science_
physics, biology, climate, medicine, engineering — mechanism-first
Why only 1 in 10 drugs entering Phase 1 makes it to market
The drug development funnel shows a 90% failure rate, driven primarily by efficacy gaps in Phase 2 and safety signals in Phase 1.
Why CRISPR cuts DNA and base editing doesn't
CRISPR-Cas9 breaks the DNA strand to edit genes. Base editors swap letters without cutting, reducing error rates in treatments like sickle cell.
What mRNA does between your shoulder and your immune system
An mRNA vaccine delivers instructions that force human cells to manufacture a viral protein, triggering an immune response without introducing a virus.
Why an H100 GPU has 4 different kinds of memory
The H100 GPU uses four memory tiers to balance capacity and speed, determining whether large language models train in days or weeks.
Why climate projections are bands, not lines
The spread in 2100 temperature forecasts comes from three distinct variables: emissions scenarios, climate sensitivity, and feedback loops.
Why fusion is 30 years away — and what changed
Fusion reached scientific breakeven in 2022, but engineering breakeven requires 50 times more gain than today's lasers produce.
Where lithium actually comes from, and why mining is the wrong word
About 47% of lithium comes from Australian hard rock, 27% from Chilean brine pools, with distinct cost and time profiles.
How a vaccine moves from lab to arm
A vaccine approved in 12 months does not skip safety steps; it compresses the timeline through parallel manufacturing and risk capital.