Leonie Mercedes
@leoniemercedes.bsky.social
Science writer, doodler, nerd. she/her.
Get a weekly drop of science and silliness, every Friday: https://kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com
Get a weekly drop of science and silliness, every Friday: https://kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
So what is a #Supermoon? Well, the Moon is typically ~¼ million miles away (30 Earths in a row), but thanks to its elliptical orbit, that distance changes. Tonight the Full Moon is 2-Earths closer than normal (221,823 miles away), making it appear ~15% brighter than usual hence #Supermoon! 🔭🧪
If you've got clear skies, go outside and wave at our neighbour who is looking particularly stunning tonight. And if you have them, root out the binoculars to get a closer look at the grey maria: ~3.5 billion years ago these were seas of molten lava 🤓 #supermoon 🔭🧪
November 5, 2025 at 4:04 PM
So what is a #Supermoon? Well, the Moon is typically ~¼ million miles away (30 Earths in a row), but thanks to its elliptical orbit, that distance changes. Tonight the Full Moon is 2-Earths closer than normal (221,823 miles away), making it appear ~15% brighter than usual hence #Supermoon! 🔭🧪
Your regular reminder to rinse and give your cavolo nero a little shake before you cook it, in case it’s harbouring one of these
@royentsoc.bsky.social, what is this guy?
@royentsoc.bsky.social, what is this guy?
October 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Your regular reminder to rinse and give your cavolo nero a little shake before you cook it, in case it’s harbouring one of these
@royentsoc.bsky.social, what is this guy?
@royentsoc.bsky.social, what is this guy?
Was delighted to discover this titbit about Tom Lehrer, the mathematician who put the chemical elements to music:
(Original article here: www.economist.com/prospero/201...)
(Original article here: www.economist.com/prospero/201...)
October 13, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Was delighted to discover this titbit about Tom Lehrer, the mathematician who put the chemical elements to music:
(Original article here: www.economist.com/prospero/201...)
(Original article here: www.economist.com/prospero/201...)
Asian elephants work out we’re paying attention to them by observing how our face and body are oriented: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#scicomm 🧪
#scicomm 🧪
October 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Asian elephants work out we’re paying attention to them by observing how our face and body are oriented: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#scicomm 🧪
#scicomm 🧪
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
Oh dang. This is an excellent analogy.
October 4, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Oh dang. This is an excellent analogy.
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
Big congratulations to Chunk for taking the crown as this year's #FatBearWeek winner! Today feels like as good a day as any to tell you all about a little trick that bears have to ensure pregnancy takes place during OPTIMAL FATNESS.
October 2, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Big congratulations to Chunk for taking the crown as this year's #FatBearWeek winner! Today feels like as good a day as any to tell you all about a little trick that bears have to ensure pregnancy takes place during OPTIMAL FATNESS.
I fell hard for diamonds reporting this feature for #Ingenia – did you know they could play a role in destroying forever chemicals, diagnosing infectious diseases, and making our data centres less energy-hungry?
It's all here: www.ingenia.org.uk/articles/not...
#chemsky #materialsscience 🧪
It's all here: www.ingenia.org.uk/articles/not...
#chemsky #materialsscience 🧪
Not just a pretty face: lab-grown diamonds in engineering
Diamond is an incredibly versatile material that can help us solve some of our biggest problems – from diagnosing diseases earlier to making the electronics underpinning data centres more efficient. L...
www.ingenia.org.uk
October 2, 2025 at 7:06 AM
I fell hard for diamonds reporting this feature for #Ingenia – did you know they could play a role in destroying forever chemicals, diagnosing infectious diseases, and making our data centres less energy-hungry?
It's all here: www.ingenia.org.uk/articles/not...
#chemsky #materialsscience 🧪
It's all here: www.ingenia.org.uk/articles/not...
#chemsky #materialsscience 🧪
Mind blown
Gustav Holst was the school music teacher of Cecilia Payne, who discovered the chemical composition of the stars. He tried to get her to become a musician but she ignored him. She went on to write the most important astrophysics PhD of the 20th century and become the first woman professor at Harvard
#classicalmusic #opera When I see "Gustav Holst" I can't help but wishing that he had stopped writing "The Planets" long before he got to Neptune. 🤮
September 29, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Mind blown
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
#OTD 19 September 1991, walkers in the high Ötztal alps on the Italian border, found a body melting out of the ice. It turned out to be the remains of a c.5200 year old man preserved with all his kit.
Of course, it was essential to replicate him in Playmobil.
1🧵
#PlaymobilÖtzi
#PlaymobilInfestation
Of course, it was essential to replicate him in Playmobil.
1🧵
#PlaymobilÖtzi
#PlaymobilInfestation
September 19, 2025 at 9:18 AM
#OTD 19 September 1991, walkers in the high Ötztal alps on the Italian border, found a body melting out of the ice. It turned out to be the remains of a c.5200 year old man preserved with all his kit.
Of course, it was essential to replicate him in Playmobil.
1🧵
#PlaymobilÖtzi
#PlaymobilInfestation
Of course, it was essential to replicate him in Playmobil.
1🧵
#PlaymobilÖtzi
#PlaymobilInfestation
This week's newsletter lands in about 5 minutes! This week's edition features:
✂️ A couple of Galileo's severed fingers
📐 That time trigonometry saved farmers' bacon
🌿 The scientific reason why those who like coriander are wrong
Subscribe here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/subscribe
#science 🧪
✂️ A couple of Galileo's severed fingers
📐 That time trigonometry saved farmers' bacon
🌿 The scientific reason why those who like coriander are wrong
Subscribe here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/subscribe
#science 🧪
September 19, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This week's newsletter lands in about 5 minutes! This week's edition features:
✂️ A couple of Galileo's severed fingers
📐 That time trigonometry saved farmers' bacon
🌿 The scientific reason why those who like coriander are wrong
Subscribe here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/subscribe
#science 🧪
✂️ A couple of Galileo's severed fingers
📐 That time trigonometry saved farmers' bacon
🌿 The scientific reason why those who like coriander are wrong
Subscribe here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/subscribe
#science 🧪
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
If a group of crows is called a murder then a group of bird watchers should be called an investigation.
September 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM
If a group of crows is called a murder then a group of bird watchers should be called an investigation.
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
The only dating advice book published in the invertebrate world is "How to win friends and protect your sperm during mating"
Tips and life hacks:
Give her a tasty protein tubule for snack
Surrender your own flesh to her gaping maw
Do a sexy dance
🧪🦗
Tips and life hacks:
Give her a tasty protein tubule for snack
Surrender your own flesh to her gaping maw
Do a sexy dance
🧪🦗
August 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The only dating advice book published in the invertebrate world is "How to win friends and protect your sperm during mating"
Tips and life hacks:
Give her a tasty protein tubule for snack
Surrender your own flesh to her gaping maw
Do a sexy dance
🧪🦗
Tips and life hacks:
Give her a tasty protein tubule for snack
Surrender your own flesh to her gaping maw
Do a sexy dance
🧪🦗
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
I didn't realise that there was a precursor to Powers of Ten, made in Canada and called Cosmic Zoom 🙂
#PhysicsEd
#iTeachPhysics
#Science 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgfw...
#PhysicsEd
#iTeachPhysics
#Science 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgfw...
Cosmic Zoom
YouTube video by NFB
www.youtube.com
August 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I didn't realise that there was a precursor to Powers of Ten, made in Canada and called Cosmic Zoom 🙂
#PhysicsEd
#iTeachPhysics
#Science 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgfw...
#PhysicsEd
#iTeachPhysics
#Science 🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgfw...
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
💫 Who taught us that the calcium in our bones and the iron in our blood were born in stars — and then fought to open observatories to women?
Born #OTD in 1919, Eleanor Margaret Burbidge changed both science and who gets to do it. 🔭🧪 #Astronomy #WomenInScience
Born #OTD in 1919, Eleanor Margaret Burbidge changed both science and who gets to do it. 🔭🧪 #Astronomy #WomenInScience
Born #OTD in 1919 Margaret Burbidge helped reveal one of the great truths of the cosmos — that the atoms of life were forged in the hearts of stars. She then broke barriers to ensure women could study them.
We are made of starstuff & all deserve the chance to discover it. #Astronomy #WomenInScience
We are made of starstuff & all deserve the chance to discover it. #Astronomy #WomenInScience
August 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
💫 Who taught us that the calcium in our bones and the iron in our blood were born in stars — and then fought to open observatories to women?
Born #OTD in 1919, Eleanor Margaret Burbidge changed both science and who gets to do it. 🔭🧪 #Astronomy #WomenInScience
Born #OTD in 1919, Eleanor Margaret Burbidge changed both science and who gets to do it. 🔭🧪 #Astronomy #WomenInScience
#Onthisday in 1888, Bertha Benz took the first ever long-distance car journey.
She solved snags as they arose, using a hat pin to clear a blockage, and replacing the brake blocks with leather, effectively inventing brake pads.
More here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/live-from-...
#histsci
She solved snags as they arose, using a hat pin to clear a blockage, and replacing the brake blocks with leather, effectively inventing brake pads.
More here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/live-from-...
#histsci
August 5, 2025 at 9:27 AM
#Onthisday in 1888, Bertha Benz took the first ever long-distance car journey.
She solved snags as they arose, using a hat pin to clear a blockage, and replacing the brake blocks with leather, effectively inventing brake pads.
More here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/live-from-...
#histsci
She solved snags as they arose, using a hat pin to clear a blockage, and replacing the brake blocks with leather, effectively inventing brake pads.
More here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/live-from-...
#histsci
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
Hahaha! This preprint! 🔭🧪
Chance of event happening to you or the planet, and if so, chance it will be lethal?
Turns out .... we are more likely to be hit by an impactor 140m and greater than:
- being struck by lightning
- getting killed by elephants and coyotes
arxiv.org/abs/2508.02418
Chance of event happening to you or the planet, and if so, chance it will be lethal?
Turns out .... we are more likely to be hit by an impactor 140m and greater than:
- being struck by lightning
- getting killed by elephants and coyotes
arxiv.org/abs/2508.02418
August 5, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Hahaha! This preprint! 🔭🧪
Chance of event happening to you or the planet, and if so, chance it will be lethal?
Turns out .... we are more likely to be hit by an impactor 140m and greater than:
- being struck by lightning
- getting killed by elephants and coyotes
arxiv.org/abs/2508.02418
Chance of event happening to you or the planet, and if so, chance it will be lethal?
Turns out .... we are more likely to be hit by an impactor 140m and greater than:
- being struck by lightning
- getting killed by elephants and coyotes
arxiv.org/abs/2508.02418
Need to go to bed but can’t tear myself away from this stream, live from 3,623m under the sea.
Watch this research team 🧪 searching for various invertebrates who call the seafloor home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uL0...
Watch this research team 🧪 searching for various invertebrates who call the seafloor home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uL0...
Lance 36 Mar Del Plata Canyon | SOI Divestream 820 Part 2
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
www.youtube.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Need to go to bed but can’t tear myself away from this stream, live from 3,623m under the sea.
Watch this research team 🧪 searching for various invertebrates who call the seafloor home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uL0...
Watch this research team 🧪 searching for various invertebrates who call the seafloor home: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uL0...
The teaser from last week's newsletter.
Get the answer here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r...
Get the answer here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r...
August 1, 2025 at 9:54 AM
The teaser from last week's newsletter.
Get the answer here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r...
Get the answer here: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r...
A delicious piece of #scicomm that just makes me want to go out and learn everything about bats
🍎🧪🎢🧬 Any excuse to share this masterpiece: Mustached Bats Vs The Doppler Effect
Congratulations Tom!
Congratulations Tom!
August 1, 2025 at 9:47 AM
A delicious piece of #scicomm that just makes me want to go out and learn everything about bats
In this week's newsletter, why some astronomers thought there were canals on Mars as late as the 1950s: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r... #histsci #mars
July 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
In this week's newsletter, why some astronomers thought there were canals on Mars as late as the 1950s: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/neurotic-r... #histsci #mars
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
I am sorry to report to all vying for the title, but the "Best Article Subtitle" award for 2025 has been snatched early by Lauren Wolf with their subtitle "Arsenic and old lakes" www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Controversial ‘arsenic life’ paper retracted after 15 years — but authors fight back
The journal Science retracts a headline-grabbing study, but the authors vigorously defend their data and say the retraction is unwarranted.
www.nature.com
July 27, 2025 at 12:23 AM
I am sorry to report to all vying for the title, but the "Best Article Subtitle" award for 2025 has been snatched early by Lauren Wolf with their subtitle "Arsenic and old lakes" www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Reposted by Leonie Mercedes
Buffy is so old there were only 103 named elements, we’re at 118 now.
(Yes I pause every show that has a periodic table to see if its period accurate)
(Yes I pause every show that has a periodic table to see if its period accurate)
July 27, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Buffy is so old there were only 103 named elements, we’re at 118 now.
(Yes I pause every show that has a periodic table to see if its period accurate)
(Yes I pause every show that has a periodic table to see if its period accurate)
birb of the day
Painters often prime a canvas with a layer of white to make it smoother, stronger and to enhance the colours they will later layer on, but it seems this is a mechanism that birds were using long before humans picked up paintbrushes.
The secret to what makes colours pop on dazzling songbirds
Hidden layers of colour in the plumage of tanagers and some other songbirds explain what makes them so eye-catching
www.newscientist.com
July 25, 2025 at 9:34 AM
birb of the day
In 1955, a researcher flew bees from a lab in Paris to an identical lab in New York to test their sense of time.
Find out what happened when they arrived: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/space-rice...
#histsci #bees #scienceexperiments
Find out what happened when they arrived: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/space-rice...
#histsci #bees #scienceexperiments
July 25, 2025 at 9:31 AM
In 1955, a researcher flew bees from a lab in Paris to an identical lab in New York to test their sense of time.
Find out what happened when they arrived: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/space-rice...
#histsci #bees #scienceexperiments
Find out what happened when they arrived: kicksfromscience.beehiiv.com/p/space-rice...
#histsci #bees #scienceexperiments