Alejandro Soto
@soto.space
Planetary scientist and aerospace engineer. He/him. https://www.alejandrosoto.net
My writing represents me alone and not my employer nor anyone else.
My writing represents me alone and not my employer nor anyone else.
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen:
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Ozomatli
REM
The Cranberries
Roger Waters (Dark Side of the Moon live)
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Ozomatli
REM
The Cranberries
Roger Waters (Dark Side of the Moon live)
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen:
REM
The Smithereens
Bob Mould
Buckwheat Zydeco
Shonen Knife
REM
The Smithereens
Bob Mould
Buckwheat Zydeco
Shonen Knife
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
November 28, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen:
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Ozomatli
REM
The Cranberries
Roger Waters (Dark Side of the Moon live)
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Ozomatli
REM
The Cranberries
Roger Waters (Dark Side of the Moon live)
Now Europe will want my fingerprints and photo for entry into European countries. They are storing this information. I am not a fan. It just feels wrong.
I am worried that we aren't discussing and debating privacy issues enough before implementing these systems.
travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees
I am worried that we aren't discussing and debating privacy issues enough before implementing these systems.
travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees
European Union - EES / ETIAS
travel-europe.europa.eu
November 26, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Now Europe will want my fingerprints and photo for entry into European countries. They are storing this information. I am not a fan. It just feels wrong.
I am worried that we aren't discussing and debating privacy issues enough before implementing these systems.
travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees
I am worried that we aren't discussing and debating privacy issues enough before implementing these systems.
travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees
The more I learn about the Roman Space Telescope, the more excited I am about the mission. Roman will observer #exoplanets and their host stars (and more). How can you not be excited?!
(That's assuming that the Trump administration doesn't cancel the mission.)
🧪
www.space.com/space-explor...
(That's assuming that the Trump administration doesn't cancel the mission.)
🧪
www.space.com/space-explor...
NASA's next-gen Roman Space Telescope is surprising scientists with its capabilities. It hasn't even launched yet
"Asteroseismology with Roman is possible because we don't need to ask the telescope to do anything it wasn't already planning to do."
www.space.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The more I learn about the Roman Space Telescope, the more excited I am about the mission. Roman will observer #exoplanets and their host stars (and more). How can you not be excited?!
(That's assuming that the Trump administration doesn't cancel the mission.)
🧪
www.space.com/space-explor...
(That's assuming that the Trump administration doesn't cancel the mission.)
🧪
www.space.com/space-explor...
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
The press release says that the new prices make it more affordable for Americans, but the annual pass will be the same price as previous years. What they are really doing is making it more expensive for middle class foreigners to visit our National Parks.
www.doi.gov/pressrelease...
www.doi.gov/pressrelease...
Department of the Interior Announces Modernized, More Affordable National Park Access | U.S. Department of the Interior
The Department of the Interior today announced the most significant modernization of national park access in decades, delivering new digital America the Beautiful passes, updated annual pass artwork, ...
www.doi.gov
November 26, 2025 at 1:27 AM
The press release says that the new prices make it more affordable for Americans, but the annual pass will be the same price as previous years. What they are really doing is making it more expensive for middle class foreigners to visit our National Parks.
www.doi.gov/pressrelease...
www.doi.gov/pressrelease...
This is wrong. The government should cover the operational costs through taxes and reasonable fees (like the annual pass, that currently is less than $100). And Trump's birthday isn't a holiday, we are not supposed to be a cult-of-personality-nation, so it shouldn't be a special day on the calendar!
Next year, day passes will cost $100 per person for international visitors at the 11 most popular national parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: NPS to hike fees for international visitors, launch digital passes
The national parks will also be free next year to residents on eight holidays, including President Donald Trump’s birthday.
subscriber.politicopro.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:58 PM
This is wrong. The government should cover the operational costs through taxes and reasonable fees (like the annual pass, that currently is less than $100). And Trump's birthday isn't a holiday, we are not supposed to be a cult-of-personality-nation, so it shouldn't be a special day on the calendar!
I have been struggling to explain what is wrong with RFK Jr's demands to debate scientists (in the Atlantic story about him), but then I found @ebharrington.bsky.social's perfect explanation of why debating conspiratorial skeptics doesn't work.
bsky.app/profile/ebha...
bsky.app/profile/ebha...
Because the "debate" framing shifts the purpose of a news network from informing viewers to providing an entertaining spectacle.
"Debate" also obscures truth by turning matters of fact into he said/she said slugfests, giving people cover to ignore inconvenient facts by saying they're "debated."
"Debate" also obscures truth by turning matters of fact into he said/she said slugfests, giving people cover to ignore inconvenient facts by saying they're "debated."
I don’t understand why Weiss thinks the desired outcome of CBS News coverage is debate.
November 25, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I have been struggling to explain what is wrong with RFK Jr's demands to debate scientists (in the Atlantic story about him), but then I found @ebharrington.bsky.social's perfect explanation of why debating conspiratorial skeptics doesn't work.
bsky.app/profile/ebha...
bsky.app/profile/ebha...
There are so many things wrong with this framing, but I will focus on: health and human services isn't all of science, so how can he be the "most powerful man in science"?
Plus the fact that RFK Jr is clearly anti-science.
This cover and article title are a mess.
Plus the fact that RFK Jr is clearly anti-science.
This cover and article title are a mess.
Over many interviews, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Michael Scherer about how he plans to remake America’s public-health system. Can he lead the scientific establishment he’s spent much of his life crusading against?
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
Read more in our new cover story: theatln.tc/q9hXxlbM
November 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
There are so many things wrong with this framing, but I will focus on: health and human services isn't all of science, so how can he be the "most powerful man in science"?
Plus the fact that RFK Jr is clearly anti-science.
This cover and article title are a mess.
Plus the fact that RFK Jr is clearly anti-science.
This cover and article title are a mess.
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
November 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
Open position: Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal | American Astronomical Society
Established in 2020, the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Planetary Science Journal (PSJ) has grown to one of the most impactful journals focused on planetary science in the world. To continue th...
aas.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Open position: Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
From an earlier thread: bsky.app/profile/eliz...
Wanna see a visual on the result of the Republican attack on public health?
I’ve got you covered. This is from Pew Research Center’s most recent survey, showing a 27% drop in Republican support for school vaccine requirements from 2016-2025.
I’ve got you covered. This is from Pew Research Center’s most recent survey, showing a 27% drop in Republican support for school vaccine requirements from 2016-2025.
November 20, 2025 at 9:10 PM
From an earlier thread: bsky.app/profile/eliz...
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
A horrifying graphic from Pew showing the fruits of the right wing war on public health.
Only 48% of Republicans believe that vaccines prevent serious illness, while 80% of Democrats do.
This is not a difference of opinion in science. This is the result of a ruthless disinformation campaign.
Only 48% of Republicans believe that vaccines prevent serious illness, while 80% of Democrats do.
This is not a difference of opinion in science. This is the result of a ruthless disinformation campaign.
November 20, 2025 at 8:46 PM
A horrifying graphic from Pew showing the fruits of the right wing war on public health.
Only 48% of Republicans believe that vaccines prevent serious illness, while 80% of Democrats do.
This is not a difference of opinion in science. This is the result of a ruthless disinformation campaign.
Only 48% of Republicans believe that vaccines prevent serious illness, while 80% of Democrats do.
This is not a difference of opinion in science. This is the result of a ruthless disinformation campaign.
I know nothing about this project, but I love the acronym: HOBI-WAN
Looks like it's about food production for astronauts in space.
www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...
Looks like it's about food production for astronauts in space.
www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...
Protein Out of Thin Air: ESA’s pilot project HOBI-WAN launched
www.esa.int
November 14, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I know nothing about this project, but I love the acronym: HOBI-WAN
Looks like it's about food production for astronauts in space.
www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...
Looks like it's about food production for astronauts in space.
www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...
Here’s some science news for your Friday morning. Our office #FridayScienceDiscussion started with people sharing inages from the aurora we saw this week. A rare sight in Colorado. And beautiful (search Bluesky for examples).
#planetaryscience 🧪
1/n
#planetaryscience 🧪
1/n
November 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Here’s some science news for your Friday morning. Our office #FridayScienceDiscussion started with people sharing inages from the aurora we saw this week. A rare sight in Colorado. And beautiful (search Bluesky for examples).
#planetaryscience 🧪
1/n
#planetaryscience 🧪
1/n
Hey #planetaryscience peeps! Come to Denver to talk about exoplanet atmospheres! Denver's great and so are atmospheres.
aas.org/meetings/exo...
aas.org/meetings/exo...
AASTCS 11: Exoplanet Atmospheres 2026 | American Astronomical Society
AASTCS 11: Exoplanet Atmospheres 2026 will be held from 16-20 March 2026 in Denver, Colorado.
aas.org
November 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Hey #planetaryscience peeps! Come to Denver to talk about exoplanet atmospheres! Denver's great and so are atmospheres.
aas.org/meetings/exo...
aas.org/meetings/exo...
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
NOAA cut funding to the Alaska Earthquake Center, directed by my friend Mike West. As a result, seismic monitoring by nine stations in Alaska tracking tsunami-causing earthquakes will go offline by the end of the month. This endangers people in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and other parts of the Pacific.
This lab is key for tracking deadly waves. Its sensors are about to go offline.
After NOAA cut funding to the lab that’s been monitoring seismic activity for more than 25 years, nine stations tracking tsunami-causing earthquakes for the agency will go offline by the end of the mo...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 PM
NOAA cut funding to the Alaska Earthquake Center, directed by my friend Mike West. As a result, seismic monitoring by nine stations in Alaska tracking tsunami-causing earthquakes will go offline by the end of the month. This endangers people in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and other parts of the Pacific.
Science in America is such a mess right now.
I just watched an amazing talk about exoplanet demographics. One take away? That the Roman telescope will be able to answer many questions about exoplanets.
Speaker: "That's if Roman flies."
It shouldn't be "if Roman flies", but here we are.
I just watched an amazing talk about exoplanet demographics. One take away? That the Roman telescope will be able to answer many questions about exoplanets.
Speaker: "That's if Roman flies."
It shouldn't be "if Roman flies", but here we are.
November 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Science in America is such a mess right now.
I just watched an amazing talk about exoplanet demographics. One take away? That the Roman telescope will be able to answer many questions about exoplanets.
Speaker: "That's if Roman flies."
It shouldn't be "if Roman flies", but here we are.
I just watched an amazing talk about exoplanet demographics. One take away? That the Roman telescope will be able to answer many questions about exoplanets.
Speaker: "That's if Roman flies."
It shouldn't be "if Roman flies", but here we are.
That's cool!!
If you want to know what magnets are, my old post on the Barkhausen effect not only explains that but shows how you can hear metal being magnetized skullsinthestars.com/2012/10/01/m...
Making magnets speak: the Barkhausen effect
Occasionally I come across a demonstration of physics that is so simple to implement yet illustrates a phenomenon so profound that it almost takes my breath away. I learned of one such demonstrati…
skullsinthestars.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:30 PM
That's cool!!
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 PM
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Wow. This is a lovely science thread on something I knew nothing about.
Even more interesting things to look for when I am at the beach.
🧪
Even more interesting things to look for when I am at the beach.
🧪
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Wow. This is a lovely science thread on something I knew nothing about.
Even more interesting things to look for when I am at the beach.
🧪
Even more interesting things to look for when I am at the beach.
🧪
Not is it only a beautiful roast of Musk, by Oates, but her post is also an excellent use of semicolons. I love it.
We have discovered the antidote to Elon Musk's tyranny—his truest nemesis.
First of Her Name, Queen of the Bookstores and Libraries, Daughter of the Literature Department and Humanities, The Breaker of Billionaires...
@joycecaroloates.bsky.social
lithub.com/elon-musk-ge...
First of Her Name, Queen of the Bookstores and Libraries, Daughter of the Literature Department and Humanities, The Breaker of Billionaires...
@joycecaroloates.bsky.social
lithub.com/elon-musk-ge...
Elon Musk gets roasted on his own platform by Joyce Carol Oates.
Like an ancient cyborg culling through the ruins of a post-apocalyptic planet (twitter, derogatory), Joyce Carol Oates recently fired her full-power death ray at aspiring trillionaire Elon Musk, wh…
lithub.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Not is it only a beautiful roast of Musk, by Oates, but her post is also an excellent use of semicolons. I love it.
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
Finally knowing where the name came from checks off one of my bucket list items. <phew!>
I LEARNED THE ANSWER TO THIS
Chris's Steakhouse was a New Orleans landmark
Chris Matulich periodically got bored, sold it, waited for the new owner to fail, and bought it back cheap
The sale conditions: Can't move it, can't change the name
He did this six times
Then he sold it to Ruth Fertel
Chris's Steakhouse was a New Orleans landmark
Chris Matulich periodically got bored, sold it, waited for the new owner to fail, and bought it back cheap
The sale conditions: Can't move it, can't change the name
He did this six times
Then he sold it to Ruth Fertel
what did ruth mean when she said her steakhouse was "chris"
November 7, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Finally knowing where the name came from checks off one of my bucket list items. <phew!>