I love child-inclusive archaeology so much. It *seems* obvious that kids would have directly or indirectly affected a lot of the material past we look at but it really has taken a sea change of feminist practice for anyone to even ask the questions!

Dr. Abigail Desmond@abigaildesmond.bsky.social · 3d ago

15,000 years ago, in one of the the earliest settled communities in the world, a child collected fine clay from the slow-moving river by her home. She then committed an act familiar to all inveterate play-doh enthusiasts; rolling and and pinching the squishy clay into tiny round balls.

pretty incredible, and telling, that these studies are yet to be covered in several leading Australian news outlets. www.science.org/content/arti...

British ‘First Fleet’ brought smallpox to Australia—and may have killed millions

Two papers pin the deadly disease’s introduction on British colonists and suggest the continent held far more people than previously believed

science.org

There are 7 PR people for every journalist in the US. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

On August 1st, 1944, Poland's Home Army rose up against the German forces occupying Warsaw. 2 months later, more than 90% of the Polish capital was in ruins, the result of Soviet betrayal and indifference on the part of the US and UK. The Warsaw Uprising still shapes Polish consciousness today.

Socks and sandals; proof the Romans were at it long before Gen Z, especially in chilly North East Britannia. This little razor handle with herringbone pattern sock and ‘solea’ sandal was found in the River Tees near Darlington and now lives in Durham Archaeology Museum. #FindsFriday

Just watched "Encino Man" for the first time, pretty sure they didn't hire any archaeologists as consul ... tants.

The Trump admin is planning to restrict journalist visas to just 8 months, down from up to 5 years. That'd make it hard for correspondents covering the US to develop networks and expertise. And the visas would be renewed at the whim of the State Department, subjecting coverage to political pressure.

US to tighten visa regulations for foreign students, journalists

Under the new ​regulations, the student and exchange visa periods would be no longer than four years.

reuters.com

WOW, new finds from the Ice Age! Two absolutely stunning Ice Age figurines from the Swabian Jura were found, dating back around 40,000 years. The tiny carvings, about the size of a thumbnail, depict two birds, rendered with remarkable attention to detail. Snow grouse, buzzard, or...🧵1/2

Shannon and those guys meant something epistemologically different by “information” than normal people—“coherent signal” versus “stuff you can know.” And the tech entrepreneurial class thrives on this confusion.

Shiro Sirius@shirosiri.us · last wk.

I don’t want to be too sensationalist about this but also I’m the least violent person in the world and I think if someone said this to my face I’d hit them

“I am thinking about tomorrow,” said Toad. “I am thinking about all of the many things that I will have to do.” “Yes,” said Frog, “tomorrow will be a very hard day for you.”

Early morning flight out by the old airport.

In the 1990s @washingtonpost.com had a stand-alone monthly science section called Horizon. I wrote some of my first published features for it while working as a night shift copy aide. I was so excited to publish in the Post! And they're actually not bad.

Skeeters! The Horrible Truth About Mosquitoes

washingtonpost.com

Incredibly honored to be selected as the recipient of the 2026 Albert Einstein World Award of Science! Thank you to the selection committee, team members, partners &institutions supporting me @sgn.one @dfg.de @erc.europa.eu @unituebingen.bsky.social www.consejoculturalmundial.org/news/winner-...

I wonder what they're going to do with the "Body Worlds" guy's cadaver?

DER SPIEGEL@spiegel.de · last wk.

Er war vor allem durch die Ausstellung »Körperwelten« bekannt geworden: Gunther von Hagens ist tot. Er wurde 81 Jahre alt.

Huge citywide manhunt on right now for the perpetrator of this attack in Berlin. Three helicopters just flew over us in Mitte. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

One killed, 16 injured after van mows into crowd and people stabbed at Berlin Pride

The 21-year-old suspect fled and was ⁠identified by police as member of ⁠city’s ‘Islamist scene’

theguardian.com

It is knowable whether bike lanes improve health, safety, or nearby businesses. People have researched this. They do. It’s not merely a matter of what people think based on vibes. www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Why one Berkeley street has become the Bay Area’s latest bike-lane battleground

It’s the latest salvo in a battle that’s spanned two mayoral administrations and endured endless rhetoric about the war on cars. And it could result in 100 lost parking spaces in Berkeley.

sfchronicle.com

The fresco decorated the vaulted ceiling of an upper floor room above the tablinum in the House with the Bakery of Aulus Rustius Verus. During the excavation the fragments were reassembled in the finds hut as they came out of the ground and as the dig went on so the puzzle grew.

Scientists used DNA taken from bodies of African slaves in the cemetery of extremely isolated St Helena’s Island in the Atlantic to determine the origin of some of them on the African continent www.science.org/content/arti...

DNA from African graves provides surprising window into slave trade

Adults and children were taken from deep within continent’s interior, genetic material from remote island of St. Helena suggests

science.org

Important findings & questions. Not just about the history of chattel slavery (important in its own right!) but also relevant to today’s displaced persons. What’s the most important criterion for nationality? Where you live now? Or your origins (*which* origin)?

Andrew Curry@andrewcurry.com · 3w ago

A cemetery on a remote island in the Atlantic helped show @bitesizedna.bsky.social and his team the terrible extent of the transatlantic slave trade -- and the island's community decide how best to give the dead peace. @science.org #archaeology #aDNA

A cemetery on a remote island in the Atlantic helped show @bitesizedna.bsky.social and his team the terrible extent of the transatlantic slave trade -- and the island's community decide how best to give the dead peace. @science.org #archaeology #aDNA

DNA from African graves provides surprising window into slave trade

Adults and children were taken from deep within continent’s interior, genetic material from remote island of St. Helena suggests

science.org

Here's a thing: I just found an unabridged copy of Orwell's "1984," published in Moscow in English in 2023, on the street in Berlin. #bolshoibrat #bigbrother

A cemetery on a remote island in the Atlantic helped show @bitesizedna.bsky.social and his team the terrible extent of the transatlantic slave trade -- and the island's community decide how best to give the dead peace. @science.org #archaeology #aDNA

DNA from African graves provides surprising window into slave trade

Adults and children were taken from deep within continent’s interior, genetic material from remote island of St. Helena suggests

science.org

We warn readers that the content of this study is confronting and possibly distressing. New research led by CIEHF has revealed the devastating scale of a smallpox epidemic that spread across Australia following the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.

Science Magazine@science.org · 4w ago

Two papers pin the introduction of smallpox on British colonists and suggest that Australia held far more people than previously believed. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3R2lLmf

Did the British bring Smallpox to Australia in the late 18th Century, resulting in the deaths of millions of Aboriginal People? www.science.org/content/arti...

British ‘First Fleet’ brought smallpox to Australia—and may have killed millions

Two papers pin the deadly disease’s introduction on British colonists and suggest the continent held far more people than previously believed

science.org

Life hack: If you're ever stuck at home impatiently waiting on a package delivery, take a little nap and the bell will definitely ring right in the middle of your snooze.

We have a volcano in Indonesia to thank for the #bicycle!

Geology of the Tour de France@geotdf.bsky.social · 3w ago

Today's Tour de France stage ends at Le Lioran, at the top of the Cantal Volcano, Europe's larges stratovolcano. Two years ago, we made this clip there, our favorite :) How volcanism led to the invention of the bicycle! @vanhinsbergen.bsky.social @uugeo.bsky.social

Vroom vroom.

Andrea Matranga@andreamatranga.bsky.social · 3w ago

I mean not to brag

In a time of increasing inequality, these things are going to be so symbolic of a certain kind of person that I’m not sure I’d want to ride one over a city where people had ready access to fireworks and laser pointers.

Edward Russell@byerussell.com · 3w ago

eVTOLs are “going to change the architecture of how people live and work.” Maybe for the rich or those with expense accounts but, given eVTOLs small size (up to 4 passengers), they are hardly going to make a dent on how the vast majority of people get around. via @patrickcsisson.bsky.social

British ‘First Fleet’ brought smallpox to Australia—and may have killed millions www.science.org/content/arti...

British ‘First Fleet’ brought smallpox to Australia—and may have killed millions

Two papers pin the deadly disease’s introduction on British colonists and suggest the continent held far more people than previously believed

science.org

The summer season of "out of office, back in August maybe" e-mail replies has begun, always fun for reporters who still have deadlines to meet.