There’s been a recent development I’ve been turning over in my head for the past few days: Webb detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. If that doesn’t mean much to you, here’s the part that matters
On Earth, both compounds are exclusively produced by marine life. Specifically, phytoplankton.This doesn’t mean there’s life on K2-18b!.But it does suggest a potential biosignature one we can’t easily explain through geological processes. K2-18b is a sub-Neptune, around 124 light-years away in the Leo constellation. Its atmosphere contains carbon-bearing molecules, water vapor, and now these sulfur compounds. It orbits in the habitable zone of its star.
These are all promising conditions, though habitability and life are not the same thing!.Still, this is the first time we’ve detected a chemical in an exoplanet’s atmosphere that we only know to exist because of biology. That alone is worth sitting with.
I’m not someone who jumps to conclusions. But I am someone who believes in asking the right questions.
Errr Tonny here, you haven’t reported back to me since i gave you that xan.. you okay man?
( @coke-n-dope )
If by ‘okay’ you mean having ‘a fascinating exercise in futility,’ then sure, it went great. I did my research. I was responsible. I accounted for every possible variable—set a timer, had water ready, prepared an ideal environment, even had a list of things to do in case I started feeling weird. Which was, in hindsight, incredibly naive, because there is no logical preparation for feeling like your brain is unraveling in slow motion. No amount of planning prevents the creeping dread that your heartbeat is somehow both too slow and too loud. At one point, I was convinced I had unlocked a hidden layer of reality where time moves at half-speed and all sounds echo.
Long story short: I will not be pursuing further studies in pharmacology
Yes I am Adam.
I don’t know what metric you’re using to compare Botticelli and Caravaggio..they had distinct artistic styles. You’re probably right about the street smarts. Also i haven’t met Will Graham yet, but as far as I know, I’m not competing with him.
What do you mean by ‘if something’s off’?
Ți-e drag rău Will, nu-i așa? Ai grijă pe lângă pe lângă psihiatrul ăla, totuși. Trec multe zvonuri despre el
(Ooc: translation because most services don't do it well: Will's dear to you, eh? Be careful around that psychiatrist, though. Many rumours flying around him)
Știu foarte bine... Dar îți mulțumesc.
Hi Adam! I hope you're having a good day. I have a NASA shirt and a bracelet with planets n it that remind me of you.
Have you heard about the two astronauts that recently came back from space after being up in the ISS for a long time? What are your thoughts on that?
- 🧷 anon
Good evening!,
That is kind of nice to hear, actually. About the bracelet and the shirt.
And yes, I did read about the two. Spending that long in microgravity changes your body in ways we still don’t fully understand. It’s incredible what the human body can adapt to—but also, what it can’t. Your muscles atrophy, bone density drops, your cardiovascular system shifts. Even your eyesight can change. Some astronauts develop something called SANS—spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome. And then there’s the radiation exposure. Being up there for months is like being slowly rearranged by space. I think there must be something quietly haunting about coming back to Earth after so long..
If you met an alien, what would you tell and/or ask them?
Okay. First off: how do you breathe? Do you breathe? What kind of atmosphere are you used to? Is oxygen poisonous to you? Do you metabolize something else entirely? And your gravity, how strong is it? Do you walk upright? Do you even need to walk? What’s your skeletal structure like? Do you even have bones?
What’s your biology based on? Is there a version of DNA where you’re from? Or is it something entirely foreign to us? What’s your body temperature? Do you even need to regulate it? Do you get cold?
Do you perceive time linearly? Do you dream? Have you categorized your stars yet? What are your units of measurement? Do you know what we are? Have you been watching us the way we’ve imagined you?
And I think… after all that..I’d probably just say:
I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. Not you specifically, maybe. But the possibility of you. And now I have about a million more questions.
Please Adam no matter what, do not go to Maryland.
There’s things there that you shouldn’t have to see, people you shouldn’t encounter.
Adam you’re a good soul. I knew a man just like you and he is slowly losing himself.
I wouldn’t want that happening to you.
-🐺
I’m not sure if I know you. You seem to know me, or maybe you don’t and are just acting weirdly without being prompted. I’m willing to consider either possibility.
I actually got a great job offer in Maryland! I haven’t told Beth about it yet. I’m not sure if she’d want to move there or if she’d consider staying together if I lived further from New York.
So, I might have to decline the offer anyway…, though I’ve often thought about moving out of the city since my dad passed away.
Soooo... Are things okay with Beth? Heard something happened, and someone got really upset/sad/angry? Whatever it was, I hope both of you are doing better now ❤️
Thank you for asking. I am doing good.
Beth apologized to me yesterday. I got an offer for a job interview and she will help me with practicing for that. Beth is important to me so I try not to think about it anymore. She seemed really overwhelmed that evening, I can relate to that.
Hey guys!
I know this is probably terrible timing, but I did want to let y’all know I’ll be taking a small break
or at least I don’t anticipate it to be long. My mental health hasn’t been the best, and I’ve got a lot of medical stuff I gotta take care of rn. So sorry to let y’all down like this. I’m super grateful for you guys, and I’ll do my best to be back soon.
Note: Some good news is that I’ll still be continuing my AO3 story tho! Since I only really plan to posting once a week, I think it won’t be too much on me. I also haven’t posted the link for it on here yet ’cause I’m still working through some stuff in chapter one.
Anyway, love y’all and stay safe 🤍
Nigel, you’re the one I meant.
One advantage of communicating online instead of in person is that if something somebody says flusters or overwhelms you, you can just choose not to respond.
You can pretend you didn’t see it at all. I think that’s handy.
I have received questions, but I am unable to answer some of them.
I am not sure why. If you have sent something and do not see a response, it is likely due to a technical issue rather than intentional avoidance.
Hello, Adam. I was wondering if you have a favorite flower or plant or a favorite animal?
-Duncan.
Good evening Duncan!.
I do have a favorite animal.
Raccoons. Definitely raccoons. They’re highly intelligent, their problem-solving skills are impressive, and they have these incredibly dexterous little hands. Did you know that they can remember solutions to tasks for years? And they wash their food before eating it, which is both practical and oddly endearing. I often go to watch a family of raccoons at a park near me. They bring me joy.
As for plants, I think carnivorous plants are fascinating. They literally evolved to defy the usual order of things—plants aren’t supposed to consume animals, and yet, here they are. The Venus flytrap, for example, counts the number of times its trigger hairs are touched before closing, like it’s verifying the presence of prey. That kind of adaptation is remarkable. If find that they have a philosophical aspect to them.