Jonathan Chiche
@jonathanchiche.bsky.social
French antiquarian bookseller living in Taiwan.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
A thread on #nature and #wildlife photographs shared by the #Taiwanese forestry agency 🧵
Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area in Miaoli is known for mist-shrouded #mountain ridges and ancient red cypresses revered as "sacred #trees." recreation.forest.gov.tw/EN/Forest/RA...
Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area in Miaoli is known for mist-shrouded #mountain ridges and ancient red cypresses revered as "sacred #trees." recreation.forest.gov.tw/EN/Forest/RA...
December 19, 2025 at 5:57 AM
A thread on #nature and #wildlife photographs shared by the #Taiwanese forestry agency 🧵
Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area in Miaoli is known for mist-shrouded #mountain ridges and ancient red cypresses revered as "sacred #trees." recreation.forest.gov.tw/EN/Forest/RA...
Guanwu National Forest Recreation Area in Miaoli is known for mist-shrouded #mountain ridges and ancient red cypresses revered as "sacred #trees." recreation.forest.gov.tw/EN/Forest/RA...
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Very friendly letter from Crick to Franklin, April 1954, discussing work, helping her arrange a trip to the USA, and hoping to see her soon in the US or back in the UK. His sign-off – 'Yours ever' – was reserved for his closest friends.
December 18, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Very friendly letter from Crick to Franklin, April 1954, discussing work, helping her arrange a trip to the USA, and hoping to see her soon in the US or back in the UK. His sign-off – 'Yours ever' – was reserved for his closest friends.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Official recognition of Franklin's request to visit the US in 1954 - described as a 'combustion specialist' (she continued to work on the structure of coal as well as developing her work on virus structure).
December 18, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Official recognition of Franklin's request to visit the US in 1954 - described as a 'combustion specialist' (she continued to work on the structure of coal as well as developing her work on virus structure).
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
The Reeves' muntjac is the #forest creature most likely to photobomb other critters in #wildlife cams set up by the #Taiwanese forestry bureau (it shares a frame with a Swinhoe's pheasant below). Also photographed: a family of #Formosan wild boars, a Formosan black bear, Yellow-throated marten trio.
December 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
The Reeves' muntjac is the #forest creature most likely to photobomb other critters in #wildlife cams set up by the #Taiwanese forestry bureau (it shares a frame with a Swinhoe's pheasant below). Also photographed: a family of #Formosan wild boars, a Formosan black bear, Yellow-throated marten trio.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
If you don’t know, Jason and I write this (aspirationally) monthly newsletter which is about our thoughts and also our feeeeeelings about rare books and bibliography. You might enjoy! If you like that sort of thing.
The new issue of Half Sheets is out - really enjoyed @sibyllacumae.bsky.social 's book and utopian thoughts in this issue! Read here, share, and subscribe if you haven't already - it's free! 📜 #bookhistory #booksky #libsky #rarebooks open.substack.com/pub/twohalfs...
On Utopia(s)
or cults by another name?
open.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:22 PM
If you don’t know, Jason and I write this (aspirationally) monthly newsletter which is about our thoughts and also our feeeeeelings about rare books and bibliography. You might enjoy! If you like that sort of thing.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
I have read, blurbed, reviewed quite a lot of science books this year. Here are some I have particularly enjoyed, in no particular order.
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's long awaited biography of Francis Crick did not disappoint. Authoritative and highly readable. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's long awaited biography of Francis Crick did not disappoint. Authoritative and highly readable. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Sex, drugs and the conscious brain: Francis Crick beyond the double helix
A thoroughly researched account of the history and relationships that shaped the scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA.
www.nature.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:37 PM
I have read, blurbed, reviewed quite a lot of science books this year. Here are some I have particularly enjoyed, in no particular order.
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's long awaited biography of Francis Crick did not disappoint. Authoritative and highly readable. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's long awaited biography of Francis Crick did not disappoint. Authoritative and highly readable. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
No, *this* is (or was in 1990) Cool.
December 4, 2025 at 9:15 PM
No, *this* is (or was in 1990) Cool.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Come for the sheep, stay for the alt text
THREAD. A collection of photographs of excellent sheep I have met on walks.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
November 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Come for the sheep, stay for the alt text
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
OK, I have set up a Substack and posted an article there going into much more detail about Francis Crick and the poet Michael McClure. If the link between science and art is your thing, or you just like psychedelic poetry, have a read:
The Powerful Knowledge: How the Poetry of Michael McClure Influenced the Scientist Francis Crick
In July 1959, the co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, Francis Crick, took a psychedelic trip on peyote through the power of poetry.
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
OK, I have set up a Substack and posted an article there going into much more detail about Francis Crick and the poet Michael McClure. If the link between science and art is your thing, or you just like psychedelic poetry, have a read:
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
If you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:32 AM
If you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
What a wonderful visit to the @college-de-france.fr! Thank you Denis Duboule and the faculty of the Collège.
A fabulous month of science, ideas, conversation and, of course, Paris. Catch my four lectures here: www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/co...
🧪
A fabulous month of science, ideas, conversation and, of course, Paris. Catch my four lectures here: www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/co...
🧪
November 7, 2025 at 10:59 PM
What a wonderful visit to the @college-de-france.fr! Thank you Denis Duboule and the faculty of the Collège.
A fabulous month of science, ideas, conversation and, of course, Paris. Catch my four lectures here: www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/co...
🧪
A fabulous month of science, ideas, conversation and, of course, Paris. Catch my four lectures here: www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/co...
🧪
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
James D. Watson is dead. Stay tuned for some thoughts, based on my research on his biography, to be published soon.
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:39 PM
James D. Watson is dead. Stay tuned for some thoughts, based on my research on his biography, to be published soon.
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Very sad to hear about Jim Watson’s death. If you think he was always a racist you are wrong. He refused to support genes/IQ research in the 70s. He boycotted Greece because of the military coup in 1967 and he called for a boycott of meetings in Chicago after the police riot of 1968. 1/2
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Very sad to hear about Jim Watson’s death. If you think he was always a racist you are wrong. He refused to support genes/IQ research in the 70s. He boycotted Greece because of the military coup in 1967 and he called for a boycott of meetings in Chicago after the police riot of 1968. 1/2
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Dès le 7 novembre at 5.30pm, 4 courses on the biology of hematopoietic stem cells from Dr #EmanuellePassague @columbiauniversity.bsky.social, guest Professor @college-de-france.fr. How to produce and rejuvenate your blood cells? Free attendance, no registration, no compulsory blood test🤘
October 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Dès le 7 novembre at 5.30pm, 4 courses on the biology of hematopoietic stem cells from Dr #EmanuellePassague @columbiauniversity.bsky.social, guest Professor @college-de-france.fr. How to produce and rejuvenate your blood cells? Free attendance, no registration, no compulsory blood test🤘
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
One of the plates that appears in the UK edition of CRICK, but sadly not the US edition. A sketch of Francis by Odile, drawn in 1948-9 in the tiny Green Door flat they lived in on Thompsons Lane.
November 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
One of the plates that appears in the UK edition of CRICK, but sadly not the US edition. A sketch of Francis by Odile, drawn in 1948-9 in the tiny Green Door flat they lived in on Thompsons Lane.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
The things you find in your photo roll #2. For some reason, in August 2013 I took a picture of this charming letter from Max Perutz to Jim Watson, written shortly before Max died.
November 4, 2025 at 9:17 AM
The things you find in your photo roll #2. For some reason, in August 2013 I took a picture of this charming letter from Max Perutz to Jim Watson, written shortly before Max died.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Tomorrow Wedn 5th, lesson #4 of @neilshubin.bsky.social , guest Professor @college-de-france.fr ‘How do new biological inventions arise in evolution?’ ⚠️ Final seminar on his Paris tour 2025 😲 Dont’ miss this last opportunity to meet him and his inner fish. 11am, aquarium Guillaume Budé 🐠Free swim.
November 4, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Tomorrow Wedn 5th, lesson #4 of @neilshubin.bsky.social , guest Professor @college-de-france.fr ‘How do new biological inventions arise in evolution?’ ⚠️ Final seminar on his Paris tour 2025 😲 Dont’ miss this last opportunity to meet him and his inner fish. 11am, aquarium Guillaume Budé 🐠Free swim.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Contact prints from photos by Frederick J. Foley 傅良圃. These photos were taken in Taiwan; we're guessing in the 1960s. The Ricci Institute has around 85,000 of Foley's photographic negatives that await digitization. They were given to us in 1985.
October 31, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Contact prints from photos by Frederick J. Foley 傅良圃. These photos were taken in Taiwan; we're guessing in the 1960s. The Ricci Institute has around 85,000 of Foley's photographic negatives that await digitization. They were given to us in 1985.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Join us for an extraordinary evening with Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo!
Prof Pääbo will present a FREE public talk titled “Of Neanderthals and Denisovans, and how they live on in many of us” at the @crick.ac.uk.
Register here: genetics.org.uk/events/of-ne...
Prof Pääbo will present a FREE public talk titled “Of Neanderthals and Denisovans, and how they live on in many of us” at the @crick.ac.uk.
Register here: genetics.org.uk/events/of-ne...
October 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Join us for an extraordinary evening with Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo!
Prof Pääbo will present a FREE public talk titled “Of Neanderthals and Denisovans, and how they live on in many of us” at the @crick.ac.uk.
Register here: genetics.org.uk/events/of-ne...
Prof Pääbo will present a FREE public talk titled “Of Neanderthals and Denisovans, and how they live on in many of us” at the @crick.ac.uk.
Register here: genetics.org.uk/events/of-ne...
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
Si vous êtes en région parisienne, il y a encore deux cours, l'accès est libre et gratuit, et @neilshubin.bsky.social est un fantastique orateur, passionné et passionnant !
www.college-de-france.fr/en/agenda/gu...
www.college-de-france.fr/en/agenda/gu...
October 24, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Si vous êtes en région parisienne, il y a encore deux cours, l'accès est libre et gratuit, et @neilshubin.bsky.social est un fantastique orateur, passionné et passionnant !
www.college-de-france.fr/en/agenda/gu...
www.college-de-france.fr/en/agenda/gu...
I feel silly for having forgotten about it, but I could not have gone anyway. Hopefully I shall be able to attend at least one of the next lectures.
My first lecture at the Collège de France @cdf1530 is up! In English... Three more to follow in the coming weeks.
With thanks to @denisduboule.bsky.social for the invitation! 🙏🇫🇷 🐠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6y...
With thanks to @denisduboule.bsky.social for the invitation! 🙏🇫🇷 🐠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6y...
Neil Shubin (1) - Denis Duboule (2025-2026)
YouTube video by Sciences de la vie - Collège de France
www.youtube.com
October 18, 2025 at 10:12 AM
I feel silly for having forgotten about it, but I could not have gone anyway. Hopefully I shall be able to attend at least one of the next lectures.
Excellent thread.
News in the history of molecular biology. The Science History Institute in Philadelphia has acquired a huge archive of correspondence and other scientific material from the pioneers of molecular biology (Franklin, Klug, Perutz, Delbrück etc, with items from Crick and Watson, too). 1/n
History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
www.sciencehistory.org
September 8, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Excellent thread.
Reposted by Jonathan Chiche
My first year as co-EIC of Vaccine also means my first year co-chairing the #19VaccineCongress with Florian Krammer & Ivan Hung, w/ local chair Ken Ishii.
Vaccination has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide, but it now faces a grave threat from my home country.
Vaccination has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide, but it now faces a grave threat from my home country.
September 6, 2025 at 1:05 PM
My first year as co-EIC of Vaccine also means my first year co-chairing the #19VaccineCongress with Florian Krammer & Ivan Hung, w/ local chair Ken Ishii.
Vaccination has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide, but it now faces a grave threat from my home country.
Vaccination has saved hundreds of millions of lives worldwide, but it now faces a grave threat from my home country.