Michael Battalio
@battalio.com
Research Scientist at Yale studying planetary climates
Pinned
Michael Battalio
@battalio.com
· Nov 11
Intro thread: I’m a #climate and #planetary scientist. I try to find atmospheric processes common across planets. I interpret each planet as an instance on a continuum of possible climates. Without exception, I’ve found that cool stuff that happens on one has parallels to help interpret the others.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
I think this is right - but the state and U administrations are betting that 1) the prospect of being fired and then suing will be untenable for most faculty, so they'll conform their teaching instead; and 2) when fired faculty do sue, litigation will be protracted & the outcome will be uncertain
Texas Universities are now like police departments who would prefer to pay out the inevitable lawsuits rather than stop breaking the law
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
December 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I think this is right - but the state and U administrations are betting that 1) the prospect of being fired and then suing will be untenable for most faculty, so they'll conform their teaching instead; and 2) when fired faculty do sue, litigation will be protracted & the outcome will be uncertain
Reposted by Michael Battalio
my editor told us to try to keep our "best of" lists to five or less, but i found a workaround...
the climate story of the year, imo, was attacks on science
the climate story of the year, imo, was attacks on science
Reflecting on a year of attacks on climate science (and three other stories)
One of the defining themes of the past 11 months, and certainly one most pertinent to the climate beat, was “attacks on science and expertise,” which seem likely to continue into 2026.
thebulletin.org
December 26, 2025 at 3:44 PM
my editor told us to try to keep our "best of" lists to five or less, but i found a workaround...
the climate story of the year, imo, was attacks on science
the climate story of the year, imo, was attacks on science
If the goal is to start filtering towards sniveling, obsequious mediocrity, congrats I guess. For one, I’m never going to apply for a position at my alma mater ever again. Pathetic and disgraceful.
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M won’t reinstate fired lecturer despite findings
A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
www.texastribune.org
December 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
If the goal is to start filtering towards sniveling, obsequious mediocrity, congrats I guess. For one, I’m never going to apply for a position at my alma mater ever again. Pathetic and disgraceful.
Twenty-fourth Annual Christmas Mass Email on your Personal Continuum
December 25, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Twenty-fourth Annual Christmas Mass Email on your Personal Continuum
Reposted by Michael Battalio
And as several theologians and religious studies scholars have noted, what that student did — lazily waving in the direction of the Bible, never even citing Scripture much less delving into it — would’ve gotten an F In their courses.
She’s not a victim.
She’s not a victim.
December 24, 2025 at 4:17 PM
And as several theologians and religious studies scholars have noted, what that student did — lazily waving in the direction of the Bible, never even citing Scripture much less delving into it — would’ve gotten an F In their courses.
She’s not a victim.
She’s not a victim.
The student deserved the 0, and I would not have been as nice. If you go out of your way to make show of not doing the assignment, I'm not wasting my time with as much constructive critique as the now-fired grad student. The student still deserves a 0 because again, they DIDN'T DO THE ASSIGNMENT.
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
The student deserved the 0, and I would not have been as nice. If you go out of your way to make show of not doing the assignment, I'm not wasting my time with as much constructive critique as the now-fired grad student. The student still deserves a 0 because again, they DIDN'T DO THE ASSIGNMENT.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
I really am tired of weaponization of government, especially after Biden bent over backwards to help red states.
Sean Duffy on blue states: "What I can do is I can pull their money. That's the leverage I do have ... I guarantee you that the federal taxpayer is not going to fund their roads and bridges and their systems when they are putting illegals on the roads."
December 23, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I really am tired of weaponization of government, especially after Biden bent over backwards to help red states.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
🌪️ Our ExoMars TGO spacecraft captured these images of whirlwinds of dust on the Mars surface.
🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
December 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
🌪️ Our ExoMars TGO spacecraft captured these images of whirlwinds of dust on the Mars surface.
🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔗 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
I actually hope MY is getting paid by fossil fuel lobbyists, because the alternative is he's being a dumdum for free. The best time to stop listening to MY was any time before today, the second best time is today. He isn't edgy; he isn't winning elections; he's just attention seeking.
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I actually hope MY is getting paid by fossil fuel lobbyists, because the alternative is he's being a dumdum for free. The best time to stop listening to MY was any time before today, the second best time is today. He isn't edgy; he isn't winning elections; he's just attention seeking.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
I wanted to do a quick thread about this paper led by a great postdoc here at JPL, Flavio Petricca, which suggests that Titan may not have a global ocean after all. www.nasa.gov/solar-system...
NASA Study Suggests Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have Global Ocean - NASA
A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface. But
www.nasa.gov
December 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
I wanted to do a quick thread about this paper led by a great postdoc here at JPL, Flavio Petricca, which suggests that Titan may not have a global ocean after all. www.nasa.gov/solar-system...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
December 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Here’s how you can help #SaveNCAR!
AGU has a Congressional email and call script up on NCAR:
Save NCAR from being dismantled today!
The Trump Administration has vowed to dissolve the center that provides critical extreme weather and climate data for our nation.
agu.quorum.us
December 18, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Here’s how you can help #SaveNCAR!
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Time to repurpose #AGU25 as a mass mobilization in support of NCAR, NSF, NOAA, NASA, USGS, DOE BER, and the Congressional power of the purse.
December 17, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Time to repurpose #AGU25 as a mass mobilization in support of NCAR, NSF, NOAA, NASA, USGS, DOE BER, and the Congressional power of the purse.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
December 17, 2025 at 2:52 AM
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
Reposted by Michael Battalio
WTAF?!
Also, for the love of God, can we not refer to NCAR As a “climate lab?” It does a hell of a lot more than just climate.
Also, for the love of God, can we not refer to NCAR As a “climate lab?” It does a hell of a lot more than just climate.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 1:44 AM
WTAF?!
Also, for the love of God, can we not refer to NCAR As a “climate lab?” It does a hell of a lot more than just climate.
Also, for the love of God, can we not refer to NCAR As a “climate lab?” It does a hell of a lot more than just climate.
Congrats to my mentor, Prof. Juan Lora for getting tenure at Yale. He is among the wisest people I know for no other reason than he maintains 0 social media presence.
December 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Congrats to my mentor, Prof. Juan Lora for getting tenure at Yale. He is among the wisest people I know for no other reason than he maintains 0 social media presence.
As we approach the next cutoff for the NASA planetary science grant program that was consolidated into a new format this year, it would have been nice to have gotten reviews from the cutoff in Sept, but with the shutdown, there was really no way to have hoped for that. I guess we go in blind again.
December 15, 2025 at 10:08 PM
As we approach the next cutoff for the NASA planetary science grant program that was consolidated into a new format this year, it would have been nice to have gotten reviews from the cutoff in Sept, but with the shutdown, there was really no way to have hoped for that. I guess we go in blind again.
Proud to see the first paper (out in @agu.org JGRPlanets) from Dr. Campbell, the postdoc @sguzewich.bsky.social and I mentor. She did a spectacular job explaining the source of the odd dust activity (called the B-storm) during Mars's SH summer. #planetaryscience #Mars 🪐🧪🔭
doi.org/10.1029/2025...
doi.org/10.1029/2025...
December 15, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Proud to see the first paper (out in @agu.org JGRPlanets) from Dr. Campbell, the postdoc @sguzewich.bsky.social and I mentor. She did a spectacular job explaining the source of the odd dust activity (called the B-storm) during Mars's SH summer. #planetaryscience #Mars 🪐🧪🔭
doi.org/10.1029/2025...
doi.org/10.1029/2025...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Telemetry analysis "suggests that the MAVEN spacecraft was rotating in an unexpected manner when it emerged from behind Mars. Further, the frequency of the tracking signal suggests MAVEN’s orbit trajectory may have changed." science.nasa.gov/blogs/maven/...
NASA Continues MAVEN Spacecraft Recontact Efforts - NASA Science
NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission team, in partnership with the agency’s Deep Space Network, continues recovery activities after
science.nasa.gov
December 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Telemetry analysis "suggests that the MAVEN spacecraft was rotating in an unexpected manner when it emerged from behind Mars. Further, the frequency of the tracking signal suggests MAVEN’s orbit trajectory may have changed." science.nasa.gov/blogs/maven/...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Excellent post from @andrewdessler.com . The analysis of how a trend can be hidden in a highly variable environment is fascinating.
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/tcb-quick-...
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/tcb-quick-...
TCB quick hit: How climate change broke the Pacific Northwest’s plumbing
It’s not just wetter storms—it’s also the important shift from snow to rain
www.theclimatebrink.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Excellent post from @andrewdessler.com . The analysis of how a trend can be hidden in a highly variable environment is fascinating.
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/tcb-quick-...
www.theclimatebrink.com/p/tcb-quick-...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
One of the few impressive achievements during Trump 45 was Operation Warp Speed, which created best-in-the-world COVID-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives.
It is ironic that Trump has torched that legacy to pander to RFKj and anti-vax loons.
It is ironic that Trump has torched that legacy to pander to RFKj and anti-vax loons.
December 15, 2025 at 12:50 PM
One of the few impressive achievements during Trump 45 was Operation Warp Speed, which created best-in-the-world COVID-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives.
It is ironic that Trump has torched that legacy to pander to RFKj and anti-vax loons.
It is ironic that Trump has torched that legacy to pander to RFKj and anti-vax loons.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
The number of active satellites in orbit has now passed the 14000 mark according to my estimates:
December 15, 2025 at 1:22 PM
The number of active satellites in orbit has now passed the 14000 mark according to my estimates:
Reposted by Michael Battalio
So incredibly proud of the @wclivestream.bsky.social team. And I am deeply grateful to work at such an incredible organization that supported me in this effort. Please continue to support science and scientific funding!!
It’s been a rough year for science. But bright spots remain! We’re honoring our 2025 Science Defenders: people who use science to improve the world, taking a stand to protect science from political or other interference.
First up: Dr. Marc Alessi from the Weather & Climate Livestream team!
First up: Dr. Marc Alessi from the Weather & Climate Livestream team!
December 11, 2025 at 6:38 PM
So incredibly proud of the @wclivestream.bsky.social team. And I am deeply grateful to work at such an incredible organization that supported me in this effort. Please continue to support science and scientific funding!!
I’m proud to have participated in this, and I’m delighted this team is being recognized for their hard work. They deserve it.
We are so honored to be recognized by @ucs.org along with this year's other amazing Science Defenders! The full livestream is now up and available to watch at: wclivestream.com
It’s been a rough year for science. But bright spots remain! We’re honoring our 2025 Science Defenders: people who use science to improve the world, taking a stand to protect science from political or other interference.
First up: Dr. Marc Alessi from the Weather & Climate Livestream team!
First up: Dr. Marc Alessi from the Weather & Climate Livestream team!
December 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I’m proud to have participated in this, and I’m delighted this team is being recognized for their hard work. They deserve it.
Wrote to @delauro.house.gov of @ctdems.bsky.social about this. She's the minority leader on appropriations and been in congress since 1991. We need new Dem leaders top to bottom. They're clueless.
December 12, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Wrote to @delauro.house.gov of @ctdems.bsky.social about this. She's the minority leader on appropriations and been in congress since 1991. We need new Dem leaders top to bottom. They're clueless.