Hi Reddit, I’ve been a science reporter for more than 30 years. I have a PhD in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. I have worked at Nature, Science, and now NPR. Over the years I’ve traveled around the world covering science stories: from to the South Pole to the top of Mauna Kea, to inside the plume of the Eyjafjallajokull during its eruption in 2010. I’ve been at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory while 5 different probes successfully landed on Mars, I’ve been to Stockholm to watch the King of Sweden award the Nobel prizes, and I’ve interviewed many of the world’s top scientists: Jim Watson, Francis Crick, Carol Greider, Martine Reiss, Andrea Ghez, Roger Angel, Jennifer Doudna…you get the idea. I host a series called Joe’s Big Idea that focuses on the minds and motivations of scientists and inventors. The “Big Idea” is to present science not as a set of discoveries but a process of understanding. Most of the news media depict science lurching from breakthrough to breakthrough. I want to show the hard work, frustration, creativity, persistence and occasionally joy that truly represents what science is all about. Want to see what I’m up to and chat with me after this AMA? Message me and follow me on Facebook at Joe’s Big Idea. I will be back at 1 pm Et to answer your questions, Ask me anything. I am blown away by all the interesting questions. You have set the bar very high. I’ve been writing answers for a couple hours now, and if I could only type faster, I’d answer more. I hope this discussion we started today can continue. I’m very committed to accurate communication of science, and welcome thoughts, ideas, and critiques going forward. I’ll watch /r/Science for questions going forward, or you can get in touch via the Joe’s Big Idea Facebook page or [email protected]