I just found out that I’m older than ciabatta bread and I’m not okay with that. What do you mean a fully established bread was invented in my lifetime? That seems like something that would happen to ancient Romans but not to someone who was online in her teens. What.

This is so cool! And it shows a creative science idea from the '80s having impact today, in case you needed another example to argue for more blue skies* research funding. *(Not to be confused with Bluesky research funding)

I've never been in the office on a Friday before and some of these people are people I've never seen. I also got the sense that my usual hot desking space is often used by someone else on Fridays, but we both have a right to it and I was here first!

It's hard to write about science when I can't see what it *looks* like, so sometimes I look at Youtube videos just to see the process. I'm just writing a few sentences about synchrotrons and this four-year-old video from EPFL was really helpful in making things click. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LioY...

Ever fretted about not having a handy place to keep all your leeches? Well, here it is ~ handsome 1860s earthenware jar designed for apothecaries to store their medicinal leeches, with perforated lid so the little fellows can breathe collection.maas.museum/object/182254

Christophe Haubursin reports on the problem of paper mills. I usually only see this topic discussed among publishers or academics, so this was a fresh take. It shows the kind of niche topics independent journalists can tackle. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEwi...

It's been 15 months since I last wrote a news update on my website, so here's my annual check in with some projects of the past year. evaamsen.com/some-recent-...

I learned all about saRNA last week. Article is up now: www.livescience.com/health/a-sin...

It's a very Monday morning. Internet is not working well so I'm using up all my 4G data. I have a deadline tomorrow with about 800 words still to write. I just wrote a sentence that so far only says "precision medicine" and I can't remember what I was going to say.

A long issue of Mixture, but not as long as the three hour @nebula.tv documentary I review in it. (tldr: I thought it was too long but it's very interesting). And there’s more in this issue! (Links! Videos! Gifs!) #scicomm 🧪 mixture.substack.com/p/review-of-...

A long issue of Mixture, but not as long as the three hour @nebula.tv documentary I review in it. (tldr: I thought it was too long but it's very interesting). And there’s more in this issue! (Links! Videos! Gifs!) #scicomm 🧪 mixture.substack.com/p/review-of-...

This is starting now for anyone who wants to listen!

If you're interested in learning more about science writing in other countries, drop in to the free EFSJ webinar today 18:00 CET (17:00 UK time) to hear Mićo Tatalović and Renata Dacinger talk about the Balkan Network of Science Journalists. #scicomm efsj.eu/event/webina...

💪 The @absw.bsky.social Board strongly supports the CLEAR Framework for AI presented in the report 'Brave New World? Justice for Creators in the Age of Gen AI'. #JusticeForCreators #AI (1/2) 🔗 www.absw.org.uk/articles/cre...

I'm one of many professors quoted in this report from Alice Speri. I really appreciate The Guardian taking an angle which has basically eluded every other major outlet.

Having the Ig Nobels leave the US for safety reasons is a pretty on point example of the situation here apnews.com/article/ig-n...

My mom is coming to visit so this is my current mode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBwE...

In my first piece for Live Science I wrote about a new drug for a rare form of epilepsy. www.livescience.com/health/groun...

In my first piece for Live Science I wrote about a new drug for a rare form of epilepsy. www.livescience.com/health/groun...

Happy #worldbookday to all books and their readers. If you’re looking for a quick science read, take a look at “Hey, There’s Science In This” evaamsen.com/HTSIT/

New Mixture is up! It’s about the evolution of why some people can drink milk, how some people are using it to support their racist views, and what that has to do with a book I recently reviewed for @undark.org 🧪 #scicomm mixture.substack.com/p/digesting-...

New Mixture is up! It’s about the evolution of why some people can drink milk, how some people are using it to support their racist views, and what that has to do with a book I recently reviewed for @undark.org 🧪 #scicomm mixture.substack.com/p/digesting-...

My iPhone made me a “pet friends” collection with photos of the foxes that lived in the garden last year. Does it maybe think that they’re dogs or cats? Nope, the phone correctly identifies them as red foxes. Apple just thinks I keep foxes as pets.

This twelve-year-old blog post (2014!) from @flyingtrilobite.com came up in my Google alerts today (2026). Look how delightfully outdated it is :D www.scientificamerican.com/blog/symbiar...

Half day in the office so I could run some errands but I ended up wandering the heath

I understand why chatbot cheating happens but every time I read about it I want to gently remind everyone that the point of schoolwork is not for the submission to exist. Teachers are not just greedy for more essays or solved equations. The point is to do the work WITH YOUR OWN BRAIN, FOR LEARNING.

Something I worked on last year is now live: the Digital Museum of Learning (@dmolearning.bsky.social) story "What can I learn from sounds?" It's meant for children and part of the larger "Teaming up with Technology for Learning" virtual exhibition. #scicomm www.museumoflearning.org/stories/what...

My favourite neuromyth is the myth that neuroplasticity stops after young adulthood. In fact, even older brains still adapt! Here's more about that from Laura Elin Pigott and Siobhan Mclernon: theconversation.com/scientists-o...

When I first moved to the UK, I really did avoid Yorkie bars because the "not for girls" on the wrapper made me think it was unusual (like beef flavoured or something else to make it more "manly"). It was just chocolate. www.businessinsider.com/the-story-be...

Italy promised durable Olympic medals. Science had other plans

This headline is the best example of Dutch nuance/Calvinism (where you always have to put things in perspective and can't enjoy things too much). It says "Wednesday short sleeves weather with local temperatures of 20 degrees, from Thursday Sahara sand."

Brainwashing, 2026 edition. This paper shows how X's algorithmic feed shifts people's views rightwards. It's a sophisticated, highly effective form of reorientation. And it is utterly chilling. If you're still on that platform, unhook yourself now. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I reviewed "What we inherit" for Undark. "If even two experts writing a book together don’t always see eye to eye about genetics research, then the public discussion is even more of a minefield." 🧪 undark.org/2026/02/20/b...

I’ve taken the paywall off much of the Mixture archive, so that only posts older than 3 years are now archived. Some posts still have internal paywalls, but you can browse much more of the page now. Enjoy! mixture.substack.com

I reviewed "What we inherit" for Undark. "If even two experts writing a book together don’t always see eye to eye about genetics research, then the public discussion is even more of a minefield." 🧪 undark.org/2026/02/20/b...

January 1st = new year my birthday = second* try at new year lunar new year = third* try at new year new tax year in April = fourth try at new year new academic year in September = okay, no, THIS is the new year *sometimes these are switched for me but this was this year's order

I had a very serious look at whether I could move my newsletter from Substack to a different platform. Like, I spent HOURS on this and already emailed my paying subs that I was planning a move. However, once I was in the middle of moving, I realised that it wouldn't work.

Reminds me of this. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific....

I just did the dumbest thing of my entire career to prove a much more serious point. I tricked ChatGPT and Google, and made them tell other users I’m a competitive hot-dog-eating world champion People are using this trick on a massive scale to make AI tell you lies. I’ll explain how I did it

I had a very serious look at whether I could move my newsletter from Substack to a different platform. Like, I spent HOURS on this and already emailed my paying subs that I was planning a move. However, once I was in the middle of moving, I realised that it wouldn't work.

"another month at least" www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

This is starting now! Find the call link in the linked post. #scicomm #journalism

Key NIH research institute told to remove references to 'pandemic preparedness' ino.to/4SWu7Ib

But there’s another pathway that has existed for decades: green open access. Known as self-archiving, allows authors to share the accepted manuscript of a paper – the peer-reviewed version before journal formatting – through a university repository. Most publishers permit this after an embargo

Tomorrow the EFSJ is hosting a very cool webinar for science journalists. Oxpeckers are sharing how they used their digital tools in environmental investigative journalism. Free to attend! 18 Feb 5PM CET (4PM UK) #scicomm #journalism efsj.eu/event/webina...

An independent cinema operator from Hackney is to take over the former Catford Mews site – 15 months after the previous operator was evicted for non-payment of rent. Castle Cinema already operates another former Really Local Group site in Sidcup. greenwichwire.co.uk/2026/02/17/c...

Tomorrow the EFSJ is hosting a very cool webinar for science journalists. Oxpeckers are sharing how they used their digital tools in environmental investigative journalism. Free to attend! 18 Feb 5PM CET (4PM UK) #scicomm #journalism efsj.eu/event/webina...

Also, if you borrow an author's book from a library in the UK, that author gets more than 12 pence per loan in Public Lending Rights. Any author can earn up to £6,600 per year this way.

Still thinking about the fake fossils. Who even falls for this? (Johann Beringer, apparently.)

the classic NO AI ONLY BRAIN in purple and blue watercolor artologica.etsy.com/listing/4458...