I know they can't taste it, but are they also more resistant to capsaicin irritation than mammals, in general or in the case of specific birds? If the answer is no, then how do really spicy peppers like ghost peppers propagate?
I'm Katrina Miller, a New York Times reporter covering space, physics, and the intersection of science and society. In 2023, I earned my Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Chicago. I reported the in October from Richfield, Utah. Leading up to the event on Monday, I've spoken to , created a for how to have the best experience under totality, covered the science of eclipses, and more. I'll be down in Carbondale, Illinois on April 8, and it'll be the first total solar eclipse I get to experience in person.
I'm Patricia Reiff, a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the founding Director of the at Rice University. My research focuses on space plasma physics, mostly in the area of magnetospheric physics: "space weather," which I've been covering for 50 years. I am also a partner of the , and have created immersive educational clips for use in planetarium domes. I recently released a show called and another called Totality! and have created eleven educational clips on solar and lunar eclipses.
Ask us anything about the significance of the solar eclipse and physics. We'll start answering questions at 2 p.m. ET (18 UT).
Usernames: ,