Bryan Gaensler
@scibry.bsky.social
Dean of Science at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Astronomer, sci-fi connoisseur, rugby league devotee, puzzled parent 🇦🇺🇨🇦. Opinions ∉ UCSC.
Santa Cruz CA, USA. He/him. bryangaensler.net
Santa Cruz CA, USA. He/him. bryangaensler.net
Pinned
Bryan Gaensler
@scibry.bsky.social
· Dec 1
I want the opening paragraphs of my obituary to contain at least one of the phrases "destroyed everything in the Universe" or "evil twin".
Joel Primack was an extraordinary human being along so many axes. I treasured our interactions on so many topics, and can’t believe he’s gone. My thoughts are with Nancy, Samara, and their family. May his memory be a blessing. 🔭
November 14, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Joel Primack was an extraordinary human being along so many axes. I treasured our interactions on so many topics, and can’t believe he’s gone. My thoughts are with Nancy, Samara, and their family. May his memory be a blessing. 🔭
Well this is awesome. @clarivate.com has looked at the affiliations of those named “highly cited researchers” 11 years in a row. An incredible 24% listed a primary affiliation with @ucsantacruz.bsky.social - the highest of any public university on the planet.
Details: clarivate.com/academia-gov...
Details: clarivate.com/academia-gov...
November 8, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Well this is awesome. @clarivate.com has looked at the affiliations of those named “highly cited researchers” 11 years in a row. An incredible 24% listed a primary affiliation with @ucsantacruz.bsky.social - the highest of any public university on the planet.
Details: clarivate.com/academia-gov...
Details: clarivate.com/academia-gov...
It was very inspiring last night to hear from @ucscscience.bsky.social professor @roxannebeltran.bsky.social about her research, in which she uses tagged seals to explore our oceans. Just fourteen tagged seals can provide detailed data on 1% of the entire 3D volume of the world’s oceans every year!
October 26, 2025 at 10:04 PM
It was very inspiring last night to hear from @ucscscience.bsky.social professor @roxannebeltran.bsky.social about her research, in which she uses tagged seals to explore our oceans. Just fourteen tagged seals can provide detailed data on 1% of the entire 3D volume of the world’s oceans every year!
4.5 out of 5 stare to “On The Calculation Of Volume” (books 1 & 2) by Solvej Balle.
Yes, it’s a 24-hour time loop, but this is not the fun version of Groundhog Day or the second chances take of Palm Springs, but of descents into madness. Recommended.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
Yes, it’s a 24-hour time loop, but this is not the fun version of Groundhog Day or the second chances take of Palm Springs, but of descents into madness. Recommended.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
On the Calculation of Volume, Book I
Utterly riveting, Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of …
www.goodreads.com
August 2, 2025 at 12:51 AM
4.5 out of 5 stare to “On The Calculation Of Volume” (books 1 & 2) by Solvej Balle.
Yes, it’s a 24-hour time loop, but this is not the fun version of Groundhog Day or the second chances take of Palm Springs, but of descents into madness. Recommended.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
Yes, it’s a 24-hour time loop, but this is not the fun version of Groundhog Day or the second chances take of Palm Springs, but of descents into madness. Recommended.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
Reposted by Bryan Gaensler
This is amazing news! 🎉 🎊 Michele's science contributions 🔭🧪 include space missions llike NASA's Cassini, and being astronomer royal places her in an ideal position to educate and inspire the public about astronomy!
Planetary scientist Michele Dougherty made UK’s first female astronomer royal
Planetary scientist Michele Dougherty made UK’s first female astronomer royal
Physicist who worked on Nasa Cassini mission ‘absolutely delighted’ after being awarded 350-year-old title
A planetary scientist whose research revealed the possibility of extraterrestrial life on one of Saturn’s moons has been made the first female astronomer royal.
Prof Michele Dougherty, a leading space physicist who was a researcher for the Nasa Cassini mission, has been awarded the 350-year-old honorary title. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
July 30, 2025 at 10:44 AM
This is amazing news! 🎉 🎊 Michele's science contributions 🔭🧪 include space missions llike NASA's Cassini, and being astronomer royal places her in an ideal position to educate and inspire the public about astronomy!
One of the greatest scientist communicators of all time has passed on. The Science Division at UCSC was so fortunate to have had Tom Lehrer on our faculty for almost 30 years.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97
www.nytimes.com
July 27, 2025 at 9:41 PM
One of the greatest scientist communicators of all time has passed on. The Science Division at UCSC was so fortunate to have had Tom Lehrer on our faculty for almost 30 years.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/a...
4.5 out of 5 stars to “The Mercy of Gods” by James A. Corey.
A great story of alien invasion and of timid scientists learning how to fight back. There is clearly lots of action and world building to come. Looking forward to the next instalment!
A great story of alien invasion and of timid scientists learning how to fight back. There is clearly lots of action and world building to come. Looking forward to the next instalment!
June 14, 2025 at 1:39 PM
4.5 out of 5 stars to “The Mercy of Gods” by James A. Corey.
A great story of alien invasion and of timid scientists learning how to fight back. There is clearly lots of action and world building to come. Looking forward to the next instalment!
A great story of alien invasion and of timid scientists learning how to fight back. There is clearly lots of action and world building to come. Looking forward to the next instalment!
We started this project 17 years ago, and at last here’s the paper! I’m pleased to present the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM), a total game changer in our understanding of magnetic fields throughout the cosmos. 🧲 🌌📡
May 14, 2025 at 2:36 PM
We started this project 17 years ago, and at last here’s the paper! I’m pleased to present the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM), a total game changer in our understanding of magnetic fields throughout the cosmos. 🧲 🌌📡
So grateful for our amazing staff!
Meet Patricia Schell, Deana Tanguay, and Jeannette Peters, co-recipients of the UC Santa Cruz Science Division’s first Outstanding Staff Award. The award recognizes leadership, innovation, and "invisible labor." Join us in congratulating them! news.ucsc.edu/2025/04/scie...
April 18, 2025 at 10:46 PM
So grateful for our amazing staff!
UCSC put on a special “Inspire NYC” event last night in New York, hosted by our Chancellor Cynthia Larive. It was such a privilege to do a deep dive into how the brilliant minds of my @ucscscience.bsky.social colleagues Kristy Kroeker and Heather Tallis work, and I enjoyed meeting many UCSC alums.
April 3, 2025 at 12:55 PM
UCSC put on a special “Inspire NYC” event last night in New York, hosted by our Chancellor Cynthia Larive. It was such a privilege to do a deep dive into how the brilliant minds of my @ucscscience.bsky.social colleagues Kristy Kroeker and Heather Tallis work, and I enjoyed meeting many UCSC alums.
Or in plain English: our telescope, which spans the continent, has pinpointed a flash that's 130 million light years away and that lasted for less than a millisecond, to a precision better than the size of a guitar pick viewed from 60 km away. 🤯
March 27, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Or in plain English: our telescope, which spans the continent, has pinpointed a flash that's 130 million light years away and that lasted for less than a millisecond, to a precision better than the size of a guitar pick viewed from 60 km away. 🤯
The dawn of a new era: the very first sub-arcsecond localization of a fast radio burst using the CHIME telescope and its outriggers.
Congratulations to the amazing group of students and postdocs who have led this incredible achievement over the past frenetic 11 days!
Congratulations to the amazing group of students and postdocs who have led this incredible achievement over the past frenetic 11 days!
March 27, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The dawn of a new era: the very first sub-arcsecond localization of a fast radio burst using the CHIME telescope and its outriggers.
Congratulations to the amazing group of students and postdocs who have led this incredible achievement over the past frenetic 11 days!
Congratulations to the amazing group of students and postdocs who have led this incredible achievement over the past frenetic 11 days!
It was such an honor to hear former Space Telescope director Bob Williams speak last night about the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Deep Field. And now he has both an asteroid (officially) and a quasar (unofficially) named after him!
March 26, 2025 at 2:40 PM
It was such an honor to hear former Space Telescope director Bob Williams speak last night about the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Deep Field. And now he has both an asteroid (officially) and a quasar (unofficially) named after him!
World’s largest pistachio!
February 15, 2025 at 5:48 PM
World’s largest pistachio!
Our research on fast radio bursts is above the fold! (on my phone) 🧪 🔭
January 25, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Our research on fast radio bursts is above the fold! (on my phone) 🧪 🔭
Come to the #AAS245 town hall today to discuss the ethical and other challenges that we face in using AI in astronomy! 12.45pm in National Harbor 2.
(Below is what you get from ChatGPT when you ask for an optimistic and then a pessimistic view of astronomy and AI.) 🔭
(Below is what you get from ChatGPT when you ask for an optimistic and then a pessimistic view of astronomy and AI.) 🔭
January 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Come to the #AAS245 town hall today to discuss the ethical and other challenges that we face in using AI in astronomy! 12.45pm in National Harbor 2.
(Below is what you get from ChatGPT when you ask for an optimistic and then a pessimistic view of astronomy and AI.) 🔭
(Below is what you get from ChatGPT when you ask for an optimistic and then a pessimistic view of astronomy and AI.) 🔭
It’s a thrill to hear the Rossi Prize lecture at #AAS245 this morning. Marty Weisskopf, a giant of X-ray astronomy, is explaining how we can now measure X-ray polarization with the IXPE mission.
January 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM
It’s a thrill to hear the Rossi Prize lecture at #AAS245 this morning. Marty Weisskopf, a giant of X-ray astronomy, is explaining how we can now measure X-ray polarization with the IXPE mission.
Reposted by Bryan Gaensler
#AAS245 with 3654 attendees as of this afternoon, this is the largest AAS meeting ever, beating the previous record set by Honolulu in 2020.
January 12, 2025 at 9:41 PM
#AAS245 with 3654 attendees as of this afternoon, this is the largest AAS meeting ever, beating the previous record set by Honolulu in 2020.
Congratulations to @samayanissanke.bsky.social on winning the AAS HEAD mid-career prize! #AAS245 🔭
January 13, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Congratulations to @samayanissanke.bsky.social on winning the AAS HEAD mid-career prize! #AAS245 🔭
Ignore the oversimplified headline. This is a good, nuanced, discussion about the potential problem with Indigenous land acknowledgements (from an American perspective), and why they're harmful unless they're accompanied by action. (1/4)
Opinion | Enough With the Land Acknowledgments (Gift Article)
Instead of proclaiming performative acknowledgments of Native peoples, institutions should establish strong relationships with Native nations.
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Ignore the oversimplified headline. This is a good, nuanced, discussion about the potential problem with Indigenous land acknowledgements (from an American perspective), and why they're harmful unless they're accompanied by action. (1/4)
5 out of 5 stars to “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang.
Everyone in this book is different levels of despicable, delightful awfulness. R.F. Kuang has written a satirical gem; a must-read.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...
Everyone in this book is different levels of despicable, delightful awfulness. R.F. Kuang has written a satirical gem; a must-read.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...
Yellowface
White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestsellin…
www.goodreads.com
January 5, 2025 at 1:50 AM
5 out of 5 stars to “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang.
Everyone in this book is different levels of despicable, delightful awfulness. R.F. Kuang has written a satirical gem; a must-read.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...
Everyone in this book is different levels of despicable, delightful awfulness. R.F. Kuang has written a satirical gem; a must-read.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/book/show/62...
3.5 out of 5 stars to “The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley.
A sad & moving interpersonal story sits at the centre of what is otherwise a somewhat uneven & confounding book. A lot of what happens doesn’t make much factual sense, but there’s enough of a human element to make the read worthwhile.
A sad & moving interpersonal story sits at the centre of what is otherwise a somewhat uneven & confounding book. A lot of what happens doesn’t make much factual sense, but there’s enough of a human element to make the read worthwhile.
The Ministry of Time
A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a wo…
www.goodreads.com
January 2, 2025 at 7:19 PM
3.5 out of 5 stars to “The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley.
A sad & moving interpersonal story sits at the centre of what is otherwise a somewhat uneven & confounding book. A lot of what happens doesn’t make much factual sense, but there’s enough of a human element to make the read worthwhile.
A sad & moving interpersonal story sits at the centre of what is otherwise a somewhat uneven & confounding book. A lot of what happens doesn’t make much factual sense, but there’s enough of a human element to make the read worthwhile.
5 out of 5 stars to “Singer Distance” by Ethan Chatagnier.
An extraordinarily beautiful and poignant story about love, family, and … Martians. It was impossible to see where this was going, but the ending ended up being beyond satisfying. A wonderful gem of a novel.
An extraordinarily beautiful and poignant story about love, family, and … Martians. It was impossible to see where this was going, but the ending ended up being beyond satisfying. A wonderful gem of a novel.
Singer Distance
The odds of the planet next door hosting intelligent li…
www.goodreads.com
December 28, 2024 at 2:09 AM
5 out of 5 stars to “Singer Distance” by Ethan Chatagnier.
An extraordinarily beautiful and poignant story about love, family, and … Martians. It was impossible to see where this was going, but the ending ended up being beyond satisfying. A wonderful gem of a novel.
An extraordinarily beautiful and poignant story about love, family, and … Martians. It was impossible to see where this was going, but the ending ended up being beyond satisfying. A wonderful gem of a novel.
4.5 out of 5 stars to “This Time Tomorrow“ by Emma Straub.
Yes, it’s another time-travel story. Yes, it’s about the road not taken, and regrets, and second chances. But nevertheless, it’s fresh, sweet, sad, funny, and compelling.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Yes, it’s another time-travel story. Yes, it’s about the road not taken, and regrets, and second chances. But nevertheless, it’s fresh, sweet, sad, funny, and compelling.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Bryan's review of This Time Tomorrow
4/5: A beautiful story of a father-daughter relationship. Yes, it’s another time-travel story. Yes, it’s about the road not taken, and regrets, and second chances. But nevertheless, it’s fresh, sweet,...
www.goodreads.com
December 25, 2024 at 6:19 PM
4.5 out of 5 stars to “This Time Tomorrow“ by Emma Straub.
Yes, it’s another time-travel story. Yes, it’s about the road not taken, and regrets, and second chances. But nevertheless, it’s fresh, sweet, sad, funny, and compelling.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Yes, it’s another time-travel story. Yes, it’s about the road not taken, and regrets, and second chances. But nevertheless, it’s fresh, sweet, sad, funny, and compelling.
Full review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/...