Matthias M. M. Meier
@mmmmeier.bsky.social
Meteorites, Museums, Mars, Mountains and many more things. Meteoriticist, Noble Gaser, Space Nerd, Family Man. Director of the Natural History Museum of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Private account (en/de).
🇨🇭🇸🇪🇲🇫🇪🇺🇺🇦 orcid.org/0000-0002-7179-4173
🇨🇭🇸🇪🇲🇫🇪🇺🇺🇦 orcid.org/0000-0002-7179-4173
Excellent essay. Should you use AI (as a student, or later) if you could "get away with it"? What might the long-term consequences be, for you - and society?
Why We’re Not Using AI in This Course, Despite Its Obvious Benefits
A reading for your students
emergingethics.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Excellent essay. Should you use AI (as a student, or later) if you could "get away with it"? What might the long-term consequences be, for you - and society?
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way to get rid of Citizens United. Let me explain. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
November 24, 2025 at 3:37 PM
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way to get rid of Citizens United. Let me explain. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
That's just about the only peace plan worth talking about. Europe should set it as default.
November 23, 2025 at 9:47 AM
That's just about the only peace plan worth talking about. Europe should set it as default.
Please don't eat me Mr. (?) Snake Eagle, I am no reptile... Snake Eagles, thanks to climate change, are now breeding in Switzerland too...
November 23, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Please don't eat me Mr. (?) Snake Eagle, I am no reptile... Snake Eagles, thanks to climate change, are now breeding in Switzerland too...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
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. 🧪
I have a simple, 1-point peace plan: Russia stops all attacks and gets the fuck out of Ukraine, immediately. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 #slavaukraini
November 21, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I have a simple, 1-point peace plan: Russia stops all attacks and gets the fuck out of Ukraine, immediately. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 #slavaukraini
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
@kapteynastro.bsky.social of @rug.nl invites applications for in total 7 PhD and 4 ERC-funded postdoc positions in our annual call. ⭐🔭
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
October 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
@kapteynastro.bsky.social of @rug.nl invites applications for in total 7 PhD and 4 ERC-funded postdoc positions in our annual call. ⭐🔭
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
Interesting and important new isotope constraints on the origin of Theia, i.e. the Giant Impactor which collided with the proto-Earth to create the Moon. And the authors come to same conclusion that we came to 11 years ago! 😉 (see linked publication)
November 20, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Interesting and important new isotope constraints on the origin of Theia, i.e. the Giant Impactor which collided with the proto-Earth to create the Moon. And the authors come to same conclusion that we came to 11 years ago! 😉 (see linked publication)
Kipping et al. (arxiv, submitted) observe the Jupiter-like (in size, instellation) exoplanet Kepler-167e with JWST in transit, to search for exomoons. They might see a large, close-in moon, but cannot exclude other explanations. The next transit opportunity is in October 2027.
A JWST Transit of a Jupiter Analog: II. A Search for Exomoons
We present a search for exomoons around the Jupiter-like exoplanet Kepler-167e using a NIRSpec JWST transit. Our 60 hour time series clearly reveals the enormous impact of long-term trends in NIRSpec ...
arxiv.org
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Kipping et al. (arxiv, submitted) observe the Jupiter-like (in size, instellation) exoplanet Kepler-167e with JWST in transit, to search for exomoons. They might see a large, close-in moon, but cannot exclude other explanations. The next transit opportunity is in October 2027.
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
3 years ago, NASA crashed the DART spacecraft into an asteroid at 22,000 kilometers per hour. The event changed the asteroid's orbit and tilt & sent it tumbling.
A nearby cubesat captured these remarkable images of the asteroid immediately after the impact. 🧪🔭
aasnova.org/2025/11/03/s...
A nearby cubesat captured these remarkable images of the asteroid immediately after the impact. 🧪🔭
aasnova.org/2025/11/03/s...
November 19, 2025 at 4:12 AM
3 years ago, NASA crashed the DART spacecraft into an asteroid at 22,000 kilometers per hour. The event changed the asteroid's orbit and tilt & sent it tumbling.
A nearby cubesat captured these remarkable images of the asteroid immediately after the impact. 🧪🔭
aasnova.org/2025/11/03/s...
A nearby cubesat captured these remarkable images of the asteroid immediately after the impact. 🧪🔭
aasnova.org/2025/11/03/s...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
Proton Mail is an appealing alternative to Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. It also comes with advanced privacy and productivity features, including a way to manage newsletter overload. www.wired.com/story/4-tips...
4 Clever Tricks That Make It Worth Switching to Proton Mail
Proton Mail is an appealing alternative to Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. It also comes with advanced privacy and productivity features, including a way to manage newsletter overload.
www.wired.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Proton Mail is an appealing alternative to Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. It also comes with advanced privacy and productivity features, including a way to manage newsletter overload. www.wired.com/story/4-tips...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
Zum ChatGPT-"Interview" in der Sonntagszeitung. Es hat mich unglaublich fest aufgeregt. Vielleicht merkt man es.
Ich poste aus Platzgründen meinen Rant von Linkdin als Screenshot.
Zum "Interview" (Paywall):
www.tagesanzeiger.ch/hey-chatgpt-...
Ich poste aus Platzgründen meinen Rant von Linkdin als Screenshot.
Zum "Interview" (Paywall):
www.tagesanzeiger.ch/hey-chatgpt-...
November 16, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Zum ChatGPT-"Interview" in der Sonntagszeitung. Es hat mich unglaublich fest aufgeregt. Vielleicht merkt man es.
Ich poste aus Platzgründen meinen Rant von Linkdin als Screenshot.
Zum "Interview" (Paywall):
www.tagesanzeiger.ch/hey-chatgpt-...
Ich poste aus Platzgründen meinen Rant von Linkdin als Screenshot.
Zum "Interview" (Paywall):
www.tagesanzeiger.ch/hey-chatgpt-...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
Greenhouse gas data is finally rolling in again, and my dashboard is back up-to-date. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t changed... 📈
More climate change indicator graphics at zacklabe.com/climate-chan...
More climate change indicator graphics at zacklabe.com/climate-chan...
November 16, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Greenhouse gas data is finally rolling in again, and my dashboard is back up-to-date. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t changed... 📈
More climate change indicator graphics at zacklabe.com/climate-chan...
More climate change indicator graphics at zacklabe.com/climate-chan...
I guess if your trade policy can be brought down by a 1 kg bar of gold, it deserves to be brought down by a 1 kg bar of gold...
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
I guess if your trade policy can be brought down by a 1 kg bar of gold, it deserves to be brought down by a 1 kg bar of gold...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
Resolving this took me 2 hours, and my New York colleague at least one hour.
Scale that up to all museum records and that's why there isn't more available digitally.
Support museum folks. Cite the collections data.
Scale that up to all museum records and that's why there isn't more available digitally.
Support museum folks. Cite the collections data.
During audit week I found a record of a curious pigeon. It was from a collector (Mathews) and location (Queensland) that was entirely plausible, and the record was created before 2004. Sounds easy, right?
I couldn't find it.
I couldn't find it.
November 14, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Resolving this took me 2 hours, and my New York colleague at least one hour.
Scale that up to all museum records and that's why there isn't more available digitally.
Support museum folks. Cite the collections data.
Scale that up to all museum records and that's why there isn't more available digitally.
Support museum folks. Cite the collections data.
Did you know you can search the Meteoritical Bulletin Database for meteorites found on Mars (i.e., *not* martian meteorites, but meteorites found by rovers on the surface of Mars)? For the Moon, too. Here's the link for Mars:
November 14, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Did you know you can search the Meteoritical Bulletin Database for meteorites found on Mars (i.e., *not* martian meteorites, but meteorites found by rovers on the surface of Mars)? For the Moon, too. Here's the link for Mars:
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
World's most contagious falsehoods
See all 70
bit.ly/IIB-Mythconc...
data & sources
bit.ly/KIB_Mythconception
See all 70
bit.ly/IIB-Mythconc...
data & sources
bit.ly/KIB_Mythconception
November 13, 2025 at 5:55 PM
World's most contagious falsehoods
See all 70
bit.ly/IIB-Mythconc...
data & sources
bit.ly/KIB_Mythconception
See all 70
bit.ly/IIB-Mythconc...
data & sources
bit.ly/KIB_Mythconception
Only 365 times further to go for the first light year...
On 13 Nov 2026 #NASA's Voyager 1 will be one light day (25.9b km/16b mi) from Earth. No other nation has done this - yet Voyager carries greetings from all humanity. We're not only spacefaring - we're now starfaring. How about a #LightDay - some #interstellar #softpower for NASA?
November 12, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Only 365 times further to go for the first light year...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
⚡️Solar storm incoming! We are actively monitoring severe space weather events, occurring on 11-12 November. Severely disturbed geomagnetic conditions are expected to persist for at least 24 to 48 hours.
🔗 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
@operations.esa.int @science.esa.int
🔗 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
@operations.esa.int @science.esa.int
November 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
⚡️Solar storm incoming! We are actively monitoring severe space weather events, occurring on 11-12 November. Severely disturbed geomagnetic conditions are expected to persist for at least 24 to 48 hours.
🔗 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
@operations.esa.int @science.esa.int
🔗 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
@operations.esa.int @science.esa.int
Geht's eigentlich noch? Wenn schon, dann umgekehrt.
November 12, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Geht's eigentlich noch? Wenn schon, dann umgekehrt.
Ooooops indeed.
Oops. Ooooooooooooops.
I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.
arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675
h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social
I do hope that nobody has been given or denied a job/promotion based on their SpringerNature citation counts in the past 15 years.
arxiv.org/pdf/2511.01675
h/t @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Ooooops indeed.
The Natural History Museum of St. Gallen has now officially become an Anomalocaris hunting ground! 👀😊🤘🌍
November 5, 2025 at 10:39 PM
The Natural History Museum of St. Gallen has now officially become an Anomalocaris hunting ground! 👀😊🤘🌍
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
New Publication at the Open Journal of Astrophysics: "A substellar flyby that shaped the orbits of the giant planets" by Garett Brown (U. Toronto at Scarborough, Canada), Renu Malhotra (U. Arizona, USA) and Hanno Rein (U. Toronto at Scarborough, Canada)
doi.org/10.33232/001...
doi.org/10.33232/001...
A substellar flyby that shaped the orbits of the giant planets | Published in The Open Journal of Astrophysics
By Garett Brown, Renu Malhotra & 1 more. An ancient close encounter with a substellar object offers a plausible explanation for the origin of the moderate eccentricities and inclinations of the giant ...
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:35 AM
New Publication at the Open Journal of Astrophysics: "A substellar flyby that shaped the orbits of the giant planets" by Garett Brown (U. Toronto at Scarborough, Canada), Renu Malhotra (U. Arizona, USA) and Hanno Rein (U. Toronto at Scarborough, Canada)
doi.org/10.33232/001...
doi.org/10.33232/001...
Reposted by Matthias M. M. Meier
An Introduction to Mars Terraforming, 2025 Workshop Summary
arxiv.org/abs/2510.07344
arxiv.org/abs/2510.07344
An Introduction to Mars Terraforming, 2025 Workshop Summary
Terraforming Mars is an age old science fiction concept now worth revisiting through the lens of modern science and technology. This document serves as a summary of contemporary ideas about Mars terra...
arxiv.org
October 10, 2025 at 2:13 AM
An Introduction to Mars Terraforming, 2025 Workshop Summary
arxiv.org/abs/2510.07344
arxiv.org/abs/2510.07344
Delbo et al. (accepted): There are more A-type (=olivine rich, supposedly rare) asteroids in the belt than we ever realized. That reminds me of a poster I once saw at LPSC, the title of which has lived rent-free in my head ever since: "All about A-type asteroid Aeternitas"... 😊
Gaia and IRTF abundance of A-type main belt asteroids
The Missing Mantle Problem refers to the apparent scarcity of olivine rich (A-type) asteroids in the main belt, despite expectations that such bodies should be common if differentiated parent bodies w...
arxiv.org
November 4, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Delbo et al. (accepted): There are more A-type (=olivine rich, supposedly rare) asteroids in the belt than we ever realized. That reminds me of a poster I once saw at LPSC, the title of which has lived rent-free in my head ever since: "All about A-type asteroid Aeternitas"... 😊