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

Department of Physics at the University of Oxford@oxfordphysics.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Oxford’s BEBOP thermal camera has been selected for ESA's 2032 Mars mission! It'll provide critical weather data to boost the safety of future robotic and human explorers. Read the full article: Link in bio or visit https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/news/oxford-instrument-lined-esa-mars-mission

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.

Early penguins may have used dagger-like beaks to skewer prey

Four new species of aquatic birds related to modern penguins have been described from fossils found in New Zealand, showing how these creatures flourished around 60 million years ago

newscientist.com

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. 🪿🐦‍⬛🦅🦆🐤🐦🪶