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Neil deGrasse Tyson was born on October 5, 1958, in New York City, and grew up in the Bronx. From a young age, he was fascinated by astronomy. At 9 years old, a visit to the Hayden Planetarium ignited a lifelong passion for the stars. He built his own telescope, read astronomy books, and even gave public lectures while still a teenager. He attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he was editor in chief of the school’s science journal and captain of the wrestling team.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)  released its long-awaited report this week (15 October 2025) on the UK veterinary industry. The report calls for price transparency, ownership disclosure, and fairer access to prescription medicines. The findings make strong headlines:   Vets must publish prices , Corporate ownership under scrutiny , Consumers could save hundreds . But amid the flurry of attention to pricing and transparency, one issue slipped through the cracks: T

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)   in the United Kingdom released its long-awaited report on the veterinary sector today (15 October 2025), and it’s already making headlines. The key takeaway? Vets should be required to: Publish their prices Disclose their corporate affiliations, and Make it easier for pet owners to compare costs and access cheaper medicines online. On the surface, that sounds entirely reasonable. Transparency is good for any profession.But beneath

There’s a particular kind of silence that falls over a grandfather’s heart. It’s not the quiet of a Sunday morning or the hush of a sleeping house. It’s the stillness that comes when you ask, “Would you like to go for a walk?”and the answer is a distracted, “Maybe later, Grandpa,” without eyes ever lifting from a glowing screen. The Promise of a Walk Grandpa pictured these walks. Hands held. Sticks in hand. Pockets filled with rocks. Leaves that had   to be treasures. He imag

As a veterinarian, educator, and author, I’ve often reflected on how we define the moral boundaries of our relationship with animals. In...

It’s a quiet autumn evening. You’re watching TV when a shadow scuttles across the rug. A large house spider, Tegenaria domestica , on the...

It slips into our sentences almost unnoticed. “She was, like, exhausted.” “And I was, like, what just happened?” We hear it everywhere....

Every morning on my walk, I pick up trash. Not out of compulsion, but out of quiet disbelief. The worst offenders, and the most...

This week, the world lost one of its most luminous champions for wildlife, nature, and hope. Dr. Jane Goodall, pioneering primatologist,...

I wrote this third part of this series because Carl Sagan’s legacy isn’t only about the tools of skepticism or the politics of science....

Carl Sagan never lived to see the current presidency, but his writings anticipated many of the tensions that have arisen during 2025....

Carl Sagan continues to matter. In an age when misinformation and pseudoscience can spread faster than truth, his voice reminds us of the...

Sydney Harbour has long been defined by two icons. The curve of the Opera House sails and the steel arc of the Harbour Bridge. These are...

Alzheimer’s disease is more than a medical diagnosis. It is a thief, silent and merciless, that robs people not only of memory but of...

When painter Alex Katz  was asked, late in a career most artists would envy, if he still worries about new work failing, he laughed and...

On that morning in 1996, the exam room at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital was already full before the black Labrador...

Today I found a hummingbird feather while sweeping in the garden. I almost missed it. It was so small. Then I noticed the iridescent...

This is Part 1 of a series of blog posts regarding corporatization’s near-term shocks and long-term stakes. Corporatization isn’t...

The NCI Mouse Repository is gone. Here's what we lose and what should happen next. On July 1, 2025, the National Cancer I nstitute (NCI)...

TL;DR (Too long; didn’t read) From 2026-2035 specialty care will keep expanding, corporate ownership will remain influential (and more...