Notices by Sheril Kirshenbaum (sheril@mastodon.social), page 6

So that’s how libraries are born ✨

by @nathanwpyle #books 📚

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. https://www.science.org/content/article/why-did-new-zealands-moas-go-extinct #history

When I was a child in the 80s, the night sky was filled with stars. And those stars inspired us to imagine other worlds & ask really big questions.

Decades later, the night sky looks like a much lonelier place. Light pollution is increasing & I fear we may lose the ability to be awed by looking up & recognizing our place in the universe.

I don’t know about others, but I sure miss the stars. Image: Luke Stackpoole via Unsplash

When we think of #food, we often aren’t paying attention to soil, but it’s actually what sustains our global food system.

Unfortunately, #ClimateChange, unsustainable farming practices & more are degrading soil around the world.

I don’t get to see each episode of Serving Up Science until they are published, but I like this new video. And I’m so glad they let me talk about soil health. https://youtu.be/FnOHwq6iSpk?si=5umwoGQU7DFrdhCD

Synth genius Wendy Carlos studied physics & music at Brown & Columbia. She helped develop the 1st Moog synthesizer & her 1968 classical album Switched-On Bach went platinum. She brought #music & tech together & composed soundtracks for A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Tron & more.

Carlos was assigned male at birth & transitioned to female. Unfortunately, many journalists focus more on her gender than her accomplishments that changed music forever. http://www.wendycarlos.com

Tonight my 10yo asked if a woman might run for president next year.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because if a woman runs, you should vote for her,” he explained. “In almost 250 years, there haven’t been any women presidents. We need someone to be the first.”

Couldn’t agree more kiddo.

We had to say goodbye to our sweet Happy. She was the very best girl & we had so many adventures together. Happy hiked mountains in Colorado, camped with us in Texas, ran across California’s beaches & pranced through the Michigan snow.

She named herself Happy & loved every person she ever met. We have always felt extremely lucky to find her on Congress Ave & came to call her our Austin terrier since she was a little bit of every breed. We will miss her every day. #dogsofmastodon

I’ve now been on #Mastodon for one year & it’s a nice online neighborhood to be a part of.

I’m glad you’re here too.

#books

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. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666184/ #HistoryRemix #history #science #math

“Vote NO on Woman Suffrage” 🙄

Not ancient #history, but just a century ago.

Source: State Archives of North Carolina

This quote by Carl Sagan hangs in my office. #science

I just heard a car company advertise they’ll be “carbon neutral” by 2050.

27 years 🙄

It’s like the slowest, laziest greenwashing.

Just a reminder that we don’t have to argue with people on the Internet when they’re wrong.

My officemate is just darling. #birds

I feel seen 📚

Many believe a significant way to address #climatechange is to 'eat local,’ but that’s not always true. The impact all depends on the kind of #food + how & where it’s produced.

Some foods require fewer resources (water, energy) in some parts of the world. Season can be important. Overall, transportation has a much lower carbon footprint than land use change. And so on.

So instead of ‘eat local,’ let’s go with ‘eat thoughtfully.’ https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local

Born in 1910, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin perfected X-ray crystallography, a type of imaging using X-rays to determine a molecule’s three-dimensional structure.

She determined the structures of insulin, penicillin & vitamin B12, leading to tremendous advances in medicine.

Hodgkin was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. She also advocated for world peace, campaigning against both the Vietnam War & nuclear weapons. https://www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/dorothy-hodgkin #HistoryRemix #science #history

“#Science is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.”

- Jules Verne #books

Alan Turing was a mathematician & cryptographer who was a leading code-breaker in the team that decrypted Nazi Germany’s Enigma machine during WWII. He inspired modern computing & what became AI.

Instead of being hailed as a genius & hero, Turing was convicted as a homosexual & forced to endure chemical castration. He died by suicide at 41 in 1954.

The British government didn’t apologize until 2009 & Queen Elizabeth II finally pardoned him in 2013. #history #science