Look twice

The tapetum lucidum is the mirror behind a cat’s retina. Light that slips past the retina bounces off it and passes through a second time, which is why cats see in the dark and why their eyes shine back at a torch. Lucidum is named after it and tries to work the same way: we find new research, look at it twice, and report what’s actually there.

We cover physics, quantum computing, deep tech and new research. Each Instagram post is short, and this site holds the longer version.

How we work

• Every claim links to its source. We only state what we could read in a source ourselves, and every article lists those sources at the end.
• Preprint or peer-reviewed, always labelled. A preprint hasn’t been through peer review yet. When we cover one, we promise a Second Look once it has been reviewed, replicated or tested in people, and we keep a list of those promises.
• We name the scale. In cells, in mice, in 40 people, in a simulation: the scale tells you how far a result can be trusted.
• In our own words. We paraphrase, credit the researchers, and draw our own diagrams.

Second Look

Every Sunday we check one widely shared science headline against the study behind it and give it a verdict: Clear Blurry Glare In the dark. See the episodes.

AI disclosure

Lucidum is made with the help of AI tools, which assist with research, drafting, diagrams and the narration voice on our Reels. Sources are checked and each post is reviewed before it goes out. The glowing eyes are our logo. There’s no presenter.