Ada McVean M.Sc.
@adamcvean.bsky.social
Freelance Science Journalist 🐢 🥼 BSc/MSc from McGill 🧬 Vegetarian 🐈 "eh-duh" not "ah-duh", Canuck, she/her 🏳️🌈 Words at Chemistry World, Skeptical Inquirer, McGill OSS etc
Uh-oh, you have the hiccups.
What should you do, according to science?
You've got some options, both conventional and... not.
There's reason to believe things like drinking water, holding your breath, or sneezing can work. There's the neurologist-designed Hiccaway.
And...
What should you do, according to science?
You've got some options, both conventional and... not.
There's reason to believe things like drinking water, holding your breath, or sneezing can work. There's the neurologist-designed Hiccaway.
And...
a cat is sitting on a blue blanket with its legs crossed
ALT: a cat is sitting on a blue blanket with its legs crossed
media.tenor.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Uh-oh, you have the hiccups.
What should you do, according to science?
You've got some options, both conventional and... not.
There's reason to believe things like drinking water, holding your breath, or sneezing can work. There's the neurologist-designed Hiccaway.
And...
What should you do, according to science?
You've got some options, both conventional and... not.
There's reason to believe things like drinking water, holding your breath, or sneezing can work. There's the neurologist-designed Hiccaway.
And...
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
Grim prospects for those of us crossing this road
November 26, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Grim prospects for those of us crossing this road
We don't really know where the name Charley horse for the muscle cramp comes from.
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We don't really know where the name Charley horse for the muscle cramp comes from.
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
"Fujita and his team developed a model that suggests the moss spores could actually survive for up to 5,600 days in space, or around 15 years" www.livescience.com/space/scient...
Scientists put moss on the outside of the International Space Station for 9 months — then kept it growing back on Earth
A species of moss survived for 9 months on the outside of the International Space Station, new research reveals — and 80% of the samples kept reproducing when returned to Earth.
www.livescience.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Fujita and his team developed a model that suggests the moss spores could actually survive for up to 5,600 days in space, or around 15 years" www.livescience.com/space/scient...
I like being a freelance writer because it's not even 10 am and I've already learned about the CNN Fear and Greed index, that the plural of apparatus can be apparatuses (English) or apparatus (Latin) and that Australian golden orb weaver spiders are eaten roasted in New Guinea.
November 20, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I like being a freelance writer because it's not even 10 am and I've already learned about the CNN Fear and Greed index, that the plural of apparatus can be apparatuses (English) or apparatus (Latin) and that Australian golden orb weaver spiders are eaten roasted in New Guinea.
Freelance writers, what are you using to transcribe interviews? Is there a free alternative to Otter ai?
November 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Freelance writers, what are you using to transcribe interviews? Is there a free alternative to Otter ai?
Slime molds are just like you and me really
November 17, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Slime molds are just like you and me really
Check out this dog I saw while camping
November 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Check out this dog I saw while camping
Shake n’ Bake, in the year of our lord 2025?
November 15, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Shake n’ Bake, in the year of our lord 2025?
One of my favourite coffee shops has this on the bathroom wall
November 15, 2025 at 5:39 PM
One of my favourite coffee shops has this on the bathroom wall
We are very much back in "is this laundry still wet, or just cold?" season. While I can't prevent the confusion, I can at least explain it-
Wetness isn’t a sense at all, but a mash-up of touch and temperature, and it's not something we're born with.
Read more: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Wetness isn’t a sense at all, but a mash-up of touch and temperature, and it's not something we're born with.
Read more: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Why Can’t I Tell if Something is Wet or Cold?
Approximately half of the homes in the UK do not have a tumble dryer. My flat is lucky enough to have a 2-in-1 that washes poorly and dries worse, so we mostly hang wet clothes from a drying rack in t...
www.mcgill.ca
November 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM
We are very much back in "is this laundry still wet, or just cold?" season. While I can't prevent the confusion, I can at least explain it-
Wetness isn’t a sense at all, but a mash-up of touch and temperature, and it's not something we're born with.
Read more: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Wetness isn’t a sense at all, but a mash-up of touch and temperature, and it's not something we're born with.
Read more: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Getting back into the winter habit
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Getting back into the winter habit
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status
Following over 12 months of transmission across the country, PAHO confirms Canada's loss of measles elimination status. We are coordinating efforts with provinces and territories to restore the status...
www.canada.ca
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
When Autumn becomes Fall 🍂
October 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
When Autumn becomes Fall 🍂
Sometimes there is comfort in the familiar, even when the familiar is condescending
October 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Sometimes there is comfort in the familiar, even when the familiar is condescending
"It’s normal that things are not easy. It’s normal that things are not equally fun every minute, every day. Don’t give up easily."
I spoke with Odile Eisenstein for @chemistryworld.com:
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/odil...
#ChemSky #ScienceSky #SciSky
I spoke with Odile Eisenstein for @chemistryworld.com:
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/odil...
#ChemSky #ScienceSky #SciSky
Odile Eisenstein: ‘Some of the most important advice is to be persistent’
The pioneering theoretical chemist on teaching herself programming and the importance of freedom
www.chemistryworld.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM
"It’s normal that things are not easy. It’s normal that things are not equally fun every minute, every day. Don’t give up easily."
I spoke with Odile Eisenstein for @chemistryworld.com:
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/odil...
#ChemSky #ScienceSky #SciSky
I spoke with Odile Eisenstein for @chemistryworld.com:
www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/odil...
#ChemSky #ScienceSky #SciSky
Reposted by Ada McVean M.Sc.
Find out what the emeritus professor – who also received France’s highest order of merit – can't leave home without, her thoughts on how science works best and why the arts are a vital part of her life.
Odile Eisenstein: ‘Some of the most important advice is to be persistent’
The pioneering theoretical chemist on teaching herself programming and the importance of freedom
www.chemistryworld.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Find out what the emeritus professor – who also received France’s highest order of merit – can't leave home without, her thoughts on how science works best and why the arts are a vital part of her life.
October 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
For how fervently recipes insist on you using Medjool dates, I've never actually encountered a non-Medjool date.
October 7, 2025 at 7:15 PM
For how fervently recipes insist on you using Medjool dates, I've never actually encountered a non-Medjool date.
Do any other writers also lack an internal monologue, or have I just chosen a precisely terrible career for myself?
October 7, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Do any other writers also lack an internal monologue, or have I just chosen a precisely terrible career for myself?
Spotted a rabbit committing a heist
October 6, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Spotted a rabbit committing a heist