iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 9h

Against a stunning backdrop of thousands of galaxies, we see a Hubble image of UGC 10214 dubbed the 'Tadpole'. Its distorted shape was caused by a small interloper, a very blue, compact, galaxy visible in the upper left corner of the 'Tadpole.'

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 9h

Today Oct 14. On this date in 1946 geneticist J. Craig Venter was born.Known for having led one of first draft sequences of the human genome,and led first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. I and Szostak were honored by Venter endorsing our book "Is Earth Exceptional?"

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

This fantastic Webb image shows the planetary nebula NGC 6537, also known as the Red Spider Nebula.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Today is Oct 13. Happy Birthday to mathematician John G. Thompson, born on this date in 1932. Noted for his work in the field of finite groups, he was awarded the Fields Medal in 1970, the Wolf Prize in 1992, and the Abel Prize in 2008.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

This ESO image shows the starburst galaxy NGC 253, also known as the Sculptor Galaxy. It is approximately 13 million light-years from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Today is Oct 12. Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics 2026 for insights that helped policymakers become “better equipped to deal with shocks in the economy.”

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

The light from an exploding massive star reached Earth 320 years ago. The dead star's shredded remains (Hubble image) are called Cassiopeia A ('Cas A' for short). Cas A is the youngest known supernova remnant in our Milky Way Galaxy, it resides about 10,000 light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Today is October 11. On this date in 1871 Harriet Boyd Hawes was born. A pioneering archaeologist, nurse, relief worker, and professor. Best known for one of the first archaeological excavations to uncover a Minoan settlement and palace on the Aegean island of Crete.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

This Hubble image shows the interacting galaxies NGC 6872 (bottom) and IC 4970 (above). Both galaxies lie roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Today Oct 10. On this date in 1731 scientist Henry Cavendish was born. Distinguished for accuracy and precision in research into composition of atmospheric air, properties of gases, synthesis of water, law governing electrical attraction and repulsion, calculations of density of Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The clouds in this ESO image are a pair of nebulae — collections of dust and gas in interstellar space — called Gum 10 and Gum 11.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

By honoring Navi Pillay with the Nobel Prize for Peace, the Nobel committee is mounting an explicit defense of the post-WWII global order. International law, it says, is "under tremendous pressure", its institutions "under attack".

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled numerous stars formerly hidden by clouds of dust in a stellar nursery known as NGC 7129, which resides about 3,300 light-years from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Poet Anne Carson awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature".

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This ESO image shows ribbons of gas and dust wrapping around the pearly center of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1398. This galaxy is located approximately 65 million light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai for solving a “mystery” that had puzzled scientists: How can some molecules, e.g. amino acids, exist as 2 variants that are mirror images while proteins in living organisms are made from only one of those mirror images?

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

A fantastic Hubble image of the star cluster Westerlund 2 and its surroundings.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Francis Halzen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on for his work on the IceCube neutrino observatory at the South Pole that has helped discover high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to three scientists – Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel – for their work developing a technique to decode the inner workings of the brain. This method – is known as optogenetics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The prominent spiral galaxy on the right side of this Hubble image is NGC 1356; the two apparently smaller (at different distances) spiral galaxies flanking it are LEDA 467699 (above) and LEDA 95415 (close at left) respectively; IC 1947 sits along the left side of the image.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Today is Oct 4. On this date in 1947 physicist Max Planck passed away. The originator of quantum theory and a founder of modern physics, who revolutionized understanding of atomic and subatomic processes. Known for Planck constant, which is foundationally important in quantum physics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A beautiful ESO image of the star cluster RCW 38. It shows the cluster and its surrounding clouds of brightly glowing gas in exquisite detail.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Today is Oct 3. On this date in 2018 physicist Leon Lederman passed away. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1988, for research on neutrinos. He also received the Wolf Prize in Physics in 1982, for research on quarks and leptons.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

LEDA 1313424, nicknamed the Bullseye, has 9 rings. Hubble has confirmed 8 rings, and data from the W. M. Keck Observatory confirmed a 9th. Hubble and Keck confirmed which galaxy drove through the Bullseye, creating these rings: the blue dwarf galaxy immediately center-left.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Today is October 2. On this date in 1917 biochemist Christian de Duve was born. He discovered lysosomes (digestive organelles of the cell) and peroxisomes (organelles that are site of metabolic processes with hydrogen peroxide). Received the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The ultraviolet camera on the European-Chinese Smile mission captured the formation of the full ring of northern lights around the north pole in ultraviolet light.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Today Oct 1. On this date in 2025 primatologist Jane Goodall passed away. Regarded as a pioneer in primate ethology,and described by many as "the world's preeminent chimpanzee expert", was best known for more than 6 decades of field research on social and family life of wild chimpanzees.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A gorgeous Hubble image (using also ground-based data) of the dramatic shape and color of the Ring Nebula, formally known as Messier 57.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Today is Sep 30. On this date in 1882 physicist Hans Geiger was born. Known as the inventor of the Geiger counter, a device used to detect ionizing radiation, and for carrying out the Rutherford scattering experiments, which led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The two galaxies in this Hubble image are not actually very close. The large blue galaxy MCG-02-05-050 is located 65 million light-years from Earth; its brighter smaller companion MCG-02-05-050a, at 675 million light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Today Sep 29. On this date in 1901 physicist Enrico Fermi was born. Developed mathematical statistics required to clarify a large class of subatomic phenomena, explored nuclear transformations by neutrons, and directed 1st controlled chain reaction. Awarded 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This ESO image shows the nebula surrounding AB7, a binary system consisting of one WR-star — highly evolved massive star - and a mid-age massive companion.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Today is Sep 28. On this date in 1895 microbiologist Louis Pasteur passed away. Renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. His research led to remarkable breakthroughs in understanding the causes and prevention of diseases.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A beautiful ESO image of the spiral galaxy NGC 986, which is about 56 million light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Today is Sep 27. On this date in 1918 radio astronomer Martin Ryle was born. He developed revolutionary radio telescopes and used them for accurate location of weak radio sources. Observed some of the most distant known galaxies of the universe. Received Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A Hubble image of the emission nebula NGC 2313. The bright star V565 — surrounded by four prominent diffraction spikes — illuminates a silvery, fan-shaped veil of gas and dust, while the right half of this image is obscured by a dense cloud of dust.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Today is Sep 26. On this date in 1888 poet T.S. Eliot was born. A leader of the Modernist movement in poetry with such works as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943). He exercised a strong influence on Anglo-American culture from the 1920s until late in the 20th century.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This ESO image shows NGC 7098 — a spiral galaxy that lies about 95 million light-years away. It has a duo of distinct ring-like structures that loop around the galaxy’s center. The central region itself hosts a second double feature--a double bar.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today is Sep 25. On this date in 1866 evolutionary biologist Thomas Hunt Morgan was born. In 1933, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on the role of chromosomes in heredity.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The Twin Jet Nebula, or PN M2-9, in this Hubble image, is a striking example of a bipolar planetary nebula.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today is Sep 24. On this date in 1501 polymath Gerolamo Cardano was born. His interests and proficiencies ranged through mathematics, medicine, biology, physics, and music. One of the most influential mathematicians of the Renaissance. See my book "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved."

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This ESO image shows a rare case of a triple merger of galaxies. This system, which astronomers have dubbed 'The Bird' - although it also bears resemblance with a cosmic Tinker Bell - is composed of two massive spiral galaxies and a third irregular galaxy.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today is Sep 23. On this date in 1877 mathematician Urbain Le Verrier passed away. He specialized in celestial mechanics and is best known for predicting the existence and position of Neptune using only mathematics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This Hubble image features the giant nebula NGC 2014 and its neighbor NGC 2020 which together form part of a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today is Sep 22. On this date in 1791 Michael Faraday was born.Contributed vastly to study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. Main discoveries include principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism,and electrolysis. One of the most influential scientists in history.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In this ESO image, NGC 6769 (right) NGC 6770 (left), together with NGC 6771 (down), are sometimes called "The Devil's Mask."

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Today is September 21. On this date in 1926 physicist Donald Glaser was born. Recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize for Physics for his invention and development of the bubble chamber, an instrument used in high-energy physics laboratories to observe the behavior of subatomic particles.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Calabash Nebula (OH 231.8+04.22) in this Hubble image is an example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. This image shows the star going through a relatively rapid transformation from a red giant to a planetary nebula.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Today Sep 20. On this date in 1996 Paul Erdős passed away. One of most prolific mathematicians of 20th century. Pursued and proposed problems in discrete mathematics, graph theory, number theory, analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory. My Erdős number is 4.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

An ESO image of the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 7424, which is at a distance of about 40 million light-years from Earth.

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