M . Leandro Heien

Natural philosopher, Tar Heel bred, The University of Arizona. The views expressed here are my own.

[M . Leandro Heien @mlheien]

With a heavy heart, I share that my best friend, Poppy, passed away. Born: June 1, 2023. Adopted: August 18, 2023. Died: July 10, 2026.
She was the best companion I could have asked for. I will add to this thread later, for me the grief is still too near.
Requiescat in pace, Poppy.
#RIPPoppy

[NWS Tucson @NWSTucson]

Temperatures will be on the rise over the next several days, becoming 5-10 degrees above normal on Friday and Saturday. Warm overnight lows will provide little relief from the heat. An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect Friday/Saturday for the combination of these factors. #azwx

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

Traumatic head injuries from collision and combat sports disrupt the blood-brain barrier and trigger inflammation for years after retirement, shows a new MRI and transcriptomic analysis of retired athletes.

Find out more in @ScienceTM on #WorldBrainDay: https://t.co/pjuIiz19nQ

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

By leveraging strategic chemical design, researchers have designed an analog of the #psychedelic drug quipazine to produce fewer gastrointestinal side effects in mice while maintaining its ability to alleviate depression-like behaviors. @SciSignal https://t.co/qi3ncS3jfC

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

Survey: Majority of Americans Say College Not Affordable

Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters of parents want their child to pursue some type of higher education after high school, with the strongest preference for a four-year degree. https://t.co/vlKAuXuCFm

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

“Unless a man is master of his soul, all other kinds of mastery amount to little." 

- Theodore Roosevelt

[M . Leandro Heien @mlheien]

The University After AI https://t.co/oigpkDHzh3

[M . Leandro Heien @mlheien]

Kevin Guskiewicz Is Back at Michigan State. Is Anyone Happy? https://t.co/ar2a3wSgPf

[The Daily Tar Heel @dailytarheel]

The Graduate School issued guidance on March 10 outlining limits on Graduate School-supported in-state tuition for graduate students, with the changes being phased in over three academic years through the 2028-29 academic year.

Read the full story. https://t.co/UHl8hrtFbg

[owen cyclops @owenbroadcast]

once again explaining my favorite infographic to my family because my wife is getting tornado alerts

[NWS Tucson @NWSTucson]

Here are a handful of automated rain reports from the past day across southeastern Arizona. Lower rain chances today and tomorrow with just isolated thunderstorm activity expected. #azwx

[National Park Service @NatlParkService]

The phrase “almost there” has been used by hikers for centuries. Historians believe it has never been accurate.

[NIH Innovates @NIH_Innovates]

Curious about NIH's Unified Funding Strategy? Join our webinar to learn how peer review, scientific opportunity, Institute priorities, program balance, and other factors inform NIH funding decisions.

Register: https://t.co/uluMapjtG2

[Christina Buttons @buttonslives]

Yes. They’ve been doing it for a long time, but now more people than ever are going to therapy.

When I was 19, back in 2008, I got a new therapist who introduced me to the idea that abuse could also be “emotional” or “psychological,” not just physical or sexual, and convinced me that my parents were abusive. We didn’t speak again until 2013, five years later, when my mom was diagnosed with cancer.

We’re very close now, but I can’t get that time back with them, nor can I undo the bad decisions I made while trying to navigate young adulthood on my own.

Now I’m very critical of trauma narratives. The concept creep of “trauma” and “abuse” has expanded those terms so much that any flaws or mistakes on your parents’ part are increasingly recast as forms of harm that cause irreparable damage, making them an easy scapegoat for any dissatisfaction you have in your life.

[Tucson Tomorrow @TucsonTomorrow]

Look at that stunning overhang to keep the hot, hot…Chicagoland?…sun off the fans.

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

Portland State Will Lay Off 36 Employees, Close 2 Departments

The university announced its “final plan” on Tue. after negotiating with the faculty union for several months. The cuts will help address a $35M budget shortfall that the university must... https://t.co/PIuMFk3ZjX

[Associate Deans @ass_deans]

Nobody wants to fire ALL the faculty. The engineers and business school profs are pretty safe.

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

New research reveals an unexpected interface between resident innate immunity of the central nervous system and peripheral adaptive immunity in synaptic pruning.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://t.co/3yby4jnu1G

[Ignacio Saez, PhD @IgnacioSaezPhD]

What’s holding us back from developing a clinical BCI for mental health?

My new review in @TrendsCognSci outlines a roadmap to overcome the unique hurdles facing cognitive BCIs by integrating and expanding on existing neurotech methods.

Read here: https://t.co/CMwf5b7BcE

[Sophia Gad-Nasr @Astropartigirl]

July 20 is one of the most pivotal days in the history of space exploration. On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 landed the first humans on the Moon. 7 years later in 1976, Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to land on Mars and operate successfully.

Landing on the same day was not planned! NASA actually wanted Viking to land on July 4 for the bicentennial, but the site looked hazardous so the team delayed until they found a safer spot. And thus the Moon landing and first successful Mars landing ended up sharing an anniversary through a serendipitous accident, one that almost looks like a road map now; here's why.

Viking's mission was to search for life on Mars. And it found something: its Labeled Release experiment detected a signal that looks like a metabolic process, but the other instruments didn't detect organic molecules. The prevailing interpretation was that the detection was due to reactive chemistry, not biology, and we're back to the drawing board.

Fastforward to 2025, and Curiosity finds the largest organic molecules ever detected there; this year, it also found the most diverse set of organics detected yet. So, if real signs of ancient life exist, they're sitting there, just waiting to be discovered. Likely in really difficult to reach places, ones rovers can't reach.

NASA's STRIDE program is in part about reaching those areas. It's funding concepts for robots that could navigate steep slopes, craters, and caves, places with shielded environments where ancient organics would be preserved.

Concurrently, we have Artemis taking humans back to the Moon. In May, NASA announced Moon Base roles for Astrolab, Astrobotic, and Firefly Aerospace. June 30, NASA selected Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines for robotic lunar landings in late 2028. Then July 8, Astrolab, Astrobotic, and Intuitive Machines were selected for STRIDE. These are companies that work specifically on the Moon, so NASA's using that expertise for Mars!

So you see, the path to the Moon is just the beginning of a longer path to the solar system. Mars is next! I wonder what day it'll be when we watch the first human plant their foot on the Red Planet.

[The Middle-earth Mixer @MiddleearthMixr]

“The Two Towers…..refers to Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul….or Minas Tirith and Barad-dur…..or Orthanc and Minas Morgul….or Orthanc and Barad-dur….

…you have to call it.”