John Timmer
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Chief science wrangler for Ars Technica. Writes, edits, and teaches science communications.
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Articles by John Timmer
The amazing disappearing exoplanet
Here today, gone tomorrow An exoplanet seems to stopped transiting in front of its host star. John Timmer – Nov 12, 2026 12:18 pm | One nice thing about discovering exoplanets is that, once you work out how long their orbits take, they continue to show up like clockwork. The timing is so regular, in fact, that we can use variations to detect the gravitational influence of additional planets in the same exosolar system.
The amazing disappearing exoplanet
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The amazing disappearing exoplanet The amazing disappearing exoplanet Briefly
OMG science fromArs Technica 12 Nov 2026 Transit timing variations of TOI-2535b suggest an unseen companion, and the planet has recently stopped transiting, likely due to orbital-plane changes. TOI-2535b is a hot Jupiter-sized exoplanet orbiting the K dwarf TOI-2535 with an approximately eight-day period. Transit observations have continued for about seven years, but the planet has recently stopped showing up.
IBM to offer access to a dual-processor quantum system in 2027
The company plans on linking two 520-qubit chips before next year is over. John Timmer – Nov 11, 2026 11:33 am | The next generation of processors (right) will be much larger than the current ones. The next generation of processors (right) will be much larger than the current ones. IBM’s Quantum Developer’s Conference is being held this week, and the company is using the gathering to provide an update to its roadmap: It is aiming to make error-corrected quantum computers before the decade is out.
IBM to offer access to a dual-processor quantum system in 2027
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Software squeezes more data out of Webb Telescope for imaging exoplanets
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Software squeezes more data out of Webb Telescope for imaging exoplanets
Software optimizes a physical model of the telescope to reduce noise. John Timmer – Nov 5, 2026 2:59 pm | Even with a coronagraph, it can be difficult to pick out planets. Even with a coronagraph, it can be difficult to pick out planets. With a huge and still-growing catalog of exoplanets, researchers are anxious to take the next steps: trying to infer what conditions are like on them, either by imaging them directly or by capturing the light that has passed through their atmosphere.
Most of our measures of a key cognitive process don't agree
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Most of our measures of a key cognitive process don’t agree var abtest_2180010 = new ABTest(2180010, 'click');
A big study with very little beyond negative results still gets published. John Timmer – Nov 2, 2026 2:13 pm | It’s widely acknowledged that it’s nearly impossible to publish negative results in scientific journals. “We didn’t see anything” is a much harder sell than finding that a hypothesis is clearly right. Findings of no effect tend to either be shuffled off to low-profile journals or left behind as unpublished lab lore.
Seabirds racing home over the ocean can get jet-lagged
A long flight home from feeding grounds messes with birds’ internal clocks. John Timmer – Oct 31, 2026 7:15 am | Flying across several time zones often causes jet lag, a feeling when the body insists it’s the middle of the night while the clock says it’s lunchtime. Now it turns out this nuisance is not exclusive to humans. A new Science study on Manx shearwaters, seabirds that can fly hundreds of kilometers a day over the North Atlantic, shows they jet-lag themselves during their excursions.
Turning a solar power system into its own backup
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Turning a solar power system into its own backup
Plant design allows it to run on either stored solar heat or combustion. John Timmer – Oct 29, 2026 2:02 pm | The company plans on a modular design, with more capacity added through additional modules. The company plans on a modular design, with more capacity added through additional modules. Rather than directly converting photons into electricity, concentrated solar energy uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can then be used to drive traditional generating turbines.
Vibe genes? Natural(ish) language comes to protein, genome design software
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Vibe genes? Natural(ish) language comes to protein, genome design software var abtest_2179038 = new ABTest(2179038, 'click');
You can apparently now tell AI tools what sort of protein you want them to make. John Timmer – Oct 27, 2026 2:49 pm | Designing variations of the complex, three-dimensional structures of proteins has been made a lot easier by AI tools. Designing variations of the complex, three-dimensional structures of proteins has been made a lot easier by AI tools.
UN says we're going to blow past 1.5º warming, offers a "now what?" answer
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UN accepts the obvious: We’re not going to avoid a 1.5º C warming var abtest_2178064 = new ABTest(2178064, 'click');
Best case is now an overshoot to 1.8º C, accompanied by massive carbon removal. John Timmer – Oct 22, 2026 7:15 am | In 2015, all but two countries agreed to make an effort to keep global temperatures from reaching 1.5° C above pre-industrial readings. Since then, most of the world has largely treated what they signed on to as aspirational, and one of the largest emitters (the US) has alternately withdrawn and recommitted to the agreement.
Quantum error correction goes well beyond breakeven
A demo of error-corrected qubits shows big reductions in errors as they grow. John Timmer – Oct 20, 2026 2:08 pm | Running complicated algorithms on quantum computing hardware is going to require the use of logical qubits, where collections of hardware qubits are linked together in ways that allow errors to be detected and corrected. In general, the more hardware qubits you dedicate to each logical qubit, the better the chances are of identifying errors.
Researchers use AI to design proteins that cut up other proteins
AI design tools make proteins that break bonds that are stable for hundreds of years. John Timmer – Oct 14, 2026 1:10 pm | A protein is a chain of amino acids held together by what are called peptide bonds. On their own, those bonds are extremely stable; they’re estimated to have a half-life of several hundred years. But in Earth’s environment, most proteins don’t last nearly that long.
What’s been driving Hawaii’s lava fountains? var abtest_2176024 = new ABTest(2176024, 'click');
Before the lava fountains started, the ground was expanding by half a meter a day. John Timmer – Oct 9, 2026 5:05 pm | In most cases, hotspot-driven volcanism is relatively sedate, with lava flowing down mountainsides slowly enough that people can walk out of its way. But in a number of locations—Mount Etna, Hawaii, Iceland—lava gets expelled in dramatic fountains that can reach several hundred meters in height. Right now, we’re not sure what powers them.
Chemistry Nobel goes to reactions like those that gave life a hand
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Chemistry Nobel goes to reactions like those that gave life a hand
Altering molecular handedness has implications for the origins of life. John Timmer – Oct 7, 2026 2:48 pm | This molecule can have different chiralities based on how its bonds are ordered. This molecule can have different chiralities based on how its bonds are ordered. Life is remarkably selective. Life relies on many molecules with what is termed “handedness”—they’re chemically identical but are mirror images of each other.
Controlling the brain with light earns a physiology Nobel
The entire field of optogenetics traces back to light-seeking algae. John Timmer – Oct 5, 2026 1:59 pm | The algae that started it all. The algae that started it all. Over decades of research, scientists have built up a partial picture of what specialized cells within the brain and spinal cord do. By studying how the brain develops, they could identify genes that were active in different populations of neurons and where in the brain those neurons resided.
Controlling the brain with light earns a physiology Nobel
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The 2008 economic crisis changed the US’s relationship to energy
It wasn’t obvious at the time, but the US uncoupled carbon emissions and GDP growth. John Timmer – Oct 2, 2026 2:56 pm | One argument that often comes up about climate change is that fossil fuels are good because they powered economic growth that has left most people better off overall. And, to an extent, that has been true, but it’s also an extremely limited perspective.
The 2008 economic crisis changed the US's relationship with energy
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Google figures out how to watermark AI-designed proteins
Intended to help with biosecurity, it works with a popular AI protein design tool. John Timmer – Sep 30, 2026 11:54 am | AI-based tools seem to be causing security threats on a nearly daily basis, in part because we’ve been slow to recognize potential threats. One area where we seem to be ahead of the game, however, is in biosecurity. As with most things biological, utility goes hand in hand with threats.
Is solar’s growth finally slowing in the US?
Normally, we try to update you quarterly on what’s going on with the US electric grid since it provides a nice view of developing trends and smooths out some month-to-month randomness. Unfortunately, I was out of the office when last month’s data was released, so this will be a seven-month update on 2026 trends. The top line item is that energy use is continuing to rise, albeit not as quickly as headlines about data centers might lead people to believe.
Is solar's growth finally slowing in the US?
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
Is solar’s growth finally slowing in the US? var abtest_2173800 = new ABTest(2173800, 'click');
Renewables easily cover changes in US demand, which is rising by 2% in 2026. John Timmer – Sep 25, 2026 2:27 pm | The largest US offshore wind farm will come online this year, but the technology's future here is cloudy. The largest US offshore wind farm will come online this year, but the technology's future here is cloudy.
Contrary to some reports, you don’t have two brains var abtest_2173364 = new ABTest(2173364, 'click');
A bad press release makes a good excuse to look at how developmental biology works. John Timmer – Sep 23, 2026 2:47 pm | While the hindbrain may form a distinct fate first, most of the volume of the mature brain (pink) comes from the forebrain. While the hindbrain may form a distinct fate first, most of the volume of the mature brain (pink) comes from the forebrain.
Contrary to some reports, you don't have two brains
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Russel Vought will reportedly be given veto power over all NIH grants
Pending move comes over the objections of the NIH director. John Timmer – Sep 21, 2026 12:40 pm | On Friday, The Washington Post reported on a contentious White House meeting in which the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Jay Bhattacharya, tried to fend off yet another effort to place funding decisions under political control. The move came from Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has sought to limit and control research funds.
Russel Vought will reportedly be given veto power over all NIH grants
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Researchers swap in human brain cells for a mouse’s cortex
The results are only a slight improvement over missing the entire brain structure. John Timmer – Sep 16, 2026 3:08 pm | The human cells extend processes (in green) into the mouse portions of the brain. The human cells extend processes (in green) into the mouse portions of the brain.
What happens when neutrinos swap identities inside a supernova?
Identity-fluid particles may carry some energy out, leading to direct collapse. John Timmer – Sep 16, 2026 11:17 am | Image generated by supernova modeling software. Image generated by supernova modeling software. Our basic understanding of core-collapse supernovae hasn’t changed in decades. Large stars burn through all the fuel at their cores and start creating heavier elements in reactions that consume energy.
What happens when neutrinos swap identities inside a supernova?
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Trump's forced coal plant extensions thrown out by judge
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Court rejects government’s energy “emergency” that kept coal plant open var abtest_2171540 = new ABTest(2171540, 'click'); Original
The Department of Energy declared an “emergency” when none existed. John Timmer – Sep 11, 2026 4:32 pm | The J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant. The J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant. The use of coal to generate electricity on the US grid has been plunging for nearly two decades, and the first Trump administration was unable to affect the trend. So his second administration has attempted more aggressive interventions to prop up coal use.
Trump's forced coal plant extensions thrown out by judge
6 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — In a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the Energy Department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the …
Google’s AI genome system evaluates every possible one-base change
Most one-base changes to the human genome do nothing, but a few are significant. John Timmer – Sep 9, 2026 12:34 pm | On Tuesday, Google announced AlphaGenome Atlas, a resource that attempts to predict the consequences of every possible single-base variant in the human genome. The human genome is about 3 billion bases long, so trying the other three DNA bases that don’t appear in our reference genome means sending a total of 9 billion bases through AlphaGenome software.
Google's AI genome system evaluates every possible one-base change
OpenAI 19 hours ago OpenAI claims GPT-6 Astra is an ethereal 'Alien Mind' with AGI-like qualities — company warns of alignment challenges as new frontier leader emerges tomshardware.com - Jon Martindale • 19h "AI is grown, more than designed," OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, said in a new blog post on the company's latest GPT-6 Astra release. … Aliens 1 day ago Have we found alien life?
NIH to use part of its budget to pay for Department of Defense research
Money would ostensibly fund research the NIH leadership said it no longer wanted. John Timmer – Sep 8, 2026 4:06 pm | Late last week, word started leaking that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had reached an agreement with the Department of Defense that would see part of the NIH’s budget used to fund research at the Department of Defense.
Second complete map of a fruit fly brain completed
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Second complete map of a fruit fly brain completed
Every neuron and connection in the brain of a fly has been mapped—twice. John Timmer – Sep 4, 2026 12:24 pm | On Friday, researchers announced the completion of a map of every neuron in the brain of a male fruit fly. The “connectome” provides a tool that can accelerate neurobiology research. But it also provides an opportunity to do some science on its own, as the connectome of a female Drosophila had been completed earlier this year.
Spending deal comes with a bonus: Blocking political control of grants
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Spending deal comes with a bonus: Blocking political control of grants
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a stopgap measure that would continue funding the US government through early December. While the measure still requires the signature of President Trump, it’s widely expected that he will act to avoid a government shutdown immediately before the midterm elections. This is a normal part of how the US government has operated in recent years, as it’s often difficult to build the political support needed to pass a full year’s budget in advance.
Researchers get two genetic codes to work at the same time
Messing with the genetic code might have gotten a bit easier to do. John Timmer – Aug 26, 2026 11:00 am | Transfer RNAs are the key to the genetic code, linking specific base sequences to specific amino acids. Transfer RNAs are the key to the genetic code, linking specific base sequences to specific amino acids. The genetic code is what life everywhere uses to convert the information contained in DNA into specific protein sequences.
Xtracycle's Swoop ASM e-bike brings an automatic transmission to cargo bikes
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Xtracycle’s Swoop ASM e-bike brings an automatic transmission to cargo bikes
A steel frame cargo bike with a unique twist: You can let it choose your gear. John Timmer – Aug 26, 2026 7:00 am | The Velotric Discover M e-bike we reviewed earlier this year had a feature I found somewhat annoying: It would sporadically block much of the display with an alert telling me I should be in a different gear.
Lab supply companies have been selling antibodies using manipulated images var abtest_2168977 = new ABTest(2168977, 'click');
Image changes that would get a paper retracted are widespread among suppliers. John Timmer – Aug 25, 2026 12:16 pm | Gorgeous images like these, showing the location of proteins within cells, often depend on commercial antibodies. Gorgeous images like these, showing the location of proteins within cells, often depend on commercial antibodies. Antibodies play a central role in your body’s immune defense.
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