@ThomasSumner

Science communicator. Managing editor @SimonsFdn. Formerly @ScienceNews. He/Him. 🦋 Bsky: https://xitter.cf/t.co/pTN8owAxiA

 New York, NY
ThomasSumner.com
Joined June 2011
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One of the most important contributions to the study of how stars evolve didn’t come from an astrophysicist. It came from computer scientist Bill Paxton, who invented the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): simonsfoundation.org/2025/08… #science #astrophysics

A Stellar Revolution: How Open-Source Tool MESA Changed the Way We Study Stars

One of the most important contributions to the study of how stars evolve didn’t come from an astrophysicist. It came from a computer scientist. Bill Paxton earned a doctorate in computer science from…

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Open-source modeling platform GeoClaw enables scientists to predict and prepare for deadly natural disasters — like earthquakes and tsunamis — by simulating complex geophysical flows: simonsfoundation.org/2025/07… #science #math #geology #FlatironCCM

Tsunamis, Landslides and Asteroid Impacts: GeoClaw Models Deadly Flows

Around 9 p.m. on January 26, 1700, a catastrophic earthquake shook the Pacific Northwest. During the quake, estimated to be a titanic magnitude 9.0, the coastline dropped by several feet…

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Dear science journalists, please apply to be @QuantaMagazine's managing editor or pass this along to qualified candidates: simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkd…
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Jim Simons (1938–2024) was driven by curiosity. His lifelong passion for math and basic science led him to successful careers as a mathematician, investor and philanthropist. Read more about Jim’s life and work: simonsfoundation.org/2024/05…

Remembering the Life and Careers of Jim Simons

Early Life and Mathematics Jim Simons led a life driven by curiosity. Born in Newton, Massachusetts, on April 25, 1938, he showed an early affinity for mathematics. He’d pass the time by doubling…

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It is with great sadness that the Simons Foundation announces the death of its co-founder and chair emeritus, James Harris Simons. Jim was an award-winning mathematician, a legendary investor and a generous philanthropist. simonsfoundation.org/2024/05…
Photo of James Harris Simons, credit: Beatrice de Gea

ALT Photo of James Harris Simons, credit: Beatrice de Gea

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New research from @FlatironInst researchers reveals the source of the mysterious swirling flows in some of nature’s largest cells, published in the April issue of @NaturePhysics. Read more: simonsfoundation.org/2024/04… #biology #FlatironCCB @Michael80429772 @SayantanD2 @RezaFarhadifar

Researchers Crack Mystery of Swirling Vortexes in Egg Cells

Egg cells are the largest single cells on the planet. Their size — often several to hundreds of times the size of a typical cell — allows them to grow into entire organisms, but it also makes it…

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"The publication aims to deliver insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and propel research forward." — Ivan Oransky, Editor-in-chief, The Transmitter. @ivanoransky Read our editor's note announcing the launch of The Transmitter: bit.ly/3SxTzGq

Welcome to The Transmitter

We aim to deliver insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and propel research forward.

thetransmitter.org
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Scientific American
@sciam4 Apr 2023
A new study documents the mysterious presence of five banned chlorofluorocarbons, chemicals that not only deplete the ozone layer but also contribute to global warming trib.al/J91goCt
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the most powerful climate report of the decade was published on monday, after 195 governments fought over the words in its summary for policymakers, and the only media allowed in the room just published its account of who lobbied for what 1/
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Miles Bryan@miles__bryan7 Feb 2023
Nature is healing
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The New York Times
@nytimes3 Feb 2023
Shaken and chilled — but not stirred — ordinary frozen water turns into something different: a newly discovered form of ice. 🧊nyti.ms/3wTiRm9
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Nico Fournier@nicovolc30 Jan 2023
Yesterday, I gave one of my weirdest talks ever at #IAVCEI2023, sharing science advisory experience at the frontline during the response to the 2019 Whakaari #eruption. Here are some take home messages for those who may have to do it in the future @IAVCEI_ECRNet #SciComm #volcano
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Congratulations to the team at #FireOfLove on their #Oscars2023 nomination! Fire of Love was directed by @saradosa, produced by our friends at @SandboxFilms and distributed by @natgeodocs. Read more about the film here: simonsfoundation.org/2023/01…

‘Fire of Love’ Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary

Sandbox Films’ “Fire of Love” is among this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature Film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday. The film…

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Exxon climate predictions were accurate decades ago, still it sowed doubt npr.org/2023/01/12/114837608…
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Reuters
@Reuters13 Dec 2022
For the first time ever, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have achieved a nuclear fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain, sources said reut.rs/3uKkEcs

U.S. to announce fusion energy breakthrough – Science

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Max G. Levy@laxmevy29 Nov 2022
My latest for @WIRED: a clever experiment to pick at an age-old question wired.com/story/scientists-r…

Scientists Reexamine Why Zebra Stripes Mysteriously Repel Flies

While biologists still aren't exactly sure how it works, a new study closes in on why the insects that pester Savannah animals zig when anything zags.

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Paul Wren@ElevenPointTwo30 Jun 2022
Just occurred to me what an awesome Macy's parade balloon this would make!
Quanta Magazine
@QuantaMagazine30 Jun 2022
Schrödinger’s cat, meet Schrödinger’s tardigrade. quantamagazine.org/how-big-c…
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Martin Bauer
@martinmbauer18 Nov 2022
In case twitter goes down: I found an incredibly elegant proof of Riemanns hypothesis
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Dolphins can remember seemingly irrelevant details of past events, suggesting they have episodic memory—a kind of memory once thought to be exclusively human. bit.ly/3hNk2iU
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Well, that didn't last long. As our "official" designation vanishes and our @Twitter blue check mark is probably next to go, a quick note on best ways to confirm the identity of government Twitter accounts around you.
logo for washington emergency management with an official designation and a blue checkmark. This is from the Twitter profile.

ALT logo for washington emergency management with an official designation and a blue checkmark. This is from the Twitter profile.

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