Just learned that Dutch scientists left a hamster wheel outside in 2014 and saw that tons of wild mice used it just for fun as well as frogs and slugs? All the creatures of the forest wanted a turn?? Absolutely phenomenal
Obsessed with this study where they thought giving pair-bonded Mongolian gerbils testosterone would make them aggressive but instead it made them cuddle their mates more and also they look like THIS
Becoming a TA has made me realize that every time I thought I’d pulled a fast one on my professors they were really just too tired to bother attempting to correct my behavior
Raise your hand if you were a gifted child who loved reading and now as an adult you never read because our overbearing capitalist society sucks up too much of our free time in the name of productivity in a way that has nothing to do with being a gifted child
BIG NEWS: A seventh patient has been cured of HIV! The details of the treatment that cured "The Next Berlin Patient" hold promise for a broader cure that could bring relief to the 39 million people living with the virus. I've got the story here!
In case you were wondering, for Santa, in a single 24-hr Earth-night, to deliver presents to all those who celebrate Christmas, he must visit 25,000 homes per second.
Don’t mind me just remembering how in my dissertation defense intro my PhD advisor described me as a “leftist bomb thrower” bc I was in the grad student union lmao
Woke up early to get some reading and writing done and I regret to inform you that being productive first thing in the morning does in fact make you feel good about yourself
Grad school was tough but it gave me great lifelong learning skills. Now when I don't understand something I don't shake my head and give up, I spend three days obsessively trying to wrap my mind around it before shaking my head and giving up
If I see one more “the government faked coronavirus so they can change the batteries in the birds” tweet I’m gonna scream. Obviously the birds run on solar power
Scientists and scicommers, I am begging you: read less science. Read history (including history of science). Read anti-racism. Read biographies. Read novels. Read comic books / graphic novels. Prioritize reading non-white authors. Your work, and life, will be better for it
So thrilled to announce that I’ve accepted an offer to join The Field Museum as a grant writer! I can’t wait to begin and get to know all the fabulous folks at the museum, including my new coworker Sue the T-Rex 🦖😁
There are people from my high school class who have married, had children, divorced, and remarried meanwhile I just whispered “good luck” to my stuffed bear before putting him through the washer
Watched an episode of the closer last night and they mentioned a guy made his income by “publishing articles in academic journals” and my partner and I both screamed at the same time
I wrote about an orangutan who smeared a medicinal plant onto his face in order to treat a nasty gash he likely got from a fight with another male 🦧 within a few days his wound had closed!
Our August move to Berkeley is finally public, so at last I can say: I need a new job! Someone give me a job!! I like writing, science, journalism, comedy, bees, and more…but would love to be science writing full time 😎 if you have a job in the Bay Area, reach out please 🙏
I'm 28 years old, have an entire PhD, and just spent the first half hour of my work day fighting with a printer (I lost). Somehow I am simultaneously paid too much for this and also not paid enough for this
2022 had its lows, but the highs were incredible: I became a Reductress contributor; was published in Science News, Scientific American, and The New York Times (!!!); wrote/directed my own sketch show; traveled to beautiful places; and met the love of my life.
Here’s to 2023! 🐝
For anyone who thinks scientists are paid to follow some secret agenda: I've been waiting for conference travel reimbursement for almost two months now. Nobody is rushing to pay us I promise
Once had sleep paralysis and saw a demon on the ceiling whispering to me in tongues, and honestly I wish he’d stuck around it’s hard to make friends as an adult
In a new relationship? Be sure to ask these important questions early! It can be awkward but it’s better to know their answers sooner rather than finding out you’re incompatible down the line
Here we see Pipin, a Goffin's cockatoo, plan ahead by picking up both tools needed to get to a tasty cashew. These cockatoos are only the third animal--besides us and chimps--to plan tool use in this way!
Video by
@BioTay
and full story here:
Sometimes to find a new species, all you have to do is flip a rock 🪨 🐛 thanks to
@apheloria
and
@derekhennen
for chatting with me about this new many-legged majesty!