Incandescent. One of the best pieces I've read about what university means to people and their communities - and what will happen to a city and people after one closes. The *Labour* government and Jaqui Smith in particular should be ashamed of themselves and shamed into doing something. Deplorable.

This is the latest salvo in what I'm calling The Great British Herpetological Hoo-Hah - disagreements on what amphibians and reptiles should be 're'-introduced to Britain, where, and how. Lots of fascinating details. Worthy of a PhD study or a 4-part BBC1 drama www.arc-trust.org/lost-frogs-r...

While these scholarships won't cover full costs of MA study, they will make things a fair bit easier, in turn creating critical access routes into PGR and academia, on an absolutely cracking course. Please share widely! #HEaccess #sustainability #envpol #foodstudies

Quick science policy thread 1 Changes in the governance of UK science since the mid 1980s make it extremely hard to be strategic (that was the point), in terms of both process (dropped) and capability (hollowed out).

Claire Jeantils, Rong Huang, and Benjamin Dalton unravel the stories behind the International Narrative Neurology Network (INNN), a cross-sectoral network that investigates Narrative Neurology from a practical and theoretical perspective. thepolyphony.org/2026/01/29/i...

Pics from local Devon news today in the aftermath of the wind. Heavy rain still coming down and the weather warning now extends into Wednesday. Left: Matt Gilley, centre: Richard Heiron.

Please circulate. Our deadline for our ECR Prize at @histhum.bsky.social is approaching (30 January 2026)

Very interesting piece from @anastasiabekt.bsky.social responding to @geoffmulgan.bsky.social's challenge that we need an Aria for social science anastasiabekt.substack.com/p/an-aria-gr...

FUNDING CALL: Undisciplining Seminar Series 2026 The Sociological Review Foundation is inviting proposals for in-person, hybrid or online seminars that explore the transformative potential of sociological thinking. Theme: Who & what is sociology for? Deadline to apply: 31 January buff.ly/VOwOmYt

2026 is continuing where 2025 left off with a focus on alternatives to animal use in research and testing. Today the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology published a POSTnote on this topic highlighting the opportunities and challenges: post.parliament.uk/research-bri...

This is such an important paper by @gailfdavies.bsky.social on how functional neurological symptoms are produced. I hope it is very widely read by clinicians, clinical researchers, and medical humanities researchers — as well as geographers

Happy New Year’s Eve from a frost Dartmoor

Such a superb, insightful & brave paper from @gailfdavies.bsky.social who so eloquently captures and describes what many of us have noticed about the evolution of symptoms as a result of patients’ interactions with the medical system👏👏💪🏻💪🏻 Straight into my top 10 of best papers ever on FND👌👌

New paper outlining a spatial account of #FND and proposing an approach to the co-production of functional symptoms. It draws on my longstanding work on geographies of health knowledges, my recent health experiences, and emerging interdisciplinary conversations www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

📣Join the States of Precarity team for the launch of the States of Precarity in UK Higher Education Geography report. 📅 Wednesday 14 January 🎦 Online 👉 Sign up to attend: https://bit.ly/4rvQgP2 Check out the report before the launch: https://bit.ly/44HTUvg

Our Chief Executive Vicky Robinson appears in @resprofnews.bsky.social today, in an opinion piece focusing on the UK government's ambitious strategy to replace the use of animals in research and testing: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v....

Upcoming Event: Social and Cultural Geography beyond the Academy – Opportunities in Policy and Practice Friday 28 November, 11.00-12.30, ONLINE (UK) This event joins academic and non-academic geographers to discuss their transition from the academy into the world beyond Further info: scgrg.co.uk

This is on Monday. Do join us if you can and are interested in more inclusive academic workplaces

Tom Harper, Nick Dykes, & Magdalena Peszko, Secret Maps: Maps You Were Never Meant to See, from the Middle Ages to Today @uchicagopress.bsky.social, November 2025 press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo... Secret Maps exhibition @britishlibrary.bsky.social until 18 January 2026 events.bl.uk/exhibitions/...

This SI places plant and multispecies studies in dialogue with anthropological debates on emplacement, displacement, mobilities and migration. Highly recommend!

*Globalizing Wildlife*, a book edited by @vbateman.bsky.social, Tom Quick, and myself, is now available for pre-order with @uncpress.bsky.social! Using code 01SOCIAL30 at checkout, you can save 30% www.uncpress.org/book/9781469...

New in Geo: 'Repairing epistemic injustice and loss in the era of climate coloniality' by Farhana Sultana This paper critically examines the intersections of power, pedagogy and praxis in producing inequitable climate knowledge, global governance, policies and solutions. doi.org/10.1002/geo2...

"Lab Dog is a landmark study. Brad Bolman’s history of what might seem a niche subject is, in fact, an original and illuminating exploration of key aspects of the biological and biomedical sciences in the twentieth century." Read Michael Worboys' review here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A call for 🦕🦖🦣 contributors! With Victor Monnin, I'm editing a collection about extinct animal parks—it's a field guide, of sorts, that turns a critical eye on places real, imagined, and yet to be. Find the full CFP for LANDS OF THE LOST here: tinyurl.com/dinoparks #PaleoSky #HistSci #EnvHist #STS

Join us at the *free* FUTURES Festival (11–12 Oct Exeter) for inspiring events celebrating history, archaeology, science & culture! With @lsangha.bsky.social and Chris Hoban live music based on stories from 16-18th century wills🎵 and Laura Evis in the SHArD 3D Lab news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-e...

3 year PhD position at U of Copenhagen for a philosophical analysis of animal models in translational neuroscience. Those with MA in HPS, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, STS, etc. are welcome to apply. Application deadline is Oct 31 #HPS #STS employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=16...

On my way to Oxford to chat about the new project led by Beth Greenhough and colleagues on #PPI and #AnimalResearch. Will be sharing relevant insights from our 2022 report web-archive.southampton.ac.uk/animalresear... This fantastic summary of issues and resources was put together by Gabrielle King

Some (no doubt annoyingly) glass-half-full reflections on REF2029 pause, for academic and PS staff involved in HEI submission(s). If, like me, you're having to deal with the hiatus in the known unknowns, what's a viable approach to take? Some very preliminary thoughts. 1/7

So many untold stories of women's innovation in electronic music still to be brought to light, including this key figure who developed Casio backing tracks that enabled a revolution in reggae. Great profile!

5. Today I read a paper by @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social and Alexander Mussgnug that I think illustrates this point perfectly. philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24891/1/Phil...

My University has opened a virtual scholar scheme for scholars from Gaza. Please share widely and help stop scholasticide. www.exeter.ac.uk/faculties/ha...

Our chapter on ‘Fabricating mice and dementia: opening up relations in multi-species research’ is now OA. @richgorman.bsky.social, Richard Milne and I explore the ways patient data, animal models and plaque concepts are woven together in making dementia www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK615...

This year’s academic marking season is coming to a close. Assignments used to sing in different voices: some in clarity, originality, creativity, some chaos. Gen AI has layered on an ‘academic autotune’ removing many enjoyable aspects of engaging with authentic student work. #highered #AI #marking

PhD studentship at Geography Exeter and Penryn assessing activities, outputs, outcomes and impact of the Isles of Scilly Community Research Network (CRN). Deadline: 25 June 2025. More details: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Wonderful to spend the day with colleagues in Geography @exeter.ac.uk mapping the complex ways open science intersects with our research across the discipline. We covered experiences of preregistration, open databases, archiving, IP, legal challenges, and more, with more conversations to come 👐

Are you curious about expanding your social research practice to include nonhuman species, but don’t know where to start? Come and join this immersive three-day workshop at the University of Manchester, with a mix of indoor seminars and outdoor fieldwork: store.southampton.ac.uk/short-course...

This is a calm, clear and thoughtful piece on experiences around #FND, simply and beautifully illustrated. Thanks to all involved. A lot resonated, especially how hard it is to produce a meaningful account of your body when both embodied experiences and medical encounters are so fragmented

Absolutely stoked to share that my @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social colleague Ryan Shum has been awarded the AsSIST-UK Andrew Webster PhD prize for his work, 'Caring for microplastics: a multi-sited laboratory ethnography'! #STS #EnvHums #geography assistuk.org/2025/06/03/2...

#3Rs #AnimalResearch #AnimalWelfare - #FELASA2025 conference starting tomorrow in Athens! www.felasa2025.eu

Calling all researchers and public engagement professionals: we want to find out the factors affecting public engagement in 2025, including opportunities, risks and barriers. Help shape the future of public engagement with STEM by taking our survey: www.research.net/r/RS_public_...

The banner’s up… the #DartmoorTorsFestival starts today! Lots to enjoy inc talks with writers, archaeologists, artists incl @lisaschneidau.bsky.social @guyshrubsole.bsky.social , @lewis-winks.bsky.social and walks shorturl.at/Oomce

Incredible story by prof Kevin Aho on what it's like to live with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in @aeon.co and the current lack of FND care. I so appreciate how clearly Aho writes about this in a way that people can *get it.* A landmark in the discourse And thanks for the kind mention❤️

Folks, you read that right: this whole book on #GlobalHealth is available #OpenAccess! #histmed

Today is the day! My book Lab Dog is out from @uchicagopress.bsky.social a week early and you can find it wherever you find books. For @thedrift-mag.bsky.social, I put it in context with xenotransplantation, “trans rats,” & contemporary lab animal politics newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/from-capit...

Do you have a research interest in how AI can harm or benefit non-human animals? I'm recruiting a Research Officer to drive forward the "Animals and AI" priority area of The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at the LSE. Please apply by 6 May! 🐖🐔🐟 jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...

What’s next in STS? Apply here to make the case:

It's that season once again 🍂 ☀️ ❄️ 🌱 so please spread the word: Science, Technology, & Human Values are pleased to announce that we are taking proposals for Special Issues of the journal 📬 ⏰ The call closes 21 June 2025 - and you can find details in the form: forms.gle/6uYdQim9J1z5...

Great talk last night by Sophie Pierce & Alex Murdin on their fab new book, conceived as a Wainright-like guide for Dartmoor, in dialogue with 18th-20th century antiquarian works. Copies from Bookbag, exhibition of original artwork in Princeton, and look out for the Tors Festival in May.

In this part of Devon, commercial daffodil fields were dug up in the 1940s to grow war time food, the bulbs thrown onto the low walled boundaries, where an amazing range of varieties still flower

How did computers change zoos? I discuss the question in an article that just came out in the Journal of Global History - touching upon databases, 'infrastructural globalism' and transcontinental flows of Siberian tigers. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...