Webb telescope images of exoplanets "stunned researchers" directly observing the key chemical of carbon dioxide in planets outside of our solar system for the first time.

From @CBSNews: https://flip.it/HVrgO5

You couldn't write a dystopian novel with a grimmer plot than what we are witnessing in reality.

Here's how the story goes: Capitalism cuts down all the forests in search of profits, strip-mines the Earth in search of profits, pollutes our air and our water in search of profits... and now, what's left?

Oh, wait, say the capitalists, we haven't dug down into the deep sea yet in search of profits, er, um, minerals. And guess what, we can pretend we're doing that for the sake of the climate and environment!

Yeah, that's the idea. We need those minerals to make electric cars. So it's a win-win. We'll make billions more in profits, AND we'll make ourselves look good by promoting Green Growth!
________________________________

LEARN MORE https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/mar/12/as-countries-scramble-for-minerals-the-seabed-beckons-will-mining-it-be-a-disaster-visual-explainer

If you are involved in any way in helping to organize a conference in the US at this time, it is imperative that you offer online attendance and speaker options.

And not just because it's the right thing to do for environmental and accessibility reasons (but you should do it for those reasons, anyway).

I can’t get over the cognitive dissonance of spending 12 hours of intense work in clinic, using every minute of my 25 years of training and experience to formulate treatment plans for my patients with #cancer, and then to come home and check the news and to read about every part of the infrastructure needed to attain the knowledge for these treatment plans bring intentionally dismantled

If you know a kid who likes science and goofy jokes, give that young astronomer Galaxy Astronomy today!

Available at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSTDBHLH

@bookstodon #science #astronomy

Capitalism thrives off of exploitation.

All visions, dreams, and healthy utopias conjured up by humans are centered around ending all kinds of exploitation while satisfying human curiosity and comfort.

Hence capitalism is directly opposed to any tangible progress of our species, our habitats, and the planet we live on.

Chronic Conditions in Children Have Surged Dramatically in 20 Years https://www.sciencealert.com/chronic-conditions-in-children-have-surged-dramatically-in-20-years #science

I find the expression "n% less" incredibly unintuitive. Tell me the *remaining* percentage, not the subtracted percentage.

The Planetary Report's current issue has "a rover with this sort of 'smart' software was able to complete a science campaign a full 80% faster than one using traditional methods". This means that the rover did the job in one fifth of the time.

ESO analysis confirms that the INNA industrial megaproject would have a devastating and irreversible impact on the facilities at Paranal Observatory in #Chile.

Light #pollution would increase by at least 35% above ESO's Very Large Telescope, by a minimum of 5% above ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope and by at least 55% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

Air turbulence would also increase, degrading seeing conditions by up to 40%

Vibrations from the project could seriously impair the functioning of the ELT and the VLT Interferometer, which are both extremely sensitive to micro-seismic noise.

Dust during construction is also problematic as it settles on the telescope mirrors and obstructs their view.

Full story here: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2506/

More in the message below. 1/

This could mean #MassExtinction #Trump knows best, use plastic straws!

"#Microplastics Are Disrupting #Photosynthesis, And The Impact Could Be Huge"

#MAGA #AntiScience #Pollution #Education #Extinction #PlantLife #USA #UN #WHO #Science

https://www.sciencealert.com/microplastics-are-disrupting-photosynthesis-and-the-impact-could-be-huge

The lasers our Very Large Telescope (VLT) pierce the Milky Way… but what is that vertical glow just below?

That’s the zodiacal light: caused by dust grains in the Solar System, it's so faint that it’s only visible in the darkest skies, such as those of Chile’s Atacama Desert.

And the pristine night sky in this region has always been intertwined with the culture and traditions of its indigenous people, discover how: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2511a/

F. Millour/ESO

Interesting paper…

Our results suggest that students attempt to use GPT-4 as a "crutch" during practice problem sessions, and when successful, perform worse on their own. Thus, to maintain long-term productivity, we must be cautious when deploying generative #AI to ensure humans continue to learn critical skills.

#education #science #research #tech #technology

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4895486

This feels like an alien invasion of the United States.

"NIH officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research.

'Kennedy’s war on vaccines has started,' the scientist told his colleague.
"

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-grants-mrna-vaccines-trump-administration-hhs-rfk/
#Politics #Science
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Flying over the line between day and night in the International Space Station.

If you were a human a million years in the future and this image was your Rosetta Stone into the planetary era we currently reside in, how screwed are those historians?
You have brands, memes, glyphs that are simple curves like Latin characters, but also colorful pictograms. You have plain language, programming, and social concepts all right there. It's humorous, technical, and in a business and corporate setting.

Flash news: An increasing number of intelligent and educated people don't want to live in an idiocracy... :-D

"Last week, Aix Marseille University, France’s largest university, invited American scientists who believe their work is at risk of being censored by Donald Trump administration’s anti-science policies to continue their research in France. Today, the university announced that it is already seeing great interest from scientists at NASA, Yale, Stanford, and other American schools and government agencies, and that it wants to expand the program to other schools and European countries to absorb all the researchers who want to leave the United States.

“We are witnessing a new brain drain,” Éric Berton, Aix Marseille University’s president, said in a press release. “We will do everything in our power to help as many scientists as possible continue their research. However, we cannot meet all demands on our own. The Ministry of Education and Research is fully supporting and assisting us in this effort, which is intended to expand at both national and European levels.”"

https://www.404media.co/nasa-yale-and-stanford-scientists-consider-scientific-exile-french-university-says/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter