Amy Lynn

Space Nerd, Eternal Optimist, Science Writer, Parrot Lover

[Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope @NASARoman]

Celebrate National Dinosaur Day with our dino-sized observatory!
🦖Roman is both roughly as long and as massive as a T. rex. Prior to launch, the team will load it up with about 62 velociraptors worth of fuel (~2,500 pounds).

Learn more: https://t.co/nQ071tswND

[Dr. Catharine Young @DrCatharineY]

One of the greatest misconceptions about science is that progress can resume where it left off.

It can’t.

A funding disruption can unravel years of expertise, clinical preparation, partnerships, and momentum.

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

Spearmint and caraway seeds smell completely different. Fresh. Sweet. Minty vs warm, spicy, earthy.

Yet the difference comes down to mirror images of the same molecule: Carvone. Same atoms. Same bonds. Same formula.

Only one thing changes: 3D orientation.
• (R)-carvone → spearmint
• (S)-carvone → caraway

Our noses can tell them apart because olfactory receptors are chiral too they “feel” molecular handedness, just like a left hand doesn’t fit a right glove.

This is a beautiful reminder that in chemistry (and biology), shape matters as much as composition. Something you can literally smell. Chemistry is everywhere - even in your spice rack.

[Boze Herrington, Library Owl 😴🧙‍♀️ @SketchesbyBoze]

Pope Leo writes, “The speed and ease with which answers or summaries can be obtained risk extinguishing the desire to ask questions.” Curiosity and the human hunger to learn are under attack. They are trying to build a world in which no one *wants* to know anything.

[Mike Massimino @Astro_Mike]

Honoring all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our freedom and their families today on Memorial Day

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

Social media gave everyone access to information.

It also gave everyone the illusion of expertise.

Now confidence spreads faster than competence.

And virality competes with decades of knowledge.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Aurora watching into an orbital dawn. This never gets old!

[Andrew McCarthy @AJamesMcCarthy]

I set 7 cameras near the pad for starship’s 12th test flight.

In a first for me, all 7 got INCREDIBLE photos. Here’s a little peak at one… but there are a lot more. I’ll post some of my favorites tomorrow, and release at least one in print.

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

The most dangerous virus right now isn’t biological.

It’s the belief that expertise itself is oppression.

So when science tries to reduce suffering or prevent deaths, people call it tyranny.

A society that treats public health as the enemy stops protecting itself from reality.

[NASA @NASA]

What did we learn on the International Space Station last year?

From miniaturizing surgery to testing better batteries, explore the hundreds of experiments that scientists ran on the @Space_Station in 2025 to benefit humans on and off the planet: https://t.co/PhbCCQvS1j

[International Space Station @Space_Station]

Take a scroll through our updated results page! 🌱🤖 🧪👨‍🚀

Learn about some of the recent, peer-reviewed publications that have stemmed from research aboard the International Space Station. https://t.co/3Kg7C9xR8k

[Dr. Catharine Young @DrCatharineY]

Viruses ignore ideology.

By withdrawing from the WHO and dismantling USAID/global health security programs, the US has weakened key systems built to detect outbreaks early and stop them before they become international emergencies.

Global health security is national security

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

A real skeptic changes their mind when the data becomes overwhelming.

A conspiracy theorist changes the conspiracy.

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

Skepticism means asking for evidence.

Conspiracy thinking means rejecting every answer you don’t like.

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

Today @WHO declared a PHEIC—a public health emergency of international concern—for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in DRC/Uganda without convening an Emergency Committee. That is unprecedented. The situation is catastrophic. Six experts explain why:
https://t.co/7eMtvcfPuD

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

Science is not a belief system where you pick the answers you prefer.

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

It’s strange to live in a world where people think every scientist, researcher, or doctor is a shill - but an anonymous X account is telling the truth.

[Senator Mark Kelly @SenMarkKelly]

I’ve spent most of my career relying on science to keep me alive and do amazing things. I know it’s the single most important part of our country’s success in the last century, but Trump doesn’t seem to get that. His retreat from science will hurt us all in the long run.

[Simon Maechling @simonmaechling]

The biggest public health problem today isn’t chemicals.

It’s scientific illiteracy.

[Vatican News @VaticanNews]

Reflection by Pope Leo XIV

"The capacity to gaze with wonder at the sun, the moon, and stars is a gift given to every human being, regardless of station or circumstance...Tragically, even this gift is now under threat."

(Address to the Members of the Board of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, May 11, 2026)