Carl Grillmair was assassinated a month ago He was an astronomer + astrophysicist at Caltech’s IPAC, a NASA partner > 67 years old > Worked 30 years as a research scientist, supported Spitzer Space Telescope instruments + was the principal investigator on Hubble and Spitzer projects > He discovered stellar streams (rivers of stars in our galaxy) which essentially act like “fossil records” to reveal the Milky Way’s history > He found water (and other molecules) on distant planets, helping scientists understand what alien worlds are made of + whether they could support life > This discovery earned him a major NASA award Carl’s murder is not the first, 2 other scientists with breakthrough research were also killed in the past 3 months Disturbing pattern here, it seems that being a prolific scientist is a dangerous profession