Deirdre McKay
@dccmckay.bsky.social
🇨🇦 Curious... about geography, migration and development... and the plastic waste it generates....
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Octopus suckers don’t just feel — they sense microbiomes. Distinct microbes on eggs, prey and other objects trigger chemotactile receptors, prompting reflexive movements in the suckers and arms.
Scientists say these microbial cues help guide key survival behaviors.
Scientists say these microbial cues help guide key survival behaviors.
Octopuses use their arms to sense and respond to microbiomes on the seafloor
From the beginning of life on Earth, microbes, small but influential single-celled organisms, have shaped the environment that animals must adapt to in order to survive. Distinct microbial…
news.mongabay.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Octopus suckers don’t just feel — they sense microbiomes. Distinct microbes on eggs, prey and other objects trigger chemotactile receptors, prompting reflexive movements in the suckers and arms.
Scientists say these microbial cues help guide key survival behaviors.
Scientists say these microbial cues help guide key survival behaviors.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
💡A new non-toxic solvent enables efficient separation and near-complete recycling of cotton - #Polyester #Textiles, preserving fiber quality and offering a sustainable solution for mixed-fiber waste. ♻️
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
Non-toxic solvent enables near-perfect recycling of mixed-fiber textiles
We are producing more textiles than ever before: worldwide, well over one hundred million tons of textiles are manufactured every year—more than twice as much as in the year 2000. This makes it increa...
phys.org
November 29, 2025 at 7:50 PM
💡A new non-toxic solvent enables efficient separation and near-complete recycling of cotton - #Polyester #Textiles, preserving fiber quality and offering a sustainable solution for mixed-fiber waste. ♻️
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Is this the framing we want?
We can't recycle out of the problem.
Most plastics are hard to recycle or have no viable market after recycling.
What happened to turning off the tap?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
We can't recycle out of the problem.
Most plastics are hard to recycle or have no viable market after recycling.
What happened to turning off the tap?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK can create 5,400 jobs if it stops plastic waste exports, report finds
Campaigners say closure of loophole making it cheaper to export rather than recycle will boost circular economy
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Is this the framing we want?
We can't recycle out of the problem.
Most plastics are hard to recycle or have no viable market after recycling.
What happened to turning off the tap?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
We can't recycle out of the problem.
Most plastics are hard to recycle or have no viable market after recycling.
What happened to turning off the tap?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
We will be celebrating Jo Bullard's life on Thursday 4th December, from 2.30pm at Loughborough University.
Please register here if you would like to attend: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
The @rgsibg.bsky.social have published an obituary of Jo:
www.rgs.org/about-us/our...
Please register here if you would like to attend: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
The @rgsibg.bsky.social have published an obituary of Jo:
www.rgs.org/about-us/our...
Professor Joanna Bullard (1969-2025) | Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Joanna Elizabeth Bullard, Professor of Physical Geography at Loughborough University.
www.rgs.org
November 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
We will be celebrating Jo Bullard's life on Thursday 4th December, from 2.30pm at Loughborough University.
Please register here if you would like to attend: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
The @rgsibg.bsky.social have published an obituary of Jo:
www.rgs.org/about-us/our...
Please register here if you would like to attend: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
The @rgsibg.bsky.social have published an obituary of Jo:
www.rgs.org/about-us/our...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Good news: Study shows France’s birds making tentative recovery after neonicotinoid pesticide ban
UK has only just closed loophole in neonics ban (‘derogations’) so may be too soon to see recovery here?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK has only just closed loophole in neonics ban (‘derogations’) so may be too soon to see recovery here?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
With neonicotinoid pesticide ban, France’s birds make a tentative recovery - study
Analysis shows small hike in populations of insect-eating species after 2018 ruling, but full recovery may take decades
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Good news: Study shows France’s birds making tentative recovery after neonicotinoid pesticide ban
UK has only just closed loophole in neonics ban (‘derogations’) so may be too soon to see recovery here?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK has only just closed loophole in neonics ban (‘derogations’) so may be too soon to see recovery here?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Scientists make concerning first-of-its-kind discovery while studying Amazon monkeys: ‘Sounds an alarm’
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/295318/
A new study revealed the presence of microplastics in the stomachs of howler monkeys living in a protected…
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/295318/
A new study revealed the presence of microplastics in the stomachs of howler monkeys living in a protected…
Scientists make concerning first-of-its-kind discovery while studying Amazon monkeys: 'Sounds an alarm' - United States News Beep
A new study revealed the presence of microplastics in the stomachs of howler monkeys living in a protected area of the Brazilian Amazon. This is the first
www.newsbeep.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Scientists make concerning first-of-its-kind discovery while studying Amazon monkeys: ‘Sounds an alarm’
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/295318/
A new study revealed the presence of microplastics in the stomachs of howler monkeys living in a protected…
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/295318/
A new study revealed the presence of microplastics in the stomachs of howler monkeys living in a protected…
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
“More than a billion Indians face heat waves every year. Hundreds of millions of them work in the informal sector, toiling outdoors or doing piecework in a stifling factory, & are especially at risk as intense bouts of scorching weather become more frequent.”
🎁 link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...
🎁 link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...
What’s More Dangerous Than India’s Frequent Heat Waves? Heat Stress.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:50 PM
“More than a billion Indians face heat waves every year. Hundreds of millions of them work in the informal sector, toiling outdoors or doing piecework in a stifling factory, & are especially at risk as intense bouts of scorching weather become more frequent.”
🎁 link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...
🎁 link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/w...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
new open access paper on the right to science and pollution with several fantastic colleagues including
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social @jptilsted.bsky.social and @taraolsen.bsky.social
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social @jptilsted.bsky.social and @taraolsen.bsky.social
Protecting the right to science in multilateral environmental agreements addressing chemicals and plastics pollution
Scientific evidence supports dominant institutional understandings of the global socio-ecological crises of the triple planetary crisis-climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution-demonstrating...
www.tandfonline.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:21 PM
new open access paper on the right to science and pollution with several fantastic colleagues including
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social @jptilsted.bsky.social and @taraolsen.bsky.social
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social @jptilsted.bsky.social and @taraolsen.bsky.social
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have tried, it’s just that even success required overshoot (ie, missing the target). And because it’s been framed as a “game over” threshold, media coverage of 1.5 has contributed to the idea that climate action is now pointless. That is not, and will never, be true.
November 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have tried, it’s just that even success required overshoot (ie, missing the target). And because it’s been framed as a “game over” threshold, media coverage of 1.5 has contributed to the idea that climate action is now pointless. That is not, and will never, be true.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
The thing is, 1.5 degrees was was an unrealistic target from the start. The only way earth system models could make it work was by overshooting the target, getting to 0 emissions, and then devoting 2-3x the land area of India to carbon removal later in the century. We’d already warmed 1.2 degrees C.
Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned. 🔗👉 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
November 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The thing is, 1.5 degrees was was an unrealistic target from the start. The only way earth system models could make it work was by overshooting the target, getting to 0 emissions, and then devoting 2-3x the land area of India to carbon removal later in the century. We’d already warmed 1.2 degrees C.
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
What are we doing to the planet - environmental catastrophe near Rye, East Sussex
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
‘Environmental catastrophe’ fears as millions of plastic beads wash up on Camber Sands
MP asks for explanation from Southern Water amid concerns the spill could have dire impact on rare sea life
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:51 AM
What are we doing to the planet - environmental catastrophe near Rye, East Sussex
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Campaigners have said before that the plastic micro beads or "nurdles" should be classified as hazardous same as oil, they cause just as much damage to marine life and birds
Which biofilm-coated microplastics do sea creatures not mistake for food?
Among various kinds of plastic pollution, I am most concerned about those that animals mistake for food.
‘Environmental catastrophe’ fears as millions of plastic beads wash up on Camber Sands
Southern Water is being investigated amid concerns the spill could have dire impact on rare sea life
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Which biofilm-coated microplastics do sea creatures not mistake for food?
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
'Human nature' is the capacity to categorize others as part of self. Extending the boundaries of concern, people often help strangers in emergencies.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
‘Heroic actions are a natural tendency’: why bystander apathy is a myth
Modern research shows the public work together selflessly in an emergency, motivated by a strong impulse to help
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
'Human nature' is the capacity to categorize others as part of self. Extending the boundaries of concern, people often help strangers in emergencies.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
This new paper documents a tenfold increase in research papers using community-collected iNaturalist data over just five years: tr.ee/89Ot3I
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
July 28, 2025 at 4:37 PM
This new paper documents a tenfold increase in research papers using community-collected iNaturalist data over just five years: tr.ee/89Ot3I
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
I had dinner with a colleague from @inaturalist.bsky.social yesterday and Jeanne shared that their users are discovering an average of one brand-new-previously-unknown-to-science species EACH MONTH!
Citizen Scientists Are Accelerating Ecology Research, Study Suggests
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I had dinner with a colleague from @inaturalist.bsky.social yesterday and Jeanne shared that their users are discovering an average of one brand-new-previously-unknown-to-science species EACH MONTH!
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Homes from straw, beer and bread from grains, clothes from beer brewing... That's a good amount of solution capacity from one crop.
Researchers extracted proteins from spent beer-brewing yeast and spun them into strong textile fibers that avoid the environmental impact of petroleum-based polymers, and the ethical as well as land- and water-use concerns of cotton and wool. cen.acs.org/materials/Br... #chemsky 🧪
Brewing waste: The solution to sustainable fashion?
Biodegradable fibers spun from yeast protein avoid the resource use and pollution of cotton, wool, and polyester
cen.acs.org
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Homes from straw, beer and bread from grains, clothes from beer brewing... That's a good amount of solution capacity from one crop.
Vale, Jo. We'll miss you very much next summer on Skye. And we'll raise a dram in your memory...
Incredibly sad news from our Geography community at Loughborough www.lboro.ac.uk/subjects/geo...
Professor Joanna Bullard (1969-2025)
We are incredibly sad to share news of the recent passing of Joanna Bullard, Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment, School of Social Sciences and Humanities at...
www.lboro.ac.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Vale, Jo. We'll miss you very much next summer on Skye. And we'll raise a dram in your memory...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Scientists in Japan made a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours and biodegrades in dirt in 10 days.
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
November 6, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Scientists in Japan made a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours and biodegrades in dirt in 10 days.
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
It’s made from food additives, releases nutrients like plant vitamins, and doesn’t leave behind any nasty microplastics.😎👏💙
[🎞️ the. stream.roller]
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
This is so good from Cory Doctorow on all the tricks Amazon uses to get both consumers to pay more, and how businesses on the platform end up paying it 45-51 cents on every dollar.
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?
Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...
www.theguardian.com
October 5, 2025 at 8:19 AM
This is so good from Cory Doctorow on all the tricks Amazon uses to get both consumers to pay more, and how businesses on the platform end up paying it 45-51 cents on every dollar.
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Plus he rightly calls for regulatory change, not just individual consumer action
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
A plan to limit plastics pollution globally is in crisis. But disagreements can be resolved with a more formal role for science and more informal spaces for delegates.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Trust and science: the essential elements missing from plastics treaty talks
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
What now for the global plastics treaty?
What now for the global plastics treaty?
Ending plastic pollution will mean embracing the complexity of political and economic realities.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
What now for the global plastics treaty?
Reposted by Deirdre McKay
Most plastic items are too small for recyclers to bother sorting and processing, or they're assembled in such a way that it's less expensive to just make new plastic.
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means.
Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label “recyclable” on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaran...
www.propublica.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Most plastic items are too small for recyclers to bother sorting and processing, or they're assembled in such a way that it's less expensive to just make new plastic.
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
In fact, only 5% of Americans’ plastic finds new life.
(Published Aug. 2024)
By @lisalsong.bsky.social
Colonial tropes of exploration redux. Canadian territorial waters, first navigated by Inuit? Nope. Possibly this representation of depopulated landscapes open for discovery is payback for all that 'exploring' on the Amazon..?
🇧🇷 VIDEO Brazil woman sails solo through Arctic
Brazilian navigator Tamara Klink says she encountered "very little" sea ice on her solo sail through the Northwest Passage -- a rare feat that would have been impossible without an icebreaker ship three decades ago.
Brazilian navigator Tamara Klink says she encountered "very little" sea ice on her solo sail through the Northwest Passage -- a rare feat that would have been impossible without an icebreaker ship three decades ago.
October 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Colonial tropes of exploration redux. Canadian territorial waters, first navigated by Inuit? Nope. Possibly this representation of depopulated landscapes open for discovery is payback for all that 'exploring' on the Amazon..?