Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1h

Last time I went to something like this was about 20 years ago at the Brixton Academy to see Skunk Anansie, and I felt ancient then.
But I'll stay out of the mosh pit this time.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1h

Quite prepared to find myself the oldest geezer in the room at the Nova Twins gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town next weekend. On the other hand, maybe not, as I'm apparently not the only old rocker to consider these young women to be the future of rock.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdRd...

Nova Twins - Glory (Glastonbury 2025)

YouTube video by BBC Music

www.youtube.com

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 3h

I've written about the chiliastic movements of the 16th century Peasants' War, and can't help seeing some similarities here. As if medicine would be a way of cheating God's will.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 3h

I've yet to see this properly analysed from a psychological point of view. Obviously RFK is a nut, but there's also a broader pattern in the GOP ranks that seems deeply peculiar, of wanting positively to welcome the threat of disease and death. It feels like a collective psychosis.

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 7h

The Trump admin is in the midst of laying off 1,100-1,200 HHS staff. The CDC's outbreak responders, gone. The office producing CDC's weekly journal MMWR is gone. CDC staff securing sensitive data, gone. Worker safety, gone. Immunization group, gone.

Instead, Congress watches RFK "make the proof"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Philip Ball

David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 7h

A classic case of irresponsible both-sidesism from the NYT. The story is that Trump and MAGA propagandists are lying about Portland to incite a conflict, not that there are different views of the matter.

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Reposted by Philip Ball

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 7h

The Trump admin is in the midst of laying off 1,100-1,200 HHS staff. The CDC's outbreak responders, gone. The office producing CDC's weekly journal MMWR is gone. CDC staff securing sensitive data, gone. Worker safety, gone. Immunization group, gone.

Instead, Congress watches RFK "make the proof"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 8h

It always amuses me when people inadvertently own themselves in using this phrase, given how the adage alludes to the way a single bad apple turns the whole crate bad.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Farage insists ex-Reform UK Wales leader convicted of bribery is ‘bad apple’

Farage said he was shocked by Nathan Gill’s admissions relating to pro-Russia statements

www.theguardian.com

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 8h

That is actually a splendid business idea Jacob, which I'd love someone to pick up and run with.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

WHAT!! The author?!!!

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

The question Roland, is: Who did it?!! I have my suspicions.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

☹️

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

Has anyone told the government?

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

Ah, silly me - I forgot Covid was over.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

Do you get it on the NHS? If so, how old do you need to be? (I'm being lazy in not asking my GP, I know!)

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

And if we trace the thread properly, it was Brexit that killed it.

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 1d

It's not just Badenoch or Jenrick. The entire British conservative project is dying iandunt.substack.com/p/the-empty-...

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

😂

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 1d

Carolyn just put this to bed.

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 2d

My HPLC was definitely overlooked

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery

The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Philip Ball

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

Let's see if this link works better...
www.ijb.de/en/home/the-...

International Youth Library

The International Youth Library is the world’s largest library for international children’s and youth literature.

www.ijb.de

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

Gah, yes! Will try to repost.

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Reposted by Philip Ball

Roland Pease @peaseroland.bsky.social · 2d

Science in Action, coming up, in which I get to revisit, thanks to this week's #NobelPrize, my enthusiasm for 3D organic framework structures, with archive of Omar Yaghi and commentary from @philipcball.bsky.social

And share with listeners that the prog dies in 3 weeks
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

www.bbc.co.uk

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

But I'll settle for Frazzles.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

No.

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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

That of course is another kettle of fish, although this is a very good question. The fact that LUCA seems already to have been surprisingly complex only deepens that puzzle.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Luca is the progenitor of all life on Earth. But its genesis has implications far beyond our planet

New research into the single-celled organism is providing clues about what the early planet looked like – and raising the prospect that we may not be alone in the universe

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Philip Ball

Marnie Chesterton @amsterdammed.bsky.social · 2d

Just about to do Inside Science on Radio 4, featuring @pennysarchet.bsky.social talking fit mice, the moon & Shackleton; comedian @josielong.bsky.social on Megafauna and @philipcball.bsky.social unpicks the quantum in the Nobel Prize for Physics

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