The SciSchmooze
Greetings again, friends of science,
Sempa xitlajpaloca, nohuampoyohua tlen ciencia,
Nearly 2 million people speak Nahuatl (Eastern Huasteca) in Mexico
Every year with the coming of the month of May, the catchy tune of the Lusty Month of May becomes an earworm. The song is from Lerner & Loewe’s Broadway musical “Camelot” starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet. (The above link, however, is for a slightly bowdlerized version of the song from the 1967 Warner Brothers movie of Camelot.)
On Saturdays, i join a group of folk at the Grocery Outlet in San Pablo at 11AM to protest actions of our current federal administration. The number of protesters keeps growing. The percentage of the drivers of passing cars that honk or wave keeps growing. The number of deplorable statements and actions of our federal administration keeps growing. Allow me to limit my following comments to actions regarding science.
All 22 Board Members of the National Science Foundation [NSF] were fired last week. They administered $9 billion of scientific research; that’s 1.3¢ of each tax dollar. The Administration is cutting the NSF budget to $4 billion; that’s 0.6¢ of each tax dollar and less than 15% of what we’ve spent on the war with Iran.
The Administration plans to reduce the NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] budget by 36% and eliminate 35 projects and institutes. Among them:
> Climate and Weather Research
> Air Chemistry Research
> Ocean Acidification Studies
> Estuarine Research
> National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
> Integrated Ocean Observing System
> Coral Reef Conservation Program
> Habitat Conservation and Restoration
> Community Project Funding
> Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery
> Species Recovery Programs
> Marine Sanctuary Creation
The Environmental Protection Agency’s budget was reduced by over half. The E.P.A. laid off over 1500 scientists. Only 124 scientists are left and some of those have been reassigned to clerical duties. The E.P.A. no longer researches climate change, the pollution of lakes and rivers, or health effects of air pollutants and toxic chemicals.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) created a superior computer climate model for weather forecasting that was adopted this year by the National Weather Service. The White House is shutting NCAR down for promoting “climate alarmism”.
SPACE
I wish there were room to show a much larger view of this graphic. It incorporates a lot of fascinating information. Each colored circle represents an asteroid that passed or will pass close to Earth from 2024 through 2040.
> Circle sizes indicate asteroid sizes on a logarithmic scale. See gray circles above 2038.
> Circle colors indicate the relative velocity the asteroids passed – or will pass – Earth.
> Vertical placement of each circle shows how close the pass was – or will be.
> The vertical scale is in multiples of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
> There are many circles in the past since most of these were only detected as they whizzed by.
Example: The large purple asteroid #137108 sits almost exactly on the #1 horizontal line just to the left of 2028; therefore it is hundreds of meters in diameter and will pass close to the moon at high velocity next year. The asteroid is also known as 1999 AN10.
CLIMATE
I just recently learned about the “Aerosol Dilemma.” Sulphate aerosols cause respiratory harm, are detrimental to ecosystems, and contribute to smoggy skies. Pollution regulations have decreased industrial sulphate emissions and the haze. Good. However, that haze increased the atmosphere’s reflectivity and helped keep the planet from overheating. Dilemma: the air is now better for us and for the biosphere but the decrease in aerosols is accelerating global warming! Oy vey!
Global warming of course includes warming of the oceans that cover 71% of our planet’s surface. About 90% of all of Earth’s warming is in the warming of the oceans. As the oceans warm and the atmospheric CO2 concentration increases, CO2 more easily dissolves into the water making seawater more acidic which hinders the ability of sea creatures to form their shells: nautiloids, clams, corals, sea urchins, barnacles, chitons, snails, shrimp, crabs, copepods, lobsters, turtles, tunicates, and many more.
The “First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels” held in Colombia ended on Thursday. Diplomats from 57 countries attended along with NGOs, indigenous peoples, scientists, et al. The United States government was not invited for obvious reasons. Global investment in the transition away from fossil fuel energy hit a record $2.3 trillion in 2025, up 8% from 2024. The three largest amounts were for electrified transport ($893 billion), renewable energy ($690 billion), and grid investment ($483 billion).
PALEONTOLOGY
We have found only a few places on Earth that have fossils with soft tissue impressions of animals living during the Cambrian. One such fossil trove is the Huayuan biota in Hunan, China. To date, 153 marine animal species have been found there, all dating to 512 million years ago. Many species found there were already known from the Burgess Shales in Canada, meaning that a contiguous ocean covered both sites. However, 59% of the Huayuan biota are new to science. The fossil above is about 65 cm long (25 inches). That’s about as long as our cat – including her tail.
FUN NERDY VIDEOS
Analysis – Octopus Style – Emma Wildlife – 1 min
Chonkers: A Sea-lebrity – KTVU News – 3 mins
A Stellar San Francisco pinniped
What is Time – Sabine Hossenfelder – 6 mins (17 Dec 2025)
¿Is it time to eat yet?
Supermountains and Biological Evolution – PBS Eons – Gabriel Santos – 9.5 mins
¿Supplied iron, phosphorus, & calcium for life?
¿Why is there Matter in the Universe? – Star Talk – Neil deGrasse Tyson – 11 mins
This matters!
Small Modular Reactor Controversy – Just Have a Think – David Borlace – 14 mins
With large issues
The Earth’s Inner Core – PBS SpaceTime – Matt O’Dowd – 17 mins
A new state of matter
Artemis II Crew public debrief – NASA – 17.5
Are we all part of the Earth’s crew?
AI Agents: The Best & the Worst Things Ever – Hannah Fry – 20 mins
You must watch this!
The Threat of Chemical Polymorphs – Veritaseum – Derek Muller – 33.5 mins
Some ‘chemicals’ are no longer possible – on Earth anyway
Sodium – Tales from the Periodic Table – Ron Hipschman – 48 mins
Face to Face with Orcas – Slice Wild – David Reichert – 51 mins
Orca, Elephant Seal, King Penguin, Black-Faced Sheathbill, Brown Skua, Albatross, Human
Largest Dinosaur Ever Discovered – TVO Docs – David Attenborough – 58 mins
Amazingly huge!
NERDY AUDIOS
Earth Day Special: Saving the Planet (again) – Scientific American – 20 mins
Every day is Earth Day
Knowing that experiences are just as real for others as they are for you; that’s empathy.
Dave Almandsmith, Bay Area Skeptics
“If you have no data I guess you can just assume things are safe.”
— L. Earl Gray Jr: Toxicologist and 30-year veteran at the Environmental Protection Agency commenting on the dismissal of his research unit.