Jacklin Kwan

The daring idea that time is an illusion and how we could prove it The way time ticks forward in our universe has long stumped physicists. Now, a new set of tools from entangled atoms to black holes promises to reveal time’s true nature

I loved editing this one – we tackle one of physics’ most daring questions: what if time itself is an illusion?

New tools may finally let us test whether time is emergent and, not something fundamental. And it all starts from rethinking clocks as time engines 🤯
www.newscientist.com/article/2511...

US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.

Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.

Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social

YouTube video by New Scientist Every Type of Black Hole Explained

Was raised on a diet of science explainers growing up – SciShow, Veritasium, NileRed...

Now I’m in one. Still processing.
youtu.be/jCc1B8i_J44?...

How deliberately giving people illnesses is supercharging medicine

The covid-19 pandemic opened the door to once-controversial human challenge trials. Now, volunteers are willingly catching norovirus and influenza to reveal how our immune systems really fight back

How 3 imaginary physics demons tore up the laws of nature

Three thought experiments involving “demons” have haunted physics for centuries. What should we make of them today?

Black hole entropy hints at a surprising truth about our universe

Two clashing ideas about disorder inside black holes now point to the same strange conclusions, and it could reshape the foundations of how we think about space and time

Time to make the journey and befriend the man who will soon become The Guy With The Giant Gamma Laser™

Inside the wild experiments physicists would do with zero limits From a particle smasher encircling the moon to an “impossible” laser, five scientists reveal the experiments they would run in a world powered purely by imagination

This might be my favourite piece from 2025!

I emailed 20+ physics depts to ask: what experiment would you do if you had all the money & time? Despite research purse strings tightening, scientists are wild dreamers (cue gamma ray lasers and mega colliders) 💥
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...

A revolutionary way to map our bodies is helping cure deadly diseases New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses

New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses

Why quasicrystals shouldn’t exist but are turning up in strange places Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments

Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments.

A revolutionary way to map our bodies is helping cure deadly diseases New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses

Not every day that we develop cures for deadly diseases, especially ones that literally make your skin fall off 😰

You've likely never heard of the tech driving this revolution: spatial multiomics. Loved working with @michael-marshall.bsky.social for this story 🔽
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...

Never underestimate the lengths people will go to to find weird rocks.

Also a good time to mention that I've started a rock collection, the first instalment of which is trinitite – the first atomic glass

Why quasicrystals shouldn’t exist but are turning up in strange places Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments

Just edited this fantastic feature by @elisecutts.bsky.social: quasicrystals are turning up in meteorites, lightning strikes and even the aftermath of the Trinity test ⚛️

A wild detective story about forbidden symmetries hiding in extreme places
www.newscientist.com/article/2503...

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real

In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real

The lymphatic system is one of those things I always pretended to understand

How can something so familiar still be so mysterious? Luckily this excellent feature by Carissa answers the questions I've been too scared to ask 🙏

People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help The Federal Trade Commission received 200 complaints mentioning ChatGPT between November 2022 and August 2025. Several attributed delusions, paranoia, and spiritual crises to the chatbot.

bombshell reporting from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social on the FTC complaints people have filed in the last year asking for help with AI psychosis:

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real

Had a blast writing this feature for @newscientist.com 💜

So much of physics seems to revolve around measuring constants to an eye-watering precision. This feature really made me appreciate how these numbers connect to nature
www.newscientist.com/article/2498...

The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real

How many fundamental constants are there? Turns out that's a tricky question! Great feature from @jacklinkwan.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2498...

How faster-than-light explosions could reveal the universe’s secrets Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

How faster-than-light explosions could reveal the universe’s secrets Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

Nothing can travel faster than light – but there are some pretty convincing illusions in the universe that appear to do so.

From light echoes to backwards explosions, what can we learn from these unusual superluminal events?

Story by me in @newscientist.com

www.newscientist.com/article/2495...

How faster-than-light explosions could reveal the universe’s secrets Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

Physics cements c as the ultimate speed limit, but I learnt that apparent superluminal motion is all around us, including when you flick on the lights

These illusions are helping us study the big lights in the sky

Amazing reporting by @astrojonny.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2495...

Gorgeous isn't it! It's meant to be this hidden geometric "terrain" inside solid crystals that steer how electrons navigate inside materials

Who knew that my first New Scientist cover would be as an editor!

Not too late to find out how scientists are mapping the hidden quantum world inside materials ▶️ bit.ly/47NEx6Z

We’ve glimpsed the secret quantum landscape inside all matter A strange kind of geometry governs how particles move inside matter. Now, for the first time, physicists have uncovered its full shape – and it could transform how we design materials

Physicists have measured the 'quantum geometric tensor' – a thing most people have never heard of but that may shapes the hidden world of all materials

Had the pleasure of working with the brilliant @kpc.bsky.social for my first cover for @newscientist.com ⚛️
www.newscientist.com/article/2494...

I absolutely loved revisiting my dissertation for @sciam.bsky.social's anniversary special!

Ever since I began communicating science, I was fascinated by why non-physicists felt drawn to quantum mechanics. To answer that question, I did a deep dive in the Scientific American's archive ⬇️

We’ve discovered a new kind of magnetism. What can we do with it? Researchers have found the first new type of magnet in nearly a century. Now, these strange "altermagnets" could help us build an entirely new type of computer

In the immortal words of Insane Clown Posse: "Magnets, how do they work?" We've just discovered a new form: altermagnets. Confused? Join the club

Luckily @libor-s.bsky.social explains to me why magnets are as elegant as they are confusing for @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2487...

This giant, all-seeing telescope is set to revolutionize astronomy The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will build an unprecedented map of the universe—and discover billions of fast-changing objects

The Vera Rubin Observatory will change everything. Seeing wider, deeper, and faster. Investigating everything from dark energy to Planet 9. Here's all you need to know. 🔭🧪 @science.org @vrubinobs.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Tested: A Surprising History of Women's Sports Join New America Fellows and ASU's Sports @ Humanities Institute for a conversation about the podcast, Tested.

"Tested" is a great and beautifully made, thoughtful podcast miniseries on the history of testing for sex in sports and the way it mostly serves exclude trans women and to harm cis women with natural variation www.newamerica.org/fellows/even...

My feature article about the delayed-choice quantum eraser is out now in @physicsworld.bsky.social!

physicsworld.com/a/the-quantu...