What Does a Scientist Look Like?
I firmly believe that kids should NOT be taught that girly things & science-y things are mutually exclusive. Therefore, I packed a cape with my field work gear just to show what Glaciologist Princess Elsa would look like! #SciencePrincess #TheColdNeverBotheredMeAnyway pic.twitter.com/Tr5si9tLag
— Celeste Labedz (@celestelabedz) July 17, 2019
Anything she darn well wants! Glaciologist Celeste Labedz went viral with a photo of herself wearing an Elsa cape on the glacier she studies and challenged stereotypes about women scientists at the same time. Now, excuse me, I’m off to find a cape….
—Kimberly Cartier, Staff Writer
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The Rarest Fish on Earth Rode Out 10-Foot Waves When Ridgecrest Earthquake Hit.
The Devils Hole pupfish instinctively knew to duck and swim for cover when the quake shook up the water. Check out this footage (complete with driving, suspenseful background music) from the National Park Service’s Devils Hole pupfish cam.
—Faith Ishii, Production Manager
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College Student Discovers 65-Million-Year-Old Triceratops Skull. Inspiring quick hitter for scientists young and old about a college undergrad—and dinosaur lover since childhood—who recently found a well-preserved Triceratops skull during a field expedition. He described the discovery as “a spiritual moment in a way because I’ve been so passionate about this topic.” (I won’t quibble that the date should probably be more like 66 million years ago instead of 65 million. Doh! Too late.)
—Timothy Oleson, Science Editor
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As the Rockies Melt, This Rare Nesting Bird Will Have Nowhere to Go. The black rosy-finch’s continued existence is a bellwether of climate change. “Unless scientists understand where it nests and whether its population is dwindling, we could miss not only the passage of a species but also the first red flag for how warming will impair the region’s high-mountain habitats and the wildlife that depend on them.”
—Heather Goss, Editor in Chief
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The Little Ice Age Wasn’t Global, but Current Climate Change Is.
A lot of #scicomm outlets covered this story this week, but ours was great and easily had the best accompanying image.
—Caryl-Sue, Managing Editor
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One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon. I was just 17 years old when the first Moon landing occurred, in 1969, and I’d like to know the inside story of how this phenomenal event happened.
—Don Hendrickson, Copy Editor
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Meteotsunami Spotted for the First Time in the Persian Gulf.
Having a home on that strip of sand would terrify me! As Joey from Blossom would say, “Whoa!”
—Melissa Tribur, Production Specialist
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Chasing Opal and Fossils in the Australian Outback. This is so cool! Opalized shark’s teeth and dinosaur bones? I’m in! Sounds like I need to take a trip to the Outback.
—Jenessa Duncombe, Staff Writer
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Decades-Old Pollutants Melting out of Himalayan Glaciers. Pollution just doesn’t “go away,” such as long- and short-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). And it’s not until after we’ve polluted that we realize the consequences in reproductive health.
—Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator
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Newly Discovered Fossil Species Named After Star Wars Starship. I love Star Wars, I love pineapples, and I love fossils. I don’t often get all three of these at the same time! Everything about this discovery gives me joy.
—Kimberly Cartier, Staff Writer