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Explorations in Science and AI


Scientists are leaving academia for industry, here’s why it’s happening now
More scientists are leaving academia, trading tenure-track hurdles for the speed and flexibility of industry. For physicist Elizabeth Frank, that shift meant moving from mapping Mercury to mining the Moon — swapping publication bottlenecks for the fast, interdisciplinary problem-solving of space startups, and using AI to revive data gathered half a century ago.


Scientists are leaving academia for industry, here’s why it’s happening now
More scientists are leaving academia, trading tenure-track hurdles for the speed and flexibility of industry. For physicist Elizabeth Frank, that shift meant moving from mapping Mercury to mining the Moon — swapping publication bottlenecks for the fast, interdisciplinary problem-solving of space startups, and using AI to revive data gathered half a century ago.

Bryné Hadnott
Aug 27


Colin Hunter
Jul 22


FirstPrinciples
Jul 9


Adam Becker
Nov 15, 2024


Scientists are leaving academia for industry, here’s why it’s happening now
More scientists are leaving academia, trading tenure-track hurdles for the speed and flexibility of industry. For physicist Elizabeth Frank, that shift meant moving from mapping Mercury to mining the Moon — swapping publication bottlenecks for the fast, interdisciplinary problem-solving of space startups, and using AI to revive data gathered half a century ago.

Bryné Hadnott


Adam Becker
Latest Articles


Chain-of-thought seen as key to AI safety, but experts warn it’s fragile
Chain-of-thought reasoning has become a rare interface between human and machine logic. But a new paper warns that the window may be closing.

FirstPrinciples
Sep 11


Inside the global race to build the quantum internet
A new kind of network is emerging. One that could enable ultra-secure communication, safeguarded by the laws of physics. As the race to build a quantum internet accelerates, nations are vying for digital sovereignty and want to be the first to build the unbreakable internet.
Colin Hunter
Jul 29


AI faces a tough physics exam: New benchmark reveals the challenge
Large language models have advanced dramatically in recent years, yet when physicists gave them an undergraduate-level test, even the best models were only correct on around one out of every three questions. The new PhysUniBench benchmark exposes how far AI still has to go in mastering fundamental science.

FirstPrinciples
Jul 9


Prediction isn’t understanding: AI’s evolution and the soul of science
From rule-based ‘expert systems’ to neural networks, AI has long chased the dream of scientific reasoning. But while today’s models are good at pattern matching and can generate code or summarize academic papers, they struggle with the heart of scientific discovery: structured reasoning.

FirstPrinciples
Jun 11


Engineering the implausible? Paper explores stable Dyson spheres and ringworlds
Artificial structures surrounding an entire star were thought to be impossible. A new calculation shows that they could be supported by the gravity of a second star.

Matt von Hippel
May 29


D-Wave’s quantum computing milestone: Supremacy or simply progress?
D-Wave claims quantum supremacy, but the physics community remains divided on its definition.

FirstPrinciples
Mar 13


Open Quantum Design seeks to democratize quantum computing
Offering full-stack open access to its trapped-ion quantum computer, Open Quantum Design and its partners aim to push the field forward.

FirstPrinciples
Jan 16


New particle collider? New space telescope? This principle helps scientists decide
“Discovery potential” reflects the gap between today’s best scientific tools and what current (or projected) technology could enable.

Ethan Siegel
Jan 13


What more can we expect from the James Webb Space Telescope?
Two years after JWST's launch, it has rewritten the cosmic history books – and the best is yet to come.

Ethan Siegel
Oct 24, 2024


In the global quantum race, these countries are planning paths to the podium
Countries around the world have launched national strategies for quantum research, with China making the largest investment.
Colin Hunter
Oct 22, 2024


Stargazing as a child in India, I glimpsed my quantum future
For Sonali Mohapatra, a career in quantum innovation is rooted in an ever-deepening sense of wonder about the universe.

Sonali Mohapatra
Sep 12, 2024


The “killer app” of quantum machine learning that you might not expect
Artificial intelligence currently demands enormous amounts of energy and memory, but advances in quantum computing may change that.

Chris Ferrie
Jul 10, 2024


Quantum supremacy vs. quantum advantage: which is the best target?
How will we know when quantum computing has truly arrived?

Chris Ferrie
Jun 27, 2024
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