Photo of Mildred Dresselhaus beaming with a wide smile while pointing to a chalkboard covered in diagrams and equations. Her silver hair is up and she is wearing a light polka-dot blouse.

Mildred Dresselhaus | Renowned physicist known as the "Queen of Carbon." Key figure in nanotechnology. First woman Institute Professor at MIT, and champion for #WomenInSTEM. Recipient, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2014. She was born #OTD in 1930.

physics.mit.edu/faculty/mild...

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SOo true!

Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment Spurred by a recent report on sexual harassment in academia, our columnist revisits a historical case and reflects on what has changed—and what hasn’t

Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).

George is in a roll!

189. The Breezy Inequity of Trump v. Orr The Supreme Court's latest grant of emergency relief to the Trump administration illustrates in technicolor the direct (and ugly) consequences of the two different ways it keeps messing up "equity."

"Beyond being the 24th consecutive grant of emergency relief to the Trump administration, the cryptic ruling in Orr is a reminder of just how bankrupt the Court’s proffered justifications are in these cases—both legally and in other ways, too."

Me on today's ugly #SCOTUS ruling in Trump v. Orr:

Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.

Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative

electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...

Colorado voters approve tax increase on high earners to fund school meals, food stamps Proposition MM’s passage means Colorado will fully fund free breakfast and lunch for all public school students

Coloradans voted Tuesday to increase taxes on wealthy households to fully fund free breakfast and lunch for all public school kids and bolster the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. The Associated Press projected that Proposition MM would pass at 8:25 p.m. when 57% of the votes counted were in support of the measure and 43% were opposed. The increased taxes on households earning at least $300,000 will shore up funding for free school meals for all public school children, provide raises for school meal staff, and support school district efforts to buy locally-sourced food. Any leftover funding will go toward new state costs for administering the SNAP program as a result of cuts enacted by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress earlier this year. The passage of Proposition MM marks the second time Coloradans have voted to tax themselves to provide meals for public school kids in recent years. Democrats in the state legislature referred Proposition MM to the ballot this year when funding for the state’s free school meals program began to wane.

School lunches get a bad rap, but they're healthier than the average packed lunch. And making them free for all amplifies academic and health benefits for low-income kids by removing stigma/shame.

So I'm glad Colorado voted to raise taxes on high-income households to make school meals free for all.

How Zohran Mamdani Beat Back New York’s Elite and Was Elected Mayor

This NYT story about how Mamdani dealt with the opposition by the city's elites fails to mention one particular elite institution: The NYT editorial page, which last June railed against him as "uniquely unsuited to the city’s challenges... lacks political savvy"

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/n...
1/

That's how you talk about immigration as a progressive politician. None of the "we need to listen to legimate concerns" nonsense.

Thimerosal 1

WHY IS IT ALREADY DARK

I know I complained about this yesterday, but it hasn't gotten better and I just find that rude

The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the SNAP funding lapse.
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email

Since "lab leak" conspiracy is still a "thing" in some circles ( of Dante's inferno?) this news might distrub them ( though they're not really known to be bothered by facts). For the rest of us, some with limited backgrounds in biology, this is interesting and welcome news.

I would love to see a breakdown of how much it costs to increase police patrols in grocery stores versus how much it would cost to compensate stores to give SNAP recipients free food while benefits are suspended

Reuters: U.S. JUDGE PERMANENTLY BLOCKS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING VOTERS TO SUBMIT PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP - COURT RULING

We need to dig up the Rossini opera with the line "Presidente più non sei! " Working on it!

Saw a similar collection at Whole Foods yesterday. Looked like an outbreak of smallpox!

Never forget!

Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody promoting Zohran

POV you’re still not married and your grandparents just found the nicest boy with a good job they want you to meet

Getting word that Uncle Sam isn’t America’s real uncle

Same😂

Maybe now is the time to move the nation's capitol back to NYC .

Beware giving this site your unpublished data Users noticed the website had fake testimonials and a domain name registered seemingly overnight.

The dark truth behind FormatMyPaper.com

The White House can ( and will be rebuilt), his proposed destruction of the Alaska wilderness should be of greater concern.

If the National Guard is really in D.C. to protect federal
property, they should probably have been at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. two days ago

Attorney General James Launches Portal to Collect Photos and Videos of ICE Activity in New York NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James is encouraging New Yorkers to submit videos or other documentation of federal immigration enforcement actions in New York following yesterday’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on Canal Street in New York City. “Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation,” said Attorney General James. “If you witnessed and documented ICE activity yesterday, I urge you to share that footage with my office. We are committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law. No one should be subject to unlawful questioning, detention, or intimidation.” Attorney General James is asking New Yorkers to share photos or videos of federal government actions using the Office of the Attorney General’s new online portal.

The day after the Chinatown raid, New York AG Tish James launches an online portal for the public to submit photos and videos of ICE activity.

"We are committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law," she writes.

Portal ag.ny.gov/federal-acti...

How can one person know so little about everything?