New paper! Neil Sturchio leads a deep dive into the isotope chemistry resulting from dust-storm-induced electrostatic discharges breaking down salts and releasing reactive chlorine in the Martian atmosphere doi.org/10.1016/j.ep... Cartoon made with the help of @mhairireid.bsky.social 🔭🧪 #planetsci

The African oystercatcher! Once threatened, bouncing back due to coastal conversation efforts around Southern Africa. These were shot in Hermanus last spring. 🪶🦉

Cormorant time! The many cormorants of Cape Point! (Betty's Bay, really 🤷) First up, the Crowned Cormorant 🪶🦉

The adorable Cape Bunting!! 🪶🦉

Karoo Prinia!! Very fun bird to watch as it goes inverted to feed. Shot down by the sea in Hermanus and way up in the Klein Karoo semi-desert. (Last spring). Prinia maculosa 🪶🦉 #birding #ukbirding #Southafrica

Next up, from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, last spring, The African Dusky Flycatcher! Very playful fella hung around us under a tree. 🪶🦉 #Southafrica #birding #ukbirding Muscicapa adusta

Let's go Mars LightShip! 🧪🔭 #planetsci

Four new fossil species from New Zealand illustrate the striking diversity of the earliest penguins, which possessed long dagger-like beaks they may have used to skewer prey.

Huge congratulations to Dr Mhairi Reid @mhairireid.bsky.social for passing her viva! Monumental achievement! Special thanks to her examiners Luke Parry and Daniel Ksepka!

The African penguin. There are a couple colonies along the south western Cape coast in protected areas. 🪶🦉

Where are my Plover-lovers!? This is the adorable little white-fronted plover found around the storylines of the Western Cape. (Charadrius marginatus) 🪶🦉🐦‍⬛🦆🦅

Big day for rocketry. New Glenn this morning, Starship this evening! What a catch!! 🔭🧪🚀 #planetsci

I wanna talk about minigames/metagames - the games within a game world. Been playing #Cyberpunk lately and oh man: Why is Roach Race so much better than #Gwent !? #gaming 🎮

Back to #birds! A Lincoln Sparrow posing outside Whitehorse, Yukon. I enjoyed the yellows coming from the branches in this one! 🦉🪶🐦🐤🪿🐦‍⬛🦅

Any loonatics out there? Our local loon off the dock at Pigeon in the summer. 🪿🐦‍⬛🦅🦆🐤🐦🪶