NEW: Remember that weird Mars rock with spots and seeds? They are the best evidence yet for alien life—and scientists are going to cook up those spots and seeds in high-tech labs back home to see if aliens might have been responsible. Me @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

NEW: Remember that weird Mars rock with spots and seeds? They are the best evidence yet for alien life—and scientists are going to cook up those spots and seeds in high-tech labs back home to see if aliens might have been responsible. Me @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

NEW: When she worked at NASA’s JPL, Amy Mainzer used to rack up high scores on the 1979 Atari game ASTEROIDS. Very apt, now she’s in charge of a space mission that will save the world from killer asteroids. Planet Protector, my new feature for @science.org, is live. www.science.org/content/arti...

NEW: When she worked at NASA’s JPL, Amy Mainzer used to rack up high scores on the 1979 Atari game ASTEROIDS. Very apt, now she’s in charge of a space mission that will save the world from killer asteroids. Planet Protector, my new feature for @science.org, is live. www.science.org/content/arti...

NEW: In 2023, twin earthquakes devastated parts of southern Turkey and Syria. All eyes are now on Istanbul, which has its own worrying fault system—one that will, inevitably, produce a large and tremendously devastating earthquake. Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/s...

Webb breaks its own record by identifying the earliest supernova to date, a star that exploded when the Universe was only 730 million years old. To astronomers' surprise, this early supernova looks exactly like modern supernovae based on data gathered so far 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭🧪

Here is the latest tsunami information for the M7.6 earthquake that just struck offshore northern Japan. The warnings are for waves up to 3 m, but the highest waves measured so far are <0.5 m. It is still possible for larger waves to arrive. 1/2 www.jma.go.jp/bosai/map.ht... ⚒️ 🧪

☄️ Our #ESAJuice team couldn't wait until February, when they will receive data on #3IATLAS from the mission's science instruments. So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview. More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 🧪

Fun fact: in the 1950s, the U.S. briefly considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon as both a display of technological might viewable from Earth and a way to do some very dramatic geological research. They reconsidered, deciding that a lunar landing would be a bit less bonkers.

NEW: Not long after Earth formed, it received a giant sucker punch when an object named Theia crashed into it, unleashing debris that made the Moon. But where did Theia come from—the outer solar system? Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job. Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...

NEW: NASA may not have been able to speak about 3I/ATLAS during the government shutdown, but now that's over, they got to showcase a bunch of fantastic new shots of it. Spoiler alert: it's still a comet. But it's also very cool, and robots on Mars saw it. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

NEW: Around Halloween, a Japanese astronomer caught two strange bright flashes on the Moon, one after the other. What were these spooky lights? Aliens having a rave? Nope. They were asteroid impacts: a reminder that the Moon is a constant battleground. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/s...

NEW: Intuitive Machines, Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost have all built seriously cool, super-futuristic moon rovers. They’re competing to become the official mode of transportation for NASA’s Artemis astronauts. And for NatGeo, I test drove all three. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

NEW: Intuitive Machines, Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost have all built seriously cool, super-futuristic moon rovers. They’re competing to become the official mode of transportation for NASA’s Artemis astronauts. And for NatGeo, I test drove all three. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Hey there astronomy community! If anyone has any information or new footage of that impact flash on the Moon, please let me know—I’d love to see it/hear about it. 📸: @dfuji1.bsky.social

Hey there astronomy community! If anyone has any information or new footage of that impact flash on the Moon, please let me know—I’d love to see it/hear about it. 📸: @dfuji1.bsky.social

NEW: The interstellar object named 3I/ATLAS is many things: a time capsule from an ancient star, an effervescent icy voyager, a clue to the earlier days of the Milky Way. You know what it absolutely, definitely isn’t? An alien spacecraft. Me @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

NEW: Hurricane Melissa was such a monstrous tempest that it was literally shaking the Earth as far away as Florida, where seismometers picked up its stormquakes. Here’s how seismometers can also shine a light on hurricanes long gone. Me @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/seis...

NEW: Some alien worlds orbiting right next to their stars seem to have a lot of water—but how? A new study, using lasers and diamond anvils, has a wild answer: they are making all that water themselves by mixing hydrogen skies with magmatic hearts. Me @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

NEW: The interstellar object named 3I/ATLAS is many things: a time capsule from an ancient star, an effervescent icy voyager, a clue to the earlier days of the Milky Way. You know what it absolutely, definitely isn’t? An alien spacecraft. Me @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

Update: it happened!

NEW: Hurricane Melissa was such a monstrous tempest that it was literally shaking the Earth as far away as Florida, where seismometers picked up its stormquakes. Here’s how seismometers can also shine a light on hurricanes long gone. Me @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/seis...

A fascinating new piece for @sciam.bsky.social by @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social about Hurricane Melissa being picked up by seismographs. Because the seismic record began long before the satellite era, we may be able to use older seismograms to learn more about past storms. 🧪

So proud of this AMAZING new package up on @technologyreview.com today all about CONSPIRACIES. Helmed/conceived by @asilverman.bsky.social it covers everything from medical conspiracies, to the Simpsons, to Fruit of the Loom and much more. Dive in and enjoy! www.technologyreview.com/supertopic/t...

Editors: if you let me write a story that’s essentially called “It’s a fucking comet, people. It’s just a comet” about 3I/ATLAS, with exactly that tone, I will basically write it for free.

Editors: if you let me write a story that’s essentially called “It’s a fucking comet, people. It’s just a comet” about 3I/ATLAS, with exactly that tone, I will basically write it for free.

My favourite 3I/ATLAS conspiracy idea is that it hid behind the Sun during its closest approach, perfect timing so that Earth couldn’t see it. Yeah, except for like the time both before and after this where astronomers can clearly see it. Good stealth there, aliens!

NEW: Some alien worlds orbiting right next to their stars seem to have a lot of water—but how? A new study, using lasers and diamond anvils, has a wild answer: they are making all that water themselves by mixing hydrogen skies with magmatic hearts. Me @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Seismologists! If you're using seismometers to track Hurricane Melissa, get in touch ASAP. It's for a story. I'd love to chat!

Thanks to @bmcnoldy.bsky.social & @drkimwood.bsky.social for help with this story. We were all struggling to find sufficient words. “It’s this frustrating combination of, scientifically speaking, we know this is possible, but as humans we are flabbergasted at seeing manifest in this way.” -Kim 🧪

@bot.astronomy.blue signup

NEW: The clean rooms where NASA and ESA build spacecraft aren’t as clean as you think. And a new study shows that one kind of bacteria can even “play dead” and camouflage itself so that scientists can’t even detect it. 🦠 So: maybe it hitchhiked to Mars. 😅 www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

I did a brief writeup on known space debris reentries on Oct 16, none of which match the UA1093 airliner incident planet4589.org/space/misc/u...

Hey space community! Can anyone help with this story? Something — possibility a bit of space debris possibly a meteorite — just smashed through the windshield of a passenger jet. Does anyone know (especially with the shutdown) how any info could be verified here? avbrief.com/united-max-h...

BREAKING: ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (which is designed to look at Mars itself) turned to face interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS while it passed relatively close by, at a distance of 30m kilometres. And it caught it! Look at that adorable little puffy coma. More here: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Update: I am now floating the theory that 3I/ATLAS keeps me from finding two matching pairs of socks.

The best part of the day is when the Sun fucks off

Well, forget what I said, turns out you can process marsrover images on the train too :) There is a super faint smudge where comet 3I/Atlas should be. The new orbit parameters in Stellarium are a pretty good match. 🔭 #3iatlas

Oh and hey, my book about stopping killer asteroids was the runner-up in the NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards in the Books category! Thanks for the nod, @sciencewriters.org. :)

Delighted to see I've made the Notable section of the Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025 edition. Third time's a charm, or something. :) (cc: @clarakm.bsky.social)

Check out both a really exciting paper on the Santorini seismic swarm earlier this year from some of my excellent colleagues: www.nature.com/articles/s41... AND a really good write up in National Geographic by @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

NEW: Earlier this year, the volcanic island of Santorini was rocked by 28,000 quakes. It didn't end in an eruption—but it wasn't clear what was going on. Now, in part thanks to AI, we know: two volcanoes were communicating using magma! Me, for NatGeo. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

NEW: It was a delight to contribute to @quantamagazine.bsky.social's stunning new series on climate science! Naturally, my story tended apocalyptic: will Earth ever become a climate hellhole like Venus, the most extreme world in the solar system? www.quantamagazine.org/why-is-venus...

NEW: Earlier this year, the volcanic island of Santorini was rocked by 28,000 quakes. It didn't end in an eruption—but it wasn't clear what was going on. Now, in part thanks to AI, we know: two volcanoes were communicating using magma! Me, for NatGeo. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

A meteorite's dramatic trek to Earth seems mundane compared to its sordid journey from Somalia to China: 🧪 🔭 www.scientificamerican.com/article/insi...

In the last 6 days, 9 asteroids passed inside the Moon’s orbit. Estimated sizes: ~1–38 m. All were discovered this month, a reminder that countless small, faint NEOs slip by unnoticed until they make a close pass.

NEW: Earth and the Moon have been best mates for over four billion years. But that doesn't mean they don't want new friends! Case in point: we just discovered an asteroid that's following Earth around! It's known as a quasi-moon. And it's adorable. Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/s...

We've reached 6,000 confirmed exoplanets! I talked with @aussiastronomer.bsky.social about where things go from here. (A great graphic by @unamandita.bsky.social visualizes the amazing jumps in planet finds since the first ones were confirmed in the 1990s.)

Yo, astronomers. Is the difference between a quasi-moon and a trojan this? - A quasi-moon orbits the Sun in a very similar path to the planet, but is unstable, can shift about, and eventually leaves; - A trojan either leads or trails the planet, has a stable orbit, and sticks to Lagrange points

A satellite photo of a volcano taken from space FROM THE SIDE