Just finished listening to @empirepoduk.bsky.social 's excellant series on the Bronze Age in the eastern Mediterranean and West Asia. One of the best series on the pod. Bravo @willdalrymple.bsky.social, Anita and guests. 337. Bronze Age Apocalypse (Ep 6) www.podbean.com/ea/dir-5rifh...

Finally listened to the last @empirepoduk.bsky.social pod on George Orwell. For someone i have always enjoyed reading, and recommend to my grad students (his writing is succinct), I was shocked. The way he treated the women in his life was truly awful. www.podbean.com/ea/dir-rhaqt...

Rise in top grades at English universities sparks alarm - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Does Imperial have a grade inflation problem?

Agree with this article. Most of the students i seem to be teaching these days are from privileged backgrounds. Anecdotal i know, but doesn't feel like the rich kids are at a disadvantage, and if anything there are less working class students than 10 yrs ago. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I see increasing engagement with these predators. I have had to tell students my opinions about having such publications on their CV. www.thecable.ng/predatory-jo...

This one belongs to the clan of @willdalrymple.bsky.social

Are you AI, or simply a grammar pedant? - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Paper led by Phd-student Kemiso Tshwenyego and others on the Palaeoproterozoic palaeomagnetic field. Well done on his first paper. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Recent mail from @agu.org about their annual meeting. Water bottle... Professional clothes... Light sweater... Comfortable shoes for walking and standing.... This is like a packing list for a bunch of kids going on a junior school trip. @agu.org is this really what you think of your attendees?

Framboidal pyrrhotite? I didn't believe it either at first, but yes it appears to exist. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Might be a fault somewhere in the pic? #Oman

#Oman #ophiolite

Some chert action in Oman.

If you want to check work emails on your private android phone, #Imperial IT have now made it compulsory for them to have admin rights on your private phone. You know what the answer is.

As cross-subsidisation falters, the UK must rethink research funding www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/cros...

Though not a fellow, I am a former Royal Soc. URF. It's time for the @royalsociety.org to remove Musk's FRS status.

A great paper from the Natural Magnetism Group of @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social and @imperialsci.bsky.social all about the development of the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus!! @adrianmuxworthy.bsky.social doi.org/10.1029/2024...

"Only 33% of Reform voters believe the climate crisis is caused by human activity, compared with 54% of the public in general." Only 54% of UK general public!!!!! People need to wake up and smell the coffee. @davidho.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The overseas levy on overseas students sounds a bit like a tariff.

Took the high-speed train from Beijing to Nanjing last night. About 1000 km in just under 3.5 hours. Impressive. UK needs to wake up to the 21st century. #HS2

This sounds like double dipping. Overseas fees are already used to subsidise UK students, whose fees don't cover the cost of teaching them. Seems that a 6% will then be used for what, subsidise UK education again? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

This is rather pathetic, that the EU won't even suspend Israel from the Horizon research programme. #BackBone www.politico.eu/article/isra...

"For experts in the US, the time spent reviewing that year amounted to more than $1.5bn of free labour." Those journals really need to reduce their shareholder dividends, and start paying their editors and reviewers. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Returning back to London after a couple of days in Minneapolis. My US colleagues appear very negative about the current situation in the US.

At the IRM Conference this week in Minneapolis.

Significant Figures..... they are not that hard are they?

Nothing screams out "written by ChatGPT" more than excessive use of em dashes.

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

Donald Trump vs the universities: how far will it go? - on.ft.com/4cnFXp2 via @FT

Wow. California State University, UC-Berkeley, UC-Davis, UC-San Diego and U of SF are ALL urging foreign-born students, faculty and staff to reconsider international travel because there's no telling whether the Trump administration will allow them to re-enter. www.desertsun.com/story/news/n...

🏆 Research integrity consultant and image forensics expert @elisabethbik.bsky.social has uncovered fraudulent data in over 7,600 scientific papers and exposed the practices of ‘paper mills’ that produce counterfeit scientific articles. She is honoured with the €200K Individual Award. Congrats!

Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein is known for two great bicycle quotes: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” and “I thought of that while riding my bicycle.” (referring to the theory of relativity) #BicycleBirthday Albert Einstein March 14, 1879

New paper led by the Natural Magnetism Group at Imperial College, on grain size distributions of magnetic minerals in basalts. #NMGIC agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

On a record academic year for writing UG references. On 24 so far and counting.

Latest paper. #NMGIC agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

This is why you don't design curricula around "jobs of the future". We can't predict the future but we do know what general skills and knowledge will be valuable whatever job you do.

If the UK wants to lead in AI, it must fund more PhDs - on.ft.com/3CoLdv4 via @FT

Fall in UK university core science courses stokes fears for industrial strategy - on.ft.com/3E0kzcc via @FT

Students priced out of London as rents rise faster than loans - on.ft.com/49Fz2X5 via @FT

Need to return to exam conditions for assessments: written and oral. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Post #agu24 thoughts. It would be great of all those people who didn't get visas could get them; is there anything @agu.org can do to facilitate this?

Observations from the US. Why am I signing when I pay. This is the 21st C. Feels very old fashioned to have to sign cheques. I haven't done this in 20 yrs in London. Is this a tipping issue? #20thC

On the way to the airport after a great week in DC and #agu24.