A big update on the Open Visualization Academy New instructors, new courses, and what to expect in the next 12-15 months

BIG OPEN VISUALIZATION ACADEMY UPDATE: 10+ more instructors and 10+ more courses to be released on a monthly basis #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization @alyssafowers.bsky.social @elsieleerobbins.bsky.social @petrinkae.bsky.social @rsimmon.bsky.social and many others

#sciart (Trying the hashtag again on a thread filled with artist shout-outs. Looks like it didn’t work a few days ago.)

The post below triggered a flood of memories. I took a scientific illustration course at Shoals Marine Lab years ago. Such a great environment to for inspiration and to hone skills! #sciart

Plus Richard Mia for a conceptual illo on using using AI to call the bluff of political adversaries. And as always, thanks to photo editor @morglaur.bsky.social & regular column contributors Jay Bendt, Masha Foya, Shideh Ghandeharizadeh and Thomas Fuchs. ⭐

Mathematicians just invented a new shape that shouldn’t exist Scientists have designed a new kind of paradoxical shape

And I suspect that this month's Graphic Science column will delight math fans. And everyone else, too. In it, Robert Ghrist shares his research on impossible figures—paradoxical shapes that look feasible at a glance, but can't exist in real life. www.scientificamerican.com/article/math...

The baffling ecological disaster that’s killing America’s freshwater mussels Biologists are racing to save America’s freshwater mussels—the water-filtering keystone species that once filled the country’s rivers and streams—from extinction

I'm SO happy with a charming scientific illustration representing a collection of wacky larvae-spreading freshwater mussel behaviors by
@alexboersma-art.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

The Science of Luxury The materials, technology and engineering behind the finer things in life

Kyle Bean came through with 5 (yes 5!) intricate papercraft images for a series of short articles about the surprising science behind some high-end guilty pleasures, including watches and binoculars. www.scientificamerican.com/report/the-s...

Why birds were the only dinosaurs to survive mass extinction Scientists finally understand why birds were the only dinosaurs to pull through the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

Paleoartist extraordinaire @juliuscsotonyi.bsky.social illustrated a bird survivor in the midst of an apocalyptic ancient landscape. And I always love an excuse to call on @nearbirdstudios.bsky.social for bird schematics. scientificamerican.com/article/an-a...

This strange new class of magnets could rewrite physics How the discovery of altermagnets could change physics and computing

Photographer Tony Luong captured cool scenes inside a MIT lab where they're cooking up a new kind of magnet. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

Inside NASA’s audacious plan to save a doomed space telescope NASA’s Swift space telescope is doomed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year. A daring mission to boost it to safety could have big implications for science

Violet Frances built a gorgeous, sparkling and colorful line drawing for a news story on the fate of the Swift Observatory, inspired in part by Nude Descending a Staircase. (That description sounds wild, but I think you'll get it when you see it.) www.scientificamerican.com/article/insi...

Heart disease patients can be saved by drugs that calm inflammation Immune system overreactions may be the true culprit of cardiac illness—and lifesaving drugs can calm them down

María Corte created a bold cover and lead illustration on the topic of inflammation and heart disease. I've been a long-time fan of her work. Thrilled to finally work with Maria directly. www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

As always, many thanks to the fabulous artists and photographers who make Scientific American shine, including these May issue contributors:

Soon it'll be time for me to shift my full focus back to graphics again as a member of Scientific American's fab multimedia team under the direction of @jeffdel.bsky.social. I've loved stretching page layout & editorial art direction muscles but I’m an information designer at heart. So I'm excited!

Happy May @sciam.bsky.social issue launch day! Just one more full issue as acting design chief for me, as I'm thrilled to report that Maria Amador has joined the magazine as chief art director! // cover illustration by Maria Corte, animation by me www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/202... 🧪#sciart

Hello, Bluesky! We, the staff of Scientific American, are pleased to announce we have formed a union with @wgaeast.bsky.social. Just as mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, we are the powerhouse of the publication, and we’re excited to have a new way to contribute to its success.

❤️ www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...

NASA’s Artemis II crew experience total solar eclipse from space From the perspective of the Orion capsule, the moon will fully block the sun’s disk for nearly an hour

The crew of Artemis II is experiencing a total solar eclipse RIGHT NOW from just a few thousand miles above the lunar surface. Here's why it's cool and what they could see 🧪 🔭

NASA Returns to the Moon NASA is gearing up to launch four astronauts on a pioneering journey around the moon—the Artemis II mission. Follow our coverage here.

It's Moonday, not Monday, for the crew of Artemis II! As they approach their lunar rendezvous (watch live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR...), a reminder you can follow all @sciam.bsky.social's coverage here:
www.scientificamerican.com/report/nasa-...

NASA’s Artemis II moon mission heads to launch The U.S. space agency is targeting Wednesday evening to loft four astronauts on what may be a record-breaking trip around the moon—see the spacecraft live

Who's ready to watch history being made? Let's send Artemis II to the moon!!! @sciam.bsky.social's got the key details for today's launch attempt—timing, livestreams, and so on. Click here to learn more, and tune in to follow along: www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...

What 39 traits reveal about the autism spectrum The autism spectrum is big, vibrant and complicated, a new graphic of 39 traits shows

Excited to share this piece by @parshallison.bsky.social and me in the April issue of @sciam.bsky.social. This is my fav type of #dataviz challenge: tackling a concept that is complex, fascinating, and that I haven’t seen represented in this way before. 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Plus photographers Austin Anthony and Jeffrey MacMillan for their contributions to the kidney disease report. And as always, photo editor @morglaur.bsky.social and regular column contributors Jay Bendt, Masha Foya, Shideh Ghandeharizadeh and Thomas Fuchs. ⭐

What 39 traits reveal about the autism spectrum The autism spectrum is big, vibrant and complicated, a new graphic of 39 traits shows

Also my colleague @unamandita.bsky.social is behind this month’s Graphic Science column—a series of charts that demonstrate that autism isn’t a simple sliding scale. 📊www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-autism-spect...

These puzzles reveal a glitch in your thinking Here’s how a mathematical paradox distorts our view of news, safety and statistics

And shoot, I HAD to ask @nigelblue.bsky.social for an isotype graphic for a math column on the base rate fallacy. I’m so glad he said yes! #sciart www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Kidney disease has many causes, and now they all seem to be driving up the number of patients Chronic kidney disease has a variety of causes, ranging from immune system problems to medication side effects

Annie Campbell, Emily Holden and the team at Now Medical Studios for developing and executing a plan for a graphics primer that answers the question “What is Kidney Disease?” www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-... #sciart

New treatments and new hope reach kidney patients A series of novel treatments and medical insights is helping chronic kidney disease patients

@chiaravercesi.bsky.social's 4 thoughtful, fresh and gorgeous companion pieces for a report on kidney disease. www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-... + www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-... + www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-si... + www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-... #sciart

The giant, stinky corpse plant has an incredible evolutionary backstory Evolutionary studies make sense of the world’s strangest plant

Işık Güner, for her elegant illustration of the memorable and wacky corpse flower (who doesn't love a classic botanical plate)? www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-... #sciart ...

We are polluting the Rockies’ clearest lakes without even touching them High in the Rockies, researchers are discovering that wind-borne pollution and rising heat are fueling unprecedented algal blooms

Photographer @mattnager.bsky.social, who takes us to Rocky Mountain National Park with his images for a story about green lakes. Hat tip to photo editor Monica Bradley for making it happen. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie... ...

As always, many thanks to all the fabulous artists and photographers who make it possible, including Angela Southern for her bespoke hand lettering on the kids cover and the print interior …

Scientific American Volume 309, Issue 3 "Why Does Food Taste So Delicious?", "Invasive Species Menu of a World-Class Chef", "Is Obesity an Addiction?" and more

They're usually the same. If memory serves right, the last time we had more than one was for the award-winning single topic issue on food (Sept 2013). (3 variations: fork, knife & spoon w/photos by Dan Saelinger & prop styling by Dominique Baynes)
www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/201...

These strange galaxies without dark matter break all the rules Bizarre objects that seem to lack all dark matter present a cosmic mystery

And the cover companion art from Chad Hagen here. www.scientificamerican.com/article/gala... #SciArt