Frank Swain
@frank-swain.bsky.social
Freelance science writer | Managing Editor at CORDIS | frankswain.com
> "most progressive tax system in the developed world"
> taxes earnings not wealth
(* tbf I don't have a sub to FT so it's entirely possible the author addresses this)
> taxes earnings not wealth
(* tbf I don't have a sub to FT so it's entirely possible the author addresses this)
If I asked you which country has the most progressive tax system in the developed world — where high earners hand over an especially large share of their income relative to the average worker — what would your answer be?
The answer is in fact Britain. on.ft.com/4a5jIFc
The answer is in fact Britain. on.ft.com/4a5jIFc
November 21, 2025 at 10:40 AM
> "most progressive tax system in the developed world"
> taxes earnings not wealth
(* tbf I don't have a sub to FT so it's entirely possible the author addresses this)
> taxes earnings not wealth
(* tbf I don't have a sub to FT so it's entirely possible the author addresses this)
"There’s clearly something political about it but nobody knows what it is" is an incredible quote www.londoncentric.media/p/ai-artwork...
London's giant AI artwork to be torn down
The bizarre story of why a much-talked-about creation is being torn down. Plus: Docklands Light Railway extension, giant laser stalks the night sky, and more tales of Android phone theft rejection.
www.londoncentric.media
November 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM
"There’s clearly something political about it but nobody knows what it is" is an incredible quote www.londoncentric.media/p/ai-artwork...
not sure which I find more interesting- that Goldiee is just one persona of a content farm steadily building up its credentials, or that a young journalist switched to churning out AI articles in desperation. A troubling reflection on the industry either way.
holy crap... @nickhunebrown.bsky.social with some great, important work
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 19, 2025 at 6:48 PM
not sure which I find more interesting- that Goldiee is just one persona of a content farm steadily building up its credentials, or that a young journalist switched to churning out AI articles in desperation. A troubling reflection on the industry either way.
A very telling word in this BBC article on the latest vibes-based UPF field; what does it mean to have 'good' in a food? What is the unit of good? Is UPF simply a moralising frame of food choices? (yes)
November 19, 2025 at 2:37 PM
A very telling word in this BBC article on the latest vibes-based UPF field; what does it mean to have 'good' in a food? What is the unit of good? Is UPF simply a moralising frame of food choices? (yes)
The latest UN World Urbanization Prospects is full of interesting tidbits:
* Jakarta replaces Tokyo as the world's most populous city (42m)
* 81% of us now live in towns and cities
* Urbanisation is expanding faster than population growth :(
joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and...
* Jakarta replaces Tokyo as the world's most populous city (42m)
* 81% of us now live in towns and cities
* Urbanisation is expanding faster than population growth :(
joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and...
World’s constructed areas expanding twice as fast as the population since 1975
While mere 20% of the world’s population lived in cities in 1950, today cities are home to 45% of the 8.2 billion people living on our planet.
joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu
November 19, 2025 at 9:55 AM
The latest UN World Urbanization Prospects is full of interesting tidbits:
* Jakarta replaces Tokyo as the world's most populous city (42m)
* 81% of us now live in towns and cities
* Urbanisation is expanding faster than population growth :(
joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and...
* Jakarta replaces Tokyo as the world's most populous city (42m)
* 81% of us now live in towns and cities
* Urbanisation is expanding faster than population growth :(
joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and...
when you need an artistic reconstruction of a woman mating with a goose scene do you like, hit up Behance or what?
Good morning www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Ancient figurine may show sexual encounter between woman and goose
A 12,000-year-old clay sculpture found in Israel depicts a goose on the back of a woman, and archaeologists suggest it may be a depiction of an animistic mythological scene
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:27 AM
when you need an artistic reconstruction of a woman mating with a goose scene do you like, hit up Behance or what?
Really enjoyed this feature from Starre Vartan on the many benefits (and surprising costs) of having two X chromosomes. www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know why
Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Really enjoyed this feature from Starre Vartan on the many benefits (and surprising costs) of having two X chromosomes. www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Reposted by Frank Swain
Human rights are universal - if we start stripping away basic human rights from any section of society then none of us has rights – just privileges that can be taken away by people in power whenever they want
November 16, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Human rights are universal - if we start stripping away basic human rights from any section of society then none of us has rights – just privileges that can be taken away by people in power whenever they want
‘We said we wouldn‘t be involved [in a documentary about sequencing Hitler’s DNA] if it was going to be sensationalist’
sister 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚
www.newscientist.com/podcasts/why...
sister 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚
www.newscientist.com/podcasts/why...
Why the claims about Hitler’s genome are misleading
Episode 331
This week sees the broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK of a documentary called Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a dictator. Geneticists have managed to find a DNA sample from Adolf Hitler and have ...
www.newscientist.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:47 AM
‘We said we wouldn‘t be involved [in a documentary about sequencing Hitler’s DNA] if it was going to be sensationalist’
sister 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚
www.newscientist.com/podcasts/why...
sister 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚
www.newscientist.com/podcasts/why...
Reposted by Frank Swain
Anyone know why AMA Journal of Ethics is suddenly closing? “Breaking Bad News” journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/brea...
Breaking Bad News
Announcement that the AMA Journal of Ethics will cease publishing new content after December 2025.
journalofethics.ama-assn.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Anyone know why AMA Journal of Ethics is suddenly closing? “Breaking Bad News” journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/brea...
Reposted by Frank Swain
Regretfully (for the sake of the authors and journal staff), I have this morning declined an invitation to review for a @royalsociety.org journal because of the Society’s continued refusal to stand up for its values in dealing with Elon Musk FRS.
November 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Regretfully (for the sake of the authors and journal staff), I have this morning declined an invitation to review for a @royalsociety.org journal because of the Society’s continued refusal to stand up for its values in dealing with Elon Musk FRS.
Reposted by Frank Swain
LinkedIn one click apply to all the jobs
November 14, 2025 at 6:10 AM
LinkedIn one click apply to all the jobs
Reposted by Frank Swain
There’s much discussion here today regarding James Watson being a dick in #science, regardless of his DNA success.
If you don’t want to emulate him, colleague & I developed the Collaborative Charter for Scientific Endeavours to enhance collaborations
Link here
pureantarctic.org/a-collaborat...
If you don’t want to emulate him, colleague & I developed the Collaborative Charter for Scientific Endeavours to enhance collaborations
Link here
pureantarctic.org/a-collaborat...
A Collaborative Charter for Scientific Endeavours
This is a charter to use when scientific collaborations are being initiated . Use the logo to signal that you support the charter. Work with IntegrityI seek to be trustworthy, honest, and reliableI…
pureantarctic.org
November 8, 2025 at 11:28 AM
There’s much discussion here today regarding James Watson being a dick in #science, regardless of his DNA success.
If you don’t want to emulate him, colleague & I developed the Collaborative Charter for Scientific Endeavours to enhance collaborations
Link here
pureantarctic.org/a-collaborat...
If you don’t want to emulate him, colleague & I developed the Collaborative Charter for Scientific Endeavours to enhance collaborations
Link here
pureantarctic.org/a-collaborat...
Horrifying stories are emerging from el-Fasher www.bbc.com/news/article...
I just made a donation to @unhcr.org; if you’re able, please consider supporting their work
I just made a donation to @unhcr.org; if you’re able, please consider supporting their work
November 7, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Horrifying stories are emerging from el-Fasher www.bbc.com/news/article...
I just made a donation to @unhcr.org; if you’re able, please consider supporting their work
I just made a donation to @unhcr.org; if you’re able, please consider supporting their work
Cabbage Patch Kids? www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Denisovans may have interbred with mysterious group of ancient humans
We now have only the second high-quality genome from an ancient Denisovan human, which reveals there were more populations of this species than we thought
www.newscientist.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Cabbage Patch Kids? www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Reposted by Frank Swain
4 days of seismic records from a seismic station in Jamaica shows Hurricane Melissa roaring towards the island.
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
October 28, 2025 at 1:24 PM
4 days of seismic records from a seismic station in Jamaica shows Hurricane Melissa roaring towards the island.
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
RIP Dick Taverne, a tireless campaigner for science and someone who was always generous with his time when it came to supporting young science nerds (including me) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Lord Taverne obituary
Ousted Labour MP who had a famous byelection win against his old party in 1973 and later joined the SDP
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:40 AM
RIP Dick Taverne, a tireless campaigner for science and someone who was always generous with his time when it came to supporting young science nerds (including me) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Frank Swain
I’ve never donated to Wikipedia before but I set up a small monthly donation as a fuck you to the world’s richest psychopath.
Elon Musk takes aim at Wikipedia
Musk has denounced Wikipedia as "Wokepedia" on X and urged people not to donate to the platform.
www.newsweek.com
December 25, 2024 at 6:18 PM
I’ve never donated to Wikipedia before but I set up a small monthly donation as a fuck you to the world’s richest psychopath.
Reposted by Frank Swain
Letter to the local community from asylum seekers living in overcrowded hotels:
"Coming to the UK, we have lost a lot of things in our past life.
You should not judge us by our appearance - our inner selves hold mountains of worries and sadness.
Many of us have left families behind."
"Coming to the UK, we have lost a lot of things in our past life.
You should not judge us by our appearance - our inner selves hold mountains of worries and sadness.
Many of us have left families behind."
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
October 27, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Letter to the local community from asylum seekers living in overcrowded hotels:
"Coming to the UK, we have lost a lot of things in our past life.
You should not judge us by our appearance - our inner selves hold mountains of worries and sadness.
Many of us have left families behind."
"Coming to the UK, we have lost a lot of things in our past life.
You should not judge us by our appearance - our inner selves hold mountains of worries and sadness.
Many of us have left families behind."
The EU experienced its worst fire season on record in 2025 - over a million ha burned, most of it in Iberia. I mapped every fire on the peninsula over the summer, using viirs satellite data.
October 23, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The EU experienced its worst fire season on record in 2025 - over a million ha burned, most of it in Iberia. I mapped every fire on the peninsula over the summer, using viirs satellite data.
I don't know why anyone is treating this nonsense as a serious idea www.space.com/space-explor...
Company's plan to launch 4,000 space mirrors alarms scientists
Reflect Orbital says their light-on-demand idea has generated significant interest from commercial and government customers.
www.space.com
October 22, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I don't know why anyone is treating this nonsense as a serious idea www.space.com/space-explor...
Such a strange choice to spend several hundred words blaming a poor immigrant for his death, instead of reflecting on any of the underlying conditions that led to this tragedy. www.bbc.com/news/article...
E-scooter rider died after riding on Newport dual carriageway in dark
The crash happened as the rider travelled down the middle of the lane on the dual carriageway.
www.bbc.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Such a strange choice to spend several hundred words blaming a poor immigrant for his death, instead of reflecting on any of the underlying conditions that led to this tragedy. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Boeing 737 reportedly hit by space debris at 36,000 feet, though no confirmation yet
viewfromthewing.com/new-cockpit-...
viewfromthewing.com/new-cockpit-...
New Cockpit Photos May Show What Struck The United 737 — Injuring A Pilot And Sparking Space Debris Fears - View from the Wing
New photos from watchdog JonNYC of the United 737 cockpit show damage that may reveal what struck the jet mid-flight, injuring a pilot. The images deepen the mystery over whether space debris or rare ...
viewfromthewing.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Boeing 737 reportedly hit by space debris at 36,000 feet, though no confirmation yet
viewfromthewing.com/new-cockpit-...
viewfromthewing.com/new-cockpit-...
lol
🤦🏾♀️
in order to align llms with human values, we use llms to base our understanding of human values
in order to align llms with human values, we use llms to base our understanding of human values
October 14, 2025 at 8:44 AM
lol