If you thought your Christmas was intense… this robot was busy barrelling through the sun’s atmosphere at 192 km per second. It went closer to the sun than we’ve ever been before - and faster than any other human-made object in history. 🔥 www.bbc.com/news/article...

As I said -- only a matter of time before news orgs lashed out at Apple's lackluster (and evidently dangerously wrong) AI summaries of their work. This is shambolic and the BBC has every right to be furious about it.

A clear summary of a grim situation by @drjr.bsky.social. Academics always grumble about university rankings, unless their university is doing well in them. But when Aussie universities are dropping down the charts in unison... it's a warning sign. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

So nice to hear Laura interviewed by @sanaqadar.bsky.social 🤓🙌

Folks outside the UK / science might not clock quite what a strong statement this is. EVERYBODY wants to be an FRS. But not @deevybee.bsky.social - not any more. 💥

NASA's visualization team created a preview of every phase of the Moon in 2025, hour by hour. The best part: Watching how the Moon's appearance changes due to its inclination, oval orbit, and libration (wobble). 🔭🧪 svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5415

TIL the Daily Mail has a data vis team. www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar...

🎶 It’s me, hi! 🎶 🎶 I’m the problem, it’s me 🎶 Did you know - 99% of camera trap photos taken in Tasmania are of brushtail possums messing with equipment…

The best thing about this image: the night side of Saturn. It’s not totally dark. Why not? Because it’s vaguely lit by light that has reflected from the rings. If you could somehow stand on the top of Saturn’s clouds, when it’s night, your world would be brightly lit by the huge yellow arc of rings.

What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders? Ants often act like inefficient goofballs. They got lost, accidentally drop their good and walk in circles trying to find it but eventually give up and go home, half of the ants in a nest just sit there 24/7 and do absolutely nothing.

Thinking I might start popping the weekly brainteaser from my science spot on Radio National Breakfast up here, for any fellow nerds who like a puzzle... 🤓 This was last week's. I found it kinda surprising, and it was solved beautifully by a 10yo of my acquaintance so it's eminently doable!

Fever xkcd.com/2877

🚨 JOB ALERT 🚨 We are looking for the next Darren Osborne cadet to join the ABC RN Science Unit in 2024! It's an entry level gig for 10 months, location flexible. If you know a "science news geek" (that was Darren's Twitter handle 🤓💗) from regional Australia, tell them to apply. And pls share 🙏

It’s been too long since I read anything by Naomi Oreskes. Good to see she’s still swinging.

Plane, Clouds, Moon, Spots, Sun - © Doyle and Shannon Slifer Official: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231008.html HD: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2310/PlaneEclipse_Slifer_1756.jpg Please enjoy following threads too! 🔭

Looking forward to season 2 of Loki, aka "Dr Who but with fights". I’m 100% not the first to think or say this, but … it is. 1) A British-sounding hero with a shabby-formal outfit travels through time with a companion, on the run from a bureaucratic bunch of self-important busybodies. ✅

Priceless toddler moment #827: Little human woke up from nap, leapt to his feet and declared, with obvious confidence and clarity of purpose, “We’re going to take our rubbish to the zoo!”

NEW Staying below 1.5C wld save $12tn & create more jobs than are lost, says IEA To get on track by 2030 we need… 🌅3x renewables 🏢2x efficiency 🚗"sharply" more EVs & heat pumps 🔥-75% methane emissions 🛢️⛽🏭-25% fossil fuel use 🧵let's dive in www.iea.org/reports/net-...

4) It is an impossible myth invented to torture us all

A-ma-zing…

We are recruiting for an environment reporter in the science unit at ABC RN! If you're passionate about the environment and digital storytelling, and can work in Australia, this could be you. 🤓🌏 Would love this job ad shared far and wide, to anyone from anywhere who might be amazing at it.

PLEASE RETWEET (or whatever it's called): I want to follow and support fellow science journalists on Bluesky! Help me find them!! Reply to this if you are among that hallowed number. @easternblot.bsky.social @jjbw.bsky.social @eshirin.bsky.social @duncanfyfe.bsky.social @colinschultz.bsky.social

Huge, huge credit to Prof Ian Hickie for showing up and standing up in this interview. No idea how much of it ended up in the show - I haven’t watched it - but … wow. youtu.be/XkD1sr0Odlc?...

Very cool (and potentially exciting) result! And a good reminder that if (/when?) extraterrestrial life is discovered, it will most likely be just like this: a weird chemical balance in an exoplanet atmosphere, seen via some wiggly lines in a spectrum, subject to extensive expert debate. 👽🧪

Brassica xkcd.com/2827

Doing some bsky thinking. 🤓 Cheers @biancanogrady.bsky.social for the invite to this place that is not the other place! Seems (so far) less awful and less addictive. Both positives.