Sign in

Peter Rodgers

@drpeterrodgers.bsky.social
192 followers 277 following 140 posts

Father of three; former Chief Magazine Editor of @elife.bsky.social (and, before that, Chief Editor of Nature Nano and Editor of Physics World); rower. Views my own

PostsRepliesMedia
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
PS At first synchrotron radiation was seen as a nuisance because it reduced the energy of the beams in particle physics experiments. However, it was a cloud with a silver lining – and purpose-built synchrotron sources have had a massive impact on many different areas of research.
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In an unusual move the EPS also made a special complementary award to the four experiments working at PETRA at the time (JADE, MARK J, PLUTO and TASSO). I wrote about this for @physicsworld.bsky.social back in September 1995: iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1... (paywalled).
iopscience.iop.org
Gluon prize revives discovery debate
Gluon prize revives discovery debate, Rodgers, Peter
101
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The four were all members of an experiment called TASSO, which studied electron-positron collisions at an accelerator called PETRA at DESY.
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The gluon also has an interesting history. In 1995 the European Physical Society (EPS) honoured four people for the discovery, which was made at the DESY laboratory in Germany in 1979: Sau Lan Wu (who is mentioned by Cho), Paul Söding, Gunther Wolf (died 2024) and Bjorn Wiik (died 1999).
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The X-rays produced by FELs and other synchrotron radiation sources are used in a wide range of experiments in the physical & biological sciences, and this led to a number of Nobel Prizes in chemistry & medicine. However, the physics underpinning these radiation sources has never been recognized.
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Interesting article by Adrian Cho in @science.org on five physics breakthroughs that have not yet been recognized with a Nobel Prize. Two of them, imo, are particularly interesting – free-electron lasers (FELs) and the detection of the gluon. www.science.org/content/arti... #NobelPrize
science.org
Five physics breakthroughs that should have won a Nobel Prize—but didn’t
How politics, bad timing, and skepticism left foundation stones of modern physics unrecognized
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Other contenders, imo, include various physics-based imaging techniques used in biology and medicine, OLEDS (see clarivate.com/citation-lau...) and, as I say every year, Aharonov and Berry.
clarivate.com
Citation Laureates 2026 in Physics | Clarivate
Explore the Citation Laureates 2026 in Physics, recognized for advances in OLED technology, multiferroic materials, and the quantum anomalous Hall effect.
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Nobel Prize in Physics (@nobelprize.org) is announced next Tuesday. There hasn’t been a prize for astrophysics since 2020, and the last prize for particle physics was in 2015, so I think it will go to one of these areas – maybe Rashid Sunyaev and others for work in cosmology. #NobelPrize
110
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very strange!! Photograph of Peter Higgs used in youtube video about 10 rugby players who died in 2024. www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6x3...
youtube.com
10 Rugby Players Who Died 2024
YouTube video by Who Died Today
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Enjoyed this sentence: "By the mid-1980s this gathering mood of generational drowsiness started to sound like an active ‘renunciation of post-punk’s sober alertness’."
000
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
Paul Guinnessy @paulguinnessy.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Last year then-interim US attorney for DC, Ed Martin, tried to apply pressure to science publications on their “partisan” positions in scientific debates, i.e. #COVID pandemic and in #ReproductiveMedicine. @aip.bsky.social FYI #SciencePolicy news has the receipts. #science
aip.org
DOJ Official Queried a Dozen Journals on 'Partisan' Views in 2025
The Justice Department fulfilled the public records request for the letters just as their author departed the agency.
001
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Enjoyed this review of the new biography of Stephen Hawking. Am reminded of what Hawking wrote about Isaac Newton in ABHOT: "Isaac Newton was not a pleasant man"
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
New Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social: “Scientific writing is not a murder mystery”!! Starring Sherlock Holmes!!!! elifesciences.org/articles/112...
elifesciences.org
Point of View: Scientific writing is not a murder mystery
What murder mysteries can tell us about how not to write a scientific article.
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Was surprised to see a print copy of @nature.com for sale in a newsagents a few weeks ago. It contained 25 research articles - 17 were open access and 8 were not. Buying just one of the non-OA articles would set you back £29.95 – but the print copy retails for just £10! Go figure!!
020
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
SCIENCE UNDER THREAT Politicians have reduced public funding for science and dismantled scientific institutions in Argentina and the US. In @elife.bsky.social, @humbertodebat.bsky.social discusses how the scientific community should respond to such crises. elifesciences.org/articles/111...
elifesciences.org
Point of View: Science under threat around the world
Politicians have reduced public funding for science and dismantled scientific institutions for ideological reasons in Argentina and the United States; how should the scientific community respond to su...
001
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Curvature of membranes influences transfer of lipids in bilayers: Research article in @elife.bsky.social by @meineckelab.bsky.social: elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre... Insight article: elifesciences.org/articles/111...
021
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social about #PeerReview. Article describes course module that teaches early-career researchers how to respond to reports from peer reviewers. elifesciences.org/articles/102...
elifesciences.org
Point of View: Teaching early-career researchers how to respond to peer reviewers
Responding to reports from peer reviewers is a crucial part of scientific publishing, but early-career researchers are rarely taught about this process.
010
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Does the brain really know what word is coming next? Insight article by @rjantonello.bsky.social about fascinating research article in @elife.bsky.social by @ines-schoenmann.bsky.social, @mheilbron.bsky.social and others. elifesciences.org/articles/111... elifesciences.org/articles/106...
elifesciences.org
Language Models: Does the brain really know what word is coming next?
Apparent neural encoding of future words may arise from the statistical structure of language itself, rather than from predictive computations in the brain.
0133
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Module includes invited speakers who discuss the referee reports on their own work. Students give short presentations on how they would have responded #ResearchPublishing #PeerReview elifesciences.org/articles/102... (2/2)
elifesciences.org
Point of View: Teaching early-career researchers how to respond to peer reviewers
Responding to reports from peer reviewers is a crucial part of scientific publishing, but early-career researchers are rarely taught about this process.
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
New Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social describes a module to teach postgrad students about responding to comments from referees during the peer review process. #ResearchPublishing #PeerReview elifesciences.org/articles/102... (1/2)
elifesciences.org
Point of View: Teaching early-career researchers how to respond to peer reviewers
Responding to reports from peer reviewers is a crucial part of scientific publishing, but early-career researchers are rarely taught about this process.
120
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
“Sharing positive and negative experiences at lab meetings can make a career in science a little less hard, a little more pleasant, and a little more human.” elifesciences.org/articles/111...
elifesciences.org
Point of View: An easy way to improve lab meetings
Sharing positive and negative experiences at lab meetings can make a career in science a little less hard, a little more pleasant, and a little more human.
010
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
New article in @elife.bsky.social describes an EASY WAY TO IMPROVE LAB MEETINGS @monteirotiago.bsky.social #researchculture elifesciences.org/articles/111...
elifesciences.org
Point of View: An easy way to improve lab meetings
Sharing positive and negative experiences at lab meetings can make a career in science a little less hard, a little more pleasant, and a little more human.
110
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
Tiago Monteiro @monteirotiago.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Point of View: An easy way to improve lab meetings doi.org/10.7554/eLif... I'm really happy to see this one out @elife.bsky.social. Awesome Cara Glynn and I describe and reflect on a year-long, low-cost practice that transformed our group meetings. #researchculture #ECR #labmeetings
doi.org
Point of View: An easy way to improve lab meetings
Sharing positive and negative experiences at lab meetings can make a career in science a little less hard, a little more pleasant, and a little more human.
11914
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Surrogates can be used to study microglial biology and to model neuroinflammatory diseases. elifesciences.org/articles/110... elifesciences.org/articles/102...
elifesciences.org
Microglia: Replacing the immune system of the brain
A new method enables engineered immune progenitor cells to replace microglia in mice and reveals how a genetic mutation can lead to inflammation in the brain.
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Making surrogates for microglia Articles in @elife.bsky.social explain how progenitor cells isolated from bone marrow can be converted into microglia-like cells. (1/2)
elifesciences.org
Microglia: Replacing the immune system of the brain
A new method enables engineered immune progenitor cells to replace microglia in mice and reveals how a genetic mutation can lead to inflammation in the brain.
110
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
For International Women’s day: a recent Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social highlights four women whose pioneering contributions to science have been largely overlooked. Ethel Browne Harvey; Hilde Mangold; Ida Henrietta Hyde; Marthe Gautier #WomenInScience elifesciences.org/articles/110...
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
There’s more to light than meets the eye in Drosophila!!! Articles in @elife.bsky.social explain how an ancient photoreceptor that senses light outside of the retina can regulate how flies respond to a range of visual cues. elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre... elifesciences.org/articles/110...
elifesciences.org
RHODOPSIN 7: An ancient non-retinal photoreceptor for contrast vision, darkness detection, and circadian regulation
073
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
How can moths navigate for THOUSANDS of kilometres in the dark? Read more in this research article and related Insight article about moths called fall armyworms in @elife.bsky.social: elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre... elifesciences.org/articles/110... Image credit: David Hobern CC BY 2.0
083
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Thanks @berniefolan.bsky.social and @dacrotty.bsky.social In the first instance authors could decide that publication as a preprint is enough for thier purposes
000
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
eLife’s Global South Committee is hosting a free webinar exploring Diamond Open Access, featuring a range of industry perspectives and highlighting successful implementations from around the world. Register free: elifesciences.org/events/94216...
044
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
NanoBubbles @nanobubbles.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
📣 We are looking for others to replicate our work! 🔗 More information: nanobubbles.hypotheses.org/replication-...
069
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Latest Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social e.bsky.social highlights four women whose pioneering contributions to science have been largely overlooked. Ethel Browne Harvey; Hilde Mangold; Ida Henrietta Hyde; Marthe Gautier #WomenInScience elifesciences.org/articles/110...
Marthe Gautier had a vital role in discovering that Down syndrome is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21
020
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
More articles on lab handbooks from @elife.bsky.social The SAFE Labs handbook: elifesciences.org/articles/108... Welcome to the lab: elifesciences.org/articles/79627 Why every lab needs a handbook: elifesciences.org/articles/88853
elifesciences.org
Dorsal Vagal Complex: A cell atlas to guide research into appetite control
An atlas of all the cell types in the dorsal vagal complex of rodents will help neuroscientists seeking to understand appetite and researchers working to design better drugs for the treatment of obesity and related disorders.
020
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
6/ These four scientists made foundational contributions to developmental biology and human genetics, yet their work has often been minimised or attributed elsewhere. The Feature explores why, and what it means for how we tell the history of science. 🔗 buff.ly/eVipb6d
011
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
5/ Marthe Gautier played a crucial role in identifying trisomy 21 as the cause of Down syndrome. Working with minimal institutional support, she built a cytogenetics laboratory from scratch and produced the preparations that revealed an extra chromosome in affected children.
176
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
4/ Ida Henrietta Hyde developed one of the first intracellular microelectrodes for stimulating and recording single cells. She opened new ways of studying nervous and circulatory systems, and became the first woman to receive a PhD in physiology from the University of Heidelberg.
174
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
3/ As a PhD student, Hilde Pröscholdt Mangold carried out the embryo transplantation experiments that demonstrated the organiser effect in newts. She performed more than 250 transplants, with only a handful surviving to provide the results that shaped the field.
125
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
2/ Ethel Browne Harvey’s experiments on hydra helped establish a key idea in developmental biology: that certain tissues can organise the development of an entire body plan. In 1909, she showed that grafting tissue from the mouth region could induce a second body axis.
154
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
eLife @elife.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
1/ Today is UNESCO’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science #IDWGIS To mark the occasion, Lisa Thomann and Julie Batut highlight four pioneering biologists whose work shaped developmental biology, electrophysiology, and genetics. 🔗 buff.ly/eVipb6d
UNESCO international day of women and girls in science. celebrating four largely overlooked pioneers in science
1147
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
To finish on a positive note: Marthe Gautier’s name, along with the names of 71 other female scientists, will soon be engraved on the Eiffel Tower, alongside the names of the 72 male scientists that have been present since the tower was opened in 1889. presse.paris.fr/communiques/... (fin)
presse.paris.fr
Paris Presse
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 (1925–2022) discovered that individuals with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21) but her contributions were overlooked for many years. (5/6)
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
𝗜𝗱𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗲 (1857–1945) was a physiologist who developed microelectrodes that could stimulate and make measurements on individual cells. She also worked tirelessly to support women in science. (4/6)
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱 (1898–1924) is belatedly receiving recognition for her contribution to the Spemann-Mangold organiser. She died tragically in an accident at the age of 25. (3/6)
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 (1885–1965) should be better known for her contributions to developmental biology, notably research that was the basis for subsequent work on the Spemann-Mangold organiser. (2/6)
100
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social about four women whose pioneering contributions to science have been largely overlooked. elifesciences.org/articles/110... (1/6)
elifesciences.org
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Four women whose pioneering contributions to science have been largely overlooked
Ethel Browne Harvey, Hilde Pröscholdt Mangold, Ida Henrietta Hyde and Marthe Gautier all made important contributions to developmental biology, but their names are largely absent from histories of sci...
111
Reposted by Peter Rodgers
Athene Donald @athenedonald.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Today is International Day of Girls and Women in Science. UNESCO show that women represent only 35% of STEM graduates around the world. We must stop losing so much talent that could improve the world for all www.unesco.org/en/articles/...
unesco.org
Advancing gender equality in STEM education: Inspiring girls to pursue
Women and girls remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), often due to persistent stereotypes and limited access to opportunities. Through education
02717
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
In particular, careers in research remain precarious, professional development continues to be undervalued, and the concordat lacks visibility in many institutions. (2/2) #ResearchCulture
000
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Feature Article in @elife.bsky.social about efforts to improve #ResearchCulture in the UK. The Researcher Development Concordat has led to improvements, but there is still more to do. (1/2) elifesciences.org/articles/110...
elifesciences.org
Research Culture: Going beyond compliance to build on the Researcher Development Concordat
An agreement between universities, research institutes and funders to support the career development of researchers in the UK has led to improvements in research culture since 2019, but there is still...
112
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Feature article in @elife.bsky.social about the safelabs.info project
safelabs.info
Home - SAFE Labs
SAFE Labs Starting Aware Fair & Equitable Labs Welcome to SAFE Labs! SAFE Labs “Starting Aware Fair & Equitable Labs” is an initiative that started in 2024 by four new group leaders with a strong comm...
083
Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
HARSH!!! One day you are the editor-in-chief of @nature.com Next, according to @science.org, you are an “Unaffiliated scholar, London, UK”
000