Mark Miodownik
@markmiodownik.bsky.social
Materials scientist & engineer & enthusiast; Director of the UCL Institute of Making; Author of New York Times best selling book Stuff Matters and others; Occasional BBC TV/radio presenter.
Agree that a frequent flier tax is a good idea. We can use the proceeds to fund flood protection and food security measures. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The expansion of Heathrow would be an expensive disaster for Britain and the world. Burnham needs to block it | George Monbiot
A third runway would fly in the face of reason. If we are to prioritise human life over short-term ‘growth’, we need to use planes less, not more, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
"In the end, the promise of attribution science is that it helps us see a storm or a heat wave or a flood not as an act of a god or the whim of Mother Nature, but as a disaster that has been knowingly shaped or intensified by particular human actions." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/o...
Opinion | The Science That Has Oil Companies Running Scared
However the U.S. Supreme Court rules, the work of holding oil companies accountable for climate change has a bright future.
nytimes.com
If you are at UCL and want to contribute to helping rebuild Ukraine, sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/supporting...
Supporting Citizen-led Recovery of Ukraine
Supporting Citizen-led Recovery of Ukraine: Building Capabilities through Education, Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
eventbrite.co.uk
Just got new chain fitted on my bike and brakes fixed on daughter‘s bike for FREE at Norman Park in Bromley. Please make use of this amazing service or it will be cut: www.bromley.gov.uk/cycling/dr-b...
Dr Bike – London Borough of Bromley
Dr Bike, our free Dr Bike sessions run from spring through to the end of autumn in Norman Park, helping you keep your bicycle safe and roadworthy.
bromley.gov.uk
If you are at UCL and want to contribute to helping rebuild Ukraine, sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/supporting...
Supporting Citizen-led Recovery of Ukraine
Supporting Citizen-led Recovery of Ukraine: Building Capabilities through Education, Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
eventbrite.co.uk
I've moved off Apple and Google platforms. Am now running Murena OS on my Fairphone. I highly recommend moving away from Big Tech wherever possible. The more of us do it, the less power they have.
Gaia Vince@wanderinggaia.bsky.social · 5d agoThis is good by @chionwurah.bsky.social
Sodium nitrate has been used for centuries to preserve meat - it is a very active chemical (hence it kills bacteria) - its major uses are fertiliser and explosives. www.theguardian.com/food/2026/oc...
Nitrite-free bacon sales boom in UK amid fears over curing chemicals
Shoppers are switching from traditional product despite little evidence alternative is safer
theguardian.com
Good news! Earlier toilet training is a triple with - a win for the kids/parents, a win for schools and a win for environment. As we pointed out in our recent Nature Sustainability paper, this is the best value strategy for reducing diaper waste. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Potty-training scheme to expand to more parts of England after city's success
The government wants 75% of children to end their first year of school with a good level of development by 2028.
bbc.co.uk
I've moved off Apple and Google platforms. Am now running Murena OS on my Fairphone. I highly recommend moving away from Big Tech wherever possible. The more of us do it, the less power they have.
Gaia Vince@wanderinggaia.bsky.social · 5d agoThis is good by @chionwurah.bsky.social
I was at a plastic waste conference yesterday where company leaders bemoaned government legislation. Leave sustainability to us they said. But the result is all too often like this from Starbucks. www.ft.com/content/f537...
Starbucks retreats from green goals amid drive for $2bn in cost cuts
Early corporate champion of climate action scales back or reviews targets to halve emissions, waste and water use
ft.com
Our work on diaper waste featured in Anthropocene Magazine: www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2026/09/how-...
How earlier toilet training could help stem the tide of plastic waste
Kids leave diapers behind nearly a year later than they did in the 1950s. With 300,000 disposable diapers tossed every minute, a new study maps three ways out.
anthropocenemagazine.org
Dyson are following in the footsteps of Decathalon and Curry's in offering an extensive service to keep your appliances lasting longer. www.dyson.co.uk/support/neve...
Dyson Total Restore – deep clean and performance restoration
Restore your Dyson Floorcare machine with our Total Restore service. A deep clean inside and out to remove built-up dust, debris and grime within approximately 5 working days.
dyson.co.uk
I think it might not be 'care' but 'quality' - as explored in the context of a nervous breakdown in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · last wk.Amazing how comments on how to think about AI resonate across fields. This is from drama/comedy but could equally be science: The barrier to access to doing astronomy isn’t technology or money (any more). It’s care. (& having the space to give that care and attention, of course) 🧪
We discussed this terrific book on Start the Week when it came out: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Start the Week - Chemical Reactions - BBC Sounds
Tom Sutcliffe with chemist Ijeoma Uchegbu, science historian Kit Chapman & Mark Miodownik
bbc.co.uk
The Royal Society@royalsociety.org · last wk.We’re excited to announce the winner of this years’ Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize is the 'The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry' by Kit Chapman, a ‘dazzling’ globetrotting adventure in the history of alchemy. #SciBooks royalsociety.org/news/2026/09...
Very well deserved!
The Royal Society@royalsociety.org · last wk.We’re excited to announce the winner of this years’ Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize is the 'The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry' by Kit Chapman, a ‘dazzling’ globetrotting adventure in the history of alchemy. #SciBooks royalsociety.org/news/2026/09...
Amazing!! We have hit our target a day ahead of time 🤩 Thanks everyone for believing in our mission and helping us inspire more people to take climate action 🙌 It's not too late to donate: donorbox.org/the-flight-f... The more people we reach, the more carbon we save! 🌍
Flight Free UK@flightfreeuk.bsky.social · last mo.Our annual fundraiser is now live! We are raising money to fund our ongoing climate work, to help reduce the amount people fly. Donate today and help us inspire more climate action! This year feels more important than ever 🔥🌍💚 donorbox.org/the-flight-f...
Interesting thesis. I think shy people and introverts will not agree with this though. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
Opinion | I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think.
If I do not treat writing as essential for achieving thought, it is not clear why I should force my students to.
nytimes.com
Atrazine is very nasty stuff but..“It’s the one of the most powerful pesticide industry lobbies behind glyphosate, because of the amount of money being made, and it’s the result of political malfeasance,” Donley said.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w agoHormone-disrupting herbicide contaminating 25% of continental US rivers, report finds
The growing repair economy is a win win for companies, customers and the environment.
Lee Grant@handle.invalid · 2w agoRefurbishment isn't a box-ticking exercise. Building a pan-Euro refurb supply chain is a huge logistical challenge. Loved chatting with James Pennington about Lenovo's circular program, AI’s impact & Jimi Hendrix New, by me, for @techfinitive.com #CircularEconomy #Refurbishment #Sustainability
In case you wondered if electrical do indeed get recycled: m.youtube.com/watch?v=CVFL...
HypnoCat Recycling Electricals From Top to Tail
YouTube video by justin greenaway
m.youtube.com
Wikipedia could use a cup of coffee – use and donations are down, and it is NOT FOR SALE – only 5% of users donate – this is a valuable resource, so please consider a one-time gift. wikipedia.org – always there for you #Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.
wikipedia.org
Because AI doesn't feel pain it can't be conscious? Embodiment theory strikes back: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/b...
Book Review: ‘Natural Intelligence & the Logic of Consciousness,’ by Antonio Damasio
In his new book, the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio argues that without feelings, true intelligence cannot exist.
nytimes.com
With the nights drawing in you will want to go more entertaining and enlightening science talks like this one: www.rigb.org/whats-on/sup...
Supercharged: The future of energy materials
Saiful Islam explores the latest in new battery and solar materials, how this is impacting energy solutions, and what has cha
rigb.org
"We need to fight this" How long can people accept ongoing exposure to harmful chemicals, while our governments continue to pursue policies of deregulation? Will legal action be the "spearhead" that accelerates action on PFAS pollution? Our story on ITV News: www.itv.com/news/2026-09...
Opportunity for the adventure of a lifetime at half the usual price: Interrail month-long passes are 50% off RIGHT NOW (until 30th Sept) 🚂 Don't miss out! 15% off all other passes. This is our BEST advice for affordable flight-free travel 🙌 www.interrail.com/en/interrail...
Interrail Global Pass for Europe
The Interrail Global Pass is the fun and cheap way to see more of Europe. Travel to up to 33 countries with one train Pass!
interrail.com
Dr David Megson + Sam Hammond on the Today Programme discussing why a multi-agency investigation at Thornton-Cleveleys didn't recommend bio-monitoring for affected people. Dr Megson says health monitoring is common practice in similar situations in other countries: share.google/Mp6nROVqRtKA...
Once again we have forever chemical companies failing to take responsibility for human harm and the environmental pollution they cause. If you live near a forever chemical factory I advise you to get blood tests. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Blood tests find high levels of cancer-causing forever chemical in residents near factory
People living near a major chemical factory in Lancashire are told they could be at risk of serious health conditions.
bbc.co.uk
Pls help spread word: joint tech post between @gpollara.bsky.social & me. Blends his insightful work understanding host response/immunity to mucosal pathogens with my lab's passion for understanding why #UTI keeps coming back using organoid models. Come work for the dream team! rb.gy/xmw5b5 #UTISky
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
rb.gy
