Angela Cassidy
@angecass.bsky.social
Undisciplined scholar. Researching science, society+policy; humans-animals-environments; #OneHealth #microbes #STS #HistSTM #scicomm.
Author, 'Vermin, Victims and Disease: British Debates over Badgers and Bovine TB'
Author, 'Vermin, Victims and Disease: British Debates over Badgers and Bovine TB'
Pinned
Angela Cassidy
@angecass.bsky.social
· Nov 13
We've written a Researcher's Guide to Bluesky!
It's a bit like all those other useful guides to Bluesky, but with several useful insights from University of York academics about using the platform, and we'd love it if it was reposted far and wide...
>> blogs.york.ac.uk/library/2024...
🧵 below
It's a bit like all those other useful guides to Bluesky, but with several useful insights from University of York academics about using the platform, and we'd love it if it was reposted far and wide...
>> blogs.york.ac.uk/library/2024...
🧵 below
The Researcher’s Guide to Bluesky – The Library, Learning, Archives and Wellbeing Blog
blogs.york.ac.uk
Please please, GIVE ME A SIGN YOU'RE REAL!
"1. Fill out your profile BEFORE you start following people: issue is that accounts with generic avatars and no biography or introductory text are perceived as likely to be bots, so users not only eschew following back but they may even automatically block"
"1. Fill out your profile BEFORE you start following people: issue is that accounts with generic avatars and no biography or introductory text are perceived as likely to be bots, so users not only eschew following back but they may even automatically block"
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Bogs. Quagmires. Peatlands. Squidgy worlds full of beginnings and endings.
Inspired by bogs, we hope our poetry & creative approaches will help you get stuck into understanding & caring for #peatlands.
Discover the squelchy world of 'BogTalk' below.
renewbiodiversity.org.uk/bog-talk-poe...
Inspired by bogs, we hope our poetry & creative approaches will help you get stuck into understanding & caring for #peatlands.
Discover the squelchy world of 'BogTalk' below.
renewbiodiversity.org.uk/bog-talk-poe...
November 25, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Bogs. Quagmires. Peatlands. Squidgy worlds full of beginnings and endings.
Inspired by bogs, we hope our poetry & creative approaches will help you get stuck into understanding & caring for #peatlands.
Discover the squelchy world of 'BogTalk' below.
renewbiodiversity.org.uk/bog-talk-poe...
Inspired by bogs, we hope our poetry & creative approaches will help you get stuck into understanding & caring for #peatlands.
Discover the squelchy world of 'BogTalk' below.
renewbiodiversity.org.uk/bog-talk-poe...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Come and visit us in Helsinki next year! Feel free to drop a message if you have any questions about the centre and the cool people doing work here.
📢CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: CSSM Visiting Fellowships for May 2026. The CSSM is looking for three fellows at any career stage for the month of May 2026!
📅Application deadline: 8 January 2026
🦠For more details, please visit our website: www.socialmicrobes.org/current/call...
📅Application deadline: 8 January 2026
🦠For more details, please visit our website: www.socialmicrobes.org/current/call...
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: CSSM Visiting Fellowships for May 2026 – The Centre for the Social Study of Microbes
The Centre for the Social Study of Microbes at the University of Helsinki is looking for fellows for the month of May 2026. The annual CSSM fellowship is awarded to three scholars who may be at any ca...
www.socialmicrobes.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Come and visit us in Helsinki next year! Feel free to drop a message if you have any questions about the centre and the cool people doing work here.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
come on folks surely the spillover isn't the last word on this. I'll take pophist, or even non-pop sci at this point!
what're the hashtags I need for this? #Episky? 🧪
what're the hashtags I need for this? #Episky? 🧪
Has anyone written a good popsci book on zoonotic diseases post-covid?
November 24, 2025 at 10:54 AM
come on folks surely the spillover isn't the last word on this. I'll take pophist, or even non-pop sci at this point!
what're the hashtags I need for this? #Episky? 🧪
what're the hashtags I need for this? #Episky? 🧪
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Do not steal books, I beg. Borrow from a library. Libraries lend e-books!
November 24, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Do not steal books, I beg. Borrow from a library. Libraries lend e-books!
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Horrifying tale of penalties and fines imposed on a self-employed writer who left Substack:
"this month, I couldn’t afford to pay my rent without going into some savings I was trying desperately not to touch. I started to get truly scared about the impact it was having on my livelihood."
Vile.
"this month, I couldn’t afford to pay my rent without going into some savings I was trying desperately not to touch. I started to get truly scared about the impact it was having on my livelihood."
Vile.
This has lost me thousands of pounds (not to mention book sales) and put me in a state of terror and panic. I urge anyone thinking of moving their list from Substack, or wanting to know more about how Substack works, to read it....
I'm not going back to Substack. I will continue to post my newsletters from Ghost. But I did have to get back in there, just to post this and let people who thought I'd vanished know about this utter nightmare: substack.com/home/post/p-...
November 24, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Horrifying tale of penalties and fines imposed on a self-employed writer who left Substack:
"this month, I couldn’t afford to pay my rent without going into some savings I was trying desperately not to touch. I started to get truly scared about the impact it was having on my livelihood."
Vile.
"this month, I couldn’t afford to pay my rent without going into some savings I was trying desperately not to touch. I started to get truly scared about the impact it was having on my livelihood."
Vile.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
A thread about how microbiologists persuaded a bacterium to make an exciting new antibiotic candidate - work by @challis-group.bsky.social @correlab.bsky.social and colleagues #MicroSky
Oh my gosh. This is... A thing. Please allow a microbiologist who has played with the microbe that makes this to waffle on for a bit in a short thread. (1)
British and Australian chemists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, hiding in a well-known soil bacterium. This molecule kills drug-resistant bacteria without triggering resistance. buff.ly/YlXaONo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
November 23, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A thread about how microbiologists persuaded a bacterium to make an exciting new antibiotic candidate - work by @challis-group.bsky.social @correlab.bsky.social and colleagues #MicroSky
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Not sure how I’m just seeing this now — a succinct, smart open letter, so far signed by over 1100 professional educators, which articulates the key rationales of those of us who refuse the unsupported-by-facts pressure to adopt GenAI anywhere in the educational process. Read & consider signing.
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Not sure how I’m just seeing this now — a succinct, smart open letter, so far signed by over 1100 professional educators, which articulates the key rationales of those of us who refuse the unsupported-by-facts pressure to adopt GenAI anywhere in the educational process. Read & consider signing.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Oh my gosh. This is... A thing. Please allow a microbiologist who has played with the microbe that makes this to waffle on for a bit in a short thread. (1)
British and Australian chemists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, hiding in a well-known soil bacterium. This molecule kills drug-resistant bacteria without triggering resistance. buff.ly/YlXaONo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Scientists find hidden antibiotic 100x stronger against deadly superbugs
A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It…
buff.ly
November 16, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Oh my gosh. This is... A thing. Please allow a microbiologist who has played with the microbe that makes this to waffle on for a bit in a short thread. (1)
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
When Johnson said we weren't locking down, I tweeted "that's a hell of a roll of the dice". And I sat and did the maths, and my partner asked me why I was crying. And I said that I couldn't find a way that tens of thousands of people wouldn't die @mrjamesob.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 11:27 AM
When Johnson said we weren't locking down, I tweeted "that's a hell of a roll of the dice". And I sat and did the maths, and my partner asked me why I was crying. And I said that I couldn't find a way that tens of thousands of people wouldn't die @mrjamesob.bsky.social
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Chair at the EUI in the history of science. 5 years, with possibility of another 3. Deadline 8 Jan. If you’ve never been to the EUI it is stunning, and quite a place to spend a few years on secondment in one of these Chairs, or their other posts. www.eui.eu/Documents/Se...
November 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Chair at the EUI in the history of science. 5 years, with possibility of another 3. Deadline 8 Jan. If you’ve never been to the EUI it is stunning, and quite a place to spend a few years on secondment in one of these Chairs, or their other posts. www.eui.eu/Documents/Se...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Assistant Professor in the history of knowledge pre-1400, based in the Dept. of history and philosophy of science, Uni of Cambridge. FT, open-ended/permanent, £47-59k, closes 14 Dec. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPG062/a...
November 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Assistant Professor in the history of knowledge pre-1400, based in the Dept. of history and philosophy of science, Uni of Cambridge. FT, open-ended/permanent, £47-59k, closes 14 Dec. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPG062/a...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Some history of science jobs to share.
An assistant professorship in Environmental History at the Uni of Warwick, FT, open-ended/Permanent, £46-57k, deadline 5 Jan. I know some great people in that department, including historians of science.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...
An assistant professorship in Environmental History at the Uni of Warwick, FT, open-ended/Permanent, £46-57k, deadline 5 Jan. I know some great people in that department, including historians of science.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...
November 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Some history of science jobs to share.
An assistant professorship in Environmental History at the Uni of Warwick, FT, open-ended/Permanent, £46-57k, deadline 5 Jan. I know some great people in that department, including historians of science.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...
An assistant professorship in Environmental History at the Uni of Warwick, FT, open-ended/Permanent, £46-57k, deadline 5 Jan. I know some great people in that department, including historians of science.
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
This post and the threads it spawned are giving me hope for this site
Home Alone makes changes to the Die Hard formula that render it hard for me to enjoy. The McClain character should feel overawed. And in theory having Kevin be a child versus adults achieves that. But the thing is: Kevin is a god. It's not just Tom & Jerry. This is some random punks versus Anansi.
November 23, 2025 at 6:39 PM
This post and the threads it spawned are giving me hope for this site
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Has anyone written a good popsci book on zoonotic diseases post-covid?
November 22, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Has anyone written a good popsci book on zoonotic diseases post-covid?
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Interesting how the difference between feral and companion cats is emphasised to be obvious - reminds me of Mr Black, caught as feral, purring and snuggling after 2 months, and the kittens whose mum was killed, then turned domestic enough and adopted. How wild is wild, how domestic is domestic?
'Stone cold killer' feral cats added to Predator Free 2050 strategy, Conservation Minister announces
After initially suggesting feral cats stay out of the Predator Free plan, the government has done a U-turn, announcing they are now a target.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Interesting how the difference between feral and companion cats is emphasised to be obvious - reminds me of Mr Black, caught as feral, purring and snuggling after 2 months, and the kittens whose mum was killed, then turned domestic enough and adopted. How wild is wild, how domestic is domestic?
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
A short video teaser about our #STS analysis of the Bigfooting community. Book now out and currently £10 off on Routledge’s website: www.routledge.com/Bigfooters-a...
November 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM
A short video teaser about our #STS analysis of the Bigfooting community. Book now out and currently £10 off on Routledge’s website: www.routledge.com/Bigfooters-a...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
The use of motorway services in this image really underlines this is about excluding people from public life. When you stop at a motorway services, you're on your way somewhere else. It's the most banal space possible. Now we'll all have to check we conform to gender stereotypes in order to pee.
Fixed it for you. Idiots! If the exclusion is based on appearance then it will certainly impact cis folks as well as trans folks.
November 21, 2025 at 7:49 AM
The use of motorway services in this image really underlines this is about excluding people from public life. When you stop at a motorway services, you're on your way somewhere else. It's the most banal space possible. Now we'll all have to check we conform to gender stereotypes in order to pee.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
Once again, we are way too relaxed about the fact that "shooting Irish people is good actually" is a mainstream political position on the neighbouring island.
November 20, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Once again, we are way too relaxed about the fact that "shooting Irish people is good actually" is a mainstream political position on the neighbouring island.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
I was at a conference on Weds about use of AI in public services and noticed how AI as sticky tape over broken systems is becoming the norm, designing or implementing better systems is becoming more and more of a luxury.
November 21, 2025 at 8:01 AM
I was at a conference on Weds about use of AI in public services and noticed how AI as sticky tape over broken systems is becoming the norm, designing or implementing better systems is becoming more and more of a luxury.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
There is one more post to be written here, about how AI is now often an austerity technology, inserted into a human process to compensate for the fact that there is just not enough time and money, and many workers are expected to do more and more with less and less.
November 21, 2025 at 7:59 AM
There is one more post to be written here, about how AI is now often an austerity technology, inserted into a human process to compensate for the fact that there is just not enough time and money, and many workers are expected to do more and more with less and less.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
I've written up the findings from our work with people and organisations who have used AI notetakers in meetings, identified 9 risks and a bunch of mitigation strategies. www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...
Nine risks caused by AI notetakers — Careful Industries
AI transcription tools are not currently mature or reliable enough to be regarded as an always on, single-source of truth for meeting notes. Nine common risks, and six possible mitigations.
www.careful.industries
November 21, 2025 at 7:09 AM
I've written up the findings from our work with people and organisations who have used AI notetakers in meetings, identified 9 risks and a bunch of mitigation strategies. www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
So may headlines noting lockdown could have been avoided when, surely, the real story is that over 20,000 people might not have lost their lives if there had not been such cavalier mismanagement of the covid pandemic and even basic principles of caution had prevailed.
20,000 lives.
20,000 lives.
November 21, 2025 at 8:04 AM
So may headlines noting lockdown could have been avoided when, surely, the real story is that over 20,000 people might not have lost their lives if there had not been such cavalier mismanagement of the covid pandemic and even basic principles of caution had prevailed.
20,000 lives.
20,000 lives.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
The Covid inquiry’s findings are shocking but unsurprising now, so the main thing it left me thinking is that without a vaccine we wd’ve been utterly screwed. & if you worked round the clock to make a thing that saved millions of lives globally, to see that legacy trashed by anti-vaxxers…
November 20, 2025 at 5:50 PM
The Covid inquiry’s findings are shocking but unsurprising now, so the main thing it left me thinking is that without a vaccine we wd’ve been utterly screwed. & if you worked round the clock to make a thing that saved millions of lives globally, to see that legacy trashed by anti-vaxxers…
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
UK Covid Inquiry concludes: 23,000 deaths could've been prevented if the March 2020 lockdown had been imposed just a week earlier.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
November 20, 2025 at 4:40 PM
UK Covid Inquiry concludes: 23,000 deaths could've been prevented if the March 2020 lockdown had been imposed just a week earlier.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
No mistake by any prime minister in living memory has caused so many deaths in the UK.
The tragic and catastrophic price of Boris Johnson's incompetence & negligence.
Reposted by Angela Cassidy
I know that we knew all this already, but still it makes me furious all over again to see it spelled out. Johnson, Cummings, Hancock, Sunak: all failed the nation so badly, all responsible for the terrible outcome, none suffering any consequences.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
November 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I know that we knew all this already, but still it makes me furious all over again to see it spelled out. Johnson, Cummings, Hancock, Sunak: all failed the nation so badly, all responsible for the terrible outcome, none suffering any consequences.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...