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Brian Clegg

@brianclegg.bsky.social

200 followers 62 following 360 posts

Science author and communicator - editor of the www.popularscience.co.uk review site.

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · Nov 18

As I'm newish here, I write science books (my latest is Brainjacking www.brianclegg.net/brainjacking... on the science of informing, influencing and manipulating through story) and all my online writing is available as a free weekly email - sign up here: authory.com/BrianClegg/s...

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 4h

Interesting question - do gods have to be omnipotent/omniscient? Greek/Roman/Norse gods weren't, for example. But all the argument from fine tuning can do is support a hypothesis of there being some kind of steering of how things came into being, rather than a full scale o/o God.

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 4h

Interview: Science writer and news editor Michael Banks tells us why physics appealed to him, the importance of relating physics to everyday life, and where to keep your toothbrush safe from toilet flush aerosols. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/mich... #interviews #physics #everydayscience

Michael Banks - Five Way Interview

Michael Banks is a science writer and author and is currently news editor of Physics World magazine. As well as Physics World, he has writte...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 17h

To be fair, the creator hypothesis in response to fine tuning does not require said creator to be omnipotent or omnipresent.

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 1d

Review: God: the Science, the Evidence - Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies *** - A translated French bestseller using scientific evidence to support the existence of a creator - and other things - in a very oddly structured book. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/god-... #bookreview #god

God: the Science, the Evidence - Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies ***

This is, to say the least, an oddity, but a fascinating one. A translation of a French bestseller, it aims to put forward an examination of ...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 2d

I get irritated by the headline 'Science fiction's "warp drive" is speeding closer to reality' and indulge in a bit of a rant: brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-wa... #warpdrive #hype #badsciencecommunication

A warped headline - hype in hyperspace

One of the most damaging things science communication can do is exaggerate the implications of a scientific paper, theory or discovery - it ...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 3d

Review: The War on Science: Laurence Krauss (Ed.) **** - Not as it might seem on fighting climate change deniers, but rather universities, governments and pressure groups attempting to undermine the scientific method. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-... #philosophyofscience #rationality

The War on Science - Lawrence Krauss (Ed.) ****

At first glance this might appear to be yet another book on how to deal with climate change deniers and the like, such as How to Talk to a S...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

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Reposted by Brian Clegg

Adam Roberts @adamroberts.bsky.social · 4d

"I say I say I say, my dog's got no gnosis."

"No nose? How does it smell?"

[*angrily*] "He lacks any and all immanent knowledge or transcendent insight, such as was sought by Clement of Alexandria, Marcion or Simon Magus. What has smell to do with it?"

"I'm sorry, I misheard."

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Reposted by Brian Clegg

Jonathan Healey @jonathanhealey.bsky.social · 5d

It was two OUP books.

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 6d

Any Rick Wakeman fans, I've two tickets for his concert in Aylesbury on Sunday 12th October at 7:30pm - Six Wives and King Arthur at under list price (£50 per ticket): www.ticketswap.com/listing/rick...

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 8d

Interview: Science writer and educator Sarah Bearchell tells us about the hard work involved in writing a book, how the UK could be more self-sufficient in food and a renewed interest in engineering. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/sara... #foodsecurity #sciencecommunication

Sarah Bearchell - Five Way Interview

Sarah Bearchell is a science writer and educator who has created educational activities for charities, learned societies and science centres...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 9d

I have a brief encounter with Grok's Ani chatbot and get a better idea why the appeal is more than appearances might suggest: brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-br... #chatbots #conversations

A brief encounter with Ani

Having read a considerable amount about the kind of AI chatbot that is genuinely a way to have a chat with an animated character, rather tha...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 9d

Review: Positive Tipping Points: Tim Lenton *** - An attempt to go beyond climate crisis rhetoric to offer solutions. Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine the required tipping point, driven by the likes of Extinction Rebellion, coming. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/posi... #bookreview #climate

Positive Tipping Points - Tim Lenton ***

In his subtitle, Tim Lenton makes a daring claim: this book is going to tell us how to fix the climate crisis. This is surely very timely wh...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 12d

After a lengthy trip to France involving a considerable amount of use of public EV chargers, I think we have some significant lessons to learn from our European neighbour: brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/10/fren... #greenheretic #electricvehicles #carchargers

French lessons

Having recently driven around 2,000 miles in France it was informative to experience a pricing structure that surely we should be following ...

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 13d

Review: The Shape of Wonder: Alan Lightman and Martin Rees **** - A genuinely interesting reflection on what it is to be a scientist and why their work is important, but it's not clear who forms the target audience. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-... #scientists #philosophyofscience

The Shape of Wonder - Alan Lightman and Martin Rees ****

I found this book hard to rate as it's a really good idea, but one where I'm not sure who the natural audience is. The authors (an astrophys...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 13d

Interview: Marine biologist Sönke Johnsen tells us what got him interested in the ocean, why the subsurface ocean is the least-known habitat and why, despite being an author, he likes the motto 'Study nature, not books.' popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/sonk... #interviews #marinebiology

Sönke Johnsen - Five Way Interview

Originally trained in maths and art, Sönke Johnsen has studied optics in biology for the last 35 years, the last 24 of which have been at Du...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 15d

Review by
@DrAndrewMay
- Entropy: a very short introduction: James Binney **** - Some fascinating insights, but primarily an effective crash course in entropy for serious readers, not a popular science exploration. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/09/entr... #bookreview #popularscience #physics

Entropy - James Binney ****

Most people are familiar with energy, both in its everyday sense as a resource used for things like heating and powering electrical equipmen...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 16d

Review (murder mystery): Death in Holy Orders - P. D. James **** This relatively late (2001) addition to the Dalgliesh mysteries was one of her best. Great sense of place if a little over-long. brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/09/deat...

Death in Holy Orders - P. D. James ****

For me, P. D. James’s Dalgleish mysteries are always slightly compromised by the original TV series. With its hauntingly beautiful theme mus...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 18d

Updated as I've realised I've always corrected it to 'Lessons in Physics' - apologies if you've liked/commented on the original post.

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 18d

Review: Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (Anniversary Edition): Carlo Rovelli *** - I can’t agree with the Guardian that this is one of the best books of the 21st century, but a useful tasting menu of a book for pop sci beginners popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/09/seve... #bookreview #popularscience

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (Anniversary Edition) - Carol Rovelli ***

Ten years after it first appeared, we have an anniversary hardback edition of Carlo Rovelli's bestseller. It's probably the best-known popul...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 21d

In a updated post from 2015 I look at the relationship between the important thermodynamics concept of entropy and the chance of a monkey with a typewriter producing my book: brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/09/what... #entropy #writingbooks

What are the chances of that revisited

REVISIT SERIES - An updated post from September 2015 In the book I was writing when this post was written ( Dice World ) I considered the r...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 21d

The fact she has many followers does not make the action right. Scientists need to be capable of taking criticism, however bluntly worded. I know it’s hard to receive negative remarks (see some of the reviews of my books) but this wasn’t a suitable response.

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 21d

Review (fantasy) - Fiends in High Places: D. C. Farmer *** - some engaging points in a plot featuring a kind of fae immigration control, but the attempt to combine fantasy and humour is heavy-handed brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/09/fien... #bookreview #UrbanFantasy

Fiends in High Places - D. C. Farmer ***

As a big fan of UK-based urban fantasy, I'm always on the lookout for something new: Fiends in High Places promised to deliver that diffic...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 23d

Review: The BBC: After the licence fee? *** - though some are corporate speak, the collection of essays on the Beeb’s future and how to fund it is interesting brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-... #bookreview #UKbroadcasting

The BBC: after the licence fee ***

It is somehow appropriate that I read this as as result of listening to a podcast where two of the contributors debated whether the BBC was...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 27d

Recently, physicist and science communicator Sabine Hossenfelder @hossenfelder.bsky.social
has been removed from her post for criticising theories online. Even if you don't like her style, this is not the right thing to do brianclegg.blogspot.com/2025/09/can-... #freespeech #sciencecommunication

Can scientists speak freely in public?

Sabine Hossenfelder is a theoretical physicist who has primarily moved into science communication. I've personally found her helpful (if som...

brianclegg.blogspot.com

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Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · 27d

What does making coffee have in common (physics wise) with volcanic lightning? This is where you'll find out:

Brian Clegg @brianclegg.bsky.social · Sep 11

Review: Physics Around the Clock: Michael Banks ***** 11 September 2025 - Makes scientific concepts approachable by tying into aspects of everyday life. While some is predictable, many surprising delights included. popsciencebooks.blogspot.com/2025/09/phys... #bookreview #popularscience

Physics Around the Clock - Michael Banks *****

One of the easiest ways to make science accessible is to tie it to everyday life - and this is something Michael Banks does well in his expl...

popsciencebooks.blogspot.com