There are some magic little lands out there in the world.

It didn’t have to be this way.

Scientific information does not flow into policy the way most scientists think. Twenty years after her jarring first day as a fisheries-biologist-turned-Senate-staffer, @sheril.bsky.social lays out what every scientist hoping to influence policy on the Hill needs to know: issues.org/information-...

“There’s no wrong age to be powerful, compelling, or taken seriously, there’s only a wrong lens.” Art by Erika Sjule

Evolution doesn’t look how it’s depicted in pop culture. We often picture the famous “March of Progress” illustration where a series of apes stand in line leading to a modern human. But evolution is not linear. It branches and divides and recombines. Image: @tmkeesey.bsky.social

Powerful. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

If it were up to me, we’d have better food distribution & more public libraries.

The government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. sheril.substack.com/p/shutdown-b...

🔴 Funding opportunity! 🔴 science-foundation.org/what-ifs-2025/ What if… you had 10K in a gift fund at your institution for curiosity-driven #science? Apply to “What Ifs…?” @sciencefoundation.bsky.social Applications open 11/10, close 12/1

Of all the Serving Up Science episodes, this is my favorite. wkar.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/can... It’s also our least popular & least viewed. But for 7 mins, I got to talk about how amazing & essential soil really is @pbs.org. And that’s a win! 👩🏻‍🌾🪏🪴

Delighted to be at @nationalacademies.org exploring the future of the U.S. research enterprise during this period of transition. 3 takeaways: • Forge partnerships that blend public purpose & research w private innovation. • Rebuild trust across sectors. • Tell the story of science & innovation.

My thoughts are with the people in Hurricane Melissa’s path. Climate change makes the ocean warmer, fueling stronger, more intense storms. It’s not about politics. I hope we can come together to help the communities impacted by this extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane.

Can We Rebuild Trust in Congress? sheril.substack.com/p/can-we-reb...

As the #shutdown drags on & political violence ⬆️, the question isn’t whether we can return to some imagined golden age of bipartisanship. It’s whether we can rebuild the relationships that make democratic governance possible. My new op-ed in @thehill.com: thehill.com/opinion/cong... #uspol

Jane Goodall, one of my greatest heroes, has passed away. How lucky we were to read her books and learn from her wisdom about our place on Earth. She was an inspiration to me and countless others. And her memory is a blessing.

The federal government has shut down. So why does the 21st disruption of federal funding since 1976 feel... normal? We've spent decades dismantling the norms that made compromise possible in Congress. This routine "crisis" should serve as a warning. sheril.substack.com/p/shutdown-b...

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo rages, w 61% death rate & lack of $ “In the past, USAID provided critical support to respond to such outbreaks. But, w funding cuts & a dismantling of the agency the US is notably absent.. it will be difficult to compensate for the loss.” arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

Meet our new English budgie! Like his brother Kiwi, he has a few unusual quirks, but we think he’s perfect! Now this little peanut needs a name… He arrived as “Moe” so that’s a possibility, but what would you name this sweet boy?

"Amid massive cuts to US scientific research, the Science Foundation will raise public funds for transdisciplinary, discovery-based research!" www.nature.com/articles/d41... Congratulations Maren Friesen, Venkatesh Srinivas & @sciencefoundation.bsky.social! Donate at science-foundation.org/donate/

“One of the best-known anchors on Fox News has suggested killing people as a way to end the country’s homelessness crisis.” 👀 www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-hos...

Good. Details at: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Pretty sure the vast majority of people don’t want to get sick regardless of their party affiliation. 🤔

As I conclude my Senate fellowship, I’m deeply grateful to Senator Gary Peters of Michigan and his brilliant, thoughtful team. I will miss working with them tremendously. 1/3

Traveling with my 9 & 12 year old boys tomorrow & I’d love your recommendations for kid/teen audiobooks! 📚 #books

When I co-created Serving Up Science with the wonderful people at WKAR, we never imagined the reach our little show about food and science would have. We connected with classrooms, rural towns, big cities, and curious minds across the country - all bc of public media. cpb.org/pressroom/Co... 1/3

The NIH budget will INCREASE by $400 million — not slashed by 40%, as Trump proposed — according to a proposal by Senate appropriators, says Sen Murray. "Some have asked if there will even be an NIH by [2029]. The commmittee's resounding message is yes—Congress has your back", she says.

Even amid difficult headlines, I take comfort in the resilience of nature. Trees keep growing. Fungi keep breaking things down. And the world keeps changing. Our species is just one character in a far older story. And I hope we have the wisdom (and data) to remain part of it a little longer.

In every part of the world, “child” and “hunger” should never be part of the same sentence.

On one hand, good. On another, we shouldn’t need the UN to declare climate change is an existential threat at this point. It’s here. It’s now.

Not sure who needs to hear this, but #science cuts don’t just affect researchers. They ripple out to the food we eat, the air we breathe, the safety of our water, and our health. This is personal for you. Me. All of us.

Hi 👋 I was the host of Serving Up Science, a PBS show created by WKAR with some of the kindest people in public media. We focused on the science of food. Not politics, not controversy. Now, half the team has been laid off. It’s a quiet unraveling of something deeply valuable. #uspol

Friday’s mass layoffs at the State Department are not just about jobs lost, but a disruption to the institutional memory, relationships & expertise that underpin meaningful diplomacy. 1/

I am absolutely heartbroken for Texas, which was our home for many years. This is not the time to cut funding for NOAA. I hope we invest all we can to monitor extreme weather events and keep families and communities safe.

Watching so many brilliant, dedicated friends lose their jobs in government, academia, and public media this year has been devastating. They represent the institutions that uphold our democracy and inform our future. We’ll all feel their absence in ways we haven’t even begun to realize.

What happens when we stop funding the #science that built our booming economy? 🇨🇳 China invests $52B. 🇪🇺 Europe recruits our scientists. We gift our competitors the next generation of talent, discovery, and industry. That’s not savings. It’s surrender. This is the End of American Dominance. #uspol

“There appears to be no plan for where the NSF staff will go.” talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/natio...

From climate to AI to public health, the need for evidence-based policy has never been more urgent. Better outcomes require more meaningful & informed engagement w the people & institutions that govern us. This is the moment to reimagine the role of science in democracy.

It’s hard to focus on #climate when every day brings a new political crisis. So much chaos at home & abroad has buried it in the news. But the climate crisis hasn’t paused - even when our collective attention has. I hope we act before it takes the next disaster to remind us what’s at stake.

When you cherry-pick data to support findings that serve your political goals, it’s no longer science. It’s propaganda.

“But what can I do about funding cuts to #science, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, SNAP, (every important issue)?” Call your reps & senators - and not just the ones you agree with. Reach out to GOP members! Tell them why you care. If enough of us do, they may too.

"The good Earth - we could have saved it, but we were too damn cheap and lazy." - Kurt Vonnegut, Man Without a Country, 2005

Game-changing innovation generally happens when we create space for ideas that seem impossible today. And when we recognize that breakthrough discoveries can come from places & people we might not expect. History teaches us that we win by betting on human curiosity before we know where it leads.

The jobs of 2035 don't exist yet—but the #science that will foster them is being discovered today. Think about it: Data scientists didn't exist when we invented the internet. Genetic counseling wasn’t a career when we first discovered DNA's structure. 1/

The question isn't whether America can afford to invest in #science, but whether it can afford not to. US leaders seem to have forgotten innovation is the backbone of American success. If we want to maintain an advantage, we need policies that recognize science isn't an expense - it's our future.

Where to go for a PhD? Change of interest from non-US students. Source: Economist, 2025 www.economist.com/science-and-...

This isn’t the experience I expected as a @cfr.org fellow in Congress. Politics in 2025 are more challenging & complex than I could’ve imagined - but the work is more necessary than ever. We cannot afford to discuss policy as an “alternative” career for scientists. It’s vital to the solution.

Science thrives at the edge of persistence and possibility. Breakthroughs rarely follow straight lines—they come from setbacks, questions, and showing up. In a fractured world, connecting #science to society has always been challenging—but also essential. This moment is no different.

Bottom line: the proposed NIH & NSF cuts alone would eventually strip at least $10 billion per year from U.S. output. www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...

From ‪@sheril.bsky.social‬. Recommended by @paulijllo.bsky.social. "[S]taffers often explained that the scientists who influenced them the most were ... those they connected with on a personal level by engaging consistently over time and across party lines." issues.org/information-...