Museum of Science

For the best view, find dark skies far from city lights, give your eyes 15 to 20 minutes to adjust, and look anywhere in the sky.

Even better, you won’t have to stay up all night to catch them. This shower builds to maximum activity around 10 p.m. local time, making it one of the earliest peaks among major meteor showers.

You could see 150 shooting stars an hour this month! 🌠🧪

The Geminid meteor shower arrives on December 4–17, and will peak overnight December 13–14! One of the biggest celestial events of the year, the Geminids are known for producing up to 150 meteors per hour at their peak.

Winter doesn’t just change the weather, it changes how you experience it. ❄️🧠

Cold, dry air carries scents more cleanly, so pine, woodsmoke, and fresh snow hit with extra clarity and reach the brain areas tied to memory and emotion.

What cold-weather phenomenon are you most curious about? 👇❄️

Beneath Antarctica’s miles-thick ice sheet, scientists are uncovering ancient climate records, hidden lakes, and even signs of microbial life. Each discovery offers vital clues to Earth’s past.

Would you explore the ice or the ocean first? 🧊

#Antarctica #Glacier #Ocean #Science #Environment

Using tracking data, scientists found African penguins are far more likely to forage near fishing vessels in years when fish are scarce. This intensified overlap, measured by a new “overlap intensity” metric, is linked to steep population declines.

How can we help the penguins? 🐧

By tapping into this natural system, scientists are exploring new ways to manage chronic pain and reshape how we treat it moving forward.

When one of these survival needs takes priority, the brain releases a chemical called, Neuropeptide-Y (NPY), that quiets pain signals so you can focus on staying alive. Now, researchers have shown it’s possible to activate this response without triggering hunger, thirst, or fear.

Can your brain really shut off chronic pain? 🧠🧪

In a recent discovery, scientists identified a hidden pain off switch in the brainstem, the same region that controls hunger, thirst, and fear.

All Aboard! Trains is the perfect rainy-day escape. Step inside a cozy wintry world filled with intricate mini landscapes, hands-on fun, and trains of all sizes gliding through snowy scenes. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3O6DjZs

Ever feel your phone vibrate… only to realize it never did? 📱 👀

That’s called phantom vibration syndrome. Your nervous system becomes so tuned to your phone’s alerts that it misfires and creates a false sensation.

Your phone isn’t haunted… your brain is just overly prepared.

New research from University of California San Francisco suggests coffee may help protect the heart. Its caffeine and anti-inflammatory compounds are linked to a 39% lower risk of atrial fibrillation.

Do you have daily coffee? ☕️

#Coffee #Heart #Health #Science

These patterns form in areas where the plate stays still, called nodes, while vibrations push sand away from the more active regions. This creates what's known as a standing wave pattern. As the frequency changes, the shape of the sound changes too, each pitch forming a new geometric design.

YouTube video by Museum of Science Can You See Sound? This Plate Proves It

What does sound look like? 🎼🧪

When sound waves pass through a Chladni plate, they cause it to vibrate, shifting sand into mesmerizing patterns that reveal how sound travels.

Happy Red Planet Day! 🔴🔭

Mars has the tallest volcano in the solar system, planet-wide dust storms, and robots that have explored its surface for decades.

Want to learn more? Try our ‘All About Mars’ Kahoot! here:
https://kahoot.it/challenge/00165920

Look to the eastern sky before sunset on the 4th, or catch it again at moonset near sunrise on December 5 for a rare chance to see the Sun and supermoon in the sky at once.

This dramatic effect is due to its elliptical orbit, and it's easiest to spot near the horizon, where our brains perceive it as even bigger.

A supermoon is lighting up our skies, and this one shows up before sunset! 🌕🧪

The next supermoon rises on December 4, as the Moon reaches perigee. That is its closest orbital point to Earth, where it can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a typical full moon.

Food waste is a climate issue...even on Thanksgiving. 🥧 🌍

When food breaks down in landfills, it releases methane, a powerful heat-trapping gas. Reducing waste, composting, or reusing leftovers can shrink that footprint dramatically.

Small choices at the table add up to a healthier planet! 💚

New research suggests metformin, a type of diabetes medication, may blunt the body’s natural response to exercise. That means reduced benefits for blood sugar control, vascular health, and overall fitness.

What else may be holding back your fitness journey? 🏋️‍♀️

#Diabetes #Exercise #Fitness #Gym

IF/THEN Collection The IF/THEN® Collection is a library of videos, photos, and educational materials featuring women STEM innovators. There are examples of engineers, biologists, chemists, and more sharing their experie...

This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

Learn more about Nicole Jackson and more IF/THEN Women here: www.mos.org/discover/if-...

You never know where science might take you, but curiosity leads the way. 🧪

Nicole Jackson followed opportunity into Health IT, where she now helps design the tools that power smarter, faster care. Her path proves that every step forward in tech can be a step toward better health for all.

YouTube video by Museum of Science Robin Wall Kimmerer on What Nature Teaches Us About Giving Back

Watch the full interview with renowned author and botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChdC...

You never see the world in real time. Your brain runs about 100 milliseconds behind. 👁️⏳

Your visual system needs that long to turn light into signals and process them, so your brain predicts ahead to mask the delay.

What you see isn’t the present — it’s a reconstruction of the recent past.

These thriving ecosystems are not untouched, they are actively cared for through generations of Indigenous stewardship and knowledge. Kimmerer emphasizes that this traditional ecological wisdom isn’t just compatible with science, it is science.

YouTube video by Museum of Science Biodiversity in Indigenous Homelands

Why is biodiversity collapsing globally, but thriving on Indigenous lands? 🌱🧪

Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer points to a striking pattern in global biodiversity reports: Indigenous territories are defying the widespread ecological decline.

New research suggests our universe operates on non-algorithmic principles, rules that no computer, no matter how advanced, could ever replicate. That’s because reality itself emerges from a deeper, mathematical foundation beyond the reach of computation.

Did you think we were in a simulation? 👾

As an Earthshot Prize ambassador, he helps elevate evidence-based conservation solutions and global environmental innovation. His win celebrates both his talent and the science he continues to champion. 💚

The hospital’s clinical records support research on habitat loss, disease trends, and the effects of climate change on native species.

He also contributes to species monitoring in the field and uses wildlife photography to document environmental change for researchers and the public. 📸

Robert Irwin won the Mirrorball last night, and it feels like a win for conservation too! 🕺🌍🧪

When he is not dancing, he works hands-on at Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital, which has treated more than 100,000 animals.

#Conservation #Wildlife #DWTS #RobertIrwin #Science