Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ruth Francis

Scholarly Futures @scholarlyfutures.bsky.social · 1d

The arrival of AI and the speed it is changing our working lives is astonishing. @sarahgreaves18.bsky.social investigates the adoption of AI tools into academic publisher workflows, attitudes towards them & lessons from book publishing.
open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

Phill Jones @phillbjones.bsky.social · 2d

A new substack from @jontreadway.bsky.social @roobina.bsky.social Sarah Greaves and @pgarner.bsky.social

I've already subscribed and you should too.

scholarlyfutures.substack.com/p/launch-of-...

Launch of Scholarly Futures

Join us as we try to work out which futures are worth discussing

scholarlyfutures.substack.com

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Jon Treadway @jontreadway.bsky.social · 2d

This is a new thing that I’m trying out for a few months with some very smart people. We would love it if you would come along, tell us what you think and say hi.

Scholarly Futures @scholarlyfutures.bsky.social · 2d

Our first post is live! In our daily lives it can be hard to find time to stop and discuss the vast changes occurring in scholarly communication, research practices and academic publishing. We wanted to make time and engage our community to gain insights. Join us! 👇
open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...

A hand holding a crystal ball reflecting inverted trees with blossoms

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · 2d

A new space to consider the various directions that scholarly comms, research practices and academic publishing are traveling, by me, @sarahgreaves18.bsky.social @jontreadway.bsky.social & @grnr25.bsky.social
Welcome post below, first proper post tomorrow... Enjoy 😊

Scholarly Futures @scholarlyfutures.bsky.social · 2d

Our first post is live! In our daily lives it can be hard to find time to stop and discuss the vast changes occurring in scholarly communication, research practices and academic publishing. We wanted to make time and engage our community to gain insights. Join us! 👇
open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · 6d

Lovely article here by Helen Pilcher in @theguardian.com about how animals communicate and how reductive we can be when we think about how animals communicate.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Dogs name toys while elephants name each other. Animal language is more complex than we imagine | Helen Pilcher

If we really want to grasp what animals are ‘saying’, we need to understand their communication on their terms, not ours, says science writer Helen Pilcher

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 14d

NEW: London has achieved the historic milestone of meeting the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide for the first time in 2024 - 184 years earlier than experts predicted.

Blue sky with clouds and text reading “Mayor of London. Great news. London has met legal air quality limits 184 years earlier than predicted.”

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · May 18

This. Just this.
"If ever you’re in need as I was
may you have an island of strangers
like I had."
Thank you Michael Rosen ❤️
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

My island of strangers: a poem | Michael Rosen

The prime minister warns that immigration could turn Britain into an ‘island of strangers’. Author and poet Michael Rosen responds

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 23

Today we launched a report on UK journalists: who they are, how they work and what they think. Edited by @neilthurman.bsky.social @imkehenkel.bsky.social Sina Thäsler-Kordonouri & @richardfletcher.bsky.social, it's based on a 2023 representative survey

📱Read it
buff.ly/gIBRL1f
🧵Findings in thread

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Apr 10

Aaaah, hope the conference went well this year!

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Apr 1

'Disrupted bedtimes and difficulty getting them ready on time in the morning added additional stress to family life.' Ruth Ogden @ljmuofficial.bsky.social on stress of changing clocks.
My 4yo, 9pm last night, jumping on the bed shouting: It's my time to shine!!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Changing your clock? Scientists are only just beginning to understand what this does to us | Ruth Ogden

Our research in October showed that ‘falling back’ had a negative impact on women, especially mothers. Do we need to shift the way we think about time, asks professor of the psychology of time Ruth Og...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

stempra.bsky.social @stempra.bsky.social · Mar 7

It's likely most of us are still digesting everything we learned at Stempra's Press Officer Training Day yesterday - so we'll keep this update quick and cheerful. We partnered with KMGS Photography to immortalise the day, and the photos are IN ✨

Happy Friday, and happy faces at #POTD2025

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Mar 6

@shanecan.bsky.social sorry I forgot to tag you. I'm out of practice with these ere social networks 🙄🤭

Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Mar 6

If you're at #potd2025 do grab yourselves a photo in the break! We look forward to seeing your happy faces! @stempra.bsky.social

A woman and a man pose in a photo frame for Stempra press officer training day 2025

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Mar 6

Welcome, Shane! Always an early adopter 😉

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stempra.bsky.social @stempra.bsky.social · Mar 6

Here we are, just about to begin - remember to tag your #POTD2025 posts!

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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · Feb 21

🚨Texas measles outbreak nears 100 cases, w/16 hospitalizations. Officials suspect it's spilled just across the border to New Mexico.

Low vax rates+undetected infections mean it will grow.

“This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better”

My latest kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread - KFF Health News

Health officials expect a measles outbreak in West Texas to exceed 100 cases because of low vaccination rates and undetected infections. Vaccine misinformation and new laws may make such situations mo...

kffhealthnews.org

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · Feb 24

In 2019 Nigel Farage's Brexit Party voted against plans to tackle Russian propaganda, calling claims of Russian interference "scare stories"

One of his MEPs was Nathan Gill, who has just been accused in court of taking bribes in exchange for defending Russia in the European Parliament

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Reposted by Ruth Francis

Tom Ulrich (he/him) @scribblertom.com · Feb 24

We're still taking applications for the @broadinstitute.org #scicomm internship! The deadline is *THIS FRIDAY* (2/28) at 11:59pm ET. Don't delay!

Tom Ulrich (he/him) @scribblertom.com · Feb 3

Are you looking for a #scicomm internship? Just so happens I *have* a scicomm internship! Apply by 2/28 to be a paid summer #intern with the @broadinstitute.org communications team! 👉 broad.io/scicommintern

#sciencecommunications #paidinternship #internship

Science writing and communications internship

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard offers paid winter and summer internship in science writing and communications.

broad.io

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Feb 23

Absolutely fascinating article about attempts to regrow an extinct native tree to Rapa Nui, and how understanding trees' relationship with soil could be helping... In @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘The last plant left’: can Rapa Nui’s extinct tree be resurrected?

Seeds from the last toromiro, unique to remote Easter Island, were taken away in the 1960s. Now, after a crucial discovery gave hope for its survival, it is making a return

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ruth Francis

Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · Feb 18

Pretty disturbed by some of the Kremlin framing on the Trump talks being bought by parts of the media worldwide. It’s as if the genesis of the war is entirely forgotten. This isn’t a conflict which needs mediation. It was an unprovoked act of aggression. It could end tomorrow if Putin just withdrew.

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Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Feb 13

A meat industry lobbying group has written to Trump to push for rollback on environmental regulations, worker protections and food safety. Urgh.
Full article @sentientmedia.org by @ninaelkadi.com
sentientmedia.org/meat-industr...

Meat Industry Group Asks Trump to Deregulate Meatpacking and Factory Farms

Amid a deregulatory blitz, trade group pushes for rollback on environmental regulations, worker protections and food safety.

sentientmedia.org

Ruth Francis @roobina.bsky.social · Feb 10

Snowdrops, crocuses and 3.5 minutes of daylight gained each day. Spring is for winners 🌼🌱

Mind @mind.org.uk · Feb 10

For some of us, dark mornings and evenings can make us feel really low. The cold, wet, and windy weather can also impact our mood ☔️
️
The good news is that we're heading towards Spring. And we’re gaining an average of 3.5 minutes of daylight per day🌞

What’s your favourite part about Spring?