SpaceX had its first quarterly earnings yesterday, and the space launch sector lost $542 million, while the company as a whole lost $143 million. Musk said one avenue to profitability is robotic satellite factories on the Moon. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon...

Elon Musk reveals SpaceX plans to build satellite factories on the moon

Musk outlined his vision to investors after SpaceX posted a $542 million loss from its space launch sector in its first quarter as a public company

scientificamerican.com

What do Leo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have in common? I swear this isn't the setup to a joke - they're actually behind a $200 million effort to save 100 critically endangered species. www.scientificamerican.com/article/proj...

Project backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos aims to save 100 critically endangered species

This billionaire-backed fund is dedicating $200 million to preserve animals and even plants that are facing extinction around the world

scientificamerican.com

The U.S. military needs tungsten, especially after expending so many munitions on Iran. A mining company says it's found a huge amount in Nevada, but a chunk of that is under an area NASA says is uniquely suited to calibrate satellites & can't be disturbed. www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

The U.S. military needs tungsten, but pristine NASA site may stand in the way

A unique landform is vital for calibrating NASA's satellites, but it's likely sitting atop a vast deposit of the heavy metal, which is crucial for making munitions

scientificamerican.com

Two people have now died from the ongoing cyclosporia outbreak. The illness isn't usually fatal, but some people are high risk from complications, particularly intense dehydration. www.scientificamerican.com/article/cycl...

Cyclospora outbreak tied to two deaths as parasite-borne illness continues to rage

These deaths were reported by Michigan, which has seen more than 11,000 cases of cyclosporiasis emerge since late June

scientificamerican.com

The continuing resolution, which will fund the government through Dec. 11, does not include the proposed change to how federal science grants are awarded. The rule would have put political appointees in charge of the awards, rather than peer review panels. www.scientificamerican.com/article/sena...

U.S. lawmakers push to put controversial OMB research grant rules on hold

These proposed changes have seen significant bipartisan pushback and have been criticized by scientists across disciplines

scientificamerican.com

Antarctica's Blood Falls gets its name from the red waters that seep out. The color isn't a mystery - it's iron that oxidizes as it hits the air. But a study of microorganisms that live in the area could explain how the briny water came to be there. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

How Antarctica's Blood Falls came to be

The bright, red-orange stain on Antarctica’s ice-covered landscape may trace back to ancient oceans

scientificamerican.com

Excited to make my debut on the @sciam.bsky.social Science Quickly podcast! Thanks to @feltman.bsky.social for having me on to talk about why protein maxxing may contribute to shaving years off your life. www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...

The parasite outbreak everyone’s talking about, plus the truth about ‘protein maxxing’

An outbreak of Cyclospora infections tied to produce spreads across multiple states as new research challenges the protein maxxing craze

scientificamerican.com

Attention protein maxers: not only are you likely getting enough protein in your normal diet, but you may be shaving years off your life by upping your intake. www.scientificamerican.com/article/eati...

Eating less protein could help you live longer

While “protein maxxing” is all the rage, reducing your protein intake could add years to your life

scientificamerican.com

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Astronomers just revealed the best-yet images of Betelgeuse's buddy, a ~3x-solar-mass companion star. By @adamjkovac.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

Scientists get best-yet glimpse of Betelgeuse’s companion star

After decades of hints and speculation, scientists have at last unveiled the hidden companion to the iconic star Betelgeuse

scientificamerican.com

Good morning! The proof that Betelgeuse has a companion star is piling up, including an effort to image the star via visible light. The star is currently being called Betelgeuse B, but maybe Lydia would be a better name? (Little Winona Ryder joke for you) www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

Scientists get best-yet glimpse of Betelgeuse’s companion star

After decades of hints and speculation, scientists have at last unveiled the hidden companion to the iconic star Betelgeuse

scientificamerican.com

In 2008, a Belgian boy was undergoing treatment for sickle cell disease. The illness can cause infertility, so doctors performed an operation: they removed one of his testicles, sliced it up into thin fragments, and froze them. There was only 1 problem: no procedure to re-graft them existed.

Shocked by this orca violence. Personally, I blame all the video games they play. www.scientificamerican.com/article/vide...

Watch orcas smashing fish to smithereens, possibly for fun

The behavior could be a strategy to help younger orcas feed, or it may just be for their own amusement, researchers say

scientificamerican.com

Got a story coming out tomorrow that is an absolute ball. I'm really nuts over it. The subject of it rocks, nad I hope you all like it. This is not a testes, the story will be running after it's edited. You'll never guess what it's about.

Speaking to a house committee, Trump science advisor Michael Kratsios defended a proposed change that puts political appointees in charge of selecting grant proposals, and said $5 billion in fed funding will go to promoting AI in gov't science research. www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

U.S. pledges $5 billion to boost AI in government-backed scientific research

The White House’s senior science adviser faced questions over research funding cuts from lawmakers on Wednesday

scientificamerican.com

Bri was not so low-key excited about this. Get it? Low-key? Loki? Just watch the video. It's really interesting and he's very handsome.

Bri 💝@breezybrik.bsky.social · 2w ago

For @sciam.bsky.social I got to nerd out with Tom Hiddleston about ancient history, specifically Pompeii 🌋 check out out full conversation here www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNx...

Good afternoon! As astronomical tools get better, we're finding more weird stuff. The latest is a star system with a brown dwarf that has a satellite almost as huge as Jupiter. That enormity raises a question: what, exactly, separates a moon from a planet? www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

A huge cosmic object could force astronomers to rethink what a moon is

The almost Jupiter-sized object is orbiting a brown dwarf, which, in turn, is circling around a small star

scientificamerican.com

Just imagining a whale floating there and sighing. "Five minutes alone, that's all I ask."

Andrea Thompson@andreatweather.bsky.social · 2w ago

So southern right whales are the only whales ever observed to flip over on their backs. It turns out it might be moms getting a break from the kids. I've never related to animal more. 🧪 Click through for some really cool drone footage. (by @gennarotomma.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social)

Futurama: come for the silly, incompetent lobster doctor. Stay for the genius math proofs that were required to make the plots work. (I struggled with the math in this one because I'm way more Fry than Prof. Farnsworth) www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

How a Futurama writer’s plot problem led to a totally new math proof

In an episode of the cartoon, a machine lets characters swap bodies, but they can’t switch back with the same person. Math helps all the characters return to their original bodies

scientificamerican.com

Aside from Project Hail Mary (it was good! also, Weir can't write dialogue to save his life!), I'm almost done The Emperor of All Maladies. Cancer can feel like this unknowable enemy if you're not an MD - this book has taken it out of the shadows and made it feel more tangible. #sciamsummerreading

Bri 💝@breezybrik.bsky.social · 3w ago

Read anything good lately? Use hashtags #SciAmBookBingo and #SciAmSummerReading to tell us how you're participating in our Summer Reading Challenge 📚🧪🏆 www.scientificamerican.com/article/join...

As I reported in SciAm, if polyurea is not applied exactly as intended, water can seep between the layers, seriously compromising its integrity on the molecular level.

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 3w ago

Trump has blamed vandals, but a WaPo analysis finds that the peeling tracks closely with stages of the renovation process. The lining peeled in at least seven places along seams created when the material was applied in large rectangular sections, indicating likely problems with installation.

Scared the hell outta me for a second till I remembered Infowars is good now.

Rubitsart (202) 224-3121 —CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD #@rubitsart.bsky.social · 3w ago

Omg Edi Patterson on InfoWars 😍🥰💞

On the light sider of things (literally), astronomers found a planet leaking helium into space. That means the planet, which is in the habitable zone near its star, has an atmosphere. scientificamerican.com/article/a-super-earth-exoplanets-leaking-helium-could-be-evidence-of-a-complex-atmosphere/

A super-Earth exoplanet’s leaking helium could be evidence of a complex atmosphere

The planet LHS 1140 b lies in its star’s habitable zone, which already made it a prime candidate as a possible host for life

scientificamerican.com

A controversial new ruling from the Federal Communications Commission leaves no one responsible for regulating light pollution and other ill effects from skyrocketing numbers of satellites www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

U.S. approval of a controversial satellite has scientists asking: Who’s really in charge of space?

A controversial new ruling from the Federal Communications Commission leaves no one responsible for regulating light pollution and other ill effects from skyrocketing numbers of satellites

scientificamerican.com

RIP Bonnie Tyler. Got a lot of mileage out of singing Total Eclipse of the Heart (poorly) at karaoke. But your spirit lives on in science!

Adam Kovac@adamjkovac.bsky.social · 3w ago

Good morning! There's a total eclipse coming up in a few weeks, and while majestic on its own, there's a lot of science that needs to be done in just a few minutes. There's experiments on heliophysics, gravity waves and much, much more planned. www.scientificamerican.com/article/augu...

There's probably trillions of exoplanets in the Milky Way, but trying to find them from Earth is tricky - you're trying to detect light from a planet with lots of it. So finding a new planet orbiting B Pictoris with the Very Large Telescope is pretty cool. www.scientificamerican.com/article/astr...

Astronomers just accidentally spotted the faintest exoplanet ever seen from Earth

Beta Pictoris d is more than twice the size of Jupiter, but it is a baby compared to its humongous neighbors

scientificamerican.com

Good morning! There's a total eclipse coming up in a few weeks, and while majestic on its own, there's a lot of science that needs to be done in just a few minutes. There's experiments on heliophysics, gravity waves and much, much more planned. www.scientificamerican.com/article/augu...

August's solar eclipse inspires science involving jets, balloons and Einstein’s general theory of relativity

Solar eclipses are a rare and brief opportunity for scientists to gather data on everything from the physics of the sun to air pressure in the upper atmosphere

scientificamerican.com

Good afternoon! At midnight, the public comment period ends for a proposed federal rule change that would put political appointees in charge of science grant funding. Thousands have already written in against it, including several Nobel laureates. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

Scientists overwhelmingly against rule change that would give political appointees say over science grants

Hundreds of thousands of scientists, including Nobel laureates, warn that changes to the way federal grants are approved would greatly damage American science

scientificamerican.com

Good afternoon! National Weather Service data shows the current El Nino is poised to become a 'Super' El Nino. That would make it very likely we're in for some extremely hot weather, and raises the potential for deadly weather events in parts of the world. www.scientificamerican.com/article/odds...

The odds of a Super El Niño just got higher

The climate system is tied to more powerful typhoons, as well as famine and wildfires.

scientificamerican.com

Good afternoon! A tiny single-celled protozoa is causing a lot of trouble in Michigan, where over 1,000 cases of cyclosporiasis have been confirmed. The illness isn't usually fatal, but has been known to cause explosive bowel movements. Yikes. www.scientificamerican.com/article/case...

Cases of an explosive diarrhea-causing parasite are rising fast in the U.S.

Case numbers have skyrocketed from several dozen nationwide in June to more than a thousand in the state of Michigan alone

scientificamerican.com

Getting older means learning about how incredibly weird and simultaneously important accurate time keeping can get. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go reminisce about the Y2K bug with some other geezer millennials.