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.

Finally presenting! #agu24

Universities have absorbed a 30% cut in home student fee income since 2012. London rents have surged 18% in the last 2 yrs. And the DfE’s policy is to ‘expect’ unis & landlords to do better. That’s irresponsible neglect. on.ft.com/3ZKre2C

Scientific drilling #ANZIC team at #AGU24 🌊🌏 What a week!

Ah, the same way they convince people of all the other contradictory things they do. "We care deeply about undergraduate teaching, but only reward faculty for federal grants and research" - stuff like that.

Antuco volcano is sitting on a sedimentary substratum 🌋 Check out this fold in the sediments! 😮

#agu24 is a bit too big. Please scale back. Likely my last visit; when I first went it was 10k. now 25k; it is too much.

In a mega long q for #agu2024 registration. There must be a better way? Given the usd 800 registration fee couldn't they post the badge before hand? Get amazon to sort it out?

Photo from NMG's end of year thanks giving dinner last week; we have stopped doing anything to do with X.

Tred solving a relatively simple equation using chatgpt. Took 5 mins and gave the wrong answer. Did it in wolfram alpha. Took 1 s and was correct. Please take note!

And I am off. Off to AGU. First time in person since 2018.

@agu.org I’m not sure if it’s possible to do this last minute, but could you remove X as the default platform for posting on the #agu24 app? Aside from all the issues with the platform, we aren’t there anymore. We’re here!

OTD British Earthquakes: Scotland’s largest earthquake. 28 Nov. 1880 17:45UTC M5.2 Loch Awe, Argyll. Felt West Scotland and Northern Ireland. Like most large UK ‘quakes, deep crustal. If you don’t have seismometers available, use lighthouse keepers… ⚒️🧪

Just moved here from the other site.