Is anyone up for the latest writing endurance test: the Mane Smelody Science Challenge? You write a blog post about a bit of interesting science linked to Mane Smelody, and if you can get through it, you tag a friend and they have to do it…

Yeah, I’m not sure that this is going viral…

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Elderflower’s story of the Together Trees in Father of the Bridlewood gives me an excuse to fact-check a science story that I have been meaning to look into for a while. She says, “Together Trees communicate and connect magically to each other through their roots underground.” This sounds like something that has featured in quite a few books and documentaries in recent years—the idea that threads of fungi connect tree roots underground and allow plants to exchange nutrients and

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Filly Misty chases a bunnycorn. Ponies walk up glowing paths into a tree. A mysterious market inside a distorted spacetime. A door leads to the Land of the Dragons. Magic has indeed returned to Equestria.

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The Mare Stream shook as it zipped through a patch of turbulent air. Sunny smiled reassuringly as Misty fought to keep her balance. “The Mare Stream can take some getting used to. At least we're taking you on a secret surprise adventure! Are you excited?”

“Oh, yeah! Definitely!” Misty replied while getting to her hooves. “Uh, so, um... what is it?”

“We're going... to Zephyr Heights for the annual Equestria Cutie Blossom Science Fair!”

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I enjoyed watching Make Your Mark Chapter 5 this week. A set of cute stories about ponies helping each other out, nice things happening to Misty, and Opaline getting frustrated, was just what I needed. And there were plenty of interesting background details (the breezies are back!) I’ll start writing some more random physics-related commentary to all this shortly. But this week, let’s take a break from science and instead go into the world of avant-garde art.

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Somehow, I have managed to write a physics-themed blog post for every Make Your Mark Chapter 4 episode. This has been an interesting science writing exercise, if nothing else. And now, on the eve of the Chapter 5 release, we get to the final part. The bit you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time for an update on the Muon g−2 result.

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Has anyone else suffered from laryngitis? It really is a very annoyingly frustrating thing to get. You don’t actually feel too bad, just like a mild cold. Except you can’t talk. Trying to do so just hurts your throat. And there’s nothing you can do except wait for it to get better. This means you have to cancel lectures, teaching, meetings, just about everything where you need to interact with other people. And it always seems to strike just when you are really busy with lots of things you

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This week, I am in Italy. Having escaped from the UK; had a series of adventures on trains between Paris, Zurich, and Milan; and acquired a few blisters.

As is customary, I took Twilight Sparkle with me, although, so far, we have been both too busy reading notices and inspecting exhibits to indulge in a photoshoot, but here's a photo of breakfast at the Paris Gare de Lyon.

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Because everypony loves a mystery!

Sunny: Okay everypony! I know you’ve all been waiting for me to teach you the moves for the neutrino dance I choreographed for us!

Izzy: What’s a neutrino dance?

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This week, you get a break from my current series of contrived attempts to mix particle physics and pony episodes, and instead you get my perspective on attempts to mix plastic dolls and historical nuclear physics. It’s time to talk about Barbenheimer.

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