Fiona McMillan-Webster
@fmcmillanwebster.bsky.social
PhD, BSc, science writer, author of The Age of Seeds: How Plants Hacked Time and Why Our Future Depends on It.
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
As I get ready for another cozy weekend of Olympics watching, I'm seeing lots of chatter about ice quality for different sports. As a Minnesotan and a science journalist, just wanted to reshare this video about why ice temps matter!
It turns out that not all ice is created equal. Ice rinks are calibrated specifically for different sports, and at the Olympics these sport specifics are tightly controlled by the event’s "ice meisters."
🎤✏️: Marta Hill
📸: Getty Images
🎤✏️: Marta Hill
📸: Getty Images
February 13, 2026 at 10:09 PM
As I get ready for another cozy weekend of Olympics watching, I'm seeing lots of chatter about ice quality for different sports. As a Minnesotan and a science journalist, just wanted to reshare this video about why ice temps matter!
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Franzi Schimmer captured this Grizzly bear in Brooks Falls, Alaska just floating along, tippy-tapping down the river, browsing the salmon.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
February 14, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Franzi Schimmer captured this Grizzly bear in Brooks Falls, Alaska just floating along, tippy-tapping down the river, browsing the salmon.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Calling all Australian science writers!
Entries are still open for The Best Australian Science Writing 2026 and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2026.
I’m delighted to be editing this year’s anthology!
Entries are still open for The Best Australian Science Writing 2026 and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2026.
I’m delighted to be editing this year’s anthology!
February 13, 2026 at 1:17 AM
Calling all Australian science writers!
Entries are still open for The Best Australian Science Writing 2026 and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2026.
I’m delighted to be editing this year’s anthology!
Entries are still open for The Best Australian Science Writing 2026 and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize for Science Writing 2026.
I’m delighted to be editing this year’s anthology!
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team.
The Post sent layoff notices to at least 14 #climate journalists.
open.substack.com/pub/climatec...
The Post sent layoff notices to at least 14 #climate journalists.
open.substack.com/pub/climatec...
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team
Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.
open.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team.
The Post sent layoff notices to at least 14 #climate journalists.
open.substack.com/pub/climatec...
The Post sent layoff notices to at least 14 #climate journalists.
open.substack.com/pub/climatec...
I almost made it to work on time…. But there was a dog and he wanted scritchie-scratchies
February 4, 2026 at 11:26 PM
I almost made it to work on time…. But there was a dog and he wanted scritchie-scratchies
I’m looking forward to hosting today’s webinar on the importance of oases, springs, and groundwater in dryland biodiversity 🌴
Register via the link below to join us!
👇
Register via the link below to join us!
👇
📣 Join TODAY'S #webinar, 'Lifelines in the Desert – the critical role of oases in biodiversity and heritage', at 3pm AEST.
Discover the value of Australia's desert springs and #oases with leading experts, addressing their challenges and #conservation strategies.
Register now: buff.ly/Yo18khW
Discover the value of Australia's desert springs and #oases with leading experts, addressing their challenges and #conservation strategies.
Register now: buff.ly/Yo18khW
February 4, 2026 at 1:31 AM
I’m looking forward to hosting today’s webinar on the importance of oases, springs, and groundwater in dryland biodiversity 🌴
Register via the link below to join us!
👇
Register via the link below to join us!
👇
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
An email I received today from a Fox "News" "reporter"
January 28, 2026 at 9:54 PM
An email I received today from a Fox "News" "reporter"
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
🎨 The Forest Art Intelligence project is a unique art-science initiative by experimental artist Keith Armstrong, in collaboration with a team of scientists and science educators from QUT and TERN.
Read more: buff.ly/UqXgQAU
#ArtScience #NatureArt #EnvironmentalEducation
Read more: buff.ly/UqXgQAU
#ArtScience #NatureArt #EnvironmentalEducation
January 21, 2026 at 12:14 AM
🎨 The Forest Art Intelligence project is a unique art-science initiative by experimental artist Keith Armstrong, in collaboration with a team of scientists and science educators from QUT and TERN.
Read more: buff.ly/UqXgQAU
#ArtScience #NatureArt #EnvironmentalEducation
Read more: buff.ly/UqXgQAU
#ArtScience #NatureArt #EnvironmentalEducation
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
What's ridiculous is that it's become a marker in the first place. People with zero understanding of punctuation decided the presence of the em dash is statistically significant, then proceeded to make it a universal rule that its presence proves the text is generative slop. em-dash-appreciation.org
Em Dash Appreciation Society
em-dash-appreciation.org
December 30, 2025 at 9:44 PM
What's ridiculous is that it's become a marker in the first place. People with zero understanding of punctuation decided the presence of the em dash is statistically significant, then proceeded to make it a universal rule that its presence proves the text is generative slop. em-dash-appreciation.org
Sunflower justifiably unsure about 2026, and will not be making any solid commitments at this time
December 30, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Sunflower justifiably unsure about 2026, and will not be making any solid commitments at this time
Pleased to report that after a great deal of wildly unsubtle hinting, I scored a beautiful illustrated edition of Alchemy by @philipcball.bsky.social
😍
😍
December 25, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Pleased to report that after a great deal of wildly unsubtle hinting, I scored a beautiful illustrated edition of Alchemy by @philipcball.bsky.social
😍
😍
‘The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed’…
Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer –
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
That beast didn’t have unshiny nostrils!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in Anglo Saxon meter:
allthingslinguistic.com/post/1359368...
December 25, 2025 at 2:09 AM
‘The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed’…
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
🏔 Happy #WorldMountainDay!
Check out our latest article on @scienceanu.bsky.social students using AMRF's Mobile Laboratory, purchased with support from TERN, that's now a central part of ANU’s Advanced Field Studies in Functional Ecology course.
Read more: www.tern.org.au/news/reachin...
Check out our latest article on @scienceanu.bsky.social students using AMRF's Mobile Laboratory, purchased with support from TERN, that's now a central part of ANU’s Advanced Field Studies in Functional Ecology course.
Read more: www.tern.org.au/news/reachin...
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
🏔 Happy #WorldMountainDay!
Check out our latest article on @scienceanu.bsky.social students using AMRF's Mobile Laboratory, purchased with support from TERN, that's now a central part of ANU’s Advanced Field Studies in Functional Ecology course.
Read more: www.tern.org.au/news/reachin...
Check out our latest article on @scienceanu.bsky.social students using AMRF's Mobile Laboratory, purchased with support from TERN, that's now a central part of ANU’s Advanced Field Studies in Functional Ecology course.
Read more: www.tern.org.au/news/reachin...
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Puffins have returned to Northern Ireland’s Isle of Muck (seriously, that’s its name) for the first time in at least 25 years. Tales of puffins on the island “felt more like folklore,” said nature reserves manager Andy Crory, but now they’re coming back. buff.ly/oBQlH6r
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Puffins: Isle of Muck comeback 'proves restoration works'
Puffins have been seen on the Isle of Muck off Antrim for the first time in at least 25 years
buff.ly
November 29, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Puffins have returned to Northern Ireland’s Isle of Muck (seriously, that’s its name) for the first time in at least 25 years. Tales of puffins on the island “felt more like folklore,” said nature reserves manager Andy Crory, but now they’re coming back. buff.ly/oBQlH6r
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
One morning, during isolation, an entire chorus of birds showed up and started making a huge ruckus — kookaburras, currawongs, crows, butcher birds, a long list. I looked out the window and saw that an owl had landed in the backyard. I brought my daughter to the window to watch.
What's a charming memory you have from the worst period of the pandemic?
November 30, 2025 at 6:09 AM
One morning, during isolation, an entire chorus of birds showed up and started making a huge ruckus — kookaburras, currawongs, crows, butcher birds, a long list. I looked out the window and saw that an owl had landed in the backyard. I brought my daughter to the window to watch.
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
The future's green for turtles.
Once on the brink of extinction, green sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific: nest counts on Australia’s Heron Island have risen tenfold since the 1970s, and populations across the Pacific now meet IUCN recovery thresholds.
https://f.mtr.cool/uzimhivdld
Once on the brink of extinction, green sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific: nest counts on Australia’s Heron Island have risen tenfold since the 1970s, and populations across the Pacific now meet IUCN recovery thresholds.
https://f.mtr.cool/uzimhivdld
October 21, 2025 at 1:33 AM
The future's green for turtles.
Once on the brink of extinction, green sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific: nest counts on Australia’s Heron Island have risen tenfold since the 1970s, and populations across the Pacific now meet IUCN recovery thresholds.
https://f.mtr.cool/uzimhivdld
Once on the brink of extinction, green sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific: nest counts on Australia’s Heron Island have risen tenfold since the 1970s, and populations across the Pacific now meet IUCN recovery thresholds.
https://f.mtr.cool/uzimhivdld
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Bafflingly there are still people out there in the world who think being passionate about nature is “kind of weird”. or “a niche interest”. These people have it all wrong. Nature isn’t some quirky sideline to the main business. It IS the main business.
October 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Bafflingly there are still people out there in the world who think being passionate about nature is “kind of weird”. or “a niche interest”. These people have it all wrong. Nature isn’t some quirky sideline to the main business. It IS the main business.
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
“science is bad for tyrants, and always has been”
This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥
We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪
Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇
open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...
We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪
Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇
open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...
October 2, 2025 at 4:53 AM
“science is bad for tyrants, and always has been”
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Rest in peace, Dr. Jane Goodall💚
October 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Rest in peace, Dr. Jane Goodall💚
Apparently, they have also banned the word ‘green’
Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list
It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.
www.politico.com
September 30, 2025 at 5:31 AM
Apparently, they have also banned the word ‘green’
Footpath emoji
September 30, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Footpath emoji
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
🏆 A huge milestone!
The TERN team surveyed our 1000th field plot—a huge achievement in our mission to support ecosystem science across Australia.This occured in WA during a GEO-TREES field campaign, which provides high-accuracy ground data for satellite-derived biomass mapping.
The TERN team surveyed our 1000th field plot—a huge achievement in our mission to support ecosystem science across Australia.This occured in WA during a GEO-TREES field campaign, which provides high-accuracy ground data for satellite-derived biomass mapping.
September 24, 2025 at 4:53 AM
🏆 A huge milestone!
The TERN team surveyed our 1000th field plot—a huge achievement in our mission to support ecosystem science across Australia.This occured in WA during a GEO-TREES field campaign, which provides high-accuracy ground data for satellite-derived biomass mapping.
The TERN team surveyed our 1000th field plot—a huge achievement in our mission to support ecosystem science across Australia.This occured in WA during a GEO-TREES field campaign, which provides high-accuracy ground data for satellite-derived biomass mapping.
Work in progress… pretty sure moss grows faster than I paint but I’m ok with that
September 6, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Work in progress… pretty sure moss grows faster than I paint but I’m ok with that
Reposted by Fiona McMillan-Webster
Lunar eclipse fans, there's a total lunar eclipse this weekend! All of Australia (and a bunch of other countries) will be able to see all the best bits. The eclipse will be in the evening of Sunday the 7th or the morning of Monday the 8th of September 🧪🔭🌝
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
When and where can I see Monday's total lunar eclipse from Australia?
A total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon", will be visible across all of Australia next week. Here's what you need to know to get the best view and snap the best photo.
www.abc.net.au
September 5, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Lunar eclipse fans, there's a total lunar eclipse this weekend! All of Australia (and a bunch of other countries) will be able to see all the best bits. The eclipse will be in the evening of Sunday the 7th or the morning of Monday the 8th of September 🧪🔭🌝
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
www.abc.net.au/news/science...