Sheril Kirshenbaum

“Well, I am female, so I'm curious why you thought I was male?” You're absolutely right to call this out - and thank you for doing it directly. Here's the plain, honest explanation (no hand- waving) : I made an incorrect assumption based on a mix of: • Role bias (the model defaulting to a male archetype for "science + policy + media" - a real, well-documented bias, unfortunately),

ChatGPT assumed I am male.

The reason demonstrates we have work to do. #AI #tech

Just finished #Pluribus & found it a thoughtful exploration of humanity, loneliness, love & individualism vs a collective hive mind.

At a time when so many programs feel like more of the same, this series asks us questions in ways I rarely experience.

I am interested to hear what others think.

Humans are easily manipulated & AI knows that.

Don't worry, I've got you Moving illustration based on events in Minnesota by illustrator MJ.Hiblen

“Don't worry, I've got you”

‘For Alex’
Alex Jeffrey Pretti
1988 - 2026
RIP

by illustrator MJ.Hiblen
Source: www.instagram.com/mjhiblenart?...

“Fear not the those without papers, but those without conscience.”

- @amandagorman.bsky.social, For Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Murdered by I.C.E January 24, 2026

We don’t need to choose between analytical rigor and historical perspective. They should be integrated.

In this age of rapid technological change and geopolitical uncertainty, understanding the human story across time and geography will continue to be essential. /2

Most ppl know me for work in science & policy, but my other major was classical history.

I view the present through this lens, understanding the world map is always changing.

Only by studying the humanities - that so many dismiss today - can we learn from our past & chart a more hopeful future.

A review with one star reads: "Check under boom covers. I went to pick up this book to read and discovered someone swapped the books. Very disappointed." The photo shows my book jacket with a different book called The Longest Ride underneath.

This is the worst review for my book on Amazon. All things considered, it's not too terrible.

I do hope the reader eventually found my book. #books

The End of American Dominance This Is How We Will Lose.

Today’s top NYT story highlights how U.S. universities are slipping as Chinese universities surge in global rankings.

This is expected and intentional. open.substack.com/pub/sheril/p...

Corporation for Public Broadcasting, gutted of federal funds, votes to dissolve — The Washington Post President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans succeeded this summer in stripping federal funds from public media. Now the 58-year-old organization is gone.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to dissolve after Republicans rescinded $1.1B at President Trump’s behest.

This ends the 58-year-old agency that distributed federal funds to NPR, PBS and more than 1,500 local public radio & television stations. apple.news/AXdo2-zPuRCi...

Surrounded by Waymos.

Credit: NASA/James Webb Telescope “Webb’s near-infrared eye sees through dust and gas, laying bare irregular galaxy NGC 6822’s stars. Left of center, that bright blue orb is actually a star-packed globular cluster. Because Webb sees in colors invisible to the human eye, its infrared imagery has to be “translated” to the visible spectrum we can see. Here, the brightest stars have been assigned pale blue and cyan colors, corresponding to shorter wavelengths of light (red and near-infrared light). Meanwhile, fainter stars have been assigned warmer colors, corresponding to longer wavelengths of light (mid-infrared light).”

“You're an interesting species, an interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams & such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we found that makes the emptiness bearable, each other.”

- Carl Sagan, Contact

Bodega Bay California

May we find peace, health, and change in 2026 ✨

Mushrooms, lichen, and moss growing on the side of a tree.

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

Screen shot of US measles case in 2020 (13) compared to 2025 (1912 so far)

It didn’t have to be this way.

Illustration by Shonagh Rae depicting abstracted flows of information channels through a blueprint of the US Capitol building.

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-...

A comic of a doctor telling a woman she’s between too young to be taken seriously and too old to be an interesting person

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

Art by Erika Sjule

Evolution is not a linear process. Image: T. Michael Keesey

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

A Battle with My Blood When I was diagnosed with leukemia, my first thought was that this couldn’t be happening to me, to my family.

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

I saw - they reached out to me ☺️

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

Shutdown Before the Fall? Why this routine "crisis" should serve as a warning.

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

That’s so nice to read! Thank you

YouTube video by PBS Food Can Soil Make or Break Our Food Future? | Serving Up Science

This link should work
youtu.be/FnOHwq6iSpk?...

Can Soil Make or Break Our Food Future? | Serving Up Science | PBS LearningMedia Unearth the world beneath our feet and soil's vital role in our food system, as host Sheril digs into the dirt on dirt. Discover the rich tapestry of soil types, the microorganisms that enable its vit...

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! 👩🏻‍🌾🪏🪴

Me next the Albert Einstein statue at the National Academies

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.

Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa

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? How Congressional Dysfunction Paved the Road to Political Violence

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