Ngā mihi nui to our treasured Kaumātua Professor Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), who has been made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 🧵

We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing: a 🧵 1/n Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820 Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/... Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...

Another way NZ resembles Ireland

I thought of the gold clam invasion in the Waikato mostly as a threat to ecosystems, but the clams' need for calcium to build their shells impairs arsenic removal during treatment, threatening drinking water for millions theconversation.com/gold-clam-in...

Excited to have this paper out, soil microbial growth Topt (and other metrics) increases by 0.22°C–0.27°C per 1°C warming along a longstanding geothermal gradient. Global Change Biology | Environmental Change Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Also excited to be chatting about this tonight on www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro... - around 8.05/8.10pm if you're keen to tune in 🕸️🕸️🕸️

A Conversation piece on our (@manpreetkdhami.bsky.social @sbirdy.bsky.social) quirky fake spiderweb research for eDNA biomonitoring, just out in time for Halloween. Paper forthcoming! theconversation.com/spiders-insp...

I had to read this twice, what?

Good Lord!

New Zealand accused of ‘full-blown climate denial’ over cuts to methane reduction targets #Climate

"Agriculture and Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said the government had worked closely with industry and accepted a range of advice to determine a "practical target"." Imagine a business setting a "practical target" rather than success and being ambitious www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

I thought I’d have a go at answering the question: what’s the flow on effect on emissions budgets from the methane cuts? The answer was worse than I had anticipated www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

"Chief people officer Keri-Anne Tane said reduced funding and the sector going through reforms meant they had to pause taking on new graduates." www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/575...

Applications for @ipcc.bsky.social AR7 Chapter Scientists close on 18th October. Great opportunity for emerging researchers from developing countries! 🧪🌎🌱

Every year, the Ig Nobel Prizes honor the weirdest and most wonderful science out there—like studying how drunk bats fly or the physics of perfect pasta. It’s all real research, and it’s all hilariously brilliant. Because sometimes science makes you laugh… then think. 🎤🎥🎞️@tomlumperson.bsky.social

High nitrate levels found in rural NZ drinking water – Expert Reaction

We need the NZ Climate Change Commission independence, wisdom, courage, and intellect. www.climatecommission.govt.nz/who-we-are/o...

It seems like it’s dangerous for scientists to speak out against Colossal’s “de extinction research”. www.newscientist.com/article/2490...

It feels slow not because of facts, but because the doom-narrative drowns out reality. 📉 The truth: solar doubled from 1,000 → 2,000 TWh in just 3 yrs, wind’s surging too. Fossils took decades. The fastest energy leap in history is here—don’t let fear blind you. ⚡🌞 #EnergyTransition #BESS #EVs #LFP

More cuts to the Marsden Fund. This time $20 million from the annual budget cut starting next year. This is on top of previous cuts by this government. They are trying to skip the 'priming the pump' step of public research as a driver of the economy. How well that is going to work? #NZPOL

On behalf of the Netherlands, I’m sorry for all the whales that are killed by our windmills throughout the centuries. 🌬️

Folks, there is a snail out there looking for love and you may be able to help them find it.... www.nzgeo.com/newsletter/t...

Important read "For Indigenous Peoples in the 21st century, statistical erasure remains an ongoing issue." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...?

This is so bad! How out of touch with human decency. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

For teachers everywhere: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/lesson

cool idea

1. Kevin Gross and I just posted a new science-of-science preprint. This one explores the looming peer review crisis. As many of you know, it's becoming significantly more difficult for journal editors to find scholars willing to serve as peer reviewers for submitted manuscripts.

An excellent explainer from @eloisegibson.bsky.social on the sorry state of our ETS. Meanwhile the extreme events keep coming, here and around the world. www.rnz.co.nz/news/what-yo...

We are looking for a technician to support our work on greenhouse gas emissions #ghg from drained #peat. We use eddy covariance and chambers. You will support a team of researchers and students in the waiber.com team www.seek.co.nz/University-o...

a shame

New research from my colleagues out today looking at the environmental and social impacts of food crop-based biofuels in the US, where we now use >30% of the corn supply and >40% of the soybean oil supply (on tens of millions of acres of prime cropland) to produce only ~6% of US transport fuel. 🧪

Interesting reaction from the NZ prime minister to our letter: ‘He said it was lovely there were "worthies" who wanted to send him letters, but academics "might want to direct their focus and their letters to other countries"’ www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

"In the open letter, the scientists say aiming for "no additional warming" implied that current methane emissions levels were acceptable, when they were not." www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

The signatories here are top shelf and worth listening too. biogenicmethane.org#letter

Here’s Stan Walker’s “load of crap” at the Aotearoa Music Awards - and the now very public reaction from embattled Leader of the House & Senior Cabinet Minister Chris Bishop, including his deeply embarrassing schooling from New Zealand music royalty, Don McGlashan #shutupyoudickhead

I don't think anyone outside of universities, pharma and biotech, independent research institutions have any idea of what is happening right now. If you haven't sounded the alarm among your friends, family and colleagues, now is the time to do it.

Catriona Hurd gave a great talk at #LiegeOcean25 showing why ocean afforestation with seaweed for CO₂ removal (CDR) is bullshit.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we have the Haka which can seem very confrontational but here is a better explanation. "recognising the mana of their teacher, colleague, friend" wbn.co.nz/2025/05/22/t...

Wonder why researchers go to the Congo. Check out: theconversation.com/drcs-plan-fo...? by @johansix.bsky.social and team If DRC government can try this, why are richer countries lagging behind?

My latest for @science.org on NZ's "shuffling of deck chairs" science and innovation budget, with @nzscientists.bsky.social et al and excellent editing by @mattbwarren.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

h/t @kirstyjohnston.bsky.social for the OIAs. Audio of the Morning Report piece on this, here: www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro... www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Excited to see this paper out. Development and implementation of a nationwide soil carbon monitoring network. Sets NZ up for the future to track changes in soil carbon for dominant landuses. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

this letter is good for so many reasons but the best one is that it highlights just how much randos who obsess over this are weird as hell (the walz thing worked for a reason...it's weird to care this much about what kids are doing when its their business!)

***NOW ONE OF OUR MOST READ ARTICLES*** Evaluation of the potential for nine established and emerging interventions to reduce #soil carbon losses and increase stocks in grazing systems: A case study for Aotearoa New Zealand Whitehead et al. #OpenAccess #soilscience doi.org/10.1111/sum....

Seriously? " Endeavour Fund 2026 investment round will not invite applications. This change doesn’t affect the 2025 funding round.": www.mbie.govt.nz/science-and-...

Pseudo-archeology & the mystification of history for sometimes cynical, commercial or contrarian motives has been on the rise. So I thought I create some arguments based an anti-science communication tactics & invite @flintdibble.bsky.social to comment whether he has encountered any of them? 😏 1/