Stephen Luntz
@sluntz.bsky.social
Science writer and (non-government) election administrator.
Pinned
Stephen Luntz
@sluntz.bsky.social
· Jan 27
The Time Jimmy Carter Probably Saved The World And Almost Nobody Noticed
Possibly the most important act of Jimmy Carter’s presidency has been almost entirely forgotten, even by his supporters.
www.iflscience.com
Being new here, maybe I should post the most significant article I have written recently, the one story on President Carter everyone else seems to have overlooked. I would argue it was the most important thing he did, perhaps with Australian bias. www.iflscience.com/the-time-jim...
I tried to check the claim that there are 2 (and only 2) places on Earth where you can walk directly on the mantle, and how that could be the case. It seems other places have legitimate claims, but those two are the best for that experience. www.iflscience.com/is-it-true-t...
Is It True There Are Two Places On Earth Where You Can Walk Directly On The Mantle?
It’s not quite as simple as these claims make it sound, but the answer is closer to yes than no.
www.iflscience.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:17 AM
I tried to check the claim that there are 2 (and only 2) places on Earth where you can walk directly on the mantle, and how that could be the case. It seems other places have legitimate claims, but those two are the best for that experience. www.iflscience.com/is-it-true-t...
We keep finding more and more examples of multiple species of hominins living in the same region and time. Here's another - a previously undescribes species that lived besides Australopithecus africanus. We don't know which are our ancestors www.iflscience.com/unidentified...
“Unidentified Human Relative”: Little Foot, One Of Most Complete Early Hominin Fossils, May Be New Species
The more we dig into human ancestry, the more complex things get.
www.iflscience.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:36 AM
We keep finding more and more examples of multiple species of hominins living in the same region and time. Here's another - a previously undescribes species that lived besides Australopithecus africanus. We don't know which are our ancestors www.iflscience.com/unidentified...
One increasingly dominant strand of Zionism demands that diaspora Jews prioritize the (claimed) interests of Jews above their own welfare, basic humanity and the health of the whole planet. But that's not enough. Now we're expected to place Netanyahu's interests over the nation's.
In a previously unreported letter, the Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman asked Israeli president Isaac Herzog to pardon Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Fetterman Writes Letter Asking Israel’s President to Pardon Netanyahu
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) prepared a letter in recent days asking Israel’s...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:06 PM
One increasingly dominant strand of Zionism demands that diaspora Jews prioritize the (claimed) interests of Jews above their own welfare, basic humanity and the health of the whole planet. But that's not enough. Now we're expected to place Netanyahu's interests over the nation's.
Reposted by Stephen Luntz
This year has seen the largest number of Aboriginal deaths in custody since records began in 1980.
This is a national shame and tragedy.
How many more First Nations people will die before the federal government acts?
This is a national shame and tragedy.
How many more First Nations people will die before the federal government acts?
December 11, 2025 at 2:17 AM
This year has seen the largest number of Aboriginal deaths in custody since records began in 1980.
This is a national shame and tragedy.
How many more First Nations people will die before the federal government acts?
This is a national shame and tragedy.
How many more First Nations people will die before the federal government acts?
It's always best to not rely on a single study until it's replicated, or there is other confirmation, but if this stands up it indicates mRNA vaccines are even better than we thought. French residents 18-59 who were vaccinated had 25% lower mortality over 4 years. www.iflscience.com/enormous-new...
Enormous New Study Finds COVID-19 mRNA Shots Associated With 25 Percent Lower Risk Of Death From Any Cause
Even supporters of mRNA vaccination against COVID-19 might be surprised at just how much higher death rates are among the unvaccinated.
www.iflscience.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:36 PM
It's always best to not rely on a single study until it's replicated, or there is other confirmation, but if this stands up it indicates mRNA vaccines are even better than we thought. French residents 18-59 who were vaccinated had 25% lower mortality over 4 years. www.iflscience.com/enormous-new...
It's bad enough that LLM's tell you lies. While this is hilarious, it also shows that they deny reality even when served it on a plate. How anyone can think they are safe to use for pretty much anything is beyond me.
December 9, 2025 at 7:34 AM
It's bad enough that LLM's tell you lies. While this is hilarious, it also shows that they deny reality even when served it on a plate. How anyone can think they are safe to use for pretty much anything is beyond me.
I'm not familiar with this guy's previous work, but he's nailed this problem really well.
I haven’t seen this label used before but it seems apt. The video contains a good discussion of what “science populism” is and how it’s harmful.
youtu.be/sQnOFGWsXNM?...
youtu.be/sQnOFGWsXNM?...
Ep 0: The Rise of the Science Populists
YouTube video by Bad Boy of Science
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 5:49 AM
I'm not familiar with this guy's previous work, but he's nailed this problem really well.
It's wonderful another person has had their HIV eliminated through stem cell transplants, but this currently doesn't scale. However, the fact this worked when it shouldn't (unlike previous cases) suggests there's something we don't understand, and there hope lies. www.iflscience.com/7th-person-c...
7th Person Cured Of HIV After Stem Cell Donation Offers Hope Of Expanded Treatment Options
The success of a transplant from a patient with only one copy of the protective gene might be a one-off, but may also allow others to benefit.
www.iflscience.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:55 AM
It's wonderful another person has had their HIV eliminated through stem cell transplants, but this currently doesn't scale. However, the fact this worked when it shouldn't (unlike previous cases) suggests there's something we don't understand, and there hope lies. www.iflscience.com/7th-person-c...
I learned about this on Bluesky, but I don't think much media has caught on - a volcano where three plates meet has erupted for the first time in thousands of years. www.iflscience.com/an-ethiopian...
An Ethiopian Shield Volcano Has Just Erupted, For The First Time In Thousands Of Years
The ash cloud already covers large areas of surrounding countries.
www.iflscience.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I learned about this on Bluesky, but I don't think much media has caught on - a volcano where three plates meet has erupted for the first time in thousands of years. www.iflscience.com/an-ethiopian...
There's so much here. Even if you don't find something you want straight away, keep looking - odds are the right thing is there.
Are you looking for a christmas present for a creative person? Hoo boy do we have the auction for you. Hundreds of creatives from 20 countries are raising funds for people fleeing Genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan. Huge names, huge items! Bid here! app.galabid.com/creatives4su...
Art by @raafaye, insta
Art by @raafaye, insta
November 24, 2025 at 2:54 PM
There's so much here. Even if you don't find something you want straight away, keep looking - odds are the right thing is there.
On the old Twitter I followed a couple of people who, while center-left, spent a lot of time criticizing others of similar politics. They mocked warnings about the economic damage Brexit would do, saying they were too large to be credible, and would undermine the Remain case. Hmmmm.
Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist
Brexit Hit to UK Economy Double Official Estimate, Study Finds
Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist.
bloom.bg
November 21, 2025 at 1:37 PM
On the old Twitter I followed a couple of people who, while center-left, spent a lot of time criticizing others of similar politics. They mocked warnings about the economic damage Brexit would do, saying they were too large to be credible, and would undermine the Remain case. Hmmmm.
As usual, @astrokatie.com doesn't just get to the truth, but in the last line puts it better than the rest of us have managed.
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 5:17 AM
As usual, @astrokatie.com doesn't just get to the truth, but in the last line puts it better than the rest of us have managed.
Yikes. Cutting more jobs than Abbott should not be something any Labor minister should be able to do and look at themself in the mirror.
The last time I wrote about this I copped the biggest whinge fest from the then (Labor) minister’s office about how they weren’t cutting the budget lol
That's more than 1,100 jobs lost at the CSIRO over the last two years.
"Combined, the staff association estimates that equates to cutting the agency’s size by a third."
This is more cuts to the CSIRO than was attempted by the Abbott government.
www.smh.com.au/national/csi...
"Combined, the staff association estimates that equates to cutting the agency’s size by a third."
This is more cuts to the CSIRO than was attempted by the Abbott government.
www.smh.com.au/national/csi...
November 19, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Yikes. Cutting more jobs than Abbott should not be something any Labor minister should be able to do and look at themself in the mirror.
Reposted by Stephen Luntz
🙃🙃🙃 cannot believe how short sighted this government is, honestly. Now is the time to be POURING money into research, not cutting it.
This is obscene.
The challenges facing the nation means we should be scaling up CSIRO, not cutting it to shreds.
While we are sending billions to the US for nuclear shipyards, our science and industrial base at home is falling apart for lack of funds and direction.
The challenges facing the nation means we should be scaling up CSIRO, not cutting it to shreds.
While we are sending billions to the US for nuclear shipyards, our science and industrial base at home is falling apart for lack of funds and direction.
‘Sad day for publicly funded science’: up to 350 more jobs to go at CSIRO
Australia’s national scientific agency announces more research job losses as it looks for budgetary savings
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:39 AM
🙃🙃🙃 cannot believe how short sighted this government is, honestly. Now is the time to be POURING money into research, not cutting it.
As an English speaking country (with nice beaches to boot) for the cost of a small tax on fossil fuel exports or high incomes Australia could invest in science, recruit researchers fleeing the US and become the knowledge powerhouse of the 21st Century. Instead we're doing this.
“CSIRO has announced it will slash up to 350 jobs as the national science agency grapples with long-term financial challenges … with current funding failing to keep pace with the rising costs of running a modern science agency.”
Not “challenges”. They’re choices. 😡
Not “challenges”. They’re choices. 😡
CSIRO to cut up to 350 research jobs in major overhaul
After 440 positions were slashed last year, the CSIRO has announced more staff cuts across the country in a bid to remain financially viable.
www.abc.net.au
November 18, 2025 at 12:35 PM
As an English speaking country (with nice beaches to boot) for the cost of a small tax on fossil fuel exports or high incomes Australia could invest in science, recruit researchers fleeing the US and become the knowledge powerhouse of the 21st Century. Instead we're doing this.
Releasing the files is good. But if we just listened to the survivors about who abused them, that would tell us what we really need to know.
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 17, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Releasing the files is good. But if we just listened to the survivors about who abused them, that would tell us what we really need to know.
In normal times I would think that this was either incompetent drafting or an ambit claim, and the worst aspects would be removed before passing, but these are not normal times.
Will those who called people asking for their pronouns to be respected a war on science act? Don't hold your breath.
Will those who called people asking for their pronouns to be respected a war on science act? Don't hold your breath.
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
November 14, 2025 at 3:24 PM
In normal times I would think that this was either incompetent drafting or an ambit claim, and the worst aspects would be removed before passing, but these are not normal times.
Will those who called people asking for their pronouns to be respected a war on science act? Don't hold your breath.
Will those who called people asking for their pronouns to be respected a war on science act? Don't hold your breath.
Think Australia's animals are weird today? For tens of millions of years we were three times as biodiverse as we are now, and that made for some amazingly strange and scary creatures.
"Drop Crocs": Australia Once Had Ancient Crocs That Climbed Trees To Jump On Their Prey
www.iflscience.com/drop-crocs-a...
www.iflscience.com/drop-crocs-a...
What’s Scarier Than Drop Bears? Drop Crocs, And Australia Had Them Once
If you think Australia’s animal life is wacky today, you should have seen it more than 4 million years ago.
www.iflscience.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Think Australia's animals are weird today? For tens of millions of years we were three times as biodiverse as we are now, and that made for some amazingly strange and scary creatures.
Few people know me here, and if friends of Tess Deveze are on here, I haven't connected with many of them. Still, I am trying to establish a health care fund for the staff at one of my favourite orgs in Tess's memory and you can contribute (or just learn) here www.classy.org/fundraiser/6...
Scarleteen Staff and Volunteer Healthcare Fund
{{MetaTags.description}}
www.classy.org
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Few people know me here, and if friends of Tess Deveze are on here, I haven't connected with many of them. Still, I am trying to establish a health care fund for the staff at one of my favourite orgs in Tess's memory and you can contribute (or just learn) here www.classy.org/fundraiser/6...
Reposted by Stephen Luntz
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
Reposted by Stephen Luntz
For anyone now - or 25 years ago - tempted to take Bjorn Lomborg seriously on climate change.
Since #BjornLomborg is back in the news, re-upping these:
November 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM
For anyone now - or 25 years ago - tempted to take Bjorn Lomborg seriously on climate change.
When it comes to suffering created, the cuts to USAID have been the most harmful thing Trump has done, and nothing else is close.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 4:37 AM
When it comes to suffering created, the cuts to USAID have been the most harmful thing Trump has done, and nothing else is close.
I'm a bit skeptical that the use of (dried) mushrooms as IT storage and processing devices will ever scale, but it's fun to think about. (Including all those suddently obsolete data centers and the energy facilities built to power them). www.iflscience.com/mushrooms-co...
Mushrooms Could Beat Metal For Large-Scale Memory Storage And Processing
The difference between solving a great mystery requiring vast computing power and enduring ignorance could be one hungry intern.
www.iflscience.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:40 AM
I'm a bit skeptical that the use of (dried) mushrooms as IT storage and processing devices will ever scale, but it's fun to think about. (Including all those suddently obsolete data centers and the energy facilities built to power them). www.iflscience.com/mushrooms-co...
Besides my exclusively Jewish heritage from both parents, I'm Jewish enough when I push back against criticism of Israel I consider simplistic I cop antisemitic abuse, but when I express horror at Israel's current activities or support for progressive candidates, suddenly I'm also not a real Jew.
All my life I was told I was Jewish, I was stopped by Hasids on the streets asking me to wrap Tefillin, I was invited to Jewish holidays from strangers, etc.
The ONLY time I’ve been told I’m NOT a real Jew is when I criticize Israel.
Go fuck yourself Alex
The ONLY time I’ve been told I’m NOT a real Jew is when I criticize Israel.
Go fuck yourself Alex
October 27, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Besides my exclusively Jewish heritage from both parents, I'm Jewish enough when I push back against criticism of Israel I consider simplistic I cop antisemitic abuse, but when I express horror at Israel's current activities or support for progressive candidates, suddenly I'm also not a real Jew.
I'm sure there are a great many things that went into this, but surely one of them is that the federal LNP keep saying you can't run an electricity grid on solar, wind and batteries and South Australians are mostly aware they are about to.
#DemosAU/Ace Strategies SA (state) ALP 47 Lib 21 Green 13 others 19
2PP 66-34 to ALP.
Follows a YouGov 67-33 in May.
Insane numbers. An Opposition that should be helped by federal drag is in danger of oblivion.
#saparli
www.indailysa.com.au/news/opinion...
2PP 66-34 to ALP.
Follows a YouGov 67-33 in May.
Insane numbers. An Opposition that should be helped by federal drag is in danger of oblivion.
#saparli
www.indailysa.com.au/news/opinion...
Opinion: SA political poll tells tale of two parties with a crushing blow - News | InDaily, Inside South Australia
The team behind panini shop Aye Frank are bringing its little brother to Flinders Park, corner deli style with coffee, panini and pinball.
www.indailysa.com.au
October 21, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm sure there are a great many things that went into this, but surely one of them is that the federal LNP keep saying you can't run an electricity grid on solar, wind and batteries and South Australians are mostly aware they are about to.