tessa
@tesskou.bsky.social
Science Journalist 📰 & Fact Checker 🔎 @ScienceAlert 🚀 ❤🦇 #Nature, #Climate, #Health, #SciComm, #Sciart, #WildOz &
📷 Wildlife Photography 🐌🕷️
🎓MSciComm, BSc. Zoology & Genetics 🐋
🌿 Views my own 🦎 Narrm 🇦🇺 ♾🧠 🌈ally
My work: https://muckrack.com/tesskou
📷 Wildlife Photography 🐌🕷️
🎓MSciComm, BSc. Zoology & Genetics 🐋
🌿 Views my own 🦎 Narrm 🇦🇺 ♾🧠 🌈ally
My work: https://muckrack.com/tesskou
Pinned
tessa
@tesskou.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Scientists Studying Earth's Trees Issue a Bleak Warning to Humanity
From soaring coastal redwoods to dinosaur-era Wollemi pines and firs that make the perfect Christmas trees, even our most revered woody plants are in an awful lot of trouble.
www.sciencealert.com
Trees are each their own little worlds, teeming with all sorts of microbes, animals and other plants as well. Lose a tree, and this entire world dies too.
A shocking 1/3rd of all tree species are currently teetering on the edge of existence... 🌱 🧪 🌏 #NatureWriting #wildlife
A shocking 1/3rd of all tree species are currently teetering on the edge of existence... 🌱 🧪 🌏 #NatureWriting #wildlife
Jane Goodall showed the world there is an important place for emotion, empathy & advocacy in science. Her unconventional approach revolutionized our understanding of the other beings we share Earth with.
Here's my tribute. Vale Jane Goodall 💔 Thank you for all you gave humanity!
🧪🌏 #NatureWriting
Here's my tribute. Vale Jane Goodall 💔 Thank you for all you gave humanity!
🧪🌏 #NatureWriting
World-Renowned Primatologist Jane Goodall Passes Away at 91
Jane Goodall, one of the world's most beloved primatologists and conservationists, passed away from natural causes while in California as part of a US speaking tour.
www.sciencealert.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Jane Goodall showed the world there is an important place for emotion, empathy & advocacy in science. Her unconventional approach revolutionized our understanding of the other beings we share Earth with.
Here's my tribute. Vale Jane Goodall 💔 Thank you for all you gave humanity!
🧪🌏 #NatureWriting
Here's my tribute. Vale Jane Goodall 💔 Thank you for all you gave humanity!
🧪🌏 #NatureWriting
Reposted by tessa
Got the proper scan of the graphite drawing of the Gariwerd/Grampians sandstone outcrop :)
#landscape #graphite #grampians #gariwerd #geology
#landscape #graphite #grampians #gariwerd #geology
August 22, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Got the proper scan of the graphite drawing of the Gariwerd/Grampians sandstone outcrop :)
#landscape #graphite #grampians #gariwerd #geology
#landscape #graphite #grampians #gariwerd #geology
Reposted by tessa
When politicians at all levels of Govt refuse to address the needs of their constituents - housing, health, education, economic concerns - it leads to people being vulnerable to those who will exploit them for their own interests & agendas
That's we we're seeing today #auspol
That's we we're seeing today #auspol
August 31, 2025 at 3:56 AM
When politicians at all levels of Govt refuse to address the needs of their constituents - housing, health, education, economic concerns - it leads to people being vulnerable to those who will exploit them for their own interests & agendas
That's we we're seeing today #auspol
That's we we're seeing today #auspol
Woah!! What an utterly incredible perspective of coral 😍 🧪🦑🌿
Looks like alien art, but it's a very real and intimate view of Cauliflower soft coral (Dendronephthya) looking up from its base towards its fractal tips.
Australian Geographic 2025 photo competition Winner 🎉
📷 Ross Gudgeon
Looks like alien art, but it's a very real and intimate view of Cauliflower soft coral (Dendronephthya) looking up from its base towards its fractal tips.
Australian Geographic 2025 photo competition Winner 🎉
📷 Ross Gudgeon
August 28, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Woah!! What an utterly incredible perspective of coral 😍 🧪🦑🌿
Looks like alien art, but it's a very real and intimate view of Cauliflower soft coral (Dendronephthya) looking up from its base towards its fractal tips.
Australian Geographic 2025 photo competition Winner 🎉
📷 Ross Gudgeon
Looks like alien art, but it's a very real and intimate view of Cauliflower soft coral (Dendronephthya) looking up from its base towards its fractal tips.
Australian Geographic 2025 photo competition Winner 🎉
📷 Ross Gudgeon
Reposted by tessa
The Western world needs therapy. It does not know itself. Routinely "appalled" and "concerned" about the war crimes it arms, pays for, and covers up politically. It asks us to sever ourselves from reality in order to cope. On an individual level, this is unhealthy. On a societal level, it's suicidal
August 26, 2025 at 1:02 AM
The Western world needs therapy. It does not know itself. Routinely "appalled" and "concerned" about the war crimes it arms, pays for, and covers up politically. It asks us to sever ourselves from reality in order to cope. On an individual level, this is unhealthy. On a societal level, it's suicidal
Reposted by tessa
Carbon bootprints: How war is fuelling climate catastrophe https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/08/carbon-bootprints-how-war-is-fuelling-climate-catastrophe #auspol
Carbon bootprints: How war is fuelling climate catastrophe
The military-industrial complex’s vast carbon footprint is deliberately hidden from public view, while we get gaslit into using paper straws.
johnmenadue.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Carbon bootprints: How war is fuelling climate catastrophe https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/08/carbon-bootprints-how-war-is-fuelling-climate-catastrophe #auspol
Ha! My honors paper is on here. I don't believe authors hold copyright to academic journal articles though, unfortunately. Anyone with other publications here definitely has a case against this predatory company though!
There are tons of graphic novels, academic papers, film and TV scripts, & prose novels/nonfiction on the LibGen list Anthropic used.
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
As settlement approaches, make it easy for the class action lawyers to contact you! Here’s how
Part 1: is your work in Libgen?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
August 28, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Ha! My honors paper is on here. I don't believe authors hold copyright to academic journal articles though, unfortunately. Anyone with other publications here definitely has a case against this predatory company though!
Anera provide medical care in Gaza, and food through local community kitchens, when they can get supplies. They are treating the people Isreal is starving to death.
support.anera.org/a/palestine-...
Interview below provides insight into the current situation from a local aid worker.
support.anera.org/a/palestine-...
Interview below provides insight into the current situation from a local aid worker.
Yazdan el Amawi, director of Anera's Gaza office, talks in-depth about the widespread starvation and what he’s witnessing on the ground. Listen to the full interview at anera.org/gaza-is-hungry.
"Will I eat today?" Aid agencies warn of worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza - ABC listen
More than a hundred aid organisations have warned "mass starvation" is spreading in Gaza, due to Israel's siege.
anera.org
July 27, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Anera provide medical care in Gaza, and food through local community kitchens, when they can get supplies. They are treating the people Isreal is starving to death.
support.anera.org/a/palestine-...
Interview below provides insight into the current situation from a local aid worker.
support.anera.org/a/palestine-...
Interview below provides insight into the current situation from a local aid worker.
Reposted by tessa
Has anyone tried opening the Overton window to let some fresh air in?
July 16, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Has anyone tried opening the Overton window to let some fresh air in?
Reposted by tessa
And I’ll die on this fucking hill.
If you believe people have to pay for what you consider a “human right” then you do not believe it is indeed a human right. You believe it’s a privilege for those who can afford it.
If you believe people have to pay for what you consider a “human right” then you do not believe it is indeed a human right. You believe it’s a privilege for those who can afford it.
Nobody should be homeless. Nobody.
July 16, 2025 at 8:35 PM
And I’ll die on this fucking hill.
If you believe people have to pay for what you consider a “human right” then you do not believe it is indeed a human right. You believe it’s a privilege for those who can afford it.
If you believe people have to pay for what you consider a “human right” then you do not believe it is indeed a human right. You believe it’s a privilege for those who can afford it.
Reposted by tessa
Miss Rachel continues to have more of a moral backbone than 99% of public figures
July 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Miss Rachel continues to have more of a moral backbone than 99% of public figures
Reposted by tessa
My heart is hurting for Uncle Paul, Uncle Pabai and the communities in the Torres Strait #AustralianClimateCase #auspol
July 15, 2025 at 9:22 AM
My heart is hurting for Uncle Paul, Uncle Pabai and the communities in the Torres Strait #AustralianClimateCase #auspol
Reposted by tessa
If I can sum up what just happened as neatly as possible: a Federal Court judge found the Australian government had ignored climate science when setting emissions targets, appeared to want to find for the applicants, but said his hands were tied by the law of negligence in Australia.
/1
/1
Federal Court Justice Wigney is beginning his summary of his decision in Pabai Pabai v Commonwealth with a sketch of the changes to the Torres Strait islands. He is describing profound changes to the landscape.
/n
/n
At 2pm today, we'll learn whether a group of Torres Strait Traditional Owners who sued the Australian government for negligence over its failure to meaningfully address climate change have been successful, and whether they've won.
I'll be reporting the decision for @reneweconomy.com.au.
I'll be reporting the decision for @reneweconomy.com.au.
July 15, 2025 at 5:03 AM
If I can sum up what just happened as neatly as possible: a Federal Court judge found the Australian government had ignored climate science when setting emissions targets, appeared to want to find for the applicants, but said his hands were tied by the law of negligence in Australia.
/1
/1
Reposted by tessa
June 30, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by tessa
I've been slacking on the sea slug skeets.
Enjoy a recent nudibranch from a Sydney tidepool. Jorunna pantherina (I think). From a distance, these tiny 1cm nudis look pale, plain, grey. Up close, they are full of stars! 🐙🦑🧪 #MarineLife #Inverts
Enjoy a recent nudibranch from a Sydney tidepool. Jorunna pantherina (I think). From a distance, these tiny 1cm nudis look pale, plain, grey. Up close, they are full of stars! 🐙🦑🧪 #MarineLife #Inverts
May 15, 2025 at 10:14 PM
I've been slacking on the sea slug skeets.
Enjoy a recent nudibranch from a Sydney tidepool. Jorunna pantherina (I think). From a distance, these tiny 1cm nudis look pale, plain, grey. Up close, they are full of stars! 🐙🦑🧪 #MarineLife #Inverts
Enjoy a recent nudibranch from a Sydney tidepool. Jorunna pantherina (I think). From a distance, these tiny 1cm nudis look pale, plain, grey. Up close, they are full of stars! 🐙🦑🧪 #MarineLife #Inverts
Reposted by tessa
Some of us need to fight within the system, some of us need to create new systems, some us need to tend the wounded, some of us need to stand in the way of harm, and all of us need to support the ones doing the things that is not, right now, our thing to do. Good thing there are a lot of us.
June 25, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Some of us need to fight within the system, some of us need to create new systems, some us need to tend the wounded, some of us need to stand in the way of harm, and all of us need to support the ones doing the things that is not, right now, our thing to do. Good thing there are a lot of us.
Reposted by tessa
THE RISE OF END TIMES FASCISM
My first major piece of the new Trump era, co-written with @astra.bsky.social.
The governing ideology of the far right has become a
monstrous, supremacist survivalism.
Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
My first major piece of the new Trump era, co-written with @astra.bsky.social.
The governing ideology of the far right has become a
monstrous, supremacist survivalism.
Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
The rise of end times fascism
The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them
www.theguardian.com
April 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
THE RISE OF END TIMES FASCISM
My first major piece of the new Trump era, co-written with @astra.bsky.social.
The governing ideology of the far right has become a
monstrous, supremacist survivalism.
Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
My first major piece of the new Trump era, co-written with @astra.bsky.social.
The governing ideology of the far right has become a
monstrous, supremacist survivalism.
Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
I did finally plant up my little garden bed with natives in between naps. Surprised to finding weeding quite meditative so far (I'm sure I'll get sick of it at some point though, lol). Loving the little bursts of #WildOz colors though 🥰
July 4, 2025 at 7:05 AM
I did finally plant up my little garden bed with natives in between naps. Surprised to finding weeding quite meditative so far (I'm sure I'll get sick of it at some point though, lol). Loving the little bursts of #WildOz colors though 🥰
Y'all it's not just in my head!! I have measurable tachycardia when I stand. Smashed my glass coffee table top collapsing after one attempt 😅 Post exertion malaise, brain fog etc continue. Having a tough time accepting how debilitating this is. Sorry to everyone I haven't responded to in ages 🙈
Ugh, think I finally had COVID? Long expired RATs didn't clock it, but timing/sympts fit. The cough part was mild but the lingering fatigue since's been wild. Two months later, I'm still crashing so hard after mere easy walks. Really freaking hoping prioritizing rest on my break this week helps🤞🏼
July 4, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Y'all it's not just in my head!! I have measurable tachycardia when I stand. Smashed my glass coffee table top collapsing after one attempt 😅 Post exertion malaise, brain fog etc continue. Having a tough time accepting how debilitating this is. Sorry to everyone I haven't responded to in ages 🙈
Reposted by tessa
IT'S FINISHED!
The Art of #InverteFest April 2025 Edition
A digital art book showcasing the work of 86 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna.
Thank you to the human artists who contributed to our art book!
Download here drive.google.com/file/d/1JvEx...
The Art of #InverteFest April 2025 Edition
A digital art book showcasing the work of 86 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna.
Thank you to the human artists who contributed to our art book!
Download here drive.google.com/file/d/1JvEx...
May 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
IT'S FINISHED!
The Art of #InverteFest April 2025 Edition
A digital art book showcasing the work of 86 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna.
Thank you to the human artists who contributed to our art book!
Download here drive.google.com/file/d/1JvEx...
The Art of #InverteFest April 2025 Edition
A digital art book showcasing the work of 86 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna.
Thank you to the human artists who contributed to our art book!
Download here drive.google.com/file/d/1JvEx...
Reposted by tessa
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
May 4, 2025 at 6:21 AM
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
A chonky mother-to-be tending a web so strong she could occasionally feast on tiny birds, bats or snakes.
Didn't find the male on the meter-wide web. They are tiny in comparison, 4 mm compared to the 4 cm Australian golden orb-weaver female pictured.
🐡 🧪 🌏 #InverteFest #WildOz #Invert
Didn't find the male on the meter-wide web. They are tiny in comparison, 4 mm compared to the 4 cm Australian golden orb-weaver female pictured.
🐡 🧪 🌏 #InverteFest #WildOz #Invert
April 30, 2025 at 11:26 PM
A chonky mother-to-be tending a web so strong she could occasionally feast on tiny birds, bats or snakes.
Didn't find the male on the meter-wide web. They are tiny in comparison, 4 mm compared to the 4 cm Australian golden orb-weaver female pictured.
🐡 🧪 🌏 #InverteFest #WildOz #Invert
Didn't find the male on the meter-wide web. They are tiny in comparison, 4 mm compared to the 4 cm Australian golden orb-weaver female pictured.
🐡 🧪 🌏 #InverteFest #WildOz #Invert
Alarming drops in oxygen found in 80% of 15,535 lakes examined worldwide since 2003.
Such drops across waterways have increased mass wildlife asphyxiations events, including deaths of thousands of eels in NZ, Murray cod in AU & mussels in EU in just the last few years #NatureWriting #WildOz 🧪 🌏 🦑
Such drops across waterways have increased mass wildlife asphyxiations events, including deaths of thousands of eels in NZ, Murray cod in AU & mussels in EU in just the last few years #NatureWriting #WildOz 🧪 🌏 🦑
Oxygen Levels in Earth's Lakes Are Plummeting, Study Reveals
Earth's lakes are experiencing an alarming drop in oxygen levels, new research shows.
www.sciencealert.com
April 30, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Alarming drops in oxygen found in 80% of 15,535 lakes examined worldwide since 2003.
Such drops across waterways have increased mass wildlife asphyxiations events, including deaths of thousands of eels in NZ, Murray cod in AU & mussels in EU in just the last few years #NatureWriting #WildOz 🧪 🌏 🦑
Such drops across waterways have increased mass wildlife asphyxiations events, including deaths of thousands of eels in NZ, Murray cod in AU & mussels in EU in just the last few years #NatureWriting #WildOz 🧪 🌏 🦑
Reposted by tessa
A short monologue from me, on why we have really badly failed to hold centre / centre-right governments to account on climate, out of fear of angering them or losing privliged access.
With some numbers on Labor's climate record, and thoughts on the feedback loop created when we mute criticism
With some numbers on Labor's climate record, and thoughts on the feedback loop created when we mute criticism
Why we need to be harder on centrist governments, on climate and energy
YouTube video by Ketan Joshi
www.youtube.com
April 29, 2025 at 10:45 PM
A short monologue from me, on why we have really badly failed to hold centre / centre-right governments to account on climate, out of fear of angering them or losing privliged access.
With some numbers on Labor's climate record, and thoughts on the feedback loop created when we mute criticism
With some numbers on Labor's climate record, and thoughts on the feedback loop created when we mute criticism