In October I got to go on the ship people wanted to call Boaty McBoatface before it headed off to the Antarctic to study its future in our changing climate. Mariana from @chemistryworld.com made the video, and I wrote this article: www.chemistryworld.com/features/the... I hope you enjoy them both!

Did you know that the gases in one tiny blue asthma inhaler can cause as much global heating as 30kg of CO2? You can read all about it in my @chemistryworld.com story at bit.ly/greeninhaler

A few thoughts on the future of science journalism from a talk I gave recently--at UCL for the American Association of Science Journalism. open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

This line hit me hard: "For decades, the oil and gas industry has promised jobs but delivered health risks, poisoned groundwater and dead fisheries." So many promises at the moment, we need to be very careful about which ones to trust

My fear is scientists will just sit by & be complicit. Saying you are for 1.5C or net zero is not ambition. If rich country GHG or CO2 emissions are not dropping at >5% per year, they are not remotely consistent with 1.5C, nor net zero in a reasonable time frame. Scientists need to point this out.

FYI @andyextance.bsky.social @absw.bsky.social @wpk.bsky.social @serrapilheira.org

1/2 We just published the Global Carbon Budget 2025, with a mix of bad news (CO2 emissions continue to grow) and encouraging news (35 countries saw emissions decline over the past decade while growing their economies). Read the highlights in a short article: theconversation.com/the-worlds-c...

NEW: Global fossil fuel use will peak before 2030 – unless 'stated policies' are abandoned Contra some terrible news coverage, IEA World Energy Outlook shows coal near peak, oil peaking by 2030 & gas by 2035 (see chart) What's going on? 🧵 + cool charts www.carbonbrief.org/iea-fossil-f...

This amazing-looking solar farm uses an exciting new technology now being manufactured in China. You can read about it in my new Chemical and Engineering News story at bit.ly/ChinaPerovskite It's good to share some positive news for a change! 🧪

Permastink is as gross as it sounds. It's the lingering smell on polyester sportswear, and leads to people throwing away otherwise good quality clothes. Preventing permastink is therefore important for our environment. My explainer in @chemistryworld.com: www.chemistryworld.com/news/explain... 🧪

Rare genetic diseases like Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy in are desperately horrible, and when people die from treatments that's tragic. But when the need is so great, sometimes the risk is worth it. My story in @chemistryworld.com www.chemistryworld.com/news/sarepta...

Regulators block Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment after fatal side-effects outweigh questionable efficacy.

Two physicists from different disciplines met at a climate protest (as you do). They got to talking about their research (as you do). Within a year or so, they'd designed a new type of dark matter detector experiment (as you...wait, what?). First results here: 🧪⚛️ physicsworld.com/a/new-experi...

Enjoying hearing from Jon Roozenbeek at #abswss25 about the tobacco 'disinformation playbook' shared pseudonymously by a 'Mr Butss' with three elements: - Sow doubt - Counter attack - Don't lie (too much) Sound familiar?

Recycled PV cells achieve efficiencies similar to commercial cells, promoting material reuse. Recycling methods recover 60-95% of materials, but face challenges like emissions and costs. 🧪 🔌💡 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Ireland joins the growing number of nations that are now coal free for electricity generation. 💪 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🔋 electrek.co/2025/06/20/i...

Climate activism is scary, and is facing increasing resistance, but also connects you to some amazing people. That was my message when interviewed in January by Deutsche Welle, the German equivalent of BBC World Service, about my arrest while protesting with Just Stop Oil: pod.link/livingplanet...

My latest story for Chemistry World describes UK oil refineries' ambitious attempts to ensure they don't go from economic lynchpins to historic relics. 🛢️ Read it here: 🤳 www.chemistryworld.com/features/how...

#abswss25 is on June 26th, but registration closes this Friday, June 13th, at 5pm. Tickets start at just £30, including a hybrid option if you can't be in London on the day. I hope to see many of you there - register now to make it happen, if you haven't already!

By the way, because this is hybrid, it's also open to attendees from other countries. If the UK timezone is manageable for you, and you want to learn about science writing/journalism, feel free to sign up!

Green hydrogen could be central to our energy future, but requires lots of water and electricity. Making it straight from seawater could be a niche technology, but pilots and 'factory-scale research' are already underway. My latest at @chemistryworld.com: www.chemistryworld.com/news/what-ar...

Learning from other people usually much so deeper and richer than doing so alone. So I'm really looking forward to seeing with colleagues at the @absw.bsky.social Summer School on June 26th. Tickets are available from just £30: please do come and connect with us. www.absw.org.uk/pages/regist...

What can we do within the #scicomm community to tackle misinformation? Our @scicommcentre.eu session at #PCST2025 will be addressing this question. If you are at PCST2025 come along to Conference Suite 3 at 2pm today (Thurs) for the discussion. Photo: Mika Baumeister, Unsplash #science

Are you a journalist who reports on research integrity issues for a Canadian or UK outlet? If so, we want to hear from you! 🚨Note: X is a public space, so engaging with this thread will publicly associate you with this study—even if you don’t participate.🚨

#ABSWmembers #ScottishSocial @andyextance.bsky.social Chair of @absw.bsky.social invites members attending #PCST Conference in #Aberdeen or local members to join an informal networking event 📆Thursday, 29 May 2025 🕚 18:30 📍The Blue Lamp Come along and bring a friend👉zurl.co/XTP2l

While in some ways Bluesky's similarity to Twitter is welcome, keeping the lack of ability to edit posts is not 🤦‍♂️

Having written many stories about exciting new chemistry AI technologies, I wondered how easy it would be for people to try for themselves. This story is the outcome of that curiosity – read on for two interesting takeaways and a piece of snark. cen.acs.org/physical-che...

Congratulations to all the finalists! I'll be looking forward to catching up on all the best science writing and reporting that I hadn't already seen - the shortlisted entries are always excellent.

You have until next Wednesday to book an 'early bird' ticket and save up to 50%! I'm running a "Journalism From Scientific Papers" session with the amazing @emmastoye.bsky.social @sarahemilywild.bsky.social and @dalmeet.bsky.social, covering the basics and more sophisticated stuff. Sign up now!

Major research funding cuts in the US are also affecting popular science YouTube channels, which relied on the small segment of funding budgets that were set aside for outreach. (Well, "small" for the funders, but a big part of income for YouTube channels) #scicomm www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQjF...

#ABSW #ConfictZone Studies in Survival - Science and Conflict in Gaza and Beyond 📆 Thursday, February 27, 18:00-19:30 GMT Chaired by @andyextance.bsky.social 🎤 Meet our speakers 🔗zurl.co/Pe8z4

While easy to make and versatile enough to go on everyday devices, perovskite solar cells are hampered by poor stability and lead toxicity. It should be possible to cheaply and cleanly recycle them, which enhances their chances of commercial success. My story: www.chemistryworld.com/news/reproce...

I was today years old when I discovered pure calcium metal can be a bit yellowy. I have seen a photo that looks yellow and is apparently 99.999% pure but is copyrighted so I can't share it here. Most online photos of calcium don't look yellow. Anyone know the scientific reason why this could be?

As US President Donald Trump adds further confusion to the Middle East crisis, I'm chairing an online @absw.bsky.social event on February 27th at 6pm UK time on how education and research drive change even in the most challenging environments. Register for free: www.absw.org.uk/events/scien...

Going to be a bit of a vicious cycle if the narrative continues to be that we can't fight climate change because of cost of living abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Welp. Not great. 🧪🦀https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/01/26/hermit-crabs-shells-plastic-trash/