#science

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The President's "skinny" budget request was released today, and in it NASA gets absolutely decimated. Science is hit with at least $3.426 billion in cuts — less than the leaked passback amount but not by much. This is the largest cut to NASA's budget in American history and if enacted would lead to a surrender of U.S. deep space exploration for generations if enacted. Likewise, NSF stands to be similarly hollowed out at -$3.479 billion for general research and education.

This budget does not make America great. It does exactly the opposite.

When Cornell physicist Robert R. Wilson’s was asked by a Congressional committee member “how a multimillion-dollar particle accelerator improved the security of the country”, Wilson replied "It has only to do with the respect with which we regard one another…. It has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to make it worth defending."

Congress should, …

This is a rock sample library. The rocks are collected from around the world, ground into a fine powder, and cataloged in a big database you can search online. Each of these trays holds about 60 jars, ~23 trays per column, ~50 columns per aisle, and five aisles. This is just their short-term storage facility. Everything is collected and cataloged by hand.

As an apex data consumer, it’s good to appreciate the sheer amount of work which goes into that online database you casually query.

A storage area with metal shelves displaying numerous cardboard boxes, each containing small round containers. The boxes are labeled with alphanumeric codes.
A large storage area filled with metal shelving units containing numerous boxes labeled with serial numbers. The boxes are organized in rows, creating a systematic and orderly appearance. The floor is concrete, and the lighting is bright.

in 1930.

"Pluto" is officially proposed for the name of the newly discovered dwarf planet by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.

It was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh, making it the first known object in the Kuiper belt. However, its planetary status was questioned when it was found to be much smaller than expected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

Books about Pluto at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=pluto&submit_search=Search

Discovery photographs of Pluto. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto#/media/File:Pluto_discovery_plates.png

in 1897.

J. J. Thomson of the Cavendish Laboratory announces his discovery of the electron as a subatomic particle, over 1,800 times smaller than a proton (in the atomic nucleus), at a lecture at the Royal Institution in London.

Thomson made his suggestion following his discovery that cathode rays (at the time known as Lenard rays) could travel much further through air than expected for an atom-sized particle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Thomson

J.J. Thomson at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/38322

The cathode-ray tube by which J. J. Thomson demonstrated that cathode rays could be deflected by a magnetic field, and that their negative charge was not a separate phenomenon JJ Thomson - Philosophical Magazine, 44, 293 (1897)

"We are now almost 100 days in and almost all the warning signs are happening. Key parts of US science are toppling. Since 8 March 2025, I’ve mapped another 51 actions attacking science and universities"

Excellent from Prof Christina Pagel on the threats to science & academia from the Trump dictatorship.

Warning signs realised: Trump’s war on science and the fight to save American academia
https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/warning-signs-realised-trumps-war

Holy crap

The 's admin has fired ALL of the authors of the US govt's signature study that informs federal & local govts on how to prepare for impacts, acc/to an email sent to them on Monday.

The dismissal of nearly 400 contributors to the 6th National Assessment, which is by , leaves the future of the report in doubt since the multi-year, peer-reviewed analysis is due for publication in 2028.


https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/trump-administration-dismisses-all-authors-key-climate-report-email-says-2025-04-28/

replied to Project Gutenberg's status

Let's take a peek inside one of the ALMA antennas! 📡⁠
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The 66 antennas of ALMA are all used to observe the cool Universe. But how does a radio-telescope really ‘see’? 🤔⁠
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First, light is collected by the large dish of an antenna, which is focussed onto the secondary reflector that we can see in the foreground. From there, it goes through one of the several circular windows seen at the centre of this image. Each window leads to a receiver, a device that registers the light collected by the antenna. ⁠
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And did you know? The receivers need to be sealed inside a cryostat that cools them down to –269 ºC, just 4 degrees above absolute zero 🥶⁠

Find out more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2517a/

📷 S. Otarola/ESO

The image is a close up of one the ALMA antennas. In the centre left foreground of the image, is a circular structure held by four support beams that continue outside of the boundaries of the image. In the background is the grey dish made up screwed on panels. To the bottom right in the background is a hole for the receiver cabin, filled with circular and rectangular instruments on a blue plate.