iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 20/04/2026

Well, the following paragraph blew my mind. Tomatoes?

"The argument started because there were no tomatoes on
the shepherds pie that Michael made for tea and John thought this was wrong," said

Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 17/04/2026

... pretending to be an expert. Science journalists have an important role to play here, helping people to interpret the faint signals that come through what we call the "thicket of noise" ( at the top of the figure 👇).

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 17/04/2026

Yes, rec 5. See this extract 👇 from our recent submission to the APPG for Learning and Assessment in Schools inquiry into the reduction of the voting age to 16, which addresses the need for people to understand why science should be trusted.

A difficulty is when science is asked to work at the speed of policy-making, which is almost always much faster than the speed of scientific consensus-formation. What our course shows is why science is still 'the way to bet' under these circumstances. This is because of the expertise of scientists and because of their obsession with the truth of the matter: there is no other institution that can be relied upon as much as science to aspire to deliver the truth. That is the argument that leads to the conclusion that professional science is the place to seek the truth about the observable world while social media, artificial intelligence and populist politicians are not.

InSECT Project materials provide teachers with ways of examining historical and contemporary case studies in the context of debates comparing the interpretation of scientific findings and literary and artistic works. For example, we explain that historical accounts of
certain famous experiments as they are usually taught in schools are false in terms of the reported speed and certainty of their outcomes, which may be fixed now but were debatable at the time. Likewise, contemporaneous science often has a degree of interpretative flexibility.

Instead, science has to be understood via its aspirations. An identifying feature of science is
the aspiration to clarity and uniqueness of interpretation even if it cannot be achieved
immediately. In works of art and literature, on the other hand, the need for expert analysis and
the possibility of novel interpretations is often thought of as a characteristic of great work. Yet, some works of art are produced with the aspirations of a science in terms of clarity and unique interpretation - consider Picasso's Guernica and Orwell's 1984 where the artist and
author clearly did not mean the spectator or reader to understand their work in multiple ways.
InSECT Project case studies include vaccination and climate change: we show that in these
cases the interpretative f

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 16/04/2026

One of our team is talking about this *today* at the NSTA meeting in Anaheim: "The interdisciplinary experience: teaching about science with humanities". my.nsta.org/conferences/...

Hands-On Workshop
The interdisciplinary experience: teaching about science with humanities
Thursday, April 16 • 3:40 PM - 4:40 PM
Anaheim Convention Center - 260 A, North Building
Inspired by InSECT, we propose courses that include both science and humanities. Elizabeth Zodda has five years of experience teaching an interdisciplinary course that blends science and social studies and includes students who may not see themselves as science students. In this session you will see how such a course was developed and how it runs. As students investigate current or historical issues that make use of scientific knowledge, we analyze the differences between science and other disciplines such as literature or political science. How do they compare in their approach to knowledge production, interpretation, and communication? Through this unusual classroom experience, students develop an appreciation for science and its role in providing trustworthy and reliable knowledge about the world and come to understand the arts and humanities. Stand-alone lesson suggestions will be included for use in your own classroom to enhance your science students’ connection to current events.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a better understanding of how science and other subjects differ in terms of building up, evaluating and using knowledge. You will be introduced to interdisciplinary methods for discussing the nature of science with your students.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Zodda

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 09/04/2026

This is very useful for us in Europe to read, since it's only a matter of time before our extreme-right parties pick up on it. Hard to argue with the majority view here on core principles (see image), but many others more nuanced and impossible to tackle in a short post. tldr; - trust the science 🧪

Chart showing share of self-identified MAHA followers who consider the following ideas either a core principle or a non-core view of MAHA:
Core principles, per majority
1. Removing ultra-processed food from American diets
56% core : 32% non-core
2. Removing artificial dyes from foods
56% core : 31% non-core
3. Increasing physical activity
53% core : 33% non-core
4. Reducing the impact of "forever chemicals' and microplastics
53% core : 31% non-core
5. Restricting junk food purchases through federal nutrition programs (e.g., SNAP)
53% core : 33% non-core
6. Limiting pesticide use
50% core : 34% non-core

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 30/03/2026

InSECT team member Elizabeth Zodda is speaking at the NSTA Conference in Anaheim on Thursday 16 April: "The interdisciplinary experience: teaching about science with humanities". For all science teachers who want to know more about defending democracy in our classrooms! my.nsta.org/conferences/...

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 25/03/2026

Iran’s Lego videos are really quite remarkable. Very high production values. www.instagram.com/reel/DWR6vJx...

Image showing Lego figure of Donald Trump at casino table with grimacing face and beads of sweat on his face.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 13/03/2026

Just a reminder that this reversal was as the result of an illegal action by the Energy Department, who issued a report written by five researchers handpicked for their views on climate science which run counter to the widely-accepted consensus.

From New York Times 30 January 2026
Photograph shows US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Caption: The judge ruled that Energy Secretary Chris Wright violated the law when he
handpicked researchers to work in secret to produce a government report on global
warming. Nathan Howard/Reuters
By Lisa Friedman
Reporting from Washington
A federal judge on Friday ruled the Energy Department violated
the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers
who reject the scientific consensus on climate change to work in
secret on a sweeping government report on global warming.
The Energy Department issued the report, which downplayed the
dangers of warming, in late July without having held any public
meetings or made records available to the public. Lee Zeldin, the
administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, then cited
the report to justify a plan to repeal the endangerment finding, a
landmark scientific determination that serves as the legal
foundation for regulating climate pollution.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 04/03/2026

Science IRL is not as it's taught in schools and as presented in popular media - with scientists finding out about what's happening in their field by reading peer reviewed papers and nothing else. The social processes involved in making scientific truth have to be understood.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 27/02/2026

Greens trounce Reform in Gorton & Denton.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 27/02/2026

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

The byelection candidates have been arriving at the Manchester central convention complex and it’s been reported that they have been asked to meet with the returning officer in an announcement a short while ago, suggesting a result is near.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 20/02/2026

It's always been a very 'delicate' bridge even before car traffic started hammering it. But very pretty, especially when illuminated at night.

Sign on Albert Bridge in London:
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Albert Bridge Notice
All troops must break step when marching over this bridge

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 20/02/2026

Best I can do rn! (Thank you for your comments about London 💜)

Photograph of Donald Trump and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor shaking hands.
Caption: "See you on the inside."

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 19/02/2026

The InSECT Project's Credo includes the statement: "The tactic of dictators ... is to erode truth ... [they] want to destroy truth so they can be in a position to re-define it as whatever they want and thus redefine ‘the will of the people’ as whatever they want." Behold 👇

Court judgement:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. Plaintiff.
DOUG BURGUM, et al.,
Defendants.
CIVIL ACTION NO. 26-434
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Rufe, J.
February 16, 2026
"All history was a palimpsest, scraped clean and reinscribed exactly as often as was necessary. In no case would it have been possible once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place."
George Orwell, 1984
As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984 now existed, with its motto "Ignorance is Strength," this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government
has the power it claims- to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not.
The President's House is a component of Independence National Historical Park that
commemorates the site of the first official presidential residence and the people who lived there,
including people enslaved by President George Washington. On January 22, 2026, the National
Park Service ("NPS") removed panels, displays, and video exhibits that referenced slavery and
information about the individuals enslaved at the President's House.
Plaintiff City of Philadelphia ("the City") filed this lawsuit under the Administrative
Procedures Act ("APA") against the Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the Department of ...
[page ends]

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 16/02/2026

The People's Front of Judea (led by Reg), not to be confused with the Judean People's Front or the Judean Popular People's Front.

Animated gif showing scene from Monty Python file "The Life of Brian".
John Cleese is saying " We're the people's Front of Judea".

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 15/02/2026

Carl Sagan, writing in 1995 in his book "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". 👇 And the contagion is spreading.

Top left: Image of the scientist Carl Sagan.
Text in quotes:
I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.
Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 12/02/2026

Matt cartoon. The only consistently good (great, actually) thing in the Telegraph.

Cartoon shows princess sat on a wall at the edge of a pond with waterlily leaves. In her hand she holds a frog. In the background there is a castle with conical turrets from which fly flags.
The frog is saying:
"This is awkward. I'm no longer a prince and my name appears multiple times in the Epstein files."

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 11/02/2026

He's not wrong! www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Ayoub Khan (ind) says rubbish is building up “right beneath my very nose”. He is a Birmingham MP, and he is talking about the bin strike. But he has Nigel Farage and the other Reform UK MPs sitting in the row directly in front of him. His joke prompts loud laughted. Richard Tice seems to see the funny side too, but Sarah Pochin looks horribly offended.

Starmer says he hopes the strike gets resolved.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 10/02/2026

I first read Lionel Shriver's "Mania" in 2024, when it was a really great fiction read. (Shriver writes *really* well.) I'm reading it again - now, it's more like non-fiction. 😧👇

I'm citing this trend because it was politically germane. When Joe Biden appointed his staff and cabinet, he didn’t merely turn a blind eye to how bright these people were; he went out of his way to find a candidate for the Secretary of the Treasury who was an imbecile. And not only an imbecile but an imbecile who was recognizably an imbecile—someone whose speech and affect were conspicuously vacuous. It was proudly shouted from the rafters by a fawning media and Biden’s own press secretary that the president was purposefully seeking out the “historically marginalized,” i.e., stupid people.
The same template was adopted at the Defense Department. The Joint Chiefs weren't simply mixing up the ranks like a salad; ignoring the lesson of their botched assassination attempt on Osama bin Laden, who remained at liberty, they were frantically promoting the most witless privates in the army to captain, colonel, and lieutenant general. Americans were still beside themselves about the “scandal” of their military having until 2011 administered an IQ test called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to all prospective recruits; before the ASVAB was theatrically disavowed, the U.S. military had not inducted any soldiers with a score below 85. The Sen- ate hearings had been dragging on for years, though their conclusions were foregone: for that test ever having been administered, heads would roll.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 09/02/2026

Just found the search box 🤦‍♂️!

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 05/02/2026

Highly recommend this documentary!

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 05/02/2026

Jet stream lying well to the south of the UK with low pressure to the south west and high pressure blocking over north east. Looks set to continue for a while - sorry!

Chart of jetstream over UK/southern Europe.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 05/02/2026

Richly ironic that the fallout from the Epstein affair over here potentially does for a Prime Minister, while in the US it's just "business as usual" thanks to press and Congress not holding anyone to account. From Economist yesterday 👇.

Extract from Economist article:
In a party full of lifers and riddled by—at times—psychopathic factionalism, Sir Keir was supposed to be a refreshing, fair-minded pragmatist. Yet Lord Mandelson was appointed above all thanks to the people he knew and for the wing of the party he represented. He was close to Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir’s most influential adviser and the man who pushed for Lord Mandelson to land the plum job in Washington. Ironically, Sir Keir is not especially close to Lord Mandelson. Before the Washington appointment, their relationship extended to Lord Mandelson offering the prime minister advice from the sidelines and once suggesting on a podcast that Sir Keir was too fat. The prime minister has no cronies, but still somehow fell foul of cronyism.
Sir Keir leads a hollow administration. It brought in figures from New Labour to give it ballast. Former aides from the glory days of New Labour are scattered all over government. Lord Mandelson was to provide a cynical steel. After all, the “Prince of Darkness” had been there and done it. Whatever flaws he had—strange business dealings or a long-term friendship with a notorious sex-offender billionaire—were worth it for his expertise, and Sir Keir and his team relied on it. It is shameful in its own way. A man whose political pomp came three decades ago was welcomed back to the top of government, as if Sir Tony Blair had relied on apparatchiks from the Harold Wilson era during his time in office. It is a politics stuck in the 1990s, with the norms to match: two boys giggling over email about sleeping with strippers. A politics previously seen as creaking and ageing is now humiliating.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 04/02/2026

Screenshot of linked piece 👆

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 04/02/2026

Not looking good for Starmer either. Angela Rayner is calling for ISC to lead inquiry (source - Guardian):

Guardian newspaper screenshot:
Subhead: Angela Rayner backs Tory calls for intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files released
Text: Angela Rayner, the former deputy PM, has urged the government to agree to the Tory proposal (see 1.15pm) for the intelligence and security committee to decide what Mandelson files are released, and what are held back.

In intervention while Thomas-Symonds was speaking, she said that she had table a humble address on PPE in 2022.

She said:

Quote: Given the public disgust and the sickening behaviour of Peter Mandelson and the importance of transparency … should we not have the ISC not have the same role now [as in relation to a previous humble address] in keeping public confidence in the process?

Photograph of Angela Rayner speaking in the Commons.
Caption: Angela Rayner speaking in the debate Photograph: HoC

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 04/02/2026

Key takeaways (see image) from an event in London last month. "Trust has ... shifted. Politicians are no longer the most credible messengers; civil society, charities and businesses increasingly carry greater public confidence - and with it, greater responsibility." Link to document in post below.

Table:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Cost of living is the anchor issue
Affordability frames almost every other political concern, from immigration to crime to climate. The public’s core question remains: “How will this make my life feel better?”
We are in a new battle of persuasion
Arguments once perhaps taken for granted - on climate action, diversity, democratic norms - must now be actively made and remade. Laws and policies do not equal public consent.
Narrative matters as much as delivery
Governments committed to long-term “deliverism” struggle without a compelling story. Without an emotional throughline, progress feels invisible.
Trust has migrated
Politicians are widely distrusted. Charities, community organisations and businesses are often more trusted - creating an opportunity, and obligation, for non-political actors to lead.
Risk-taking is rising
A growing “nothing left to lose” mentality is making voters more open to populist and anti-system choices.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 31/01/2026

From the linked report 👇: "The vast majority of ... professors (86%) think the impact of GenAI tools on those who teach will be significant and transformative or at least noticeable. Just 4% believe it will not amount to much."

Infographic:
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center conducted a survey of 1,057 U.S. faculty in November 2025, asking questions about the impact of Generative AI (GenAI) tools on their teaching, their students, and the future of higher education.

95% of the faculty in this survey said GenAI’s impact will be to increase students’ overreliance on these artificial intelligence tools, including 75% who said the tools will have a lot of impact.

90% said the use of GenAI will diminish students’ critical thinking skills, including 66% who think GenAI will have a lot of impact.

83% said the use of GenAI will decrease student attention spans, including 62% who thought GenAI will have a lot of impact.

86% said they believe it is likely or extremely likely that the emergence of GenAI tools will impact the work and role of those who teach in higher education.

79% think the typical teaching model in their department will be affected by GenAI tools at least to some extent, including 43% who said they believe the impact will be significant.

78% said cheating on their campus has increased since GenAI tools have become widely available, including 57% who said it has increased a lot.
And 73% said they have personally dealt with academic integrity issues involving their students’ use of GenAI.

Note: The term “GenAI” is used throughout the report and refers to “generative artificial intelligence tools” such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot. These findings are based on a non-scientific sample of faculty known to the American Association of Colleges & Universities. The Methodology section has details of the composition of the sample.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 30/01/2026

"Kennedy’s policies are 'almost like a religion' and 'anti-science.'” He’s a very confused man.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 29/01/2026

Trump’s interest in Greenland unpacked by Sophie Labelle on Instagram (labellesophie).

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 27/01/2026

Jet stream is sitting a looong way south of the UK rn.

Image of jet stream (nullschool.net) showing strong upper atmosphere winds extending south of Bay of Biscay and over Portugal and Spain.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 25/01/2026

Fixed. (Couldn't be bothered to change the footprints, I'm kinda busy, you know?)

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 24/01/2026

Climatologists and meteorologists everywhere shudder ...

Star Wars meme - image of Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan Kenobe.
Quote text - "I felt a great disturbance in the Force ..."

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 24/01/2026

Now geographically and geopolitically correct. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

Parody of White House post on X.
Shows a snowy, flat landscape in the foreground with snowy mountains in the background. There is a Greenland flag flying in the distance.
Figure of a man dressed in formal black coat in the foreground, seen from behind. The implication is that it is Trump. He is walking with a polar bear holding an EU flag on his left. Their footsteps in the snow are seen.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 24/01/2026

As plenty of people have said - no penguins in Greenland. But also - this can't be Trump as the figure is walking steadily in a straight line! (Have you watched him walk along a red carpet recently?)

Screenshot of Whitehouse tweet on X.
Shows a snowy, flat landscape in the foreground with snowy mountains in the background. There is a Greenland flag flying in the distance.
Figure of a man dressed in formal black coat in the foreground, seen from behind. The implication is that it is Trump. He is walking with a penguin holding a US flag on his left. Their footsteps in the snow are seen.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 21/01/2026

My "comfort (re-)read - wonderful story. Published 1989(!) but I first read in 1990!

Cover of the book "The Cuckoo's Egg" by Cliff Stoll.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 21/01/2026

From InSECT Project teaching materials - good art has multiple meanings and can be interpreted differently by different people. A good scientific paper is intended to afford meaning in a much narrower way - and takes expertise to understand. insect-project.org

Graphic with two images and text.
Top right shows "Convergence" by Jackson Pollock (1952) featuring an energetic and chaotic canvas where vibrant lines of red, yellow, and blue intertwine with black and white elements.
Underneath is a quote: "I may not know much about art - but I know what I like!" Thumbs up emoji.
Bottom right shows cover from "Nature" magazine - magazine title at top of cover image with DNA spiral underneath from top left to bottom right. Subtitle under magazine title on right of page - "the human genome".
Underneath is a quote: "I may not know much about science - but I know what I like!" Thumbs down emoji.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 20/01/2026

Just got a promo email from Ryanair! 😂😂😂

Ryanair email marketing image.
Text at top of image: "Ryanair's Big 'idiot' seat sale"
Underneath: "Only available for Elon Musk and any other 'idiots' on X!! Book today before Musk gets one!"
Large text: From £16.99
On right of image: Model figures show Michael O'Leary (in blue checked shirt and jeans) striking Elon Musk (in black leather bikers gear with red X on chest) with his fist, holding a placard saying "I (heart emoji) Ryanair"
Models stand on a small black plinth which says "Big Idiots"
Red button with white text: "100K seats in Feb, Mar and Apr"

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 19/01/2026

Science is indeed messy - or at least, the bit where scientists thrash out competing knowledge claims. Public trust in science is best ensured (I don't like 'shored up') by ensuring that people understand how science works - the rationale of insect-project.org.

The structure of science. From the top layer of SOCIETY, individuals climb down from society into the science sub-society through schooling and university acquiring certain norms, skills, and tools illustrated by hammers and anvils. The transition is difficult and we show this by the need to climb down a rope. Once membership of the community of ‘scientists’ has been entered individuals will generally try to attain a more specialised level, such as chemist, biologist or physicist – we show three such sciences at the next level down. At the bottom level, 'frontier scientists' do their work whilst engaging in discourse - the topmost scientist shouts the results back up into science and society through a megaphone.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 18/01/2026

Just going to leave this Matt cartoon here:

Matt cartoon from Daily Telegraph. Exterior of Reform UK constituency office on high street (closed). Black bag on pavement. Sign in window reads: "Please don't leave pre-loved politicians outside when office is closed".

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 18/01/2026

Ha! In London our fatbergs are the size of double decker buses! Ya boo!

London Routemaster bus (route 15 to Tower Hill) seen from front turning right out of road junction in London city centre.

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 16/01/2026

And not all good mothers are climate scientists, vaccine scientists or whatever. A good mother has the meta-expertise to know whom to trust, and where the reliable knowledge she needs is to be found.

"Trusting the ‘experts’ is not a feature of science; it’s not a feature of democracy. It’s a feature of religion, and it’s a feature of totalitarianism. In democracies, we have the obligation, and it’s one of the burdens of citizenship, to do our own research and make our own determinations about things."
Robert F Kennedy Jnr, US Secretary of Health and Human Services,
speaking on the Tucker Carlson Show 30 June 2025

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Patrick Fullick @insect-project.org · 15/01/2026

"“The truth is never, never with those who hold power. The truth is with everyone else.”

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