Dave Hemprich-Bennett
@davehb.bsky.social
A bunch of stardust with ADHD. Scientist working on the ecology of bats, mosquitoes and malaria, based at Oxford Uni. Used to be @hammerheadbat on twitter. Runner, photographer, guitarist.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
November 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
Decided to go to uni after visiting a friend at hers and it looking way more fun than my dead-end job. No idea what to expect as I was the first person in my family to go.
Was torn between sociology and environmental science, had loved both at college but assumed science had better job prospects.
Was torn between sociology and environmental science, had loved both at college but assumed science had better job prospects.
November 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Decided to go to uni after visiting a friend at hers and it looking way more fun than my dead-end job. No idea what to expect as I was the first person in my family to go.
Was torn between sociology and environmental science, had loved both at college but assumed science had better job prospects.
Was torn between sociology and environmental science, had loved both at college but assumed science had better job prospects.
The entire family has been ill consecutively this week. I started the round off, and now seem to be the sick one again. If my toddler gets another go I will scream
November 23, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The entire family has been ill consecutively this week. I started the round off, and now seem to be the sick one again. If my toddler gets another go I will scream
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
This is a genuine question: Outside of the UK, does anyone know of another National Park where it is an annual event to release thousands of non-native birds? Or even occasionally? I only ask because the more I think about it, the more barking mad it sounds. #birds #nationalparks
New report on gamebird releases in Cairngorms National Park doesn't tell even half the story.
Study included less than half (45%) of estates rearing & releasing non-native gamebirds. MSPs need to interpret results cautiously & appropriately.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/21/n...
Study included less than half (45%) of estates rearing & releasing non-native gamebirds. MSPs need to interpret results cautiously & appropriately.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/21/n...
New report on gamebird releases in Cairngorms National Park doesn’t tell even half the story
In spring 2025, news emerged that the GWCT (Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust) was going to be conducting a pilot study to look at the number of non-native gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legge…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
November 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
This is a genuine question: Outside of the UK, does anyone know of another National Park where it is an annual event to release thousands of non-native birds? Or even occasionally? I only ask because the more I think about it, the more barking mad it sounds. #birds #nationalparks
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
I can’t bring myself to read this, but one day I hope there is as much time and energy devoted to the problem of the online radicalisation of vulnerable pregnant people and parents, as there is to the online radicalisation of young white men.
This might be one of the most disturbing pieces I’ve ever read. Staggering investigative work from Sirin Kale and Lucy Osbourne www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM
I can’t bring myself to read this, but one day I hope there is as much time and energy devoted to the problem of the online radicalisation of vulnerable pregnant people and parents, as there is to the online radicalisation of young white men.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Early signs suggest an outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) in Oxfordshire. Following a dead swan in Witney which was subsequently confirmed by testing to have avian influenza, cases were confirmed yesterday in Blenheim and on Port Meadow.
November 22, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Early signs suggest an outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) in Oxfordshire. Following a dead swan in Witney which was subsequently confirmed by testing to have avian influenza, cases were confirmed yesterday in Blenheim and on Port Meadow.
“Still punk-rock…” he whispers to himself, as at 10 O’Clock on a Friday night he battles to update the firmware on his camera’s flash-trigger while drinking a hot chocolate
November 21, 2025 at 10:07 PM
“Still punk-rock…” he whispers to himself, as at 10 O’Clock on a Friday night he battles to update the firmware on his camera’s flash-trigger while drinking a hot chocolate
I need to upload a datafile to a journal, but their server is so slow my client is currently estimating it’ll take 29 years. Do we think it’ll have finished peer review by then or no
November 21, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I need to upload a datafile to a journal, but their server is so slow my client is currently estimating it’ll take 29 years. Do we think it’ll have finished peer review by then or no
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
De La Soul's 10th album is out today 🌼 The first in nearly a decade, the first without Dave (RIP). Big day for us that've been fans since '89.
The Mass Appeal label is surely the Hip Hop MVP this year? LPs by Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L, Ghostface, Raekwon, with Nas & DJ Premier to come. I mean..
The Mass Appeal label is surely the Hip Hop MVP this year? LPs by Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L, Ghostface, Raekwon, with Nas & DJ Premier to come. I mean..
November 21, 2025 at 9:58 AM
De La Soul's 10th album is out today 🌼 The first in nearly a decade, the first without Dave (RIP). Big day for us that've been fans since '89.
The Mass Appeal label is surely the Hip Hop MVP this year? LPs by Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L, Ghostface, Raekwon, with Nas & DJ Premier to come. I mean..
The Mass Appeal label is surely the Hip Hop MVP this year? LPs by Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Big L, Ghostface, Raekwon, with Nas & DJ Premier to come. I mean..
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
Elon Musk Could 'Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History,' Grok Says
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
www.404media.co
November 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes.
So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes.
So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. We all need to reflect on the lives lost to transphobia and violence. Consider supporting organizations that are making things better for people.
November 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. We all need to reflect on the lives lost to transphobia and violence. Consider supporting organizations that are making things better for people.
Pretty grim on sexual harassment and misconduct in Oxford University. A lot of unpleasant findings here
(Oxford uni mutuals, its subscriber-only but ironically you can read it via the uni’s VPN)
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
(Oxford uni mutuals, its subscriber-only but ironically you can read it via the uni’s VPN)
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Oxford University Has Failed Women Over Harassment Concerns, Staff Say
The university has repeatedly been slow to act against male academics accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, a Bloomberg investigation found.
www.bloomberg.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Pretty grim on sexual harassment and misconduct in Oxford University. A lot of unpleasant findings here
(Oxford uni mutuals, its subscriber-only but ironically you can read it via the uni’s VPN)
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
(Oxford uni mutuals, its subscriber-only but ironically you can read it via the uni’s VPN)
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Today is the day to repost this meme about International Men's Day, one of the most unironically wholesome memes that has ever been made.
Shoutout to all my fellow champs, chiefs, and kings. ✊
Shoutout to all my fellow champs, chiefs, and kings. ✊
November 19, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Today is the day to repost this meme about International Men's Day, one of the most unironically wholesome memes that has ever been made.
Shoutout to all my fellow champs, chiefs, and kings. ✊
Shoutout to all my fellow champs, chiefs, and kings. ✊
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
people are actually very susceptible to just-so stories about human origins because listening to bullshit helped us survive on the savanna
fake evo-psych has cooked a lot of people's brains
November 18, 2025 at 1:48 AM
people are actually very susceptible to just-so stories about human origins because listening to bullshit helped us survive on the savanna
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Wildcats - also known as woodcats - were once found throughout Britain including in the Somerset Levels. It would be wonderful to see them return to Devon, and hopefully one day soon to a wilder Somerset too. Restoration and rewilding, hand in hand.
November 18, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Wildcats - also known as woodcats - were once found throughout Britain including in the Somerset Levels. It would be wonderful to see them return to Devon, and hopefully one day soon to a wilder Somerset too. Restoration and rewilding, hand in hand.
My toddler is obsessed with birds so I bought out some field guides to flick through with her. She’s excitably turning the pages, pointing at all the birds and shouting ‘BIRD’ at them.
You know what? That’s 100% correct, well done kiddo.
You know what? That’s 100% correct, well done kiddo.
November 16, 2025 at 7:46 PM
My toddler is obsessed with birds so I bought out some field guides to flick through with her. She’s excitably turning the pages, pointing at all the birds and shouting ‘BIRD’ at them.
You know what? That’s 100% correct, well done kiddo.
You know what? That’s 100% correct, well done kiddo.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
When Tommy Robinson is celebrating your policies it is time to take a long hard look in the mirror and then quit politics forever.
Not everyone is unhappy about the Government's descent into anti-refugee politics
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 AM
When Tommy Robinson is celebrating your policies it is time to take a long hard look in the mirror and then quit politics forever.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
It's a great cosmic joke that neurodivergence both runs in families and gets diagnosed based on parent reports. I was diagnosed at 30 because a man who has eaten potatoes every day for 57 years and a woman who collects loose buttons decided I was a perfectly normal child.
November 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
It's a great cosmic joke that neurodivergence both runs in families and gets diagnosed based on parent reports. I was diagnosed at 30 because a man who has eaten potatoes every day for 57 years and a woman who collects loose buttons decided I was a perfectly normal child.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
Someone should ask Starmer and Mahmood whether they think the Kindertransport, for example, should have been a return ticket. Whether Alf Dubs, rather than becoming a Labour MP and now Lord, ought to have been sent back with his family to Czechoslovakia once it was liberated from German rule.
This contribution to the volume of human misery is yet another policy from Labour based on a false premise, in this case that refugees are overly attracted to Britain. It will increase bureaucratic limbo, thus making worse the problem of "cohesion" it purports to solve.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Someone should ask Starmer and Mahmood whether they think the Kindertransport, for example, should have been a return ticket. Whether Alf Dubs, rather than becoming a Labour MP and now Lord, ought to have been sent back with his family to Czechoslovakia once it was liberated from German rule.
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennett
I think it's safe to say that people are pretty 'aware' right now. What we actually need is safety and allyship but happy #TransgenderAwarenessWeek anyway.
If you want a trans pin, either as a pride symbol or in solidarity, this is your regular reminder that I sell a bunch at canopyrobin.etsy.com
If you want a trans pin, either as a pride symbol or in solidarity, this is your regular reminder that I sell a bunch at canopyrobin.etsy.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:29 PM
I think it's safe to say that people are pretty 'aware' right now. What we actually need is safety and allyship but happy #TransgenderAwarenessWeek anyway.
If you want a trans pin, either as a pride symbol or in solidarity, this is your regular reminder that I sell a bunch at canopyrobin.etsy.com
If you want a trans pin, either as a pride symbol or in solidarity, this is your regular reminder that I sell a bunch at canopyrobin.etsy.com
Pretty sure I just encountered a tawny owl and a barn owl in neighbouring trees. I hope they’re friends
November 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Pretty sure I just encountered a tawny owl and a barn owl in neighbouring trees. I hope they’re friends
It’s a rare workday that I tick off more than one of these, but today I’ve worked on a graphical abstract
November 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
It’s a rare workday that I tick off more than one of these, but today I’ve worked on a graphical abstract
Current status: desperately trying to force myself to write what in my heart is probably my most boring manuscript yet. It’s like pulling teeth.
(Interesting != useful, no matter how much my inner monologue screams otherwise)
(Interesting != useful, no matter how much my inner monologue screams otherwise)
November 12, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Current status: desperately trying to force myself to write what in my heart is probably my most boring manuscript yet. It’s like pulling teeth.
(Interesting != useful, no matter how much my inner monologue screams otherwise)
(Interesting != useful, no matter how much my inner monologue screams otherwise)