Emma Johanna Puranen
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spacesword.bsky.social
Emma Johanna Puranen
@spacesword.bsky.social
Dr Sci-Fi | Exoplanets & Astrobiology Ethics | Postdoc at the OU | Proud immigrant | Fond of Antarctica | Podcaster | Too interdisciplinary to function | she/her
For anyone wondering what it is I do!
Do space environments have value? If we find life on Mars, what are our responsibilities?

Our own Dr Emma Purenen discusses these and more questions about Astrobiology Ethics in our latest video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxO...

#worldspaceweek #WSW2025 #SpaceEthics
November 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
📣 Come and work with us!

FOUR PhD vacancies are now open in AstrobiologyOU for Oct 2026 start.

Funding is via the Central England NERC Training Alliance @centa.bsky.social

For details and how to apply see the project descriptions.
centa.ac.uk/projects/?_s...
Projects – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
October 24, 2025 at 5:24 PM
List of words that are actually fairly neutral in Britain but sound alarming to Americans:

1) Manifesto. Means a platform (like a political platform or plan for something) in the UK but sounds like the crazed writings of a serial killer to Americans.
October 16, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
Very happy to announce the latest In Vivo article in Endeavour from @spacesword.bsky.social! Now available to read open access #polarhistory www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
From the South Pole to the stars: Antarctica and outer space
The histories of Antarctica and outer space share relational trajectories. In our modern era of increasing commercialisation of space and discussion o…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
When Star Trek first aired in 1966, it posited a universe bursting with planetary possibilities—a bold move at a time before anyone knew of a single planet beyond our Solar System.

Read more of Michael L. Wong's review of "Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact."
Crossroads of Science and Fiction
www.americanscientist.org
September 30, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Conquered a big personal fear (seasickness) taking the ferry to and from Spain over the weekend and spending three days and nights at sea—and I was completely fine!
September 23, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Paper out today in Space Policy! An academic riff on Christopher Stone’s seminal environmental law paper “Should Trees have Standing?” www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... first paper of my postdoc 💪🏼
Who speaks for extraterrestrial ecosystems?: Why ET should have standing
Christopher Stone's pioneering 1972 paper “Should Trees Have Standing?” proposed legal rights and standing for the environment under a guardianship mo…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
A Guardian piece by a fellow Emma that reads almost scarily targeted at me 😭
September 18, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.
July 18, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
We're so excited to have @laurenshippen.com and @spacesword.bsky.social directing Re: Frankenstein!
August 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Got tix to see Taskmaster in the studio audience!! The email gods were kind to me today 🙏 happened to see the email ten mins after it was sent; by forty mins after it was all waitlist. SO EXCITED!!
August 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Nothing changes, huh?
August 16, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Working on eating greener/more local. There’s an urban farm not 200m from my flat where you can pay a fiver for a mystery bag of seasonal veg. Today I got courgette, runner beans, and spring onion!
August 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
When the year you started your PhD is the only one not available on the dropdown menu…the 2020 curse continues!
July 31, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
If you won't believe me, here's Paul

musgrave.substack.com/p/at-the-coa...
July 17, 2025 at 12:15 AM
For real though, why is is ALWAYS Reviewer 2?

(Addressing comments on two papers this week lol)
July 16, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Really need to start being more active on this platform, so many of the cool kids are here!
July 15, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
New blog post! Today in my #CosmicStories #ScienceandSF blog, I'm returning to #Astronomy and looking at red dwarf stars and their planets in science and science fiction. Including works by Blish, Chambers, Asimov, Latham, Steele and others.

www.warwick.ac.uk/cosmicstorie...

Comments welcome!
May 18, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Started the day with an 8am call with someone in Australia and ended it with a 4pm call with someone in California. Such is the academic life!
May 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
As an American living abroad, this is my day-to-day: ‘What the hell’s happening to your country?’ Traveling as an American under Trump 2.0 | Shanti Nelson www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
‘What the hell’s happening to your country?’ Traveling as an American under Trump 2.0 | Shanti Nelson
My American accent inspired pity, empathy and utter confusion. I feel the same: it’s as though we’ve entered hospice care
www.theguardian.com
March 9, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
March 4th For Democracy!! 🚨 Get more info, resources, or find a protest: fiftyfifty.one (check back next week for protest listings).

50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement.

#50501Movement #FiftyFiftyOne #March4thForDemocracy @polrev.bsky.social

FAQs + talking points + other ways to act next. 🪡🧵
February 22, 2025 at 1:51 AM
New slogan for Milton Keynes 😢
February 19, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
Interested in polar archives?

A workshop on establishing a Polar Archive Network is set for 17–18 March 2025 at the @scottpolar.bsky.social (Cambridge, UK & online) to shape a Polar Archive Network & draft a SCAR action group proposal.

Register by 28 Feb: scar.org/scar-news/ar...
February 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Gave a talk at Nottingham today; they have a blackboard Einstein wrote on in 1930!
February 12, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Emma Johanna Puranen
I wrote about NASA, its people and the mission to connect us.
slate.com/technology/2...
There Is Basically One Point to Space Exploration. Right Now, We’re Missing It.
Efforts to scrub DEI from NASA's websites get it all wrong.
slate.com
February 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM