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Jon Turney

@jonturney.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.8K following 1.5K posts

Writer & editor, past lives in science policy, sci-comm etc. Retirement pastimes include managing climate anxieties. New writing at UKjazznews.com and @theartsdesk.bsky.social jonturney.wordpress.com See also bristoljazzlive.co.uk

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Reposted by Jon Turney
Andy Extance @andyextance.bsky.social · 8h
After my partner died of cancer, the fact I write about new treatments for it in my work has been complicated. Inspired by this, I am launching an Instagram account called The Widowers Guide to the Science of Cancer today - you can see the first post here: www.instagram.com/p/Dd-__vcALl... 🧪
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 8h
Jeez, Chris Mason’s self-regarding rehash of his part in this deeply trivial little eddy in the discourse tells you a lot about the state of political “journalism” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Chris Mason: Why Andy Burnham's about-turn on Manchester City matters
The prime minister's comments on Man City were revealing on several levels - and leapt on by many in football, the BBC's political editor writes.
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A very happy birthday to Dave Holland, who has probably given me more delight over the last 50 years than any other musician, and still going strong 🙂 ukjazznews.com/dave-holland...
ukjazznews.com
Dave Holland – ‘Freedom Call’ - UK Jazz News
NOTE: This review is being published on 1 October 2026, Dave Holland's 80th birthday, and it is an opportunity for all of us at UKJN to thank Dave for decades of fabulous concerts and albums, and to s...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Extraordinary man/life
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What was the moment you realised you had no grasp of the world anymore? This did it for me www.ft.com/content/f109...
Many creators seek to ride more shortlived waves of internet popularity. Shira
Jeczmien, founder of viral marketing agency Screenshot Media, points to a brief trend of people eating whole cucumbers that led to shortages of the vegetable in supermarkets.
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Sadiah Qureshi 🦈 @sadiahqureshi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Spotted the paperback version of Vanished in the wild for the first time nestled among the other ‘New, Notable, and Nectarous books.’ 🐯
A display of paperback books on a table in a bookshop, labelled ‘New, Notable & Nectarous: An intriguing collection of new non-fiction, fresh in paperback and ready to feast upon. Our favourites of the floor, from the lauded to the easily missed.’ Vanished is nestled among the other books.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s a mark of the corruption of our whole way of thinking about the world that trying to meet a planetary emergency is routinely described as “ideological”, while continuing to accelerate it is presented as “pragmatic” and “economic”.
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The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 29/09/2026
We’re excited to announce the winner of this years’ Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize is the 'The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry' by Kit Chapman, a ‘dazzling’ globetrotting adventure in the history of alchemy. #SciBooks royalsociety.org/news/2026/09...
A man in a suit smiles at the camera whilst holding a book. He stands in front of a backdrop with corporate logos.
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"We neither need nor want to know about every slightly over-eager cell with the molecular desire to grow but without the genetic toolkit required to travel" - curious to read this on the day a first degree relative has a confirmation of a cancer diagnosis...
aeon.co
We need a better way to describe what is often called ‘cancer’ | Aeon Essays
A cancer diagnosis carries with it fear and upheaval. For many patients the cellular changes do not warrant the label
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Yes, I got a newsletter notification email headed "Epistemic Humility and the Pessimistic Meta-Induction" and I thought, ooh, interesting. I'm still a nerd OK?
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is the kind of grown up political debate the country needs
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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 25/09/2026
The Prospect paywall is down!! Head to our website to read all our online content FOR FREE until Monday 5th October. lnkd.in/eUYscDfv This includes our entire current issue: www.prospectmagazine...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Humans, eh?
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Sometimes youtube algorithm just serves up something half a century old that simply bowls you over youtu.be/Q4x7SbgB0KM?...
youtu.be
Jeane Lee -- Conspiracy 1974 [Full Album]
YouTube video by World Music & Drops
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I know a guy who does piecework training AI to do slide decks against the clock. Hourly rate is impressively high & he reckons the company is spending millions per month on the project as they suck up his skills… but needs the money
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
One good thing about getting older is the people buying presents know you very well :)
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What is an ethnicity, please? Aside from, as in this case, apparently being an indicator of profound stupidity
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Yay - about time :)
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The Daily Tism @thedailytism.com · 19/09/2026
A newly published survey has found that nearly anything can make someone an autism expert, according to the totally unbiased people behind it.
thedailytism.com
Bar never been lower for “autism expertise”, study finds
A newly published survey has found that nearly anything can make someone an autism expert, according to the totally unbiased people behind it. The survey, conducted specifically by people who have…
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hmm…. Link from PR in the inbox this morning. Keith Jarrett augmented by AI obviously a thing that needed to happen youtu.be/QVuS0U-XSuM?...
youtu.be
STOMP (Édouard Ferlet)
YouTube video by Edouard Ferlet
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New CD from the mercurial soprano sax maestro Emile Parisien ukjazznews.com/emile-parisi...
ukjazznews.com
Emile Parisien – ‘Floating’ - UK Jazz News
The quartet he presents here, the dizzyingly gifted Emile Parisien tells us, was recruited during a spell of reflection, after an intense spell of work on other projects. To explore a quieter brand of...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is far too crude a categorisation - I consider I am in early late middle age (71 tomorrow…)
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I know Bluesky is a very particular sample but the replies here are quite something :)
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Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
As the imaginary existential risks of AI are back in, here's a programme I did for the BBC www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, How real is the existential threat from AI?
AI can't kill us, so why are imaginary threats being taken so seriously?
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
yes, but those of us who are worried about the ongoing and greatly amplified future risks of climate change do not have the fabled "legitimate concerns", do we? Must get me some of those...
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Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.com · 17/09/2026
It was confirmed yesterday that the centre left coalition won the election in Sweden As predicted, with the far right performing poorly, coverage has almost entirely vanished from international media
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Scott Pack @meandmybigmouth.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Okay, seeing as he's in the news at the moment, let me share with you a short thread about the time I went round Earl Spencer's house for dinner. (GIF not remotely accurate but rather fun.)
static.klipy.com
Andrew Scott in The Pursuit of Love
Alt: Andrew Scott in The Pursuit of Love. He's in shorts and a shirt, wavering in the breeze. He's taking off sunglasses, and he's standing on the lawn in front of a massive stately home.
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Modern mysteries: would not have thought one could spend large sums (£27m was it?) constructing improved access to Bristol Temple Meads and end up with bus connections even worse than existed before (which were terrible). But somehow this is what we now have.
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Aliki Chapple @commonmugwort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So, this is a weird one, but if anyone thinks they might be interested in seeing (online) a work-in-progress showing of a verbatim theatre project to do with Greek archaeology and the 19th Century, DM me your email for an invitation.
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Kevin Anderson @kevinclimate.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The CCC @thecccuk.bsky.social offers Heathrow a thumbs up, conditional on the massive deployment of “snake oil” technologies (SAF & GGR). Report by Tyndall researchers, building on UK Govt commitments, science & maths, reaches a very different conclusion. See: climateuncensored.com/heathrow-exp...
climateuncensored.com
Heathrow Expansion: The Physics Does Not Negotiate - Climate Uncensored
Below is the foreword I wrote for my Tyndall colleagues’ detailed and rigorous report examining whether further expansion of Heathrow can be reconciled with
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Canada has a total ban on company/corporate donations. Only individuals who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents can make contributions and it's capped at $1,750 a year. They still have functioning parties and the sky hasn't fallen in. Quite the opposite... www.elections.ca/content.aspx...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Grandparents think about this often…. (well, I do)
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
BOB DYLAN writing in The New York Times on being 80. We’re so used to Dylan being an enigmatic & elusive trickster that it’s always a delightful surprise when he writes something so personal, heartfelt and wise.
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Laura Gordon @lauragordon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I sure am glad the government decided not to regulate political donations because coming up with a workaround for trade unions seemed just too difficult 🙃
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Reading Wired is really odd these days - a weird mix of attempts (frequently good) to offer serious political analysis along with the reflexive slack-jawed enthusiasm for more or less any gadget…
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Peter Lipman @peterlipman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
UK aviation emissions to be 50% higher than thought by 2050, government admits www.carbonbrief.org/uk-aviation-...
carbonbrief.org
UK aviation emissions to be 50% higher than thought by 2050, government admits - Carbon Brief
The Labour government has signalled its support for a contentious third runway at Heathrow airport, with a final planning decision expected by 2029.
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Defend Our Juries @defendourjuries.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“It’s one thing to go out and hold up a placard” Deputy Met Police Commissioner Matt Jukes said that the police take neo-Nazi threats more seriously than those peacefully holding placards. There have been over 3,600 arrests since July 2025 for peacefully holding up a placard.
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
But why, oh why, not provide a link to the report? greenfuturessolutions.com/news/tipping...
greenfuturessolutions.com
New tipping points playbook: The Earthshot Prize and University of Exeter reveal how to make planetary repair unstoppable | Green Futures Solutions
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Richard Delevan @richard.wickedproblems.earth · 09/09/2026
Saving people at sea is what the RNLI does. Doing so without first asking to see their papers, their DNA or their faith did not used to be controversial. Now it gets them death threats. RNLI people won't be intimidated out of their beliefs and mission. Support them: rnli.org/support-us/g...
theguardian.com
‘Their boat was sinking’: RNLI vows to keep rescuing asylum seekers despite attacks
Charity emphasises small boat rescues are tiny part of its work and speaks out after volunteers abused by far right
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theartsdesk @theartsdesk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A BIG DAY IS APPROACHING! Tomorrow is #theartsdesk's 17th birthday. Many years of the best independent arts coverage! Thanks to our supporters & readers for all your help! Start a subscription before end 09/09/26 to enjoy our Founders’ Rate £40/year *in perpetuity*. theartsdesk.com/subscription...
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 08/09/2026
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A game from a talented team here…
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Dr. Sandra Duffy Golden @sandraduffy.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I don't know if it's just that this UK government missed the context of growing up in Ireland in the 90s, but they should probably be aware that gangs of lads in balaclavas don't have the best intentions for the public.
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UK Prime Minister, Some Say Sinister @joemuggs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
And listen up. Once more I am calling you to break out your clicking fingers and maybe even your wallets for a subscription as we push forward into theartsdesk.com's glorious expansion - this is the only place where you can find music festival reports like this, next to
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theartsdesk @theartsdesk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
'In #HumphreyBogart’s penultimate movie, he puts in a performance it’d be criminal to miss' ★★★★★ THE DESPERATE HOURS - Hidden gem in #Bogie's 50s filmography offers excitement & psychological depth says @realjohncarvill.bsky.social @arrowvideo.bsky.social Blu-ray www.theartsdesk.com/film/blu-ray...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Interesting. See also Helen Mialet’s excellent Hawking Incorporated for another analysis of some of this scienceobserved.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/t...
scienceobserved.wordpress.com
The opposite of a “lone genius”
There’s a new batch of commentaries on Stephen Hawking, and his career, prompted by the new biopic. Time, I think, to revisit Helene Mialet’s excellent study of Hawking, and “Hawk…
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theartsdesk @theartsdesk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
'As with #BillEvans’s music, emotional veracity draws a great deal of strength from atmosphere' ★★★★ EVERYBODY DIGS BILL EVANS - #GrantGee's first feature refuses to play by #biopic rules in this atmospheric evocation of the great #jazz pianist, says Mark Kidel www.theartsdesk.com/film/everybo...
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Jon Turney @jonturney.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Sure, I’m laughing at Farage’s “I wasn’t listening” too. But don’t forget to notice last 2 days also saw quite the most horrifying set of policies ever aired by absolutely the worst set of people ever seen in public life. And to work to stop them.
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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Spontaneous? FFS
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