iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Michael Marshall

A country that will not fix its mistakes is a country that has given up on the future. And Brexit was, it’s now clear, a terrible, terrible mistake inews.co.uk/opinion/brex...

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A new blood test could help doctors figure out if a feverish newborn baby has a dangerous bacterial infection, or a (probably) mild viral one, in minutes. @newscientist.com loom.ly/a05KWpI

A photo of a healthcare worker taking a blood sample from a newborn baby. We can see the baby's legs and back. The HCW is wearing blue plastic gloves and is using a baby needle. Credit: isayildiz / Getty Images

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Here's today's column on the astonishing, ongoing mistreatment of people with #ME/CFS. Please spread it far and wide: the only thing which can break the media's wall of indifference is seeing an article about the issue go viral. Thank you. 1/2 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed | George Monbiot

Changes in guidance and science seem to have little impact on millions of devastated lives. It’s a social crisis playing out behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We all know that pet cats are pretty lazy. However, nobody has quantified their laziness as a percentage of their day, until now. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/259014…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Over 3000 scientific papers contain explicit Beatles references in their titles. The band is here, there and everywhere, but asking me why is like peeling a glass onion. www.newscientist.com/article/258890…

A cartoon showing the four Beatles standing in a row, facing away from camera. They're all young, with shortish hair and dark grey suits. They're looking at a mass of printed sheets of paper all flying around, against a red background. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you can't keep your house plants alive, maybe you should buy an AI-based sensor gizmo that turns your potted plants into "emotionally connected digital pets". Yeah, that'll work. www.newscientist.com/article/258767…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A trove of artefacts, made by ancient humans called Denisovans, has been found in China. I went on the @newscientist.com podcast to witter on about it for a while. Apple: loom.ly/CQtGCC8 Spotify: loom.ly/O74uijE YouTube: loom.ly/O3JAEEk

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Who were the people we call the Vikings (but who didn't call themselves that)? Neil Price's book The Sea-King and the Sorceress does a great job of revealing them as they were. www.newscientist.com/article/258790…

Aerial photograph showing three reconstructed Viking longships, oars extended, making their way up a river surrounded by trees. Credit: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The more we learn about chimps, the more they resemble us. But the more we learn about our evolutionary history, the more distant they are from us. @newscientist.com loom.ly/gpfjrNk

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A cave in China held a trove of remains of ancient humans called Denisovans - including teeth, bones and over 1000 artefacts. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258830…

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 09/09/2026

So, we’re in a race between AI and climate change to see what destroys the world faster?

static.klipy.com

Community: Darkest Timeline

ALT: Community: Darkest Timeline

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Almost every adult has been infected by the Epstein-Barr virus - but for some people it causes severe illnesses including cancer and multiple sclerosis. My new feature for @sciencenews.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/epstein…

Watercolour-style artwork showing the silhouettes of several people, including a woman holding her child's hand and several standing by themselves. They are variously red, purple and blue. Credit: Marta Spendowska

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug, may have a handy side effect: reducing your risk of developing dementia. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258611…

A scattered pile of a few dozen circular white pills. They are the kind with a groove across the middle so you can break them in two. Credit: Kevin Miller / Alamy

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

We've been told the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) wrecked their ecosystem and then their society collapsed. This does not seem to be true, as I explain in @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/…

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The fundamental nature of Higher Education is changing. In lots of England you can't afford to 'go away' to university unless your parents are well off. Meanwhile large parts of the country will soon lack a wide range of subjects. This is madness. www.ft.com/content/4bf0...

ft.com

Two-thirds of UK students run out of money before the end of term

Undergraduates say they are missing social events and missing meals to make ends meet

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 19/08/2026

I don't think people understand the extent to which this has been a decade plus long billionaire funded campaign (obviously Thiel is involved). We've tried to ring the alarm about these eugenicists but it is too easy for them to get parroted by the mainstream media. bylinetimes.com/2026/08/18/t...

bylinetimes.com

The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason Arday

The media's coverage of the academic's life was fuelled by the campaign of an established far-right network

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Humans might be cathemeral - meaning we are adapted to be active both during the day and the night. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258495…

A photograph showing the silhouette of a Hadza hunter-gatherer from Tanzania. They are aiming a bow and arrow to the left. In the background is the setting sun. Credit: PLANET EARTH / Shutterstock

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The fundraising texts you delete are working on someone. It’s infuriating and heartbreaking. An 85yo in Ohio gave more than double the value of his home. A 91yo in an Indianapolis senior facility gave 25K times. The DCCC/DSCC don’t just tolerate the spammers who exploit seniors. They take part.

data4democracy.substack.com

Hook and Squeeze

How Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations.

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

The treatment of Jason Arday was massively out of proportion to his faults. People who have committed terrible crimes have received less scrutiny, yet I don't believe anything he did or said even crossed the threshold of criminality. How many of us would have survived what he was put through? 🧵

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

This langur stroking a squirrel is cute, but stories like this also hint at how our tendency to keep pets first evolved - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258303…

Photo showing a tufted gray langur stroking a squirrel on a tree branch. Credit: Senthi Aathavan Senthilverl

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

In her new book Alive, Melanie Challenger asks a big question: what is "life"? Her answer is that life is matter that has become imbued with purpose. I have thoughts about that. www.newscientist.com/article/258259…

A ground-level photo of a patch of Brazilian rainforest, showing abundant trees and other lush green plant life. Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The cover story in this month's @sciencenews.bsky.social is my feature about Fatimah Jackson, who is figuring out what to do with human remains that institutions have acquired without consent. www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/aug…

The front cover of the August 2026 issue of Science News. The headline reads "Skeletons in the closet". The artwork depicts a wooden closet with a human body inside it, divided up into squares like a mosaic - some showing bones or circulatory system or other parts of the anatomy.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Want to understand human evolution but not sure where to start? Start here, with this timeline of the entire story, from the first primates to the first cities. For @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258303…

A photo showing artists' reconstructions of many ancient human ("hominin") species, from Australopithecus to the Neanderthals. Credit: P. Plailly / E. Daynes / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Have you ever looked at a balloon animal and wondered how to describe it geometrically? Well, somebody did, and they wrote a whole paper about it - Feedback, @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258260…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Artificially-elongated fingernails were a marker of social status and conspicuous leisure, but no longer, say social scientists - Feedback, @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258137…

A cartoon showing a black microscope on a wooden surface. A woman's hand, with extra long fingernails painted red and yellow, is being thrust under the lens. Credit: Josie Ford

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Just loving how John Cleese, now reduced to one of his own caricatures, rages about immigrants coming to the UK and failing to accept "our" culture, from his home in ... (checks notes) ... Nevis in the Caribbean.

Telegraph article: John Cleese: I trust Rupert Lowe more than any other leader
Monty Python star backs the Restore Britain founder in a series of social media posts

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

One patient in 20 is exposed to preventable harm in healthcare systems. Reducing these medical errors requires thinking carefully about systems and processes - @doctors-net-uk.bsky.social loom.ly/-1YmWig

A photo of a doctor wearing a cap and mask and surgical scrubs (all blue), leaning against a window with his eyes closed. He looks stressed and tired. Credit: iStock.com / Iker Martiarena

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Some characters in movies often die: wise mentors, teen girls having sex in horror movies, and, for some reason, geologists - Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258017…

A cartoon showing a film set. On the left is a cameraperson, with a big movie camera on their right shoulder. They are filming a person dressed as a geologist, kneeling down before a rock face. Someone is spraying fake smoke into the shot. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

There's a magazine called the Journal of Imaginary Research that publishes entirely made-up research, and their latest issue includes an evolutionary puzzle - Feedback, @newscientist.com loom.ly/ENG1Cq0

Cartoon showing a tiny circular island with some leaves and plants. Seven miniature animals like a giraffe, cow etc are puttering around, all wearing different coloured hats a bit like the dwarfs in Disney's Snow White. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Fatimah Jackson is a biological anthropologist who has studied human diversity. Her latest project: working out what to do with the human remains collected by universities etc without consent. I profiled her for @sciencenews.bsky.social. loom.ly/hEapET8

Illustration of biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson. The head of a Black woman, facing right, wearing a white headscarf. The headscarf is dotted with images including a DNA molecule, a world map and a photo of a young Black woman dancing. Credit: Ben Jones

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Achievement unlocked: after years of loyal listening I finally had an email read out on @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social (from about 7:20) Apple: loom.ly/now2wQE Spotify: loom.ly/EfzmI1c YouTube: loom.ly/1twde8g

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

One of the biggest trends in human evolution is that we became a fair bit taller and a lot heavier. (Our Human Story, @newscientist.com) www.newscientist.com/article/253322…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

How come lugworm poop looks like it has fallen to the ground, when they defecate upwards? Feedback in @newscientist.com asks the big questions www.newscientist.com/article/mg2713…

A cartoon showing a lugworm: a worm that lives in a burrow in a mudflat. The lugworm's head is deep in the burrow with its bottom near the entrance, where it has deposited a single poop: this looks like the poop emoji, complete with eyes and smiling mouth. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

We often assume that natural selection favoured intelligence and big brains, but this might not be true at all - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/253289…

A Neanderthal skull on the left and two Homo sapiens skulls on the right, all against a plain black background. The Neanderthal skull has larger brow ridges over the eyes, and has some damage like a hole in the brain case. Credit: Pascal Goetgheluck / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

In further evidence that capitalism is entering a terminal phase, there is now a company selling probiotic underwear, reports Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2713…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Doctors often give patients tests or medicines, not because they'll help, but to prevent a complaint. How can we reduce this "defensive medicine", without inadvertently harming patients? @doctors-net-uk.bsky.social loom.ly/CHbTX1M

Photo showing a doctor in a hospital pinching his nose between his fingers, as if stressed. He has greying dark hair and is wearing a dark blue medical tunic. Credit: iStock.com / gpointstudio

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Are some people more prone than others to cry when chopping onions? And what does that have to do with a cat? All this and more in Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

A pair of wooden posts, erected 5000 years ago, pointed to sunrise on the summer solstice. They may have been a precursor to Stonehenge - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/253081…

A reconstruction of the summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford 5000 years ago. A grassy plane with two white posts tens of metres of apart, a crowd of people watching. Credit: Marijane Porter, Wessex Archaeology

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Feedback in @newscientist.com tackles a pressing question: Reptiles with a larger body mass tend to have longer Wikipedia entries, but does that apply to the noted fictional reptile Godzilla? loom.ly/K62jWok

A cartoon showing a Komodo dragon at the bottom left, face to face with Godzilla on the right. Godzilla is black with spikes and has a bright red mouth. A red beam shines between the two reptiles' eyes. Credit: Josie Ford

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Reposted by Michael Marshall

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Who wins as a result of the EHRC trans code? Nobody. Nobody at all. None of this has any meaning whatsoever. It is just a needless act of administrative bother and political self-harm. open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

This always gives me a little happy: my feature on the origins of life is this week's cover story in @newscientist.com In shops tomorrow morning! www.newscientist.com/issue/3600

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

In more shock "autistic people are diverse" news, it seems people with autism can have unusually strong OR unusually weak connections between brain regions, with different mechanisms responsible. @newscientist.com loom.ly/T42CBPA

A series of fMRI images of human brains showing the different sections. Each brain appears in blue and white against a black background. Credit: Puradol Jaturawutthichai / Alamy

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

If I ever do something like this to my daughter, you all have my permission to euthanise me.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

New feature for @newscientist.com: When it comes to explaining how life began, sometimes the old ideas are best. Specifically, an idea put forward about a century ago and neglected for decades. loom.ly/3-IbpNs

Painterly artwork showing a load of animals and plants spiralling up out of a blob-like object at the bottom of the frame. The blog is dark purple, as is the background. The animals are kaleidoscopically colourful. Credit: Sam Falconer

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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I had a lot of fun chatting about anatomy, evolution and embryology - and my new book HUMANS - with Mike Marshall of News Scientist. You can watch the conversation here: youtu.be/tdzytD39vFI?...

youtu.be

The Evolutionary Accidents That Made Us Human

YouTube video by New Scientist

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Many people believe themselves to be funny. But who is most prone to this delusion, wonders Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

Cartoon showing a person pointing at a mirror showing their reflection, and laughing. Two other people look on: one smiling, one very much not. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I know a reasonable amount about the evolution of birds, but palaeontologist @stevebrusatte.bsky.social's new book about them still managed to surprise me. Review in @newscientist.com loom.ly/mvHFkcs

Artist's impression of Archaeopteryx, the first bird. It is a crow-sized animal with brown and black feathers, a long feathered tail, and teeth in its jaws (rather than a beak). It's sitting on a branch of a tree and looking over its shoulder. Credit: JA Chirinos / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

You can now watch my full interview with @profaliceroberts.bsky.social for @newscientist.com, about the animal origins of the human body. NS: loom.ly/6vdtOMU YouTube: loom.ly/k3LiB_4

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