🚨 Imposter alert 🚨 Studies into everything from cancer and HIV being plagued by "fraudulent" participants Includes people pretending to have the diseases It's undermining the reliability of trials and potentially harming patients Stark warning here: www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

Pleased to have my investigation into the impacts of upheavals at US research agencies on UK universities picked up by @rhysblakely.bsky.social for The Times Exclusive for @resprofnews.bsky.social: US research agency upheaval costs UK universities millions www.thetimes.com/uk/education...

"Scholars will not be able to resist speculating. Could this portrait have been a gift from Southampton to Shakespeare? … no other man of the time cultivated as androgynous an image." @rhysblakely.bsky.social reports a portrait miniature with a hidden secret: www.thetimes.com/article/ba9c...

Incredible. Roland Reisley is 101 years old, the last original client of Frank Lloyd Wright. He still lives in the 3,200 square foot home that Wright built for him in 1952. The price? $40,000. Or a little less than half a million in today's money.

Important reporting from Gaza:

I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science

My FoIs reveal that the Trump administration has halted more than 20 projects at UK Russell Group universities including one on forced child begging in Niger. One researcher whose project was affected tells me they “felt like their funding had been used as a pawn”.

[email protected] -- Hi Adam, Do you have a moment to talk to The Times about Pain/Portugal? Please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks - Rhys [email protected]

‘In the century to 2010-12, life expectancy increased by nearly three years every decade. Between 2011-18 it increased by only 0.4 years for males and 0.2 years for females - and it was virtually flat between 2014 & 2018.’ Big piece from @rhysblakely.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/article/9aee...

“Just looking at these neurons shows you their detail and scale in a way that makes you appreciate the brain with a sense of awe.” - Forrest Collman @rhysblakely.bsky.social for @thetimes.com dives into the most complete map yet of the brain's wiring & activity: www.thetimes.com/article/94bc... 🧠📈

What Earth’s biggest animals could teach us about beating cancer 📰(£) Rhys Blakely (@rhysblakely.bsky.social) @thetimes.com writes about Alex Cagan's (@atjcagan.bsky.social) work exploring cancer resistance across the animal kingdom ⤵️ www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

Terrified of public speaking? I've written about a free virtual reality platform from Cambridge University that could help you conquer your fears -- and the article is free to read, with The Times paywall down this weekend.... www.thetimes.com/article/dc9c...

The Times is free to read this weekend, with the paywall taken down. Here's something I've helped to write on the likely impact of US and UK foreign aid cuts.... www.thetimes.com/article/fd77...

Interesting twist on Doctorow's law of enshittification.... We’re all suffering from qualitynesia now - on.ft.com/3ZlwHf5 via @FT

Interested in reading about science and health? ⚛️⚕️ Do follow my colleagues at @thetimes.com: Science Editor: @whippletom.bsky.social Science Correspondent: @rhysblakely.bsky.social Health Editor: @eleanorhayward.bsky.social Health Correspondent: @poppykoronka.bsky.social

A person on a bicycle is by far the most energy-efficient among animals and machines per distance traveled relative to body weight. The bicycle is magic. www.jstor.org/stable/24923...

Royal Society fellow Dorothy Bishop (@deevybee.bsky.social) resigns over Elon Musk membership. Bishop claims Musk has violated RS code of conduct, and is not prepared to treat him "collegially and with courtesy" as that code requires. Free to read. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...

The world’s largest known coral has been discovered in the Solomon Islands after a National Geographic/Pristine Seas expedition. The Pavona clavus measures 34 meters across and 32 meters in length. news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

When I was 5, I loved science, which I took to be planets and magnets and chemicals and shit. Soon I realized science was a collective human activity, and these were just the objects of its attention. Anyway, whenever I read an OpEd on how science isn't political, I think "Are you 5 years old?"

Reform MP James McMurdock was jailed for repeatedly kicking his girlfriend. He had told the media he was jailed for "pushing" his former partner in 2006. Court records obtained by The Times say the sentence was given because of "the serious nature of the offence”. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

NEW: Three priests have had their permission to officiate suspended by the Diocese of London after they were named in the report that led the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign Is "pending further investigation" into their knowledge of John Smyth's abuses www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/...

Tesla drivers appear to be crazy dangerous, compared to other drivers...

Truly rage-inducing this; our legislators should really think about the societal damage becoming the libel capital of the world has done

Absolutely fascinating this. Classlessness is so 1990s.

I reviewed Jordan Peterson's new book. Never read anything like it. Really quite deranged. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

James Marriott does not like Jordan Peterson’s new book www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

Fascinating interview with the Pope's chief astronomer from @kayaburgess.bsky.social -- lots to think about on the relationship between science and religion, and how it's ranged from conflict to collaboration... www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/...

Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with US-supplied long-range missiles www.ft.com/content/cc56...

The decoy keyboard is working

So you want more science journalism in your feed? Follow @hannahdevlin.bsky.social (Guardian) @whippletom.bsky.social / @rhysblakely.bsky.social (Times) and @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social (Nature).

Did you know that the liquid iron that makes up most of the outer core of the Earth has the viscosity of water? And also, that the Magnetic North Pole is moving towards Russia in a way scientists haven't observed before? Read all about it... www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

What a chart. www.economist.com/interactive/...

#COP29 news • Climate talks process "not fit for purpose", says former UN climate chief, former UN SG Ban Ki-Moon & more. Letter here (quote from release): www.clubofrome.org/cop-reform-2... • 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists there. Down from 2,456 last year kickbigpollutersout.org/COP29FossilF...

Best reader comment so far today...

🗞️ More and more Times and Sunday Times journalists and staff are joining BlueSky. We’ll be updating this starter kit as they do so, you should give them a follow 👇

Donald Trump’s presidency may have only a small impact on exacerbating global warming, researchers at #COP29 have suggested Climate Action Tracker found he would add just 0.04C by 2100, on top of 2.7C of warming But much worse if he axes US net zero goal. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

In WW2, the British government mobilized to create a global, distributed logistics chain aimed solely at keeping Britain supplied with one resource. Flagged as a critical war effort, at times it carried a shipping priority higher than munitions. That resource was Tea. 🧵 /1 (Image: IWM D 10405)