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Phil Stevenson

@philstevenson.bsky.social

890 followers 160 following 230 posts

www.kew.org

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · Nov 17

Hello Folks - I'm following the crowd here - hoping it's a more benevolent and inclusive space where I can share and discuss with intelligent folk who value evidence and integrity.

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Reposted by Phil Stevenson

Biodiversity Council @biodivcouncil.bsky.social · 10h

Australia’s only shrew has been declared extinct. Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions and ranks second for loss of biodiversity. We need better funding for conservation action and stronger environmental laws to uphold our international commitments to prevent further extinctions 🧪

A photo of a small, black-furred shrew climbing on a branch with text overlay that says "Australia’s only shrew declared extinct. Australia continues to lead the world in mammal extinctions."

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 9h

Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, as coral reefs face ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘ASAP’ warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’

Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns

www.theguardian.com

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 17h

There is a DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app Spotify.
Musicians have long criticized the streaming service’s paltry payouts, but a new wave of boycotts is emerging. It invests in AI weapons tech & advertises ICE recruitment in the USA www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

‘Death to Spotify’: the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app

Musicians have long criticized the streaming service’s paltry payouts, but a new wave of boycotts is emerging

www.theguardian.com

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 1d

The plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds
The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and we are only just beginning to learn what they do www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds

The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Phil Stevenson

New Scientist @newscientist.com · 2d

Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

Why abandoning psychedelic research in the 1970s was a blow to science

Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

www.newscientist.com

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 2d

Well done Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who rejected a Trump administration proposal which detailed policies to follow in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. Universities were offered federal funds for promoting only conservative values.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

MIT rejects federal funding deal with Trump administration - BBC News

The deal would see universities cap foreign admissions, restrict protests and adopt a binary definition of gender.

www.bbc.co.uk

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 2d

THE SINGH TWINS & Flora Indica. Two thought-provoking exhibitions exploring art, empire & the enduring significance of plants - revealing how cotton, spices & dyes played a pivotal role in colonial expansion & the cultural significance of plants across global traditions.

www.kew.org/kew-gardens/...

THE SINGH TWINS and Flora Indica

Two thought-provoking exhibitions exploring art, empire and the enduring significance of plants.

www.kew.org

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 2d

Habitat improvement helps rare bumblebees in UK www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Habitat improvement helps rare bumblebees - BBC News

Conservationists say reversing insect decline is "essential, not optional" for halting nature loss.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations to our PhD student Dr Cedric Maforimbo on successfully passing his PhD viva today. Thx especially to @evoeco.bsky.social who was the external & to Steve Belmain the UoG examiner & @sejarnold.bsky.social who was my co-supervisor along with #steveharte. We are all really proud of you!

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 3d

Debunking takes hours - misinformation takes seconds - think before you share.

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 3d

Thrilled to see our paper assigned an issue @nature.com Engineered yeast provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybees. Lipids are overlooked nutrients in bee health. Congrats to #ElynorMoore & #GeraldineWright @ox.ac.uk @rbgkew.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Engineered yeast provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybees - Nature

Genetic engineering of a yeast strain provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybee colonies.

www.nature.com

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 3d

Nobel peace prize 2025 live: Congratulations to María Corina Machado who wins for work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Nobel peace prize 2025 live: María Corina Machado wins for work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela

US president had been conducting campaign to influence prize committee

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Phil Stevenson

Royal Holloway Biology @rhulbiology.bsky.social · 5d

Kat Maslova & Prof Robin Williams have recently presented at 'Living with epilepsy - Insight and Innovations' Queens Square London. This was a patient outreach day, and highlighted their work to develop a new dietary approach for the treatment of people with drug resistant epilepsy

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Reposted by Phil Stevenson

Mario Vallejo-Marin @nicrodemo.bsky.social · 6d

How do plants stave off greedy pollinators? Read our new paper on pollen dosing in buzz pollinated flowers just out in @funecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Gradual pollen release in a buzz‐pollinated plant: Investigating pollen presentation theory under bee visitation

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 7d

How an insect might change how surgeons operate on the human body

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...

How an insect might change how surgeons operate on the human body

The sawfly’s egg-laying organ, the ovipositor, could help modern surgical techniques

www.independent.co.uk

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 12d

I neglected to add in the previous post that the Future Botanica installation will be a free, drop-in event, with no need to book.
Just turn up to the BFI IMAX Foyer from the 9th of October (to the 19th), from 12:00 to 21:00.

Reposted by Phil Stevenson

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 12d

AOC: When everyone says makes an exception here or makes an exception there, and then before you know it, you have masked agents roaming the streets of this country that do not feel entitled to identify themselves

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 12d

I’m on the panel for this event at the BFI. It’s free! Botanical Futures: Plant-Based Solutions for Climate and Sustainability. 19 Oct at 11:00. Future Botanica, an Augmented Reality app that enables users to design speculative ecosystems with new nature. @rbgkew.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/2svpdhrz

Botanical Futures: Plant-Based Solutions for Climate and Sustainability | BFI London Film Festival 2025

A timely conversation sparked by Future Botanica, an Augmented Reality app that enables users, in collaboration with an AI, to design speculative ecosystems with new nature.

whatson.bfi.org.uk

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 13d

…and a unique British Black hbee is a myth perpetuated by folk profiting from orgs who want to do something environmentally +ve. It’s a dark morph of Apis mellifera mellifera which is widespread in N Europe. You could argue its a ‘breed' but still a domestic animal & nothing to do with biodiversity

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 13d

If you want to conserve bees you’ve still chosen a domestic animal that is thriving in Europe & when you have up to 50,000/hive in a city they consume huge amounts of food and outcompete wild bees - its like keeping chickens to save birds. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The best way to help bees? Don’t become a beekeeper like I did | Alison Benjamin

When I set up my honeybee hive, I had no idea I might be harming wild bee species. Now I’ve found better ways to encourage biodiversity, says journalist and author Alison Benjamin

www.theguardian.com

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 13d

This is great to hear - do you monitor the species diversity?

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 13d

Because its great to beat them in spite of the abuse. I firmly believe this is USA true colours which has been set free by Trump. I fear this is America now. Not a single member of the US team made made a stand of plea to fans to stop it. Erica Mcllroy-Rory’s wife- had a glass of beer thrown at her.

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 14d

@chelmsford.gov.uk why do you have honey bees on the roof of your civic centre? They aren’t in danger in UK & keeping hbees is not a conservation solution - they are domestic animals & compete for food with wild bees species which are at risk. Improve greenspaces! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Chelmsford council celebrates bees' first rooftop honey harvest

Chelmsford City Council has put a hive on the roof of its headquarters to try to boost bee numbers.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 14d

Oxford co-led study finds that majority of Britons continue to support EDI www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...

Oxford co-led study finds that majority of Britons continue to

A new report, released today and co-led by the University of Oxford, has found that a majority of Britons continue to back Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles, and are opposed to sweeping

www.ox.ac.uk

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Reposted by Phil Stevenson

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 15d

An exclusive YouGov poll, commissioned by Best for Britain finds: 62% of Brits say that Brexit has been more of a failure, compared to only 11%who would say it has been more of a success.

Full research here: https://bit.ly/4mv524J

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