Scott Solomon, PhD

Daylight Savings is rough on everyone

Sounds like a good question for @arummel.bsky.social

The discovery of a new “species” invariably leads to the discovery of new “species interactions” - new connections in the web of life. Here, the discovery of a new gall wasp also uncovered EIGHT new interactions with other insects - some likely new species as well. #biodiversity @ymilesz.bsky.social

#NewSpeciesAlert! We discovered & described a new species of gall wasp, Belonocnema mesoamericana, on the central American live oak, Quercus oleoides. Great collaboration between Alejandro Zaldivar & lab at #UNAM, @ymilesz.bsky.social at #EdinburghUni, and my lab at #RiceUniversity. #biodiversity

It was such an honor to speak last night as part of the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Distinguished Lecture series! Speaking in the Planetarium made it especially cool. Thanks to the @hmns.bsky.social team for hosting me, and to everyone who came out!

Only our robots

Speaking in the Planetarium feels epic!

Happening today! Join me at 6:30 pm at @hmns.bsky.social!

Scott Solomon in front of a world map holding a sign that reads: Reddit! I'm Scott Solomon AMA Thurs, Mar 5 11 am - 1 pm ET u/the_mit_press

How will humans evolve on Mars? Join @scottsolomon.bsky.social, the author of "Becoming Martian," for a Reddit AMA at r/space tomorrow at 11 am EST!

How Mars will change human evolution (big time) - Scott Solomon YouTube video by Chris Williamson

I had a blast talking with Chris Williamson about what happens to the human body and mind in space, what we (don't) know about sex and reproduction in space, and why we aren't ready to live on Mars just yet www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttKM...

Join me at @hmns.bsky.social social on Mar 4 at 6:30 pm for a special presentation about humanity's future in space! my.hmns.org/64736

Screenshot of an oped headline and description from the Washington Post. The flaw that could prevent humans from becoming deep-space explorers NASA should focus on the boday and mind, not just engineering, for cosmic travel.

"As a scientist and explorer, I understand the allure ... Humans, however, have one essential flaw that makes us poorly suited to being deep-space explorers."

@scottsolomon.bsky.social explains how our biology could hinder cosmic space travel: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

What Do You Get When You Cross a Tardigrade with a Space Pioneer? What Do You Get When You Cross a Tardigrade with a Space Pioneer?: A little genetic engineering could help future space settlers survive the challenges of off-world living

What do you get when you cross a tardigrade with a space pioneer? It may sound like a joke but this may actually be the key to humanity's expansion beyond Earth. nautil.us/what-do-you-...

It was wonderful being a guest speaker at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas for their annual STEM Conference. Thanks to John Mead for the invitation!

Fun book event this evening in Dallas! Thanks to everyone who came out!

Next stop: Dallas! interabangbooks.com/event/2026-0...

Hugo Rifkind | Times Radio | The Times and the Sunday Times Listen to Times Radio live for the latest breaking news, expert analysis and well-informed discussion covering the biggest stories of the day.

Thanks to @listentotimesradio.bsky.social for having me on to speak with @hugorifkind.bsky.social about what would happen to people living in the kind of settlement that Elon Musk says he is planning for the moon and Mars. Begins at 2h33m45s: www.thetimes.com/radio/show/2... @mitpress.bsky.social

Great book event last night at The Literary in Champaign, IL! It was really special to be back in my hometown and to see old friends and make new ones!

I enjoyed chatting with Megan Lynch about our possible future in space on this short episode of the Total Information podcast! www.audacy.com/podcast/tota...

Are aliens real? Do they speak physics? Will we become aliens? @danielwhiteson.bsky.social and I are on the case!

Here's an excerpt from Scott Solomon's new book, Becoming Martian. I'm excited to see this book. It looks like it covers a lot of ground I've speculatively trod with Generation Mars.

I’m surprised this was the first time.

Who ‘dis? Mite with cute eye spots on its butt? Found on the branch of a southern live oak in Houston, Texas. ID help? #biodiversity

That was one epic hockey game

Humans Are Still Evolving Before Our Eyes on The Tibetan Plateau Humans are not yet done cooking.

Great example of how humans are still evolving. www.sciencealert.com/humans-are-s...

What Growing Up On Mars Would Do to the Human Body The annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, can be a bit overwhelming. What started as a fairly modest four-day music festival in 1987, drawing some 700 attendees, has become a ten-day extravaganz…

Here's an excerpt in @literaryhub.bsky.social from my
@mitpress.bsky.social book about the topic I get asked about the most: CAN WE HAVE KIDS IN SPACE???
lithub.com/what-growing...

Science fiction blinded us to the perils of settling Mars Science fiction romanticized Mars as a place of adventure and future settlement; science tells a very different story.

What science fiction gets wrong about living on Mars bigthink.com/books/scienc... @bigthink.com

Houston Matters Full Episode - February 19, 2026 YouTube video by Houston Public Media

Thanks to @houstonpublicmedia.bsky.social for having me on Houston Matters this morning to talk about how living in space will affect the human body and mind, and what might happen to future generations of space settlers! www.youtube.com/live/EtYAWQ8...

Effects of living in space (Feb. 19, 2026) | Houston Public Media On Thursday's show: Rice University biology professor Scott Solomon talks about his book, "Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds." And we check in with Chie Chie Yard,...

Tune in to Houston Matters this morning at 9 am CT to hear me talk with host Craig Cohen about how living in space will change our bodies and minds! Stream it live, watch on YouTube, or listen on the radio if you’re in the Houston area.
www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/sho...

To be clear, I don't actually say in my book that Mars settlements will require child labor (although @zubrin.bsky.social has suggested this, and I quoted him). Not sure what Elon's thoughts are about this...