Hi everyone, the other day I hit 100,000 subscribers.
Yay!!!!
I am inspired by you guys every week.
So to thank you, I thought I’d answer some of your questions!
Ok, a bunch of you wanted to know, “What grosses me out the most?”
And the answer is really kind of strange and dumb.
It’s old milk—like milk that has solid stuff floating in it.
It’s really weird cause I can look at a picture of an open wound that’s leaking
pus, but somehow the idea of lumpy milk just makes me want to dry heave.
Ok, next question.
Awesomestuffcollector on Tumblr asked, “How did you choose to have a career in science?”
So, I’ve talked a bit about this in a previous video, and I’ll include a link to that.
But I figured I could use this opportunity to tell you a bit about how I got into science
journalism.
Now, I didn’t actually realize that science journalism was a career you could have for
the longest time.
But when I was working in a lab after college, I was reading and watching and listening to
all this science-focused media.
So, one day I wrote to a blogger I liked and asked her how I could become a…
I think I said a “science advocate.”
Like, I didn’t even know what her title was.
Anyway, amazingly, she wrote back and said she was a science communicator, and that you
can go to grad school for that.
Who knew?!
So, I applied and I got in.
That woman probably doesn’t even remember writing to me, but I am still so grateful.
Now, you don’t need to go to graduate school to be a science communicator.
I personally found it helpful, because I was transitioning careers.
But if you can get your work out there on your own, then go for it.
You could start by writing or making videos for a school publication.
And, it’s also never been easier to self-publish!
Platforms like YouTube or Medium or a personal blog are great places to start if you want
to build up your portfolio—and who knows, they might take off...but that shouldn’t
be your get rich quick scheme.
So while you’re self-publishing, I’d encourage you to reach out to publications or shows
that you love, and see if they take pitches.
The important thing to remember though, is that whether you’re posting photo-essays
on Instagram or writing for a major journalism outlet, accuracy and integrity are key.
Your work is going to educate people.
So educate yourself on how to fact-check, and avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement.
And if you mess up, cop to it!
A few weeks ago, there was an error in one of my videos, and luckily, one of YOU pointed
it out pretty quickly.
So, I took down the video, fixed the error, and posted a corrected version with an explanation
of what happened in the description.
Listen, no one is perfect, but we should all try our best.
Ok, I rambled on a long time for that one.
So, next question!
Fuliajulia on Tumblr asked, “Have you received a largely negative response to a video?
And if so, how did or would you respond?”
So, I thankfully haven’t received a hugely negative response to a video yet, though I
don’t doubt that it may happen at some point.
I did get some flack in my period video for referring to people who get periods mostly
as women, though there are lots of trans and gender nonconforming people who get their
periods, too.
And that was a good call.
I tried adding an annotation on-screen to correct myself, and also added a card to a
video of a trans person talking about their first experience with their period.
But you know, that’s no really good enough, and in the future I will definitely be better.
Anyway for the most part, the critiques I’ve gotten from you guys have been really helpful.
And, you know, the show’s a work in progress and I’m always trying to improve it.
Finally, I’m gonna do a lightning round of questions from Ms. Sarkar’s 7th grade
science classes in Newton, Massachusetts, because they asked a bunch of great ones.
Ok, question 1.
Where did you go to college and what did you study?
I studied biology at Brown University, and then I went to graduate school for science
journalism at NYU.
Question 2.
Who was your inspiration growing up?
I have five: My mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and David Attenborough, the natural history
presenter.
So, I didn’t realize that what David Attenborough was doing was science communication, and that
was a career I could aspire to have.
But I did know that David Attenborough was one of the first public figure I saw who had
a love of science.
Question 3.
Do spiders crawl into people’s mouths when they sleep?
If that happens, it is definitely pretty rare!
Spiders probably don’t want anything to do with your mouth.
Question 4.
If you sneeze with your eyes open, will they fall out?
Nope, you have muscles in your eyes that keep your eyes in place.
Plus there are some people out there who can actually sneeze with their eyes open.
Question 5.
Have you ever encountered a house centipede?
Yes, I have—I actually saw one in my basement about a month ago.
Those things are like aliens—the way they move is super freaky.
But I’d actually love to do an episode on them, so stay tuned!
Anyway, that’s it for this question time.
But, some of my favorite episodes have come from your comments and questions—so please
keep it up!
Thank you for everything you do.
Ew.