Gambia is one of the most difficult places in Africa for FGM survivors to access clitoral reconstruction. The country has one of the continent's highest FGM rates, and activists are fighting to uphold a national ban, report George Okachi and Aminata E. Sanyang. www.dw.com/en/why-clito...

I have today been informed that, despite personal assurances to the contrary, the Green party have once again used my image and misrepresented my words on a second leaflet circulated in Gorton and Denton ahead of the by-election. I have now lodged an official complaint with the returning officer.

Hello Monday. Book of Hours, c.1460. #OwlishMonday

Since #bbclaurak is trending, let’s remind ourselves that ONE MONTH ago, the BBC invited Mandelson on for a soft-ball interview on her show. While HIS CLIENT , Palantir’s Louis Moseley appeared as a pundit Both, as I wrote at time, were ‘abject failures of journalism’ 1/

For anyone who needs cheering up... here's Britain's smallest bird having a bath today in a woodland puddle. 😁😍🐦❤️ #birds 🪶

A paedophile, a convicted felon and narcissist walk into a bar, and the barman says "on your own tonight Mr Trump?"

One of the wickedest things Wes Streeting has ever done is push politically convenient falsehoods about suicide rates amongst young trans people. We have new data from the National Child Mortality Database that exposes the truth he tried to cover up.

With #Bridgerton back on our screens, let's revisit a classic thread. Queen Charlotte included a scene of King George III eating pussy. So it falls upon us, dear readers, to answer the crucial question: is it historically accurate? Did King George III eat pussy?

Mandelson’s malign influence runs right through the heart of this Government. Not least in the govt’s NHS data deal with Palantir – a spy-tech firm co-founded by a man who thinks the NHS should be ‘ripped up.’ I've written to Wes Streeting urging him to ditch this dangerous deal.

Friday plans: 🖼️ Clare Hulfish #FrogForFriday

Radio host James O’Brien was taken aback when a woman, asked what she most wishes for, replied “To be able to go out at night alone.” The awful reality for 51% of the UK’s population What we need is a change in the behaviour of men In the mean time, there is this organisation… strutsafe.org#about

A historical ranking of the venerability of Early Medieval scholars: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Bedes

We watch with dismay as the House of Lords once again makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. Extensive filibustering and a record number of amendments from unelected peers now mean it is almost certain that the Assisted Dying Bill will fail. 🧵 observer.co.uk/opinion-and-...

For most of human history, evolution shaped us. Now, we shape it. This 12 Feb, join us for the #DarwinDayLecture, as @matthewcobb.bsky.social explores how genetic engineering has transformed medicine, agriculture, and now threatens ecosystems and even humanity itself. 🧵 humanists.uk/events/darwi...

Our department seeks to appoint a Lecturer in Early Medieval History. You will be expected to undertake teaching and research in early medieval history (600–1150 CE) www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQH751/l...

🚨NEW EPISODE!!! This week on You’re Dead To me, we celebrate the extraordinary life and writing career of Geoffrey Chaucer! I’m joined by Mike Wozniak and Professor Marion Turner for a funny, fascinating chat about medieval England greatest poet (and ditch inspector!) Listen on BBC SOUNDS

As the Taliban step up their war on women and girls, it is clear that appeasement has failed | Gordon Brown

May as well dive right in. Did you know that dogs in ancient Mesopotamia also refused to drop the ball? According to a Sumerian proverb, “The dog understands ‘Take it!’ It does not understand ‘Put it down!’” Source: cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/34...

Material Culture, Communities and Identity in Early Medieval Northumbria, 600-867 CE: A Land of Five Languages by Sián Webb www.bloomsbury.com/uk/material-...

As JD Vance attacked on women’s rights at an anti-abortion rally just miles away, neo-Nazis 'Patriot Front' marched in Washington, DC. They were met with loud circus music. As American Christian nationalism rises – and is increasingly exported to the UK – this response was more than deserved.

Morning! #MosaicMonday

If you’re in/around London next week & want to hear me speak about lots of fun early medieval isotopes + aDNA come along on Tuesday! ⚛️🧬☠️

PhD funding for early career historians completing a doctorate. Applications are invited for the Society's Centenary PhD Fellowships for the academic year 2026-27 bit.ly/49MzqmT. Two awards of £8500 per student, held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians

We're hiring! Could you become our new Wales Officer, lead our Priority Plants Project & support #BSBICountyRecorders across Wales? Apply here: bsbi.org/about/people... Deadline: 23 February Interested but not for you? Please help us spread the word!

Boots Aren't Made for Walking Still wish I had THESE in my closet for that fancypants dinner on Thursday... #NewberryLibrary (VAULT Case MS Y 952 .S3575)

If you are in Seattle, please go patronize this store because this is amazing content/promo 😂 (laughing to keep from crying, and I do kind of low-key want that orange spider plant I have never seen that before) Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DTQrTqZ...

This is an important episode, and one that shouldn’t be missed. Talk of Joe criticising ICE and Trump’s immigration enforcement completely miss the point, and the media repetition of that narrative does a disservice to their audience. Our analysis isn’t now for Patrons, and free from Tuesday.

As of a few minutes ago, calling it a "scam, spam, or deceptive," YouTube deleted the entire "The Thinking Atheist" channel.

Looking forward to doing Brightthink on Monday 23 February at 7.30pm. It's a great location. A private bar above a pub in Brighton. I'll be talking bout the one thing need to know to understand quantum theory, evolution, the big bang etc. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-one-th... @headofzeus.bsky.social

If you're looking for something new in 2026, why not try our free online course? Learn about humanism, an ethical, non-religious worldview shared by millions of people around the globe, and explore life's big questions. courses.understandinghumanism.org.uk/courses/intr...

Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, in 2026 for failing its new vetting rules for groups working in Gaza. Some international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.

In this year’s #PlanetaryHealthCheck (www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...), the #OceanAcidification boundary has been assessed as breached for the first time. What does this mean? Nice explanatory piece in “Dialogue Earth”, with input from PIK researcher Levke Caesar. dialogue.earth/en/ocean/exp...

Look at that, even more evidence of African ancestry in early Medieval England.

If you get some time over the next few weeks apply for this!

Know someone who loves reading? Packed with the best journalism on culture, politics, ideas and science, New Humanist makes a beautiful gift for anyone interested in the world around them. And right now, a year's subscription is just £21 with the code FESTIVE: newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe

When will this crisis get any attention whatsoever!? A THOUSAND ACADEMIC STAFF AT ONE INSTITUTION SERVED REDUNDANCY RISK NOTICES! And that's not counting what's surely being visited on professional services staff too. This is an economic catastrophe, to say nothing of the intellectual catastrophe!

For another year, it appears, this article I wrote with @nccomfort.bsky.social is the most read of @nature.com's News articles...

Important discussion but I just keep thinking that I should have sat up straighter.

Just gearing up for this tomorrow! 📕🗣️👩‍🏫

We stand for freethinking in an age of extremes. Join us today: newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe

Leaving a high-control religion can be incredibly isolating, especially for women who've faced profound levels of religious coercion, abuse, & misogyny. This programme offers a vital space for freedom, solidarity, & rebuilding lives. A well-deserved award for our @faith2faithless.bsky.social team.

If you’ve ever wondered how easily the brain can be fooled, the University of East Anglia’s Christmas lectures are the place to be. Two sessions only, and they always book up fast – worth securing your place early. eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/educati...

Join me in this online ‘at your own pace’ short course exploring Medieval Bibles and Books of Hours. Including: from the earliest Medieval Bibles to the Gutenberg Bible; how to read the calendar in a Book of Hours; iconographic cycles in the Hours… Now live!!🎉🎉 #medievalsky #booksofdevotion

This is an astonishing and maddening and sad story, just incredible work from Sirin Kale. It’s also downstream of many of the things @aliceemmalouise.bsky.social has talked about on @skepticswithak.org for a decade - medical mistrust as a result of medial bias, exploitation of women as empowerment.

For those of you in the UK, especially if you are a UK citizen, can you please take part in the consultation on changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain (Settlement) that were just proposed by the UK government. We need as many people as possible to reject these proposals. www.gov.uk/government/c...

What does ‘safe’ mean for people persecuted for their identites like the non-religious & LGBTQ+? Their risk doesn’t disappear because a country looks stable on paper. Reassessing thousands of cases every 30 months won’t capture that nuance, and the Home Office is already overwhelmed.

Join us live at the IHR and online Free registration: tinyurl.com/24fgrxbe @carmenmangion.bsky.social @lauragowing.bsky.social @ihr.bsky.social @clairelanghamer.bsky.social @dralanagharris.bsky.social @sydradford.bsky.social @emiliastu.bsky.social @harkaway1.bsky.social LIGHTNING TALKS 2025