Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettRebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Magical creatures don’t exist, eh? Roughly 400 million years ago, before the birth of trees, there were giant mystery cones called “Prototaxites,” which grew nearly 30 feet tall. We literally have no idea what they were. Plant: no Mushroom: no Animal: no Tell me this isn’t a little bit magic 46789196
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettRobin Hayward 🌳 🏳️⚧️ @canopyrobin.com · 19hOne of the biggest obstacles to trans inclusivity in fieldwork is uncertainty. Here's a video of me talking about it but you can also read about it at inclusivefieldwork.leeds.ac.uk 04122
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Major props to Robin and team for this important work. Read it, use it, share it far and wide. 2189
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettYonette Joseph @sugarcane99.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Huh. Suspect supposedly foiled RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ by ringing police himself. www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...thetimes.comSuspect foiled RAF Fairford ‘bomb plot’ by ringing police himselfAs counterterrorism officers focus on whether the five men from London were proxies for Iran, they are also investigating the motives of the one who called 999 0126
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Currently trying to work out if the big afternoon energy slumps I seem to be getting this week are due to new ADHD meds, general life-with-newborn sleep deprivation, orstatic.klipy.comThe Road To El Dorado: Both Is GoodAlt: Gif from The Road To El Dorado: "Both? Both? Both Is Good" 010
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettHannah Vardit @hannahvardit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026i worry that men think being A Good Guy is dramatically and heroically intervening on behalf of an endangered woman and then being publicly rewarded on a grand scale when actually being A Good Guy is just usually saying, “hey man that’s not funny” or “wow that’s fucked up” and there is no reward 10130663621
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettRory🏳️⚧️🍉 @rory-f.bsky.social · 28/09/2026vampire bats are champion pissers, because they need to be able to shed all the water from the blood they drink, i think people should incorporate this into their vampire fiction 515937
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026A really valuable programme, this. Balancing conservation of our wildlife with conservation of places of worship 1101
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettColin @colin-fraser.net · 28/09/2026I think if you meaningfully punish OpenAI & co for all of these cyberattacks then they will stop doing them. Whether or not you want to anthropomorphize the agents, you gotta just land there. 537570
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennettevacide @evacide.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Meta Muse appears to read your Apple messages and upload them to the cloud even if you explicitly tell it not to: appleinsider.com/articles/26/...appleinsider.com 1001916987
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettFrank Swain @frank-swain.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I wanted to know if Europe's wildfire line is moving northward. So I did what anyone would and mapped thousands of burn scars. If you now live in one of the red cells, your chance of being within 25km of a wildfire next year is 50% (based on rolling 10 year average). 141
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 25/07/2024I see this comic in my mind every damn day at the office. Also every time Boris Johnson, Russell Brand, et al speak. 0251
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettMatt Weiner @mattweiner19.bsky.social · 27/09/2026great piece would add that one big dange is The Powers That Be putting a system that *isn't* capable of running things in charge of it, and trusting what it does because it is The Machine God the "the supercompetent AI will kill us all!" doomsaying makes that more likely, because Machine God 24814
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The problem isn't rogue #AI models, it's *negligent companies*. If a biomedical firm put their product in public water supply because they wanted to test it 'in the real world', they'd be treated as criminal at corporate & individual level. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comOpenAI halts training of latest models as reports mount of AI agents going rogueDecision follows disclosures that OpenAI agents searching government websites had acted in unexpected ways 20815322
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026At my PhD interview I was carrying a very full hiking-backpack with visible bloodstains. And a Nalgene bottle, obviously. 130
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Cannot tell you how much I hate this & how ashamed & angry I am that @ukri.org have taken this step. We KNOW this sort of gAI is socially biased, we KNOW it favours slopAI output over human-written. Our research landscape is falling apart due to underfunding, & they do this? it's *appalling* 718589
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Major props to Robin and team for this important work. Read it, use it, share it far and wide. 2189
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Neurodivergence level: today for the first time I took a medication with ‘amfetamine’ in the name, and I’m the calmest and stillest I’ve been in ages 160
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettNoah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Me: (driving car into wall) My car has gone rogue! Me: (dropping phone into tub) My god, my phone has gone rogue! Me: (tripping over table) The table! It's gone rogue! 212439
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettWest Coast Birdwatching @westcoastbirds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026HELP NEEDED! There is a stranded Manx Shearwater in the West Midlands (SOLIHULL) that needs a ride back to the coast. Can anyone in that area help? Even to take it some of the way and pass on to another volunteer? Please call 01437 723193 if you can help 🙏 22527
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDavid Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Have you ever tried to read a scientific journal article and been told “you don’t have access, pay to download this article?” Did you know that the author of that article gets $0 if you pay? Instead, you can email the author and ask for a free copy! I’d be delighted to help and answer questions! 421918773
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettBela Lugosi's Dad 🏳️⚧️ 🇵🇸 @belalugosisdad.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Once again, speaking as a professional archaeologist: "English" is not an ethnicity in any meaningful sense. You only have to go back about 1,000 years before everyone in Europe has the same group of common genealogical ancestors. Humans have lived on the British Isles for almost a million years. 926781
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettColin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026What's behind this tidal wave of epidemics? In the largest study ever conducted on emerging infectious diseases, we show that the popular explanation - "our relationship with nature is out of balance" - doesn't hold up. Out now in Nature, after half a decade of work: www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comThe anthropogenic fingerprint on emerging infectious diseases - NatureEmerging infectious disease outbreak risks are ubiquitous worldwide, and highest in landscapes where people, livestock and fragmented natural ecosystems coexist, but detection and data ... 8553276
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Not to be all maudlin, but I think "sung by a child" is the bit that has broken something inside of me. 1638860
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettRob Manuel @robmanuel.b3ta.com · 23/09/2026Going to shoplift Meal Deals in Sainsbury's and they can't arrest me because it'll make me a martyr. "Free the scotch eggs" I shout on TikTok, with a mouth full of scotch eggs. 410120
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Terrible milestone reached: my toddler just asked me to stop listening to The Coup and is demanding we put Let it Go on instead 360
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Look, if this isn't a crime we've failed. 923246
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettRick Burin @rickburin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Elvis was a hero to most But he never meant shit to me To you To me To you 1224458
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettGraeme Swanson @swansonian.bsky.social · 21/09/2026*wakes up from a coma after 28 years* Hey, I wonder what happened to that 11 year old girl who rang This Morning to sing Pie Jesu. 08723
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-Bennettc3rmen @c3rmen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Losing my mind while doing some research for my creature design lecture that the closest relative to the maned wolf is the bush dog. Like there has gotta be a fable where the maned wolf took all the leggie from its cousin 14178402090
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Ran my first race since baby was born, got my worst ever 10k time 🥳 I’m choosing to count it as a win that I got out and did the thing while knowing it would be a shambles. Turns out ‘sleeping’ and ‘exercising’ are quite important for your running performance. Follow me for more fitness tips. 1120
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettElias Greig @eliasgreig.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I keep seeing articles about men worrying they won't pass on their genes, and I don't understand why the media won't tell the plain truth: as a man hoping to sire children, the most important thing to do is artfully assemble a bower and surround it with a collection of startlingly blue objects. 27629143
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Baby got her first vaccines today, yay for free immunity! 🥳 Take that, Polio, ya lil bitch 2220
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettJason GRIZZLED Bittel @bittelmethis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026BREAKING NEWS: New cat species just dropped! 🧪 What is a tilcayo, exactly? Well, it's a small wild cat in the genus Leopardus and a member of the tiger cat species complex, but it is NOT a tigrina, oncilla, kodkod, Geoffroy's cat... www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...nationalgeographic.comMeet the First New Cat Species Discovered in 100 yearsA small, spotted tiger cat from Bolivia may just be the beginning of a wave of new small cat species. 10656273
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettPookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 16/09/2026The thing about trying not to pick a side is that the nazis *instantly recognize* which side you picked. They immediately identify you as an ally. They know exactly what side you're on. It doesn't fool the victims, it doesn't fool the Nazis, the only people it could possibly fool is centrists. 549951373
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 15/09/2026My smartwatch just gave me a notification that my cardiovascular health has declined over the past x weeks... coincidentally, x is the number of weeks since our baby was born. 190
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Just received news of a paper being rejected within sixty seconds of accepting a review request of the same journal 1110
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026“I don’t want to cause any problems” says man kicking hornets nest 020
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Good. When I lived in London I quickly learned to avoid running through the more hipster neighbourhoods in winter, the amount of woodsmoke would trigger my asthma instantly. Ridiculously, it was nicer on my lungs to run next to 6 lanes of rush-hour traffic than through some areas of Hackney 182
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettPetra Boynton @petraboynton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026This is all so upsetting on so many levels. And feels like a far bigger problem than is being acknowledged or addressed. 210630
Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026With coffee in hand, epic music playing, gritted teeth and a world-weary look in their eyes, our protagonist sits down at their computer and finally opens up *that* email. 120
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettMums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Wood burning season is almost upon us. If you're thinking of burning, take two minutes to watch our new animation first. Top lines - burning wood and solid fuels creates large amounts of invisible fine particle pollution, impacting our #Health. But there are solutions! #AirPollutiongumlet.tvDo you know the hidden cost of wood burning?ResearcherDrMathySannasiandgrassrootsairpollutioncampaigngroupMumsforLungshavecreatedthisshortanimationonwhathappenswhenwoodorsolidfuelisburntinastoveoropenfireplace.Beforeyoustartburningorconsiderin… 12417
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettAlison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Fabulous Ice Age spear thrower handle carved in the form of an animal. Known as the ‘Creeping Hyena’ it was carved from mammoth ivory around 15,000 years ago. The shaft is missing, but the hook to propel the spear is still visible. From La Madeleine rock shelter, France. 📷 by me #Archaeology 12793210
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettJosh Luke Davis 🏳️🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 08/09/2026think it is probably worth pointing out that the entire reason the RNLI relies on donations and is not funded like the fire service or police is precisely to allow it to stay entirely independent of whatever government is in power so you know, it's worth keeping it going rnli.org/support-us/g...rnli.orgDonate to the RNLI and help save lives at seaYour donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here. 0258
Reposted by Dave Hemprich-BennettDorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 07/09/2026If "legitimate concerns" were considered to excuse illegitimate methods, then nobody from Just Stop Oil or Palestine Action would have been arrested. So we know it doesn't. In fact that phrase is only ever used in one context. Only in that context is uniformed mob intimidation "peaceful protest" 211107401