Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
@stunathan.bsky.social
Storytelling science and technology. Enemy of jargon and wilful obscurity. Often doesn't follow back - nothing personal, just keeping my feed manageable.
Pinned
Words to live by, from Primo Levi, who knew what he was talking about.
A long but very good read.
If you like D&D and hate race science and Elon Musk, you’re gonna love this article
Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons and Dragons to Be Racist
The fantastical roots of “scientific racism”
www.theatlantic.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:52 PM
A long but very good read.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Ok this whole thread has some hilarious alt text and I had a good belly laugh this AM. Someone in the replies mentioned a calendar and I would totally buy it.
THREAD. A collection of photos I have taken of scarecrows I have stumbled across during walks in the British countryside over the last fifteen years.
November 11, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Ok this whole thread has some hilarious alt text and I had a good belly laugh this AM. Someone in the replies mentioned a calendar and I would totally buy it.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
The stigmatism against using SSRIs and such are so ridiculous. Can you will a wound to close? What makes you think you can will your brain chemistry into normality?
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 PM
The stigmatism against using SSRIs and such are so ridiculous. Can you will a wound to close? What makes you think you can will your brain chemistry into normality?
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
I'm a Nottingham graduate, and these cuts are tragic and, yes, insane.
November 8, 2025 at 10:14 PM
I'm a Nottingham graduate, and these cuts are tragic and, yes, insane.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
It’s a good day to talk about women scientists. Let’s also remember Margaret W. Rossiter, who died in August of this year.
She coined the “Matilda Effect” (named after suffragist Matilda Gage), which describes bias against acknowledging women’s achievements.
She coined the “Matilda Effect” (named after suffragist Matilda Gage), which describes bias against acknowledging women’s achievements.
Women Scientists Were Written Out of History. It's Margaret Rossiter's Lifelong Mission to Fix That
The historian has devoted her career to bringing to light the ingenious accomplishments of those who have been forgotten
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:17 PM
It’s a good day to talk about women scientists. Let’s also remember Margaret W. Rossiter, who died in August of this year.
She coined the “Matilda Effect” (named after suffragist Matilda Gage), which describes bias against acknowledging women’s achievements.
She coined the “Matilda Effect” (named after suffragist Matilda Gage), which describes bias against acknowledging women’s achievements.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Right, but we all know that "AI pioneers" consistently talk bollocks about such things, right? Right?
www.ft.com/content/5f2f...
www.ft.com/content/5f2f...
AI pioneers claim human-level general intelligence is already here
Tech leaders say systems now rival human intelligence in key tasks, further fuelling the superintelligence debate
www.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Right, but we all know that "AI pioneers" consistently talk bollocks about such things, right? Right?
www.ft.com/content/5f2f...
www.ft.com/content/5f2f...
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I make no apology for repostimg so much of Tom's writing. This is ace.
The Gingerbread Boy is the most folk horror of all Ladybird covers.
Obviously haunted cottages
Marital unrest
What has the nasty little syrup-based fucker been up to?
Faces in the tree AND fence post
What are the buttons on his invisible shirt made of? Could they in fact be THE EYES OF HIS VICTIMS?
Obviously haunted cottages
Marital unrest
What has the nasty little syrup-based fucker been up to?
Faces in the tree AND fence post
What are the buttons on his invisible shirt made of? Could they in fact be THE EYES OF HIS VICTIMS?
November 7, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I make no apology for repostimg so much of Tom's writing. This is ace.
We all know a few.
Word of the Day is ‘catchfart’ (17th century): an obsequious individual who sucks up to the boss and always follows the political wind.
November 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
We all know a few.
Running an economy is not the same as household budgeting, and anyone who implies it is, is either lying or has no idea what they're doing.
Reform's fiscal rules still a work in progress, it seems. Richard Tice asked at Bloomberg to provide a definition tonight: "We’ve got to keep it simple folks: we must not go bust. We’ve got to starting earning more than we’re spending…. Let’s keep it simple. Basic housekeeping.”
November 5, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Running an economy is not the same as household budgeting, and anyone who implies it is, is either lying or has no idea what they're doing.
I've never been to the Strid -reputed to be one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world - and it may just be its reputation, but I find this bit of video deeply creepy.
Strid Woods this afternoon — a gold rush of tumbling leaves, and the Strid itself rushing wild beside us.
I arrived tired but the river’s fierce energy gifted me a rush of my own.
There’s something ancient in its roar — something that clears the mind and stirs the soul. #AutumnEnergy #WildYorkshire
I arrived tired but the river’s fierce energy gifted me a rush of my own.
There’s something ancient in its roar — something that clears the mind and stirs the soul. #AutumnEnergy #WildYorkshire
November 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
I've never been to the Strid -reputed to be one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world - and it may just be its reputation, but I find this bit of video deeply creepy.
Another of Tom's lovely pieces of writing.
November 5, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Another of Tom's lovely pieces of writing.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Obviously - OBVIOUSLY - this discussion skews US-centric because Mamdani won New York, not Marseilles or Dresden. But the conversation - “should the left be left or break right?” is global and the European examples of the latter are consistently rocky.
November 5, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Obviously - OBVIOUSLY - this discussion skews US-centric because Mamdani won New York, not Marseilles or Dresden. But the conversation - “should the left be left or break right?” is global and the European examples of the latter are consistently rocky.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Forgive the plug, but I've just uploaded a handful of my rare, signed, limited edition books onto eBay and Vinted.
They include this slip-cased Waterstones exclusive edition of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
They include this slip-cased Waterstones exclusive edition of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Susanna Clarke – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (signed + numbered 1st edition) | Vinted
Susanna Clarke – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (signed + numbered 1st edition) - Susanna Clarke – Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
RARE SLIPCASED LIMITED FIRST EDITION
SIGNED AND HAND NUMBERED
#19 of 14...
www.vinted.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Forgive the plug, but I've just uploaded a handful of my rare, signed, limited edition books onto eBay and Vinted.
They include this slip-cased Waterstones exclusive edition of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
They include this slip-cased Waterstones exclusive edition of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
Went to the matinee show, and it was great.
Big thanks to everyone who came along to the Barbican shows on the weekend - we had a lot of fun.
More white / black (day / night) t shirts have been made available in the online shop here, if you missed out: www.publicservicebroadcasting.net/pages/store
Lots of love, PSB HQ xxx
More white / black (day / night) t shirts have been made available in the online shop here, if you missed out: www.publicservicebroadcasting.net/pages/store
Lots of love, PSB HQ xxx
November 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Went to the matinee show, and it was great.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Andrew, or to give him his full title, Andrew.
October 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Andrew, or to give him his full title, Andrew.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Yes, because Badenoch’s was a criminal offence carrying a custodial sentence, whereas Reeves’ was not.
Badenoch says hacking into Harriet Harman's website 17 years ago 'not the same' as Reeves breaking law
Badenoch says hacking into Harriet Harman's website 17 years ago 'not the same' as Reeves breaking law
Kemi Badenoch has said hacking into Harriet Harman's website when she was younger is "not the same" as Rachel Reeves failing to get a £900 rental licence for her home.
news.sky.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Yes, because Badenoch’s was a criminal offence carrying a custodial sentence, whereas Reeves’ was not.
My latest for @nytimes.com! For 40 years, paleontologists have grappled over whether a small tyrannosaur — named Nanotyrannus — was its own animal, or simply a teenage T.rex. The debate has been ... contentious. Which is why it's so fun to finally be able to say this:
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
Folks? Nanotyrannus is real.
The Case of the Tiny Tyrannosaurus Might Have Been Cracked
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Hadn't heard of this painting!
What to expect in Hell: an early sixteenth-century painting that's so striking that it's setting off all the content filters on here! Here are some details; essay in @smithsonianmag.bsky.social.
#Monstertober #Spookyseason 🗃
#Monstertober #Spookyseason 🗃
October 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Hadn't heard of this painting!
Tom's Dad stories are reliably excellent, and this one comes with added amphibian.
THREAD. The Toad Who Lived In My Dad's Shoe.
A few years ago, my dad was surprised when I a small toad wandered into his porch and took up residence in one of the old shoes he liked to wear for gardening tasks.
This led to more drama than might've been anticipated.
www.tom-cox.com/my-dad-and-t...
A few years ago, my dad was surprised when I a small toad wandered into his porch and took up residence in one of the old shoes he liked to wear for gardening tasks.
This led to more drama than might've been anticipated.
www.tom-cox.com/my-dad-and-t...
October 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Tom's Dad stories are reliably excellent, and this one comes with added amphibian.
I'm not arguing with this poster's conclusion because it's obviously right, but this "over a century" point has been bugging me since yesterday. This was a Sennedd election, and the Sennedd was formed in 1998. Labour hasn't lost the parliamentary seat. Based on yesterday, it probably would.
Astonishingly unserious for a journalist to suggest that the party that's held a constituency for over a CENTURY lost it because people TACTICALLY chose a completely different party to be the anti-Reform vote, instead of simply sticking with what they had
Maybe... people want something more left?
Maybe... people want something more left?
October 25, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I'm not arguing with this poster's conclusion because it's obviously right, but this "over a century" point has been bugging me since yesterday. This was a Sennedd election, and the Sennedd was formed in 1998. Labour hasn't lost the parliamentary seat. Based on yesterday, it probably would.
Somebody hit the Downing St policy unit over the head with this repeatedly.
October 24, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Somebody hit the Downing St policy unit over the head with this repeatedly.
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
Farage’s big weakness, as I’ve often written, is that 60%+ of voters don’t want him to become Prime Minister.
For a populist he’s not that popular. www.newstatesman.com/politics/mor...
For a populist he’s not that popular. www.newstatesman.com/politics/mor...
October 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Farage’s big weakness, as I’ve often written, is that 60%+ of voters don’t want him to become Prime Minister.
For a populist he’s not that popular. www.newstatesman.com/politics/mor...
For a populist he’s not that popular. www.newstatesman.com/politics/mor...
Reposted by Stu Nathan, science word-wrangler for hire
@thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social is getting close, and some of the folks who have asked us to act as a shipping address for the books they're bringing Thought Bubble have started sending us stuff. So far so good! But it's not too late - if you're exhibiting at TBubs and we can help, just message us!
October 24, 2025 at 10:50 AM
@thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social is getting close, and some of the folks who have asked us to act as a shipping address for the books they're bringing Thought Bubble have started sending us stuff. So far so good! But it's not too late - if you're exhibiting at TBubs and we can help, just message us!