Why would an award-winning tech journalist quit to study the physics she once wrote about?
Katia Moskvitch won Science Writer of the Year, wrote for WIRED and the BBC and then walked away to finish a physics degree.
Now the author of Neutron Stars: The Quest to Understand the Zombies of the Cosmos joins Mark & Jeremy to Think on Paper about neutron stars, quantum computing, and why science writing fails the moment it stops asking questions.
In this conversation you’ll hear:
Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s missed Nobel—and why recognition still lags for women in astrophysics.
What a neutron star actually is—and how it can “break your brain” in the best way.
The link between superposition, qubits, and honest reporting (hint: most outlets still get it wrong).
Life after the BBC: why Katia chose deep learning over click-driven content.
How the best tech writing comes from those who chase understanding, not headlines.
“The moment you stop questioning, journalism becomes marketing.”
This isn't about sugar-coated “accessible science", rather a raw look at what it takes to write truthfully about the universe and our place in it.
Please enjoy the show. And share with a friend that looks up at the night sky and wonders about it all.
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Links
Katia: https://www.quantamagazine.org/authors/katiamoskvitch/
Neutron Stars: The Quest for the Zombies of The Cosmos: https://www.amazon.com/Neutron-Stars-Understand-Zombies-Cosmos/dp/0674919351
Follow Thinking On Paper
Thinking On Paper: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/
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Former Guests:
IBM, D-Wave, Kevin Kelly, Don Norman, Coinbase, Starcloud, David Bianchi, IONQ
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Chapters
(00:09) Why Curiosity Still Matters in Science Communication
(01:52) What Makes a Great Science Journalist
(04:56) Katia’s Journey from BBC to Nature to Wired
(09:20) Reporting Science from the Field (and Under Solar Panels)
(11:26) When Awards Don’t Mean Understanding
(14:42) Quantum Computing Without the Hype
(17:31) What Most People Misunderstand About Qubits
(21:21) The Women Erased from Scientific Discovery
(22:23) Neutron Stars: Why One Spoon Weighs More Than Earth
(26:33) Jocelyn Bell Burnell and the Pulsar That Changed Everything
(30:28) Astrophysics, Gender, and the Fight for Recognition
(32:09) Quantum Weirdness and the Future of Technology
(40:13) Space, AI, and What Comes After Us
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