Richard Fisher
@richardfisher.bsky.social
Senior Editor, Aeon | Author of non-fiction book The Long View | Honorary professor in science communication, UCL | Formerly: BBC Future, MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow, New Scientist | https://richardfisher.carrd.co
Reposted by Richard Fisher
In the spirit of sharing good writing, here's a fab piece by @richardfisher.bsky.social about the glacier that inspired a key scene in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - and the fact that it is now disappearing because of climate change.
share.google/oDSLK0gKOppk...
share.google/oDSLK0gKOppk...
'The most desolate place in the world': The sea of ice that inspired Frankenstein
This French glacier has given rise to countless works of art in the past 200 years. Paintings, photos and satellites reveal how the site has dramatically transformed.
share.google
November 11, 2025 at 6:36 PM
In the spirit of sharing good writing, here's a fab piece by @richardfisher.bsky.social about the glacier that inspired a key scene in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - and the fact that it is now disappearing because of climate change.
share.google/oDSLK0gKOppk...
share.google/oDSLK0gKOppk...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
"Unlike many glacier retreats around the world... the Mer de Glace is unusual because its changes have been captured in painting, photography and literature. By comparing [these] across the years, it's possible to see how this once-stunning sea of ice has transformed."
I wrote this for the BBC about the glacier that inspired Mary Shelley - and many other writers and artists. It has retreated by a staggering amount since the 1800s www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
'The most desolate place in the world': The sea of ice that inspired Frankenstein
This French glacier has given rise to countless works of art in the past 200 years. Paintings, photos and satellites reveal how the site has dramatically transformed.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:04 PM
"Unlike many glacier retreats around the world... the Mer de Glace is unusual because its changes have been captured in painting, photography and literature. By comparing [these] across the years, it's possible to see how this once-stunning sea of ice has transformed."
I wrote this for the BBC about the glacier that inspired Mary Shelley - and many other writers and artists. It has retreated by a staggering amount since the 1800s www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
'The most desolate place in the world': The sea of ice that inspired Frankenstein
This French glacier has given rise to countless works of art in the past 200 years. Paintings, photos and satellites reveal how the site has dramatically transformed.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I wrote this for the BBC about the glacier that inspired Mary Shelley - and many other writers and artists. It has retreated by a staggering amount since the 1800s www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Many thanks to @richardfisher.bsky.social for this lovely article on my #urbangeology rambles! www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
'Urban geology': How to find fossils (and other discoveries) in your city's buildings
If you look closer at the building stones, tiles and pavements of the big city, you can find a hidden world of geology and history, from fascinating fossils to unusual rocks.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 18, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Many thanks to @richardfisher.bsky.social for this lovely article on my #urbangeology rambles! www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
This was a lot of fun to write for the BBC - the joys of 'urban geology': fossil-hunting and more in the buildings of central London with @pavementgeology.bsky.social. She even showed me a possible dinosaur bone! #urbangeology www.bbc.com/future/artic...
'Urban geology': How to find fossils (and other discoveries) in your city's buildings
If you look closer at the building stones, tiles and pavements of the big city, you can find a hidden world of geology and history, from fascinating fossils to unusual rocks.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 17, 2025 at 11:19 AM
This was a lot of fun to write for the BBC - the joys of 'urban geology': fossil-hunting and more in the buildings of central London with @pavementgeology.bsky.social. She even showed me a possible dinosaur bone! #urbangeology www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Highly recommend this whole article!
“Maybe the intelligence we most need is the capacity to see beyond the hierarchies that determine which knowledge counts. Without that foundation, regardless of the hundreds of billions we pour into developing superintelligence, we’ll keep erasing knowledge systems that took generations to develop.”
Generative AI has access to a small slice of human knowledge | Aeon Essays
Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too
aeon.co
October 13, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Highly recommend this whole article!
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Many species won't survive without our help, but what should that help look like? I wrote about this for @aeon.co
aeon.co/essays/shoul...
aeon.co/essays/shoul...
Should we intervene in evolution? The ethics of ‘editing’ nature | Aeon Essays
Countless species are dying from human-induced environmental change. Should we use genetic technology to alter and save them?
aeon.co
September 26, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Many species won't survive without our help, but what should that help look like? I wrote about this for @aeon.co
aeon.co/essays/shoul...
aeon.co/essays/shoul...
A short Note to Self I wrote for @psyche.co about the graph that more or less changed the course of my life psyche.co/notes-to-sel...
Where are you on the ‘happiness curve’? | Psyche Notes to Self
When I came across the U-shaped happiness curve, I knew I had to act if I wanted to buck the midlife average
psyche.co
September 19, 2025 at 7:49 AM
A short Note to Self I wrote for @psyche.co about the graph that more or less changed the course of my life psyche.co/notes-to-sel...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
My debut for @aeon.co:
Life formed incredibly early in Earth's history, so the idea that our world was once an unliveable hellscape is just not true.
https://aeon.co/essays/life-on-earth-emerged-fast-far-quicker-than-we-thought
Life formed incredibly early in Earth's history, so the idea that our world was once an unliveable hellscape is just not true.
https://aeon.co/essays/life-on-earth-emerged-fast-far-quicker-than-we-thought
August 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
My debut for @aeon.co:
Life formed incredibly early in Earth's history, so the idea that our world was once an unliveable hellscape is just not true.
https://aeon.co/essays/life-on-earth-emerged-fast-far-quicker-than-we-thought
Life formed incredibly early in Earth's history, so the idea that our world was once an unliveable hellscape is just not true.
https://aeon.co/essays/life-on-earth-emerged-fast-far-quicker-than-we-thought
Reposted by Richard Fisher
We’d love to know what you think about Aeon. Share your thoughts in our quick survey tinyurl.com/3ujtcary
Aeon Audience Survey
We're running a survey to find out more about you, our Aeon audience. We don't do surveys often so if you have ever wanted to share your thoughts on what you like about Aeon and what could be improved...
tinyurl.com
August 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
We’d love to know what you think about Aeon. Share your thoughts in our quick survey tinyurl.com/3ujtcary
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Popular perceptions of past empires focus on their great artwork and monumental achievements. But in recent years, many historians have taken a different approach, asking: what was it like as an ordinary person to live through these imperial collapses?
The great myth of empire collapse | Aeon Essays
Societal downfalls loom large in history and popular culture but, for the 99 per cent, collapse often had its upsides
buff.ly
August 5, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Popular perceptions of past empires focus on their great artwork and monumental achievements. But in recent years, many historians have taken a different approach, asking: what was it like as an ordinary person to live through these imperial collapses?
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Absolutely delightful piece on our magnificent cosmic web by my friend and sometime collaborator @markneyrinck.bsky.social, who reminds us that the beauty of cosmos is also always here on earth with us. 🔭🧪 #scicomm
aeon.co/essays/how-t...
aeon.co/essays/how-t...
How to see the ‘cosmic web’ here on Earth | Aeon Essays
What are the largest shapes in the Universe? The answer might be found in the most unassuming places here on Earth
aeon.co
July 25, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Absolutely delightful piece on our magnificent cosmic web by my friend and sometime collaborator @markneyrinck.bsky.social, who reminds us that the beauty of cosmos is also always here on earth with us. 🔭🧪 #scicomm
aeon.co/essays/how-t...
aeon.co/essays/how-t...
Do you need a brain to have a memory? Slime moulds suggest not. A new @aeon.co essay by @philosobio.bsky.social aeon.co/essays/what-...
What can slime mould teach us about biological memory? | Aeon Essays
Certain slime moulds can make decisions, solve mazes and remember things. What can we learn from the blob?
aeon.co
July 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Do you need a brain to have a memory? Slime moulds suggest not. A new @aeon.co essay by @philosobio.bsky.social aeon.co/essays/what-...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
At the moment, I'm particularly looking for *scientists* interested in writing for @aeon.co. Is that you? I have recently commissioned essays on geology, oceans, cosmology, astronomy, Antarctica, the brain, computer science, quantum and more. aeon.co/science
Science — Latest | Aeon
Science Essays from Aeon. World-leading scientists and science writers explore topics from theories of evolution to theories of consciousness, quantum physics to deep time, chemistry to cosmology.
aeon.co
June 23, 2025 at 8:27 AM
At the moment, I'm particularly looking for *scientists* interested in writing for @aeon.co. Is that you? I have recently commissioned essays on geology, oceans, cosmology, astronomy, Antarctica, the brain, computer science, quantum and more. aeon.co/science
What a fantastic piece of multimedia storytelling this is www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Should (or Could) Trump Be Added to Mount Rushmore? (Gift Article)
Let’s review how we got here, and closely examine what the rock would allow.
www.nytimes.com
June 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
What a fantastic piece of multimedia storytelling this is www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Learned some thing about Phineas Gage, a case I've always thought was really interesting.
How the ‘myth of Phineas Gage’ affects brain injury survivors | Aeon Essays
The misunderstood story of Phineas Gage shows that we need a new way of understanding the experiences of brain injury survivors
aeon.co
June 26, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Learned some thing about Phineas Gage, a case I've always thought was really interesting.
Reposted by Richard Fisher
Merveilleux-scientifique
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
By Fleur Hopkins-Loféron
aeon.co/essays/how-f...
Maurice Renard at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
#books #sciencefiction
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
By Fleur Hopkins-Loféron
aeon.co/essays/how-f...
Maurice Renard at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
#books #sciencefiction
How French ‘merveilleux-scientifique’ fiction reframed reality | Aeon Essays
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
aeon.co
June 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Merveilleux-scientifique
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
By Fleur Hopkins-Loféron
aeon.co/essays/how-f...
Maurice Renard at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
#books #sciencefiction
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
By Fleur Hopkins-Loféron
aeon.co/essays/how-f...
Maurice Renard at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
#books #sciencefiction
One thing I'd never done until recently was look closely at Phineas Gage's photo, especially his good eye. He was probably far more complex than he is described in the textbooks. Ben Platts-Mills investigates how Gage's humanity has been overwritten to create a case study aeon.co/essays/how-t...
How the ‘myth of Phineas Gage’ affects brain injury survivors | Aeon Essays
The misunderstood story of Phineas Gage shows that we need a new way of understanding the experiences of brain injury survivors
aeon.co
June 24, 2025 at 7:29 AM
One thing I'd never done until recently was look closely at Phineas Gage's photo, especially his good eye. He was probably far more complex than he is described in the textbooks. Ben Platts-Mills investigates how Gage's humanity has been overwritten to create a case study aeon.co/essays/how-t...
At the moment, I'm particularly looking for *scientists* interested in writing for @aeon.co. Is that you? I have recently commissioned essays on geology, oceans, cosmology, astronomy, Antarctica, the brain, computer science, quantum and more. aeon.co/science
Science — Latest | Aeon
Science Essays from Aeon. World-leading scientists and science writers explore topics from theories of evolution to theories of consciousness, quantum physics to deep time, chemistry to cosmology.
aeon.co
June 23, 2025 at 8:27 AM
At the moment, I'm particularly looking for *scientists* interested in writing for @aeon.co. Is that you? I have recently commissioned essays on geology, oceans, cosmology, astronomy, Antarctica, the brain, computer science, quantum and more. aeon.co/science
A century before Black Mirror, the French merveilleux-scientifique sci-fi genre was exploring dark thought experiments inspired by the era's science and technology. Really enjoyed working on this @aeon.co essay with Fleur Hopkins-Loferon aeon.co/essays/how-f...
How French ‘merveilleux-scientifique’ fiction reframed reality | Aeon Essays
With brain swaps and death rays, a little-known French sci-fi genre explored science’s dark possibilities a century ago
aeon.co
June 23, 2025 at 6:27 AM
A century before Black Mirror, the French merveilleux-scientifique sci-fi genre was exploring dark thought experiments inspired by the era's science and technology. Really enjoyed working on this @aeon.co essay with Fleur Hopkins-Loferon aeon.co/essays/how-f...
Reposted by Richard Fisher
I wrote this for the launch of Psyche's new memoir strand: "The girl was lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a blanket, and he reached for a medallion hanging around her neck, showing to me the two words embossed on it: Sourde-Muette." psyche.co/stories-of-c...
Girl in the water | Psyche Stories of Change
I’d saved someone from drowning. Had I done the right thing?
psyche.co
May 27, 2025 at 8:16 AM
I wrote this for the launch of Psyche's new memoir strand: "The girl was lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a blanket, and he reached for a medallion hanging around her neck, showing to me the two words embossed on it: Sourde-Muette." psyche.co/stories-of-c...
This is an interesting essay on gen AI by the philosopher Andy Clark, of the 'extended mind' idea. A few extracts that struck me: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
May 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM
This is an interesting essay on gen AI by the philosopher Andy Clark, of the 'extended mind' idea. A few extracts that struck me: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
These two in the photo have really been on a journey since 'distracted boyfriend'... it seems they broke up, became colleagues, and now are merely sighing at each other www.theguardian.com/money/2025/m...
Sighing at a colleague in frustration could be discriminatory, tribunal rules
UK software engineer successfully sues employer for disability discrimination after complaining about manager’s sighing
www.theguardian.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
These two in the photo have really been on a journey since 'distracted boyfriend'... it seems they broke up, became colleagues, and now are merely sighing at each other www.theguardian.com/money/2025/m...
Since it's Cannes, resharing the time I spent more than 10 minutes clapping for a BBC article www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Why do we clap?
At the Cannes Film Festival, standing ovations can last for more than 10 minutes. It begs the question: what drives human beings to smack our hands together to applaud?
www.bbc.co.uk
May 21, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Since it's Cannes, resharing the time I spent more than 10 minutes clapping for a BBC article www.bbc.com/future/artic...
This week, Psyche magazine has started running short 300-word pieces called 'Notes to Self'. I wrote this one about the 'pain cave' and the astonishing ultrarunning of Courtney Dauwalter psyche.co/notes-to-sel...
May 13, 2025 at 9:38 AM
This week, Psyche magazine has started running short 300-word pieces called 'Notes to Self'. I wrote this one about the 'pain cave' and the astonishing ultrarunning of Courtney Dauwalter psyche.co/notes-to-sel...