Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
LightNews LightNews
banner
eloquentscience.com
Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
@eloquentscience.com
4.2K followers 4.2K following 260 posts
Univ. of Manchester Prof of Synoptic Meteorology, educator, scientist
Author: Eloquent Science: A Practical Guide to Becoming a Better Writer, Speaker, and Atmospheric Scientist
Free online climate course: "Our Earth: Its Climate, History, and Processes"
Posts Replies Media Videos
eloquentscience.com
What a great voice, with such classic songs to his name.
If you haven't heard Jimmy Cliff before, check out "Many Rivers to Cross". Wonderful lyrics, soulful performance. One of the best songs ever. #JimmyCliff

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjW5...

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Jimmy Cliff, 'The Harder They Come' Reggae Giant, Dead at 81
Jimmy Cliff, the reggae legend who helped spread the genre’s reach from Jamaica to the world with ‘The Harder They Come,’ has died at the age of 81.
www.rollingstone.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
gabriellehecht.bsky.social
This is the funniest piece imaginable in the dull world of the otherwise sickly sycophantic tech review.

For real. Read it, even if you don’t give a rat’s ass about printers.
November 23, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
chrischirp.bsky.social
Privileged to share a guest post today by a US veteran and intelligence analyst on the echoes they see between the regimes they used to monitor and today’s US.

They asked to remain anonymous - itself a sign of how worrying things have become in America.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/authoritar...
Authoritarian echoes: how America is mirroring Egypt and Russia
**Guest post**: A US veteran’s perspective on the erosion of US democracy and the urgency of the 2026 midterms
christinapagel.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
krisshrishak.bsky.social
The European Commission uses ChatGPT outputs in public documents.

@iccl.bsky.social has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman as this use likely violates Commission's own guidelines and its obligation under EU treaties

www.iccl.ie/news/europea...
European Commission breaches own AI guidelines by using ChatGPT in public documents
ICCL has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman against the European Commission for its use of generative AI in public documents, which likely violates its own guidelines and its obligation under...
www.iccl.ie
November 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
hansonmark.bsky.social
For-profit journals are supposed to improve research quality, yet they're perversely incentivized to churn out whatever they can monetize. This was happening before AI (see Strain: bit.ly/43gJPUM), and AI will make it worse.

It's insane that we volunteer our time to help them do so.

4/n
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
hansonmark.bsky.social
Scientists operate on principles of good faith. But this is just ridiculous. If you, dear reader, take nothing else away from The Drain paper, it is that publishers cannot be invited to the table any longer.

They can participate and carve a space, but they can't be part of shaping policy.

3/n
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
hansonmark.bsky.social
The solutions of the past 3 decades have failed to change the incentives of #PublishOrPerish. As a result, researcher funding, time, control, and trust has been lost.

The ONE CONSTANT in the wake of the serial crisis, #PlanS and #OpenAccess reform has been publish profit margins.

2/n
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
hansonmark.bsky.social
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
nielsmede.bsky.social
Published today: One of the biggest #science #communication studies to date. We asked 71,922 people in 68 countries how they #engage with information about #science and combined the data with several country-level factors: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #OpenAccess
October 21, 2025 at 12:27 PM
eloquentscience.com
Halloween hike Austwick to Clapham, Yorkshire Dales. Spooky doors with Hidden Dangers and dark tunnels. 🎃👻💀
Wooden door in stone wall with sign Hidden Dangers. Hidden Dangers sign on wooden door. Stone wall leads to dark tunnel. Red, orange, and yellow leaves on ground.
October 31, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
acarsdrama.bsky.social
VDLM2 Message From: HB-IJN / LX08CD

Message: WX RADAR STRANGE ECHOS. DURING LEFT SWIPE ECHO IS STRONGER ON LEFT SIDE. DURING RIGHT SWIPE ECHO STRONGER ON RIGHT SIDE. GRUSS ANNINA

Track Aircraft: https://www.flightradar24.com/HB-IJN

Area: Southampton, UK

#acars #vdlm2 #HBIJN #LX08CD
October 31, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
davidho.bsky.social
Following Hurricane Melissa's devastation, Jamaica’s decade-long effort to build financial resilience will be tested. Its $150 million catastrophe bond, triggered by a storm’s low pressure and path, will provide quick relief. Jamaica’s model may serve as a guide for other climate-vulnerable nations.
Jamaica invested heavily in climate disaster insurance. It looks about to pay off | CBC News
Jamaica’s decade-long effort to build layers of financial protection in case of natural disasters might help the country access millions of dollars in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissa — an...
www.cbc.ca
October 30, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
cira-csu.bsky.social
The monster eye at the center of a still strengthening Hurricane Melissa.
October 27, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
jeremydehartwx.bsky.social
From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
October 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
johnmoralestv.bsky.social
"The NOAA aircraft left the storm early after
experiencing severe turbulence in the southwestern eyewall."

These men and women are not being paid due to the US government shutdown. Not to mention that according to AOML's director emeritus Robert Atlas, they are down 40-50% staff. #Melissa
October 27, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
senchrislarson.bsky.social
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.

The President is building an army to attack his own country.
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
sqferryman.bsky.social
Louvre robbery. French police release image of suspect.
The character Feathers McGraw from the film "The Wrong Trousers".
October 19, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
hpsc24.bsky.social
10/18/25💪Bald eagle showed up to NoKings - York, PA🇺🇸🙏
October 18, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
ironspike.bsky.social
One more American Revolutionary Era thing before I forget, cuz it's funny as hell:

The UK didn't recognize American independence until 1783, via The Treaty of Paris.

A painting was commissioned to commemorate the occasion, but the British delegates refused to pose for it.

Salty bitch behavior. 🧂
Benjamin West's "American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England." It is an unfinished oil painting featuring John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. It is conspicuously incomplete.
March 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM
eloquentscience.com
This seems bad...
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · Oct 16
Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts have concerns.
One Republican Now Controls a Huge Chunk of US Election Infrastructure
Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts have concerns.
wrd.cm
October 16, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
paulbernal.bsky.social
One of the rare pleasures in academia is being asked to review something and finding that it's really rather wonderful.
October 15, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
oisinmcgann.bsky.social
If anyone has some time to help out in transcribing old, handwritten weather records.

www.met.ie/met-eireann-...
Met Éireann opens historic weather transcription project to all - Met Éireann - The Irish Meteorological Service
Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, is the leading provider of weather information and related services for Ireland.
www.met.ie
October 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
qmucu.bsky.social
The VC of Leicester has been announced as the new Chair of UCEA.

He's been VC of Leicester since 2019. He's the one responsible for forcing out scholars in ways that employment tribunals showed was not permitted.

The the kind of guy UCEA values.
www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/o... #UKHE
book cover of 'shaping for mediocrity': The cancellation of critical thinking at our universities.
October 12, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
ketanjoshi.co
Never really thought about how AI slop would make pie charts even worse

discoveryalert.com.au/news/queensl...
An AI Sloppy chart where a black slice of the pie 65% but clearly less than half. Another slices labelled two 1035 and has a son on it. Another slice is labelled 204%, uh and is like maybe about A quarter and then there is a blue slice that just has stars on it, on an article about Queensland reversing coal power plant closure plans,
October 15, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Eloquent Science (Prof. David Schultz)
michaelspicer.bsky.social
stop thinking right now
October 11, 2025 at 9:08 AM