Yes—according to reporting on the exchange, Neil deGrasse Tyson’s account posted a 2014 tweet questioning how a pickup truck in Interstellar could drive with a flat tire through tall, densely planted corn. In January 2023, Tyson called a screenshot of the post fake; NASA Watch’s Keith Cowing replied that Tyson had posted it in 2014.
What did the disputed tweet say?
The post concerned a scene in Interstellar: “Mysteries of Interstellar: How a pickup truck can drive with a flat tire among densely planted corn stalks taller than it.” Futurism identified that wording as a tweet from Tyson’s account and reported on his later challenge to a screenshot of it.
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What happened in the exchange?
Tyson’s comments about the film in 2014
Tyson was publicly commenting on Interstellar around its release. A November 10, 2014, TIME report covered his tweets about the film. That contemporaneous coverage establishes the broader context, but does not by itself confirm the exact flat-tire wording.
NASA Watch referenced the old post
Futurism reports that NASA Watch, run by Keith Cowing, referred to Tyson’s old Interstellar tweet in October 2022.
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Tyson called the screenshot fake
In early January 2023, Tyson responded to NASA Watch by saying the screenshot was not real. Futurism quoted his response as: “Dear NASAWatch, Next time, please confirm that the Tweet your are critiquing is real, which in this case is not, through it’s hilarious,” followed by, “Also, before you rush to take sides in an argument, try to verify that you take the side of objective truths.” Cowing replied, “Uh FYI,” he wrote, “the [Interstellar] tweet I cited in 2022 was indeed posted by you back in 2014.”
Futurism’s January 5, 2023 report said the original tweet was still up when its story was published. That is a report about the post’s availability at that time, not a fresh confirmation that the post can still be accessed now.
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What does the evidence establish?
- Contemporaneous context: TIME’s 2014 article confirms Tyson was tweeting about Interstellar around its release, but not the exact disputed text.
- Specific attribution and response: Futurism identifies the flat-tire wording, reports Tyson’s denial and Cowing’s reply, and said the post remained available on January 5, 2023.
- Direct verification: The original tweet could not be fetched for direct inspection here, so the specific wording and exchange are best described as reported by Futurism rather than independently verified from the post.
Does the exchange explain why Tyson denied posting it?
No. The reported exchange establishes that Tyson called the screenshot fake and Cowing disputed that claim. It does not establish Tyson’s motive or whether the denial resulted from a mistake, a misunderstanding, or something else. The dispute is about an old social-media post, not whether the film’s scene is scientifically accurate.
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