Sophie Westacott
@sophwestacott.bsky.social
Postdoc at Bristol as part of the Henehan lab's PETRARCH project. Growing radiolarians for B and Si isotopes. Interested in all things marine silica.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
I attended a talk by a scientist at a Chinese University and realized that all the background climate data that she used came from the US (CO₂ Keeling Curve, global temperature time series, etc.). Although China funds a lot of research, the destruction of US science will affect science globally.
November 17, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I attended a talk by a scientist at a Chinese University and realized that all the background climate data that she used came from the US (CO₂ Keeling Curve, global temperature time series, etc.). Although China funds a lot of research, the destruction of US science will affect science globally.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
AI slop gracing the cover of Royal Society B. Not only in AI yellow but scientifically nonsensical. Come on. I'm certain human photographs and artworks were ignored to platform ... this.
November 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM
AI slop gracing the cover of Royal Society B. Not only in AI yellow but scientifically nonsensical. Come on. I'm certain human photographs and artworks were ignored to platform ... this.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
#JobAlert 🚨: Press Assistant
Are you a science communicator with experience in science writing? We are looking for your support during the press conference at #EGU26.
📨 Send your application by 26 November to vacancy@egu.eu.
👉 More information: egu.eu/1H0J7I
Are you a science communicator with experience in science writing? We are looking for your support during the press conference at #EGU26.
📨 Send your application by 26 November to vacancy@egu.eu.
👉 More information: egu.eu/1H0J7I
November 18, 2025 at 12:47 PM
#JobAlert 🚨: Press Assistant
Are you a science communicator with experience in science writing? We are looking for your support during the press conference at #EGU26.
📨 Send your application by 26 November to vacancy@egu.eu.
👉 More information: egu.eu/1H0J7I
Are you a science communicator with experience in science writing? We are looking for your support during the press conference at #EGU26.
📨 Send your application by 26 November to vacancy@egu.eu.
👉 More information: egu.eu/1H0J7I
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
We have so much work to do!!
This is interesting — a recent study of mode share (the % share of transportation trips by car, transit, walking, biking etc) relative to city size and income levels in almost 800 cities in 61 countries. Interesting results. HT @davidzipper.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 17, 2025 at 7:11 AM
We have so much work to do!!
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Diatoms from 77° North
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Diatoms from 77° North
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
I was awarded the Alan Higgins Award by @micropalaeosoc.bsky.social for my work on planktonic foraminifera reproduction and culture. I feel very honored and can only thank all the great colleagues who supported me along the way in Norway, Ireland, the UK, Germany and France!
November 7, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I was awarded the Alan Higgins Award by @micropalaeosoc.bsky.social for my work on planktonic foraminifera reproduction and culture. I feel very honored and can only thank all the great colleagues who supported me along the way in Norway, Ireland, the UK, Germany and France!
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
You know what? There's actually a tested solution to this! it is brilliantly simple, and it WORKS.
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
November 7, 2025 at 5:33 PM
You know what? There's actually a tested solution to this! it is brilliantly simple, and it WORKS.
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
I would love to see @bsky.app and @support.bsky.team test this out.
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/ju...
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Although we're not where we should be, we're on a significantly better trajectory than we were 10 years ago.
10 Years After the Paris Climate Agreement, Here's Where We Are (Gift Article)
Has anything really changed in the decade since the Paris Agreement was reached? Actually, quite a lot.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Although we're not where we should be, we're on a significantly better trajectory than we were 10 years ago.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
This is fascinating because this is such a new field and somehow they are going to hire 100 tenure-track faculty in the next 5 years who specialize in it. And yet when asked to fill spots with faculty of color/women/marginalized groups, administrators often cry about how the pipelines don't exist.
November 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This is fascinating because this is such a new field and somehow they are going to hire 100 tenure-track faculty in the next 5 years who specialize in it. And yet when asked to fill spots with faculty of color/women/marginalized groups, administrators often cry about how the pipelines don't exist.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
GitHub - hadley/genzplyr: dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap
dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap. Contribute to hadley/genzplyr development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Meta's fraud problem: The social media giant projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by @Reuters show reut.rs/4qJTpdH
November 6, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Meta's fraud problem: The social media giant projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by @Reuters show reut.rs/4qJTpdH
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
The amoeba Difflugia bacillifera builds its shell from things that contain silica, and it is not particular about the source. These ones have incorporated whole shells from another testate amoeba (Euglypha), along with diatoms, algal cysts and chunks of rock. #Amoebae #ProtistsOnSky #peatlands
November 6, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The amoeba Difflugia bacillifera builds its shell from things that contain silica, and it is not particular about the source. These ones have incorporated whole shells from another testate amoeba (Euglypha), along with diatoms, algal cysts and chunks of rock. #Amoebae #ProtistsOnSky #peatlands
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Just began @peterbrannen.bsky.social's new book and already came across this gem 🤌 „If you really wanna have good fun, be a geologist. Geologists often know 2 or 3 languages and they always know the best places to drink.“ followed by a shout-out to IODP, the JR, and Exp399. Promising start!
1/2
1/2
October 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Just began @peterbrannen.bsky.social's new book and already came across this gem 🤌 „If you really wanna have good fun, be a geologist. Geologists often know 2 or 3 languages and they always know the best places to drink.“ followed by a shout-out to IODP, the JR, and Exp399. Promising start!
1/2
1/2
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Speed reading "Science under Siege" - ahead of next week's recording of BBC Science in Action, where co-author @michaelemann.bsky.social joins a panel on the front line of the current assault on science, to answer what can be done.
An appropriate topic for the last edition of the 60yr old series.
An appropriate topic for the last edition of the 60yr old series.
October 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Speed reading "Science under Siege" - ahead of next week's recording of BBC Science in Action, where co-author @michaelemann.bsky.social joins a panel on the front line of the current assault on science, to answer what can be done.
An appropriate topic for the last edition of the 60yr old series.
An appropriate topic for the last edition of the 60yr old series.
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
The incredible tragedy for #ArcticScience of NOAA shutting down their #methane monitoring data. 5th May 2025 is the last data we'll ever get.
#NCKF25
#NCKF25
October 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The incredible tragedy for #ArcticScience of NOAA shutting down their #methane monitoring data. 5th May 2025 is the last data we'll ever get.
#NCKF25
#NCKF25
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
“Cellular Olympics” our catalog of freeky ultra fast cellular superhero’s is freely available “Ann Rev of microbiology”
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
October 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
“Cellular Olympics” our catalog of freeky ultra fast cellular superhero’s is freely available “Ann Rev of microbiology”
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
This is a compilation of world’s fastest single cell organisms - enjoy this buffet of rare delightful protists with mind bending speeds. 🧪
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Just in time for #FossilFriday! Our paper is out today in Palaeontology @thepalass.bsky.social
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology 🧹🦕
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Another great @palaeoverse.bsky.social team effort to offer a community resource!
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology 🧹🦕
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Another great @palaeoverse.bsky.social team effort to offer a community resource!
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology
Large datasets of fossil occurrences, often downloaded from online community-maintained databases, are a vital resource for understanding broad-scale evolutionary patterns, such as how biodiversity h...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 24, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Just in time for #FossilFriday! Our paper is out today in Palaeontology @thepalass.bsky.social
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology 🧹🦕
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Another great @palaeoverse.bsky.social team effort to offer a community resource!
Ten simple rules to follow when cleaning occurrence data in palaeobiology 🧹🦕
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Another great @palaeoverse.bsky.social team effort to offer a community resource!
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
“The academic reward system continues to incentivize quantity over quality, and “the challenges in academic publishing are inseparable from broader issues of recognition and reward.”
retractionwatch.com/2025/10/21/l...
retractionwatch.com/2025/10/21/l...
Less is more: Academic publishing needs ‘radical change,’ Cambridge press report concludes
Academic publishing needs “renewed focus and collective action” to embrace new approaches and ensure the future of the industry, concludes a report from Cambridge University Press, released last we…
retractionwatch.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM
“The academic reward system continues to incentivize quantity over quality, and “the challenges in academic publishing are inseparable from broader issues of recognition and reward.”
retractionwatch.com/2025/10/21/l...
retractionwatch.com/2025/10/21/l...
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Collections Study Grants
Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the University of Washington Burke Museum (UWBM).
www.burkemuseum.org
October 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
Excited to share our new paper out today in Science led by Patrizia Ziveri and the BIOCAL Working Group!
With @willerstorfi.bsky.social, @nanophyto.bsky.social, @tdegaridel.bsky.social and many colleagues!
@climatecerege.bsky.social
@icta-uab.bsky.social
🔗 science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq8520
With @willerstorfi.bsky.social, @nanophyto.bsky.social, @tdegaridel.bsky.social and many colleagues!
@climatecerege.bsky.social
@icta-uab.bsky.social
🔗 science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq8520
Calcifying plankton: From biomineralization to global change
The cycling of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean is closely linked to seawater alkalinity and the regulation of atmospheric CO2. In the modern pelagic ocean, almost all CaCO3 is produced by three...
science.org
October 23, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Excited to share our new paper out today in Science led by Patrizia Ziveri and the BIOCAL Working Group!
With @willerstorfi.bsky.social, @nanophyto.bsky.social, @tdegaridel.bsky.social and many colleagues!
@climatecerege.bsky.social
@icta-uab.bsky.social
🔗 science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq8520
With @willerstorfi.bsky.social, @nanophyto.bsky.social, @tdegaridel.bsky.social and many colleagues!
@climatecerege.bsky.social
@icta-uab.bsky.social
🔗 science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq8520
Reposted by Sophie Westacott
At the empty USGS booth at GSA. More out of view on both sides
October 22, 2025 at 2:04 AM
At the empty USGS booth at GSA. More out of view on both sides