Susan Rodrigues

Do you know the story of Wangari Maathai? This animated film explores her life and achievements, from founding the Green Belt Movement on World Environment Day (5 June 1977), to becoming the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: bbc.in/482wlyU

The companies that drilled these cores decades ago couldn't have known the scientific treasures inside. @maxlechte @Sydney_Uni theconversation.com/tiny-fossils-f…

Top 15 countries by population from 1900 to 2026

This #WildWednesday, we’re trading fauna for flora: snow algae. Known as “watermelon snow” or “blood snow,” these microscopic algae can paint entire snowfields red, pink, or green as they bloom across the ice, while helping capture carbon through photosynthesis. 📷 John Weller

science 🤝 soccer Engineers carefully design soccer balls so they fly smoothly whether they’re being kicked in your backyard or in the World Cup. @NASA astronaut Jessica Meir aboard the @Space_Station explains the science hidden inside every ball.

An 18-year-old just did what billion-dollar water companies couldn't. Meet Mia Heller. A high school junior from Warrenton, Virginia who built a water filter in her garage that strips out 95.5% of microplastics from drinking water. That's better than most government treatment plants, which sit somewhere between 70% and 90%. Her secret weapon? Ferrofluid. A magnetized liquid made of oil and powder that latches onto microplastic particles. Then a magnet yanks them out. No membranes. No constant filter replacements. No endless maintenance bills. The ferrofluid even gets recycled, around 87% of it, in a closed loop. The spark for all of this wasn't a classroom project. It was a local newspaper article warning that her town's tap water was loaded with PFAS and microplastics, and that nobody was coming to fix it. So she watched her mom swap out filter after filter and thought, there has to be a smarter way. She built the prototype herself. Tested it with a homemade turbidity sensor. Then walked into the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and walked out with a special award from the Patent and Trademark Office Society. Up against nearly 1,700 students from 62 countries. She's now eyeing a household version that sits under your kitchen sink. The future of clean water might not come from a lab in Silicon Valley. It might come from a teenager's garage in Virginia. Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Every second, the Sun ejects 1.5 million tons of material into space at hundreds of miles per second, but Earth's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind. 📽: NASA Goddard

All of the world’s Asiatic lions live in Gujarat, a western Indian state along the Arabian Sea. Over the last century, this species has been brought back from the brink of extinction through careful conservation efforts—but the future of these lions remains uncertain. 🔗 on.natgeo.com/MqnFfH

Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed. Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us — one of home, tradition and memory over generations.

How do we join the yap sesh? For decades, Dr. Joyce Poole has eavesdropped on elephants to learn their language. Elephants are extremely intelligent and sociable, relying on communication to keep the herd strong. #SecretsOfTheElephants is now streaming on @DisneyPlus and @hulu.

On this day in 1796, Edward Jenner carried out the world’s first vaccination – injecting a boy with cowpox to protect him from the deadly smallpox. Even the word “vaccine” comes from the Latin word for cow: vacca. 🐄 Discover more about Jenner in our Objects and Stories webpages here 👉 bit.ly/3Bupei3

Today, Prime Minister Carney welcomed Canadian Space Agency astronauts Jeremy Hansen and Jenni Gibbons, alongside the @NASAArtemis II crew. Their mission pushed the bounds of human exploration, inspiring the next generation of explorers, builders, and innovators.

Emperor penguins are now listed as Endangered (IUCN) as scientists warn populations could decline by ~50% by 2080 and face possible extinction by 2100 if sea ice loss continues. At #ATCM48, Parties must designate them as a Specifically Protected Species. bit.ly/4e0Yg4j

Dear @BBCNews after you unforgivably refused to show this brilliant and essential documentary, at least have the grace and integrity to show this acceptance speech in full

Gaza: Doctors Under Attack is awarded the BAFTA for Current Affairs 🏆 #BAFTATVAwards with @pandocruises

Bowhead whales survived centuries of intense Arctic whaling by retreating into summer sea ice that ships couldn’t break through. But as climate change rapidly thins the ice, that once-safe barrier is disappearing. 🔗 on.natgeo.com/fHVQJe

WE ARE THEIR VOICE OUTSIDE THE PRISON THEY LIVE IN… Never forget the beautiful children of Gaza.

An extinct koala species has been discovered in Western Australia. Climate change 28,000 years ago erased its habitat. @TravouillonK @kailah_thorn @aNATomy_Lab @CurtinUni @MurdochUni theconversation.com/the-lost-koala…

Two-thirds of school leaders say budget cuts are affecting pupil outcomes, according to research shared exclusively with Tes, highlighting the ‘trade-offs’ schools are having to make because of funding constraints tes.com/magazine/news/…

Look out for the @Space_Station the next time it passes over your town! You might see it in the night sky the next time it's nearby — download our NASA app to get notified, or look it up on our website at go.nasa.gov/4wmkiav.