Yesterday I was part of a discussion on paper writing and I would like to share a tidbit that has stayed with me for many years regarding writing a paper's introduction:

Write it like you're crafting the movie version of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring A long time ago when I watched the behind the scenes material for the extended edition of FOTR, the writers revealed how they approached the sprawling story: anything that didn't aid in propelling Frodo towards Mordor had to be cut for time

Something to consider as you read about the big Venus news today: there is an unfortunate disconnect between what we do as scientists and how "science" is communicated to everyone.

A thread. First, full disclosure/disclaimer: I am a co-author on the paper that is in the Astrobiology journal that talks about a potential life cycle for potential Venus microbes. What I say here is my personal opinion and doesn't represent those of the other authors.

I'll probably regret this but I need to get this off my chest: I don't care if Pluto is a planet or not, because that is literally the least interesting thing about it (thread) I don't care whether Pluto is a planet or not because LOOK AT THESE HAZE LAYERS!! How do they form? How do they affect the rest of the atmosphere? Why are there so many layers??

I'm feeling a bit stressed out lately and need to shine a light on an issue that maybe others in our shoes are feeling as well. In addition to the "normal stresses" of academia, those of us who are not citizens of the US have additional worries, especially now. /ramble thread The truth is that we (my spouse and I) are extremely privileged. We live in a liberal bastion on the beautiful west coast. We both earn fairly high salaries (not as high as the Googlers but still), we both have shelter, food, and disposable income. We have financial security.