Notices by Sheril Kirshenbaum (sheril@mastodon.social), page 7

Having lived much of the last year in a country that has universal healthcare, it's heartbreaking to be back in the U.S. seeing families having to appeal to strangers online through gofundme sites bc they cannot afford outrageous medical bills while dealing with unimaginable tragedy.

Evolution doesn’t look how it’s depicted in pop culture. We often picture the famous “March of Progress” illustration where a series of apes stand in line leading to a modern human.

But evolution is not linear. It branches & divides without an intended direction or endpoint through natural selection.

Illustration by @keesey #science #history

Short story: I have curly hair. But I straighten it for work to appear “professional.” Or I wear a bun to look “serious.”

These ideas were shaped by social norms + experiences where I’ve been the only woman in the room or dealt w sexual harassment/bias.

But when my 15yo niece visited last week, I marveled at her stunning curls. “It just dries this way,” she said.

And it dawned on me - Wait, mine does too! Or would if I paid less attention to cultural expectations. So I think I’ll do that now.

A few brief thoughts on Musk:

1/ #Twitter was never worth $44B. That’s just what he paid.

2/ The platform lost value bc most companies don’t want to advertise alongside bigotry, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, transphobia & hate speech.

3/ Twitter is over. Long live the #fediverse.

My sweet pup's having surgery right now.

I wish we could have more time with our #dogs. We really don't deserve them.

“Describe what you can bring to this company.”

#Art by Will McPhail

I adore this comic by @elisegravel.

“So, yeah, YOU can be a scientist, too!” #science #art #education

“What really matters is helping others win, too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.”

- Fred Rogers

An observation on how #Mastodon is growing 👀

Over the past month, multiple journalists from top outlets have contacted me related to content I’ve shared.

While this was not uncommon on #Twitter when I was active there, it’s relatively new for me in the #fediverse. I suspect this suggests professional news outlets are becoming more comfortable here & posts have increasing impact. Good.

Did you know the most abundant vertebrate on Earth often starts life as a male & transitions to female?

Scientists estimate the number of bristlemouth fish range from hundreds of trillions to quadrillions(!) of individuals. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/science/bristlemouth-ocean-deep-sea-cyclothone.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare #science #nature

"Christopher Nolan's #Oppenheimer explores the work of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer & colleagues to create the atomic bomb.

Yet, the film fails to depict a key part of the story, using 2 female scientists as stand-ins for ALL of the women who contributed."

Hundreds of women were essential to the Manhattan Project, including Nobel Prize winning physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer. But they are largely absent in the #film.

https://www.businessinsider.com/women-manhattan-project-christopher-nolan-oppenheimer-completely-ignored-2023-7 #HistoryRemix #science #history

@Gargron good. I hope lots of folks buy merch to support admins!

Multiple bright, young scientists I know have told me they will not be applying to jobs in TX & FL.

Faculty friends at institutions in these states have shared they are having trouble recruiting new students & concerned about what they could be accused of.

Having spent years working at UT Austin where I loved our weird & welcoming community, I’m deeply troubled watching things fall apart. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/25/texas-a-m-professor-opioids-dan-patrick/

About 109 billion people have lived & died. Each grain of sand represents 10 million.

This stunning data visualization of human life by Max Roser was published in 2022.

Today there would be 805 green grains representing 8.05 billion people living on Earth. #science #art

“…when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues…”

Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1995
#threads #twitter

As a science communicator, I was interested to explore #threads.

So far, it feels like everyone is shouting everything all at once with no organization or order. There are no hashtags to help discover topics, for example. I mainly see a lot of celebs & influencers I don’t follow.

I’m not sure it can become a place to exchange meaningful ideas. But that’s probably not the point.

I’m happy at #Mastodon & there really is no comparison. It will be interesting to see how it all evolves over time.

A big welcome to everyone new to #Mastodon! 👋

You’re going to like it here.

Unlike #Twitter, this place isn’t set up as a race for RTs & likes & feels more like an ongoing conversation. Engagement is high & on the whole, there’s less outrage & more thoughtful content. I’ve been enjoying the chance to get to meet interesting new folks.

Tip: Start with an #introduction & share your interests. @feditips is a helpful follow to get oriented too.

In case you need some delight in your day, it’s impossible not to smile at David Zinn’s latest sidewalk #art

Too many people I work with in policy describe the rise of misinformation as a dangerous new phenomenon.

Yes, social media has recently added countless new opportunities & dimensions, but circulating rumors & lies have been plaguing us for at least as long as we’ve been around to record them. Just look to the history of medicine or nutrition.

Humans believe & widely share all sorts of stories that aren’t true. It’s not new.

I don’t like to mention that rich guy over at #Twitter, but he’s rambling on about #ClimateChange & agriculture, which is in my wheelhouse. And he is also unabashedly & absurdly wrong.

Misinformation on climate change is irresponsible & dangerous, so let’s be clear:

25% to 30% of global emissions come from our #food system.

As UT Austin’s Michael Webber describes, agriculture is a major cause, victim and - importantly - meaningful solution to #climate change.

More at https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions-food