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Rebekah Higgitt

@rhiggitt.bsky.social
16K followers 1.1K following 4.2K posts

Historian of science; Principal Curator of Science @ntlmuseumsscot.bsky.social & Hon Fellow, STIS, Uni of Edinburgh. President @bshsnews.bsky.social #histSTM. Views own. Formerly known as @beckyfh teleskopos.wordpress.com/profile

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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 12h
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error. Same error amplified by right-wing think-tanks, press It suited their ideological leanings. Future historians might say - planet earth and human life was shattered by a spreadsheet error.
theguardian.com
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Nathaniel Comfort @nccomfort.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Exciting new historical work on Rosalind Franklin continues to appear. This is a neat bit of sleuthing by historian @alistairsponsel.bsky.social and crystallographer Brian Sutton. Here's the DOI to the actual article (it's OA): 10.1007/s10739-026-09866-7 The main finding is an x-ray image of exactly
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Edinburgh book launch! I’m going to be having an Edinburgh book launch for An Injury to All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class on the evening of Tuesday 27 October. Venue and time will be confirmed soon. Save the date! Get your tickets 🔽
argonautbooks.co.uk
Argonaut Books - Leith's Independent Bookshop
We are Argonaut Books, a community bookshop for Leith, Edinburgh. We hold a curated selection of books; we only stock books that we are genuinely passionate about. We specialise in Science Fiction, Fa...
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Gwen John's cat studies ❤️ At NGS's Modern Two. She named her (female) tortoiseshell Edgar Quinet, after the street she was living in.
Seven framed pencil and watercolour studies of cats on a wall.Crop showing the loveliest of the framed cat watercolours - tortie cat sitting, seen from behind, with a pinkish background.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Good to see a #histSTM book winning. It featured in this episode of Start the Week, if you want to know more www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Now I do too!
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Wonderful filmmaking. Daphne Oram gets a credit for Music Effects.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thanks for the tip!
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Edinburgh #histmed #histSTM
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
The Past and other Places @pastandotherplaces.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Craft Scotland director's petition against @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social plans to close Jewellery and Silversmithing, Textiles and Performance Costume UG ECA degrees to new admissions in 2027 (to be taught out over the next four years). #Edinburgh #craft #art #students #design 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 c.org/JJQNyV8R6m
c.org
Sign the Petition
Save the Craft and Design Courses at Edinburgh College of Art
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Rev Peter W Nimmo @peternimmo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This week the BBC reported on Oleshky www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Oleshky: Eating garden weeds to survive in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water
The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being "constantly shelled".
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
TIL! This is a lovely, clear explanation of the difference between Equinox and Equilux.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Was it not live? (I did wonder how you managed to like my post while on air!)
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In Our Time on BBC Radio 4 this morning (or this evening, or online) is on Particle Accelerators, with @harrycliff.bsky.social @mamaphysikerin.bsky.social and @randomjetship.bsky.social #histSTM
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Gaia Vince @wanderinggaia.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wow good call
theguardian.com
UK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under Starmer
El Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I've only noticed one before, so I don't know if it's a new thing. I haven't actually been yet...
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
For Edinburgh folk - free this Wednesday 1pm. Guided tour of the exhibition 'For the Safety of All: Scotland's Lighthouses' followed by Wikipedia edit-a-thon to improve articles on Scottish lighthouses www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/for-those-... #histSTM 🗃️ 📜
eventbrite.co.uk
For those in peril on the sea: Mapping Scotland's Lighthouses on Wikipedia
An engaging exhibition tour, Wikipedia editing tutorial and a writing workshop in a social and supportive environment
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
a) 'it is no bad thing' if universities close ❌ - think about who they employ and what they offer local area and people. b) Cap on fees should go ❌ - wrong cap: cap on numbers at each institution would help. c) Cost of student loans is often borne by public money ✅ - so get rid of fees altogether!
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Mathew Lyons @mathewlyons.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
How Anglo-Saxon is the Bayeux Tapestry? Was it made, as is often suggested, by nuns around Canterbury in the decade after the Conquest? And if so what might the Tapestry, and especially its rarely seen reverse, tell us about their experiences? mathewlyons.substack.com/p/the-bayeux...
mathewlyons.substack.com
The Bayeux Tapestry and its backstories
Can the Tapestry’s narrative ambivalence tell us about the women who made it?
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A rare feeling of success. A search for 'Longitude prize' on Wikipedia offers you the 2014 version or for the 18th-century redirects to 'Longitude rewards'. Hurrah! This may well have been changed years ago, but it's good to see it's (still) there. No, I'm not going to check what any LLM offers.
Screenshot of the search on Wikipedia.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This is the traditional timing for Artefacts, though normally Sunday - Tuesday. Maybe that was deliberate if this is SHOT's usual week?
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The theme of this year's Artefacts meeting is Trust and Objects. The programme looks excellent, addressing vitally important issues in the US's current circumstances. (I'm sorry not to be there, but cannot justify travel to the US at present.) #histSTM 📖 www.sciencehistory.org/visit/events...
sciencehistory.org
Artefacts XXXI: Trust and Objects
Invited speakers will present on topics ranging from medieval medicine to modern climate science.
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Thony Christie @rmathematicus.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The history of the proportional compass an early analogue calculator #histsci #histtech thonyc.wordpress.com/2026/09/16/t...
A brass proportional compass made by Galileo c. 1604
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
#histSTM
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BSHS @bshsnews.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
⏳ Two days left to apply The deadline for the BSHS Outreach & Engagement Project Grants is in two days. Grants of up to £500 are available to support creative public engagement with the history of science, technology, and medicine. Don't forget to submit your proposals! bshs.org.uk/oec/#project...
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Good to know that the Minister is now aware that he is responsible for research across all disciplines, and that he is being responsive to discussion. 🧵 ⬇️
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Will Thomas @williamthomas.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The American Institute of Physics history program now has a reorganized website. Whether you know nothing, a little, or a lot about our work, take a look around and see if you find anything new to you! www.aip.org/history
Screenshot of the top portion of the AIP history website, showing a feature of a history guide on Bell Labs, introductory text, and the most recent weekly/monthly email newsletters.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I am so sorry you're not here! I hope you can come next time. We have just agreed that it will be Istanbul. As for the automata, it was wonderful to see them for real - they were bigger than I had assumed, though the drawings and writing were somehow smaller.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
OMG! Talk about not being across your brief. I hope someone has put him right.
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Parliamentary History Journal @parlhistjournal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Are you an early career researcher with an interest in parliamentary history? We are inviting submissions of 10,000 words, including references, for our annual essay prize, worth £500. The deadline is 30 Nov. 2026. More details here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1750...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Parliamentary History
Click on the title to browse this journal
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Meanwhile the new boss of the Panama Canal says the biggest issue they face is climate change and it may have to cut shipping transits due to declines in its water levels. Tell me again about how we can’t afford to tackle environmental issues as it will hit the economy www.ft.com/content/3ff1...
ft.com
Shipping through Panama Canal faces new cuts as water dries up
New administrator cites impact from water shortages at a time when Iran war has strained trade flows
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Reposted by Rebekah Higgitt
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Here are a couple of slightly ‘quieter’ stories about how we are entering a more disordered world. First - the collapse of shipping law as civilian vessels are hit by Russia, Iran and the US, and we see the rise of an ungoverned and uninsured shadow fleet www.ft.com/content/c651...
ft.com
Global shipping rules are collapsing, say maritime nations
Wars and the growth of the shadow fleet are causing a ‘structural shift’ in global trade, according to 18 maritime authorities
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It should be on everyone's reading list!
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's like people who won't accept that it's a political position to bring politics (that they disagree with) into a discussion.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Reminds me that I recently saw the 1707 Scilly Isles disaster still being presented as the direct cause of the 1714 Longitude Act. It's as if not everyone has been closely following the outputs of the AHRC Longitude Project! 😲
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Ah! The 'fun' of mythical foundation stories.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Any favourite howlers? Or are you too frustrated for that? I've heard rather a lot of linear model assumptions from scientists or politicians and bureaucrats in the last few days.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It seems to be a flawed kind of Baconianism (as people in the 17thC imagined machines might manage). As Philip says in the thread, it would be good if some historians and philosophers of science were brought into such initiatives and discussions. #hps #histSTM
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The boys are, of course, #puttiofscience and, gloriously, one of the drawings produced by the drawing putto is another #puttoofscience in a chariot being pulled by a butterfly! (I'm sure you know this @dominikhhh.bsky.social!) #histSTM
The drawing boy automata.The torso of a man holding a drawing (larger scale) pointing to a putto in a chariot drawn by a butterfly.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Look what I saw in Neuchâtel! So wonderfully discussed in Simon Schaffer's Mechanical Marvels, Clockwork Dreams en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaquet-... #histSTM
An automata - a young boy in 18thC(ish) clothes, sitting and drawing .Three 18thC automata - the boy drawing, a lady playing a small organ and a boy writing.The same three automata, with the mechanism of the writing boy revealed.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Terrible stuff 😉
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I should point out that this is on its way:
Screenshot with severe thunderstorm warning.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Fascinating papers here at the Scientific Instrument Commission Symposium in Neuchâtel, but we do have this just outside the window!
Scene of blue sky and blue water separated by slightly darker blue mountains on the distant horizon. Rocky shore and green foliage in the foreground.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thanks! It would be good to know if there's someone working on this.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I'm not sure if you're on the Mersenne newslist? Joe Cain has urged someone nearby to make a full photographic record before the museum closes. Do you know who might be well-placed to do that?
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thank *you*!
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Looks very wholesome! I used to live in Marlborough Road, just over Hornsey Road - my pre-Stokey stamping ground.
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Ha! Which street is that?
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"Workers’ Observatory, a charity founded by gig economy workers alongside academics at St Andrews and Edinburgh universities. Its aim is to help riders research the parts of their working experience that are mostly concealed by the companies" Excellent initiative! www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Food delivery riders call on platforms to open up AI ‘black box’ they say has cut pay
Workers who blame algorithms for lowering their earnings are getting help from academics to find out how the system works
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Rebekah Higgitt @rhiggitt.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Yup. Either way it is not revealing or Farage being any less establishment than the "them" he accused.
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