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Prof Sam Illingworth

@samillingworth.com

12K followers 67 following 3.9K posts

Professor of Creative Pedagogies | Poet | Game Designer | Slow AI #SciComm #HigherEd #Poetry #GenAI https://theslowai.substack.com/ https://linktr.ee/sam.illingworth

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Environmental science 23%

Sociology 13%

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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · Jun 30

👋 I’m Sam – Academic & poet exploring #Science, #GenAI, & #HigherEd 🧪

🎲 Latest Paper | Student empathy through play: doi.org/10.3390/bs15...

📖 Latest book | The poetry of physics: doi.org/10.1201/9781...

🤖 Substack | Slow AI: theslowai.substack.com

#SciComm #Poetry #AI #SciArt #SlowAI

Slow AI | Sam Illingworth | Substack

A weekly prompt series exploring mindful, creative, and human-centred ways to engage with AI – one slow idea at a time. Click to read Slow AI, by Sam Illingworth, a Substack publication with hundreds ...

theslowai.substack.com

4 6 25

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 42m

🩸 Lab-grown embryo model makes human blood cells

Cambridge scientists created embryo-like structures that formed early human blood and heart cells, a step toward patient-matched regenerative therapies.

🔗 www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

#StemCells #SciComm 🧪

Lab-grown human embryo model produces blood cells

Breakthrough raises new possibilities for regenerative medicine, which uses patient’s own cells to repair damaged tissues

www.theguardian.com

1 1 8

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1h

🌒 Eclipse confuses birds into dawn songs

During the 2024 total solar eclipse, over half of bird species briefly sang as if it were morning, revealing how light shifts shape behaviour.

🔗 doi.org/10.1126/scie...

#Birds #SciComm 🧪

Total solar eclipse triggers dawn behavior in birds: Insights from acoustic recordings and community science

On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse disrupted light-dark cycles for North American birds during the lead-up to spring reproduction. Compiling more than 10,000 community observations and artificial ...

doi.org

7 13

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 4h

🧠 Pollution and child brain development

A Finnish study found that prenatal exposure to PFAS chemicals was linked to subtle brain changes in 5-year-olds, including regions for movement and vision.

🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#PFAS #SciComm 🧪

Prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances predicts multimodal brain structural and functional outcomes in children aged 5 years: a birth cohort study

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants associated with adverse health outcomes in humans. A…

www.sciencedirect.com

3 6

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 6h

🌍 Earth’s magnetic field is shifting

Data from 11 years of satellites show the weak South Atlantic field is expanding, while Canada’s strong field is shrinking and Siberia’s is growing.

🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#EarthScience #SciComm 🧪

Core field changes from eleven years of Swarm satellite observations

The Swarm satellite trio has provided global vector magnetic field measurements, with high precision and absolute accuracy, for the past eleven years.…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 8h

🌿 Nature lifts mood all day

Surveying over 2,000 adults, researchers found that visiting parks or watersides boosts happiness for everyone, including those with depression or anxiety.

🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1743...

#MentalHealth #SciComm 🧪

Happy days are nature days: visiting nature has positive spill-over effects for the entire day among people with and without common mental health disorders

Recreational time in nature is linked to greater positive and fewer negative emotions than time in built settings, but it is unclear whether benefits: a) are short-lived or ‘spill-over’ across the ...

doi.org

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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 10h

🤖 Are chatbots dangerous companions?

An analysis of 48,000 chatbot conversations found many users felt dependency, confusion, and emotional strain, raising concerns about AI-induced digital entrapment.

🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#SciComm #AI #MentalHealth 🧪

AI companionship or digital entrapment? investigating the impact of anthropomorphic AI-based chatbots

Anthropomorphic AI-based chatbots are reshaping human-machine interactions, enabling users to form emotional bonds with AI agents. While these systems…

www.sciencedirect.com

11 30

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 18h

🌍 Global health progress and new risks

A major global study from @thelancet.com shows infectious diseases keep falling, but chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and anxiety are rising worldwide.

🔗 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#GlobalHealth #SciComm 🧪

Burden of 375 diseases and injuries, risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, and healthy life expectancy in 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, 1990–2023: a system...

Our findings underscore the complex and dynamic nature of global health challenges. Since 2010, there have been large decreases in burden due to CMNN diseases and many environmental and behavioural ri...

www.thelancet.com

2 8

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 19h

🧫 Alarming rise of superbugs in newborns

A study across Southeast Asia found most newborn sepsis cases were caused by drug-resistant bacteria, with Klebsiella and Acinetobacter showing especially high resistance.

🔗 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#SciComm #Health #AMR 🧪

Pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance among neonatal bloodstream infections in Southeast Asia: results from NeoSEAP, a multicentre retrospective study

Neonatal sepsis in tertiary hospitals in Southeast Asia is predominantly caused by gram-negative bacteria, with high rates of non-susceptibility to commonly prescribed antibiotics.

www.thelancet.com

1 5 15

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 22h

🏭 When oversight stops, pollution rises

During the 2018–19 US government shutdown, coal plants released more soot when EPA monitoring paused, showing firms cut corners when checks lapse.

🔗 www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

#AirQuality #SciComm 🧪

Monitoring and Enforcement and Environmental Compliance: Power Plant Emissions During the 2018–19 Federal Government Shutdown | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol...

Abstract We show that firms strategically reduce their compliance effort when monitoring and enforcement unexpectedly decline in the short run. We use the Environmental Protection Agency’s furlough du...

www.journals.uchicago.edu

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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🦐 Krill help move carbon in the ocean

Antarctic krill make and drop 'food boluses' while feeding. These sinking clumps may carry carbon deep into the sea, aiding ocean carbon transport.

🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...

#MarineBiology #SciComm 🧪

The production of ‘food boluses’ by Antarctic krill and implications for organic matter transport | Biology Letters

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a key species in the marine Antarctic ecosystem. Food boluses, a by-product of feeding where Antarctic krill form a compact food mass within their feeding basket, were formed and rejected under laboratory ...

doi.org

3 13

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

📱 Social media and self-image

A review found that appearance-focused social media use links to body shame and eating risks, while self-compassion can help protect against these effects.

🔗 jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

#SciComm 🧪 #SocialMedia

Client Challenge

jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com

1 1 6

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🤖 Who gets to decide what counts as ethical in AI?

This week’s Slow AI asks how shared responsibility starts with everyday choices:

theslowai.substack.com/p/why-ai-eth...

#AIethics #SciComm #SlowAI #AI #GenAI

Why AI Ethics Fails When Left to Experts

Who gets to decide what’s ethical, and what if it’s all of us?

theslowai.substack.com

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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🧬 Blocking cancer growth safely

New drugs that stop a key protein link in cancer cells slowed tumour growth in mice with RAS or HER2 mutations, without harming blood sugar control.

🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#Cancer #SciComm 🧪

Covalent inhibitors of the PI3Kα RAS binding domain impair tumor growth driven by RAS and HER2

Genetic disruption of the RAS binding domain (RBD) of Phosphoinositide 3-kinase alpha(PI3Kα) impairs the growth of tumors driven by the small guanosine triphosphatase RAS in mice and does not impact P...

www.science.org

2 6 23

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🧠 How ageing reshapes the brain

Scans from 2,600 adults show that ageing expands lower front brain areas and compresses upper back ones. These shape shifts link to weaker thinking and memory.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#SciComm #Ageing 🧪

Client Challenge

www.nature.com

1 2 16

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🌍 Carbon offsets largely fail to cut emissions

A 25-year review found most carbon offset schemes do not reduce global heating, with systemic flaws like double counting and temporary projects undermining real progress.

🔗 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#SciComm #Climate #CarbonOffsets 🧪

Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says

Analysis of 25 years of evidence shows most schemes are poor quality and fail to lower emissions

www.theguardian.com

6 37 87

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🏺 Climate shift and the fall of a dynasty

Stalagmite records show a major drought and cooling event 2,800 years ago helped trigger the collapse of China’s Western Zhou Dynasty and mass southward migration.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s43...

#SciComm #ClimateHistory #Archaeology 🧪

Client Challenge

www.nature.com

3 10 25

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

🐀 Social life slows brain ageing

In aged rats, long-term social housing preserved memory and flexibility, supported by healthier brain activity in regions tied to learning and decision-making.

🔗 doi.org/10.18632/aging.206310

#SciComm #Ageing 🧪

The impact of long-term social housing on biconditional association task performance and neuron ensembles in the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampal CA3 region of aged rats | Aging

Aging | doi:10.18632/aging.206310. Anne M. Dankert, Abbi R. Hernandez, Taylor B. Wise, Katrina I. T. Dayaw, Judith N. T. Dayaw, Rachael M. Layden, Katelyn N. Lubke, Sara N. Burke, Victoria L. Templer

doi.org

3 14

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 1d

Thanks team. 🙏

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🦣 Ancient hunters and lost giants

New evidence shows early humans in southern South America relied mainly on now-extinct megafauna (such as giant sloths) for food until about 11,600 years ago, linking humans to their disappearance.

🔗 doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx2615

#SciComm #Archaeology 🧪

Extinct megafauna dominated human subsistence in southern South America before 11,600 years ago

The high position of megafauna among the hunting prey of humans in South America reinforces their central role in extinctions.

doi.org

3 14

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🧫 How vaccines shape T cell defences

Researchers found that repeated mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations keep T cells diverse while strengthening their binding power, helping the immune system adapt to viral changes.

🔗 doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.adu6730

#SciComm #Vaccines #COVID19 🧪

Vaccination-induced T cell responses maintain polyclonality with high antigen receptor avidity

Clonal recruitment is governed by a T cell receptor avidity threshold, whereas probabilistic expansion preserves repertoire polyclonality.

doi.org

6 20

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🧓 Calcium supplements and dementia risk

A 14-year study of 1,460 older women found no link between calcium supplements and dementia, easing concerns about long-term cognitive harm.

🔗 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#SciComm #Ageing #Dementia 🧪

Calcium supplementation and the risk of dementia in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Aging Women: a post-hoc analysis of a randomised clinical trial for fracture prevention

Calcium supplementation for five years did not increase the risk of all-cause dementia events over 14.5 years in community-dwelling older women. Findings do not support concerns that calcium supplemen...

www.thelancet.com

3 13

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

💪 Plant vs animal protein in training

In a 12-week trial, men who took plant or animal protein with resistance training gained similar muscle mass and strength. Both sources were equally effective.

🔗 doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2025.2568047

#SciComm #Nutrition #Exercise 🧪

Recent evidence suggests that both animal and plant proteins support strength and hypertrophy gains when paired with resistance training and adequate protein intake. The purpose of this study was t...

doi.org

2 6 27

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🌊 Emissions timing shapes sea-level rise

A new study shows that when emissions fall matters as much as how much they fall. Delayed cuts drive higher sea levels, while Antarctic melt adds major uncertainty.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#SciComm #ClimateCrisis #SeaLevel 🧪

The interplay of future emissions and geophysical uncertainties for projections of sea-level rise - Nature Climate Change

Unclear emissions and ice-sheet processes drive uncertainties in future sea-level rise. The authors show that the timing of emissions reductions drives the uncertainties during the twenty-first century, but geophysical uncertainties become more important with time, especially under optimistic scenarios.

www.nature.com

1 6 18

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🏔️ Glaciers lose their cooling edge

Scientists found that mountain glaciers will soon warm in step with the air around them, losing their brief cooling buffer and melting faster after midcentury.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#SciComm #ClimateCrisis #Glaciers 🧪

Mountain glaciers recouple to atmospheric warming over the twenty-first century - Nature Climate Change

It has been argued that air temperatures over mountain glaciers are decoupled from surrounding warming, which could slow down melting. Here the authors show that this effect will weaken with future glacier retreat, leading to a recoupling of temperatures from the 2030s onwards.

www.nature.com

13 27

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

💼 Long-term impact of COVID-19 on work

A study of 158 million US workers found health-related absences remain 13% higher than before the pandemic, reducing labour force participation.

🔗 doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.36635

#SciComm #COVID19 🧪

Enduring Outcomes of COVID-19 Work Absences on the US Labor Market

This cohort study examines the extent to which COVID-19 continues to generate work absences and decrease labor force participation beyond the pandemic period in the US.

doi.org

4 27 62

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

🧬 New clue toward male birth control

Scientists found that sperm switch on an enzyme called aldolase to boost energy for fertilization. Blocking this process could lead to new male contraceptives.

🔗 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#SciComm #Reproduction #BirthControl 🧪

Sperm meet the elevated energy demands to attain fertilization competence by increasing flux through aldolase | PNAS

Prior to ejaculation, mammalian sperm are stored in the epididymis in a “resting” metabolic state. Upon ejaculation, sperm must alter their metabol...

www.pnas.org

2 6 23

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 2d

💉 School nurses call for stronger vaccine rules

A new position from the National Association of School Nurses in the US says all students should be fully vaccinated, with exemptions allowed only for medical reasons.

🔗 www.news-medical.net/news/2025101...

#SciComm #Vaccines 🧪

NASN position statement emphasizes the importance of school immunizations

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) today released its updated position statement, Immunization and Vaccination Requirements, underscoring the essential role of timely, up-to-date, and co...

www.news-medical.net

1 14 33

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 3d

💊 Rise of deadly nitazene opioids

Researchers report a global surge in nitazene use, a synthetic opioid up to 500 times stronger than morphine. Most overdoses occur when it is sold as other drugs.

🔗 doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03280-5

#SciComm #Opioids 🧪

Dangerous ‘nitazene’ opioids are on the rise: researchers are worried

This class of synthetic opioids is more potent than heroin and morphine.

doi.org

2 7 10

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 3d

🥤 Soft drinks and depression

A study of 932 adults found that soft drink intake was linked to major depression, especially in women. Gut bacteria changes partly explained the connection.

🔗 jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

#SciComm #MentalHealth #Nutrition 🧪

Soft Drink Consumption and Depression Mediated by Gut Microbiome Alterations

This cohort study examines the association between soft drink consumption and major depressive disorder diagnosis and severity and whether this association is mediated by changes in the gut microbiota...

jamanetwork.com

4 16 37

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 3d

📱 Screen time and school performance

A study of over 3,000 Canadian children found that more daily screen use at a young age was linked to lower reading and maths scores in later school years.

🔗 doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.37092

#SciComm #Education #ChildHealth 🧪

Screen Time and Standardized Academic Achievement Tests in Elementary School

This cohort study evaluates whether there is an association between different types of screen time, including TV, digital media, and video gaming, and standardized academic achievement test results in...

doi.org

2 6 15