Meet the "trapped in space" astronauts

Hello, friends!

How are you doing this week? I had my first 99 Flake this century yesterday (my first 99 since ’99?) and am still buzzing. They’re definitely not 99p any more, but you can get them with Biscoff syrup now, which seems like a fair trade-off.

What’s on the lecture slate this week?

• how stargazing made us human

• how to make plastic more sustainable

• counting the nation’s hedgehogs

…and more. Let’s go!

🍿 online talks and events 🐧

All times are BST.

🪐 space

How stars made us who we are

Theoretical physicist Roberto Trotta draws out the unexpected connections between stargazing and human history, looking at how astronomy – which has helped us keep time, navigate, and driven innovation – has shaped human society.

How stars built our world, hybrid event by the Royal Institution, Monday 31 March, 19.00, from £3.73

Meet the astronauts who spent an unplanned nine months in space

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore discuss their recent nine-month mission aboard the ISS, which was only meant to last eight days. They’ll be joined by fellow astronaut Nick Hague.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 post-flight news conference, livestream by NASA, Monday 31 March, 19.30, free

🌳 nature

Counting hedgehogs

A panel of researchers tell the story of the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, launched in 2023 to keep tabs on hedgehog populations and to better understand the threats they face.

Developing a national camera trap survey for hedgehog observation, hybrid event by ZSL, Tuesday 1 April, 18.00, free

🧬 biology

The cerebellum: little brain, big responsibilities

Stem cell biologist Sumru Bayin discusses her and her team’s research into better understanding how the cerebellum, or “little brain”, forms, and how its stem cells may be used to repair brain damage.

Hidden little brain, hybrid event by the University of Cambridge, Wednesday 2 April, 18.00, free

What have X chromosomes done for us?

Epigenetics researcher Edith Heard discusses her work studying the role of the X chromosome in development, including what happens when it is silenced.

Life with two X chromosomes, hybrid lecture by the Royal Society, Thursday 3 April, 18.30, free

🧪 chemistry

Making plastic more sustainable

Chemistry professor Charlotte Williams explores how polymers can be redesigned to improve the properties of plastics, and how they can be recycled.

Designing sustainable polymers, hybrid event by King’s College London, Thursday 3 April, 17.00, free

🌓 🔴 in a sky near you… 🔭

Views from Science, Please HQ, London. See Stellarium for a personalised view of your night sky after setting your location and time.

Moon meets Mars: The Moon and Mars make a very close approach on Saturday evening. Look toward the south for them after sunset – they’ll stay in a tight formation before setting together at about 4 in the morning.

🐦‍⬛ closer to Earth 👀

Blackbirds belt it out: Blackbirds are on the prowl at this time of year. Their distinctive song is a fun one to catch – a whistle-like “motif” followed by a rapid twitter.

Keep an eye out for them too – although they’re fairly common round these parts, I’m always cheered by the sight of them. Males are entirely black in colour with a yellow beak, while females are dark brown all over (sadly no emoji for the females 😞).

💫 we need answers

Last week I asked:

The answer is… “eyes”. Apparently many Americans didn’t have their special specs in time for the solar eclipse last spring.

This paper from Nature shows the search term spiking at about 3pm Eastern time on the day of the eclipse, and notes the role of such data in monitoring issues of public health.

🤔 until next week…

Another one from the archives this week:

In 2015, a new machine was installed on the International Space Station. The first-of-a-kind machine, co-developed by an Italian company founded in 1895, has been described as a “long-awaited fluid dynamics experiment that offers astronauts a taste of home”.

What daily ritual, beloved by Voltaire, Beethoven, and Monica Geller, did this machine allow astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to enjoy in orbit for the first time?

Answer comes next week. See you then! x