Michael Le Page
@mjflepage.bsky.social
Award-winning reporter at New Scientist who clings to the belief that good journalism mattters. I write about life on Earth, inc climate ☀️, food 🍱, CRISPR 🧬 and biomed 💊
My bio & stories: https://www.newscientist.com/author/michael-le-page
My bio & stories: https://www.newscientist.com/author/michael-le-page
I wrote in that story 2/
September 3, 2025 at 9:44 AM
I wrote in that story 2/
The reason is complex but essentially calcium carbonate forms when a calcium ion reacts with two bicarbonate ions. One bicarbonate ion becomes part of the mineral but the other is turned into CO2:
September 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The reason is complex but essentially calcium carbonate forms when a calcium ion reacts with two bicarbonate ions. One bicarbonate ion becomes part of the mineral but the other is turned into CO2:
This chart of August mean temps in Svalbard shows just how anomalous the heat was. From doi.org/10.1029/2025...
August 19, 2025 at 10:04 AM
This chart of August mean temps in Svalbard shows just how anomalous the heat was. From doi.org/10.1029/2025...
Biochemist Irving Stone thought modern humans suffer many health issues because of our inability to make of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid
In 1979, he proposed the creation of "Homo sapiens ascorbicus" - humans genetically engineered to fix the broken enzyme
doi.org/10.1016/0306...
In 1979, he proposed the creation of "Homo sapiens ascorbicus" - humans genetically engineered to fix the broken enzyme
doi.org/10.1016/0306...
August 13, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Biochemist Irving Stone thought modern humans suffer many health issues because of our inability to make of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid
In 1979, he proposed the creation of "Homo sapiens ascorbicus" - humans genetically engineered to fix the broken enzyme
doi.org/10.1016/0306...
In 1979, he proposed the creation of "Homo sapiens ascorbicus" - humans genetically engineered to fix the broken enzyme
doi.org/10.1016/0306...
Rather surprised to find that a Google Scholar search produced a link to a creationist site called "Creation-Evolution Headlines":
August 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Rather surprised to find that a Google Scholar search produced a link to a creationist site called "Creation-Evolution Headlines":
May 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Adam's laburnum, found in 1825, is another accidentally created graft chimera. Note the different coloured flowers on one tree in this Wikipedia pic.
Darwin grew it and wrongly came to see it as evidence for his (also incorrect) pangenesis hypothesis 3/
Darwin grew it and wrongly came to see it as evidence for his (also incorrect) pangenesis hypothesis 3/
April 2, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Adam's laburnum, found in 1825, is another accidentally created graft chimera. Note the different coloured flowers on one tree in this Wikipedia pic.
Darwin grew it and wrongly came to see it as evidence for his (also incorrect) pangenesis hypothesis 3/
Darwin grew it and wrongly came to see it as evidence for his (also incorrect) pangenesis hypothesis 3/
I'd never heard of this phenomenon and the history is fascinating. The Bizzarria citrus variety found in 1640 is the first known graft chimera. It was created accidentally and back then of course we didn't know what it was. Pic from Wikipedia 2/
April 2, 2025 at 3:20 PM
I'd never heard of this phenomenon and the history is fascinating. The Bizzarria citrus variety found in 1640 is the first known graft chimera. It was created accidentally and back then of course we didn't know what it was. Pic from Wikipedia 2/
Oh, and H5N1 🦠 has also reached Crozet and Kerguelen islands in the Indian Ocean 🧪
That means the virus is halfway around the Antarctic towards Australia and New Zealand, which are free of the virus for now 2/2
Map from doi.org/10.1101/2025...
That means the virus is halfway around the Antarctic towards Australia and New Zealand, which are free of the virus for now 2/2
Map from doi.org/10.1101/2025...
March 11, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Oh, and H5N1 🦠 has also reached Crozet and Kerguelen islands in the Indian Ocean 🧪
That means the virus is halfway around the Antarctic towards Australia and New Zealand, which are free of the virus for now 2/2
Map from doi.org/10.1101/2025...
That means the virus is halfway around the Antarctic towards Australia and New Zealand, which are free of the virus for now 2/2
Map from doi.org/10.1101/2025...
That said, Colossal has always said that its aim is to create a elephant with the "traits" of a mammoth, which I'm now seeing in a different light 4/n:
March 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
That said, Colossal has always said that its aim is to create a elephant with the "traits" of a mammoth, which I'm now seeing in a different light 4/n:
January 20, 2025 at 12:17 PM
We're not doing nearly enough to address the threat that global warming poses to our food supply, argues this paper #climate
doi.org/10.3389/fsci...
doi.org/10.3389/fsci...
December 9, 2024 at 12:30 PM
We're not doing nearly enough to address the threat that global warming poses to our food supply, argues this paper #climate
doi.org/10.3389/fsci...
doi.org/10.3389/fsci...
December 4, 2024 at 3:56 PM
This 2001 IPCC graph from might help explain what I describe in this story. I took from this @realclimate.org post by @rahmstorf.bsky.social 3/
www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...
www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...
November 29, 2024 at 5:57 PM
This 2001 IPCC graph from might help explain what I describe in this story. I took from this @realclimate.org post by @rahmstorf.bsky.social 3/
www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...
www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...
Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline
November 16, 2024 at 11:53 PM
Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline
My favourite tomatoes are Sungold cherry tomatoes. I grow rather a lot of them:
November 13, 2024 at 6:00 PM
My favourite tomatoes are Sungold cherry tomatoes. I grow rather a lot of them:
Now past 14 million
November 10, 2024 at 10:39 AM
Now past 14 million
And I can now post the video:
September 18, 2024 at 11:19 AM
And I can now post the video:
And here's a video of the bubble-rebreathing lizard 🧪
September 18, 2024 at 11:15 AM
And here's a video of the bubble-rebreathing lizard 🧪
I'm a latecomer but liking it here so much more than that other place. It feels like Bluesky is gaining momentum - and already has many of the best people
September 17, 2024 at 9:48 AM
I'm a latecomer but liking it here so much more than that other place. It feels like Bluesky is gaining momentum - and already has many of the best people
I see fasciation quite often, especially in the purple loosestrife in our garden. It's usually riddled with flea beetle holes, so it's a fair bet that's the cause
August 14, 2024 at 4:49 PM
I see fasciation quite often, especially in the purple loosestrife in our garden. It's usually riddled with flea beetle holes, so it's a fair bet that's the cause
There's a fantastic job opening at New Scientist in London:
July 1, 2024 at 12:36 PM
There's a fantastic job opening at New Scientist in London:
And this rather gruesome one from Hawaii:
November 13, 2024 at 10:26 AM
And this rather gruesome one from Hawaii:
And this rather gruesome one from Hawaii:
May 13, 2024 at 3:41 PM
And this rather gruesome one from Hawaii:
The UK IEA - not the international energy agency - is an unpleasant outfit that has long tried to undermine climate action but they might have a point on wood burning (and I never agreed to get any emails from them so not bound by any embargo)
November 13, 2024 at 10:27 AM
The UK IEA - not the international energy agency - is an unpleasant outfit that has long tried to undermine climate action but they might have a point on wood burning (and I never agreed to get any emails from them so not bound by any embargo)