Laura Spinney
@laurainparis.bsky.social
A prisoner in the Arizona State Prison system decided to reconnect with his Welsh heritage by studying the Welsh language. Now he leads a group of inmates who are independently studying endangered, ancient, and vulnerable languages—Welsh, Brittonic, Assyrian, Old Norse, Taíno, Nahuatl, and Guosa.
'I've never been so excited': Inmate-led program preserves endangered languages behind Az bars
Thomas Steres, an inmate in Arizona, founded the Linguistic Legacies Initiative to teach endangered languages such as Welsh, Nahuatl and Guosa while incarcerated in a state prison in Buckeye, Ariz.
www.tucsonsentinel.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Thank you!
@laurainparis.bsky.social I really enjoyed your article about ancient plagues in New Scientist this week! Fascinating!
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
How a surge in ancient plagues 5000 years ago shaped humanity
Plague, leprosy, smallpox and other diseases didn't jump from animals to humans when we thought. Ancient DNA is revealing where they come from and how they changed history
www.newscientist.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Thank you!
Profile of Nick Evans, who just won the British Academy's Neil and Saras Smith medal for lifetime achievement in linguistics
@theobserveruk.bsky.social @britishacademy.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/science...
@theobserveruk.bsky.social @britishacademy.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/science...
Cracking the code of Papua New Guinea’s undocumented lang...
Nicholas Evans has spent decades trying to decipher the undocumented tongues of Papua New Guinea and Australia. His work has redefined the way we think a...
observer.co.uk
October 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Profile of Nick Evans, who just won the British Academy's Neil and Saras Smith medal for lifetime achievement in linguistics
@theobserveruk.bsky.social @britishacademy.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/science...
@theobserveruk.bsky.social @britishacademy.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/science...
Protactile is one of the most exciting languages in the world right now. It was born in #Seattle in 2007, and linguists are watching it grow and grow #linguistics #deafblind #asl
I’ve made the mistake of going down a research rabbit hole about Protactile ASL, and now you all are going to pay for it~
PT is a language offshoot of ASL that is used by the Deafblind. Communication is expressed completely through touch.
It’s only a matter of time before it’s used by all of you.
PT is a language offshoot of ASL that is used by the Deafblind. Communication is expressed completely through touch.
It’s only a matter of time before it’s used by all of you.
October 24, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Protactile is one of the most exciting languages in the world right now. It was born in #Seattle in 2007, and linguists are watching it grow and grow #linguistics #deafblind #asl
Reposted by Laura Spinney
What came before English?
@ColinGorrie.bsky.social of the Dead Language Society newsletter interviews @LauraInParis.bsky.social, author of the new book “Proto: How one ancient language went global” about the original language from which English descends:
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/what-came-...
@ColinGorrie.bsky.social of the Dead Language Society newsletter interviews @LauraInParis.bsky.social, author of the new book “Proto: How one ancient language went global” about the original language from which English descends:
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/what-came-...
What came before English?
Watch now | The story of Proto-Indo-European
www.deadlanguagesociety.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:35 PM
What came before English?
@ColinGorrie.bsky.social of the Dead Language Society newsletter interviews @LauraInParis.bsky.social, author of the new book “Proto: How one ancient language went global” about the original language from which English descends:
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/what-came-...
@ColinGorrie.bsky.social of the Dead Language Society newsletter interviews @LauraInParis.bsky.social, author of the new book “Proto: How one ancient language went global” about the original language from which English descends:
www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/what-came-...
Calling all New Yorkers, this Wednesday evening, come find out where your languages come from 🤗 shorturl.at/sWPtf
Books at the Institute
shorturl.at
October 13, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Calling all New Yorkers, this Wednesday evening, come find out where your languages come from 🤗 shorturl.at/sWPtf
China bolsters controversial claim to Pacific languages with new museum | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
China bolsters controversial claim to Pacific languages with new museum
Nationalist narrative holds that Austronesian language and culture originated in China, not Taiwan
www.science.org
October 3, 2025 at 5:54 AM
China bolsters controversial claim to Pacific languages with new museum | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Laura Spinney
“This result changes everything. On the basis of these results it seems likely AMT-130 will be the first licensed treatment to slow Huntington’s disease, which is truly world-changing stuff.”
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...
Gene therapy appears to slow Huntington’s disease progression
A global clinical trial for a new Huntington’s disease treatment has posted positive results today, announced by trial sponsor uniQure and UCL scientists.
www.ucl.ac.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
“This result changes everything. On the basis of these results it seems likely AMT-130 will be the first licensed treatment to slow Huntington’s disease, which is truly world-changing stuff.”
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...
Reposted by Laura Spinney
Extremely proud and a bit jealous that my excellent colleagues @fieldmatt.bsky.social and Inge Kersbergen have won this year's Ig Nobel Peace prize for showing that being a bit tipsy makes you better at speaking Dutch.
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
Meet the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize winners
The annual award ceremony features miniature operas, scientific demos, and the 24/7 lectures.
arstechnica.com
September 19, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Extremely proud and a bit jealous that my excellent colleagues @fieldmatt.bsky.social and Inge Kersbergen have won this year's Ig Nobel Peace prize for showing that being a bit tipsy makes you better at speaking Dutch.
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
PROTO and Emma Spurgin Hussey won a prize 🤗
shorturl.at/e05Zm
shorturl.at/e05Zm
PROTO by Laura Spinney Read by Emma Spurgin-Hussey | Audiobook Review | AudioFile Magazine
AudioFile Audiobook Review: The topic of this audiobook--the evolution of language--requires a wide range of skills. Actor Emma Spurgin-Hussey's rich, expressive voice demonstrat
shorturl.at
September 19, 2025 at 3:47 PM
PROTO and Emma Spurgin Hussey won a prize 🤗
shorturl.at/e05Zm
shorturl.at/e05Zm
My discovery of the weekend, thanks to film-maker Hana Vojáčková, the extraordinary Spartakiads - vast, synchronised sports events popular in eastern Europe in the Communist years.
Her short film on the subject: vimeo.com/614731350
Her short film on the subject: vimeo.com/614731350
September 15, 2025 at 8:16 AM
My discovery of the weekend, thanks to film-maker Hana Vojáčková, the extraordinary Spartakiads - vast, synchronised sports events popular in eastern Europe in the Communist years.
Her short film on the subject: vimeo.com/614731350
Her short film on the subject: vimeo.com/614731350
Reposted by Laura Spinney
Our new magazine @equatormag.bsky.social is officially out in the world.
Sign up for preview emails, donate, and get tickets to our launch event: www.equator.org.
Sign up for preview emails, donate, and get tickets to our launch event: www.equator.org.
September 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Our new magazine @equatormag.bsky.social is officially out in the world.
Sign up for preview emails, donate, and get tickets to our launch event: www.equator.org.
Sign up for preview emails, donate, and get tickets to our launch event: www.equator.org.
Fun discussion on the power of language and the stories that shape humanity with Matt Abrahams on his podcast Think Fast Talk Smart.
#Language #Storytelling #ThinkFastTalkSmart #WordsMatter #SharedHumanity
shorturl.at/EHK8G
#Language #Storytelling #ThinkFastTalkSmart #WordsMatter #SharedHumanity
shorturl.at/EHK8G
224. Make Your Messages Epic: The Evolution of Words and the Stories They Carry
Why modern communication still relies on ancient words and narratives.
shorturl.at
August 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Fun discussion on the power of language and the stories that shape humanity with Matt Abrahams on his podcast Think Fast Talk Smart.
#Language #Storytelling #ThinkFastTalkSmart #WordsMatter #SharedHumanity
shorturl.at/EHK8G
#Language #Storytelling #ThinkFastTalkSmart #WordsMatter #SharedHumanity
shorturl.at/EHK8G
Hallo liebe Leser von DER URKNALL UNSERER SPRACHE! Die deutschsprachige Ausgabe von PROTO ist für das Wissensbuch des Jahres in der Kategorie "Überblick" nominiert. Noch bis zum 14. August könnt ihr hier abstimmen: www.konradin-service.de/umfrage/inde...
August 11, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Hallo liebe Leser von DER URKNALL UNSERER SPRACHE! Die deutschsprachige Ausgabe von PROTO ist für das Wissensbuch des Jahres in der Kategorie "Überblick" nominiert. Noch bis zum 14. August könnt ihr hier abstimmen: www.konradin-service.de/umfrage/inde...
In prehistory, women ruled, fought, hunted and mediated with other worlds.
www.newscientist.com/article/2488...
www.newscientist.com/article/2488...
Archaeologists are unearthing the most powerful women who ever lived
Astonishing new archaeological finds and ancient DNA analysis leave no doubt that throughout prehistory women were rulers, warriors, hunters and shamans
www.newscientist.com
August 1, 2025 at 5:49 AM
In prehistory, women ruled, fought, hunted and mediated with other worlds.
www.newscientist.com/article/2488...
www.newscientist.com/article/2488...
Talking inflection points in (pre)history with the insatiably curious @BlomPhilipp youtu.be/SfGd3EKaMMs
[45] Laura Spinney — The First Human Language and How We Think
YouTube video by BlomCast
youtu.be
July 26, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Talking inflection points in (pre)history with the insatiably curious @BlomPhilipp youtu.be/SfGd3EKaMMs
Love this. How to say 92 in different European languages. Note the outliers France and especially Denmark. With thanks to brilliantmaps.com and reddit. #linguistics
July 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Love this. How to say 92 in different European languages. Note the outliers France and especially Denmark. With thanks to brilliantmaps.com and reddit. #linguistics
At moderate doses, it might have fuelled the spread of languages too. Could that have contributed to the complexification, I wonder? @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social and @kirrallina.bsky.social
Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies?
dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05503-6
From @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social & @kirrallina.bsky.social at @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05503-6
From @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social & @kirrallina.bsky.social at @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social
July 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
At moderate doses, it might have fuelled the spread of languages too. Could that have contributed to the complexification, I wonder? @vaclavhrncir.bsky.social and @kirrallina.bsky.social
With the suave John Maytham in Cape Town m.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJA...
Proto: With Laura Spinney
YouTube video by CapeTalk
m.youtube.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
With the suave John Maytham in Cape Town m.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJA...
