Six Science Tweets #67

Botswana's 1st satellite, the Banach fixed-point theorem and more

Author

Harshal Chhaya
March 30, 2025

Six STEM Tweets

Six tweets that celebrate engineering and all things science-y.

I scroll so you don’t have to.

I spent the past couple of days with some amazing educators from around the world. I was in “fan boy” mode because I got the opportunity to see all the amazing ways that they inspiring their students and showing them how math and science are not just classroom subjects, but are part of everyday life.

The thumbnail is from one such amazing educator - IG - who is very generous with his time and knowledge. He sent me the attached photo with the description:

This is seen from France through my 10 cm Meade.  Sunspot clearly visible as are the mountains on the Moon along the edge of the shadow.

I am super lucky to know such folks.

Please share this newsletter with others to encourage and foster their curiosity.

#1 🤯 

BOTSAT-1, a 3U hyperspectral Earth Observation satellite, was developed by Botswana International University of Science and Technology in collaboration with EnduroSat. It aims to provide crucial data for food security, environmental conservation, and urban planning.

This is such an impactful achievement! Botswana joins 10 other African countries operating Earth Observation satellites, bringing the continent's total to 65.

Here’s the perspective from someone who grew up in Botswana

When my dad was 10, in the 60's, we had just 15km of tar road in the whole country.

In the 80's when we moved to the village I grew up in, we didn't have a phone - we had a telegraph address.

In the 90's, to get fresh fruit and cheese, we would drive for 3 hours across sand roads to another country to shop at a supermarket.

In 1998 my village got its first chain restaurant and it was a big deal.

In 2009 I tried to modernise the family business by getting our managers to use email and very few of them could navigate the internet. In 2012, my family's vegetable farming plot was one of many that were claimed by the government to start the BIUST and I couldn't fathom how they would staff it.

And in 2025, the BIUST launched a satellite.

Lots of problems, but certainly progress.

#2 🤯 

Bio-engineering has such amazing potential!

The article at https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00863-0?linkId=13622861 says:

Reprogrammed or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are created by reverting adult cells to an embryonic-like state, from which they can be coaxed to develop into other cell types.

In this trial, iPS cells derived from a donor were used to create neural precursor cells. Two million of these were injected into each patient’s injury site, in the hope that they would eventually develop into neurons and glial cells.

The results, which were announced at a press conference on 21 March and have not yet been peer reviewed, suggest that the treatment is safe, say researchers.

#3 🤯 

#4 🤯 

🤯 

#5 🤯 

An octocopter!

#6 🤯 

Are folks who see statistical distributions in everyday objects normal?

About

This newsletter is my way of sharing interesting science-related news with my curious friends. I enjoy finding science and math connections in our world.

Please share this newsletter with others. Let’s encourage curiosity.

- Harshal (@hschhaya on X/Twitter)

This is issue #67. A few fun facts about 67:

  • It’s a prime number

  • the sum of five consecutive primes (7 + 11 + 13 + 17 + 19).

  • a sexy prime with 61 and 73 (“sexy” in this context means 6 away from 2 other primes 😃 )

  • 67 is the atomic number of Holmium, symbol Ho. It is named after Holmia, the Latin name for Stockholm

  • There is no country with the international calling code of 67.

That’s it for this issue.

Hit ‘reply’ to tell me what you think.

And hit ‘forward’ to share with your friends and family.

Let’s all celebrate science and engineering and curiosity.

Best wishes,

Harshal