In case you are looking for xmas dinner discussion topics! 🤓"One woman admitted to Dr. Suitor that after 15 years, she was still haunted by her mother’s deathbed confession: I’ve always loved your sister more."

"factors adult children thought might improve their standing (like career accomplishments) or hurt it (like addiction or getting arrested) actually had little bearing on their mothers’ favoritism."

"the most important factor “hands down” was whether parents and children had similar values, including on religious and political topics." Discuss!

If over the xmas holidays you need help with a broken washing machine or other broken appliance. Do download the iFixit App and use the new FixBot to help you repair the problem. Its really quite useful! It even has useful suggestions to resolve family arguments (not really).

Happy Winter Solstice! The light returns after this, the shortest day.

"Minds change when people see repair, reuse or sharing working in practice, try it themselves and feel the benefits." Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️

The #WinterSolstice livestream link is now available Join us on 21 Dec @ 8:40 am to witness the solstice sunrise live from inside the #Newgrange chamber, weather permitting. Save the link now and be part of this extraordinary moment. 🔗www.gov.ie/solstice#WinterSolstice#Newgrange#ShareTheSolstice

Are you a long-time fan of Archaea, an extremophile-phile, or are you simply curious? Either way, we have good news. We’re delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6–10 July. Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc... We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK. Please repost!

If you agree that Ai FixBots are the future of repair and sustainability (the un-consumerism of stuff) then consider doing a fully funded PhD on the technology in my lab. Apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

iFixit has launched its Ai repair helper. Introducing FixBot: We Built an AI That Actually Knows How to Fix Things - iFixit share.google/Plfg69duC5iR...

With less than two weeks to go until the 2025 Christmas Lectures, our supporting partner, Aberdeen Investments, celebrates the tradition born out of Michael Faraday's vision and innovation. www.rigb.org/explore-scie...

Potatoes make great pets.

Never mind these punctuation rules, find an email sign-off that is less boring than "Best Regards" and more interesting than "All the Best". Yours Materially, Mark. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."

Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."

Some good sustainable fashion news, change is in the air, or rather the feet. www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...

If you are similarly worried about the chemicals in deodorant and cosmetics you can use the FREE Yuka app to scan products and get a toxicity rating. Yuka - The Mobile App That Scans Your Products share.google/Rtj815cCVRc6...

Charlotte Church gives up wearing deodorant due to worries about chemicals contained in them. www.bbc.com/news/article...

The claim that the English invented champagne is gaining more evidence. This is especially apt now the French champagne makers are buying up land in the south of England due to climate change making French vineyards unproductive. share.google/fgK7zQ2sujbH...

'Nearly every scientist interviewed for this story does a few simple things. They filter their water, they run an air purifier, they don’t microwave plastic.'

Invisible elements of our atmosphere like oxygen and carbon dioxide aren’t tangible like rock or metal, but they’re still immensely important. The always lively @markmiodownik.bsky.social joins us to discuss the surprising chemistry of gasses. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/a-r...

Gave a talk at the 399th meeting of the UCL Natural Science Club this evening. Every member has a pewter tankard to drink from with all the engraved names of previous owners. My guest pewter tankard is in the foreground below. Went on so long we got locked in!

Know your finches? 🤔 Whether an experienced birder or new to nature we want you to help us count Birds in Greenspaces next year 🪶 Our FREE resource pack provides ID guides to 30 bird species. Sign up to the newsletter to receive it at www.bto.org/greenspaces Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social

How will AI change the world of manufacturing? Will the future consist of AGI powered humanoid robots building factories to make more robots, as Sam Altman thinks? Or will AI be driving process & system optimisation in increasingly automated factories?

*cough* If you're gift shopping for anyone interested in how the world works, do consider these. Storm in a Teacup is all about the physics of everyday life and Blue Machine is all about how the ocean works - the water itself, which is the biggest story on Earth. Share the joy of nature & science!

A few tickets left for Nine Lessons on 19th December - an insanely excellent bill

Deep sea mining is very bad for deep sea ecosystems.

Happy #SmallBusinessSaturday to all of the incredible repair businesses on our high streets! 🔧 From campaigning for accessible spare parts, to initiatives like our voucher trial, to upskilling the next gen of fixers, we've got big plans that we hope will bolster the future of repair businesses 💥

The data is clear, robot drivers are safer than humans. "More than 39,000 Americans died in motor vehicle crashes last year" Freedom comes at this cost. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...

If you’re a trainee science teacher, hang in there! It’s nearly Christmas! If you’d like a FREE Kindle edition of a book which might help you with your science teaching drop me a line and I’ll send you a link for this, described as “better than anything on my reading list” by one PGCE student.

My favourite illustrator is selling out fast. Hurry!

Today! Illustrators’ Festive Fair 2025 at King’s Cross www.kingscross.co.uk/event/illust...

Illustrators Fair at King's Cross London. Buy direct from wonderful artists!

Gift ideas for curious people - collect the set.

The correct answer is the Wellcome Collection in London. Current exhibitions are a must see/feel/smell: Wellcome Collection | A free museum and library exploring health and human experience share.google/X0gmq0hn1COv...

Guess where I am!

Concrete heaven!

Our work led by Dr Silvia Andelmi using enzymes to recycle stretchy jeans and other textiles with embedded elastimers (leggings, socks, pants, yes pants!) is on front cover of Green Chemistry.

The most amazing thing I ever saw: hundreds and hundreds of dolphins

I have a theory that it is the designed obsolescence of stuff that is causing the rage. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Borrow the thermal camera for free this winter | Library of Things share.google/IeqsUbilej9k...

Explore our case studies on making chemistry workspaces more accessible for disabled scientists. As part of our Disability-Inclusive Laboratories in the Chemical Sciences report, the library offers 29 examples to inspire change. Read the case studies & share your own: https://rsc.li/486SU67 #ChemSky

There's still time to join tonight's online livestream with our 2025 Christmas Lecturer! 👇

“Buy from someone reputable, look for transparency, and prioritise warranty and repairability over a too-good-to-be-true discount, and you can come out of Black Friday with great devices and a lighter footprint.” www.theguardian.com/thefilter/20...

“Buy from someone reputable, look for transparency, and prioritise warranty and repairability over a too-good-to-be-true discount, and you can come out of Black Friday with great devices and a lighter footprint.” www.theguardian.com/thefilter/20...

We're hiring a Fundraising and Partnerships Lead 🔧⁠💷⁠ ⁠ We’re looking for someone to help us diversify our income, expand our funding relationships, and build on our financial sustainability. ⁠ 🔗 Full job spec and how to apply at therestartproject.org/about/jobs

Science lovers! Are you going to try and convince some child in your life that science is fun and worthwhile this Christmas? You could buy them one of dozens of commercially available "science kits" OR you could MAKE YOUR OWN to accompany a copy of "Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder":

If you are in Paris in January 2026 dont miss this: Living Architecture evening event (24/01/2026) | Musée d'Orsay share.google/kCDWALpofnzL...

I've just been sent an advance copy of @stewartbrand 's "The Maintenance of Everything". I LOVE it. He has such a distinctive voice and such a surprising set of observations and ideas. Pretty-looking hardback: amzn.to/4rcKamp Online draft: books.worksinprogress.co

Your regular reminder that products labelled "biodegradable" are usually greenwash. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...