Ok, I know promised a thread on the fascinating and important new research explaining what happened with the rare, serious side effects of AstraZeneca's and Johnson&Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines. So, @science.org story is here and 🧪🧵 is coming: www.science.org/content/arti...

This is the key point - it's not about Moderna's flu vaccine, it's about sending a signal to the rest of the industry that vaccine development isn't viable in the US. It's all part of the larger anti-vaccine agenda.

Here's a story I'd definitely by covering if Science in Action was still on air - the likely cause of the rare but dangerous bloodclots from some COVID vaccines. The question is how easy it would be to tweak the adenovirus carrier to avoid the issue.

Research that ties together chemistry, history, and archaeology always tends to be neat, IMO. This one is about birds, to boot.

A lot of chaenomeles flower buds waiting for the sun to show up.

Ok. But the @wsj.com and their covid disinformation/revisionism put people like him in power.

Delighted to hear these altars are now on display! I was privileged to do the pigment analyses of these objects. They were once quite brightly painted #romanpainting #pigments Ancient Roman altars found in Scotland to go on display www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

They say they want gold-standard science. But science means looking at the evidence. They're refusing to read the evidence. That's 💩-level ignorance. Gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...

You can find suspect (most of them) and confirmed (a few) cases of HPAI H5 in wild birds and mammals in the (sub)Antarctic region during the current (2025/26) austral summer in the table and map on this website of SCAR Antarctic Wildlife Health Group: scar.org/library-data...

A new study in Scientific Reports confirms the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus was responsible for at least 46 skua deaths on the Antarctic Peninsula in 2024. www.eenews.net/articles/ant...

Looks like cancelling Science in Action (and a bunch of other well loved programmes) hasn't bought the BBC World Service much breathing space. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

I’ve been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks because I’ve been travelling around #Kyrgyzstan. There’s some great #urbangeology in the capital Bishkek where the soviet and post-soviet architecture utilises the country’s significant marble deposits

Another reminder, don't take your health advice from RFKjr or his associates. Health lies are deadly.

The aurora last night here in Beaver, Alaska was extremely bright and active. Here is a video showing the real-time motion and the brightness of the aurora reflecting off the snow and turning it a bright green color.

Fabulous thread of affectionate highly-skilled parody of British book cover design through the ages.

Have I ever mentioned how surreal it is to be an Editor-in-Chief of a journal called Vaccine right now? www.science.org/content/arti... It’s pretty wild, at least by typical academic journal editorial office standards.

Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans. ✍️ Jane Qiu knowmag.org/4r8vPY0

I am SO incredibly excited to announce the launch of a global list of Inspiring Black Scientists. You can use this list to nominate and connect with researchers. Please share and join us in highlighting these outstanding scientists for #BlackHistoryMonth and beyond! www.wiley.com/en-us/resear...

The Washington Post just laid off its entire award-winning photo team. They were our eyes in places we'll never see. It's a horrifying loss at a time when lying governments, propaganda and AI slop are on the rise.

#bbcaq If Norway is the model, then perhaps its lead in pushing EVs is the aspect to focus on.

The fact that Epstein had ties to the scientific community is not news, but the enormous cache of documents released by the DOJ last week was still startling. It showed just how deeply Epstein was involved—how many were in his orbit, and how deeply involved he was with some research. My reporting:

A six-day campaign immunized more than 174,000 children against measles in Sudan. ❤️ w.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/you-c...

Today, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider collided its last ions. I grew up nearby, in the era when RHIC switched on. It played a huge role in establishing my fascination with physics. I was lucky to tour the facility at @brookhavenlab.bsky.social, on the last day it collided gold ions, in December

More on the UKRI/STFC funding squeeze. Significant quote: “It is clear that no UK university will want to open lecturer positions in curiosity-driven research if such lecturers would not be able to attract much national funding." KCL's Lucien Heurtier. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

More important new reporting, HepB Vax at birth: • Vax alone cuts mom-to-child transmission ~70% • With HBIG (solution of antibodies that help protect against the virus) protection reaches 83–97%

Important new reporting.

How about a Fieldfare for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Birds&Berries

Distractions that keep me from working...

Should be very interesting

I’m furious at AI because it steals our work, consumes vast resources and produces mediocrity, but along the way it also traumatises the people - mainly in the developing world - who are paid a pittance to train it. Theft, abuse, environmental destruction, all to make rich men richer. Burn it all.

THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH - published today www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...

Intriguing, frustrating read on a Nobel injustice. If the experiments of CS Wu (tho' post-deadline) had been critical in the committee's deliberations, holding back a year would be an option. Or they could have made belated amends in 1980, when Fitch & Cronin got theirs for another broken symmetry.

It was always clear this was an injustice - but now we know by how much. Absolutely shameful, and as bad as the Nobel neglect of Lise Meitner, if not worse.

My father never stopped talking about the injustice to Wu. It was the first thing I remember him saying to anyone when they congratulated him on his award: "want to know who didn't get it?". It was partly Colombia Uni's fault for never giving Wu a professorship.

Science, Politics, and Evasion: Lessons from Bhattacharya’s Senate HELP Testimony open.substack.com/pub/miranday...

A running commentary on the House of Commons Sci/Tech committee from the Astronomer Royal of Scotland is quite refreshing.

"The perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty" ... just a few of the words in this excoriating order.

Guinea worm on track to be 2nd eradicated human disease; only 10 cases in 2025 arstechnica.com/health/2026/...

Interesting. The head of UKRI is talking to the Commons Science, Innovation and Tech. Committee tomorrow: hope one of the MPs asks about his dramatic cuts to the astronomy budget.

A leak today that has nothing to do with Peter Mandelson.

And this is why sea urchins are classed as bilaterally symmetrical (see also sea stars etc)

It's really quite ironic this administration is using lockdown and social isolation to control the spread of a dangerous virus. It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.

My jaw has hit the floor. The second strongest Earth-facing #SolarFlare since 2017 is currently underway on the Sun! X8.0-class levels exceeded.

. @climatechirper.bsky.social, @weatherwest.bsky.social et al. had a very interesting paper on this winter temperature dipole several years ago: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

I am sorry. We all knew the three buckets were coming. We are all prepared for a shift in priority. But this message does nothing for all the UK scientists dependent on project grant funding. It doesn’t actually give any information www.ukri.org/news/open-le...

I totally forgot - it's Happy Feb 1 Secret Teleconference Day!!! Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.

👀 Milhoan, who doesn't like the term established science, 'seems to see the rapid growth [in measles] as a chance to understand how dangerous measles is for unvaccinated people.' “We’ll have a real-world experience of when unvaccinated people get measles." Really? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Richard Carrington's likeness. An example (for me) of an unknown unknown.

A thorough takedown of MAHA nonsense. TL/DR "Great story. But completely inaccurate."

It's almost like someone was ashamed of what was going to be said inside the event.