In the two weeks since I last wrote the SciSchmooze, so much has happened in the world related to science that I’m not sure where to begin. I usually start collecting articles in the two weeks prior to the issue and have 10 - 15 to write about. Today, I have 28! Things have happened so fast, however, that some of them are sure to be outdated. So let’s see if I can make heads or tails of what I’ve saved for this issue.
Have you ever suddenly wondered about a perfectly normal English word that you probably use now and then? I woke up the other day with the word “bushel” stuck in my thoughts. The more I wondered about why it was there, the stranger the word seemed.
I know how the word came into my head. The night before, I was in the YouTube rabbit hole again, watching a post from a young farmer in Nebraska who was talking about how many bushels of corn from her farm she was taking to the storage facility. My subconscous must have been working on this for me to wake up wit
It is the last week of the first month of 2025, and already it has been an unprecedented month. From the fires in and around Los Angeles to Trump’s first week in office, a lot has happened.
Let’s start with the end of the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Gaia saw first light in July, 2014. As the image above shows, it was busy, lasting almost twice as long as expected.
Gaia’s primary mission was to develop a precise map of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. Data from the mission is still being analyzed and we can expect more announcement of discoverie
Perseverance Rover, from Jezero Crater, Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Hello again Science fans!
Like me, most of you are probably preparing for Thanksgiving, that annual tradition of food, football and family. I’ve got my turkey and the ingredients for some sides, and am only short cranberry sauce. The deli counter in my local market hasn’t got theirs out yet.
We have a lot of news to report, mostly astronomical. So lets jump in, starting with Mars.
It has been a busy few weeks, so let’s get right into it.
As you may have heard, there’s a lot going on up in the night sky. The Aurora Borealis has been seen quite far south again, including some sightings in the Bay Area. Alex Filippenko, famed UC Berkeley astronomer, sent this update:
The Sun has been very active the past few weeks, with many big sunspots visible (e.g.,
Did you notice a change today? Me either, but at 5:44 AM today, astronomical Autumn began in the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox. So happy fall.
Our calendar has gotten much more active now that schools are back in session and more seminars are on the schedules. We’re listing 94 events over the next two weeks. More will be added to our calendar as we find them, and some already listed will be updated as titles, abstracts, and speakers are provided. As always, should you want to attend an event we list, click through to the host’s website for any last minute updates or cancellations. Or
