Over 100M years ago, titanosaur ‘Patagotitan mayorum‘ wandered around what is now Argentina. It grew >120 feet long, 28 feet tall & weighed ~ 70 tons. (That’s longer than a blue whale!)

amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/ne… #science #history #SharedPlanet

Born in 1938, Jeanne Hoff, was the 1st openly transgender psychiatrist. She used her voice to speak out for others, such as a Black transgender woman diagnosed by doctors w “mental retardation" & “sexual perversion” due to her gender identity.

Hoff shared her transition experience in a documentary to encourage her transgender patients to live openly & confidently. She passed away earlier this Fall & absolutely belongs in #HistoryRemix.

nytimes.com/2023/12/18/us/jean…
#history #science #lgbtqia

The National Science Foundation has issued a notice about the use of generative AI in the NSF merit review process: new.nsf.gov/news/notice-to-the…

#AI #Research #Science

Notice to research community: Use of generative artificial intelligence technology in the NSF merit review process

Generative artificial intelligence1 (GAI) systems have great potential to support the U.S. National Science Foundation's mission to promote the progress of…

^{National Science Foundation}

One of the world’s longest-running experiments has been going for 144 years!

In 1879, botanist William Beal wanted to study how long buried seeds would remain viable. He buried bottles w different seeds in a secret spot on Michigan State's campus.

Every 20 yrs, a small group scientists dig up the bottles & seeds continue to germinate 🌱 (My husband @DavidLowry is the one on the right).

The paper from their last dig is now out so this #science story is back in the news. yahoo.com/news/discovery-insid…

‘Tis the season to remember that all of Santa’s reindeer are female.

You see, males drop their antlers after the Autumn mating season, so since the world’s most celebrated reindeer are always depicted with spectacular antlers, we must assume that Ol’ Saint Nick’s entire intrepid team - including Rudolph - are female. #science #Christmas

Scientists and the general public have long dismissed the cognitive abilities of cows, pigs, and other livestock. But farm animals are capable of much more than we think.

#Science #Biology #AnimalBehaviour #Behaviour #Cognition #intelligence #Cattle #Cow #Pig #Livestock #Chicken

📄 Grimm D (2023) What are farm animals thinking? Science 382:1103–1107 dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adn…

“Following the #science” is not quite as simple or straightforward as it sounds.

sheril.substack.com/p/follow-t… #politics

"Follow the Science?"

Data isn't enough to achieve the best possible evidence-based policy outcomes.

^{Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)}

"Majority......aren’t scientists"

That's ridiculous, considering.

However, the main focus of #COP28 is #money

And those with the money often lie about the science, if the #science doesn't align with their monetary agendas. And or only focus on a narrow bandwidth of scientific knowledge (confirmation bias)

Only the people who generally are honest are aware of just how many adults lie. They also lie to cover up their lies by calling honest people liars

That's why I value #science

Born in 1848, Caroline Still Anderson completed high school at 15. When she enrolled at Oberlin College, she was the only Black student in her class.

Anderson went on to become a physician, driven to improve the social & political conditions of Black people. She also served as a prominent a social reformer in Philadelphian society.

stillfamily.library.temple.edu… #HistoryRemix #history #science

Welp, so. I guess I'm here now and it's #introduction / #introductions time? I'm a #science writer, #journalist, #podcast host & video maker with a special fondness for weird/gross biology. I'm also a #DnD GM and a huge nerd for #books (especially #scifi) and #comics.

This week, I wrote about a type of lemur that picks its nose with an incredibly spindly finger that's so long it can reach up through its nasal cavity and touch its pharynx.

Nice to meet you, too!

livescience.com/aye-ayes-prima…

My research focuses on how senior congressional staffers in the U.S. make decisions on #science policy.

For over a year, I’ve been sifting through hours & hours & hours of transcripts from my interviews while analyzing the data & writing.

Now, it's time to begin sharing what I've learned... sheril.substack.com/p/lets-beg… #politics

Let's Begin.

Within hundreds of pages of text from my interviews with senior congressional staffers are hours of insightful commentary.

^{Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)}

A few folks have asked for details on my last post & I realize many may not know I am finishing a Ph.D. related to how Congress makes science-related policy decisions. sheril.substack.com/p/a-disser…

Nearly 20 years ago I worked in the Senate & now my research considers where staffers go for #science information & who they trust. The literature largely focuses on politicians, but staffers are responsible for policies w/o electoral accountability. I'll share more once it's published. #politics

A Dissertation on Democracy

Consider this the Cliffs Notes

^{Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)}

"Most politicians are honest about not knowing enough science & rely on experts." [Source: nature.com/articles/d41586-023…]

As someone writing a dissertation on where policymakers seek out information related to #science policy, I wholeheartedly disagree.

Scientists & other experts are not a top source for information. They're not even a 2nd or 3rd source. #politics

‘Politicians don’t understand science’: advisers give evidence at UK COVID inquiry

Patrick Vallance, Chris Witty and others reflect on advising the UK government during the ongoing investigation into the country’s pandemic response.

^{Sanderson, Katharine}

Born in 1917, Egyptian physicist Sameera Moussa studied radioactive isotopes used to create medical images. Her work “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. arstechnica.com/science/2023/0… #science #history

About 250M years ago, 90% of species on Earth died during the Permian extinction. All of that loss created a lot of vacant niches to fill. And not long after, the first mammals, our ancestors, appeared.

Life on this pale blue dot will continue to be resilient - whether or not we’re part of it. #Thanksgiving #science #history

Scientists paid large publishers over $1 billion in four years to have their studies published with open access.

Nature Comms and Sci Reports cornering the market.

Open access = good.
Extortionate APCs with little or no actual editorial service = bad.

#Science #Research

english.elpais.com/science-tec…

Scientists paid large publishers over $1 billion in four years to have their studies published with open access

A study reveals that academic megajournals ‘Scientific Reports’ and ‘Nature Communications’ have cornered the market

^{Manuel Ansede (Ediciones EL PAÍS S.L.)}

Born in 1918, Gertrude Elion faced discrimination in #science, unable to get a job as a woman. So she volunteered as a lab dishwasher, earning enough $ for grad work at NYU, where she was the only woman in chemistry classes.

Eventually Elion helped revolutionize medicine w George Hitchings. They figured out how to interfere with cell growth, leading to effective drugs for treating leukemia, gout, malaria, herpes & more, earning a 1988 Nobel Prize. acs.org/education/whatischemis… #HistoryRemix #history

I thought I’d kick my feed off with an #introduction 😊

Hi! I’m Isabel, a next-gen #scicommer, #cyberneticist and #podcaster based at the #AustralianNationalUniversity ☀️

My research interests include #science in #popculture (particularly #solarpunk), the #cultural meanings of science, and the relationships between people, the natural #environment, and #technology 👩‍🔬🤖

I also co-host #Sci_Burst, a science in pop culture podcast, which you can learn more about here: linktr.ee/sci_burst

sci_burst | Instagram, TikTok | Linktree

View sci_burst’s Linktree. Listen to their music on Spotify here.

^Linktree

Biologist J. B. S. Haldane once quipped that if there's a God, the Creator seems to have “an inordinate fondness for beetles.”

Why? Well, 1/2 of species described in #science are insects (among eukaryotes). Of those, >1/3 are beetles, at ~400,000 known species.

I’m fond of these critters bc I began my career working with Plagiodera versicolora, a particularly cute beetle.

Now some entomologists suspect there may be just as many parasitic wasps but that’s a tale for another day.

“Man the Hunter has dominated the study of human evolution for nearly half a century & pervaded popular culture. [But] it was the arrival of agriculture that led to rigid gendered roles & economic inequality. Hunting belonged to everyone.”

The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt & Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong scientificamerican.com/article… #science #history

The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong

The influential idea that in the past men were hunters and women were not isn’t supported by the available evidence

^{Sarah Lacy (Scientific American)}

How does #ClimateChange threaten where you live?

This region-by-region “guide” isn’t based on new #science, but it does a good job illustrating how climate change is truly local for all of us.
grist.org/climate/national-cli…

How does climate change threaten where you live? A region-by-region guide.

We broke down the National Climate Assessment's comprehensive report on the effects of climate change so you don't have to.

^{Grist staff (Grist)}

Mary Anning was born in 1799 in Great Britain. Her family lived in poverty, selling fossils to make ends meet.

Scientists of Anning’s day could not believe that a poor young woman could posses her knowledge & talent. She has been described as 'the greatest fossilist the world ever knew' yet many people are still unaware of her incredible contributions.

The majority of Anning’s discoveries ended up in museums & collections without credit. ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/anni… #science #history

Hundreds of Ancient Roman Forts Found in Old CIA Spy Surveillance

So Something Good From An Unexpected Source

#Science #CIA #Archaeology #RomanHistory #Syria #Iraq #Dartmouth #ScienceAlert

Hundreds of Ancient Roman Forts Found in Old CIA Spy Surveillance : ScienceAlert

Declassified satellite images from an old CIA spy program in the Cold War have been used to discover 396 undocumented Roman forts and fort-like buildings.

^{Carly Cassella (ScienceAlert)}

Just 600 years ago, nine species of enormous, flightless birds called moas wandered around New Zealand. Some of these magnificent big birds grew up to 12 feet tall, which would tower over Sesame Street’s most famous resident.

Moas had thrived for millions of years. And suddenly - shortly after humans arrived on the islands - they went extinct.

Coincidence? #Science says no. science.org/content/article/wh… #history

Educator, scientist & writer Ana Roqué de Duprey was born in Puerto Rico in 1853.

Known as the “Flower of the Valley” for her work in botany, Roqué wrote the Botany of the Antilles, the most comprehensive study of flora in the Caribbean & was instrumental in the fight for the Puerto Rican woman’s right to vote.

Roqué founded several girls-only schools & the College of Mayagüez, later the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. womenshistory.org/education-re… #HistoryRemix #history #science

My 1st cover story! For New Scientist about experiments that are close to telling us if spacetime is quantized. And a Q&A with a physicist who is simulating space-time from scratch!

newscientist.com/article/mg260…

newscientist.com/article/23992…

#physics #science #astronomy

A woman. An immigrant. A scientist.
A Nobel Prize winner. And thanks to her pioneering research, a #COVID19 vaccine.

Dr. Katalin Karikó. statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-st… #HistoryRemix #science #history

Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī was born ~780. He not only revolutionized algebra, but his contributions in mathematics, astronomy & geography have been central to hundreds of years of scientific advances.

Known as the father of algebra, al-Khwārizmī became one of the most influential thinkers of all time. The terms algebra & algorithm are derived from his name & work. loc.gov/item/2021666184/ #HistoryRemix #history #science #math

Three articles published yesterday in #Science, Science Advances & Nature 🤔

Women remain underrepresented among faculty in nearly all academic fields science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv…

Toxic workplaces are the main reason women leave academic jobs nature.com/articles/d41586-023…

Women faculty feel ‘pushed’ from academia by poor workplace climate
science.org/content/article/wo…

For decades, astronomers have dreamed of setting up an observatory on the far side of the Moon. I read about it as a kid. Now it's happening!

The LuSEE-Night radio telescope is under construction, and is scheduled to land on the lunar farside in 2025. It's a pathfinder for a much bigger radio telescope that would follow. newscenter.lbl.gov/2023/09/26/… #space #nasa #science

Sugar causes all sorts of health problems, but hyperactivity isn’t one of them.

My own 6yo sugar expert made his PBS debut in this episode of Serving Up Science where I break down the #science behind a popular myth about the sweet stuff. youtu.be/TlHOLk-tV7g?si=bj7N6y…

Sugar and Hyperactivity: What Does Research Say? | Serving Up Science

Support Serving Up Science: http://bit.ly/ScienceServeGet ready to reevaluate everything you thought you knew about sugar and hyperactivity. From birthday pa...

^YouTube

Now it would be a good time for journalists, politicians and *scientists* to set up and use an account on #Mastodon

reuters.com/technology/musk-co…

#twittermigration #xmigration #chemistry #glycotime #science

@Gargron

Musk considers removing X platform from Europe over EU law - Insider

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, is considering removing the service formerly called Twitter from Europe in response to a new internet platform regulation in the region, news site Insider reported on Wednesday.

^Reuters

For a new week: I dug into the history of a definition I’ve used my entire career, and discovered… we may not need it?

Don’t ask “When is it coevolution?” — ask “How is it coevolution?”

#evolution #ecology #science

molecularecologist.com/2023/10…

Don’t ask “When is it coevolution?” — ask “How is it coevolution?”

A rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, somewhere on the Marin headlands of California. Rough-skinned newts’ geographically varying arms race with predatory garter snakes has made them a cla…

^{The Molecular Ecologist}

"One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our #science, measured against reality, is primitive & childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have."

- Albert Einstein

Source: Albert Einstein: Creator & Rebel by Banesh Hoffmann

Born in 1896, Ida Noddack was the first scientist to suggest the principle behind nuclear fission. But Otto Hahn demonstrated this (with Lise Meitner! & Fritz Strassmann) & he won the Nobel prize.

Noddack also discovered rhenium (atomic #75) & predicted #43, but couldn’t confirm it experimentally, so Segrè & Perrier were later credited.

She tried to speak up that the ideas for fission & #43 began with her, but it lost her credibility. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi… #HistoryRemix #history #science