Diane Purkiss
janetanderson.bsky.social
Diane Purkiss
@janetanderson.bsky.social
I love books, reading, eating, cooking, and my French bulldog Bunty. I write history and I teach English at Oxford University.
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
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
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 2:50 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
I think this article is pretty revealing of how Farage, despite talking of wanting to build up local party bases going back to his UKIP days, struggles to do so. He inherently attracts people who just want to cast emotive, symbolic votes rather than do the mundane but necessary governing work.
When reality bites: the rapid rise and chaotic fall of Reform UK in Cornwall
Resignations, suspensions and infighting lead to party losing crown of highest number of seats in the county
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of trans community: ‘We have had enough’

www.thepinknews.com/...

#transgender #trans #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA
60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of trans community
“Not in our Name” is the title of a collective of cisgender women who have written an open letter calling out the media and politicians for promoting anti-trans rhetoric. 
www.thepinknews.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:15 PM
🤮🤢🤮🤢
November 16, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Hundreds of Oxford residents marched across Oxford to demonstrate against racism and in solidarity with migrants in an ‘Oxford Unity March and Rally’. Chants included ‘this is what community looks like’ and calls to ‘fight back’ against racism.
November 16, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
"The UK is rash to imagine it can, in isolation, pick and choose its alliances around the globe. It is geographically part of Europe."

"More Europe, not less Europe, is in the best interests of all the peoples of the continent, including of course the UK and Scotland."

https://bit.ly/485lgN4
In this new Age of Empires, why UK must choose Europe over isolation
Most of the UK’s economic problems since Brexit would have been avoided if it had stayed in the European Single Market and Customs Union and it’s time to move closer to the EU, writes former Belgian P...
www.scotsman.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Winter in the sky
November 16, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.

news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Exactly one woman has won the Booker in the past six years www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 16, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
November 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Funny, how MAGA is *outraged* over someone who is simply a Muslim in the New York City mayor's mansion, but has no comment about a Muslim who is an actual murderer in the White House.
November 16, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
November 15, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Wonderful news.

#Hero
Rail worker who saved passengers from stabbings leaves hospital
Samir Zitouni's family say they are
www.bbc.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Alessandro Farnese, later Duke of Parma & governor of The Netherlands, looking very dashing at age 15. Painted by Sofonisba Anguissola, c. 1560.
November 16, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
My granddad was a refugee, my wife, our close friends and those of our kids are either immigrants or the children of immigrants.

Do ministers ever think about the message their rhetoric on "handouts" and "golden tickets" for migrants sends about whether this is a government for people like us?
November 16, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
@catsofyore.bsky.social @weratedogs.com read in my local paper that food pantries are seeing an uptick in demand from pet owners.

Can you boost awareness of the great work pet food pantries are doing, and the need for donations?
November 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
My newest monograph Ghosts Behind Glass: Encountering Extinction in Museums is published with @uchicagopress.bsky.social

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
November 14, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Looking forward to preaching at @selwyn1882.bsky.social this evening about fauns and centaurs
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk 🎤

If you’ve read this far and still need convincing, please check out our preprint arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820 and this infographic: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
10/10
November 13, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
Rats have begun leaving the ship. To recognize what that says about the ship's future has nothing to do with Handing It To the rats
BASH: We have seen these attacks from the president at other people. It's not new. And I haven't heard you speak out about it until it was directed at you.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE: I think that's fair criticism. And I would like to say, humbly, I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic politics.
November 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
I need to introduce you to someone. This is my new friend Marcel who has moved in with us. He has one eye and FIV and he is perfect!
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
If the Democratic Party nominates Plastic Gavin Newsom in 2028, I will write my own name on the ballot, and the Democratic Party can burn in their own well-deserved corporate plastic hell.

(this article is not complementary, unless you're a craven centrist whose sole pursuit is power)
November 16, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Diane Purkiss
November 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM