2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (for Optogenetics)

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel "for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics." There have been many discussions over the years that optogenetics pioneers would eventually get a Nobel Prize, and this year is the year.

"Data Ethics and Mathematicians"

Here is a new short article called "Data Ethics and Mathematicians"

(I wrote it for SIAM News only about 3.5 years after I promised them that I would write this article. 🤷🏻‍♂️)

Dodgers Win the National League West!

For the 13th time in the last 14 seasons, the Dodgers have won the National League West. This is also our 14th consecutive year in the postseason.

An American Mathematician (and Physicist) in Stockholm

Tomorrow I will be flying directly from WorldCon to Stockholm for my next adventure on the faculty of Nordita (the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics) and the Department of Mathematics at Stockholm University. In the latter, my title is Professor in Complex Systems.

I hardly ever write long blog posts these days, but the title of this post is an homage to my post from when I moved to Oxford in 2007.

A new adventure awaits!

RIP Peter Cullen (1941–2026)

We have now also lost Peter Cullin, who most famously voiced Optimus Prime of The Transformers. Another of his well-known roles, of which there were an enormous variety, is the donkey Eeyore.

What Happens at WorldCon Stays at WorldCon (2026 Edition)

I am heading to Anaheim for the 2026 WorldCon, where I will be on various panels and otherwise geek out to science fiction and related things.

RIP Dolly Parton (1946–2026)

Music legend Dolly Parton died today. And she really was a legend.