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
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.
Oh and this is a perfect excuse to reshare a story I wrote back in 2022. I'm still really proud of this one 🥌 🧪👩🔬⚛️
February 3, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Oh and this is a perfect excuse to reshare a story I wrote back in 2022. I'm still really proud of this one 🥌 🧪👩🔬⚛️
Yippeee the Google doodle today celebrates the greatest of all winter sports IMHO - curling 🥌 There are matches on every day of the Olympics (starting tomorrow!)
share.google/SdD0a0flt46l...
share.google/SdD0a0flt46l...
Curling 2026 Doodle - Google Doodles
Learn more about the creation of Curling 2026 Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.
share.google
February 3, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Yippeee the Google doodle today celebrates the greatest of all winter sports IMHO - curling 🥌 There are matches on every day of the Olympics (starting tomorrow!)
share.google/SdD0a0flt46l...
share.google/SdD0a0flt46l...
I love getting up, getting fully dressed (makeup etc), eating my breakfast and sitting at my desk all in time for a 6 am two-hour-long meeting, only for the other person to cancel at 5.53 am.
February 2, 2026 at 4:58 PM
I love getting up, getting fully dressed (makeup etc), eating my breakfast and sitting at my desk all in time for a 6 am two-hour-long meeting, only for the other person to cancel at 5.53 am.
It's Imbolg / Brigid's Day. I've lived away from Ireland for over 20 years. Today and Samhain / Halloween are the two days of the year that I truly feel the separation from my whenua ☘️
(To be clear: I miss my family all the time, but the pull of the land itself is strongest on these two days)
(To be clear: I miss my family all the time, but the pull of the land itself is strongest on these two days)
January 31, 2026 at 11:11 AM
It's Imbolg / Brigid's Day. I've lived away from Ireland for over 20 years. Today and Samhain / Halloween are the two days of the year that I truly feel the separation from my whenua ☘️
(To be clear: I miss my family all the time, but the pull of the land itself is strongest on these two days)
(To be clear: I miss my family all the time, but the pull of the land itself is strongest on these two days)
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Arresting Black journalists is also vice signaling. Their base is racist and hates journalists and they want to get them excited again. The mainstream media industry has never protected Black journalists or journalists of color the way it should.
January 30, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Arresting Black journalists is also vice signaling. Their base is racist and hates journalists and they want to get them excited again. The mainstream media industry has never protected Black journalists or journalists of color the way it should.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
NZ has fallen into a 'crisis and response' pattern on climate disaster, experts say. Billions have been spent on storm recovery since 2023, while key climate adaptation funding and planning tools have been cut.
My story looking at last week’s storms
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
My story looking at last week’s storms
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
January 29, 2026 at 6:10 PM
NZ has fallen into a 'crisis and response' pattern on climate disaster, experts say. Billions have been spent on storm recovery since 2023, while key climate adaptation funding and planning tools have been cut.
My story looking at last week’s storms
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
My story looking at last week’s storms
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
What a f*cking loser.
January 30, 2026 at 1:09 AM
What a f*cking loser.
We had to send Delta to a different groomer than normal, and the results are... not good. He kinda looks like a horse. Thankfully his fur grows fast 😅 Anyway, here he is frolicking on Petone Beach this morning, not a care in the world.
January 30, 2026 at 12:59 AM
We had to send Delta to a different groomer than normal, and the results are... not good. He kinda looks like a horse. Thankfully his fur grows fast 😅 Anyway, here he is frolicking on Petone Beach this morning, not a care in the world.
Re-upping my latest article for @forbes.com - it's about the impending arrival of robotaxis to London, and it features a new survey from @cleancitiescampaign.org that shows Europeans would prefer more (& better) public transport ⚛️🧪👩🔬
Robotaxis Are Coming To Europe, And People Aren’t Sure How To Feel
London looks set to be the first city in Europe to host robotaxis. But a new survey shows that support for robotaxis lags behind support for traditional public transport.
www.forbes.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Re-upping my latest article for @forbes.com - it's about the impending arrival of robotaxis to London, and it features a new survey from @cleancitiescampaign.org that shows Europeans would prefer more (& better) public transport ⚛️🧪👩🔬