Laurie Winkless
@lauriewinkless.bsky.social
Physicist & science storyteller. 📚#1: SCIENCE AND THE CITY 📚#2: STICKY. Irish in Aotearoa New Zealand. She/her. Massive science nerd, biz owner / self-employed, enthusiastic, outspoken, equity-minded, multi-crafter #ToitūTeTiriti #FreePalestine
Yet another day of me screaming into a pillow.
For those outside #NZ, we've already had several "1 in a 100 years" weather events / States of Emergency declared THIS MONTH.
Who needs a Ministry for the Environment, eh?
So sick of this shit.
For those outside #NZ, we've already had several "1 in a 100 years" weather events / States of Emergency declared THIS MONTH.
Who needs a Ministry for the Environment, eh?
So sick of this shit.
New: The government has introduced legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment as part of its plans to build a new super-agency tasked with urban development, planning, infrastructure and transport.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/17/g...
newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/17/g...
Govt to disband environment ministry as part of agency merger
The environment department will be abolished and folded into a new super-ministry for cities, environment, regions and transport.
newsroom.co.nz
February 17, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Yet another day of me screaming into a pillow.
For those outside #NZ, we've already had several "1 in a 100 years" weather events / States of Emergency declared THIS MONTH.
Who needs a Ministry for the Environment, eh?
So sick of this shit.
For those outside #NZ, we've already had several "1 in a 100 years" weather events / States of Emergency declared THIS MONTH.
Who needs a Ministry for the Environment, eh?
So sick of this shit.
Engineers from @utoronto.ca have quantified the construction emissions of >1,000 cities around the world. The picture is clear: we can't stay within climate goals if we keep building the way we do currently. Big changes are needed, including, they say, a move away from single-family neighbourhoods 🧪
Urban Construction Boom Threatens Climate Goals
Cities are under pressure to build housing while also cutting emissions. Researchers say it is possible to do both, but only if we rethink current construction practices.
www.forbes.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Engineers from @utoronto.ca have quantified the construction emissions of >1,000 cities around the world. The picture is clear: we can't stay within climate goals if we keep building the way we do currently. Big changes are needed, including, they say, a move away from single-family neighbourhoods 🧪
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
As always, the most courageous in the room are young people so thank you to student journalists at Columbia for being the only outlet to cover Greene’s self-made fall from grace. www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/02...
Brian Greene, Frontiers of Science professor, invited Jeffrey Epstein to science conferences and planned to attend dinners at Epstein’s home
<i>Updated Feb. 4 at 3:52 p.m.</i>
www.columbiaspectator.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:18 PM
As always, the most courageous in the room are young people so thank you to student journalists at Columbia for being the only outlet to cover Greene’s self-made fall from grace. www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/02...
My latest for @forbes.com is on a fascinating study from @utoronto.ca. I'd really appreciate it if you'd consider reading it 🧪👩🔬⚛️ www.forbes.com/sites/laurie...
Urban Construction Boom Threatens Climate Goals
Cities are under pressure to build housing while also cutting emissions. Researchers say it is possible to do both, but only if we rethink current construction practices.
www.forbes.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:49 AM
My latest for @forbes.com is on a fascinating study from @utoronto.ca. I'd really appreciate it if you'd consider reading it 🧪👩🔬⚛️ www.forbes.com/sites/laurie...
Ok, well, after a mammoth effort, I managed to rewrite the whole thing....or more accurately, write an article from scratch because my brain decided it couldn't remember anything I wrote the first time. I'll share it separately. Off to stretch my legs. Thanks for being so nice to me x
Starting my week in tears, devastated because I lost two days of work I did for an article. Yes, I tried everything. No, it's not recoverable.
No advice please.
No advice please.
February 16, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Ok, well, after a mammoth effort, I managed to rewrite the whole thing....or more accurately, write an article from scratch because my brain decided it couldn't remember anything I wrote the first time. I'll share it separately. Off to stretch my legs. Thanks for being so nice to me x
Starting my week in tears, devastated because I lost two days of work I did for an article. Yes, I tried everything. No, it's not recoverable.
No advice please.
No advice please.
February 15, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Starting my week in tears, devastated because I lost two days of work I did for an article. Yes, I tried everything. No, it's not recoverable.
No advice please.
No advice please.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Not the standard usage of this meme but it seemed appropriate
February 15, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Not the standard usage of this meme but it seemed appropriate
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
“Elon Musk admitted to his biographer that the reason the Hyperloop was announced—even though he had no intention of pursuing it—was to try to disrupt the California high-speed rail project to get in the way of that actually succeeding.” — @parismarx.com in @gizmodo.com
Now he’s much, MUCH worse.
Now he’s much, MUCH worse.
Silicon Valley's Push Into Transportation Has Been a Miserable Failure
The titans of tech brought plenty of disruption to our broken transportation system but delivered little in the way of innovation.
gizmodo.com
February 15, 2026 at 5:36 AM
“Elon Musk admitted to his biographer that the reason the Hyperloop was announced—even though he had no intention of pursuing it—was to try to disrupt the California high-speed rail project to get in the way of that actually succeeding.” — @parismarx.com in @gizmodo.com
Now he’s much, MUCH worse.
Now he’s much, MUCH worse.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Today, our doggo Delta turns 2 🎉 He has requested virtual birthday pats and scritches from his human internet friends, and zoomies from his doggo internet friends. Please oblige 😁 ❤️
February 12, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Today, our doggo Delta turns 2 🎉 He has requested virtual birthday pats and scritches from his human internet friends, and zoomies from his doggo internet friends. Please oblige 😁 ❤️
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
A reminder that one thing that allowed Darwin to focus on science was a large team of servants that catered to his every need.
I've been thinking about how Victorian Era scientists accomplished so much work, until I came across this:
The Darwin family lived at Down House with a butler, cook, gardener, coachman, housemaid, two nursery maids, and a governess for the girls.
Never less than 8 servants lived at Down House.
The Darwin family lived at Down House with a butler, cook, gardener, coachman, housemaid, two nursery maids, and a governess for the girls.
Never less than 8 servants lived at Down House.
February 12, 2026 at 4:36 PM
A reminder that one thing that allowed Darwin to focus on science was a large team of servants that catered to his every need.
It looks like I have a commission to write about this paper - yippee! Now I just have to hope that all of the interviewees I've approached say yes 🤞🤞🤞
Woah. This is big news in the world of friction! I wrote about structural superlubricity in the final chapter of Sticky. So awesome to see a breakthrough like this phys.org/news/2026-02...
Physicists achieve near-zero friction on macroscopic scales
For the first time, physicists in China have virtually eliminated the friction felt between two surfaces at scales visible to the naked eye. In demonstrating "structural superlubricity," the team, led...
phys.org
February 11, 2026 at 12:28 AM
It looks like I have a commission to write about this paper - yippee! Now I just have to hope that all of the interviewees I've approached say yes 🤞🤞🤞
Turns out my name is in the Epstein files. A kind stranger who shares my surname searched for it out of curiosity & found it. So, she looked for me online and sent me a message!
It was in an event listing in a newsletter he subscribed to. Very many degrees of separation but still feels yuck.
It was in an event listing in a newsletter he subscribed to. Very many degrees of separation but still feels yuck.
February 10, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Turns out my name is in the Epstein files. A kind stranger who shares my surname searched for it out of curiosity & found it. So, she looked for me online and sent me a message!
It was in an event listing in a newsletter he subscribed to. Very many degrees of separation but still feels yuck.
It was in an event listing in a newsletter he subscribed to. Very many degrees of separation but still feels yuck.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Some governments raise taxes to fund public health and education. Not Luxon. He is literally raising taxes to subsidise fossil fuels. He is putting a levy on our electricity bills to pay for his LNG import terminal.
February 9, 2026 at 7:21 AM
Some governments raise taxes to fund public health and education. Not Luxon. He is literally raising taxes to subsidise fossil fuels. He is putting a levy on our electricity bills to pay for his LNG import terminal.
I just need you to know that I am working with an amazing Māori illustrator on a nerdy project for a client, and I am ridiculously excited about it. I can't share it until it's all done in November but here is a tiny lil snippet.
February 9, 2026 at 3:35 AM
I just need you to know that I am working with an amazing Māori illustrator on a nerdy project for a client, and I am ridiculously excited about it. I can't share it until it's all done in November but here is a tiny lil snippet.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Amongst other things, I made two 'birthday hats' this weekend. One is for my doggo Delta, and the other is for a neighbour kiddo who I adore. Both turn two on the same day 😁 I raided my science-y fabrics for D's one (of course) and my felt stash for R's (her parents chose the colour). Love them!
February 8, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Amongst other things, I made two 'birthday hats' this weekend. One is for my doggo Delta, and the other is for a neighbour kiddo who I adore. Both turn two on the same day 😁 I raided my science-y fabrics for D's one (of course) and my felt stash for R's (her parents chose the colour). Love them!
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
A true master at his craft! I don’t know how anyone could watch this and not be moved by both Shakespeare & Sir Ian’s incredible talent! 😍
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
A true master at his craft! I don’t know how anyone could watch this and not be moved by both Shakespeare & Sir Ian’s incredible talent! 😍
Ooh my latest article for @spectrum.ieee.org has been published! It's on a refrigerant-free freezer, developed by researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) 👩🔬🧪⚛️
spectrum.ieee.org/subzero-elas...
spectrum.ieee.org/subzero-elas...
Researchers Achieve Sub-Zero Cooling Without Harmful Refrigerants
A new elastocaloric device can freeze water using solid-state tech, offering a greener cooling solution.
spectrum.ieee.org
February 5, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Ooh my latest article for @spectrum.ieee.org has been published! It's on a refrigerant-free freezer, developed by researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) 👩🔬🧪⚛️
spectrum.ieee.org/subzero-elas...
spectrum.ieee.org/subzero-elas...
Woah. This is big news in the world of friction! I wrote about structural superlubricity in the final chapter of Sticky. So awesome to see a breakthrough like this phys.org/news/2026-02...
Physicists achieve near-zero friction on macroscopic scales
For the first time, physicists in China have virtually eliminated the friction felt between two surfaces at scales visible to the naked eye. In demonstrating "structural superlubricity," the team, led...
phys.org
February 5, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Woah. This is big news in the world of friction! I wrote about structural superlubricity in the final chapter of Sticky. So awesome to see a breakthrough like this phys.org/news/2026-02...
Kia ora crafty Wellingtonians! My next felted fungi class at is proving to be more popular than expected - there's just one spot left for Sunday 19th April 🤯 So, we decided to add another date, and it's a midweek evening session:
⌚Thursday 23rd April, 6 - 9pm
📍Village Beads Petone
🧑🦱 Age 15+
💲$55 pp
⌚Thursday 23rd April, 6 - 9pm
📍Village Beads Petone
🧑🦱 Age 15+
💲$55 pp
Needle Felted Mushrooms - Wool & Steel Needle Felting — Village Beads
Sunday 19th April - 9am Thursday 23rd April - 6pm In this workshop, you'll use wool to craft a funky fungi and 'plant' it in in a woolen base. Colours, shapes, sizes are totally up to you! Need...
www.villagebeads.co.nz
February 5, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Kia ora crafty Wellingtonians! My next felted fungi class at is proving to be more popular than expected - there's just one spot left for Sunday 19th April 🤯 So, we decided to add another date, and it's a midweek evening session:
⌚Thursday 23rd April, 6 - 9pm
📍Village Beads Petone
🧑🦱 Age 15+
💲$55 pp
⌚Thursday 23rd April, 6 - 9pm
📍Village Beads Petone
🧑🦱 Age 15+
💲$55 pp
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Sad day at Washington Post: After decisions which cost thousand of subscribers and led to an exodus of talent, the newspaper is laying off 1/3 of its staff across ALL departments, eliminating its sports department and cutting down foreign coverage. DETAILS: loom.ly/XlcRvuQ
Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments is being laid off
The Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.
loom.ly
February 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Sad day at Washington Post: After decisions which cost thousand of subscribers and led to an exodus of talent, the newspaper is laying off 1/3 of its staff across ALL departments, eliminating its sports department and cutting down foreign coverage. DETAILS: loom.ly/XlcRvuQ
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
February 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.