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Several of us overly online biologists spent years quietly doing an experiment on Twitter, trying to find out if tweeting about new studies from a set of mid-range journals caused an increase in later citations, compared to set of untweeted control articles.

Turns out we had no noticeable effect; the tweeted papers were cited at the same rate as the control set.

Our paper, headed by Trevor Branch, was published today in PLOS One:

#SciComm #Twitter #X #Science

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292201


Fossil stingray (Cyclobatis sp.)
Upper Cretaceous. Approximately 100.5 million to 66 million years ago. When alive, this creature lived in warm, shallow seas and had a very short tail, which was fitted with a venomous stinger. Discovered in Haqil, Byblos, Lebanon. It just happens to look like an ancient space alien. #science #fossil #archeology #evolution #photo #nature #biology #wildlife


On Friday morning, I will defend my dissertation.

The research explores how congressional staffers make #science policy decisions at the national level. I used to work in the Senate, which inspired this journey into the social sciences.

(Friday is also the first day of my kids' Spring Break, so they'll be coming along which should be interesting).

For those curious about the topic, I share a bit about the research on my substack. More results will there soon https://sheril.substack.com/p/a-dissertation-on-democracy


This puppy is fully vaccinated & finally ready to make friends! Thanks #science 🐾 #dogsofmastodon


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. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Shilling #science #history


Want to hang out next Thursday night (or Friday depending on where you live)?

I'm joining the one & only @bschillace for a live conversation about #science #politics & culture.

We may discuss why so many people believe things that aren't true. Or explore how we got into this predicament. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieOEPE92MBE

The Pecular Book Club is "a safe haven of nerdery for all peculiar people w bizarre interests." https://brandyschillace.com/peculiar/

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/a3ev1p20acc?si=H8Q35vWytgmC9m9K

This should be fun!


“Engravings, first in Arabic script, then in Hebrew, tell the story of how knowledge was created, shared & developed by Islamic & Jewish scholars living & working side by side.”

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/05/extraordinary-islamic-and-jewish-science-merge-in-11th-century-astrolabe #history #science


Wonderful! I love the runner-up, 'The Scholar's Dream', on browntail moths, to the music of Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFwRMZKODbc

Overview & other category winners here: https://www.science.org/content/article/kangaroo-research-wins-dance-phd-contest

#DanceYourPhD #moth #kangaroo #epigenetics #circadian #dance #zoology #science #SciComm #SocialScience #biology #chemistry #physics


Every year, students around the world submit videos to a "Dance Your PhD" contest. The goal is to "explain your research through interpretive dance."

This year's fabulous winner, Weliton Menário Costa, explores kangaroo behavior & promotes diversity. It is, by far, the best I've ever seen.

Go watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoSYO3fApEc #science #dance #art #animals


There are massive differences in the GHG emissions of different foods & "local" isn't always best for the environment.

This chart continues to be a great reference I return to in my work. Source: https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local #science #climate #food


Born in 1906, computer scientist Grace Hopper invented the first compiler for computer programming language & was among the first programmers of the Harvard Mk1 computer.

Hopper popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages & paved the way to develop COBOL (an early high-level programming language). She originated the term "bug" to describe computer glitches & became a celebrated Rear Admiral in the US Navy. https://news.yale.edu/2017/02/10/grace-murray-hopper-1906-1992-legacy-innovation-and-service #science #history


Sorry I missed this symposium at the #Denver #AAASmtg. If there’s interest, I can send the transcript of a similar event during the 2019 #Tennessee #STEAM Festival; “From Plato to #CRISPR : Communicating #Science through Story-telling.” #STEAMfest #SciComm

https://www.codrescu.com/happeningsappearances-1/2019/10/16/from-plato-to-crispr-communicating-science-through-storytelling


It was a treat to chat with my brilliant co-panelists Lindsay Patterson, Clifford Johnson & Ann Merchant all about science & storytelling at AAAS.

Layne Kyung shared these incredible & colorful notes/art from our session. #science #art #media


If anyone is headed to #AAAS this week, I’m in 2 sessions so come say hello 👋

Friday at 10am - https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Session/31685

How scientists can connect w legislators & staff, inform decisions & collaborate to address global challenges.

Sat at 2:30pm - https://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Session/31830

Sharing stories about #science & scientists can promote evidence-based thinking, counter misinformation, lead to a more diverse & inclusive workforce & create transdisciplinary opportunities to meet global challenges.


Counting citations hasn't been a reliable measure of scientific impact for a while, especially on platforms like Google Scholar that compile info from random documents. Hyper-authorship, predatory journals, etc have all contributed to the problem.

This preprint just drives home how important it is to measure scientific impact more carefully and without reliance on automated metrics

Google Scholar is manipulatable

https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.04607

#science #academia #publishing #citations


Earth has a lot of humans & cattle. But not too many wild mammals. #science #data


Earth has more livestock than humans, wild mammals & birds combined.

Visualizing the Biomass of Life by scientific illustrator Mark Belan ⬇️ #science #art


Well, it's #GroundhogDay, again.

“Only in America do we accept weather predictions from a rodent but deny #ClimateChange evidence from scientists.”

I share this meme every year on February 2. #science


Spent the day with so many adorable young scientists!

PBS Kids Day was a treat. I love meeting curious kids & watching them marvel at #science. Children ask the best questions.


Ever wonder how pickling works? https://youtu.be/gw6YpN2oRog?si=Bv8DW9o6iqcBaW29

Four years ago our PBS team created this fun explainer on all different types of pickles! And it's still one of my favorite episodes. #food #science


This Saturday I’m excited to meet families at PBS Kids Day in Michigan!

I’m going to be talking to attendees about how oils are “hydrophobic” aka water-fearing with a fun demo where children can squirt colored water droplets into a glass of oil.

If you want to try our experiment with little ones (or adults!) wherever you are, here’s an easy at-home version: https://funlearningforkids.com/oil-water-science-exploration/ #science #art


A virus that infected animals hundreds of millions of years ago has become essential for the development of the embryo https://phys.org/news/2024-01-virus-infected-animals-hundreds-millions.html #science


Born in 1896, biochemist Gerty Theresa Cori became the 1st woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (and the 3rd to win a Nobel Prize).

Cori faced gender discrimination & was marginalized for years. But she never gave up.

With her husband Carl, she discovered how glycogen is broken down & eventually stored as an energy source (aka the “Cori cycle”). They also identified the Cori ester. http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/women/cori.htm #HistoryRemix #science #history


Born in 1919, Isabella Aiona Abbott became the first native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in #science.

A marine botanist, Abbott became the 1st woman & person of color to become a full professor in Stanford’s Biology dept.

She wrote 8 books, >150 articles & was awarded the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal by the National Academy of Sciences.

In 2005, Abbott was named a “Living Treasure of Hawaii” by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. https://woc.aises.org/content/isabella-aiona-abbott-becoming-“first-lady-limu” #history


Born in 1794, pioneering marine biologist Jeannette Villepreux-Power collected specimens from local fisherman in Sicily for study. She built a natural history collection & was especially interested in cephalopods like octopus & squid 🐙.

Villepreux-Power invented the modern aquarium was one of the first people to observe living cephalopods & their behaviors.

Unfortunately, much of her work & collections were lost in a shipwreck in 1843. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Villepreux-Power #HistoryRemix #science #history


After #COVID led to the closure of many of Hawaii’s beaches, Hawaiian green sea turtles began coming ashore at Poipu on Kauai. #nature #science


I just finished putting together a Wikipedia article on plant biologist Mary Clutter, who was so instrumental in determining mechanisms for gene regulation and expression through her work with plant hormones.

She also was one of the foremost scientists involved in expanding opportunities for women scientists in the latter half of the 20th century, including getting them the recognition they deserved for their accomplishments.

#Wikipedia #Women #Biology #Science

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Clutter


SpaceX Starlink satellites photobombed my northern lights photos in Iceland!

#space #science #spacex #astrodon #womeninstem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hTnctQLCIk


Why some people don’t trust science – and how to change their minds

“The messenger is every bit as important as the message. Our work confirms many prior surveys showing that politicians, for example, aren’t trusted to communicate science, whereas university professors are. This should be kept in mind”

Remember this the next time right wing media/politicians target educators, universities, education, etc.
#Disinformation #Education #Science #Academia #Scicomm

https://theconversation.com/why-some-people-dont-trust-science-and-how-to-change-their-minds-219579

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