It's a new toad!

 

Believe it or not, I discovered that I have never prior to this post used the word "toad" in any of my blog posts.

That really surprises me.

But enough of that. I've only used "frog" a few times, and one of them was quite recently, in a post about the discovery of a new and beautiful poison dart frog.

And now, this post is about the discovery of a new horned toad, the Tongbiguanen horned toad, which has diamond eyes.  Not eyes made out of diamond, which would be awesome, but eyes with diamond-shaped pupils or whatever the equivalent structures are in toad eyes.

Nature survey in tropical paradise leads to new species of 'diamond-eyed' toad

"Currently, the Tongbiguanen horned toad is only known to live in the Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve. But Wu and their peers invited further research into the region at large."

After some effort, I couldn't figure out the size of the reserve, which supports breeding hornbills. The headquarters are here;  based on description, it's located on the Irrawaddy River.

So, after all that, let's get back to the toad with the diamond eyes.  (And no, the Beatles did not write that song.)

Crystal Palace did WHAT ???

 

OK, so they did win the FA Cup last season. While it wasn't a fluke -- they were good -- it was still unexpected.  And they defeated Manchester City, but City was having an off year.

Then, they won the FA Community Shield against Liverpool, who just happened to be the Premier League champions.  But they won that on penalty kicks, and it was also a summer competition, so it was likely not everyone was in top mid-season form.

So, they were very fortunate.  And it was good to see for long-time fans, and even me, who has been following their fate for years.

But then last weekend happened.

Crystal Palace, which has yet to lose so far this season (3 wins, 3 draws), defeated Liverpool 2-1 on a literally last-minute header;  something they seemed to be adept at giving up in past seasons.  And they completely dominated the first half, and should have had more goals (one hit the goalpost).

It very likely won't last.  But it's still somewhat amazing to see. Remember, they're doing this without Eberechi Eze, one of the best players they ever had (sorry Wilfried Zaha), who has moved on to Arsenal where he's making a lot of money. 

So see for yourself.

Jewel is cut

 

The Daily Mail covered the fit figure of 51-year-old singer Jewel, who looks to be staying in great shape.

Singer Jewel, 51, shows off muscular body after trying new exercise routine... following Kevin Costner 'romance'

(There was no big romance, by the way. Just a couple of appearances together)

Following the fitness pose, she shows that she's also in great shape for romantic activities.

Lighthouse of the Week, September 21 - 27, 2025: Georgetown Lighthouse, Guyana

 

The South American country of Guyana actually has a fairly long coastline, though it's much, much, much shorter than Brazil's, of course.  As it also has one major city on the coast, that's where the only traditional lighthouse is found, too.

So, as the post title indicates, this lighthouse is in Georgetown, Guyana.  To more precisely locate it on a map, click right here.  Georgetown is where the Demarara River meets the Atlantic;  the larger Essequibo River joins the Atlantic just to the north. 

So now the Lighthouse Directory tells us:

"1830 (station established 1817). Active; focal plane 31.5 m (103 ft); flash every 60 s, red or white depending on direction. 30 m (98 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white vertical stripes. ... The lighthouse is a principal tourist attraction in Georgetown, the nation's capital. In 2003 a team from the Smithsonian Institution cleaned and restored the clockwork mechanism that rotates the lens. Visits to the lighthouse were suspended in September 2015 due to the need for repairs. As of May 2023 it is still closed."

I have four pictures below. The first and third pictures correspond to these links on Instagram, which are short videos (reels) on that source.

Tourism Guyana

Visit Guyana 

Colden's Trap Dike is cool, but only for the hardy hiker

 

I just found out about this place; I've only been the Adirondacks once (in the Lake Placid area, generally), and I never heard about it. Back when I was younger and tougher and a bit more daring, I might have given it a try. Not now, though.  Good hikers that like a challenge, though, could definitely try it.

Climbing Colden's Trap Dike tests hiker's abilities

If you read the article, you'll find out that it isn't really considered a hike on a trail, it's considered a rock climb, and if you aren't proficient, you could get hurt.  (And sadly, in rare cases, killed.)

A couple of pictures are below, at the end. What's a trap dike, you ask?  Well, from this article about taking on the Colden Trap Dike, it's "a slide, short for landslide, located on Mt. Colden’s western slope. The slide was formed as a result of a debris avalanche, in which the thin layer of soil on top of Colden’s bedrock was released, most likely due to too much precipitation during a hurricane storm.

In the case of Mt. Colden, the slide (or slides, plural, because Colden has two on its western slope) released and drained into an eroded dike feature. What’s left of the eroded dike is a prominent gorge with vertical rock walls on either side that drains out to Avalanche Lake at the foot of Mt. Colden."

If you look at the map, you'll see that just getting to where you can see it requires a substantial hike.  It actually isn't that far from Lake Placid. But getting there is done on foot.

In the first picture (taken by Timothy Behuniak), a climber is shown to provide a sense of scale.

The geologist's favorite view

Smoke gets in the skies

 

It is entirely unfair that smoke from big wildfires in Canada should produce such a gorgeous sunset in Greenland, because the smoke is indicative of climate change (more wildfires, of course), as is the melting ice in Greenland. 

But you've got to admit, this is quite amazing.

A few less French fries

 

It appears that eating less French fries has a substantial benefit.

(It'd be nice if that didn't apply to tater tots, but unfortunately I think it does.)

Three Weekly Servings of French Fries Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
Eating similar amounts of potatoes cooked in other ways, however, does not substantially increase the risk.

"After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors related to diabetes risk, the researchers found that for every three weekly servings of total potato, the rate of type 2 diabetes increased by 5% and for every three weekly servings of French fries, the rate increased by 20%. However, similar intake of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not associated with a significantly increased risk.

Replacing three weekly servings of total potato with whole grains lowered the type 2 diabetes rate by 8%. Substituting baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with whole grains lowered the rate by 4%, and replacing French fries lowered the rate by 19%."

So, more baked potatoes, please.

One of my favorites, remixed

 

I just accidentally happened on this music video.  I've liked this song from the movie Highlander (performed by Queen), performed by Sarah Brightman, and now performed by Andrea Bocelli (with Brian May of Queen).

I don't get tired of hearing it.  This might be my song for the Colbert Questionert, if he ever asks.

On the subject of gerrymandering

 

The Washington Post had a tremendous article about gerrymandering.

Obama makes an about-face on red and blue America
The former president’s support of California’s redistricting plan promotes the partisan divide.

"Few things expose the flaws in our republic like the partisan gerrymander. It puts the interests of politicians and the parties ahead of the people and our democracy. It exploits a political system that is already unresponsive to the average voter by making it more sensitive to partisan whims. George Washington warned in his farewell address that rank partisanship undermines the democratic principle of rule by the people and “put[s] in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party.”

On checks and balances, the Supreme Court took up partisan gerrymandering and declared the practice “incompatible with democratic principles.” Despite that, it dismissed the case, calling the question a political one beyond the court’s jurisdiction."

I recommend the whole thing, if you can get to it. If not, pay the money.

I got this from Common Cause.

Don't tell the DEI police about this

 

This kookaburra might be konfused

Apparently, birds can be intersex (looking like one sex but actually having the sexual characteristics of the other sex) more often than thought.

This is based on research in Australia.

Sex Reversal Is More Common in Australian Birds Than Previously Thought

"In a study of nearly 500 birds from five species – including magpies, kookaburras, pigeons and lorikeets – researchers found that up to 6 percent had the physical features of one sex but the genetic makeup of the other.

The birds were examined post-mortem after being admitted to wildlife hospitals in southeast Queensland with unrelated injuries or illness. Researchers identified their reproductive organs and then tested their DNA to determine genetic sex. “One of the key findings was that 92 percent of sex-reversed birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs,” Dr [Dominique] Potvin said."

Reference: Hall CA, Conroy G, Jelocnik M, et al. Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds. Biol Lett. 2025. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0182

(One cause might be endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment.)

Who's Alexandria DeBerry?

 

To answer the question, she's an actress, currently in the show The Hunting Wives. 

Read more about her at IMDb.

And she is eye-catching.

Personal life-wise, she's married to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Beede, and they have two kids.  That's also impressive.

Lighthouse of the Week, September 14-20, 2025: Inishtearaght (Tearaght Island), Ireland

 

I accidentally encountered this lighthouse, and the first thing I found somewhat amazing was that it actually has a keeper's quarters. Now, according to the Lighthouse Directory, it's only accessible by helicopter, so how did the keepers get there before helicopters were available?

So, it's located on Tearaght Island, and that happens to be here. I had to zoom WAY out so you can see where it is in relation to Ireland.

Changing my pattern, before the description, here's a picture, which is what drew my attention.

Not exactly accessible, is it?

Now for Lighthouse Directory background and info.

"1870. Active; focal plane 84 m (275 ft); two white flashes, separated by 4.2 s, every 20 s; light shown by day when visibility is poor. 17 m (56 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery attached to a 1-story keeper's house complex. The original rotating 1st order Fresnel lens continues in use. ... A spectacular site: the lighthouse and keeper's houses are built on ledges cut into a steep rocky pinnacle. The station took six years to build. This is the westernmost lighthouse, not just in Ireland but in all of Europe (Iceland excluded). In 2003 the rotating mechanism was modernized and solar power was installed. Its light now has a range of 35 km (19 nautical miles). In 2024 conservationists expressed alarm at the rapid deterioration of the keepers houses and other structures of the station. Located on Inishtearaght (Tearaght Island), the westernmost of the Blasket Islands, about 22 km (14 mi) southwest of Slea Head, the northern entrance to Dingle Bay. Accessible only by helicopter."

Another site:   Inishtearaght Lighthouse (World of Lighthouses)

More pictures and a video below.  It even has a sea arch, on the other side of the promontory, under the keeper's house.

Just Nicola in the shower

 

I've mentioned Nicola Cavanis before. She once was a mystery girl, as I noted here. 

She's not a mystery now; she's well on her way to supermodeling stardom. She's recognizable and recognized on both continents, she gets applauded for drinking beer at Oktoberfest (in traditional garb), and she's got a new contract representing Fila.  She also apparently has a sporty boyfriend that she recently went public with.

In this post, I feature a few screencaps from her reel when she took a shower.

Which was epic.

See what I mean below.  These are small, but if you click on one, you can see it larger.

By the way, she also has an amazing smile.

Did you notice?

A serious question

 

Anyone know who she is?  She looks familiar, and she sure is pretty.  But I can't put a name on her face.

The Times recommends a change in how we think

 

According to this New York Times article, America and Americans thing too much in the short term, and not enough in the long term.  Given my concerns about climate change, I think this is quite accurate.  But they are more concerned with the political aspects of this problem.

How short-term thinking is destroying America

"Precisely because this is correct as a political diagnosis, Democrats must convey how Mr. Trump’s approach is more of a pyramid scheme than a plan. Cuts to research will starve innovation. Tariffs are likely to drive trade to China. Tax cuts will almost certainly widen inequality. Mass deportations predictably divide communities and drive down productivity. The absence of international order risks more war. Deregulation removes our ability to address climate change and A.I. Mr. Trump is trying one last time to squeeze some juice out of a declining empire while passing the costs on to future generations. Beyond the daily outrages, that is the reality that Democrats must contend with.

Mr. Trump is a 79-year-old strongman nostalgic for the past. His domination of the present is not permanent, but it is leading many Americans to live in the status quo he commands while ignoring where we are going. To overcome that reality, Democrats must mobilize people to believe in the future."

One way to do that, I think, is a marked change in how we generate energy. And I think the solution is a combination of small nuclear reactors and every renewable we can muster.  And deploying that for the next generations is long-term thinking.

Let's do that. 

Starting with small nuclear reactors. 

In case you missed it, there was a sequel

 

If you missed the news back in July, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded occurred off the coast of the actively volcanic Kamchatka Peninsula, which is where there's a subduction zone, which is why there are earthquakes and volcanoes there. There was a tsunami warning and there was a tsunami (see below) and much of coastal Hawaii moved to higher ground just in case.  Though high water did happen, it wasn't catastrophic.

That one was a monstrous 8.8 on the Richter scale. On September 18 (which just turned into two days ago), there was another pretty big one (link to Scientific American write-up), 10x smaller, meaning it was a 7.8 seismic event.

Now, back to the 8.8.  The NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission (SWOT) accurately measures the height of the ocean surface.  It just so happened that SWOT was making observations in the right place to capture a cross-section of the wave.

SWOT spots tsunami wave after Kamchatka quake (NASA Earth Observatory)

"The SWOT data on the height, shape, and direction of the tsunami wave are key to improving these types of forecast models. “The satellite observations help researchers to better reverse engineer the cause of a tsunami, and in this case, they also showed us that NOAA’s tsunami forecast was right on the money,” said Josh Willis, a JPL oceanographer."

So, Trump administration dummies and Congressional go-alongs:  don't reduce funding for NASA science.  The coastal home you evacuate in time might be your own.

 

Just a white robe ...

 

A white robe is not just a white robe when it's worn this way by Zuri Aspiunza.

Drones assist Antarctic research

 

Drones aren't just something that kills Russian soldiers in Ukraine (but we knew that). This article, and the paper, talk about a big drone from Windracers capable of carrying an instrument payload that helps map uncharted islands and also the gravity and magnetic fields in remote regions of Antarctica.

Windracers drone helps British scientists unlock hidden areas of Antarctica

"Windracers ULTRA, an autonomous heavy-lift cargo aircraft, was deployed for autonomous Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) missions to map out remote parts of West Antarctica and investigate how the Earth’s crust was created and deformed.

New research gathered by the scientists using gravity and magnetic sensors was presented in the Journal of Geophysical Research, revealing huge bodies of frozen magma, hidden from view."

The actual paper can be found here:

New Insights Into Western Antarctic Peninsula Magmatism From Joint Inversion of UAV Magnetic and Gravity Data

The PLS (Plain Language Summary): "The Antarctic Peninsula was formed over millions of years from a string of volcanoes and the underlying pools of magma, which turned to solid rock. The processes which control where and how these magmatic rocks formed are related to subduction, the process where dense oceanic crust is forced under the continental margin, releasing water, and triggering melting. Unfortunately, due to sparse data coverage and harsh working conditions the details of these important processes are poorly understood. Using a Windracers Ultra UAV, adapted for environmental science data collection, we collected high resolution gravity and magnetic measurements over an area where the pattern of magmatism was known to change. Using joint inversion of this data, where a computer model finds the rock properties which simultaneously match gravity and magnetic data, assuming magnetic and density (gravity) properties of the rocks are linked, we reveal the shape and type of the hidden rocks. These shapes and rock properties are interpreted, together with photographs of remote rocky islands, to give insights into the subduction processes occurring on the Antarctic Peninsula 20–50 million years ago."

And here's a video of the drone (very promotional):

All boys or all girls? The odds are in your favor

 

Here's a fairly interesting study about why some multiple-child families have all girls or all boys.  They haven't considered all the potential causes, but for families with two children of the same gender, the odds are higher they'll have another one of that gender rather than the other gender.

(I think I used gender too often in that sentence.)

Article on this perceptive conceptive study:

A child’s biological sex may not always be a random 50-50 chance

"The team compiled data from the Nurse’s Health Study, an ongoing series of epidemiological studies analyzing the pregnancies and births of over 58,000 people from 1956 to 2015. Around a third of families had siblings all of the same sex. Of those, more than expected had three, four or five kids — assuming a standard coin flip probability of male or female children."

One example of this is television journalist Andrea Canning, who (along with her husband, of course) conceived and delivered five girls before ending the streak with a boy.

How to rewire your gut microbes

It isn't difficult to rewire your gut microbes, apparently.  Just drink sugary soda.

It also appears that you can rewire them differently by ceasing the sugary soda sips.

That's what the research indicates.

Sugar in Soda Rewires Gut Microbes – But It's Reversible
White sugar in soft drinks causes reversible DNA changes in gut bacteria that alter the host immune system.

"The study focused on Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron – a prominent gut member that takes part in preventing gut inflammation, preserving the gut mucus layer, and protecting the host from pathogen invasion. The researchers studied the effects of consuming different dietary components on the DNA inversion profile of these bacteria, in vitro, in mice, and humans. They discovered that white sugar consumption causes DNA inversions in these bacteria, which led to changes in inflammatory markers of the immune system, including ones in T-cell populations, cytokine secretion, and gut permeability.

The good news is that these effects are reversible; once mice stopped consuming white sugar, the bacterial DNA inversion state reverted, and the immune system’s state returned to normal. This study stresses the importance of studying the complex effects of nutrition on the microbiome and our health state, and the researchers assess that this will allow tailored dietary recommendations to human subjects to improve their immune system’s state and their health in general."

Reference: Gal-Mandelbaum N, Carasso S, Kedem A, et al. Dietary carbohydrates alter immune-modulatory functionalities and DNA inversions in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60202-9

Another article on this research: Soft Drink Sugar Alters Gut Bacteria and Immune Function

This one is real

 

I still haven't had time for my commentary on AI female beauty vs. real (actual living and breathing) female beauty; hopefully I'll find time for that soon.  

Meanwhile, I'm going to mention a lovely young woman named Franziska Nazarenus, who is most definitely real, partly because she isn't shy about showing pictures with her love interest/boyfriend.  Could be a husband, as the relationship is not defined, but they certainly do enjoy each other's company.

Here's some examples of realness. The two white dress pictures are from her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where she was on the red carpet, so she's apparently got some connections.  And you can see the verification of both Paris and the love interest. 

Lighthouse of the Week, September 7-13, 2025: Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey, USA

 

I've been doing these Lighthouse of the Week posts for several years now, and while I know that there are numerous lighthouses in the world, I'm always slightly surprised when I encounter a prominent, well-known lighthouse that I haven't featured before.  Such is the case with this week's light.

The lighthouse is the Barnegat Lighthouse, in New Jersey.  It was actually raised by Union General George Meade, most famous for being the victorious general at Gettysburg in the Civil War. As you'll see, the Lighthouse Directory says it was established in 1835 but built in 1859, which was just before the war started.

The location of this lighthouse is here.  It's on a New Jersey barrier island, Long Beach Island, about halfway between Atlantic City to the south and Asbury Park to the north. 

The excerpted entry from the Lighthouse Directory is below.

"1859 (George G. Meade) (station established 1835). Reactivated (inactive 1944-2009); focal plane 163 ft (50 m); white flash every 10 s. 172 ft (52.5 m) brick tower with lantern and gallery. The Barnegat Light Museum, located nearby in a former schoolhouse, displays the original 1st order Fresnel lens. The lower half of the tower and the lantern roof are painted white, the upper half of the tower is bright red. ... A major restoration was completed in 1991. The tower is threatened by beach erosion; in 2001 the Army Corps of Engineers spent $1.38 million for a rock seawall to protect it. However, a Corps survey showed the tower is leaning 22 inches (56 cm) away from the vertical. In 2003 the state spent $500,000 to repaint and restore the tower. In September 2008 it was announced that the lighthouse would be relit on New Year's Day 2009. In 2011 town officials were negotiating to lease the light station from the state. In August 2012 a lightning strike knocked out the light, and several months of repairs were needed to restore it. The lighthouse closed in 2022 for a $1.3 million restoration of the exterior of the tower."

 There are several links about this one, so I've listed a couple of them below.

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park

Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey (Lighthouse Friends)

Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse

As is my usual custom, I finish with the pictures.

Have you heard of translucent concrete?

 

I think I'm speaking for most people when I say that the thought of the important building material concrete being light-transmitting sounds a bit outlandish.  

The way it's done is to put light-transmitting fibers in the concrete.

Read more about that here:

What's the deal with translucent concrete?

"Translucent concrete is produced by embedding optical fibers, typically made of glass or plastic, within a standard concrete matrix, according to IMARC Group. These fibers function as conduits, channeling light from one side of the concrete panel to the other. The result is a material that maintains the load-bearing capabilities of concrete while allowing light to pass through, creating striking visual effects and functional daylighting solutions."

The article only has one picture, so I went searching for more.  My search also turned up a video that showed some of the pictures I saw while searching.  So far, this looks like it's mainly for attracting attention and not for a lot of building efforts.  It doesn't transmit a lot of light, so its energy saving potential seems limited.  But it is eye-catching.

 

Migration is energetic

 

A great study, showing what drones can do for science, analyzed how much body fat humpback whales lose while migrating. It's a lot.

They followed the whales with drones to determine their volume change, which is impressive in itself.

Humpback Whales Lose 36% Body Fat During Migration

"Mr Bernier-Graveline and the research team used data from the drone monitoring to determine the whales’ body conditions on their breeding ground in Colombia and on their feeding ground on the Western Antarctic Peninsula, a highly productive krill region of Antarctica.

Each adult whale lost about 36 per cent of its body condition during migration which is equivalent to:
- 12 cubic metres or 11,000kg of blubber (equivalent to the weight of a standard single-decker city bus or two adult African elephants)
- 5,000kg of fat
-196 million kilojoules of energy (equivalent to the energy consumed by an average adult over 62 years)
- 57,000kg of krill

This should clearly illustrate the importance of maintaining the Southern Ocean ecosystem in a productive state that keeps the krill stocks big and thick.

Reference: Bernier-Graveline A, Nash SB, Bierlich KC, et al. Drone-based photogrammetry provides estimates of the energetic cost of migration for humpback whales between Antarctica and Colombia. Mar Mamm Sci. 2025. doi: 10.1111/mms.70048

Sheer, unmitigated carnage

 

This is devastating.  And stupid.  

Did I say stupid?  REALLY stupid.

From the Washington Post:

EPA eliminates its scientific research arm
The Office of Research and Development conducted research into hazardous chemicals, with studies that often underpinned stricter regulations.

"However union officials said the agency is destroying one of the world’s leading office of environmental scientists, which could leave the nation vulnerable to potential threats.

“Without the Office of Research and Development, our nation’s air, water and land will turn more toxic and our people more sick with preventable disease,” said Nicole Cantello, a legislative and political coordinator in the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, a nationwide union that represents more than 8,000 EPA employees."

Below is a link to another article about this, from Science:

In ‘blow to the environment,’ EPA begins to dismantle its research office

"ORD also maintains toxicology databases that are widely used by researchers, state and local governments, industry, and nonprofit groups, notes Joel Tickner, an environmental health scientist at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Both Tickner and [University of Colorado - Boulder environmental engineer Jana] Milford fear EPA will no longer keep the databases up to date, such as by adding newly identified contaminants. Similarly, ORD’s atmospheric and hydrologic models are used by researchers around the world to understand the sources and impacts of pollutants such as particulate matter and ozone, Milford notes.

Industry trade groups have been especially critical of ORD’s Integrated Risk Information System assessments, which EPA and state agencies rely on to restrict the use of toxic chemicals and guide cleanup decisions. “This joust is nothing new, but this is total victory for the polluters right now,” says Thomas Burke, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University and former EPA science adviser."

You've heard of Pompeii -- how about Akrotiri?

 

I have known about Santorini, and the high likelihood that it's massive, caldera-forming eruption was one of the main reasons for the demise of Minoan society (and sadly, it's bare-breasted fashion).  But until I saw this NASA Earth Observatory image and associated text, I had not heard of Akrotiri.

Santorini's Hidden Worlds

Akrotiri suffered the same fate as Pompeii, apparently -- buried under a lot of volcanic ash. So now it's being excavated. 

Prehistoric town of Akrotiri

And this is what the women of Akrotiri may have looked like.

Acting, and not very good at it

 

Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation and the current Acting Administrator of NASA, is planning to end most of NASA's incredible science missions and research: space, planetary, and Earth, and all of the associated scholarship in universities and institutes.

Obviously he doesn't care. Obviously the administration doesn't care about NASA or science. That's been obvious. But it really sucks that NASA's being run by a part-timer who really doesn't care.

Even Jim Bridenstine and Sean O'Keefe cared. Bill Nelson obviously cared.

As Trump taps Sean Duffy for NASA, space agency's future is increasingly in doubt
It’s hard not to wonder whether NASA and the United States’ space program will survive the Republican president's second term.

"What’s more, one of the key elements of this president’s approach to dual-hatting is that his use of the tactic signals an implicit contempt: When Trump taps one person to do two (or more) jobs, it tends to mean that he doesn’t see much value in the underlying positions.

With this in mind, there are growing concerns, not only about NASA’s leadership, but about the future of the space agency itself."