Sheril Kirshenbaum
@sheril.bsky.social
Scientist. Author. Host of PBS Serving Up Science. www.sherilkirshenbaum.com
I finally went to see #TheOdyssey & was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I majored in Classics once upon a time & my expectations weren't high, given I still haven't forgiven Hollywood for Troy. Did it follow the poem perfectly? No. Did it capture every nuance & theme? Of course not. 1/
I have a feeling a lot of puppies are about to be named Argos. #Odyssey
This is my final week at Michigan State where I worked at the intersection of science, storytelling, policy & public service. Happily, I will remain part of the community as an adjunct faculty member. And as for what’s next… I’m excited to share more soon!
I’ve been wearing this shirt for so many years & suddenly this summer, it’s sparking a lot of interesting conversations. #books
The median age of members of the House of Representatives is 57.5 years. In the Senate, it is 64.7 years. Source: Pew, 2025 (medians may have changed slightly) #uspol
The Ingham County Health Dept in Michigan just shared that the possible source for many #cyclosporiasis cases appears to be lettuce or salad greens, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
About 250M years ago, 90% of species on Earth died during the Permian extinction. All of that loss created a lot of vacant niches to fill. Not long after, the first mammals, our ancestors, appeared. Life on this pale blue dot will be resilient - whether we’re part of it or not.
I visited the pitch drop experiment at The University of Queensland today. Started in 1927, it’s the world’s longest-running lab experiment. Pitch is a highly viscous liquid that appears solid & shatters at room temperature, but continues to “drop” every decade or so. smp.uq.edu.au/pitch-drop-e...
I don’t usually follow celebrity news, but Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce are doing things right. This week (leading up to their wedding) they have donated $26 million to food banks & community centers across the US, hospitals for children, animal rescues & shelters & educational programs.
9yo just made a new friend at the science museum in Brisbane. Because we’re from the U.S., his friend is convinced we surely know Taylor Swift & Donald Trump personally. 😆
While our neighbors are camping, we are watching their parakeet, Greenie, and now these two are in love. #birds
“You have to know the past to understand the present.” - Carl Sagan A researcher who cannot locate the present moment within the longer human story is working with incomplete data. open.substack.com/pub/sheril/p...
Science Isn't Enough
A Case for the Humanities
open.substack.com
A key lesson of the last decade is that effective leadership & strong governance are a lot harder than they look from the outside. Long-term planning, informed strategies, ongoing relationships across parties & with allies & earned trust matter. In their absence, things fall apart.
“This study shows that…. nostalgia evoked by Studio Ghibli films significantly foster a sense of exploration & calm in life, as well as a feeling of mastery & skill & purpose & meaning, hence ultimately contributing positively to one’s overall happiness in life.” games.jmir.org/2025/1/e76522 #art
Hey ocean friends! 🌊 Apply to be a 2027 Knauss fellow! Spend a year working in Congress to advance science, research & evidence-based policy. You are needed! I was in the class of 2006 serving in the U.S. Senate & it fundamentally changed my life. seagrant.noaa.gov/communities/... #science
Prospective Knauss Fellows - NOAA Sea Grant
Prospective Fellows Apply to the Knauss Fellowship The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship offers graduate students a one-year opportunity in the Washington, D.C. area to contribute […]
seagrant.noaa.gov
A delightful OpEd by @neildegrassetyson.com “Give Us the Aliens” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/o...
Opinion | Neil deGrasse Tyson: Give Us the Aliens
nytimes.com
Can you name a living scientist? 76% of Americans cannot.
“I've always tried to present a positive view of the world in my work. It's so much easier to be negative & cynical & predict doom for the world than it is to try & figure out how to make things better. We have an obligation to do the latter." - Jim Henson
The Trump administration has terminated more than 100 advisory committees to #science agencies and reduced the transparency and independence of those that remain. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
“We think we’re looking at organic matter that’s been preserved on Mars for 3.5 billion years... if we want to search for evidence of life in the form of preserved organic carbon, this demonstrates it’s possible.” #science #space nautil.us/mars-curiosi...
Mars Curiosity Rover Makes a Big Find on the Red Planet
Mars Curiosity Rover Makes a Big Find on the Red Planet: The little robotic chemist that could
nautil.us
Happy World Curlew Day! I adore these birds! Curlews face severe population declines globally due to habitat loss, #climatechange & predation by non-native species like pets. I took this photo in Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland. #birds
“Penn was quick to tell me he does not know much about many things. But he is an expert in misleading people. “[My] position of expertise is that I have lied to ppl onstage & gotten them to believe it. I think I could do what that police officer did.’” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/u...
Two Magicians Warn the Supreme Court About Junk Science
nytimes.com
