Steve Koppes
@mrmeteor.bsky.social
Science writer. Author of Killer Rocks from Outer Space.
“Continuous manufacturing is the future. It is environmentally friendly, and it saves money and resources, as well.” — Shreya Athalye, Purdue Agricultural & Biological Engineering
bit.ly/4oCou0T
bit.ly/4oCou0T
Light-based tool continuously monitors vaccine quality during production
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need to rapidly develop, produce and distribute large quantities of new vaccines. A team of researchers at Purdue University and Merck & Co. Inc....
bit.ly
October 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM
“Continuous manufacturing is the future. It is environmentally friendly, and it saves money and resources, as well.” — Shreya Athalye, Purdue Agricultural & Biological Engineering
bit.ly/4oCou0T
bit.ly/4oCou0T
At first, I thought this was old news. But nope. They discovered another one.
bit.ly/4npizeS
bit.ly/4npizeS
Astronomers discover previously unknown quasi-moon near Earth | CNN
A recently observed object called 2025 PN7 was found orbiting near the Earth. The quasi-moon is expected to accompany our planet in a similar orbit for 60 years.
bit.ly
October 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
At first, I thought this was old news. But nope. They discovered another one.
bit.ly/4npizeS
bit.ly/4npizeS
“How do drought, pathogen stress and other environmental factors affect the way that plants might give off cues that they’re exposed to a certain chemical?” — Joshua Widhalm, Purdue Horticulture, @darpa.mil
bit.ly/494WRJp
bit.ly/494WRJp
Purdue-DARPA project explores plants as sentinels for chemical activity
Purdue University’s College of Agriculture has joined an effort to mobilize plants as chemical intelligence gatherers. Collaborating with STR, an information science company, the Purdue team will te...
bit.ly
October 14, 2025 at 6:01 PM
“How do drought, pathogen stress and other environmental factors affect the way that plants might give off cues that they’re exposed to a certain chemical?” — Joshua Widhalm, Purdue Horticulture, @darpa.mil
bit.ly/494WRJp
bit.ly/494WRJp
“When it comes to affordability, food retailers are most often seen as the main drivers of food prices, followed by food manufacturers.” — Purdue Ag Economist Lourival Monaco
bit.ly/4q0SAN3
bit.ly/4q0SAN3
How household composition influences food behaviors and spending
New data sheds light on consumer perceptions of farms and firms in the food supply chain and provides an update on the sustainability of American diets, according to the September Consumer Food Insigh...
bit.ly
October 8, 2025 at 4:42 PM
“When it comes to affordability, food retailers are most often seen as the main drivers of food prices, followed by food manufacturers.” — Purdue Ag Economist Lourival Monaco
bit.ly/4q0SAN3
bit.ly/4q0SAN3
I've been fascinated by rogue stars and planets ever since I watched "When Worlds Collide" (1951).
bit.ly/48PoqpZ
bit.ly/48PoqpZ
Rogue planet caught behaving like a star in unprecedented observation | CNN
Astronomers have observed a massive growth rate in a free-floating rogue planet that’s gobbling up gas and dust at a record rate of 6.6 billion tons per second.
bit.ly
October 4, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I've been fascinated by rogue stars and planets ever since I watched "When Worlds Collide" (1951).
bit.ly/48PoqpZ
bit.ly/48PoqpZ
“This workshop not only advanced scientific understanding but also positioned forests — and AI innovation — as essential pillars in the global response to climate change.” — Jingjing Liang, Purdue University, @javiergpgamarra@bsky.social
bit.ly/3IGaC6D
bit.ly/3IGaC6D
Mobilizing AI to monitor forest growth and carbon sequestration
More than 1.6 million square miles of forests have disappeared since 1990, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That area exceeds the expanse of the seven largest ...
bit.ly
September 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
“This workshop not only advanced scientific understanding but also positioned forests — and AI innovation — as essential pillars in the global response to climate change.” — Jingjing Liang, Purdue University, @javiergpgamarra@bsky.social
bit.ly/3IGaC6D
bit.ly/3IGaC6D
Another interstellar visitor. Fascinating.
bit.ly/4mz86gh
bit.ly/4mz86gh
Astronomical alert: NASA confirms mysterious object is ‘interstellar’ visitor
This object is only the third of its kind to have been spotted.
bit.ly
September 27, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Another interstellar visitor. Fascinating.
bit.ly/4mz86gh
bit.ly/4mz86gh
The late, great Carlton Moore tipped me off to the alleged discovery of microfossils in a Martian meteorite by a team that included an Arizona State University alumnus weeks before the story became big news. The brief encounter left me in stunned, immobile silence.
bit.ly/4n9MA2J
bit.ly/4n9MA2J
The Space Review: The greatest story on planet Mars: the sequel
bit.ly
September 20, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The late, great Carlton Moore tipped me off to the alleged discovery of microfossils in a Martian meteorite by a team that included an Arizona State University alumnus weeks before the story became big news. The brief encounter left me in stunned, immobile silence.
bit.ly/4n9MA2J
bit.ly/4n9MA2J
Combining paleoanthropology with asteroid mapping. Love this!
September 18, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Combining paleoanthropology with asteroid mapping. Love this!
As Mr. Spock might say, "Fascinating."
bit.ly/47NCbFb
bit.ly/47NCbFb
Astronomers discover previously unknown quasi-moon near Earth | CNN
A recently observed object called 2025 PN7 was found orbiting near the Earth. The quasi-moon is expected to accompany our planet in a similar orbit for 60 years.
bit.ly
September 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
As Mr. Spock might say, "Fascinating."
bit.ly/47NCbFb
bit.ly/47NCbFb
I set a new personal record for the 5K this a.m.! My slowest time ever! 46:54, by more than 3 minutes. I used to run 10Ks a lot faster than that. It was a hilly course, but still.
August 31, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I set a new personal record for the 5K this a.m.! My slowest time ever! 46:54, by more than 3 minutes. I used to run 10Ks a lot faster than that. It was a hilly course, but still.
New results from NASA’s OSIRISRex asteroid sample return mission by Purdue University scientist & her colleagues.
bit.ly/3Jy5MIF
bit.ly/3Jy5MIF
Planetary scientist decodes clues in Bennu’s surface composition to make sense of far-flung asteroids
Space weathering expert Michelle Thompson OSIRIS-REx reveals why some gray asteroids reflect light at different wavelengths, like red or blue, more strongly. These results help shed light onto the evo...
bit.ly
August 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
New results from NASA’s OSIRISRex asteroid sample return mission by Purdue University scientist & her colleagues.
bit.ly/3Jy5MIF
bit.ly/3Jy5MIF
Nearly identical alignment of current and future sentiment “likely signals cautious expectations for a slow-paced recovery rather than renewed confidence.” — Lourival Monaco, Ag Economist, Purdue Agriculture
bit.ly/3JstXbp
bit.ly/3JstXbp
Agrifood Economy Index rebounds but remains below baseline
The June Agrifood Economy Index (AEI) reflects a strong rebound from March’s lows in overall industry sentiment and includes a deep dive into how agrifood leaders view the emerging “food as health” tr...
bit.ly
August 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Nearly identical alignment of current and future sentiment “likely signals cautious expectations for a slow-paced recovery rather than renewed confidence.” — Lourival Monaco, Ag Economist, Purdue Agriculture
bit.ly/3JstXbp
bit.ly/3JstXbp
“Fungal infections kill almost 4 million people a year around the world. More people now die from fungal infections than from malaria and tuberculosis combined.” — Mark Hall, Purdue Biochemistry
bit.ly/3V0Nd2d
bit.ly/3V0Nd2d
Joint agriculture-pharmacy project seeks to develop novel antifungal treatment
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, viral and bacterial infections tend to draw headlines. However, fungal pathogens are a rising problem that the colleges of Agriculture and Pharmacy at Purdue Univ...
bit.ly
August 14, 2025 at 10:48 PM
“Fungal infections kill almost 4 million people a year around the world. More people now die from fungal infections than from malaria and tuberculosis combined.” — Mark Hall, Purdue Biochemistry
bit.ly/3V0Nd2d
bit.ly/3V0Nd2d
“Our research shows that consumers prioritize taste and price when shopping for food, with nutrition coming in a distant third.” — Purdue Ag Economist Joseph Balagtas.
bit.ly/4mbN73H
bit.ly/4mbN73H
How Americans make healthy food choices in grocery stores
Many consumers who rate their diet poorly acknowledge the need for change. However, only 1 in 4 consumers who say their diet needs improvement have made a health-related dietary change in the past mon...
bit.ly
August 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM
“Our research shows that consumers prioritize taste and price when shopping for food, with nutrition coming in a distant third.” — Purdue Ag Economist Joseph Balagtas.
bit.ly/4mbN73H
bit.ly/4mbN73H
RIP, Commander Lovell. What a life you led!
August 8, 2025 at 8:18 PM
RIP, Commander Lovell. What a life you led!
Purdue economists find that Americans do not have a great grasp of the extent of the food insecurity problem in the country, but they do have a basic understanding of its root causes.
bit.ly/4lgRRof
bit.ly/4lgRRof
Public understanding of food insecurity widely varies
The public’s familiarity with the term “food insecurity” and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is mixed, with approximately 40% of Americans reporting they are only “slightly famili...
bit.ly
July 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Purdue economists find that Americans do not have a great grasp of the extent of the food insecurity problem in the country, but they do have a basic understanding of its root causes.
bit.ly/4lgRRof
bit.ly/4lgRRof
Late posting of my Memorial Day visit to the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash. It's a nice museum, but I went there to see the Trieste, the first submersible to visit the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, seven miles down, in 1960.
June 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Late posting of my Memorial Day visit to the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Wash. It's a nice museum, but I went there to see the Trieste, the first submersible to visit the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, seven miles down, in 1960.
A cultural anthropologist's interesting perspective on last week's all female suborbital space flight.
bit.ly/42LPfqj
bit.ly/42LPfqj
The Space Review: “A bonafide frigging flight”: How NS-31 broke spaceflight norms and created an online uproar
bit.ly
April 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
A cultural anthropologist's interesting perspective on last week's all female suborbital space flight.
bit.ly/42LPfqj
bit.ly/42LPfqj
My autographed photos of Eileen Collins and Kathy Sullivan.
April 17, 2025 at 12:45 AM
My autographed photos of Eileen Collins and Kathy Sullivan.
Reposted by Steve Koppes
At most, if we are being generous, that "dire wolf" announcement amounts to something like this.
April 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
At most, if we are being generous, that "dire wolf" announcement amounts to something like this.
Reposted by Steve Koppes
If you ever think English is not a weird language just remember that read and lead rhyme and read and lead rhyme.
But read and lead don't rhyme, and neither do read and lead.
But read and lead don't rhyme, and neither do read and lead.
March 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
If you ever think English is not a weird language just remember that read and lead rhyme and read and lead rhyme.
But read and lead don't rhyme, and neither do read and lead.
But read and lead don't rhyme, and neither do read and lead.
Reposted by Steve Koppes
Brilliant.
“Anyone caught checking them can and will be deported,” he warned.
Trump Commands Americans Not to Check Their 401ks
"Nothing bad is happening on Wall Street," he claimed.
www.borowitzreport.com
March 11, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Brilliant.
Reposted by Steve Koppes
More of this! We all know this won’t pass but this is a line in the sand and a great talking point.
/cc @shasti.bsky.social
/cc @shasti.bsky.social
March 8, 2025 at 1:28 AM
More of this! We all know this won’t pass but this is a line in the sand and a great talking point.
/cc @shasti.bsky.social
/cc @shasti.bsky.social
Thanks! I'll try to get an email off to your LSU account sometime in the next few days that might help us get started.
And I’m glad you have a lot of stuff going on.
March 8, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Thanks! I'll try to get an email off to your LSU account sometime in the next few days that might help us get started.