your ChatGPT search really use? i wrote about the trials and tribulations of putting a number on AI emissions, & how some of the most powerful companies in the world could clear it up for us — but they're staying silent. feat a peek at new research from @sashamtl.bsky.social !