Very cool update on 3I/ATLAS: the Vera Rubin Observatory (which hasn’t even got its survey going yet) has found images of the interstellar object going back to June 21, clearly showing a coma (that’s also expanding over time). Deffo a comet. (Not aliens.) arxiv.org/pdf/2507.13409

What's the deal with private spaceflight? What are the pros & cons? Is it just turning space into a playground for the ultra-wealthy, or are there benefits for all? Check out my chat with CNN's Clare Duffy on her "Terms of Service" podcast to find out: youtube.com/watch?v=iXnvLi…

While we're posting fresh space vids, I've gotta give a shout to this excellent WIRED Q&A with NASA astrobiologist David Grinspoon fielding all the internet's burning queries about alien life. Watch it! youtube.com/watch?v=1r_p_Z…

Now on Scientific American: Scientists superheated gold to almost 19,000 °C, and astonishingly the gold didn't melt. The discovery seems to upend longstanding predictions of thermodynamics, defying what's known as the "entropy catastrophe." By Clara Moskowitz. scientificamerican.com/article/physic…

Now on Scientific American, by Dr. Nadia Drake: The U.S. just axed CMB-S4, its boldest cosmology experiment in generations. Meant to confirm cosmic inflation, instead the project was doomed by tight budgets and crumbling infrastructure. What comes next? Read our story! scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-en…

Now on Scientific American, from our columnist Phil Plait: The sky is falling—from another star. There's no "Chicken Little" nonsense here, though—this is legit: Some fraction of the meteors that streak thru Earth's skies are from beyond the solar system! scientificamerican.com/article/inters…

Thrilled to be here in DC for the duration of the #HWO25 conference. Eager to learn more about this next chapter of astronomy, astrophysics, and astrobiology! If you want to chat about the project with this ink-stained wretch, ping me here or find me in person.

The Habitable Worlds Observatory is early in its development as a large infrared/optical/ultraviolet space telescope. Many designs are under consideration, including this artist's concept animation. More about the planned observatory: go.nasa.gov/HWO #HWO2025 #HWO25

Now on Scientific American: NASA’s new plan for a nuclear reactor on the Moon could be a lunar land grab. scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-b…

Now on Scientific American: Has JWST spied ancient light from primordial black holes? By Conor Feehly. scientificamerican.com/article/the-ja…

Two satellites have changed the game in the last 10 years for farmers, scientists, oil & gas companies, other companies. They are the OCO satellites—Orbiting Carbon Observatories. Used daily. The Trump Administration has ordered one destroyed, the other turned off. Why? —>

For decades, NASA has been a driver of scientific innovation that benefits our economy and national security. Now, we risk losing that if this Administration continues to gut NASA’s workforce and its budget. Read my @NYTimes op-ed on why it’s not too late to change course.

Now on Scientific American: Brutal budget cuts for NASA could halt space missions, hinder climate research, and cede U.S. sci-tech leadership to other nations. At least, that's what John Grunsfeld John Grunsfeld—and every other living former NASA science chief—says. scientificamerican.com/podcast/episod…

Now on Scientific American: While the Trump administration is ordering NASA to build a lunar nuclear reactor by 2030, it's also proposing $ cuts that'd end the space agency's nuclear-powered exploration of the solar system. Will Congress push back? By Hannah Richter. scientificamerican.com/article/trump-…

En route to the intriguing metallic asteroid Psyche, the Mission To Psyche spacecraft looked back toward Earth... ...and got this view of our planet and its Moon as two tiny lights floating in the great depths of space. jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-psy…

Now on Scientific American: Carbon dioxide may be the most important—and most misunderstood—molecule on Earth. Peter🌲Brannen explains why in his brilliant, epic new book—and in this conversation with me. I hope you read both! scientificamerican.com/article/carbon…

Now on Scientific American: “Kaboom” is not the sound you want a rocket ship to make, as a rule. Yet that’s the problem facing SpaceX’s Starship. Instead of going to space, it keeps going kaboom. Will this Sunday’s test flight be different? Stay tuned. By Adam Rogers. scientificamerican.com/article/why-do…

“Anyone who tells you they know what 4° C of warming or more in a century will actually mean—or what that will look like on a planet gripped by ice ages for the past 3 million years—is full of shit. Especially if they’re an economist.” Wise words from Peter🌲Brannen’s great book