Many folks on Mastodon follow me bc I share the stories of trailblazers & pioneers in & out of #science who don’t get enough recognition, but changed our world in remarkable ways.

So it should be no surprise that I’m thrilled to receive “On The Shoulders of Giants” by Brian Lenahan & Kenna Hughes-Castleberry about 10 women & men you may not have heard of who shaped our understanding of quantum physics. (Yes, that’s my blurb on the back). kennacastleberry.com/#books

The “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division at the @mpi_grav
in Potsdam is looking for a Scientific Programmer:

➡️ aei.mpg.de/991039/scientific-p…

#Science #Programmer #GravitationalWaves #Potsdam #Berlin

Scientific Programmer Position at the AEI in Potsdam

^aei.mpg.de

Born in 1902, botanist & cytogeneticist Barbara McClintock became a pioneer in modern genetics by changing our understanding of inheritance.

She proposed that genomic replication does not always follow a consistent pattern, which wasn’t widely accepted at the time. She also contributed new cytogenetic research techniques & was the first scientist to correctly speculate about epigenetics.

In 1983, McClintock was awarded a Nobel Prize. nobelprize.org/womenwhochanged… #HistoryRemix #science #history

Today I learned the word ‘scientist’ was coined in 1834 to describe Mary Somerville, replacing the term ‘man of science’.

#science #WomenInSTEM

themarginalian.org/2016/12/26/…

Meet Mary Somerville: The Brilliant Woman for Whom the Word “Scientist” Was Coined

How a Scottish polymath forever changed the course of gender in science and made a high art of connecting the seemingly disconnected.

^{The Marginalian}

Beatrix Potter is best remembered for her charming tales of Peter Rabbit, but did you know she also studied #science?

Potter collected & examined beetles, butterflies, plants, bird eggs, shells, rocks, fossils & especially fungi. She conducted experiments & wrote a scientific paper with her own illustrations, presented at the Linnean Society of London. However, as a woman in the Victorian era, she couldn’t even attend the meeting. nytimes.com/2023/04/26/arts/de… #HistoryRemix #history #art #books

Rosalind Franklin update!

“A new paper based on long-lost documents confirms that DNA discoverer Rosalind Franklin should be credited for discovering the double helix.”

livescience.com/health/genetic… #HistoryRemix #history #science /2

Rosalind Franklin knew DNA was a helix before Watson and Crick, unpublished material reveals

^{Jennifer Nalewicki (Live Science)}

Born in 1917, Egyptian physicist Sameera Moussa studied radioactive isotopes used to create medical images. Her research “laid the groundwork for a revolution in the affordability & safety of nuclear medicine.”

Concerned about the potential use of nuclear weapons during WWII, Moussa organized the Atomic Energy for Peace conference.

She was likely assassinated at age 35 in a case that remains unsolved. More by Kenna Hughes-Castleberry arstechnica-com.cdn.ampproject… #HistoryRemix #science #history

Every day should be #EarthDay 🌏

The History of Earth as a 24 hr clock via UW-Madison geology. We’ve only just arrived. #science

Born in 1831, Rebecca Lee Crumpler
became the first Black woman to graduate from medical school in the U.S.

Despite facing extreme racism & sexism, she practiced medicine with a focus on women & children. She also provided medical care to freed slaves.

In 1883, Dr. Crumpler published her Book of Medical Discourses, which was one of the first medical publications written by a Black author. There are no existing photos of her. cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physici… #HistoryRemix #history #science

Takahē once roamed across New Zealand’s South Island, but introduced predators, hunting, habitat destruction & competition for food have taken a heavy toll.

For ~50 years, these flightless #birds were presumed extinct, but they were rediscovered in 1948.

Today there are less than 500 takahē left, but numbers have been increasing through successful conservation measures.
doc.govt.nz/nature/native-anim… #SharedPlanet #conservation #science

After witnessing a white doctor refuse to treat a sick, elderly Native American woman who later died, Susan La Flesche Picotte decided to become a physician to help her people. Born in 1865, she grew up on Nebraska’s Omaha reservation.

In 1889, Picotte became the first female Native American to earn a medical degree in the U.S. She raised funding & opened Wathill Hospital in 1913 - the first private hospital on a reservation. drsusancenter.org/dr-susan #HistoryRemix #history #science

Not long ago, the enormous Haast's eagle soared over New Zealand.

Weighing almost 40lbs (18kg) with a wingspan up to ~10ft (3m), they likely feasted on the gigantic moa birds I described in an earlier post. Maori oral tradition also suggests they may have attacked human children.

So what happened to this fierce apex predator? Once the moa disappeared due to excess hunting after the arrival of people, Haast’s eagle followed around 1400. nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/h…. #SharedPlanet #science #nature

Have you ever thought about visiting all of the national parks in the U.S. in one epic road trip?

In 2016, data scientist Randy Olson optimized the route of 14,498 miles (23,333 km) which would take 2+ months. He even designed the journey as a circle so you can begin at any point & direction.

All the details: randalolson.com/2016/07/30/the… #science #data #nature #travel

Meet the critically endangered Talaud bear cuscus (Ailurops melanotis). Hunting & deforestation have forced this shy marsupial to the brink of extinction.

Living in the forest canopy, the Talaud bear cuscus eats leaves & fruit. It also helps to limit invasive plants.

We know very little about this quiet & rare species, which scientists believe inhabits just 4 Indonesian islands. I hope we work to protect it before it disappears forever. news.mongabay.com/2022/06/to-w… #SharedPlanet #nature #science

Beatrice ‘Tilly’ Shilling was born in 1909 in Hampshire. She became an aeronautical engineer & daredevil motorcycle racer.

In 1936, Shilling joined The Royal Aircraft Establishment. 5 yrs later, she led a team that designed a device to prevent Merlin plane engines from stalling during flight, which helped the Allies win WWII.

Shilling was also the 2nd woman to earn a Brooklands Gold Star for lapping the track at >100mph. wes.org.uk/sites/default/files… #HistoryRemix #science #history #women

Science Debate - the ngo I cofounded with an incredible team - lives on as Science on the Ballot!

It’s now part of the National Science Policy Network - a network of advocates for science, built by & for young scientists. They will carry the mission forward, pressing U.S. candidates to address #science #policy issues like #ClimateChange, #energy & public health before the 2024 election.

I’m so excited to watch them shine!

For more on how to volunteer or get involved: scipolnetwork.org/science-on-t…

The history of Earth as the length of a human’s outstretched arm - representing 4.5 billion years of time.

At this scale, humans emerged so recently that we could be filed off from a microscopic slice at the very tip of a fingernail.

Infographic by Katie Scott from original article in Nautilus. Details at ncse.ngo/deep-time-really-real… #space #time #science #SharedPlanet

Did you know a pepper becomes a chile when it is picked & dried?

A green jalapeño or cuaresmeño becomes chipotle. A poblano turns to an ancho.

This infographic from El Jornalero provides a simplified look at some of the most common names of Mexican capsicum peppers & chiles. #food #science

Stressed #plants ‘cry’ — and some animals can probably hear them

Fascinating new research using microphones captured ultrasonic crackles from plants that are water-deprived or injured. nature.com/articles/d41586-023… #nature #science

At 14, Mary Fairfax (later Mary Somerville) studied algebra & mathematics, defying her father’s wishes.

Eventually, she began experimenting & writing about #science. Her interests spanned fields from astronomy to chemistry to physics. Mary published articles & books & is now celebrated as a mathematician, scientist & writer.

Along with Caroline Herschel (see earlier #HistoryRemix post), she became one of the first 2 honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society. physicstoday.scitation.org/doi…

It's Coming For FL

FL may be doomed....as If that Wasn't Obvious for other Reasons

#Science #Events #FL

The Continent-Sized Algae Blob That’s Coming for Florida

Get a free bag of fresh coffee with any Trade subscription at http://drinktrade.com/haiGet a Half as Interesting t-shirt: https://standard.tv/collections/hal...

^YouTube

If we calculate how many grains are in a teaspoon of sand (an average) & multiply that by the amount of sand estimated on every beach & desert in the world, we get (roughly) seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains of sand on Earth. npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012… #space #science

Meanwhile, there are ~70 thousand million, million, million stars in the observable universe - a figure vastly surpassing all of those grains of sand. The universe is immense, breathtaking & beyond imagination ✨

Meat industry blocked the IPCC’s attempt to recommend a plant-based diet

“A leak of a draft of the Intergovernmental Panel on #ClimateChange (#IPCC) report..has been particularly enlightening when it comes to just how much how delegations negotiate, watered down & delete scientists’ findings.”

qz.com/ipcc-report-on-climate-… #science #food

About 60 million years ago, a gigantic snake called Titanoboa slithered through the swamps of Colombia, killing its prey by constriction.

Titanoboa was massive, estimated to grow up to 50 ft (>15 m) long, over 2,000 lbs (>900 kg) & 3 ft (~1 m) wide. It could have easily devoured animals as large as alligators. floridamuseum.ufl.edu/100years… Image: Smithsonian Channel
#nature #science #SharedPlanet

If you're at #Mozfest this week, come say hi to some of our volunteers.

We'll be in the Garden of Movement Building (top left corner of Emergent Encounters > The Gardens, Spacial Chat) Friday at 10:00 EDT to meet folks and run through a small activity surfacing some considerations the #translation of #science

Feel free to add questions or suggestions to the document below and hope to see some folks: etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/Trans…

Once upon a time, ~36,000 years ago, unicorns were real.

The “Siberian unicorn” (scientific name: Elasmotherium sibericum) weighed >4 tons, had a long horn ~3 feet on its nose & roamed Eurasia’s grasslands at the same time as modern humans.

More at theconversation.com/amp/how-a-… #history #science #SharedPlanet

This week, the world’s human #population is expected to reach 8B. About 109B people have lived and died. Each grain of sand represents 10M.

Spectacular #data visualization of human life on Earth by Max Roser #science #SharedPlanet

One of my favorite animals is the very rare blanket octopus. Few people have seen them firsthand. youtu.be/QJcXMPJ9XN8

The female has a spectacular ‘cape’ enclosing her tentacles, making her look larger to predators. She can grow >6.5ft or 2m!

The male is smaller than a walnut. He weighs 40,000x less than the female measuring 2.4cm.

Blanket octopus are the most extreme example of female vs male size discrepancy across the (non-mircoscopic) animal kingdom. #nature #science #SharedPlanet

Just learned Serving Up Science - the quirky PBS series I write & host - has been recognized with two Broadcast Excellence Awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. We won Best Mini-Documentary or Series & Best Use of Multiplatform Media.

wkar.org/station-news/2023-03-… #science #tv

So lucky to work with our incredible WKAR team!

Biologists have the best travel stories.

#science #travel

Rachel Carson was born in 1907. She became a marine biologist & prolific writer.

Carson questioned the assumption that humans should dominate #nature. She recognized the dangers to natural systems from the misuse of pesticides like DDT. She also accused the chemical industry of spreading lies & politicians of accepting industry claims uncritically.

Her 1962 book, Silent Spring, is widely credited as being the catalyst for the modern environmental movement. #history #science #HistoryRemix