Back on Kangaroo Island - one of our special places.

A great legacy.

A great day on Rod Laver Arena #AO2026. Got to see both Sabalenka and Alcarez. 🎾🎾

Hoping things improve for #Skibumsojourn in Feb - March. Snow dancing like crazy! 💃💃 ❄️❄️❄️

Winter drought grips US. Record-low snowfall, unseasonably warm conditions in UT, WY, CO. Snowpack typically develops during winter months — helping drive the economy — then melts in spring, key for water supply & lowering wildfire risk. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...

Latest edition of Journey to a Melting Continent www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/c...

Annual pilgrimage to the Australian Open #AO2026 We've done this at least 30 times - always a great event.

“Dr. Gladys West’s life stands as a powerful reminder that brilliance can emerge from the most unlikely circumstances—and that quiet determination can alter the course of history. As those who knew her have urged, keep her story alive.”

Generations of NYT journalists have journeyed there with scientists. Their coverage traces humankind’s changing relationship with the most mysterious continent. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/c...

Thanks to all involved with Croakey for their excellent work.

Over summer, we republished 60 articles highlighting key issues from 2025. In this unending calamity of a news cycle, it's helpful to reflect back on the key stories and issues from the past year as we gather ourselves collectively to face 2026... www.croakey.org/category/cro...

Reading 52 books from 52 countries in 52 fortnights (longer than planned). An interesting book analysis from David Crowe. www.smh.com.au/culture/book...

These results hint that ageing lowers immunity in unexpected ways 🧪 go.nature.com/4sKjGcE

Very French! Tres chic.

Some excellent exercise advice here. www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/w...

Diminishing success rates for government-funded research grants are crippling Australia’s output and destroying hundreds of careers. But there’s $5 bill unspent in the MRFF. www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026 theconversation.com/viral-outbre... Good overview. We do now have vaccines against HPAI H5N1, and many countries are stockpiling doses.

An excellent account if you'd like to follow the mating season of the critically endangered and oh-so-cute kākāpō in Aotearoa NZ. Just 236 individuals are known to exist. It's like a birdy Love Island, but randier, because egg fertility improves when females mate with multiple males (!!)

1️⃣🌊 Coastal polynyas (semi-permanent areas of ice-free ocean) are known as ‘sea ice factories’ because they produce vast amounts of new ice. This process drives the global current system which redistributes heat and #carbon around the world. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/east-antarct... 📸 @esa.int

If you are following “Journey to the Melting Continent” here’s the latest episode: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/c...

Study: Increased Levels of Protein Linked to Alzheimer’s Found in Some With Long COVID. Study of 227 people with post-COVID neurocognitive symptoms found significantly higher blood tau (pTau-181) levels, a brain protein linked to nerve damage and neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s.

So hot in Sydney today - I currently have 4 magpies, 2 noisy miners and 2 butcher birds lining up to use the bird bath.

Some really good news about improving the health and wellbeing of older Australians - put it does require continual commitment. www.smh.com.au/national/wal...

Are you following Journey to the Melting Continent? New York Times is joining an expedition by sea to Antarctica’s fastest-thinning glaciers. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/c...

Meet the middle-schoolers keeping cursive alive, one swoop at a time. Script is finding new life in after-school clubs where students can learn cursive handwriting. Pretty amazing for those of us who learned to write in cursive in 1st grade! www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

More than 9 in 10 Australian medical researchers who applied for government-funded innovation grants last year were rejected. But Australia’s medical investment fund MRFF sits on almost $25 billion in unspent money – $5 billion more than it was designed to hold. www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Revealed: The pandemic plan Australia had … 15 years before COVID And it was tested in Exercise Eleusis ‘05 with objective of determining preparedness of animal and human health agencies should pandemic influenza enter Australia. www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/2005-...

We are 9:00 fireworks show people! Happy New Year 2026. Here's to better protections for democracy, bold healthcare reforms and great hiking in the year ahead.

Love this Tassie ad! And love the oysters fresh from Freycinet waters. Who could resist?

“Inspiring to millions” - and highlighting perfectly the value of investments in research. www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/he...

Such a sad loss for Australian science. Condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/new...

A lovely weekend in Canberra

Yes, it’s thing! www.krikket.is/en

Bound for Antarctica: A Voyage to Earth’s End Is Underway The continent’s ice is melting and raising sea levels worldwide. Scientists are trying to gauge the dangers. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/c...

Wow! This Boxing Day Test is unbelievable! 20 wickets, 2 innings in a day. 🏏

A lovely photo essay. www.washingtonpost.com/travel/inter...

"There are whales that blow and birds that fly over. Icebergs – with their ultra white sheen and strata of blue ice near the ocean’s surface – are constantly visible, some shaped like alabaster models." | Bruce Wolpe satpa.pe/BBRigTM

AMA welcomes Director General of Australian Centre for Disease Control

So appreciate open access!

Birthday weekend at Killcare

It doesn’t get any better!

From @bwolpe.bsky.social

Rare sight of mother polar bear adopting a cub captured by camera A polar bear mother was seen with one cub in the spring — but by fall she had adopted a second, according to Canadian researchers. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Are you already planning hiking trips for 2026 (mine are already booked - France, Colorado, Bibbulmun Track, Bay of Fires). Here’s some ideas to tempt / inspire you! Next edition of The Hiking Wrap will be out early in 2026 - stay tuned.

As my BIG birthday looms - some heartening views on skiing. “You don’t stop skiing because you get old, you get old because you stop skiing.” www.nytimes.com/2024/03/16/w...

This 'Aussie Christmas tree' photo is doing the rounds again - usually without attribution. It was taken by Layn Simpson of Gympie - in his backyard. An excellent snap. I have an invitation to visit next time I'm in Gympie so I'll look forward to that. You can find Layn on Instagram. Worth a follow.

This study showed that a new predator-prey relationship like that between pumas and penguins transforms the ecosystem. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/s...

This is an important article by @katherinejwu.com on the destruction of infectious disease research - and the man behind it. As someone in the ID field reliant on US federal funding for our research, know that once the next pandemic happens, we won't be around. www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/...

Such sad news. We will miss early Sunday morning conversations with Ed on the state of the world and Avners bagels, rye bread, babka and honey cake. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...