There's a hole in the Moon.

And sometime soon we may begin to explore it, study it, and even live in it. 

https://eos.org/articles/lunar-lava-tube-revealed-beneath-collapsed-pit #science #nasa #space #astronomy #moon

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/972/239/180/646/675/original/ac34a8f5af71f863.mp4 

 For decades, astronomers have dreamed of setting up an observatory on the far side of the Moon. I read about it as a kid. Now it's happening!

The LuSEE-Night radio telescope is under construction, and is scheduled to land on the lunar farside in 2025. It's a pathfinder for a much bigger radio telescope that would follow. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/09/26/listening-to-the-radio-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon/ #space #nasa #science

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/269/647/306/299/744/original/79f4313961bc3527.jpg 

 I just took the plunge & started my own Substack. It's called "Invisible Universe," and it covers celestial wonders at the edge of human perception, or beyond. Black holes, radio galaxies, alien life, and events from long before we existed: I'll be exploring it all. 

In my first column, I look at how technology turned us all into cosmic beings. I also get into a fight with Henry David Thoreau. 

Hope you enjoy it!
https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/enter-the-invisible-universe #science #substack #nature

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/190/008/958/649/830/original/b23810d324fadec8.jpg 

 I love a science mystery, and this is a good one:
About once a year, a mysterious blue flash appears from a different part of the sky, then fades in a matter of days. Nobody knows what these things are. And the latest one, nicknamed "the Finch," may be the strangest one yet. 
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-finds-bizarre-explosion-in-unexpected-place #science #astronomy #astrodon

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/189/192/687/735/380/original/f6f1151c6462e59b.jpg 

 Jupiter's moon Europa has an enormous salty ocean, probably heated from below by hydrothermal vents. Now it seem that Europa has an internal source of carbon, too -- making an even more exciting argument that life could exist there. 

New story by me for Nautilus Magazine. 
https://nautil.us/a-crucial-ingredient-for-life-is-bubbling-up-on-europa-406356/?_sp=a8169950-1b69-4cac-b479-67dd5d11895e.1696434722927 #life #science #astronomy

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/184/361/310/094/122/original/45644fe8ed1a09ce.jpeg 

 The difference in engagement here vs the ex-bird site is staggering. 

I did an experiment. My last post was shared 12 times over there (where I allegedly have 85k followers). A nearly identical post was shared 361 times here (where I have fewer than 6k followers). Amazing.

#fediverse #mastodon 

 The story about Katalin Karikó's early career comes from the new book "A Shot to Save the World" by Gregory Zuckerman.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678673/a-shot-to-save-the-world-by-gregory-zuckerman/ 

 Shocking story about mRNA pioneer/Nobel winner Katalin Karikó, whose early advisor at Temple tried to have her deported & derailed her career because she dared to look for a better-paying job.

Later, UPenn demoted her, then forced her out, because her research wasn't bringing in enough funding. #NobelPrize #science [HT Paul Novosad]

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/177/522/984/614/601/original/15b69bf0140acc6a.jpg 

 Quantum dots are everywhere: in research, TVs, and now the Nobel prize. They are also fascinating systems that exist in the gray zone between quantum and classical physics. No time like the present to learn how they work! 
Here's a good (though slightly technical) breakdown: 
https://physicsopenlab.org/2015/11/20/quantum-dots-a-true-particle-in-a-box-system/ #nobel #science #tech

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/177/416/951/550/552/original/d9f56d4487e0267c.png 

 Mysterious "superbolts" are 1000x as intense as regular lightning, packing a 100-billion-volt wallop. 

A new study finds that superbolts also strike in unexpected places--especially over water in the North Atlantic & Mediterranean. 
#earth #science #nature 
https://news.agu.org/press-release/scientists-figured-out-what-causes-earths-strongest-lightning

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/167/852/117/767/386/original/2841d50c100ca9c7.jpg 

 Astronomers have produced the best picture yet of the "cosmic web."  This enormous network of matter feeds the growth of galaxies & defines the large-scale architecture of the universe. 
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/cosmic-web-lights-up-in-the-darkness-of-space #science #astronomy #astrodon

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/143/488/708/588/798/original/94c896397b5a835f.mp4 

 A billion years of plate tectonics, condensed into 40 seconds. 
This dance of continents and oceans has gone hand in hand with the emergence of complex life on Earth. 
https://set.adelaide.edu.au/news/list/2021/02/12/tectonic-time-lapse-one-billion-years-of-earths-history-in-40-seconds #earth #science #history

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/134/220/467/411/715/original/5b66d3162f2a6182.mp4 

 A surveillance camera captured the sound of meteorite fragments raining down on an outdoor patio table near Nançay, France, last week.
It's rare to see a meteorite land. It's even rarer to *hear* it. 
#science #astronomy #space

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/065/152/817/464/271/original/81d0127f23f2f11b.mp3