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AkaSci

@akasci.bsky.social
884 followers 809 following 315 posts

SatCom Scientist Writing occasionally about science, space missions, astronomy, planetary science, satellites, Democracy and human rights. Mostly at fosstodon.org/@AkaSci

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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Mars rover Perseverance finally made a move today to set a new record for the distance traveled by a rover on a distant planet - 45.22 km. fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1174... #PlanetSci
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image Mars rover Perseverance finally made a move today to set a new record for the distance traveled by a rover on a distant planet - 45.22 km. It had stayed put in its previous locatio...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
She is there to follow orders. Science and truth do not matter. www.sciencealert.com/higher-level...
sciencealert.com
Higher Levels of 19 Potentially Toxic Chemicals Found in The Teeth of Children With Autism
While scientists are still continually learning what causes autism, there's already considerable evidence linking environmental exposures to the condition, in addition to genetic factors.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Sad news - Margaret Hamilton, a profoundly influential computer scientist best known for leading the software engineering team at MIT during NASA’s Apollo program, died on Sep. 30. She was 90. news.mit.edu/2026/margare... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margare...
Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton in 1969 poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT.
Credits:
Image: MIT News, with photos via MIT Museum
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Life's precious moments! Nobel Laureate Karl Deisserot announces to family. www.youtube.com/shorts/euBLI...
youtube.com
The most important briefing of the day
YouTube video by Stanford
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“We are in the happy situation that there are not enough Muppets. We’ve run out of Muppets.” So said Nobel Laureate Francis Halzen in 2015 when the number of neutrino detections kept rising, the earlier ones being named after Muppet characters. news.wisc.edu/university-o... #Science
news.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin–Madison Professor Francis Halzen named 2026 Nobel laureate in physics
Halzen is the principal investigator of the NSF IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the world’s largest telescope.
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Science Magazine @science.org · 05/10/2026
Exclusive: A new analysis refutes James Watson’s claim that he was the first to recognize the significance of the famed photograph 51. scim.ag/4rTKck8
scim.ag
How did Rosalind Franklin miss the helix in her iconic DNA image? She didn’t
New analysis refutes James Watson’s claim he was first to recognize significance of famed photograph 51
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 30/09/2026
Inspector Smile is ready for science! 🫡 This is Smile’s first ultraviolet view showing an auroral substorm. With the ultraviolet camera now operational, Smile becomes the first spacecraft since 2008 to capture the full ring of northern lights around the north pole in ultraviolet light. 🔭 🧪 ☀️
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 02/10/2026
A ‘Juice eye view’ of our home planet 🌍 On 28 September, our Juice mission completed a gravity assist flyby of Earth. As Juice flew just 8640 km above the Indian Ocean, it snapped a series of images with its onboard monitoring cameras, giving us these unique views 👇 youtu.be/zmW8hgV39IU 🔭 🧪
youtu.be
Juice's Earth flyby in stunning images | September 2026
YouTube video by European Space Agency, ESA
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The real reason for the multiple Earth flybys of the (forgetful) ESA Juice spacecraft 😜. xkcd #3304: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer @science.esa.int www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.p... #PlanetSci
4 panel comic -

    [Panel labeled "April 2023". Earth is shown, and the JUICE space probe is flying away from it, with dotted lines showing its path since liftoff.]
    Mission Control: We have liftoff!
    Mission Control: JUICE is en route to explore the icy moons of Jupiter!
    JUICE: Wheee!

    [Panel labeled "August 2024". Two images of JUICE are shown, with dotted lines showing its path through space. One is to the left of Earth, the other to the right, and the path goes below Earth.]
    JUICE: ...So which planet was I visiting again? I got distracted.
    MC: Jupiter!
    JUICE: Right, OK.

    [Panel labeled "September 2026". Two images of JUICE again, this time the path goes above Earth.]
    JUICE: Is Jupiter the one with all the rings? Or...
    MC: No, the big one near it.
    JUICE: Got it!

    [Panel labeled "January 2029". JUICE is approaching Earth from the left.]
    JUICE: And which moons am I looking at?
    Mission Control 1: Oh my God.
    Mission Control 2: Now I get why we budgeted for so many Earth flybys.

Title text: "I did briefly visit Venus in August 2025, but I figured out the mistake on my own because it didn't have any moons."
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Bill McBride @calculatedrisk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The economy has only added 496 thousand jobs over the last year.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It's odd that the press release from Katalyst Space says - "The spacecraft deorbited and reentered Earth’s atmosphere on September 25, 2026." www.katalystspace.com/news/katalys...
katalystspace.com
Katalyst Concludes LINK Mission, Advances Future Robotic Space Operations
Katalyst Space announced the completion of its LINK mission, concluding an unprecedented effort to rapidly develop and operate a commercial robotic spacecraft designed to rendezvous with, capture, and...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I might add that Republicans are relentlessly brainwashed by the powers that be into thinking that that 99% people are doing something fraudulent with Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. E.g.,
Tweet from Elon Musk -
There hundreds, maybe thousands, of fraud rings of almost every nationality stealing money from US taxpayers
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I might add that Republicans are relentlessly brainwashed by the powers that be into thinking that that 99% people are doing something fraudulent with Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. E.g.,
Tweet from Elon Musk -
There hundreds, maybe thousands, of fraud rings of almost every nationality stealing money from US taxpayers
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The bonds between Star Trek and NASA. 50 years ago, on Sept. 17, 1976, NASA rolled out its first space shuttle in Palmdale, CA. It was named Enterprise, thanks to a massive write-in campaign by Star Trek fans. Check out this thread for more - fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1172...
2 pics of NASA Administrator Fletcher accompanied by several cast members and the creator of the TV series Star Trek standing in front of the shuttle Enterprise at the rollout ceremony
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I am deeply honored to be awarded this year's Loftus Space Sustainability Award by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. I'm looking forward to meeting colleagues in the space sustainability community at the IAASS meeting in Antibes next month.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am asking for fish the polite way, but my patience is limited 🦈🐟
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Trying to go out on a high note 🎵
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Old shark shouts at clouds. 🦈⛅
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Voyager 1 will reach 1 light-day distance on November 18, 2026.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 05/09/2026
"Republicans understand that people aren’t going to read the documents behind their conspiracy theories. The truth is hard to understand and often involves complexity and nuance. They’re able to win the narrative war that way, & it’s having real consequences on people’s lives." — @ninajankowicz.com
publicnotice.co
Nina Jankowicz on the golden age of disinformation
“Memory-holing is core to all of the narrative coups Republicans are achieving right now.”
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Gautham Rao (pronounced: Knicks in 5) @gauthamrao.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Here’s my op-ed on Chief Justice John Roberts whitewashed history of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft. Roberts adoration of Taft’s “restraint” conveniently omits Taft’s racism, refusal to condemn lynching, and embrace of Lost Causism. That’s no accident. share.inquirer.com/IcPlmx
share.inquirer.com
Will the real William Howard Taft please stand up?
Chief Justice John Roberts penned an incomplete, but revealing, tribute to former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Wishing a Happy 49th Birthday to the mighty Voyager 1 mission. Boldly going where no spacecraft has gone before. Now 25.67 billion km (23.785 light hours) away. Sending science data back to humanity from the few instruments that still remain powered on. fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1172... #PlanetSci
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image Wishing a Happy 49th Birthday to the mighty Voyager 1 mission. After another year filled with challenges, the NASA Voyager 1 spacecraft is still boldly going where no spacecraft ha...
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🚨 The NIH is moving to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in infectious-disease research projects to the DOD under a secret 10-year pact. Here’s what’s happening inside “Operation Prevailing Edge” 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 04/09/2026
BREAKING: Boston Judge Indira Talwani has issued a PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION after yesterday's hearing BLOCKING Trump's USPS Mail Ballot Portal implementation. More soon... 1/ storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
Memorandum & Order – #285 in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump (D. Mass., 1:26-cv-11549) – CourtListener.com
Judge Indira Talwani: MEMORANDUM AND ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS' MOTIONS FOR A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION Associated Cases: 1:26-cv-11549-IT, 1:26-cv-13917-IT (MAP) (Entered: 09/04/2026)
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 03/09/2026
Having already fucked up wind and solar, Trump is now fucking up batteries.
utilitydive.com
Trump grid order likely to cause energy storage delays, cancellations: BloombergNEF
The Aug. 26 executive order, previous executive actions and the Treasury Department’s foreign entity of concern guidance are likely to hit battery and inverter supply chains particularly hard, an indu...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Ahmakiq Undae is the IAU-approved name for the large dune field on Titan where NASA's Dragonfly rotocraft will land. "In the Mayan tradition, people appealed to the spirit Ahmakiq (pronounced “ah-mahk-eek”) to stop strong winds from damaging their crops." fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1172... #PlanetSci
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image Ahmakiq Undae - that's the IAU-approved name given to the large dune field on Titan where the NASA Dragonfly rotocraft will land and explore. "In the Mayan tradition, people appeal...
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ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 03/09/2026
ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL CONFIRMED! 🎉🛰️ #BepiColombo telemetry shows the Mercury Transfer Module has successfully separated from the spacecraft stack! ✅ First step of Mercury arrival phase - complete! 👏 Next stop: Mercury orbit insertion for MPO and Mio in November! @esa.int #JAXA #Mercury
First signal after seperation from BepiColombo
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The NASA New Horizons spacecraft will shut down heliophysics instruments next month for a lack of $2 million per year funding for its staff. Let's sign the petition at www.change.org/p/heliophysi... #Astronomy #Science
change.org
Sign the Petition
Heliophysics Community Support for Continued Measurements by NASA’s New Horizons Mission
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LZ Dark Matter @lzdarkmatter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What are the backgrounds for our event of interest LZ230616, and why can't they currently explain it? 🤔 A thread: 🧵 [Images from the TeVPA talk, available on our website lz.lbl.gov] #darkmatter #LZ230616
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Additional preprint papers on the LZ expt. result - arxiv.org/abs/2609.01475 arxiv.org/abs/2609.01504 arxiv.org/abs/2609.01583 arxiv.org/abs/2609.01590 arxiv.org/abs/2609.01592 3 of the papers are about Higgsino (supersymmetric particle) dark matter. Posted by Prof. Teppei Kitahara on X. #Physics
arxiv.org
Inelastic Dark Matter Signature at High Recoil Energy in LUX-ZEPLIN and CRESST
The LUX--ZEPLIN Collaboration recently reported one event at $E_{\mathrm{nr}}=248\pm23~\mathrm{keV}$ with an exposure of $2.84~\mathrm{tonne\cdot yr}$. In this Letter, we interpret this feature using ...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Some links to sources for the possible detection of the WIMP dark matter particle by the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment. newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/09/01/l... lz.lbl.gov/wp-content/u... lz.lbl.gov/wp-content/u... lz.lbl.gov www.astronomy.com/science/how-... #Astronomy
newscenter.lbl.gov
LZ Sees Surprising Result in Search for Dark Matter
For the better part of a century, people have been trying to understand dark matter. This invisible substance makes up roughly 85% of the mass in the universe but has never been directly detected. Determining exactly what it is remains one of the biggest questions about our world.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
NASA Roman Space Telescope update: High-gain antenna and aperture cover (sunshade) - deployed. Coronagraph - powered on. At 22:12 UTC today Sept 1, ~2.5 days after launch, it had traveled past the orbit of the Moon, 384,400 km from Earth. More at fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1171... #Astronomy #Space
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image At 22:12 UTC today Sept 1, about two and a half days after launch, the NASA Roman Space Telescope has traveled past the orbit of the Moon, 384,400 km from Earth. 🙌 🔭 https://eyes.n...
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Cara Giovanetti @idontevencara.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Hopefully today you caught wind of the exciting possible dark matter detection at the LZ experiment. But what’s dark matter again? What’s LZ? What does all of this mean??? 1/10 ⚛️🧪
A large silver vat inside a white room, with lighting from the ground suggesting the apparatus is underground.

By Gigaparsec at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34640832
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China Space Watch @chinaspace.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I’m hearing reports that the Chang’e-7 launch will be postponed by at least one day due to a typhoon off the coast of Hainan Island.
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China Space Watch @chinaspace.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
A POV video aboard the reusable Zhuque-3 rocket captures the milestone journey of China's first successful rocket first-stage recovery on land on August 19. From liftoff to landing, enjoy the ride! #Zhuque3 #LandSpace #RocketLanding
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 05/08/2026
Hosted by Dame Dr Maggie Aderin, the broadcast features our Director of Science Professor @cmundell.esa.int , ESA scientists, and Javier Cenarro, the director of Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre, our location for the day 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪 ☀️ #EuropeanSolarEclipse 2/2
esa.int
Total solar eclipse: how to watch live from home
A total solar eclipse is coming to Europe. The European Space Agency (ESA) will broadcast live from 19:30 CEST on 12 August, allowing you to experience this rare event from anywhere in the world. Quic...
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Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research @mpsgoettingen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Current observations from ESA’s #SolarOrbiter help #PredictiveScienceInc predict what the #corona will look like during the upcoming #SolarEclipse2026. Input is data from the instrument SO/PHI designed and built at #mpsgoettingen. www.mps.mpg.de/solar-orbite... @science.esa.int #SolarEclipse
Simulations showing what the Sun's corona is likely to look like as viewed from Spain at the time of the solar eclipse.magnetogram of the Sun provided by SO/PHI
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
A new birth of AI - of the mediocre, by the mediocre, for the mediocre.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 04/08/2026
🎉WIN: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger restored voting rights for over 66k people with past felony convictions. “These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country," she said.
democracydocket.com
Virginia Gov. Spanberger has restored voting rights for 66,000 people with past felony convictions
The volume presents a dramatic reversal of prior Gov. Glenn Youngkin's tenure, when he restored less than 10,000 voter's rights during his entire four-year term.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The Falcon upper stage was apparently in ~200,000 x 600,000 km unstable orbit around earth, crossing the Moon's orbit at 384,000 km. It was a matter of time before the paths crossed. Of course, it should have been guided into a heliocentric graveyard orbit, but ... www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
esa.int
End-of-life disposal of satellites
The awareness of the risk of the accumulation of man-made objects became significant in the late 1970s and since then, a number of space debris mitigation guidelines have been published by various org...
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Dr Space Junk (Alice Gorman) @drspacejunk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
On August 5, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is predicted to crash onto the Moon. What has crashed on the Moon before? The very first human object to touch the Moon - Luna 2 in 1959. A probe, 3 bombs, and a rocket body! 🧪 🔭
m.youtube.com
1959: Luna 2 (USSR)
YouTube video by International Astronautical Federation
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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The smell of death surrounds you, Donald Trump Deportees slain in Guatemala. A Haitian woman abandoned at a PGH bus stop. The bomb striking a family in Iran. Detainees in the ICE gulag. Lorenzo Salgado. Renee Good. USAID Dehumanization, then death. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
inquirer.com
The smell of death surrounds Donald Trump’s regime from Guatemala to Pittsburgh | Will Bunch
In just a year and a half, Donald Trump’s warped agenda is killing innocent people at home and around the world.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Some not-so-good news from the NASA Swift Boost Mission. The Katalyst LINK servicing spacecraft is having issues with 2 of its 3 reaction wheels and with the cold gas thruster system. Spacecraft spinning. Comms. sporadic. science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/... fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1170... #Space
science.nasa.gov
Commissioning Update for Spacecraft to Boost NASA’s Swift - NASA Science
Over the weekend, Katalyst’s LINK servicing spacecraft experienced issues with attitude control.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
New FCC application from Amazon Leo for a 5,105 satellite LEO constellation for D2D services to mobile devices. Altitude: 510 - 580 km Spectrum: L and S band, acquired in merger with Globalstar. First deployment: 2028 @planet4589.bsky.social fccprod.servicenowservices.com/icfs?id=ibfs...
fccprod.servicenowservices.com
ICFS Application Summary - ICFS Portal
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The NASA DSN site in Madrid, Spain remains offline as wildfires have threatened the site and its equipment over the past few days. Evacuation order remains in place. "No significant structural damage observed to antennas or buildings." More at fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1169... #Space #NASA
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image The NASA DSN site in Madrid, Spain remains offline as wildfires have threatened the site and its equipment over the past few days. Personnel have been evacuated. It appears that th...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Better link - time.com/article/2026...
time.com
The Emerging Link Between Microplastics and Heart Disease
New research provides further evidence that heart-disease risk may be linked to plastic exposure.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Vera Rubin: "There is no problem in science that can be solved by a man that cannot be solved by a woman." "Don’t let anyone keep you down for silly reasons such as who you are. And don’t worry about prizes and fame. The real prize is finding something new out there.” fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1169...
fosstodon.org
AkaSci 🛰️ (@AkaSci@fosstodon.org)
Attached: 1 image “Don’t let anyone keep you down for silly reasons such as who you are. And don’t worry about prizes and fame. The real prize is finding something new out there.” -- Vera Rubin as r...
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Happy Birthday to Vera Rubin (July 23, 1928 – Dec 25, 2016), pioneering astronomer and passionate advocate for women in science. Her research on galaxy rotation rates provided strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. She deserved the Nobel Prize. fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1169... #Astronomy
Portrait of Vera Rubin in 1989 with a portion of her collection of celestial globes, by photographer Mark Godfrey.

Rubin had an avid interest in atlases, star charts, and globes. Her collection began when her astronomy professor at Vassar College offered her an old celestial globe that was about to be discarded.

Credit: Photograph by Mark Godfrey, courtesy of Carnegie Science
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Atul Gawande @agawande.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
13 Americans w/o Ebola exposure put in detention when returning from Africa. “Staff even created a map for Bhattacharya that showed the vast distance from Kinshasa to Ituri province, to highlight the low risk. He ordered them to be detained anyway.” www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
rollingstone.com
Trump's CDC Is Detaining Americans in Response to Ebola: A 'Wild Misuse' of Power
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is needlessly detaining Americans as part of a chaotic Ebola response led by Jay Bhattacharya.
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AkaSci @akasci.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
July 21, 2011, 5:57 a.m. ET: Space shuttle Atlantis landed for the final time at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the STS-135 mission, marking the end of the Space Shuttle era. More at fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/1169... #Space #NASA
Pic of STS-135 Space Shuttle Atlantis landing before dawn, under dark skies.
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