These 40 Science Experts Will Completely Revamp Your Social Media Feed

carin bondar
Google+
Communicating information in the sciences, especially in a way that's fun and entertaining, is both a honed skill and a natural talent.

These 40 people have managed to perfect that voice and now serve as the esteemed "scientist social media wizards." They're astrophysicists, meteorologists, science reporters and more, and you're missing out if you're not following them online.

You can follow all of these educators using our twitter list. And don't forget to follow @BI_Science, as well as Science Editor @MicrobeLover, Senior Science Reporter @DinaSpector, and Senior Health Reporter @fedira.

Col. Chris Hadfield is the hippest astronaut on the Web.

chris hadfield
NASA

Who he is: A retired Canadian astronaut who became the first Canadian to walk in space.

Why you should follow: Though he's no longer going into orbit, he puts together stellar tweets that show he's still up to date on space things. He's amassed nearly 600,000 Facebook followers, many of them fans of his autobiography "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth."

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Example of media prowess: Ever-savvy, Hadfield knows what makes an epic selfie.

Dr. Carin Bondar's web series about sexual behaviors in the Animal Kingdom amassed more than 12 million views on YouTube.

carin bondar
Google+

Who she is: A spunky biologist and population ecologist who blogs "SciVid."

Why you should follow: Her "Wild Sex" web series wrapped last year, but Bondar continues to create awesomely nerdy videos. She has a new series currently out called "Sex Bytes."

Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She filmed this parody of "Wrecking Ball" about evolution.

 

David Shiffman trumps your "Shark Week" obsession every day on Facebook and Twitter.

David Shiffman, Why Sharks Matter
Facebook/whysharksmatter

Who he is: A marine biologist promoting shark conservation in his blog "Southern Fried Science."

Why you should follow: For Shiffman, a Ph.D. student at the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami, every week is "Shark Week." His witty, near-obsessive shark-related tweets and Facebook posts both entertain and advocate for a more sustainable ocean environment for sharks and other creatures alike.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: Shiffman shows how anyone can become a shark activist.

 

Carl Zimmer wrote 12 books before becoming a social media sorcerer.

carl zimmer
Flickr/tr.robinson

Who he is: A New York Times science writer whose column, "Matter," expands our understanding of life.

Why you should follow: In 2003, Zimmer founded an influential biology blog, The Loom. It champions underappreciated lifeforms and scientists, and today lives on National Geographic's website.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his author page here.

Example of media prowess: He crowdsourced the quintessential reading list for science dorks.

Buzz Hoot Roar is a graphics-driven blog that explains a scientific concept in 300 words or less.

buzz hoot roar
Buzz Hoot Roar

Who they are: Robin Sutton Anders, Neil McCoy, Sarah Blackmon, and Eleanor Spicer Rice comprise Buzz Hoot Roar, a one-stop shop for graphic artists and science lovers alike.

Why you should follow: The team writes a blurb explaining a bit of scientific information, and graphic artists from across the country illustrate that concept in a quirky style.

Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: They break bad news with really cute infographics.

Jake Bova curates relevant and pressing insect news on his blog and Facebook page 'Relax, I'm an Entomologist.'

Jake Bova, Relax I'm an Entomologist
Twitter/@RIAEntomologist

Who he is: A graduate teaching assistant at Virginia Tech known for creating the popular blog and Facebook page, "Relax, I'm an Entomologist."

Why you should follow: Bova gives "an unapologetic look at the world of entomology and science" through curated content about insects and all things insect-related.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: Bova's posts are full of visually-stimulating images as well as funny cartoons and memes.

 

Christie Wilcox isn't afraid to call out the bigwigs in science.

christie wilcox
Twitter/@NerdyChristie

Who she is: A Ph.D. candidate studying cell and molecular biology at the University of Hawaii, who blogs "Science Sushi."

Why you should follow: Her most popular post last year was a controversial open letter to Discovery Channel for its Megalodon "fauxmentary" that kicked off Shark Week. She also rewrites popular songs as odes to evolution and the trials of being a Ph.D. candidate.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: Wilcox tweets pictures from her office space in paradise.

Hank Green reaches a demographic not typically into science.

hank green
YouTube screenshot

Who he is: A musician-slash-science-dork who makes videos about science news, history, and concepts on his YouTube-sponsored vlog, "SciShow."

Why you should follow: SciShow, which has more than 1.4 million subscribers, continues to grow with a strong demographic interest among high school and college students and women — an engaged viewership that Green is particularly proud of.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: He explained which gene is responsible for the creation of redheads.

 

Vi Hart's doodles about math have garnered more than 47 million views on YouTube.

vi hart
Twitter/@vihartvihart

Who she is: A "Mathemusician" for Khan Academy, a nonprofit website providing free classes in the STEM subjects.

Why you should follow: Even if you aren't mathematically inclined, her videos are easy to understand. Hart has become a viable YouTube science superstar.

Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Check out her YouTube channel here

Example of media prowess: She engages other math and science experts on Twitter.

Bill Nye used to teach on TV, and now educates his more than 1 million followers on Twitter.

bill nye the science guy
Flickr/NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Who he is: The 19-time Emmy-award-winning "Bill Nye the Science Guy."

Why you should follow: This science educator is out to change the world one tweet at a time. He shares his opinions on climate change, evolution, even the government shutdown.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Example of media prowess: Nye's got an in with the White House.

Alan Boyle runs what he likes to call "a virtual curiosity shop" — @b0yle

alan boyle
Twitter/@b0yle

Who he is: A science editor of NBC News Digital, exploring physical science, space exploration, paleontology, and archaeology.

Why you should follow: During his 36 years of daily journalism, Boyle has survived a hurricane, a volcanic eruption, a total solar eclipse, and an earthquake. He says he has faith he will survive the Internet as well.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Example of media prowess: He tweets photos from behind the scenes of "NBC Nightly News."

Julie Hecht is man's best friend's best friend.

julie hecht
Twitter/@DogSpies

Who she is: A canine researcher who explores the dog-human relationship in her blog "Dog Spies."

Why you should follow: As a Ph.D. student at The City University of New York in Psychology, Hecht investigates olfactory preferences, dogs' understanding of "fairness," dog-human play behavior, and other mysteries about the K-9 species.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: Her articles entice with cute puppy photos.

Brian Switek breathes new life into stories from a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

BRIAN SWITEK
Courtesy of Brian Switek

Who he is: A freelance science writer digging up deets on evolution, paleontology, and natural history in his blog "Laelaps."

Why you should follow: Switek, author of "My Beloved Brontosaurus," covers everyone from the Tsintaosaurus, a dinosaur with a unicorn-style horn, to the "Jurassic Park" co-star, Dilophosaurus. No dinosaur gets left behind.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: He champions researchers up against stereotypes.

Nadia Drake's tweets heavily feature spiders.

Nadia Drake, scientist
Twitter/@slugnads

Who she is: A science reporter for Wired specializing in spiders and science mysteries.

Why you should follow: Drake, who is known affectionately in the Twittersphere as "Nads," has an affinity for spiders and tweets her love of the eight-legged insect while spreading the word for rain forest conservation.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her author page here.

Example of media prowess: She looks out for every creature, not just the beautiful ones.

Ed Yong finds gems of the science world to write about.

ed yong
YouTube screenshot

Who he is: An award-winning science writer who explores biology's greatest oddities in his blog "Not Exactly Rocket Science."

Why you should follow: His work has appeared in Wired, Nature, the BBC, New Scientist, the Guardian, the Times, Aeon, Discover, Scientific American, The Scientist, the BMJ, Slate, and more.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: Each week, Yong posts a round-up of the best science articles on the Internet.

Eric Holthaus live-tweets weather updates going on in all parts of the globe.

eric holthaus
Twitter/@EricHolthaus

Who he is: A meteorologist who writes for Slate’s "Future Tense" section.

Why you should follow: Informative and omnipresent, Holthaus is seemingly everywhere at once, live tweeting weather and climate updates in Atlanta one minute and New York the next.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his author page here.

Example of media prowess: Holthaus is all over that polar vortex thing.

Maryn McKenna's newsroom nickname is Scary Disease Girl.

maryn mckenna
YouTube screenshot

Who she is: A Wired writer who delves into public health, global health, medicine, and food policy in her blog "Superbug."

Why you should follow: McKenna is the author of "SUPERBUG: The Fatal Menace of MRSA," an investigation of the global epidemic of drug-resistant staph, which received the 2011 Science in Society Award.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She curates a Twitter list of awesome women to follow.

Adam Mann's articles include the tags "bad-ass robots," "moon panorama," and "mind-blowing science photos."

adam mann
Twitter/@adamspacemann

Who he is: An astronomy and physics writer for Wired, who keeps an eye on transportation news.

Why you should follow: Mann's Twitter handle, @adamspaceman pronounced "Spah-CHE-min" according to his profile — is an awesome and punny reference to "30 Rock."

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his author page here.

Example of media prowess: He wrote a memorial for all the space robots that died in 2013.

Erik Klemetti is convincing his Twitter followers that volcanoes can change the planet.

Erik Klemetti, Eruptions Blog scientist
Twitter/@eruptionsblog

Who he is: A volcanologist and petrologist at Denison University, and writer of "Eruptions Blog" for Wired Science.

Why you should follow: Klemetti keeps the world up to date on the globe's volcanic activity, including how eruptions and other volcano-related events are affecting the Earth.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: He's always on the alert, the moment he hears news.

Dr. Michael Mann is trying to alert the Internet to dangerous climate changes.

Michael Mann, scientist
Facebook/MichaelMannScientist

Who he is: A climatologist and geophysicist, and director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State.

Why you should follow: Mann is the go-to on all things climate. So if you ever find yourself wondering about the future of natural gas usage or the Obama administration's stance on global warming, Mann is your man.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Example of media prowess: Mann spans modes of interweb communication — he even did a Reddit AMA on Feb. 21.

Ferris Jabr writes scientific fiction stories and tweets with humor.

Ferris Jabr, scientist
Twitter/@ferrisjabr

Who he is: An associate editor at Scientific American magazine.

Why you should follow: Jabr blends humor into a lot of his science writing, some of which even includes scientific fiction. Most of his work is published in Scientific American, but his Twitter presence is equally refreshing and entertaining.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his author page here.

Example of media prowess: Jabr enjoys showing the Twittersphere how crazy science can be.

Frans de Waal's 21,000+ Facebook followers flock to him for information on primate behavior.

frans de waal business insider
Business Insider

Who he is: An expert on primate behavior and ethnology, and professor at Emory University.

Why you should follow: De Waal is very outspoken about human similarities and behavior in other animals, particularly primates. He posts provocative articles and videos by way of his Facebook page.

Follow him on Facebook.

Example of media prowess: De Waal likes to alert his audience to animal fact and fiction.

 

Emily Lakdawalla shares her passion for exploring the solar system.

Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society
YouTube/The Planetary Society

Who she is: Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society blog.

Why you should follow: An unapologetic "Star Trek" lover, Lakdawalla is highly active online, sharing her interest in and knowledge of space exploration with as many people as possible.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She includes great images in her tweets.

Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer," makes astronomy accessible even for people who aren't space geeks.

phil plait
Twitter/@BadAstronomer

Who he is: An astronomer who airs out myths and misconceptions in astronomy and related topics in his blog "Bad Astronomer."

Why you should follow: Plait rehashes the best nuggets of information from his articles in 140 characters or less on Twitter, tying in sports and "Star Trek" references to make matters of space more entertaining.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: He's quick with the fun facts.

Henry Reich uses time-lapsed drawing to simplify and illustrate the most complicated ideas.

henry reich
YouTube screenshot

Who he is: The creator of "MinutePhysics," a series of educational videos that explain cool physics and other sweet science topics in roughly one minute.

Why you should follow: Reich tackles the mundane ("Is It Better to Walk or Run in the Rain?") and life's greatest mysteries ("Science, Religion, and the Big Bang").

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his vlog here.

Example of media prowess: His most popular video has more than 8.8 million views on YouTube.

Ivan Oransky explores the ethics and drama when scientists have to retract their papers.

ivan oransky
YouTube screenshot

Who he is: A medical journalist and VP/global editorial director of MedPage Today.

Why you should follow: Journals retract scientific papers with varying levels of honesty, consistency, urgency, and fanfare. Oransky's blog, "Retraction Watch," keeps a close eye on the self-correctors in the industry.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: He's taking names.

Noah Gray polices faulty science circulating the digital sphere.

noah gray
Twitter/@noahWG

Who he is: An editor at Nature who specializes in neuroscience and snark.

Why you should follow: Gray is constantly calling out poor science reporting on Twitter. Being the "bad cop" of digital journalism has earned him roughly "as many unfollowers as followers," Gray joked.

Follow him on Twitter.

Example of media prowess: He gives nerdy Valentine's Day gifts.

Jennifer Ouellette adopts a fake French alter ego for her avid Twitter fan base.

Jennifer Ouellette, science writer
Wikipedia

Who she is: A blogger for Scientific American and author of four books.

Why you should follow: Ouellette writes the popular blog "Cocktail Party Physics," and entertains Twitter followers through her faux French avatar persona Jen-Luc Piquant.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: Ouellette frequently brings popular culture into popular science.

Bethany Brookshire, codename "Sci Curious," wants to update education for the digital age.

bethany brookshire
LinkedIn

Who she is: A student of all things "-ology" on her blog "Scicurious."

Why you should follow: Brookshire is a lead organizer of ScienceBrain Online, a curated conference for psychologists, neuroscientists, science communicators, and anyone with an interest in mind, brain, and behavior, to discuss new and effective ways to educate about these topics online.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her author page here.

Example of media prowess: This jack-of-all-trades put together a calendar of STEM celebrations happening all year long.

Deborah Blum examines the intersection of science and society.

deborah blum
YouTube screenshot

Who she is: A New York Times best-selling author, Wired blogger, and professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Why you should follow: Blum dreamed of being a chemist, but after setting her hair on fire with a college laboratory Bunsen burner, she decided to pursue her fascination with chemistry from a safe distance. Her Twitter reads more like an RSS feed of the best tweets by experts in the field, rather than mundane rantings of a journalist.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She gives credit where credit is due.

John Timmer teaches scientists how to communicate with each other.

john timmer
Twitter/@j_timmer

Who he is: A science editor for Ars Technica with more than a decade's worth of research in genetics and developmental biology.

Why you should follow: Timmer has been a speaker at the Nobel Dialogs and an organizer of the SONYC discussion series, among other appearances. He's rather blunt online, weighing in on environmental legislation, creationism being taught in Texas schools, and the bane of his existence: bad PR emails.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his author page here.

Example of media prowess: He shares cool apps you should use.

Dr. Kelly Hogan combines her knowledge of obstetrics and toxicology online.

Kelly Hogan, scientist
Twitter/@Loose_Lab_Rat

Who she is: A science writer and environmental toxicology research fellow at the University of Michigan School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Why you should follow: Dr. Hogan combines obstetrics and toxicology in her science-related tweets for a wide array of information that covers the gray area between those two not-often-seen-together subjects.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her webpage here.

Example of media prowess: An avid reader of new research, Dr. Hogan shares her favorite abstracts on Twitter.

Maria Popova writes thoughtful, provocative blog posts about human thought.

Maria Popova
YouTube/OreillyMedia

Who she is: A self-described "interestingness hunter-gatherer" who writes about the questions we all have about human existence.

Why you should follow: Her "Brain Pickings" blog posts are reminiscent of a well-crafted TED Talk; they span subjects like love, history, literature, and science, and are always very visual.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She takes pop culture references one step further by including components of how the brain thinks.

Allie Wilkinson is making the Internet a more welcoming place for scientists.

allie wilkinson
Twitter/@loveofscience

Who she is: A freelance science writer and marine biologist at heart.

Why you should follow: Wilkinson is the creative mastermind behind "This Is What A Scientist Looks Like," an ongoing community photo project hosted on Tumblr that seeks to change the stereotypical perception of a scientist. She also founded DC Science Tweetupa monthly event for people in the D.C. science community to meet up, geek out, and talk science.

Follow her on Twitter. Check out her blog here.

Example of media prowess: She speaks up for women in science writing.

Few people know the true identity of Neuroskeptic, a social-media-savvy British neuroscientist.

Neuroskeptic
Twitter/@Neuro_Skeptic

Who he is: A mysterious, active British neuroscience researcher.

Why you should follow: The anonymous "Neuroskeptic" charms on Twitter through his hidden identity. He used to blog independently before moving his blog to Discover Magazine, where fans can now read his musings on the inner workings of human and animal brains.

Follow him on Twitter.

Example of media prowess: Neuroskeptic makes his fans go :D

Steve Silberman follows his passion for autism and other "neurodiverse" individuals with more than 33,000 followers.

Steve Silberman
Twitter/@stevesilberman

Who he is: An investigative science journalist for Wired and blogger behind NeuroTribes.

Why you should follow: Silberman delves deeply into the minds and lives of individuals living with autism on NeuroTribes, and shares his musings — along with related and unrelated science trends — in his unique voice on Twitter.

Follow him on Twitter. Check out his website here.

Example of media prowess: Silberman, a true academic, finds new ways to convey his life's calling.

Dr. Jack Gilbert uses Twitter to get up close and personal with microbes.

Dr. Jack Gilbert, University of Chicago
Twitter/@gilbertjacka

Who he is: An environmental microbiologist at the Argonne National Laboratory and Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago.

Why you should follow: Gilbert retweets useful information and news in his field. One of his biggest projects is the Hospital Microbiome, in which he takes microbial samples from the University of Chicago hospital to study the factors that influence bacterial population development in health care environments.

Follow him on Twitter.

Example of media prowess: Gilbert is often featured in documentaries.

Uriel Klieger blogs quotes from science articles, taken completely out of context.

uriel klieger
Twitter/@oocscience

Who he is: A software engineer at Exelis and blogger on a mission to confound you.

Why you should follow: In 2011, Klieger began posting brief excerpts from science articles, blogs, and journals on "Out of Context Science." The result is funny, absurd, or thoughtful, and is intended to pique readers' curiosity into reading more about the world around them.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his blog here.

Example of media prowess: Unsurprisingly, he has more than 100,000 followers on Tumblr.

What better way to communicate science than with amazing pictures?

Grand Canyon Lightning Storm
Rolf Maeder, Photography Sedona

You can follow all of these educators using our twitter list. We've also made a list of meteorologists to follow.

And don't forget to follow @BI_Science, as well as Science Editor @MicrobeLoverSenior Science Reporter @DinaSpector, and Senior Health Reporter @fedira.

Now See: The Most Jaw-Dropping Science Pictures Of 2013 »

More: Features Social Media Scientist Experts
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