From D1 football to earning a PhD in astrophysics.

What an honor for it all to culminate the day I was hooded as a doctor—being chosen to speak at UCLA’s Physics & Astronomy graduation.

Here’s a clip from my speech that I think applies not just to scientists, but to everybody

🚨Breaking exoplanet discovery🚨UCLA astronomers uncover that Gas giants form via distinctly different pathways from smaller planets 🧵

Everything negative they tried to say about Caitlin Clark was wrong. Phenomenal athlete obviously but very strong character and maturity as well. Every time they put a mic in front of her she demonstrates humility, poise, wisdom, leadership, empathy etc.

Periodic reminder that a scientific ‘theory’:

- makes specific, testable predictions
- can be proven wrong by evidence
- has survived repeated testing

A theory isn't just an idea or hypothesis! It's a well tested explanation of how something works

The crazy thing about doing a PhD is that when you catch up with somebody you haven’t seen in a while they always ask if you’ve graduated “yet” 🫠

No actually please excuse me while I jump off the nearest ledge

Biology enables, culture forbids

Just set my dissertation defense date! A decade ago, I was working nights unloading planes so I could take algebra at community college, chasing a wild dream of becoming an astrophysicist. Now I’m months away from earning a PhD!

Dreams don’t have deadlines. Never quit on yourself 🫶🏽

Ever heard of a “man cold”? This the idea that men exaggerate their symptoms when they get sick? Turns out there might actually be some science behind it. Recent research suggests men’s immune responses may be weaker, leading to more frequent, often more intense infections

Something that becomes clear when learning history and anthropology is a remarkable consistency in human behavior over time. As far back as there is evidence of human activity, there is evidence of humans doing the best and worst imaginable

I embrace being both a scientific realist and an unshakeable optimist

Seeing things as they truly are is the first step toward envisioning what they could become. It’s not easy, but it is simple

No, scientists didn’t discover the “shape” of a photon. The research behind this image is fascinating and important, but this viral claim is misleading. Let’s clear it up:

Grateful to be alive in a time of daily miracles! Instant global communication, modern medicine, the ability to see galaxies billions of light years away from tiny pocket supercomputers. Our most fortunate ancestors couldn’t have imagined this

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!🦃

📸: NASA/ESA/CSA

Hey I know this guy

Evolution isn’t just something that happens to life on Earth—it’s a universal mechanism shaping ALL complex systems. As an astrophysicist, I study evolution on cosmic scales, but social media evolves too. Let’s look at Twitter’s journey through the lens of evolution 🧵

Somebody posted this image and asked “do you think there is life in this picture?”

Most of the replies were some form of ‘yes, based on statistics’ BUT honestly I’m not so sure… let’s try and work it out a bit more quantitatively | 1/3

Grad school advice: Assume people want to help you and see you succeed. Approach others with enthusiasm, share your ideas, reach out for collaborations. In my experience, when I’ve led with that energy, most people have been more than willing to help me along. You’re not in this alone!

Kepler data shows that ~20% of Sunlike stars host an Earthlike planet in the habitable zone

Our galaxy has ~100 billion stars which means there are likely 10s of billions of Earthlike planets in our galaxy alone orbiting their stars at distances where water ~could~ exist as a liquid on its surface

The hardest part about dealing with climate change isn’t technology or even politics—it’s that our socioeconomic system is incapable of valuing anything over growth & profit, not even the survival of the planet

Another platform to spam space content! My lucky day 🙌🏽