iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Helen Pilcher

Joanna Bagniewska @joannabagniewska.com · 23/09/2026

What time of the year is it? It's FAT BEAR WEEK! It's been so popular that their website is having issues - but check periodically to see if you can vote for the chonkiest chonk on @fatbearweek.bsky.social 🐻 🧪 explore.org/fat-bear-wee...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

New podcast alert. A total pleasure to chat 'This Book May Cause Side Effects' with Tim Anderson on the Original Strength 'Bodcast' #science #nocebo 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4PK...

youtube.com

BodCast Episode 238: Beware of the Nocebo Effect with author Dr. Helen Pilcher

YouTube video by Original Strength

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Anteaters may look cute when they stand with their arms outstretched, but it’s a warning to back off. Theirs can be a fatal embrace. Me for BBC #wildlife mag #science 🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

"He was grabbed by its powerful forelimbs. In the ensuing ‘embrace’ he suffered multiple puncture wounds from its razor-sharp foreclaws" | Discover Wildlife

Can you be hugged to death by an anteater?

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Legend has it they feast on the blood of deer and farm animals before gorging on their entrails. But could the vampire squirrel of Borneo be misunderstood? My story for #Science focus mag www.sciencefocus.com/nature/borne...

sciencefocus.com

"Cold-blooded killer": The strange rise of Borneo's 'vampire squirrel' | BBC Science Focus Magazine

Meet the tufted ground squirrel of Borneo, which has been said to gorge on the hearts and livers of deer and chickens

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A short video that's actually worth watching... Researchers filmed a mama #chimp teaching her daughter how to hunt for ants with a stick, and then literally handing the tool so she could try it for herself. My story for BBC #Wildlife www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

Remote cameras catch chimps teaching youngsters how to use tools to hunt | Discover Wildlife

Captured in Senegal, one video appears to show a chimpanzee showing her daughter how to use a stick to extract ants from a nest.

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Reposted by Helen Pilcher

Chris Simms @chrisnsimms.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex has finally been figured out, confirming it was warm blooded. Not only that, but the analysis of isotopes in T. rex teeth reveals that the king of the dinosaurs had about the same body temp as humans and elephants 🧪 🦖 www.livescience.com/animals/dino...

livescience.com

Scientists finally figured out the temperature of T. rex's blood ‪— and it was as hot as ours

Tooth analysis has revealed that the king of the dinosaurs was as warm-blooded as a human or an elephant

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Poignant, beautiful work by Nessie O'Neil. Endangered pygmy #raccoons show each other how to make toy balls from scrap paper, then kick them about for fun. But the sister who did the teaching later died from malnutrition & pollution. Me for BBC #Wildlife 🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

"Awww! Look how cute! They made a little ball!" Scientists view rare example of wild animals making objects simply for a fun kickabout | Discover Wildlife

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Meet #Sacabambaspsis, my fave extinct fish. Loved, not just becz it looked like a fat tapdole, but becz when palaeontologist Elga Mark-Kurik made a model of it for the Helsinki Natural History Museum, she slapped on a pair of googly eyes from a craft shop. #science 🧪 apple.news/ALamT9vo-SRq...

apple.news

This 450-million-year-old fish has gone viral in Japan for the weirdest reason — BBC Science Focus Magazine

SIMO MARK/LUOMUS/THE FINNISH MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN HELSINKI The internet is full of unlikely viral sensations, but few are as niche as the one that caught the attention of Japanese Twitter user...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I’ve been thinking about the language we use to describe climate change & how words that should spur us to action are losing their punch at a time when complacency is so dangerous. My piece in today’s Guardian. #science 🧪#climatecrisis www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Think of the parable of a frog in boiling water. That’s us dithering as the ‘unprecedented‘ weather becomes more extreme | Helen Pilcher

The complacency is staggering: just another hot summer, a flooded street, a crop failure. We are accepting this extraordinary deterioration as normal, says science writer Helen Pilcher

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Socotra Island in the Gulf of Aden has around 800 plant species, of which a third are endemic. The weirdest is an upside down tree that drinks fog and oozes dragon blood. My story for BBC #Wildlife mag #science 🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/holidays-day...

discoverwildlife.com

The strange island where trees bleed, deadly cucumber trees grow and nature has evolved in ways found nowhere else on Earth | Discover Wildlife

Socotra Island is home to an estimated 825 plant species, of which a third are endemic.

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

When people disappear, nature rebounds. Or so the story goes. Plant biodiversity nosedived during the Black Death because people had been creating diverse, wildlife-rich farmland – and when farming stopped, those habitats disappeared. Me for #science focus 🧪 www.sciencefocus.com/nature/black...

sciencefocus.com

The Black Death should have been good for nature. Staggering new research reveals it was anything but | BBC Science Focus Magazine

We all know what the plague did to us humans, but how did the natural world fare?

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

When beavers or indeed people build beaver dams, good things happen. In northern California, it created the perfect conditions for coho salmon to thrive. Heart-warming work by NOAA's Michael Pollock and colleagues. #science 🧪 Me 4 BBC #Wildlife mag www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

People started building artificial beaver dams in California. Now something "mind blowing" is happening | Discover Wildlife

Following the construction of the dams, one river saw juvenile coho salmon survival rates soar from 8% to 60%.

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I wrote about the #science of how to make any cat love you... yet my own moggy still treats me with the same,blasé indifference I have become used to. For BBC Science Focus mag 🧪 #cats www.sciencefocus.com/nature/any-c...

sciencefocus.com

How to make any cat instantly love you, according to science | BBC Science Focus Magazine

Scientists have devoted a surprising amount of time to sussing out our feline friends’ behaviour, including why they prefer some humans

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Love, love, LOVE this interview with the brilliant @davidmcraney.bsky.social for his You Are Not So Smart Podcast. In which we thoroughly dismantle the idea that mind and body are separate. #ThisBookMayCauseSideEffects #science #nocebo 🧪 open.spotify.com/episode/11M3...

open.spotify.com

346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher

You Are Not So Smart · Episode

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Forget dark matter. Dark DNA is where it's at. Parts of the genome that shouldn't code for proteins, do. 'Dark proteins' are forcing scientists to rethink the way cells work, leading to the development of new treatments. So interesting. My story for #science focus 🧪 apple.news/A9ikOpC71Suu...

apple.news

‘Discovery of the century’: Experts have found secret DNA that could unlock a cancer vaccine — BBC Science Focus Magazine

Mysterious sequences buried in our genetic code are being found to have unexpected effects. And they could change our understanding of biology

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Today is US publication day for This Book May Cause Side Effects - about the tangled webs of connection that exist between mind and body & their effects on our health. Welcome to the #nocebo effect #abramsbooks www.abramsbooks.com/imprints/abr...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

With less than a week to go until the US publication of 'This Book May Cause Side Effects', here's the UK and US covers side by side. So you know how in the US, things are bigger and brasher and louder....

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Reposted by Helen Pilcher

Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Children's stunted lungs show recovery in ultra low emission zone (ULEZ). Researchers found that children in London whose lung growth had been stunted by pollution showed impressive improvements after the introduction of a ULEZ in 2019 reduced emissions. 🧪🚙🛻🚛🚚🫁 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Children's stunted lungs show recovery in ultra low emission zone

Children's lung capacity caught up with their peers in less polluted areas once a clean air zone came in, a study shows.

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Birmingham City FC endured decades of disappointment after a curse was placed on the club in 1906. In the 80s, the manager tried to lift the curse by urinating on the 4 corners of the pitch. Voodoo schmoodo or clever psychology? My piece 4 @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Is your ill fate bad luck or a curse? You could ask Ted Lasso, but why not consider the psychology | Helen Pilcher

From Mayo to Birmingham City, sports lore is rife with powerful hexes. There’s nothing mystical about the dread and self-doubt they can induce, says science writer Helen Pilcher

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Reposted by Helen Pilcher

Jo-ho-ho @jobrodie.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Dogs appear to prefer to line themselves up with the Earth's magnetic field in order to do a poo. Also an opportunity to feng shui any doggy litter boxes in your home. Intel from @helenpilcher.bsky.social www.sciencefocus.com/nature/dog-p...

sciencefocus.com

The weird reason dogs won't poop facing east or west | BBC Science Focus Magazine

Studies revealed that more often than not dogs align themselves with the Earth's north-south axis when pooping.

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Reposted by Helen Pilcher

Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

With highly-pathogenic avian influenza now in NZ, we're taking steps to protect #kakapo and #takahe by vaccinating against the disease, following a successful trial. We're aiming for ~90 kākāpō and 100 takahē in an initial phase to protect the most valuable birds/sites. #conservation #birds

A kākāpō amongst bushes on the ground, in day time. Credit: Andrew Digby

A takahē on a nest with two eggs. Credit: Andrew Digby

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

As wildfires rage, this may seem counterintuitive - but it's worth considering in some cases. When giant sequoias are set on fire in controlled, low-intensity 'prescribed' burns, they are more likely to survive natural wildfires. #science 🧪me 4 BBC #Wildlife www.discoverwildlife.com/plant-facts/...

discoverwildlife.com

1,900 giant sequoia trees saved from death in California. This is how | Discover Wildlife

Prescribed burns prevented almost two thousand giant sequoias from dying when wildfires tore through the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in 2020 and 2021 – and they could help more trees survi...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Play is important for youngsters, but research tells us it's also important for adults. So for anyone struggling to entertain their kids this summer, take a beat. Make time to mess about & the challenge may feel less daunting. #science 🧪 Me 4 @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Make the kids’ summer holidays go with a bang – play together like orangutans | Helen Pilcher

With the news that the ginger giants arrange playdates for their offspring, scientists say messing about has health benefits for humans of all ages, says science writer Helen Pilcher

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Seeing or hearing about someone else with a symptom can prompt your brain to create genuine, distressing mirror symptoms. This is mass psychogenic illness & my worry is that social media is now making outbreaks more likely & more difficult to contain. #science #nocebo 🧪 apple.news/AJ3JVYE08Tim...

apple.news

The placebo effect has a contagious evil twin, and it’s spreading faster than ever — BBC Science Focus Magazine

The ‘nocebo’ is the placebo effect’s ‘evil twin’. It can render medical interventions ineffective, conjure up adverse side effects or even lead to the real symptoms getting worse. So, when negative ex...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Posting this because it's Thursday. Thursday, I tell you. Why isn't it Friday already?........... #science 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbP2...

youtube.com

Mushroom in the Wild Playing Keyboard

YouTube video by BionicandtheWires

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Happy Publication Day (yesterday) to this beautiful book by @robertakwok.bsky.social. "A journey into the questions that keep scientists up at night - and the sometimes strange, always illuminating paths they take to answer them." Contains frogs 🐸 ❤️

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The moment an orca blew up a sunfish by ramming it, but was this for food or fun? The jury is out. Here’s my story for BBC #Wildlife www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Shameless plug alert! I’m talking at Edinburgh International Book Festival next month. Looks set to be a cracking discussion with Nick Barber and Gavin Francis about the mind’s role in health. Tickets still available. #nocebo #ThisBookMayCauseSideEffects www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/nick-...

edbookfest.co.uk

Nick Barber & Helen Pilcher: The Mind-Body Connection | Edinburgh International Book Festival

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

No, a snake can't outrun a human, because running, by definition, involves feet. BUT. The black mamba is said to reach speeds of 20 mph. It's also twitchy, aggressive and v venomous. So no challenging it to a race of any kind, y'hear me. #science 🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

"It can easily reach speeds of 14 miles per hour. Some say they can reach 20 miles per hour…" Can a person outrun a snake? | Discover Wildlife

If you think you could easily outspent a snake, think again…

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Punky hair. Orange lips. White butt patch. Seems to like watching scientists as much as they like watching him! Only the 5th new species of African monkey to be discovered in the last 75 years. My story for BBC #Wildlife mag. #science 🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

discoverwildlife.com

Mysterious new monkey species with orange lips discovered in the Congo rainforest | Discover Wildlife

Known locally as likweli, the newly described African monkey has black fur and produces loud, roar-like vocalisations.

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

And thank you for your brilliant research…

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

When your book travels further than you ever have. #ThisBookMayCauseSideEffects Best read with beer. In Barbados. #science 🧪

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Helen Pilcher @helenpilcher.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Molecular clocks might tell us something about how we're aging, but it's vague and not predictive. I worry negative results cd make people feel predestined to an old age of frailty. Not good because beliefs can be physically transformative. #nocebo My column... 🧪 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

A new test claims to tell how well you’re ageing – and even when you’ll die. But I’d rather not know | Helen Pilcher

I think I’ll leave new methods to measure biological age to the Kardashians. Too much knowledge about your mortality can be bad for your health, says science writer Helen Pilcher

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