NEW WORK! ✨ I got to create this 2-page spread for an article in @sciam.bsky.social on the puzzling lack of worlds outside our solar system in a certain size range; the "Radius Gap." Visualizing several hundred exoplanets as a polar plot + contours. www.scientificamerican.com/article/exop...

Bella Ramsey explains a (probably autistic person) spotted signs of autism correctly which led to formal diagnosis and Bella gaining better self-understanding and improved quality of life. Helen Coffey questions why neurodivergent people help each other and wants them to stop. Fuck off, Helen.

I stand with NASA employees, who are being villainized across the board by this Administration and facing threats of unjustified layoffs. I'm proud to introduce the Saving NASA's Workforce Act with Ranking Member Lofgren to prevent these workforce reductions. foushee.house.gov/media/press-...

Committee Leaders Introduce Bills to Stop Trump & Musk’s Reckless Firings of Critical Federal Workforce | U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee

The Official U.S. Congressional website of Congresswoman Valerie Foushee

foushee.house.gov

Trans Americans are ~2x more likely to serve in the US uniformed services than cis Americans. This is an abhorrent and discriminatory revocation of benefits that they earned, a betrayal of our veterans.

Alejandra Caraballo@esqueer.net · last yr.

The VA has ceased all gender affirming care for trans veterans. This is a campaign of eradication. www.advocate.com/news/va-stop...

Nothing to see here. Just JWST 🔭 IMAGING A PLANETARY SYSTEM AROUND ANOTHER STAR. Look at the different planet colors! Go NASA science!!! science.nasa.gov/missions/web...

NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide - NASA Science

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of multiple gas giant planets within an iconic planetary system. HR 8799, a young system 130

science.nasa.gov

I in fact turned down a job at a top private school to come to the University of New Hampshire. Twice. Because public universities matter, and they especially matter in rural communities where they are major economic engines. $100 million being stolen from Maine is catastrophic. PAY ATTENTION.

The continued focus of the media and general public on Columbia’s loss of $400 million which is a much smaller sum of money to an Ivy League institution than $100 million is to Maine is elitist bullshit that treats regional schools and their student and alum communities like we are disposable

If you, or someone you know, was a part of the first group of federal employees that were unlawfully fired by the Trump administration - your deadline to appeal to the MSPB is this Friday, March 14. Go to civilservicestrong.org to learn more. #CivilServiceStrong

Democracy Forward@democracyforward.org · last yr.

This Friday, March 14, marks 30 days since Trump’s unlawful mass firing of federal workers began—and the last day for many to appeal to MSPB. Democracy Forward is fighting back to protect our workforce. Resources + appeal guide: civilservicestrong.org. #CivilServiceStrong

There are reports The White House is considering a 50% cut to NASA’s science programs, and 25% of its overall budget, which would be catastrophic for both current and planned missions. But, there is still time for the administration to reconsider. Read our full statement ⬇️

The Planetary Society: reported cuts to NASA would amount to an…

The Planetary Society, the world’s largest independent space interest organization, issued a statement in response to recent reports that the White House…

planetary.org

Far beyond Pluto, trillions of cold comets circle the sun in a lazy swarm called the Oort Cloud. A new simulation indicates what this comet-cloud looks like: a loose spiral that resembles a miniature galaxy. 🧪🔭 arxiv.org/abs/2502.11252

I made this Pride flag using only NASA images and our team thought it would be cool to share on social (I work on the NASA heliophysics communications team), but it's getting all sorts of hate on the bird app and Fbook. Thought y'all might be more appreciative of it here. ☺️🏳️‍🌈💖

GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/mutual-aid... RequestAid: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... MoreInfo: www.choircollaboration.com/mutual-aid

choir - mutual aid

In direct response to the federal funding freeze outlined by OMB Memorandum M-25-13 and any ensuing directives imposed by the current administration which may prove harmful to our space sciences commu...

choircollaboration.com

we're organizing to help folks in astronomy + planetary sciences who've lost their jobs without warning, or have important initiatives that suddenly lost funding, due to the recent executive orders. please share with your networks!! #extragalactic #exoplanets #astronomy #cosmology

choir Collaboration@choirastro.bsky.social · 2y ago

MUTUAL AID ALERT: Stand with our community in Astro+ adjacent fields impacted by the attack on DEIA, support our community by giving aid through our GoFundMe. See links in thread! - choir collab, @blackinastro.bsky.social, Astro Poverty Survey Team, MVMT Consulting @dranicole.bsky.social)

MUTUAL AID ALERT: Stand with our community in Astro+ adjacent fields impacted by the attack on DEIA, support our community by giving aid through our GoFundMe. See links in thread! - choir collab, @blackinastro.bsky.social, Astro Poverty Survey Team, MVMT Consulting @dranicole.bsky.social)

DON’T MEMORY HOLE ELON MUSK’S NAZI SALUTE It’s been 4 weeks and 1 day since Elon Musk loudly vocalized his support for Nazi ideology Everything that has happened since has happened with the guidance of an open Nazi This should be repeated in articles, regularly

Besides being cruel, anticipatory obedience doesn’t work www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/scie...

Scientific institutions have a long history of anticipatory obedience

Societies should learn from this and speak up to support inclusion

chemistryworld.com

Lots of anticipatory obedience from scientific institutions including ones that are home to astronomers and physicists, like Brookhaven National Lab and Vera Rubin Observatory. 🧪 🔭 ⚛️ #giftlink www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/s...

A Sweeping Ban on D.E.I. Language Roils the Sciences (Gift Article)

President Trump’s executive order is altering scientific exploration across a broad swath of fields, even beyond government agencies, researchers say.

nytimes.com

1/8. This week I had a few different conversations with scholars who, in the face of the attacks on science and institutions of learning in the U.S., are wondering what to do. One suggestion I have is: keep doing your work. It matters in and of itself. Why do I say that? A few reasons.

Are you a PhD student whose funding is in jeopardy because of recent executive actions, or a faculty member in a program dealing with these considerations? @mkhaw.bsky.social and I want to hear from you @chronicle.com. DM or email! #AcademicSky #PhDSky #HigherEd

“…the most-effective segregationists were in courtrooms and boardrooms making policy that reinforced separation through seemingly race-neutral systems that were justified by appeals to some higher principle such as ‘merit’ or ‘community control of schools.’” theemancipator.org/2025/01/28/t...

Eliminating DEI isn't just racist — it's segregationist

New segregationists’ need to use euphemisms shows the weakness of their intellectual position and the Civil Rights Movement’s moral clarity.

theemancipator.org

BREAKING: New lawsuit challenges Trump's anti-diversity executive orders, alleging Spending Clause, vagueness (Due Process), free speech (First Amendment), and separation of powers violations. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

*this is illegal* FYI 🧪 🔭 ⚛️

Darby Saxbe@darbysaxbe.bsky.social · 2y ago

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

As we watch all mention of diversity actively get scrubbed from the NIH website in real time it's important to know that, we were not taking over anything, we were just trying to exist. - Only 2% of NIH R01 grants are awarded to Black investigators. The goal is total erasure/elimination.

DEI public favorability continues to be +19. Pundits are wrong that: 1) DEI is unpopular. It's popular. 2) This recent support is thermostatic. This is NOT thermostatic. DEI favorability has been high throughout its existence (second pic).

With alt text:

Angeline4democracy@sandy-angeline.bsky.social · 2y ago

make *them* make *you* comply; they usually can't (👇) and introducing widespread friction to these programs makes them slower and more expensive: both buying time for targeted parties, and turning these raids into terrible investments of effort, money, and energy...which even GOP voters don't want

Heather Cherone@heathercherone.bsky.social · 2y ago

BREAKING: Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents attempted to conduct an enforcement action at Hamline Elementary School in Back of the Yards, Ald. Jeanette Taylor and Chicago Public Schools officials said Friday. @wttw.bsky.social

If you’re a federal govt employee targeted for leave or termination on the basis of your DEI work, please file an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint & retain legal counsel. I’m a former NIH PI. Happy to refer you to a law firm that has successfully sued the govt many times! Pls repost 🙏❤️

Hoo boy, I bet you could use a distraction today! So how about an intense JWST image of a pair of colossal stars whizzing past each other and blasting out wave after wave of dusty shells, expanding away at a soul-freezing NINE MILLION KPH?! badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/two-coloss... 🧪🔭

Two colossal stars send out waves of dust in an amazing JWST image

WR 140 is a terrifying star system, but it sure is beautiful. Also, announcing a new rate for the newsletter.

badastronomy.beehiiv.com