Rika Smith
@iamrikasmith.bsky.social
BSc STEM Astrophysics #OpenUniversity #OUWales
BSc Maths & statistics (current) #OU #OUfamily
Married to my soul mate, mother.
Electric car driver.
95% Irish DNA, from Glasgow living in South Wales
BSc Maths & statistics (current) #OU #OUfamily
Married to my soul mate, mother.
Electric car driver.
95% Irish DNA, from Glasgow living in South Wales
Reposted by Rika Smith
A very exciting new result from @alexji.bsky.social: the discovery of a star with the lowest measured abundance of non-primordial elements anywhere in the Universe, including those JWST is observing in the infant cosmos. It seems to have come from the Large Magellanic Cloud. 🧪
A nearly pristine star from the Large Magellanic Cloud
The first stars formed out of pristine gas, causing them to be so massive that none are expected to have survived until today. If their direct descendants were sufficiently low-mass stars, they could ...
arxiv.org
September 29, 2025 at 2:16 PM
A very exciting new result from @alexji.bsky.social: the discovery of a star with the lowest measured abundance of non-primordial elements anywhere in the Universe, including those JWST is observing in the infant cosmos. It seems to have come from the Large Magellanic Cloud. 🧪
Reposted by Rika Smith
There have been 6 mass shootings in the USA over the past 24 hours. The casualty count stands at 41.
Here’s the President of the United States of America.
Here’s the President of the United States of America.
September 29, 2025 at 12:08 AM
There have been 6 mass shootings in the USA over the past 24 hours. The casualty count stands at 41.
Here’s the President of the United States of America.
Here’s the President of the United States of America.
Reposted by Rika Smith
#NASAWebb has found the first direct evidence of potential moon formation around a giant exoplanet. The discovery is shedding light on how such systems evolve and why moons could be potentially habitable worlds: https://bit.ly/46xGodN 🔭 🧪
September 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
#NASAWebb has found the first direct evidence of potential moon formation around a giant exoplanet. The discovery is shedding light on how such systems evolve and why moons could be potentially habitable worlds: https://bit.ly/46xGodN 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Rika Smith
Reposted by Rika Smith
Trump's UK state visit was just announced for 17 September.
💥💥💥 JOIN THE PROTEST!
Let's make it absolutely massive.
stoptrump.org.uk
💥💥💥 JOIN THE PROTEST!
Let's make it absolutely massive.
stoptrump.org.uk
July 14, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Trump's UK state visit was just announced for 17 September.
💥💥💥 JOIN THE PROTEST!
Let's make it absolutely massive.
stoptrump.org.uk
💥💥💥 JOIN THE PROTEST!
Let's make it absolutely massive.
stoptrump.org.uk
Reposted by Rika Smith
Thanks to Lise Meitner, Heisenberg and Oppenheimer, this is where we are.
June 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Thanks to Lise Meitner, Heisenberg and Oppenheimer, this is where we are.
Reposted by Rika Smith
in late 2026, nearly 50 years after its launch, voyager 1 will be the first manmade object to reach a distance of one light day from the sun
June 21, 2025 at 4:09 AM
in late 2026, nearly 50 years after its launch, voyager 1 will be the first manmade object to reach a distance of one light day from the sun
Reposted by Rika Smith
AMEN
June 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
AMEN
Reposted by Rika Smith
💥 Big News in Human Origins!
An #Ancient #Human #Ancestor first found nearly 100 years ago has been re-identified as #Denisovan thanks to DNA!
Meet Homo longi—our mysterious cousin!
👉 worldofpaleoanthropology.org/2025/06/19/u...
#PaleoAnth #DragonMan #PaleoPost
An #Ancient #Human #Ancestor first found nearly 100 years ago has been re-identified as #Denisovan thanks to DNA!
Meet Homo longi—our mysterious cousin!
👉 worldofpaleoanthropology.org/2025/06/19/u...
#PaleoAnth #DragonMan #PaleoPost
Unveiling the Dragon Man: A Breakthrough in Understanding Our Denisovan Ancestors
Imagine stumbling upon an ancient skull hidden deep within a well—a secret preserved for nearly a century, now poised to rewrite the entire story of human evolution. This remarkable discovery from …
worldofpaleoanthropology.org
June 19, 2025 at 11:06 PM
💥 Big News in Human Origins!
An #Ancient #Human #Ancestor first found nearly 100 years ago has been re-identified as #Denisovan thanks to DNA!
Meet Homo longi—our mysterious cousin!
👉 worldofpaleoanthropology.org/2025/06/19/u...
#PaleoAnth #DragonMan #PaleoPost
An #Ancient #Human #Ancestor first found nearly 100 years ago has been re-identified as #Denisovan thanks to DNA!
Meet Homo longi—our mysterious cousin!
👉 worldofpaleoanthropology.org/2025/06/19/u...
#PaleoAnth #DragonMan #PaleoPost
Reposted by Rika Smith
Wow, he really is a turd!
I doubt anyone will see me post, but this needs to be known... if you have a visible following please repost 💙🔥💙
Admitting he wants "his people... aka US " to behave like north Korea for Kim Jong Un.🤬
Admitting he wants "his people... aka US " to behave like north Korea for Kim Jong Un.🤬
June 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Wow, he really is a turd!
Reposted by Rika Smith
Reposted by Rika Smith
What we learned yesterday.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
The Times They Are a-Changin'
June 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM
What we learned yesterday.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Reposted by Rika Smith
(🧵) I’ve never—in 30 years in journalism—published a report like this: one that could genuinely bring hope. I spent the last 15 hours curating and labeling photos from hundreds of No Kings Day protests. It’s the largest archive of its kind and it has *lots* of Easter eggs (memes, an essay and more).
Over 250 Photos From Around the Nation and the World From the Historic “No Kings Day” Protests
Almost no one showed up to Donald Trump’s surprisingly timid, depressing, and generally lackluster birthday party in Washington, but protests against him were bursting at the seams across the globe.
sethabramson.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:16 AM
(🧵) I’ve never—in 30 years in journalism—published a report like this: one that could genuinely bring hope. I spent the last 15 hours curating and labeling photos from hundreds of No Kings Day protests. It’s the largest archive of its kind and it has *lots* of Easter eggs (memes, an essay and more).
Reposted by Rika Smith
"This is what you get when you order your 79th birthday celebration from Temu, but didn't pay the tariffs."
June 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
"This is what you get when you order your 79th birthday celebration from Temu, but didn't pay the tariffs."
Reposted by Rika Smith
June 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Rika Smith
June 14, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Rika Smith
Really wonderful to see @andrewcopson.bsky.social honoured with an OBE!
Andrew has worked tirelessly with @humanists.uk to help voices of non-religious people (most of us in UK) to be heard - creating tangible impacts in policy, human rights and education.
humanists.uk/2025/06/13/a...
Andrew has worked tirelessly with @humanists.uk to help voices of non-religious people (most of us in UK) to be heard - creating tangible impacts in policy, human rights and education.
humanists.uk/2025/06/13/a...
Andrew Copson awarded OBE in first-ever UK award for ‘Services to the Non-Religious’
Humanists UK’s Chief Executive Andrew Copson has been awarded an OBE for ‘services to the non-religious’ in the UK national honours announced today. This is the first time an award has been made for s...
humanists.uk
June 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Really wonderful to see @andrewcopson.bsky.social honoured with an OBE!
Andrew has worked tirelessly with @humanists.uk to help voices of non-religious people (most of us in UK) to be heard - creating tangible impacts in policy, human rights and education.
humanists.uk/2025/06/13/a...
Andrew has worked tirelessly with @humanists.uk to help voices of non-religious people (most of us in UK) to be heard - creating tangible impacts in policy, human rights and education.
humanists.uk/2025/06/13/a...
Reposted by Rika Smith
This looks like important work on the impact of rocket launches on the upper atmosphere.
New paper day! In 'Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery', we show that scaling up use of launch vehicles 🚀 has a point where the healing of the ozone layer is affected 🧪🛰️
Open access, free to read & share
Open access, free to read & share
Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science - Near-future rocket launches could slow ozone recovery
rdcu.be
June 10, 2025 at 6:04 AM
This looks like important work on the impact of rocket launches on the upper atmosphere.
Reposted by Rika Smith
This is the way to stand up to these bullies! Respect ✊
June 9, 2025 at 2:47 PM
This is the way to stand up to these bullies! Respect ✊
Omfg
LAPD fired rubber bullets at Australian journalist @laurentomasi.bsky.social
June 9, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Omfg