Alt-text is really a big cultural differentiator for Mastodon. Twitter has it, but it's pretty rare to see people use it. Threads doesn't have it at all! And with regards to scicomm specifically, it's a perfect example of how accessibility improves the experience for everyone. I can break down a dense, hard to understand figure that people with vision would still find confusing. To me, alt-text is a non-negotiable requirement of good science communication.

When I'm reading sci-fi, and they yet again choose to exit the spaceship without proper protection or biocontrol

New report in The Lancet finds pollution is responsible for a staggering 9 million deaths per year, which would mean it causes 1 in 6 deaths. A nearly incomprehensible level of human suffering.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00090-0/fulltext

My office is downwind from a Costco bakery, so I get hit with a powerful cinnabun smell every time I walk outside. It's basically the only type of pollution I approve of.

It is the time of year when we should bring tidings of good cheer

May your datetimes always be in ISO 8601 UTC, and your shapefiles in a well documented projection.

If you want a scientist to read your email, just include "Decision on manuscript reached" in the subject line. They will wake up in a cold sweat and be compelled to open your email.

I hate it here sometimes :blobsob:

Please.

The amount of water a clam filters is called the clearance rate. This rate is typically measured in liters per hour per gram of clam mass. The clearance rate can decline if the bivalves "clam up" in response to stresses from temperature or salinity. They can also be reduced if the clams' gills are clogged by non-food particles, such as during a storm. The clams may increase clearance rate if they sense more plankton in the water, or if they are trying to bulk up before spawning! #clamfacts

*wipes brow*
Dirty work in the data mines today.
👷‍♂️🚧🏔🪨📈📉
*coughs out json*

Bivalves aren't afraid to put their foot down! Many clams have a fleshy tongue-like appendage called a foot. They can use this to dig, drag themselves around, sense their environment, and a couple even secrete acid from their foot to bore into coral! Gif is of a cockle, which have a particularly muscular foot #clamfacts

You know you're heavily invested in this #scicomm thing when all your rpg characters have maxed out science and persuasion stats. Currently playing through The Outer Worlds as a huge dork, just like in Fallout.

In Colombia, Former Guerillas Use iNaturalist to Record Biodiversity

https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/43191-in-colombia-former-guerillas-use-inaturalist-to-record-biodiversity

A clam is like a door into itself

"Extreme digestive plasticity suggests that eating com-
petition records are quite biologically impressive, especially in the context of
carnivorous species and other human athletic competitions." So proud of our silly species!
New article: Modelling the maximal active
consumption rate and its plasticity in
humans—perspectives from hot dog
eating competitions https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0096