Mark Miodownik
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
Materials scientist & engineer; Director of the UCL Institute of Making; Author of New York Times best selling book Stuff Matters and others; Occasional BBC TV/radio presenter.
In case you are looking for xmas dinner discussion topics! 🤓"One woman admitted to Dr. Suitor that after 15 years, she was still haunted by her mother’s deathbed confession: I’ve always loved your sister more."
Research from recent decades shows that children that were disfavored by their parents during childhood are more likely to have poorer mental health, worse family relationships and less academic success than their siblings.
Do Parents Have Favorite Children? Of Course They Do.
And research shows the less favored children suffer for it.
nyti.ms
December 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
In case you are looking for xmas dinner discussion topics! 🤓"One woman admitted to Dr. Suitor that after 15 years, she was still haunted by her mother’s deathbed confession: I’ve always loved your sister more."
"factors adult children thought might improve their standing (like career accomplishments) or hurt it (like addiction or getting arrested) actually had little bearing on their mothers’ favoritism."
Research from recent decades shows that children that were disfavored by their parents during childhood are more likely to have poorer mental health, worse family relationships and less academic success than their siblings.
Do Parents Have Favorite Children? Of Course They Do.
And research shows the less favored children suffer for it.
nyti.ms
December 24, 2025 at 1:39 PM
"factors adult children thought might improve their standing (like career accomplishments) or hurt it (like addiction or getting arrested) actually had little bearing on their mothers’ favoritism."
"the most important factor “hands down” was whether parents and children had similar values, including on religious and political topics." Discuss!
Research from recent decades shows that children that were disfavored by their parents during childhood are more likely to have poorer mental health, worse family relationships and less academic success than their siblings.
Do Parents Have Favorite Children? Of Course They Do.
And research shows the less favored children suffer for it.
nyti.ms
December 24, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"the most important factor “hands down” was whether parents and children had similar values, including on religious and political topics." Discuss!
If over the xmas holidays you need help with a broken washing machine or other broken appliance. Do download the iFixit App and use the new FixBot to help you repair the problem. Its really quite useful! It even has useful suggestions to resolve family arguments (not really).
December 23, 2025 at 12:54 PM
If over the xmas holidays you need help with a broken washing machine or other broken appliance. Do download the iFixit App and use the new FixBot to help you repair the problem. Its really quite useful! It even has useful suggestions to resolve family arguments (not really).
Happy Winter Solstice! The light returns after this, the shortest day.
December 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Happy Winter Solstice! The light returns after this, the shortest day.
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
"Minds change when people see repair, reuse or sharing working in practice, try it themselves and feel the benefits."
Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️
Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️
What we learnt from talking to people about the circular economy
buff.ly
December 18, 2025 at 8:01 AM
"Minds change when people see repair, reuse or sharing working in practice, try it themselves and feel the benefits."
Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️
Policy adviser @emily-carr.bsky.social recounts her three key lessons from our recent project spotlighting the people already involved in the circular economy ⤵️
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
The #WinterSolstice livestream link is now available
Join us on 21 Dec @ 8:40 am to witness the solstice sunrise live from inside the #Newgrange chamber, weather permitting.
Save the link now and be part of this extraordinary moment.
🔗www.gov.ie/solstice
#ShareTheSolstice
Join us on 21 Dec @ 8:40 am to witness the solstice sunrise live from inside the #Newgrange chamber, weather permitting.
Save the link now and be part of this extraordinary moment.
🔗www.gov.ie/solstice
#ShareTheSolstice
December 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
The #WinterSolstice livestream link is now available
Join us on 21 Dec @ 8:40 am to witness the solstice sunrise live from inside the #Newgrange chamber, weather permitting.
Save the link now and be part of this extraordinary moment.
🔗www.gov.ie/solstice
#ShareTheSolstice
Join us on 21 Dec @ 8:40 am to witness the solstice sunrise live from inside the #Newgrange chamber, weather permitting.
Save the link now and be part of this extraordinary moment.
🔗www.gov.ie/solstice
#ShareTheSolstice
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Are you a long-time fan of Archaea, an extremophile-phile, or are you simply curious?
Either way, we have good news.
We’re delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6–10 July.
Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK.
Please repost!
Either way, we have good news.
We’re delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6–10 July.
Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK.
Please repost!
Molecular Biology of Archaea: Life Through the Prism of Archaea
In 1977, Woese and colleagues revealed Archaea as a distinct domain of life. Building on this insight, the discovery of Asgard archaea has strengthened the view that many hallmarks of eukaryotic cell…
meetings.embo.org
December 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Are you a long-time fan of Archaea, an extremophile-phile, or are you simply curious?
Either way, we have good news.
We’re delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6–10 July.
Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK.
Please repost!
Either way, we have good news.
We’re delighted to announce the 2026 EMBO Workshop on Archaea, 6–10 July.
Sign up: meetings.embo.org/event/26-arc...
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge, UK.
Please repost!
If you agree that Ai FixBots are the future of repair and sustainability (the un-consumerism of stuff) then consider doing a fully funded PhD on the technology in my lab. Apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
December 15, 2025 at 8:12 PM
If you agree that Ai FixBots are the future of repair and sustainability (the un-consumerism of stuff) then consider doing a fully funded PhD on the technology in my lab. Apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
iFixit has launched its Ai repair helper. Introducing FixBot: We Built an AI That Actually Knows How to Fix Things - iFixit share.google/Plfg69duC5iR...
Introducing FixBot: We Built an AI That Actually Knows How to Fix Things
Our new AI repair assistant, FixBot, is built on the expertise of our 125k repair manuals. It’ll help you figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it.
share.google
December 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
iFixit has launched its Ai repair helper. Introducing FixBot: We Built an AI That Actually Knows How to Fix Things - iFixit share.google/Plfg69duC5iR...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
With less than two weeks to go until the 2025 Christmas Lectures, our supporting partner, Aberdeen Investments, celebrates the tradition born out of Michael Faraday's vision and innovation. www.rigb.org/explore-scie...
Aberdeen Investments celebrates the Ri Christmas tradition of innovation
As we look forward to the broadcast of this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES® – ‘Is there life beyond Earth?’ – later this mon
www.rigb.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:56 PM
With less than two weeks to go until the 2025 Christmas Lectures, our supporting partner, Aberdeen Investments, celebrates the tradition born out of Michael Faraday's vision and innovation. www.rigb.org/explore-scie...
Potatoes make great pets.
A potato is for life, not just for Christmas | Emma Beddington
A potato is for life, not just for Christmas | Emma Beddington
Yes, we love our roasties – but have we really explored the spud’s potential as a gift, an aesthetic, a mood, asks Guardian columnist Emma Beddington
www.theguardian.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Potatoes make great pets.
Never mind these punctuation rules, find an email sign-off that is less boring than "Best Regards" and more interesting than "All the Best". Yours Materially, Mark.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Can I just check - are my emails holding me back at work?! Xx
What impact is my email etiquette having on how I'm perceived, evaluated and promoted at work?
www.bbc.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Never mind these punctuation rules, find an email sign-off that is less boring than "Best Regards" and more interesting than "All the Best". Yours Materially, Mark.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."
Some good sustainable fashion news, change is in the air, or rather the feet. www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...
Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty
Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."
Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."
Some good sustainable fashion news, change is in the air, or rather the feet. www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...
Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty
Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Refreshing honesty from a fashion brand: "This is not just hard to recycle, it’s virtually impossible,” says Daniel Schmitt, Veja’s head of repair operations. For this reason, it now runs several cobblers, the idea being that one pair can be recycled – “or reborn”, says Schmitt – up to five times."
Some good sustainable fashion news, change is in the air, or rather the feet. www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...
Dior, Chanel and … Veja? The ethical Paris trainer worn by A-listers and royalty
Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Some good sustainable fashion news, change is in the air, or rather the feet. www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...
If you are similarly worried about the chemicals in deodorant and cosmetics you can use the FREE Yuka app to scan products and get a toxicity rating. Yuka - The Mobile App That Scans Your Products share.google/Rtj815cCVRc6...
Charlotte Church gives up wearing deodorant due to worries about chemicals contained in them.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Traitors star Charlotte Church reveals she has ditched deodorant
The Traitors star says she stopped using it because she was concerned about chemicals.
www.bbc.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:26 PM
If you are similarly worried about the chemicals in deodorant and cosmetics you can use the FREE Yuka app to scan products and get a toxicity rating. Yuka - The Mobile App That Scans Your Products share.google/Rtj815cCVRc6...
Charlotte Church gives up wearing deodorant due to worries about chemicals contained in them.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Traitors star Charlotte Church reveals she has ditched deodorant
The Traitors star says she stopped using it because she was concerned about chemicals.
www.bbc.com
December 13, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Charlotte Church gives up wearing deodorant due to worries about chemicals contained in them.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The claim that the English invented champagne is gaining more evidence. This is especially apt now the French champagne makers are buying up land in the south of England due to climate change making French vineyards unproductive. share.google/fgK7zQ2sujbH...
French find claim that English invented champagne hard to swallow
A former president of the Sorbonne says 17th-century British importers used bottles rather than barrels and then added sugar
share.google
December 11, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The claim that the English invented champagne is gaining more evidence. This is especially apt now the French champagne makers are buying up land in the south of England due to climate change making French vineyards unproductive. share.google/fgK7zQ2sujbH...
'Nearly every scientist interviewed for this story does a few simple things. They filter their water, they run an air purifier, they don’t microwave plastic.'
In a blockbuster study, epidemiologist Sam Goldman compared the health records of two Marine bases, Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune. When Goldman compared both the populations, the results were shocking.
Read the full story:
Read the full story:
Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water
New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.
www.wired.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:32 PM
'Nearly every scientist interviewed for this story does a few simple things. They filter their water, they run an air purifier, they don’t microwave plastic.'
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Invisible elements of our atmosphere like oxygen and carbon dioxide aren’t tangible like rock or metal, but they’re still immensely important. The always lively @markmiodownik.bsky.social joins us to discuss the surprising chemistry of gasses. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/a-r...
December 10, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Invisible elements of our atmosphere like oxygen and carbon dioxide aren’t tangible like rock or metal, but they’re still immensely important. The always lively @markmiodownik.bsky.social joins us to discuss the surprising chemistry of gasses. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/a-r...
Gave a talk at the 399th meeting of the UCL Natural Science Club this evening. Every member has a pewter tankard to drink from with all the engraved names of previous owners. My guest pewter tankard is in the foreground below. Went on so long we got locked in!
December 9, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Gave a talk at the 399th meeting of the UCL Natural Science Club this evening. Every member has a pewter tankard to drink from with all the engraved names of previous owners. My guest pewter tankard is in the foreground below. Went on so long we got locked in!
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
Know your finches? 🤔 Whether an experienced birder or new to nature we want you to help us count Birds in Greenspaces next year 🪶 Our FREE resource pack provides ID guides to 30 bird species. Sign up to the newsletter to receive it at www.bto.org/greenspaces
Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Know your finches? 🤔 Whether an experienced birder or new to nature we want you to help us count Birds in Greenspaces next year 🪶 Our FREE resource pack provides ID guides to 30 bird species. Sign up to the newsletter to receive it at www.bto.org/greenspaces
Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
How will AI change the world of manufacturing? Will the future consist of AGI powered humanoid robots building factories to make more robots, as Sam Altman thinks? Or will AI be driving process & system optimisation in increasingly automated factories?
December 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
How will AI change the world of manufacturing? Will the future consist of AGI powered humanoid robots building factories to make more robots, as Sam Altman thinks? Or will AI be driving process & system optimisation in increasingly automated factories?
Reposted by Mark Miodownik
*cough* If you're gift shopping for anyone interested in how the world works, do consider these. Storm in a Teacup is all about the physics of everyday life and Blue Machine is all about how the ocean works - the water itself, which is the biggest story on Earth. Share the joy of nature & science!
December 7, 2025 at 11:38 AM
*cough* If you're gift shopping for anyone interested in how the world works, do consider these. Storm in a Teacup is all about the physics of everyday life and Blue Machine is all about how the ocean works - the water itself, which is the biggest story on Earth. Share the joy of nature & science!