Matt Perks
@dodiscimus.bsky.social
11-18 physics teacher, now at University of Southampton in Initial Teacher Education. School governor. Mostly edu-guessing.
By teaching, we learn!
By teaching, we learn!
Reposted by Matt Perks
News from the edge of the visible universe:
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
February 6, 2026 at 8:56 PM
News from the edge of the visible universe:
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
JWST has confirmed this galaxy, MoM-z14, as the most distant one yet studied. We're seeing it as it was 13.5 billion years ago, 98% of the way back to the beginning of time.
(MoM stands for "miracle or mirage.") 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
Reposted by Matt Perks
Opinion: There’s a remarkable disconnect between how professors and administrators think students use generative AI on written work and how we actually use it, writes Owen Kichizo Terry. https://chroni.cl/4bmkw9s
Opinion | I’m a Student. You Have No Idea How Much We’re Using ChatGPT.
No professor or software could ever pick up on it.
www.chronicle.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Opinion: There’s a remarkable disconnect between how professors and administrators think students use generative AI on written work and how we actually use it, writes Owen Kichizo Terry. https://chroni.cl/4bmkw9s
Fascinating, suprising, from @hannahritchie.bsky.social blog hannahritchie.substack.com/p/biofuels-v...
January 27, 2026 at 6:45 AM
Fascinating, suprising, from @hannahritchie.bsky.social blog hannahritchie.substack.com/p/biofuels-v...
@snellarthur.bsky.social particularly good on the obnoxious rambling about Afghan from 'old bone spurs'. arthursnell.substack.com/p/an-especia...
An Especially Flawed Relationship
There have been valid questions about the Transatlantic Relationship for years.
arthursnell.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:45 PM
@snellarthur.bsky.social particularly good on the obnoxious rambling about Afghan from 'old bone spurs'. arthursnell.substack.com/p/an-especia...
73 aint a bad innings for the C18th.
Must be a Daily Mail health and lifestyle article in this.
Must be a Daily Mail health and lifestyle article in this.
January 16, 2026 at 7:11 PM
73 aint a bad innings for the C18th.
Must be a Daily Mail health and lifestyle article in this.
Must be a Daily Mail health and lifestyle article in this.
Shows just how partisan US politics is.
Starmer is at something like 18% and he hasn't ordered the army into Bristol, or said he'll annexe Iceland, yet.
Just please tell me we don't have to elect Farage twice for people to find out what they really think of him.
Starmer is at something like 18% and he hasn't ordered the army into Bristol, or said he'll annexe Iceland, yet.
Just please tell me we don't have to elect Farage twice for people to find out what they really think of him.
Pollster: 58% of Americans say Trump's second term has been a failure. A year into term number two, Trump's numbers look worse than any other president. Trump is even worse than George W. Bush after Katrina and a long period in the Iraq War. This is really, really bad.
January 16, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Shows just how partisan US politics is.
Starmer is at something like 18% and he hasn't ordered the army into Bristol, or said he'll annexe Iceland, yet.
Just please tell me we don't have to elect Farage twice for people to find out what they really think of him.
Starmer is at something like 18% and he hasn't ordered the army into Bristol, or said he'll annexe Iceland, yet.
Just please tell me we don't have to elect Farage twice for people to find out what they really think of him.
Reposted by Matt Perks
With Wonyong Park and the ASE, we are running a survey on science teachers' use of research to inform teaching.
If you are a science teacher, please consider taking 10-15 minutes to complete the survey. Participants may opt into a prize draw.
southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
If you are a science teacher, please consider taking 10-15 minutes to complete the survey. Participants may opt into a prize draw.
southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
January 15, 2026 at 8:09 AM
With Wonyong Park and the ASE, we are running a survey on science teachers' use of research to inform teaching.
If you are a science teacher, please consider taking 10-15 minutes to complete the survey. Participants may opt into a prize draw.
southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
If you are a science teacher, please consider taking 10-15 minutes to complete the survey. Participants may opt into a prize draw.
southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Reposted by Matt Perks
For Friday's 500th edition of TGT tell your students about Andre Michelin, who produced a free guidebook and restaurant rating system as a way to encourage people to drive further to eat and wear the tyres on their cars out more quickly. Genius.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
January 15, 2026 at 8:09 PM
For Friday's 500th edition of TGT tell your students about Andre Michelin, who produced a free guidebook and restaurant rating system as a way to encourage people to drive further to eat and wear the tyres on their cars out more quickly. Genius.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
Reposted by Matt Perks
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Holy hell, what an obituary
Reposted by Matt Perks
Looking forward to more extensive coverage of the civil war about to break out in our hellhole cities.
January 12, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Looking forward to more extensive coverage of the civil war about to break out in our hellhole cities.
Maybe LLM tutors might be able to work...
The best study I have seen so far
substack.nomoremarking.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Matt Perks
One of so many contradictions in what people want - they want lively town centres full of shops but also want to buy everything online for the lowest possible price.
January 11, 2026 at 8:56 PM
One of so many contradictions in what people want - they want lively town centres full of shops but also want to buy everything online for the lowest possible price.
Reposted by Matt Perks
everything needs more money but no one wants to pay more money part 5647
January 11, 2026 at 6:44 PM
everything needs more money but no one wants to pay more money part 5647
Hard agree with this.
Ban it, it's just one shitty website, well worth the risk www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...
Starmer should call Trump’s bluff on X
This is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to show some resolve
www.newstatesman.com
January 10, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Hard agree with this.
Reposted by Matt Perks
Tuesday's TGT remembers the anniversary of Alfred Wegener's public proposal of continental drift in 1912. Discuss geology and timescales involved, how this exemplifies the scientific method, or discuss whether Wegner is famous enough given the scale of his idea.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
January 5, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Tuesday's TGT remembers the anniversary of Alfred Wegener's public proposal of continental drift in 1912. Discuss geology and timescales involved, how this exemplifies the scientific method, or discuss whether Wegner is famous enough given the scale of his idea.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
Reposted by Matt Perks
Should the Dept of Education put schoolchildren on a site where this is now the norm/culture, not a surprise or exception? Now surrounded by porn, bots & racists too.
The Public Sector Equality Duty says no. For reasons of inertia, fame/£ & political class groupthink, different rules for Elon Musk
The Public Sector Equality Duty says no. For reasons of inertia, fame/£ & political class groupthink, different rules for Elon Musk
How government engagement on X works. A wholly typical post and a wholly typical reply.
January 9, 2026 at 10:51 PM
Should the Dept of Education put schoolchildren on a site where this is now the norm/culture, not a surprise or exception? Now surrounded by porn, bots & racists too.
The Public Sector Equality Duty says no. For reasons of inertia, fame/£ & political class groupthink, different rules for Elon Musk
The Public Sector Equality Duty says no. For reasons of inertia, fame/£ & political class groupthink, different rules for Elon Musk
I can just about understand that some people don't get embarrassed for the misguided, terrible auditions for, like, the X Factor, and just find it funny and laugh at them.
But I'm not sure how you can watch this and not be in one or other of those camps.
But I'm not sure how you can watch this and not be in one or other of those camps.
COLLINS: If Machado gives you her Nobel Peace Prize, will that change your view about her running that country?
TRUMP: Well, I have to speak to her. I think it's very nice she wants to come in, and that's what I understand the reason is. Because Norway is very embarrassed by what took place.
TRUMP: Well, I have to speak to her. I think it's very nice she wants to come in, and that's what I understand the reason is. Because Norway is very embarrassed by what took place.
January 9, 2026 at 10:31 PM
I can just about understand that some people don't get embarrassed for the misguided, terrible auditions for, like, the X Factor, and just find it funny and laugh at them.
But I'm not sure how you can watch this and not be in one or other of those camps.
But I'm not sure how you can watch this and not be in one or other of those camps.
Reposted by Matt Perks
Ocean Heat Content Sets Another Record in 2025
'Global ocean warming continued unabated in 2025 in response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations and recent reductions in sulfate aerosols'
I'm hoping this preliminary @mercatorocean.bsky.social estimate for 2025 is wrong...🫣
'Global ocean warming continued unabated in 2025 in response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations and recent reductions in sulfate aerosols'
I'm hoping this preliminary @mercatorocean.bsky.social estimate for 2025 is wrong...🫣
January 9, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Ocean Heat Content Sets Another Record in 2025
'Global ocean warming continued unabated in 2025 in response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations and recent reductions in sulfate aerosols'
I'm hoping this preliminary @mercatorocean.bsky.social estimate for 2025 is wrong...🫣
'Global ocean warming continued unabated in 2025 in response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations and recent reductions in sulfate aerosols'
I'm hoping this preliminary @mercatorocean.bsky.social estimate for 2025 is wrong...🫣
I miss the days when political leaders only lied occasionally, feeling a bit guilty as they did so, and pretty much never just made 💩 up.
Trump: "All you have to do is say to China, how many windmill areas do you have in China? So far they're not able to find any."
China:
China:
January 9, 2026 at 10:10 PM
I miss the days when political leaders only lied occasionally, feeling a bit guilty as they did so, and pretty much never just made 💩 up.
Nicely nuanced post by @hannahritchie.bsky.social on the effect on US life expectancy of the grim death rate for young Americans. But even accounting for that, the US spends a very high amount on healthcare given the below par outcomes for older people.
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/life-expec...
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/life-expec...
The low life expectancy of Americans is not just about deaths among young people
Even those who reach 65 are at a disadvantage relative to peer countries.
hannahritchie.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Nicely nuanced post by @hannahritchie.bsky.social on the effect on US life expectancy of the grim death rate for young Americans. But even accounting for that, the US spends a very high amount on healthcare given the below par outcomes for older people.
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/life-expec...
hannahritchie.substack.com/p/life-expec...
Just learned, via @timleunig.bsky.social excellent substack, that USS owns a very large stake in Thames Water, bought after Macquarie Asset Management had loaded it up with debt.
January 6, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Just learned, via @timleunig.bsky.social excellent substack, that USS owns a very large stake in Thames Water, bought after Macquarie Asset Management had loaded it up with debt.
The idea of the "Green Desert of Wales" is quite controversial, but significant in relation to questions about UK biodiversity and the impact of house building and development.
January 2, 2026 at 9:28 PM
The idea of the "Green Desert of Wales" is quite controversial, but significant in relation to questions about UK biodiversity and the impact of house building and development.
Just another little bit of evidence rather than anything definitive, but it does show an infant screen-time / adolescent anxiety correlation, with a suggested mechanism.
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
Neurobehavioural links from infant screen time to anxiety
Higher infant screen time is linked to accelerated topological maturation of the visual
and cognitive control networks, leading to prolonged decision latency and increased
adolescent anxiety. Sensory ...
www.thelancet.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Just another little bit of evidence rather than anything definitive, but it does show an infant screen-time / adolescent anxiety correlation, with a suggested mechanism.
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
Ah, yes, "a new book..."
Duckworth is an extraordinary person (see cv) and it's not entirely her fault that so many people jumped on the Grit bandwagon without asking if it was a personality trait that responded to well-meaning interventions, but my impression is she's leaned into that pretty hard.
Duckworth is an extraordinary person (see cv) and it's not entirely her fault that so many people jumped on the Grit bandwagon without asking if it was a personality trait that responded to well-meaning interventions, but my impression is she's leaned into that pretty hard.
My antenna perked up reading this op-ed by Angela Duckworth about how willpower doesn't work and the fact that she has a new book coming next year that "expands" on her previous work on grit because I think the expansion relates to something I said 10+ yrs ago.🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/o...
Opinion | Willpower Doesn’t Work. This Does.
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Ah, yes, "a new book..."
Duckworth is an extraordinary person (see cv) and it's not entirely her fault that so many people jumped on the Grit bandwagon without asking if it was a personality trait that responded to well-meaning interventions, but my impression is she's leaned into that pretty hard.
Duckworth is an extraordinary person (see cv) and it's not entirely her fault that so many people jumped on the Grit bandwagon without asking if it was a personality trait that responded to well-meaning interventions, but my impression is she's leaned into that pretty hard.
Reposted by Matt Perks
The list of innovations in neonatal medicine this one man was responsible for is so impressive. Not the least the famous kangaroo care (he run an RCT showing its effectiveness). He was our alumnus @kingscollege.bsky.social! Rest in peace, Professor Whitelaw and thank you for everything
Andy Whitelaw obituary
Doctor whose groundbreaking techniques for premature babies include ‘therapeutic cooling’ for newborns with oxygen deprivation
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
The list of innovations in neonatal medicine this one man was responsible for is so impressive. Not the least the famous kangaroo care (he run an RCT showing its effectiveness). He was our alumnus @kingscollege.bsky.social! Rest in peace, Professor Whitelaw and thank you for everything