Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 1d

Wow! So awesome! Well done! 👏

Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Ben Pierce @benfpiercephd.bsky.social · 16d

Women in the US are now being forced to have babies and carry in the most painful way possible.

The #autism announcement yesterday was not based at all on science. The correlations found in that 1 study are not sound: the follow up times were unbalanced, leading to bias and misleading associations.

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 16d

It’s fall- you know what that means.

(Monarch butterflies migrating to Southern California, Mexico, and Florida)

Map showing Monarch butterfly migration routes in spring (green arrows) from Mexico to northern U.S. and Canada, and fall (orange arrows) returning south.

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦 @secondnaturemb.bsky.social · 16d

Found the most adorable tiny crimped gill mushrooms. Each one is only about a centimetre in diametre. We've had a ton of rain this fall, so the fungi are thriving right now. 🌿

A collection of tiny, frilly shelf mushrooms growing on an old branch in a forest.

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 18d

I strongly second this! 👏🏾

When talking about science communication, I also always stress that *all* forms and forums of communication matter 🔄

Whether it’s a big, factually correct but details-lite TV show or movie…or just chatting to granny or your mates in a pub 🗣️

Tracy Bale @thebalelab.bsky.social · 20d

Fantastic piece in Nature Reviews Neuro by @nicolecrust.bsky.social on the importance of science communication. My take? Everything matters - just do something. It will make a difference for how science is valued and trusted, how community understands. Let's get out there and communicate! 👏

The unexpected value of communicating science to the public

Nature Reviews Neuroscience - As a group, our scientific community has a responsibility to unpack the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind our work for the public, not least because much...

rdcu.be

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 19d

Disney’s collapse following the most successful boycott in human history opens up the streaming market, and Bluesky spins up a streaming service.

What are the hit shows on BlueSky Max?

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

White Stork Project @whitestorkproject.bsky.social · 19d

Migration Update
Last week more of this year’s young storks crossed the Channel from Dungeness to France. Satellite tags show them south of Boulogne-sur-Mer, likely having travelled together after days along the South Coast. Our live map will be updated soon, so you can follow their journeys live!

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Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 19d

Very exciting technology - to be able to track levels of specific proteins in the body in *real time* is a game changer for so many complex health conditions.

And one step close to the ultimate solution, of course: a Star Trek medical tricorder.

I wish I could be Patient One, after Dr Eric Topol!

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 24d

I've been following the field of biosensors for nearly 2 decades. This may well turn out to be the most important advance yet
erictopol.substack.com/p/biosensors...

Biosensors to Track Proteins and Inflammation in Our Blood in Real Time

A recording from Eric Topol's live video

erictopol.substack.com

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Jessica Dobson @jessica-dobson.bsky.social · 21d

Super happy to share the first chapter of my PhD, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface ✨🐀 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Iridescence in mammals is not as rare as we thought, but it’s all created in the same way!

Rainbow-like colours in the fur of a tropical rat (Otomys tropicalis)

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Wild About the Borders @wildborders.bsky.social · 20d

Just started monitoring a new pine marten site. This one is a large conifer plantation (my others are in deciduous woodlands). Amazing how quickly this one found the feeder - although it still needs to figure out how to use it! Cranberries seem to be a winner though… @pinetencolin.bsky.social

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Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 19d

“Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending”

Stark truths and powerful words by Dolors Armenteras.

#DEI #EDI #Inclusion

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

Equity in science is a beautiful lie — and I’m done pretending

Science isn’t really moving towards equity; institutions are just perfecting the appearance of equity. We need to build an alternative system.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Damon Young @damonyoung.com.au · 22d

Tired: gazing into the abyss

Wired: gazing into the

A manhole filled with bats, shot from above

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Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 24d

“I’m constantly astounded by who doesn’t have a Wikipedia page,” she says. “You expect these people to have one, because a much less significant male counterpart would. And that’s because of who edits Wikipedia.”

Much-needed work! 👏

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Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 24d

Dr Jess Wade, multiple award-winning British physicist in the Blackett Laboratory at Imperial College London, has written and contributed to more than 2,000 Wikipedia pages about female scientists and scientists of colour.

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www.theguardian.com/science/2023...

‘Why are they not on Wikipedia?’: Dr Jess Wade’s mission for recognition for unsung scientists

Despite some advances, men still dominate science but one academic is working hard to get women and peers of colour the recognition they deserve

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 27d

A hopeful thread! Some of my favs:
HIV treatment is better by leaps and bounds, and now 2x year injections can prevent people from contracting it! www.npr.org/sections/goa...

CRISPR has cured, CURED, sickle cell anemia in patients for at least a year! www.scientificamerican.com/article/fda-...

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Cath Hodsman @cathhodsman.bsky.social · 27d

Did u know?Most winged insects have 2 sets of wings - a hind pair & a fore pair. Some have evolved to lose one set. Flies are a fab example. They've lost their hind wings,but have natty knobs called halteres. These act like gyroscopes, giving them accurate in-flight info.Celebrate the small. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🪲🌍🪰

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 26d

The amazing Whale Valley in Egypt.

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 26d

An old rainforest oak like this, thick with epiphytes and ivy, is more than just a tree.

It's a mini ecosystem. 🌏

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Coral City Camera @coralcitycamera.bsky.social · 28d

A lil nurse shark arrived in Coral City and circled the Cam a few times today. Welcome home! #nurseshark #sharksofcoralcity #shark #babyshark #boop #circles #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #coralcity

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Bateman Horne Center @batemanhornecenter.bsky.social · 29d

Why does exertion worsen #MECFS?
This study finds the immune system overreacts & energy metabolism breaks down after activity—fueling post-exertional malaise.
📖 buff.ly/Nd1Bs7F

#PEM #ChronicIllness #LongCOVID @nature.com

Research announcement graphic. At the top, citation text reads: 'Che, X., Ranjan, A., Guo, C. et al. Heightened innate immunity may trigger chronic inflammation, fatigue and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS. npj Metab Health Dis 3, 34 (2025).' Below is an illustration of a person with a magnifying glass examining papers, charts, and a large question mark. Text reads: 'Nature. New Research Uncovers Immune-Metabolic Clues in ME/CFS.' Website link at the bottom: www.nature.com

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Joanna Redfeather @joannaredfeather.bsky.social · 29d

If bottom trawling happened on land where we could see it, it would have been banned many, many years ago. Everyone would be outraged it was ever allowed to happen in the first place. Let alone in a designated “Protected Area”.

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 29d

This is infuriating. What is the point of a Marine Protected Area if trawlers are allowed to keep ploughing it?
Yet again, the government has succumbed to commercial lobbying.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Bottom trawling to continue in English protected waters, government rules

Defra says blanket ban on ‘destructive’ fishing practice disproportionate as MPs urge minister to reconsider

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 29d

and yes yes I do really like art and think it obviously should be preserved and protected but £375m works out at a rather extraordinary £144,000 PER PAINTING in the NG collection 🤯

(for comparison, this would be about £4.60 per object in the NHM collections)

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 29d

something pretty galling when the National Gallery gets two individual gifts of £150 million each to build one gallery as the Northumberland Wildlife Trust has to scrabble around for £30 million to buy the Rothbury Estate and restore it to nature 🫠

A screen grab from a Times article about the lastest National Gallery donations reading "Any fears that fundraising would be compromised by the refurbishment of the Sainsbury Wing have been comprehensively allayed by the astonishing sum already pledged, £375 million, which includes the two largest publicly reported single cash donations to a museum or gallery anywhere in the world: £150 million each from the Crankstart Foundation (the charitable foundation of Sir Michael Moritz KBE and his wife, Harriet Heyman, who have funded the Booker and International Booker prizes since 2019) and the Julia Rausing Trust.".

A screen grab of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust's appeal showing they have reached 27% of their £30 million target, which is £8.15 million.

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

Cath Hodsman @cathhodsman.bsky.social · Sep 9

Did u know?In your outside space,if you focus on the small-scale,rather than the large,you'll see amazing sights of small souls,doing their thing. Look at this curious sight - it's a Shield Bug,moulting. Its old skin is pushed down to its abdomen tip,whilst the new skin is still fresh & pink. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · Jul 31

I’ve partnered with the Center for Wildlife Studies to make an online take-at-your-own-pace version of my “public science engagement using social media” professional development workshop.

You can take it for graduate course credit, CPE credit, or just to learn a useful new skill.

Public Science Engagement Using Social Media — Center for Wildlife Studies

www.centerforwildlifestudies.org

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Reposted by Joanna Redfeather

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Sep 8

‘We have to tell an alternative story’: Green leader Polanski chats to Nigel Farage’s constituents

Visit to Clacton-on-Sea part of social media strategy that Zack Polanski feels can rebut Reform’s rhetoric

www.theguardian.com

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