How Scientists Actually Study Dark Matter
A first principles interview with astrophysicist Dan Gilman on what dark matter is, why strong gravitational lensing matters, and how the next generation of surveys could reveal the universe’s hidden structure.
From First Principles
Breaking down science news so it makes sense to curious people everywhere.
A weekly video podcast. Watch, listen, or both.
As Seen On
The Dave Chang Show
Netflix · March 12, 2026
Dave Chang introduces From First Principles to his audience — in his own words.
Clip from The Dave Chang Show, Netflix. Used with reference to our guest appearance.
Featured Coverage
Nobel Prize Deep Dives
Our breakdown of every 2025 Nobel Prize.
Physics
2025 Nobel Prize in Physics
Macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization — the experiments that proved quantum mechanics works at a scale you can hold in your hand.
Physics
2025 Nobel Prize in Physics
Macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy quantization — the experiments that proved quantum mechanics works at a scale you can hold in your hand.
Recent Episodes
All episodes
Dr. John Mulchaey on Carnegie Science and the Future of Astronomy
A wide-ranging interview with Carnegie Science President John Mulchaey on dark matter, giant telescopes, exoplanets, science funding, and why eclipses still matter.
Ant Scans, Lunar Chickpeas, Hidden Galaxies & Superconductivity
A fast-moving rundown on 3D-scanned ants, chickpeas grown in simulated moon soil, AI-discovered Hubble anomalies, and the path to room-temperature superconductivity.
The Prometheus Constellation: Dramaturgical and Scientific Analysis of the Physicists in Oppenheimer
A movie cast list turned into a deep dive on quantum mechanics, black holes, nuclear physics, and the greatest minds of the 20th century.
Harder Than Diamond? The New Hexagonal Diamond Breakthrough
A 50-year debate, a harder-than-diamond claim, and some very funny peer review drama.
Artemis II: Deep Dive on the Moon Flyby, Earthset, and Reentry
From Earthset and Earthrise to eclipse shots and skip-entry reentry, this is our full Artemis II deep dive.
Artemis II, Claude Code Leak, iPhone Spyware & Project Hail Mary
Artemis 2, the Claude Code leak, cats as cancer models, leaked iPhone spyware, and the science of Project Hail Mary.
Featured Research
All researchAdversarial AI reveals mechanisms and treatments for disorders of consciousness
Imagine your brain is like a city with millions of roads and traffic systems. When you're awake and conscious, traffic flows in complex, coordinated patterns. In a coma, something has gone wrong — but we've never had a great way to figure out exactly which roads are broken or how to fix them. This study built a very smart AI that learned to tell the difference between 'awake brain' and 'coma brain' by studying hundreds of thousands of brainwave recordings. Then, like a detective, the AI was pitted against a simulated model of the brain to figure out: what changes in the brain's wiring would explain the difference? The AI figured out — on its own, without being told — that two key things go wrong in a coma: a specific circuit deep in the brain (called the basal ganglia indirect pathway) gets disrupted, and the brain's 'braking system' (inhibitory neurons) starts working too hard in the wrong places. The researchers then checked these predictions against real patient data, and both checked out. The AI also suggested that zapping a specific deep brain region with high-frequency electrical pulses might help wake people up — and early evidence from human patients supports this idea.
Gene conversion empowers natural selection in a clonal fish species
Unfortunately, the content of this research abstract could not be accessed due to paywall restrictions. Without being able to read the actual findings about gene conversion in clonal fish species, I cannot provide an accurate explanation of what the researchers discovered or why it matters.
The path to room-temperature superconductivity: A programmatic approach
Room-temperature superconductivity, a game-changer for technology, is still a tough puzzle, but advancements in prediction and engineering could help solve it. By improving our understanding of how to create new superconductors and control their properties, we might soon unlock this incredible phenomenon that can enhance energy efficiency and revolutionize many technologies.
Direct detection of an asteroid’s heliocentric deflection: The Didymos system after DART
NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid moon called Dimorphos in 2022, and scientists have now measured that this impact actually nudged the entire asteroid system slightly off its path around the Sun. This is the first time humans have measurably changed how a celestial body orbits the Sun, proving that we can potentially deflect dangerous asteroids heading toward Earth.
The dynamics of AMPA receptors underlies the efficacy of ketamine in treatment resistant patients with depression
Think of your brain as having billions of tiny locks and keys. One particular lock — called the AMPA receptor — sits on brain cells and helps them talk to each other using the chemical glutamate. In people with hard-to-treat depression, this study found that those locks are less plentiful than normal, especially in emotional brain regions. When doctors gave these patients ketamine, it actually changed how many of those locks were available on the cell surface — and the bigger that change was, the better the patient felt. So ketamine isn't just temporarily numbing pain; it appears to be physically restoring a broken communication system in the brain. The scientists confirmed this by using a special brain scan (PET scan) with a radioactive tracer that literally glows where those AMPA receptor locks are located, letting them count them in real time in living people.
Bioremediation of lunar regolith simulant through mycorrhizal fungi and plant symbioses enables chickpea to seed
Imagine you tried to grow vegetables in crushed-up volcanic glass mixed with toxic dust — that's basically what Moon dirt (called regolith) is like. It has sharp, jagged particles, almost no nutrients, and contains chemicals that stress plants out. Scientists wanted to see if they could make Moon dirt farmable. They mixed it with worm poop (vermicompost), which adds nutrients, and introduced a special fungus that lives on plant roots and helps them absorb water and nutrients. The plant they chose was the chickpea — a hardy, protein-rich legume. The result? When the fungus was present, chickpea plants actually grew flowers and made seeds even in soil that was 75% Moon dirt. Without the fungus, no seeds at all. The fungus also helped the Moon dirt clump into small balls, which makes it less dusty and dangerous. Think of it like the fungus being a personal trainer and nutritionist for the plant, helping it survive and thrive where it normally couldn't.