Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 2d

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Brenna Hassett @brennawalks.bsky.social · 2d

so... the wellcome trust gave me a £1,000,000? and i didnt even have to hold the world to ransom.

i am super excited, going to be recruiting SOON for a phd and a postdoc, and could not do anything without my amazing collaborators <3

www.lancashire.ac.uk/news/grant-t...

Archaeology research project receives £1 million grant to better understand how people got sick

University of Lancashire’s Dr Brenna Hassett receives Wellcome funding to understand how the invention of farming, herding, and sedentism changed human disease.

www.lancashire.ac.uk

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Dr Lindsey Fitzharris @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social · 4d

Are you exhausted by the world? Come take refuge in my weird and wonderful corner of #Bluesky - where I post medical history content that will make you happy to live in 2025!

Medieval urine wheels! Opium toothpaste! Cemetery guns! I got it all. I love sharing my passion for this niche subject.

A photo of Lindsey dressed in a blue jacket with a medieval urine wheel, holding a sign that reads: "taste the urine!"

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Ben Triton @bentriton.bsky.social · 6d

I love it.

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 7d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Doughnut Economics Action Lab @doughnuteconomics.bsky.social · 7d

DOUGHNUT 3.0 IS HERE! 🎉

Today, DEAL is launching the latest update of the global Doughnut, now monitoring trends in social shortfall and ecological overshoot across the 21st century.

#DoughnutEconomics
Check out the link below to see all the resources and dive in:

Doughnut 3.0 is here | DEAL

The Doughnut, updated, now monitors global trends in social shortfall and ecological overshoot over the 21st century

doughnuteconomics.org

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 7d

So sad to hear of Jane Goodall's passing. I was fortunate to meet her over 14 years ago when she visited Cambridge. Her legacy in conservation, anthropology, animal rights, and science in general will live on! Hoot hoot!

Jane Goodall seated with Suzanne Pilaar Birch.

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 8d

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 9d

⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.

The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.

interestingengineering.com/science/chin...

China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes

A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.

interestingengineering.com

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Michael Petraglia @mdpetraglia.bsky.social · 8d

About 12,000 years ago, high up on a cliff in the desert of northern Arabia, an artist – or perhaps artists – was hard at work. @mariaguagnin.bsky.social
theconversation.com/12-000-year-...

12,000-year-old rock art marked ancient water sources in Arabia’s desert

The large, naturalistic engravings are a striking symbol for survival in the desert.

theconversation.com

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 8d

Yes, makes total sense a rabid fan would pay random websites to publish (most likely AI-generated) smear articles instead of...posting for free on social media or abundantly free blog websites. 🙃

Flint Dibble @flintdibble.bsky.social · 8d

"Scientists targeted by dark PR tactics"

Good coverage of the coordinated, anonymous attacks that have hit scientists who have been critical of Colossal Biosciences (me included)

www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

Scientists targeted by dark PR tactics: Several academic scientists critical of de-extinction projects have become the targets of anonymous smear articles and weaponized copyright infringement claims:...

EMBO Press is an editorially independent publishing platform for the development of EMBO scientific publications.

www.embopress.org

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 8d

Want to explore the #archaeology of Europe from prehistory to the present? Today is your final chance to access our @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org collection of European archaeology completely FREE 🏺

Don't miss out! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Classical building with many pillars lining its walls, with the text 'European Archaeology, Antiquity' overlaid.

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Prof Susie Maidment @tweetisaurus.bsky.social · 8d

AMAZING JOB ALERT!!! Dorset Council are recruiting a World Heritage Officer to support the management of the Jurassic Coast! Would suit an Earth Science graduate with an interest in digital comms and content: deets here: www.jobs.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/vacancies/32...

World Heritage Officer in Dorchester | Dorset Council

View details and apply for this World Heritage Officer vacancy in Dorchester. Join a passionate and collaborative team at the heart of Dorset's environmental and heritage work. As part of the Dor...

www.jobs.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 9d

RIP Aaron Swartz 🥺

Warwick History Post-Doc Club @post-doc-club.bsky.social · 9d

Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month

www.jstor.org/action/showL...

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Ecography @ecography.bsky.social · 14d

Most mammals do not wander: few species escape continental endemism vist.ly/47xag #Mammals #Biogeography #Diet

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 12d

New paper out today, emphasizing the importance and utility of museum collections in new research, using bones stored at Harvard for 50 years! How did herd management change over thousands of years at Tepe Yahya, an important archaeological site in Iran? journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Large-scale carbon and nitrogen isotopic investigations into caprine diet and management at Tepe Yahya, southeastern Iran

Tepe Yahya, a small urban center in southeastern Iran, was embedded in cross-cultural exchange with the many entities of southwestern Asia. Besides an understanding that caprines dominated the animal ...

journals.plos.org

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Tori Herridge @toriherridge.bsky.social · 13d

📣 Calling all #ESHE2025 participants and hashtag followers!

Open Quaternary is looking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief as @mlaw.bsky.social, @suziebirch.bsky.social and I step down after 10 years of shared service.

Apply here: openquaternary.com/announcements

Announcements | Open Quaternary

openquaternary.com

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 14d

What is a #ProjectGallery?
Short, online, free articles showcasing new archaeological results, fieldwork discoveries and innovative applications of technology, in particular from underrepresented regions!

Explore them all 🆓 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

🏺 #Archaeology

Two archaeologists sampling from a large, square test pit in a field. Tall palm trees form a line in the background.

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

National Heritage Science Forum @nhsf.bsky.social · 15d

AHRC Early career fellowships in cultural and heritage institutions are open for applications! Work in a major cultural or heritage host organisation on a co-designed research project. Apply by 10 Dec 2025.

More info:

Early career fellowships in cultural and heritage institutions: 2025

Apply for funding to conduct research at participating cultural and heritage institutions.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 15d

We’re at the strange point where serious studies are finding that, when used as advertised, generative AI destroys productivity, trust and cognitive skills. It literally cannot ever produce reliably accurate information.
Yet the conclusion here is that businesses need to learn how to use AI better.

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 15d

Where can I get this? LOL

Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · 15d

ENOUGH.

A plastic Halloween decoration depicting a snail “skeleton” including a skull for a shell.

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 15d

Perfect multispecies collaboration example! 😂

depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 16d

imagine if a family of beavers randomly showed up right now and finished whatever thing you've been putting off

In early 2025, beaver activity in the Brdy Protected Landscape Area, Czech Republic, contributed to the restoration of a wetland ecosystem. A family of beavers constructed a series of dams that coincidentally accomplished environmental goals of the Czech government, which had delayed its proposed project since 2018 for bureaucratic and financial reasons. The beaver-built dams saved the Czech government approximately US$1.2 million,

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 16d

Good to be prepared, just in case...

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 16d

I still have it on my calendar for tomorrow morning at 8am so let's see how it goes 🙃

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Suzanne Pilaar Birch @suziebirch.bsky.social · 16d

I deleted it years ago! Better off having a personal website.

Winston Black @winstonblack.bsky.social · 16d

Huh, cancel culture works.
Major backpedal from Academia [dot] "edu", who updated their Terms of Use today, probably because thousands of academics deleted their accounts when they posted new Terms last week granting them use of users' voice and likeness. That's now removed.
Still a predatory site!

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Shumon T. Hussain @shumon.bsky.social · Sep 3

I am looking for a multispecies archaeologist with a strong theoretical and interpretive profile to join my group (100%, 3 years): uni.koeln/2E7CR

Deadline: 30.09.2025.
Apply here: uni.koeln/ZQMKA ("Wiss2508-21")

@nakedprimate.bsky.social @mesh-research-hub.bsky.social @unicologne.bsky.social

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 16d

Early bird registration and bursary applications are now open for Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference 2025 in lovely York: tag2025.hosted.york.ac.uk/en/registrat...

Registration - TAG 2025

tag2025.hosted.york.ac.uk

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Reposted by Suzanne Pilaar Birch

Iván Ramírez-Pedraza @ivanramirezpedraza.bsky.social · 19d

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣

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