John Timmer
Senior Science Editor John is Ars Technica's science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. John has done over a decade's worth of research in genetics and developmental biology at places like Cornell Medical College and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. His research has been published in journals including Development, Nature, and PNAS. He has also taught scientists how to communicate with each other and the public at Cornell Medical College and Stony Brook University. At Ars, John has covered nearly every area of science, from astronomy to zoology, and has written authoritatively on subjects such as climate change, quantum computing, and renewable energy. When physically separated from his keyboard, he tends to seek out a bicycle or a scenic location for communing with his hiking boots. To see more of what's on his mind, you can follow him on Bluesky. Recent stories by John Timmer The Summit 1 is not peak mountain bike, but it's a great all-rounder Great price, a solid all-around bike, but not everything you might want from an MTB. John Timmer - Jul 27, 2024 11:00 am UTC US solar production soars by 25 percent in just one year 2024 is seeing the inevitable outcome of the building boom in solar farms. John Timmer - Jul 25, 2024 7:34 pm UTC
86%
The Daily's Verdict
This author has a mixed reputation for journalistic standards. It is advisable to fact-check, scrutinize for bias, and check for conflicts of interest before relying on the author's reporting.
Bias
80%
Examples:
- John occasionally uses subjective phrasing to present scientific facts, which can mislead readers.
Conflicts of Interest
90%
Examples:
- John has financial ties to Ars Technica through his employment as a senior science editor.
- There may be a conflict of interest in John's coverage of the LISA gravitational wave detector, as it involves his employer, ESA.
Contradictions
95%
Examples:
- In another article, John claims that LISA will be sensitive to unexplored phenomena when ground-based detectors like LIGO have already detected gravitational wave collisions.
- In one article, John states that Io's surface has been completely remodeled with no signs of impact craters, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Deceptions
90%
Examples:
- He also implies that there are no new or unique aspects of space-based detection, which is incorrect.
- John suggests that the hardware used in space for detecting gravitational waves will be able to detect collisions at an earlier stage than ground-based detectors like LIGO. However, this is not true.
Recent Articles
Turner Bilbrey and Olivia Silva Win Big at Big Bear Mountain Resort's Whip-Off Summit Series Event
Broke On: Tuesday, 23 July 2024At Big Bear Mountain Resort, Turner Bilbrey and Olivia Silva won the Men's and Women's categories respectively in the thrilling Whip-Off event of the Summit Series mountain biking competition. Judges evaluated performances based on height, flair, bike angle surpassing 90 degrees, and rider realignment. Winners received cash prizes worth up to $1,001. 
New Discovery: Massive Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Identified in Omega Centauri Star Cluster by Astronomers using Hubble Space Telescope Data
Broke On: Wednesday, 10 July 2024Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope discovered an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in the star cluster Omega Centauri, with a mass of at least 8,200 Suns. They identified it by analyzing seven stars with unusually high velocities in the cluster's core. This rare find challenges previous beliefs about IMBH scarcity and sheds light on their formation and growth. 
Io's Unyielding Volcanic Activity: 4.5 Billion Years of Eruptions on Jupiter's Moon
Broke On: Thursday, 18 April 2024Io, a moon of Jupiter, has been the most volcanically active body in the solar system for 4.5 billion years due to its gravitational relationship with Jupiter and neighboring moons. Io's constant volcanic activity challenges previous assumptions about its geological history and offers new insights into planetary formation processes. 
ESA Approves New Mission to Search for Gravitational Waves from Space: LISA Project
Broke On: Wednesday, 31 January 2024The European Space Agency has approved a new mission, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), to search for gravitational waves from space. LISA will consist of three spacecraft in an equilateral triangle configuration and measure slight distortions caused by gravitational waves. The observatory is set to capture predicted gravitational ringing from the initial moments of our Universe, offering a direct glimpse into very first seconds after Big Bang. New Mosasaur Species, Jormungandr bolti, Discovered in North Dakota
Broke On: Sunday, 01 October 2023A new species of mosasaur, named Jormungandr bolti, has been discovered in North Dakota, USA. Jormungandr bolti was about 24 feet long and has been likened to a 'giant sea dragon'. The discovery provides new insights into the evolution of mosasaurs and adds to the diversity of mosasaur species known to have existed during the Cretaceous period.