Sheril Kirshenbaum

Author. Scientist. Host of PBS Serving Up Science. Sustainability, Politics & Science Communication at Michigan State. #HistoryRemix for stories of diverse trailblazers in science & the arts. #SharedPlanet to explore biodiversity

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Last Notes

2024-08-26 18:17:37

Africa is bigger than China, the US, Eastern Europe & India combined.
Since Earth is a sphere, flat maps dramatically distort the size of continents.
Source: Bryan Christie & Kai Krause for Scientific American #SharedPlanet #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/029/684/584/548/368/original/3bc5ac021ad008c3.jpeg

2024-08-05 14:58:36

So my fellow Americans & friends outside the US interested in our #politics…
Who is your top choice for #KamalaHarris VP & why?

2024-07-27 23:27:28

Just heard Trump describe VP Harris as “Lion Kamala.”
I like it. A powerful apex keystone cat.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/861/039/310/030/048/original/b26fac905826fe08.png

2024-07-20 10:26:08

Relatable. #books
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/818/216/566/284/190/original/20584d246abf53e6.jpeg

2024-07-19 03:17:16

This spectacular James Webb Space Telescope image shows two galaxies, collectively known as Arp 142, and individually called the Penguin (NGC 2936) & the Egg (NGC 2937).🥚🐧
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/810/956/846/208/027/original/5f1bd2d48e4af85b.png

2024-06-24 01:58:37

What do you think is the most meaningful action that you take - as an individual - for the environment / #climate / future? 🌍

2024-06-12 17:30:00

Well this caught my eye today. The status of nuclear warhead inventories from the Federation of American Scientists.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/604/827/795/149/114/original/37cb5d0185c59593.jpeg

2024-06-10 03:05:14

Once again, I’m in need of a new book to get lost in & would love recommendations 📚
Some of my favorite genres include science fiction, historical fiction & satire. What are you reading? #books

2024-06-04 17:14:08

Science isn’t “truth.” It isn’t simply a series of facts.
Science is an iterative process. We continue to test hypotheses & refine ideas.
Science is always changing as we learn more.

2024-05-31 15:10:32

“We keep moving forward, opening up new doors & doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
-Walt Disney
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/536/333/991/690/692/original/8b1fa4653e78a2d6.jpeg

2024-05-30 21:18:27

Wow.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/532/117/783/494/545/original/40f311b5dc295c95.jpeg

2024-05-23 18:29:42

I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be an International Affairs Fellow through the Council on Foreign Relations starting this Fall!
https://www.cfr.org/fellowships/international-affairs-fellowship

2024-05-19 14:49:29

Do you see a series of sunken rectangles or 16 circles?
This is The Coffer Illusion.
Our brains are geared toward identifying objects & here, “pixels” are grouped to form edges & contours, shapes, & objects. The image is inherently ambiguous so there is no “right” grouping.
Rectangles dominate first for most people - including me, but keep staring & the image may flip to circles.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/468/263/755/500/759/original/87f9794a1ad44280.jpeg

2024-05-18 14:49:30

Are you an introvert?
Terrific explainer by https://introverteed.com/blogs/news/an-introduction-to-the-introvert-social-battery #comic #art
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/462/621/680/086/076/original/486bd88c534dedc8.jpg

2024-05-18 01:36:59

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For me, it would be astrophysics 💫
/2

2024-05-17 16:35:26

If you had the time to go back to school to study any field at no cost, what would you choose?

2024-05-08 21:21:48

FWIW I’ve never met anyone at PBS that looks like the that fellow. 🤔
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/407/550/819/141/061/original/bb58008f70248c62.png

2024-05-08 01:22:37

Thanks to all of the wonderful teachers inspiring us to learn, to be creative, to ask questions, to be kind, to stand up when it matters, to strive to do good, to listen, and to dream. 🌈

2024-04-28 22:23:26

This photo was sent my way by someone who knows I work in #food security. I don’t know where it was taken or who deserves credit. (The tickets appear to name a pub).
But I’d sure love to see this kindness replicated. Widely. It’s critically needed & warms my heart. ❤️
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/351/151/814/035/665/original/1111f9daf4cf5d56.jpeg

2024-04-27 01:54:45

Graduation Day 2024
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/340/685/733/939/232/original/92c1efa4f7e03260.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/340/685/941/587/133/original/aef11cc92acd906b.jpeg

2024-04-09 01:40:35

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We landed in Napoleon, Ohio - the home of the Campbell’s Soup factory - for today’s total #eclipse.
The view was spectacular.
How did your experiences go? /2
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/238/692/479/455/986/original/ddd24b42265376e7.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/238/702/618/614/344/original/c481f7143509c75d.jpeg

2024-04-08 12:55:15

We traveled to Toledo, Ohio last night for today’s #eclipse. The journey from here depends on the clouds.
Wishing everyone clear skies & great viewing. Have fun & make sure to protect your eyes. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses

2024-03-29 14:43:21

I laughed.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/179/496/369/751/903/original/27f86bc8bcc7416b.jpeg

2024-03-21 00:17:19

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 interested in the topic, I share a bit about the work on substack now & then. More results will shared there soon https://sheril.substack.com/p/a-dissertation-on-democracy

2024-02-08 01:31:55

Do you have a favorite species?
Mine is currently the wombat.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/893/265/565/869/035/original/122f37c5b730fca2.jpeg

2023-12-25 00:55:31

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The incredible human who made this owned my favorite used bookshop, just a block from where I lived in Mane. He kept a shelf just for me to discover the most wonderful stories. Mostly sci-fi, but other genres too. After I moved to DC, he’d occasionally mail books.
Before I left, I introduced him to a close friend. They’ve now been married for many years. ❤️📚/2

2023-12-24 22:57:56

I just love my dear friend’s tree, don’t you?!
#MerryChristmas to all who celebrate! #books
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/637/856/216/025/585/original/179323f983ec0a3f.jpeg

2023-12-11 14:20:21

As an occasional journalist, I just love the way Ed Yong closes his latest OpEd at NYTs & couldn’t agree more. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/opinion/long-covid-reporting-lessons.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FE0.aHg1.KLP-3qDCnjtp&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare #GiftArticle #writing #journalism
“Journalists can act as a care-taking profession that soothes & nurtures. We are among the only professions that can do so at a scale commensurate with the scope of the crises before us. We can make people who feel invisible feel seen. We can make everyone else look.”

2023-10-18 02:02:37

"For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love."
- Carl Sagan, Contact (1985)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/253/545/973/624/042/original/5a44dae079063755.png

2023-09-17 02:32:14

Less concerned with what Boebert does in theaters.
More concerned with what she does in Congress. #uspol #news

2023-09-14 20:39:34

Looking at my female dominated grad cohort 20yrs ago, I expected we were going to be part of a shift to include more women in science as our careers advanced.
But retention percentages for women from student to full professor are the same now as they were when I started writing about it in the 2000s.
Academia doesn’t support #women in #science.

2023-08-25 18:30:04

About 250M years ago, 90% of species on Earth died during the Permian extinction.
Tragic? Perhaps. But it also created a lot of vacant niches to fill.
And not long after, the very first mammals, our ancestors, appeared.
#Life on Earth is resilient & will continue to be, whether we're part of it or not. #history #science
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/951/660/555/835/958/original/5dad73c824b911cb.png

2023-08-23 12:54:10

“Describe what you can bring to this company.”
#Art by Will McPhail
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/939/013/569/210/774/original/65c7bdb1318188e2.jpeg

2023-08-04 21:35:06

Vote like our future depends on it. Because it does. #ClimateChange
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/833/489/436/462/164/original/70b7f071d61a9c8a.jpeg