iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

There are apparently fig trees(!) in Sheffield & here's the Sheffield Tribune's explanation of how they got there: There really is no place called "Away"... everything comes from somewhere and everything goes somewhere.

"They owe their existence to Sheffielders of the past’s fondness for fig biscuits, with the seeds that passed through their digestive system finding their way to Meadowhall. There, germinated by the regular hot discharges from the area’s steel mills, they grew into the forest of urban figs you see today."

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

OOH. Ever since the National Maritime Museum installed their huge Ocean Map (the Spilhaus projection), I've been encouraging them to design matching ocean merchandise & here's a start: an A2 wall print & a 500 piece jigsaw. Ocean ppl, encourage more by buying these! 🌊🌊 shop.rmg.co.uk/collections/...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's always so heartening to see so much enthusiasm for science at the Latitude Festival - people came for the music and discovered they were super-interested in finding out how the world works. And the two aren't mutually exclusive. Hooray for a diverse & delightfully unpredictable human existence!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

TIL that it's 70 years since the first commercial hard drive shipped. It stored 3.75 Mb of data, and was two metres high. 70 years! Today there's > 200 zetabytes of stored data, nearly a billion billion times more. Has anyone found the Marie Kondo of data? www.computerhistory.org/storageengin...

Picture of a stack of 50 black disks and the equipment to read the data around it. Also this text: "In 1954 Reynold Johnson assembled a team at the IBM R&D Laboratory at 99 Notre Dame Ave., San Jose, California charged with developing fast mass storage systems to replace punched cards and magnetic tape in accounting and inventory control applications. Informed by Jacob Rabinow’s ideas at NBS, IBM developed and shipped the first commercial Hard Disk Drive (HDD), the Model 350 disk storage unit, to Zellerbach Paper, San Francisco in June 1956 as part of the IBM 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) system. "

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I find it hard to summarise my opinions on "AI" (a term I really dislike, because it refers to a huge number of technologies that are very different in capability, quality, ambition and design), but I think I'm coming round to something like this: [1/3]

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A helper has just turned up backstage to assist with the final preparations for my Gresham Lecture this evening. Cute! The lecture is called: Carbon: Our Flexible Friend that Built the Natural World, and you can watch live online (free) from 6pm today. All carbon-based life forms welcome!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Science fiction writers often call humanity a “carbon-based life form” & we are… but it’s not just our anatomy that’s based on carbon. It’s the whole of our life support system. My Gresham Lecture tmrw will be all about where Earth's carbon is & what it's up to. Listen in at 6pm (free online)!

gresham.ac.uk

Carbon: Our Flexible Friend that Built the Natural World

Carbon used to be something that was only mentioned in school chemistry classes, but now it seems to be everywhere: on the news, in political debate, in discussions on health, and as a framework for t...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

For anyone in need of a novelty pub quiz round, I have a suggestion: name the parent dog breeds of common cross breeds & pick out the picture. Dorgis, bernedoodles, chiweenies, jugs and pekapoos, anyone? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

en.wikipedia.org

List of dog crossbreeds - Wikipedia

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I said this and I meant every word. Minute Six is out today and you should read it. Congratulations @drkevinfong.bsky.social !

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I LOVE this globe, which I found in the GEOMAR lobby (a German ocean research institute) this week. Exaggerated topography of both land and sea, showing the big picture and the beautiful intricacy. I want one!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's been a lovely weekend here at the Everything Electric Show in Twickenham, hosting panel discussions, sharing knowledge and enthusiasm for electrified homes and transport, and hearing about what's next.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

As both an academic and a writer, I am repelled by the "this looks like a long document. Would you like me to summarize it for you?" that seems to appear at the top of every pdf viewer now. NO. The *entire point* of good writing (either books or journal papers) is that every sentence has a purpose.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If you're in London on September 25th, Gresham College and @chrislintott.bsky.social have organised a fabulous Festival of Astronomical Ideas. I'll be there too, talking about water and oceans on this and other planets. In-person only, so do come and join us! www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/fes...

gresham.ac.uk

Festival of Astronomical Ideas

Please note that this event is for in-person attendees only, we regret that there will be no live stream. Videos of each presentation will be uploaded in due course. A one-day event featuring discussi...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

It's really hard to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere: removing something so dilute is like removing tiny needles from a gigantic haystack, again & again, at huge energy, financial & environmental cost. Very useful thread here on why we can't just assume CO₂ removal is a magic climate pill:

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Reposted by Helen Czerski

The Cosmic Shambles Network @cosmicshambles.com · 08/09/2026

Our opening night panel from Latitude, '20 years of Scientific Discovery' with @robinince.bsky.social, @helenczerski.bsky.social, @seismatters.bsky.social, @turiking.bsky.social and @particleclara.bsky.social is out now on The Incomplete Shambles Podcast. Listen now! open.spotify.com/episode/1Ws0...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Australia has sunshine, space, plenty of Aussie enthusiasm & a newly-minted desire to move past Middle East oil. For this week's Everything Electric podcast, I met Eyton Lenko to find out how they're reimagining themselves as a clean energy superpower. Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4Ak...

youtube.com

'Super-Power?' As Australia hits its stride - with EV, solar & batteries - what next?

YouTube video by Everything Electric TECH

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Stockholm! I'll be visiting next week, and while I'm there I'll be speaking about the ocean at the wonderful Sjöhistoriska on Wednesday. Do come along if you're nearby and also pass the word on to anyone you know who might be interested. www.sjohistoriska.se/besok/kalend...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

For anyone who has ever struggled with putting IKEA furniture together, this is for you. These two pictures (apparently real IKEA ads at some point) are currently on display at Someset House, as part of an actual Esher art exhibition.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Today, @drkevinfong.bsky.social gave me the best argument for tech billionaires going to space: Apollo astronaut Alan Bean, who came back from the magnificent desolation of the Moon, parked himself on a bench with an icecream & sat marvelling at his newfound appreciation of how amazing humans are.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

It’s odd that we make all these films about aliens coming to Earth and potentially attacking/eating us, when the evidence suggests it would be the other way round. That seems to be what we’re doing with all the octopus arriving here (the closest thing to alien life we’ll ever meet).

bbc.co.uk

Octopus bloom may stay, Marine Biological Association says

The Marine Biological Association says the invasive species has successfully bred in UK waters.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

On my way to the studio to record next week’s Rare Earth. With a helper…

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Just finished We Are Not Machines & this bit at the end really struck me: “It [the book] is not just about the possibility that we will come to be treated like machines, but that we will come to see ourselves as machines, or poor approximations of them” It expresses something I think about a lot…

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The potential return of MySpace is basically historical reenactment for the digital age: a fascinating visit to a simpler time when communities were more human, messy "inefficient" interaction was more valued, and everyone could see how the system worked. Nostalgia for being people, not "consumers".

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

There will be a few exciting new book projects to share soon, but it’s lovely that Blue Machine is still getting so much love (as the ocean should!). I signed a big pile this morning to be sold in Cambridge soon.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

What is Andy Burnham going to do about the many big climate/environment decisions in his inbox? On this week’s Rare Earth @tomheap.bsky.social and I take a look, with the help of a stellar panel. It’s easy to list the problems, but what’s his solution? Available now: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

A sad day on the badminton court 😢 I've got no idea what introduced the fatal flaw... it only takes something small, and then the stress of another shot deforming the strings is enough start a catastrophic failure. My matching pair of racquets is now a sorry solo.

Helen looking at a badminton racquet with a broken frame

A close up shot of the dramatic break in the frame.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Volcanoes! How do they influence Earth, what do we know about them, what swanky new tech lets us spy on them, and how should we live in a world where a colossal volcano could (but is unlikely to) erupt at any moment? It's all in the latest Rare Earth. Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... )

Tom Heap and Helen Czerski in a radio studio with a large lump of volcanic lava in front of them

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Thinking about the UK gov report "National Security Assessment on Global Ecosystems", Feb 2026. The language is incredibly stark. And it's *national security*, not exactly from tree-huggers: "Global ecosystem degradation & collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity... (high confidence)"

gov.uk

National security assessment on global ecosystems (accessible version)

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I cannot see a dead fish as a "conservation success". Bluefin tuna are still rare - they only avoid being technically endangered cos they stabilised at a tiny number. That's not a healthy population, just a stable one. Let them breed and really do well before you fish for them if you have to.

theguardian.com

First bluefin tunas caught off Yorkshire since 1960s ‘success story’ for marine conservation

Researchers laud return of giant tuna to North Sea after being fished almost to point of extinction

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Never mind tree-hugging... do you fancy almost kissing a tree? I did, yesterday in Hyde Park, on the hunt for the beauty of lichen (and you have to get REALLY up close and personal to see it). This is all for an episode of Rare Earth on cooperation in nature (competition's partner), coming soon.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Marine heatwaves are serious & species are moving in order to survive. But I would LOVE us to observe & enjoy the new species arriving at our shores, rather than immediately seeing them as food or as something to hunt for pleasure. So depressing to search for the species & get fishing + recipes 😢

theguardian.com

‘Our new normal’: how marine heatwaves affect life in British seas

As warming seas push native species to cooler waters farther north, once-rare visitors have become more common

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Reposted by Helen Czerski

Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 17/08/2026

If you're new to Bluesky or simply looking for some nice accounts to follow to fill your timeline with interesting ideas, diverse perspectives, a dash of inspiration, and news and stories you might not get elsewhere, can we suggest the Humanists UK Starter Pack? bsky.app/starter-pack...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Nearly time for the Everything Electric Show at Twickenham, west London! Test drive the latest electric vehicles, hear experts discuss a clean energy & transport future & see at the tech that could future-proof your home. 11th & 12th Sept, details here: uk.everythingelectric.show/visit-everyt...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I love the Wetlands Centre in Barnes, SW London - it’s such a brilliant oasis of wildlife. Well worth a visit, if you’re nearby. And it now comes with added pelicans!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

For anyone who thought that all this wildfire stuff only applies to rural areas…

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

How could being far more imaginative with our buildings (and sometimes embracing very old tech as well as very new ideas) help both us and nature? Rare Earth is back for another series, and we have a brilliant programme to start us off, available now: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

On the topic of doing the right thing for the future while sharing joy, here's an electric ice cream van that I passed while out walking this evening. More of this!

Ice-cream van with "e-power" on the front, and a sign saying "zero emission icecream"

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

This alert popped up just as I was writing this post. Everything we can do to minimise climate change and *also* to prepare for the environment of the future is worth it. We don't have to hide, or avoid, or wait for others to act - it's much better for us and the future to change things now.

Text message: "Severe Alert
Issued by the UK Government
now
There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks.
Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.
Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information."

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I did not expect that to be such a lovely community event. I found a good viewing spot & it soon filled up with local people, all friendly, excited & chatting while the celestial mechanics played out. Such a welcome reminder that the beauty of nature can still bring us all together!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The trick with the colander is to hold is as far away as you can from the surface it’s projecting on to.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

UK partial eclipse times below! Get your colander or pinhole camera out (which can be a piece of cardboard with a hole in it made by a pin) and enjoy this show of celestial clockwork, 6-8pm-ish. Please *don't* look at the sun directly unless you have eclipse glasses made to the official standard.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Today in the Rare Earth studio, @tomheap.bsky.social and I took a deep dive into the heart of the world's volcanoes and their influence on our planet. This new series starts this Friday at lunchtime: architecture, volcanoes, the new PM's inbox and more. Keep up here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

What do you get if you face head on the challenge of designing self-sufficient datacentres that don't drain energy & water from their surroundings? For this week's Everything Electric podcast I talked to Toddington Harper from Gigatons about their huge (you might even say "giga") ambition.

youtube.com

Is AI & 'big' data *really* going to be gas-powered? One proven entrepreneur hopes to clean up...

YouTube video by Everything Electric TECH

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

youtube.com

Is AI & 'big' data *really* going to be gas-powered? One proven entrepreneur hopes to clean up...

YouTube video by Everything Electric TECH

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Ooh, what a lovely creature to find by the Thames on my way home from work today. It's a Jersey tiger moth, according to iNaturalist. It looks very exotic for central London! Although apparently the warm weather means there are a lot around. Anyone else seen one?

Butterfly with dramatically striped brown and beige wings

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The world passed 100 GW of total installed data centres in the last year (UK electricity generation last year was 34 GW, so that's *huge*). I've just spoken to Gigatons, who want a future where datacentres really are net-zero, no water places. Is it possible? Fascinating podcast, out tomorrow!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Partial eclipse incoming this Wednesday! Here in the UK we won't quite see the Moon completely cover the Sun, but it'll be over 90%. Eclipse glasses are essential to look directly at it, but pinhole cameras are a very easy way to watch safely. Even a colander will work... as long as it's cloud-free.

Map of the UK showing the path of totality passing to the west (out at sea), with most of the UK having 90% coverage

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

A lovely outing today to see the archive of the first global citizen science experiment. When the huge volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, the Royal Society received oodles of letters & drawings describing what people saw and when. I visited for a Rare Earth ep all about volcanoes, out in 2 wks.

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Wow. I'm buying something online made from reclaimed wood by a small firm & I'm having an e-mail discussion with the craftsman who will make it about exactly where holes will go. It's revelatory... I get to talk to an actual person AND I get exactly what I want. I wish the world had more of this!

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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

We've just recorded the 1st episode of the new series of Rare Earth (out on Aug 14th), all about climate & architecture. Can architects shift their focus from shiny new buildings to more creative and more useful modifications to existing buildings? And will we go with them? cc @tomheap.bsky.social

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