Robot Talk is returning to the @exrdfestival.bsky.social in London this June for another live recording of the podcast! I'll be chatting to three expert panellists about #robotics and #AI in medicine and healthcare. 🤖 📅 Sat 6th June @ 5pm Register free here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-robot-...

Mongabay has been shortlisted for the @oneworldmedia.bsky.social Awards 2026 in the News Content Creators category for “Conservation Entangled.” 🧵 Watch all of the "Conservation Entangled” series on our YouTube channel! mongabay.cc/Conservation... 📺️

This week's episode of Robot Talk covers a topic particularly close to my heart - visual navigation in ants and bees. 🧪 Andy's research is fascinating and it was lovely to hear him talk with such enthusiasm about social insects and what roboticists can learn from them. Definitely worth a listen!

Scientists have found one of the world’s largest cold-water coral reefs deep off Argentina. Home to dozens of species new to science, the reef already shows signs damage. Researchers are now testing "artificial corals" to help restore this fragile ecosystem. @elizabethalberts.bsky.social reports.

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Dr. Simona Aracri from the National Research Council of Italy about innovative robot designs for oceanography and environmental monitoring. 🤖 🐟 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/04/10/e... #Robots #Robotics #Environment #Marine

April 3, now recognized as Jane Goodall Day, is a day of action to carry forward the habits and responsibilities she encouraged, rather than simply commemorate her A long-time @mongabay.com advisory board member, we got to know this legend & bask in her glow, and carry her message of hope forward:

‪ 🌳 Do you want to contribute to research on how humans perceive forests? Take this quick, anonymous 10-min survey 🌲 👉 www.biodiful.org#/forest This will help us explore how people experience forest biodiversity! Please share on 🦋 & tag @biodiful.bsky.social to reach more participants 🙏💚 🌐🌍🦤🦑🪴🍁🧪

Chemists have developed a "self-deconstructing" plastic that can be programmed to break down on cue. Researchers at Rutgers University have developed a method to modify materials so they break down into molecular components at a specific time or in response to triggers. Story by Claire Asher.

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis, but what if we could design plastics that automatically break down after use? 🧪 My latest article for @mongabay.com looks at a recent study that used clever chemistry to do just that. news.mongabay.com/2026/03/prom... #CircularEconomy #Plastics

Curious about #robots inspired by insects? 🤖 Later this season, I'll be chatting to Prof. Andrew Philippides from @sussex.ac.uk about what we can learn from ants and bees to improve robot navigation. Send me your questions for Andy in the comments below!

Brazil has cleared vast Amazon areas, and the impacts go beyond biodiversity loss. Further deforestation could push it toward a tipping point. Agroforestry offers a path to restore forests while producing commodities, according to a new analysis. ** Views are author's.

This International Day of Women and Girls in Science I'm celebrating all the amazing women in robotics that I've had the pleasure of chatting to on Robot Talk. Their achievements have made the world a better place. #WomeninScience #February11

Major soy traders including Cargill, ADM and Bunge are exiting the Amazon Soy Moratorium — a move that could raise deforestation by 30% by 2045. Observers warn it sends a “green light” to land speculators, even as forest loss threatens rainfall, yields and long-term market stability.

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Dr. Amir Patel from @ucl.ac.uk about designing robots with the agility and manoeuvrability of a cheetah. 🤖 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/01/16/e... #Robots #Robotics #BioInspired #Environment #Wildlife

The #editorschoice for this month is Forum Article: Leaving academia: insights from evolutionary biologists on their career transitions and job satisfaction Betancourt et al. @claireasher.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

UPDATED – Factcheck: How ‘scary-sounding numbers’ are being used to mislead the UK about net-zero | @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org Read here: buff.ly/Be7nHfA

After Kenyan authorities seized 5,000+ endemic ants, conservationists warn ants are now part of a growing global wildlife trade. Traffickers target rare species for hobbyists, risking ecosystem damage and invasive outbreaks — yet no ant species are protected under CITES.

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Dr. Christine Evers from @unisouthampton.bsky.social about helping robots understand the world around them through sound. 🤖 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2026/01/09/e... #Robots #Robotics #Sensing #MachineLearning

After a three-year hiatus, Project ICARUS has resumed operations. The satellite-based system aims to create an “internet of animals,” using advanced trackers to monitor wildlife movements, behavior and interactions with ecosystems worldwide.

📢 New Episode Alert! This week, I chatted to Prof. Stefano Mintchev from @ethz.ch about robots to explore and monitor the natural environment. 🤖 Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2025/12/19/e... #Robots #Robotics #Environment #UAV

Beautifully said: “They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness [and] empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn’t pamper myself with the luxury of silence.” www.theguardian.com/media/2025/d....

A team of 43 scientists says pesticide and plastic regulation needs a major overhaul. Full commercial formulations—often containing petrochemical waste and heavy metals—can be far more toxic than the tested active ingredients. They call for stricter limits, full-formulation testing, & public data.

How the solar storms that cause the Northern Lights can wreak havoc on Earth. 🔭 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

And this week's episode of @boldpolitics.bsky.social is with @femi-oluwole.bsky.social Loved this conversation and welcome to the party, Femi! youtu.be/UTmCzWMalWA?...

📣 This festive season, I'm offering 50% off your first month's membership of the Robot Talk community on Patreon! Just use the code 🎟️ WINTER25 to apply the discount to your chosen membership tier: www.patreon.com/ClaireAsher

I really loved this conversation with @georgemonbiot.bsky.social - I've thought about it lots ever since. Hope you enjoy it too! youtu.be/3xx6lNFx8tI?...

Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler reflects on 25 years of impact-driven journalism — from a hand-coded site in 1999 to a global newsroom today. Butler says the next 25 years of Mongabay will focus on strengthening impact and empowering the next generations of leaders in environmental journalism.

NEW: Not long after Earth formed, it received a giant sucker punch when an object named Theia crashed into it, unleashing debris that made the Moon. But where did Theia come from—the outer solar system? Nope. The Moon-making impact was an inside job. Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...

🎂 It's #ScienceSocks 6th anniversary! 🥳 Celebrate with me by raising money for #STEM! 🤑 For the next 48h I will donate: * 20% of sales on sciencesocks.co#ScienceSocks👈 * $1 per repost Get a head start on #holiday shopping 😎 Please like, repost and let's party🕺💃 🔭🐡🧪🎨#bsnm

What would you love to know about bio-inspired #robot movement? 🤖 Later this season, I'll be chatting to Dr. Amir Patel from @ucl.ac.uk about designing robots with the agility and manoeuvrability of a cheetah. Send me your questions for Amir in the comments below! #Robotics

From thermal cameras to deep learning AI, researchers are reinventing how they study primates in the wild. What began with Jane Goodall’s observational notes has evolved into artificial intelligence that identifies chimpanzees and decodes their social lives.

Halloween costume ideas for birders.

Looking for recommendations! Pls send me your favourite science / nature-themed gifts suitable for a 1-year old 🔭 🧬

✨ New Bonus Episode! ✨ This month I've got a very special bonus episode to share with you! I was invited to attend the Smart City Robotics Competition 🤖 where I chatted to competing teams, exhibiting companies, and members of the public. 🎧 Listen here: www.patreon.com/posts/140772... #Robotics

Antarctica may have passed a climate tipping point of no return, scientists are warning, with mounting evidence that a sudden slump in sea ice formation since 2016 is linked to human-induced ocean warming.

In 2024, the Amazon Rainforest underwent its most devastating forest fire season in more than 20 years. According to a new study, the fire-driven forest degradation released an estimated 791 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2024, a sevenfold increase compared with the previous two years.

Roses are red The wind makes the trees jostle climateages.com/the-126000-y...

Just extraordinary to witness this nature-hating government sabotaging Labour’s own legacy. And for absolutely no reason: nature protection isn’t blocking development - it’s a necessary prerequisite for it (& for everything else, come to that…)

WOW. Posting also to the 🧪 feed

🧪 NEW STUDY: Pregnant women with higher levels of microplastics in their placenta are at increased risk of miscarriage. Also: Microplastics were found in all placentas tested. Also: Miscarriages are involuntary abortions. 1/5 www.ehn.org/miscarriage-...

Would you eat the ant-yoghurt? 🧪🏺🐜

Data from the Cassini spacecraft shows that there is complex organic chemistry happening in the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. It took 17 years to get the result! The finding boosts the case that life could possibly exist inside this little ice-covered world. 🧪🔭 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

On the cusp of launching Season 6, Robot Talk has reached an exciting milestone: 50,000 downloads! 🎉 At this point, I'm running out of superlatives 😂. It's just amazing to see the podcast grow beyond what I ever imagined. Thank you to everyone who's listened! #Robots #Robotics #AI #Tech

The Amazon’s “tipping point” refers to the transition of the rainforest into a drier, savanna ecosystem. The rainforest’s ecological balance depends on the transport and recycling of moisture, but deforestation has been shown to disrupt the region’s water cycle.

Curious about environmental robotics? 🤖 🌳 Later this season, I'll be chatting to Prof. Stefano Mintchev from @ethz.ch about robots to explore and monitor the natural environment. Send me your questions for Stefano in the comments below or on the Robot Talk website: robottalk.org/ask-a-question/

Climate warming could cause much greater soil carbon losses in the tropics than previously predicted, with potentially dire consequences for the global climate, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.

The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage. When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig. Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?

📢 I'm excited to announce that I'll be attending the Smart City Robotics Competition in Milton Keynes later this month! I'll be chatting to competitors, exhibitors, and attendees about the latest innovations in robotics. 🤖 Find out more: www.patreon.com/posts/robot-... #Robotics #SmartCity

Tropical soils are more sensitive to warming than previously thought. In a field experiment in Puerto Rico, warming understory plants and topsoil by 4°C increased CO2 emissions by between 42% and 204%, depending on the terrain. 🧪 My latest for @mongabay.com: news.mongabay.com/2025/09/warm...

New Quanta Magazine series on climate science. I was one of the people interviewed for this months ago and happy to start digging in now! www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...