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Fi Daisy G

@fidaisyg.bsky.social
1.2K followers 2K following 1.9K posts

Engineering Academic, Chartered Structural Engineer, Open University Staff Tutor, global citizen living in UK, Mum, she/her.

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Reposted by Fi Daisy G
Mark Miodownik @markmiodownik.bsky.social · 7h
Our work on diaper waste featured in Anthropocene Magazine: www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/09/how-...
anthropocenemagazine.org
How earlier toilet training could help stem the tide of plastic waste
Kids leave diapers behind nearly a year later than they did in the 1950s. With 300,000 disposable diapers tossed every minute, a new study maps three ways out.
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Pete Apps @peteapps.bsky.social · 11h
Breaking: the Met Police has submitted charging files to the Crown Prosecution Service resulting from its Grenfell fire investigation. The files cover 54 individuals and 20 companies and cover charges including fraud, misconduct in public office and manslaughter
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Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike @gazza-d.bsky.social · 8h
Shocker! a half sensible cycling article from the BBC. The biggest put off for people thinking of cycling is road danger. Hiviz means bugger all when the drivers aren't looking. The obvious routes are not always the best or safest. planners like @cycle.travel help. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
What will get unsure Suffolk cyclists back in the saddle?
The local transport authority is hoping to encourage more cycling, but some recall being hit by cars.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 9h
‘I just saw this furry brown bottom disappear!’ In search of Samba – the fearless fugitive capybara
theguardian.com
‘I just saw this furry brown bottom disappear!’ In search of Samba – the fearless fugitive capybara
Six months ago, Samba made a brave, unprecedented escape from Marwell zoo. Her life on the lam continues today. We join the team hunting desperately to find her in the Hampshire countryside
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Ceryl @politicdormouse.bsky.social · 12h
Nora Stanton Barney UK-born #US civil engineer, architect, suffragist. 1 of 1st US women engineering graduates. Given ultimatum of "be wife or practice engineering", chose engineering. Granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton US suffragist. b. #OTD 30 Sep 1883 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nora_St...
Nora Stanton Barney in B&W head & shoulders photo as a young woman in evening dress #WomenInSTEM #HistSTM #HistSTEM
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The Past and other Places @pastandotherplaces.bsky.social · 13h
New plans for former Scottish Widows building, Dalkeith Road, #Edinburgh. A-listed. Basil Spence. Seven hexagonal modules to be 385 hotel bedrooms. The demolition of the remaining five modules is already underway. #planning #redevelopment www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/plans-t...
edinburghnews.scotsman.com
Iconic Sir Basil Spence building in Edinburgh set to become large-scale hotel
Concerns have been raised about the impact of the hotel development on the building’s distinctive heritage features
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Beth Stratford @bethstratford.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Well, I for one am an economist who supports rent controls! Here’s why 🧵: Markets only work well if: -buyers & sellers have roughly equal power -producers respond to price signals & expand supply in response to scarcity -buyers can walk away if prices get too high
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14h
Looks like a must-see at the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge (until 7 March). Sophies Plowden also features wonderfully in @katherineschof8.bsky.social 's 2023 Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India (Cambridge UP, 2023). giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
How Mughal music went global — with the help of a harpsichord
In the 1780s, British expatriate Sophia Plowden set out to bring the songs of the Indo-Islamic court to the west
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
'A neuroscientist by background, Professor Fraser is currently Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at The Open University, where she has held academic leadership roles since 2017.'
stir.ac.uk
University of Stirling appoints new Principal and Vice-Chancellor | About | University of Stirling
University of Stirling appoints new Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Find out more.
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 14h
A glimpse of Europe's future in low Earth orbit. We've selected two European industrial teams to study the feasibility of a future European-led orbital outpost, exploring how Europe could strengthen its role in low Earth orbit in the post-ISS

Artist's impression of a potential European-led orbital station
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Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 15h
I shall look forward to visiting this! www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
Can a mushroom make music? Devon exhibition explores ‘cultural world’ of fungi
Exeter museum to host DJ’s ‘collaboration’ with woodland fungi and artist’s map of her own body’s mycobiome
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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Every time I see someone use their religion as an excuse to exclude trans people in some court case or other, I think about how I genuinely believe that it is my religious duty towards God to transition, and how stressed a judge would be if we ended up opposite each other in the same case.
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OUGS Social Media @ougeolsoc.bsky.social · 15h
Two of my absolute favourites! Do I vote in this #MinCup26 semi for ubiquitous #quartz or slippery, shiny #graphite - so lovely for drawing pencils! And, with enough P and T, it is diamond!
Diamond/graphite/liquid triple point on a phase diagram
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 22h
Letitia Chitty (d. #OTD in 1982) was a pioneering British structural engineer & mathematician. A master of stress analysis, she spent her career mathematically determining the "breaking points" of complex structures, ranging from #WWI combat aircraft to major international dams. #WomenInSTEM
A monochromatic sepia-toned photograph of British structural engineer and mathematician Letitia Chitty (July 15, 1897 – September 29, 1982), a premier pioneer of 20th-century stress analysis. Positioned in a front-facing, head-and-shoulders composition, she looks directly at the camera with a sober, neutral expression and tight lips. Her dark hair is parted neatly down the center and pulled back into a simple bun. She is dressed in a dark blazer or coat layered over a high-collared, patterned blouse or knit sweater visible at the neckline. The background consists of soft, textured drapery in warm, out-of-focus sepia tones. The tight framing captures her sharp, determined demeanor, evoking a serious and intellectually focused mood. The vintage composition highlights her immense historical significance as the first woman to graduate with first-class honors in Cambridge’s Mechanical Sciences Tripos.
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Cal Horton (they/them) @fiercemum.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
My new article, co-authored with @sandraduffy.bsky.social is out today, please read & share: "Criminalising and eliminating affirmative healthcare: Trans childhood in a moral panic" journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Criminalising and eliminating affirmative healthcare: Trans childhood in a moral panic - Cal Horton, Sandra Duffy, 2026
Trans children in the UK are the targets of an escalating moral panic, centred around access to affirmative adolescent healthcare. Combining moral panic theory ...
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Dr Pop Culture USA @drpopcultureusa.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This 1971 book was written by series writer & producer Jon Stone &illustrated by Michael Smollin. It has since become the all-time bestselling Sesame Street book title and has been cited as a modern classic of children's literature.
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IStructE @istructe.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
At the IStructE Gold Medal Address 2026, Dr Tina Vejrum will reflect on the challenges, innovations and achievements that have defined her remarkable career. Join us for an evening of inspiration and professional reflection: ow.ly/1kpl50ZQhpr #StructuralEngineering #EngineeringLeadership
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Dr Rebecca Tyson @tyguson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
20. Finally, it is so important to respect the water and acknowledge the dangers involved for those crossing the English Channel in open boats and rough weather today. The hostility towards RNLI crews selflessly preventing loss of life must be utterly condemned. Support the RNLI here: rnli.org 20/20
rnli.org
RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Saving Lives at Sea
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We do this through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and international interventions.
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Dr Rebecca Tyson @tyguson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
1. #MedievalSky, grab a lifejacket and a seasickness bag, we’re casting off on a thread about the Norman invasion fleet in 1066! 960 years ago, the Normans landed at Pevensey and established a base at the Roman shore fort which was already succumbing to erosion from the sea on its south side. 1/20
Photograph of Pevensey Castle with an information board in the foreground showing an artists impression of how the view may have looked in 1066 when the sea came almost up to the walls.
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Jon Patience @smoulderstoat.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Friends, on the matter of dodgy men in transit vans, allow me to tell you about me, two future members of the House of Lords, and the massive suspect package.
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Archives & Collections, Library of Birmingham @theironroom.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
#Birmingham Here’s a rousing ditty extolling the restorative and nutritional benefits of Birmingham ale. Wonder what it would taste of? I’ll leave you to decide on a suitable tune to breathe life into the words. Ref - Birmingham Broadsides/Misc – no.39, LF 05.2 #LibraryofBham
A cartouche like illustration at the top of the page showing two male figures carrying a barrel by use of a rod. Their attire is typical of that of the eighteenth century  -  large tricorn hats, doublet and hose. Title beneath the illustration is Birmingham Ale. Below this, seven verses of a song. At the bottom, details of the printers - S. Taylor of Moor Street.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm increasingly disillusioned with the (policy) ideas ecosystem in the UK - it seems like underlying (social) scientific research is less and less influential and there's increasing dominance of PR and pseudo-research.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Schools forced to shut amid burst Thames Water pipe ‘leaking 750 litres a second. TW infrastructure has average age of 79 years. Industry average is 56 years. 40% of TW assets are over 100 years old. Profits siphoned-off, investment neglected, execs rewarded, customers fleeced
theguardian.com
Schools forced to shut amid burst Thames Water pipe ‘leaking 750 litres a second’
Leak causes outages and low pressure in parts of London and Surrey, affecting 6,000 properties and leaving some without water
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 28/09/2026
It’s definitely not as facile a black & white issue as many wish it were.
mic.com
Forget your carbon footprint. Let's talk about your climate shadow.
To truly evaluate your impact on the environment, you have to go way beyond recycle bins and energy bills.
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Dr Wendy Morrison @hillfortian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I don't know to whom the credit goes for this! It appears sans ™ on another platform. Brilliant. Students of #ashwell26... This was the soil matrix drawing you deserved, not my poor dry erase board scribbles 😂 #archaeology #geology Please shout if you are the clever originator!
A soil matrix triangle showing percentages of sand, clay and silt, but with regions identified using punny song names like Clay Jude and Only the Loamy
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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm going to tell you a story and then, at the end, I'm going to ask you if anyone happens to have the niche knowledge I need to help... The story begins, as so many of my stories do, in an ancient church in the middle of a city. But it's not now. And it's not hundreds of years ago. It's the 1960's
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Sadiah Qureshi 🦈 @sadiahqureshi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I still can’t believe this is true. If you’re curious, the paperback is out. A huge thanks to everyone who’s been in touch with kind words and congratulations. I’m deeply moved and honoured that my words are helping so many readers think about how to build a just future for all life on earth.
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Brynley Heaven @brynleyheaven.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"An epic and truly out-of-the-box way to engage"
bbc.co.uk
Weston-super-Mare cardboard pier sculpture falls after wind hits
The six-storey-high art installation was subject to "monumental jumping and squashing" after it fell.
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Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
On similar lines, if we’re not careful: A. Scientific journals will only accept submissions from established researchers working within institutions. B. Data we’ve spent ages making open will be hidden to avoid the expense of continued download by bots.
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LTHEchat @lthechat.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Join us for this week's #LTHEChat, which will explore how the design of time and space shapes student engagement, participation and belonging with @columfromcork.bsky.social on Wednesday at 8.00pm (GMT/BST). Read the blog post here: lthechat.com/2026/09/27/l...
lthechat.com
LTHEChat 374: Apathy or Architecture? The hidden curriculum of time and space
Join us on Wednesday 30th of September at 8.00pm (GMT/BST) with our guest contributor, Colum Cronin of Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, (@columfromcork.bsky.social). This #LTHEChat on BlueSky…
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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
#MondayNetwork - a regular appeal to any #skystorians with intersecting interests: food /nutrition, surviving climate change, environmental determinism, race science, exploration, acclimatisation & physiology, cit sci, Indigenous knowledge, & related topics to say hi or share link to your work! 🗃️
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
'We thought this time would be different – it hasn't been. Perhaps we need to accept an uncomfortable reality: higher education simply isn't high enough up the government's political priority list.'
wonkhe.com
If universities aren’t a priority, at least give them certainty
With Labour Party conference underway and universities still well down the queue, Ian Turgoose argues the sector’s most realistic ask is certainty about what government wants it to look like
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Josh Constable 🌹🐝 @joshconstable.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Sorry, did bluesky come up with a plan to fix social care last night? Why is everyone acting shocked Burnham has said the social care fix will take time. Casey report due summer 2027. Why is the idea of delivering changes after the next general election anything other than realistic?
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Fi Daisy G @fidaisyg.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Crazy decision! A functional #FloodPlain provides #FloodResilience for existing homes and businesses. Building homes on flood plains increases #FloodRisk means residents should expect to be flooded and risks increase elsewhere www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Houses can be built on floodplains despite failing safety test, says high court
Decision to allow 190 controversial new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the law
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened on this day 1825. Its first line linked collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton. (Painting of opening day by Terence Cuneo, 1949, National Railway Museum.)
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Hugh Jones @hbsj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"This does not show either our study or our bedroom as they are both a little further on the left" @universityofleeds.bsky.social #HigherEducationPostcard
An old monochrome picture postcard showing Victorian terraced houses converted into university acccomodation for women
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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 06/09/2025
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n
Abstract: Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or
even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in
the 21st with social media. For these collective blunders, we now regret our involvement or
apathy as scientists, and society struggles to put the genie back in the bottle. Currently, we
are similarly entangled with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, software updates are rolled out seamlessly and non-consensually, Microsoft Office is bundled with chatbots, and we, our students, and our employers have had no say, as it is not
considered a valid position to reject AI technologies in our teaching and research. This
is why in June 2025, we co-authored an Open Letter calling on our employers to reverse
and rethink their stance on uncritically adopting AI technologies. In this position piece,
we expound on why universities must take their role seriously toa) counter the technology
industry’s marketing, hype, and harm; and to b) safeguard higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, and scientific integrity. We include pointers to
relevant work to further inform our colleagues.Figure 1. A cartoon set theoretic view on various terms (see Table 1) used when discussing the superset AI
(black outline, hatched background): LLMs are in orange; ANNs are in magenta; generative models are
in blue; and finally, chatbots are in green. Where these intersect, the colours reflect that, e.g. generative adversarial network (GAN) and Boltzmann machine (BM) models are in the purple subset because they are
both generative and ANNs. In the case of proprietary closed source models, e.g. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and
Apple’s Siri, we cannot verify their implementation and so academics can only make educated guesses (cf.
Dingemanse 2025). Undefined terms used above: BERT (Devlin et al. 2019); AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al.
2017); A.L.I.C.E. (Wallace 2009); ELIZA (Weizenbaum 1966); Jabberwacky (Twist 2003); linear discriminant analysis (LDA); quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA).Table 1. Below some of the typical terminological disarray is untangled. Importantly, none of these terms
are orthogonal nor do they exclusively pick out the types of products we may wish to critique or proscribe.Protecting the Ecosystem of Human Knowledge: Five Principles
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Robin Hayward 🌳 🏳️‍⚧️ @canopyrobin.com · 25/09/2026
We're publishing new guidance to support trans people who do fieldwork (any work outside the office)! Now we need your help to get them seen so please share! inclusivefieldwork.leeds.ac.uk/trans/
a cartoon of three fieldworkers. One has a small trans flag. The logos of the university of leeds, research england, and canopy robin are shown, as well as the URL: InclusiveFieldwork (dot) Leeds (dot) AC (dot) UK (slash) trans
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Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“Due to its underlying geology it presents us with several challenges as it has a number of active landslips which we manage year on year…” The Snake Pass, just NE of where I live, is a classic example of the challenges geology poses for critical national infrastructure 🚲 road.cc/news/long-te...
road.cc
Long-term Snake Pass repairs “not likely” before Tour de France visit, council admits after Andy Burnham’s criticism of “crumbling” road amid £100m landslip bill
A long-term solution to the numerous active landslips on Snake Pass is “not likely” ahead of the Tour de France Femmes’ visit to the iconic Peak District climb next summer, Derbyshire County Council h...
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Jack Bailey @jack-bailey.co.uk · 26/09/2026
I disagree with much of this by @modernlockey.bsky.social, but I think the points he makes tell us something interesting about the shortcomings of the Starmer project and the problems that Labour faces today.
futureoftheleft.substack.com
What is politics for?
Do we still live in a material world?
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Ceryl @politicdormouse.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Martha Schneider-Bürger 1st #German female civil engineer, 1927 graduated TU Muenchen. Played significant role in standardisation of steel construction issues & her tables of steel sections ran to 23 editions. b. #OTD 21 Oct 1903. Platz named after her on Oberhausen en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_...
Martha Schneider-Bürger in B&W headshot photo in later life #WomenInSTEM #HistSTM #HistSTEM
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Dr Jo Ball @drjeball.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A #Roman glass bowl, in a beautiful cobalt blue with an irregular swirling white pattern. It looks amazing - especislly given that it is nearly 2000 years old! #Archaeology #AncientBlueSky
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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“The central economic problem of resilience,” said Lang, “is that it asks capitalism to do what it doesn’t want to do at the moment.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... @willoyd.bsky.social has started writing for the FT! this is good news. Nothing in this article is, though...
giftarticle.ft.com
How resilient is Britain?
As climate and geopolitical risks cast doubt on the UK’s ability to cope in a crisis, leaders are turning from ‘just in time’ to ‘just in case’ as a governing philosophy
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Caroline Russell @carolinerussell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I ask these questions constantly. We have decent goals, targets and strategies in London but there’s no real consequences when we expose they’re not being met. Everyone seems stuck in a soup of business as usual, budget restraint and fear that challenging car first culture will worsen division.
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Marcus Grant @marcusxgrant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I saw this at a local community centre recently. Climate and ecological emergency of a threat than COVID, creeping creeping ever closer. Catch a viewing if you can at a community near you.
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Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
ResearchPlus chief says fewer, longer grants could ‘stifle’ system. Johnny Rich warns of over-concentrating funding “in a few places, and with a few individuals”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
researchprofessionalnews.com
ResearchPlus chief says fewer, longer grants could ‘stifle’ system - Research Professional News
Johnny Rich warns of over-concentrating funding “in a few places, and with a few individuals”
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FRANCE 24 @france24.com · 25/09/2026
🔴 URGENT - En direct : le pape Léon XIV arrive en France, suivez sa visite historique à Paris
f24.my
En direct : le pape Léon XIV a décollé de Rome pour une première visite en France très attendue
Attendu par des fidèles enthousiastes, le pape Léon XIV s'est envolé vendredi matin pour Paris, première étape d'une visite de quatre jours en France. Il doit atterrir à 10 h à Orly, où Emmanuel Macron…
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Andy Burnham has plunged the plan for a third runway at Heathrow into doubt by privately telling MPs he has always opposed the project, and the new prime minister is said to be “open minded” about whether it should go ahead. www.ft.com/content/0206...
ft.com
Burnham’s opposition to Heathrow expansion puts third runway in doubt
New prime minister has been a longstanding critic of the project
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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why aren't newspapers - even the supposedly conscientious, well-meaning one - encouraging people to see this? It's absolutely vital. Stop giving Farage and other hateful trolls space on your pages. Write about something positive. Use the small influence you still have and be part of the change.
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
1/ People keep saying AI is inevitable. History disagrees. Plenty of technologies were called unstoppable, and societies stopped them or shrank them down to a niche. A thread 🧵
evitable
adjective
uk  /ˈev.ɪ.tə.bəl/ us  /ˈev.ə.t̬ə.bəl/

able to be avoided or prevented:
He believes that world war is evitable.
Inevitable suffering due to persecution is to be distinguished from evitable sickness.
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