Mark Miodownik
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
Materials scientist & engineer; Director of the UCL Institute of Making; Author of New York Times best selling book Stuff Matters and others; Occasional BBC TV/radio presenter.
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Science lovers! Are you going to try and convince some child in your life that science is fun and worthwhile this Christmas? You could buy them one of dozens of commercially available "science kits" OR you could MAKE YOUR OWN to accompany a copy of "Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder":
Parents! Carers! Anyone thinking of buying a child a "science kit" for Christmas. For the same / less cost, buy a copy of "Recipes for Wonder" and put together a box of household "ingredients" which will let them do actual science and be a much more personal gift alomshaha.com/portfolio/mr...
November 25, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Science lovers! Are you going to try and convince some child in your life that science is fun and worthwhile this Christmas? You could buy them one of dozens of commercially available "science kits" OR you could MAKE YOUR OWN to accompany a copy of "Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder":
If you are in Paris in January 2026 dont miss this: Living Architecture evening event (24/01/2026) | Musée d'Orsay share.google/kCDWALpofnzL...
Living Architecture evening event
This extraordinary project will open the year of the museum’s fortieth anniversary. It will celebrate the architecture of the central nave with a giant mapping design produced from experiments conduct...
share.google
November 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
If you are in Paris in January 2026 dont miss this: Living Architecture evening event (24/01/2026) | Musée d'Orsay share.google/kCDWALpofnzL...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
I've just been sent an advance copy of @stewartbrand 's "The Maintenance of Everything". I LOVE it. He has such a distinctive voice and such a surprising set of observations and ideas.
Pretty-looking hardback: amzn.to/4rcKamp
Online draft: books.worksinprogress.co
Pretty-looking hardback: amzn.to/4rcKamp
Online draft: books.worksinprogress.co
Maintenance of Everything: Part One
Maintenance of Everything: Part One [Brand, Stewart] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Maintenance of Everything: Part One
amzn.to
November 24, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I've just been sent an advance copy of @stewartbrand 's "The Maintenance of Everything". I LOVE it. He has such a distinctive voice and such a surprising set of observations and ideas.
Pretty-looking hardback: amzn.to/4rcKamp
Online draft: books.worksinprogress.co
Pretty-looking hardback: amzn.to/4rcKamp
Online draft: books.worksinprogress.co
Your regular reminder that products labelled "biodegradable" are usually greenwash. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The Dirty Secret of Biodegradable Plastic
More countries are banning plastics made with additives that manufacturers say can make them decompose.
www.bloomberg.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Your regular reminder that products labelled "biodegradable" are usually greenwash. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Biodegradable Plastic Debate Heats Up as More Countries Impose Bans - Bloomberg www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The Dirty Secret of Biodegradable Plastic
More countries are banning plastics made with additives that manufacturers say can make them decompose.
www.bloomberg.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Biodegradable Plastic Debate Heats Up as More Countries Impose Bans - Bloomberg www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/...
Reducing E-waste by using artificial intelligence to develop repair diagnostic tools
A fully funded 4-year UCL EPSRC Landscape Award PhD studentship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/...
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reducing E-waste by using artificial intelligence to develop repair diagnostic tools to increase lifespan of appliances. at University College London on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Reducing E-waste by using artificial intelligence to develop repair diagnostic tools to increase lifespan of appliances. at University College London, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
We're excited to share a recent addition to the citizen science projects at UCL 📃✨
The Big Toilet Project is the world’s largest toilet training study, aiming to understand the most effective toilet training methods for children, their carers, and the environment 🌍
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
The Big Toilet Project is the world’s largest toilet training study, aiming to understand the most effective toilet training methods for children, their carers, and the environment 🌍
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
Make Science Happen! - Big Toilet Project
Take part in the Big Toilet Project Survey and Diary
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 10:30 AM
We're excited to share a recent addition to the citizen science projects at UCL 📃✨
The Big Toilet Project is the world’s largest toilet training study, aiming to understand the most effective toilet training methods for children, their carers, and the environment 🌍
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
The Big Toilet Project is the world’s largest toilet training study, aiming to understand the most effective toilet training methods for children, their carers, and the environment 🌍
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
OK - we need your help...
Mathew Lubari is a phenomenal guy, fighting hard to improve the lives of people in South Sudan via repair & reuse. In short, he's a top guy & a fantastic fixer.
Sadly, his baby daughter Sophie arrived early & the medical bills have cost Mathew everything he has.
Mathew Lubari is a phenomenal guy, fighting hard to improve the lives of people in South Sudan via repair & reuse. In short, he's a top guy & a fantastic fixer.
Sadly, his baby daughter Sophie arrived early & the medical bills have cost Mathew everything he has.
Donate to Help Mathew Lubari's Baby Sophie recover and go home healthy, organized by Ugo Vallauri
Hi, my name is Ugo Vallauri, and I'm here to help my dear fri… Ugo Vallauri needs your support for Help Mathew Lubari's Baby Sophie recover and go home healthy
gofund.me
November 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
OK - we need your help...
Mathew Lubari is a phenomenal guy, fighting hard to improve the lives of people in South Sudan via repair & reuse. In short, he's a top guy & a fantastic fixer.
Sadly, his baby daughter Sophie arrived early & the medical bills have cost Mathew everything he has.
Mathew Lubari is a phenomenal guy, fighting hard to improve the lives of people in South Sudan via repair & reuse. In short, he's a top guy & a fantastic fixer.
Sadly, his baby daughter Sophie arrived early & the medical bills have cost Mathew everything he has.
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Things that will get you kicked out of academia forever:
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
A guy makes ONE tiny mistake (has a years-long friendship with the world's worst sex trafficker; brags about sexually harassing colleagues; is racist; says women are stupid) and his whole LIFE is blown up (does slightly fewer speaking engagements; keeps teaching at #1 university)??!?!?!?!?!
So Harvard is keeping this guy, but Claudine Gay had to step down over ginned up plagiarism accusations and bad-faith accusations of anti-Semitism.
Got it.
Got it.
November 18, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Things that will get you kicked out of academia forever:
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
- taking maternity leave at the wrong time
- spending too much time with your kids
- reporting harassment
- not moving every 2-3 years
- taking a partner's job/preferences into account
- mouthing off before tenure
Currently at this very interesting and slightly terrifying conference natureconferences.streamgo.live/microplastic...
Microplastics: an emerging threat to human and planetary health
Microplastics (MPs), along with the chemicals they release, are pervasive and persistent contaminants in ecosystems worldwide. Increasingly, MPs are also being detected throughout the human body.Scien...
natureconferences.streamgo.live
November 18, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Currently at this very interesting and slightly terrifying conference natureconferences.streamgo.live/microplastic...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Science has provided increasing evidence of the sources, distribution & effects of #microplastics
🌎 Global action, reducing and rethinking the way we produce and use plastic are critical
#PlasticsTreaty #INC5
Read more in our multidisciplinary summary in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 Global action, reducing and rethinking the way we produce and use plastic are critical
#PlasticsTreaty #INC5
Read more in our multidisciplinary summary in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Twenty years of microplastic pollution research—what have we learned?
Twenty years after the first publication that used the term microplastic, we review current understanding, refine definitions, and consider future prospects. Microplastics arise from multiple sources,...
www.science.org
November 20, 2024 at 7:58 PM
Science has provided increasing evidence of the sources, distribution & effects of #microplastics
🌎 Global action, reducing and rethinking the way we produce and use plastic are critical
#PlasticsTreaty #INC5
Read more in our multidisciplinary summary in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🌎 Global action, reducing and rethinking the way we produce and use plastic are critical
#PlasticsTreaty #INC5
Read more in our multidisciplinary summary in Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Bacteria have to adapt rapidly to changes in environment. Can they ‘remember’ those conditions? Another one for my “to read” pile! cc @microberamon.bsky.social @victoriachu.bsky.social @nickyuen.bsky.social @fratorelli.bsky.social #UTISky #MicroSky
#Review
Bacteria can “remember” past environments through genetic & biochemical imprints helping them adapt and thrive! 🦠🧠
#MicroSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bacteria can “remember” past environments through genetic & biochemical imprints helping them adapt and thrive! 🦠🧠
#MicroSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Exploring the concept of bacterial memory - Nature Microbiology
This Perspective discusses the concept, mechanisms and evidence for memory in bacteria at individual and community levels.
www.nature.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Bacteria have to adapt rapidly to changes in environment. Can they ‘remember’ those conditions? Another one for my “to read” pile! cc @microberamon.bsky.social @victoriachu.bsky.social @nickyuen.bsky.social @fratorelli.bsky.social #UTISky #MicroSky
Dont flush wet wipes. Beware of biodegradable claims. All toilets need bins accessable by all.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
So long, plastic wet wipes - but should we be flushing the new ones?
Water companies say wet wipes containing plastic are one of the main causes of blockages in their pipes.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Dont flush wet wipes. Beware of biodegradable claims. All toilets need bins accessable by all.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"the truth may not exist" the last statement at the end of this very informative and insightful @royalsociety.org Milner Prize Lecture. royalsociety.org/science-even...
Milner Prize Lecture: How to spot and debunk misleading content | Royal Society
Royal Society Milner Prize Lecture 2025 delivered by Professor Iryna Gurevych
royalsociety.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"the truth may not exist" the last statement at the end of this very informative and insightful @royalsociety.org Milner Prize Lecture. royalsociety.org/science-even...
Learn to repair at the Hackney Fixing Factory www.fixingfactory.org/fix-it-yours...
Fix It Yourself — Fixing Factory
www.fixingfactory.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Learn to repair at the Hackney Fixing Factory www.fixingfactory.org/fix-it-yours...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
If you dont have New York Times subscription you can post your entries here I will forward them. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
Opinion | The Best Gifts Don’t Cost Money. Tell Us About Your Favorite.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM
If you dont have New York Times subscription you can post your entries here I will forward them. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
My entry is this shirt my wife made for me 14 years ago.
November 16, 2025 at 6:20 PM
My entry is this shirt my wife made for me 14 years ago.
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
FOLKESTONE ON WEDNESDAY - tickets here www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/whats-on/rob... #folkestone #adhd #ASD #neurodiversity #poetry
Robin Ince: Ice Cream for a Broken Tooth - Creative Folkestone
www.creativefolkestone.org.uk
November 16, 2025 at 8:04 PM
FOLKESTONE ON WEDNESDAY - tickets here www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/whats-on/rob... #folkestone #adhd #ASD #neurodiversity #poetry
My entry is this shirt my wife made for me 14 years ago.
November 16, 2025 at 6:20 PM
My entry is this shirt my wife made for me 14 years ago.
If you dont have New York Times subscription you can post your entries here I will forward them. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
Opinion | The Best Gifts Don’t Cost Money. Tell Us About Your Favorite.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM
If you dont have New York Times subscription you can post your entries here I will forward them. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
The battle to protect nature brings out the very best in people: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘We feel we’re fighting a losing battle’: the race to remove millions of plastic beads from Camber Sands
A huge cleanup effort has seen volunteers working to remove beads by hand and machine. They can only wait and see the extent of damage to wildlife and dune habitat
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:20 AM
The battle to protect nature brings out the very best in people: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Forgot to show pic of the plaque! Here it is
November 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Forgot to show pic of the plaque! Here it is
I saw this remembrance plaque on the floor of Westminster Hall last week and was intrigued. Why would King George V be involved with an airship crash in 1930? Turns out it is quite a strange story....
November 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
I saw this remembrance plaque on the floor of Westminster Hall last week and was intrigued. Why would King George V be involved with an airship crash in 1930? Turns out it is quite a strange story....
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Let me put this out there to my fellow rudderless middle-aged humans: this is where we need your expertise.
Stop the endless doomscrolling and set up neighborhood repair clinics or bike co-ops.
It will keep you out of trouble and focused on improving other people's lives. We call it a purpose.
Stop the endless doomscrolling and set up neighborhood repair clinics or bike co-ops.
It will keep you out of trouble and focused on improving other people's lives. We call it a purpose.
The rise and rise of the Repair Cafe: insideclimatenews.org/news/1111202...
A Growing Number of ‘Repair Cafes’ Are Popping Up Around the World to Curb Consumer Waste - Inside Climate News
Local communities are hosting events where people can bring in their broken goods for repairs—free of charge.
insideclimatenews.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Let me put this out there to my fellow rudderless middle-aged humans: this is where we need your expertise.
Stop the endless doomscrolling and set up neighborhood repair clinics or bike co-ops.
It will keep you out of trouble and focused on improving other people's lives. We call it a purpose.
Stop the endless doomscrolling and set up neighborhood repair clinics or bike co-ops.
It will keep you out of trouble and focused on improving other people's lives. We call it a purpose.