Helen Thompson

On moonshots and Minneapolis Space exploration can bring people together and reflect deep societal divisions.

Space missions are touted for their power to unite humankind, but they also bring our earthly problems into sharp relief.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moon-landing-minneapolis-ice

Raccoons: Domesticated by a nose? Are raccoons headed toward pet-dom?

Are raccoons on the fast track (or very, very slow track) to domestication?

I don't think so. brookshire-team-trash.beehiiv.com/p/raccoons-d...

Except that drunk one passed out in the Virginia liquor store. She gets a pass.

James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.

"He did care what his obituaries would say. He knew his racist and sexist assertions would feature in them. Not even that could make him reconsider his beliefs, which only seemed to harden with criticism. Now history can reach its verdict."

www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...

This has the tea I needed in a Watson obit. ☕️☕️☕️

After 5️⃣5️⃣9️⃣ days of negotiations, @sn-media-guild.bsky.social is now on the eve of our first-ever strike. We love our jobs. We just want a sustainable workplace.

Support us by spreading the word or joining my DC-based colleagues on the picket line!

An inside look into NASA's next generation moon rovers A retro-futuristic space truck. A nimble crustacean on wheels. A space-age dune buggy. One will win a multibillion-dollar prize to deploy on a future NASA Artemis mission. But first, we took a ride on...

NEW: Intuitive Machines, Astrolab, and Lunar Outpost have all built seriously cool, super-futuristic moon rovers. They’re competing to become the official mode of transportation for NASA’s Artemis astronauts.

And for NatGeo, I test drove all three. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

It's me. The first raise is higher than my yearly salary. (And the 2nd comes VERY close.)

It's been 540+ days since we started negotiating with
@society4science.bsky.social for a fair contract. We marked the occasion by holding a practice picket during our lunch hour. Judging by all the honking cars and trucks, we think it's safe to say DC commuters are with us!

#faircontractNOW

NASA's Artemis II ushers in a new era of human exploration NASA's Artemis II mission could happen as early as February. Here's why this flight will be one to watch.

Meet Artemis II: the first mission to send humans around the moon since 1972. I’ll be covering this mission for National Geographic, so you’ll be seeing a lot from me about it, but here’s the first:

www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

Is #tylenol safe in pregnancy? Data 👇

A large Swedish study of 2.48M children found:

👶 No link btwn prenatal tylenol & autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability once sibling comparisons controlled for family/genetic factors.

👉 Tylenol is safe in pregnancy if needed.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

This is the best evidence yet for ancient life on Mars NASA’s Perseverance rover found possible signs of ancient life in rocks on Mars, keeping scientists up at night.

In case you missed it: scientists found this sign of possible past life on Mars! My latest for Nat Geo:
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

American Academy of Pediatrics has released our annual update to our immunization recommendations to best help children and adolescents build immunity and stay healthy.
Read our full policy statement to learn about AAP's updated immunization schedule.
www.aap.org/en/news-room...

Also transplants saying, "You live in ARLINGTON?!?!?"

That is also a crime I would add to the list.

The fact that Maryland drivers are not mentioned anywhere on this list is in itself a crime.

What caused the 8.8 magnitude quake that sent tsunamis to Hawaii and California Here's what we know about what caused the earthquake off Russia's Far East and why the tsunami it generated weren't as big as anticipated.

NEW: A magnitude 8.8 megaquake blasted tsunami waves across the Pacific today. Here's everything you need to know about it, including:

-Why it happened
-Why it generated a widespread tsunami
-Why the timing of this megaquake is a bit weird

Me, for NatGeo www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

I’m no giraffe but I’m sticking my neck out to say it’s not fair that the C-suite gets raises greater than many employees salaries while Guild members haven’t gotten a raise since bargaining began.

a cream-colored dog looks up at the camera with her ears back a bit. she has a magnificent underbite on display, with eight teeth sticking up from her bottom jaw like a little frame for her nose.

This is Susan. She has a smile that could light up a room, and independently finance the local orthodontist. 12/10

Our solar system has a new mysterious visitor—what is it? Just the third-ever confirmed interstellar object has been detected in our solar system. Here's what we know. (Spoiler: It's not aliens.)

NEW: Come on, you didn’t think I’d write nothing on that new interstellar comet, even while on holiday, did you? Pfft.

Here’s everything we know so far about the solar system’s new gatecrasher, from its size, shape, origins and voyage. ☄️

www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Bee-hind 💀

Could T. rex swim? Kinda Evidence suggests dinosaurs like tyrannosaurs were probably best suited to a version of the doggy paddle.

Could Tyrannosaurus rex swim like its silver screen equivalent in the new Jurassic World film?

The big carnivore was probably able to do the dino doggypaddle, but a big body full of air sacs may have been the reptile more of a "tipsy punter" than a skilled swimmer. I dig in at NatGeo. 🧪

#Shingles, #RSV vaccines may protect older adults from dementia

Compared with flu vaccine recipients, those given the RSV or shingles vaccine had 18% to 37% lower odds, respectively, of receiving a dementia diagnosis in the next 18 months.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/r...

A 3-D printed, plastic beaker could help algae grow on Mars Algae grown under Mars-like conditions could make bioplastic building materials for structures to harbor life in space.

Maybe if Mark Watney had some algae and a 3D printer on Mars, he could have grown even more potatoes

www.sciencenews.org/article/biop...

Who was Vera Rubin? Here’s what to know about the astronomer behind dark matter. How the pioneering scientist, and namesake of an enormous new telescope, forced astronomers to rethink the universe.

And finally, now seems as good a time as any to explore the legacy of Rubin herself. "It is a blueprint for humanity—to be curious, never assume, and above all be kind," Ashley Yeager wrote in an essay published earlier this month. Read the full piece here: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

The 4 biggest mysteries the new Vera Rubin Observatory could solve No telescope has basked in the night sky quite like this before. Here's what it could reveal about the universe.

Speaking of mysteries, ‪@marinakoren.bsky.social‬ delved into the key conundrums that Rubin could resolve in its work over the next decade—including cosmic rabbits. Read her full story here: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

These are first deep-space images from the Vera Rubin Observatory The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to discover 20 billion new galaxies over the next decade.

It's Vera Rubin day! We finally got to see what the telescope that will solve all of astronomy's mysteries can do, and it did not disappoint. Read @prosaaquino.bsky.social's full story on the first look images for Nat Geo here: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Asteroids with ‘unstable orbits’ hide around Venus—do they threaten Earth? New research on the orbits of these mysterious asteroids near Venus stress the need for better space rock surveillance.

NEW: You’ve probably seen a few scary headlines (and histrionic stories) about asteroids hiding near Venus that might crash into Earth. So should we be concerned about a fleet of stealthy asteroids killing us all?

(Nah. But we should try to find them!) www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Will the Milky Way crash into the Andromeda galaxy? Maybe not. Astronomers have long thought that the Milky Way is headed for a head-on crash with its neighbor, Andromeda. But a new study complicates the story.

NEW: Astronomers have long predicted that the Andromeda Galaxy will one day crash into the Milky Way. Well, good news, future time travellers: scientists now think that the pull of a small, nearby galaxy might just save our galactic bacon.

Me for NatGeo www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

HHS cancels funding for Moderna’s candidate H5 avian flu and pandemic vaccines

Buoyed by promising clinical findings, Moderna said it will explore alternatives for late-stage development of the H5 vaccine.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...

A classic

It’s Mary Anning’s birthday, so time to share @katebeaton.bsky.social’s brilliant cartoon again.