Sheril

Sheril, hace 4 meses a random en

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

Sheril, hace 4 meses a random en

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

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

Sheril, hace 6 meses a random en

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. https://www.yahoo.com/news/discovery-inside-unearthed-bottle-ve-103236780.html

Sheril, hace 6 meses a random en

‘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

Sheril, hace 6 meses a random en

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

https://sheril.substack.com/p/follow-the-science?r=1j872&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web #politics

Sheril, hace 7 meses a random en

“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 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-theory-that-men-evolved-to-hunt-and-women-evolved-to-gather-is-wrong1/ #science #history

Sheril, hace 10 meses a random en

If the #science community truly wants to make our work more accessible to policymakers & the public + increase support for & trust in our research, we shouldn't publish our work behind ridiculously expensive paywalls that very few people can access.

Sheril, hace 10 meses a random en

I adore this comic by @elisegravel.

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

Sheril, hace 10 meses a random en

Physicist Lise Meitner’s brilliance led to the discovery of nuclear fission. But her long time collaborator Otto Hahn, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry without her in 1944, even though she had given the first theoretical explanation.

Albert Einstein called Meitner “our Marie Curie." She also adamantly refused to work on the atomic bomb during WWII. https://whyy.org/articles/lise-meitner-the-forgotten-woman-of-nuclear-physics-who-deserved-a-nobel-prize/ #science #history

Sheril, hace 11 meses a random en

"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

Sheril, hace 11 meses a random en

Today is my dissertation proposal defense. That means I'll give a public lecture about my research in front of my committee.

As some folks may know, I'm doing another round of grad school, mid-career, focused on scientific decision making in the U.S. Congress https://sheril.substack.com/p/a-dissertation-on-democracy #science #politics

In terms of PhD-ing, this is kind of like the pregame. I passed my comprehensive exams last year & will officially defend my dissertation & finish this Fall. So here goes...

Sheril, hace 11 meses a random en

Happy birthday Rosalind Franklin!

Rosalind Franklin’s research was crucial to discovering DNA’s double helix structure. But she never received proper acknowledgement for her contribution.

James Watson & Francis Crick were awarded the credit & Nobel Prize, but their work was only possible bc they saw her unpublished data & X-ray diffraction images. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/science/rosalind-franklin-dna.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare #science #history #HistoryRemix

Sheril, hace 11 meses a random en

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

Sheril, hace 1 año a random en

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 #HistoryRemix #science #history