Tim Vernimmen
@timvernimmen.bsky.social
đ¤ 201
đĽ 645
đ 34
science writer / music enthusiast / aspiring peripatetic
My latest story for National Geographic discusses a study revealing that Napoleon's retreating troops weren't just decimated by typhus in 1812, but other pathogens too. Inspired by a study in
@currentbiology.bsky.social
.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
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What destroyed Napoleonâs army? Scientists uncover new clues.
A new genetic analysis of teeth from a mass grave in Lithuania reveals hidden illnesses that plagued the French emperor's soldiers during their disastrous 1812 retreat.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/napoleon-army-diseases-teeth
16 days ago
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A fossilized hand reveals 'Nutcracker Man' Paranthropus boisei, thought to have made the Oldupai gorge tools until Homo habilis was found, would also have been able to make and use those. Based on the
@nature.com
paper by
@carriemongle.bsky.social
et al.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
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Discovery of fossilized hand may unlock a 1.5-million-year-old mystery
Some sixty years after her grandmother discovered âNutcracker Man,â Louise Leakey unearths his long-lost handâreviving a family debate about ancient toolmaking.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/paranthropus-boisei-hand-leakey?loggedin=true&rnd=1760542411673
about 1 month ago
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Chimps ingest quite some alcohol, but they don't get drunk. âThat would be very dangerous when you need to climb high up in a tree to build a nest to sleep at night.â New story for National Geographic, with comments by
@kjhockings.bsky.social
and others.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
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Chimpanzees consume the equivalent of more than two alcoholic drinks per day
Scientists estimate chimpsâ alcohol consumption for the first time, and find they seem to prefer boozier fruit.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/chimpanzees-drink-the-equivalent-of-two-alcoholic-drinks-per-day?loggedin=true&rnd=1758134358783
about 2 months ago
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My first story for
@cenmag.bsky.social
, with expert commentary by
@she-paleo.bsky.social
!
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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My latest
@knowablemag.bsky.social
story explores what we have lost by destroying oyster reefs, and if they can be restored.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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Shucking the past: Can oysters thrive again?
Dredging and pollution devastated the once-bountiful reefs. Careful science may help bring them back.
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2025/can-science-help-oyster-reefs-thrive-again
2 months ago
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My latest story for
@newscientist.com
- the first in many years - is one of the craziest ant stories I've ever heard. Based on a
@nature.com
study by
@selfishmeme.bsky.social
and colleagues.
www.newscientist.com/article/2494...
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Queen ant makes males of another species for daughters to mate with
Bizarrely, Iberian harvester ant queens lay eggs that turn into male builder harvester ants, and some of her offspring are hybrids of the two species
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2494855-queen-ant-makes-males-of-another-species-for-daughters-to-mate-with/
2 months ago
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Mexican tetras living on the surface (left) look dramatically different from populations that were washed into caves generations ago (right) â and not just on the outside. Featuring
@rohner.bsky.social
⏠and others.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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How the cavefish lost its eyes â again and again
Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs. They lost their eyes in multiple ways â and gained some nifty traits too.
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2025/how-the-cavefish-lost-its-eyes
3 months ago
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A million years ago, someone was already making stone tools on the island of Sulawesi. But who was it, and how did they get there? My latest story for the National Geographic website, based on a new paper in
@nature.com
.
www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
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Did ancient âhobbit humansâ create these million-year-old tools?
Seven newly discovered stone tools, dating to between 1.04 and 1.48 million years ago, were found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/sulawesi-hobbit-stone-tools-million-years-old
3 months ago
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My latest story is based on papers in
@science.org
and
@cp-cell.bsky.social
revealing Homo longi aka 'Dragon Man' was a Denisovan - or is it the other way around? Featuring
@benceviola.bsky.social
,
@fridowelker.bsky.social
and
@chrisbstringer.bsky.social
.
www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
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This is the first ever confirmed skull of a Denisovan
Finally, we can put a face on a Denisovan.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/controversial-dragon-man-skull-confirmed-to-be-a-denisovan
5 months ago
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My latest story for
@knowablemag.bsky.social
is all about the astonishingly plentiful fossils of foraminifera, featuring
@chrislowery.bsky.social
,
@fraass.bsky.social
and
@tracyaze.bsky.social
!
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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The history of the ocean, as told by tiny beautiful fossils
Bountiful remains of foraminifera reveal how organisms responded to climate disturbances of the past. They can help predict the future, too.
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2025/foraminifera-fossils-tell-story-of-past-life-on-earth
6 months ago
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Capuchins surprising us again, this time rather unpleasantly... featuring
@zoegoldsborough.bsky.social
and
@bjjbarrett.bsky.social
!
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
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These capuchins are abducting babies from howler monkeysâfor fun?
A young male nicknamed Joker was probably the first to start carrying a howler monkey baby on his back for days on end. Then a group of other young males started to copy him.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/capuchin-monkeys-kidnapping-howler-monkey-babies
6 months ago
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My latest National Geographic story explores a study that shows seals are aware how much oxygen they've got left in their blood, inspired by the
@science.org
paper by
@chrismcknight.bsky.social
.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
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How do seals know how long to hold their breath?
The sea mammals may actually be able to sense the amount of oxygen in their bloodâsomething we humans can't do.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/seal-dive-drown-blood-oxygen
8 months ago
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My latest story for
@knowablemag.bsky.social
explores research on the challenges of pregnancy at high elevation, and how it might help prevent complications at high and low elevation.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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Born in thin air: Overcoming the challenges of pregnancy at high elevation
In people not adapted to life at altitude, the sparse oxygen can impair fetal growth, causing problems that can last a lifetime. Researchers are searching for remedies.
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2025/overcoming-risks-of-pregnancy-at-high-elevation
8 months ago
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More than 50 years ago, Terje Lømo and Tim Bliss discovered a process now called LTP that allows our brain to learn and remember. I had the pleasure of spending a few delightful hours with both of them in Oslo last year to learn about their own memories.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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It began with a rabbit: Unraveling the mystery of memory
Half a century after the discovery of long-term potentiation, weâre still learning how the brain remembers
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/mind/2025/memory-formation-long-term-potentiation
8 months ago
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Capuchins are incredible animals, and even if you already knew that, this Q&A with Susan Perry, who has studied them for decades, might contain some surprises. It certainly did for me.
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
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Meet the capuchin monkey: Curious, creative and vengeful
UCLAâs Susan Perry has devoted decades to studying the fast-motion life of these New World primates and learning how the young acquire the skills they need to thrive
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2025/meet-the-capuchin-monkey
9 months ago
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My latest story for National Geographic, about the similarities between whale song and human language, featuring
@inbalarnon.bsky.social
,
@simonkirby.bsky.social
,
@ellengarland.bsky.social
,
@masonyoungblood.bsky.social
and
@rferrericancho.bsky.social
!
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What the science of baby-speak can tell us about whale songs
A new study reveals that whale song and human languages share features that make them easier to learn.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/whale-song-human-language-similar
9 months ago
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In my latest story, I explore the social life of...
#earwigs
, with the expert help of
@jmeunierearwig.bsky.social
and others!
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She ainât scary, sheâs my mother
Elaborate courtship, devoted parenthood, gregarious nature (and occasional cannibalism) â earwigs have a lot going for them
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2024/social-life-of-earwigs
about 1 year ago
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My latest Knowable story is a Q&A with
@ejmilnergulland.bsky.social
about wild meat. Based on her wide-ranging research, she argues that blanket bans on wild animal hunting, trade and consumption would both be unfair and unlikely to benefit conservation efforts.
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In defense of wild meatâs place at the table
Sustainable and safe consumption of wildlife is possible, and important for those who depend on it, says a conservation researcher
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2024/how-to-make-bushmeat-or-wild-meat-safe-and-sustainable
over 1 year ago
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My latest story for Knowable Magazine explains why Neandertals are more knowable now than ever.
knowablemagazine.org/article/soci...
almost 2 years ago
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My latest story for
@mongabay.bsky.social
, on how to handle herbivores in the early stages of
#restoration
projects.
news.mongabay.com/2023/11/keep...
almost 2 years ago
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