Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages
@climateages.bsky.social
Founder, Climate Ages | Paleontologist, Ecologist, & Science Storyteller https://climateages.com/
They tell you that once you leave academia, you can’t go back. But is the door really closed, or might you return on better terms? 🧪 thenaturalscientist.substack.com/p/can-you-go...
Can You Go Back to Academia After You Leave?
When returning is possible, what makes it easier, and why you might choose to do it
thenaturalscientist.substack.com
“Young people need to see a future in science” - Richard Kuhn on the Presidential Panel at #ASV2026. Outreach is CRITICAL. Want to talk about how to get involved? Send me a message. I have a nonprofit organization that has been engaging middle & high school students across the US for 11+ years.
Giant predatory sharks have evolved over and over again. For Smithsonian, I dive into what led Otodus megalodon and friends to get so big. 🧪
Predatory Sharks Grew to Enormous Sizes in Prehistoric Times. These Five Strategies Helped Them Get So Big
By cannibalizing their siblings in the womb or avoiding meat-eating pliosaurs, fearsome carnivores like the megalodon ballooned to proportions that would dwarf any shark alive today
smithsonianmag.com
Leaving the faculty track does not mean leaving academia. Here are university careers that keep natural scientists close to research and their scientific community. 🧪 thenaturalscientist.substack.com/p/what-if-yo...
What If You Want to Stay in Academia, But Not Become a Professor?
How natural scientists can use their research experience in university careers beyond the faculty track
thenaturalscientist.substack.com
The Odyssey takes us back to a world of kings, wars, and dangerous journeys. But the climate was changing too. Could drought have made an already difficult time worse? New research offers clues about the real Bronze Age world behind the epic. 🧪 #SciComm climateages.com/how-did-clim...
How Did Climate Shape the World Behind The Odyssey?
New climate research explores how gradual drying and natural variability may have increased pressure on eastern Mediterranean societies near the end of the Bronze Age Christopher...
climateages.com
Why is Colombia so biodiverse? The answer begins 60 million years ago, with an island continent, rising mountains, and a river that flowed the wrong way. 🧪 #SciComm climateages.substack.com/p/how-colomb...
How Colombia Became One of the Most Biodiverse Places on Earth
The geological story behind the Andes, the Amazon, and one of Earth’s richest ecosystems
climateages.substack.com
When people hear “Data Manager,” they often think spreadsheets. In conservation, these roles are often about GIS, mapping, partnerships, project management, and helping turn scientific data into real-world decisions. 🧪 #SciComm buff.ly/lLhUdd0
From Academia to Data Manager in Conservation
What conservation data managers do, why scientists excel at it, and how to position your experience for these roles
thenaturalscientist.substack.com
Last week, I had the privilege of telling my kindergartener’s class all about paleontology and dinosaurs.🦖🦕 The experience left me with more energy than I expected. 🧪 #SciComm
About a million years ago, Earth’s ice ages changed. A new study suggests the clue may be hidden beneath the Arctic Ocean. 🧪 #SciComm climateages.substack.com/p/why-did-ea...
Why Did Earth’s Ice Ages Change About a Million Years Ago?
Scientists may have found a clue in the Arctic Ocean
climateages.substack.com
10,000 followers. What started as a small publication about paleontology, ecology, and evolution has grown into a community of 10,000 curious readers on Medium. Thank you to every writer, reader, and supporter! 🦖🌎📚 buff.ly/xKgOOJN 🧪 #SciComm
@gimpasaura.bsky.social had some fun photos like this of birds nesting in the animatronic dinos at Jurassic Forest (wonder if they're still operating...)
Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages@climateages.bsky.social · 2mo agoOne of my favorite photos I’ve taken at the Smithsonian. Can you see the bird? A bird built its nest inside the mouth of a Triceratops. An avian dinosaur decided that a dinosaur was the perfect place to raise more dinosaurs. The fossil record comes full circle. 🧪 🦕♻️🕊️
A fantastic photo and a fitting Deep Time circle... ✨ #dinosaurs #birds 🪶🦖🕊️🦕🦅🪽
Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages@climateages.bsky.social · 2mo agoOne of my favorite photos I’ve taken at the Smithsonian. Can you see the bird? A bird built its nest inside the mouth of a Triceratops. An avian dinosaur decided that a dinosaur was the perfect place to raise more dinosaurs. The fossil record comes full circle. 🧪 🦕♻️🕊️
A puppy before puppies. These tracks were made by mammals called oxyaenids, sort of catdog-like carnivores that thrived circa 60 million years ago before true dogs and cats stepped onto the scene. From Wyoming, on display at the Raymond M. Alf Museum.
One of my favorite photos I’ve taken at the Smithsonian. Can you see the bird? A bird built its nest inside the mouth of a Triceratops. An avian dinosaur decided that a dinosaur was the perfect place to raise more dinosaurs. The fossil record comes full circle. 🧪 🦕♻️🕊️
Good morning & happy Friday🌞 Here is your reminder that yes, science is real, whether you think so or not
Me: “What are we going to say when someone tells us all the dinosaurs went extinct?” 23 kindergarteners after 45 minutes of dinosaur facts: “We have birds!” The future of paleontology is in good hands. 🦖🐦❤️ 🧪 #SciComm
Speaking as a research faculty/curator at a natural history museum who has been involved in hiring exactly the sorts of museum specialist & collections manager positions Silvia describes here, this is an excellent summary for how to frame skillsets. And if possible get experience in collections asap
Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages@climateages.bsky.social · 2mo ago🪼🦥🐚Could you become a Museum Specialist after your PhD in the Natural Sciences?! 🦕🦀🐢🌲 Behind every museum collection is a team making science possible. 🧪#SciComm thenaturalscientist.substack.com/p/from-phd-t...
One month ago, I launched The Natural Scientist. Today, the newsletter passed 2,200 subscribers. Thanks! I’m grateful you’re here, and I’m looking forward to what we’ll build together. 🧪 #SciComm buff.ly/KHgJlBf
6yo: Mom, I want to be a scientist. But not a paleontologist like you… A Scientist that makes potions. Me: Paleontologists also make potions sometimes Him: Really?! 🧪
Spongebob Says Really?
Alt: Spongebob Says Really?
static.klipy.com
🪼🦥🐚Could you become a Museum Specialist after your PhD in the Natural Sciences?! 🦕🦀🐢🌲 Behind every museum collection is a team making science possible. 🧪#SciComm thenaturalscientist.substack.com/p/from-phd-t...
From PhD to Museum Specialist in the Natural Sciences
The scientists who manage research collections, support discovery, and preserve specimens for future generations
thenaturalscientist.substack.com
🦕I’m excited to announce that I’ve been invited to give a talk at one of the most prestigious institutions I can think of.🦖 The audience will be intimidating. They represent some of the brightest young minds who will help shape our society for decades to come. 🧪 #SciComm
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Digestion corrosion marks on a hatchling Allosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) maxilla from the Upper Jurassic of Guimarota (Leiria, Portugal)
In this study we describe a corrosion pattern, interpreted as having been produced by digestion, on a hatchling Allosaurus maxilla from the former Guimarota coal mine fossil site. This site, located ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
How long could life survive without sunlight? When the asteroid that ended the Age of Dinosaurs struck Earth, darkness may have shut down photosynthesis for more than a year. Why did some species survive while others vanished? 🧪 #SciComm buff.ly/I83bdr6
How Long Could Life Survive Without Sunlight?
The answer may help explain why some species survived the asteroid that ended the Age of Dinosaurs
climateages.substack.com
Exciting milestone: Fossils et al. just passed 9,000 followers on Medium! 🎉 To celebrate, we’re looking for new writers interested in paleontology, ecology, evolution, and Earth history. 🧵🧪 #SciComm
AMNH has a new Microraptor model and cast in the permanent exhibit. Very cool, but also suggests that hall will continue going unrenovated for the foreseeable future. Model and photo by @chalkychicken.bsky.social!
Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans – and that’s crucial for their survival theconversation.com/coral-reefs-...
Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans – and that’s crucial for their survival
Connectivity isn’t a nice-to-have for coral reefs – it’s their lifeline. And now scientists know which reefs serve as vital ‘stepping stones’ for coral larvae.
theconversation.com
