I wrote about a really big squid and what it reveals about our study of the deep sea. For squid, for whales, but primarily for @NautilusMag. nautil.us/the-mystery-of-the… 🦑💡💡

Reading through 20-year-old studies on heat stress and imagining a time that's still full of hope for the future.

I'm going to take a few days to decompress from part-time extrovert to my normal niche of introvert. Hope to speak to many of you again soon, or meet in the future. #SEB2023

Thanks to everyone at #SEB2023: the organisers for allowing a nosey writer to loiter around the lecture halls for a few days, and to all the science folks for chatting about their work. Narwals, frogs, geese, tardigrades, worms, worms, and more worms—what a world 🌎🌍🌏

"in the open ocean, elephant seals sleep less than two hours per day—while on land, they doze more than 10 hours a day." Similar to journalists the week of a deadline and straight after submission. I see you elephant seals. nationalgeographic.com/anima…

Person who has no idea what a microscope does selling a microscope:

I wrote about the flu virus that is killing seabirds around the world, and why this is so unusual. Spoiler: we’re to blame. For @hakaimagazine. hakaimagazine.com/news/the-r…

Beavers are back and they're here to stay. 🦫 🇬🇧❤️

ffs. "In the 18-month trial, patients who received lecanemab did 0.45 points better on the test than those receiving placebo, a result that hit the threshold of statistical significance, meaning it’s unlikely to be the result of random chance." statnews.com/2022/09/27/alzh…

I wrote about a hugely successful project in coral conservation, a beacon of hope in a time of mass bleaching, disease, and loss. In an open-top aquarium, a few rows of branching, brownish-yellow coral provide a window into the future of managed reefs. hakaimagazine.com/features/a…

I'm critical and cautious of psychedelic therapy. It's not a popular stance, and certainly won't get me a Netflix series. But it is necessary. Science should be skeptical until evidence shows otherwise. My @Ri_Science talk from earlier this year. youtube.com/watch?v=HV1NuxDY…

A piece that I always hoped would come out re. Sapiens. It's also worth noting that the publishing industry allows such "populist science" writers a platform. Fact checking isn't standard practice, fiction is often labelled as non-fiction. currentaffairs.org/2022/07/t…

Very important, and quite disturbing, analysis of psychedelic therapy, by @StuartJRitchie. In summary: "LSD (Lots of Scientific Difficulties)" stuartritchie.substack.com/p…

A few recs for more info: @StuartJRitchie's 'Science Fictions' for bias & hype in sci method sciencefictions.org/ @NYMag's Cover Story for abuse in psychedelic therapy bit.ly/3sokiGN @d_a_robson's 'Expectation Effect' for placebo effects davidrobson.me/books/the-exp…

Thanks to everyone who came to the Royal Institution last night, and to those who watched online. It was a pleasure, @Ri_Science, thanks for having me.

Sit tight. I'm on my way.