Laurie Winkless
@lauriewinkless.bsky.social
Physicist & science storyteller. 📚#1: SCIENCE AND THE CITY 📚#2: STICKY. Irish in Aotearoa New Zealand. She/her. Massive science nerd, biz owner / self-employed, enthusiastic, outspoken, equity-minded, multi-crafter #ToitūTeTiriti #FreePalestine🇵🇸
I think this is the earliest I've ever put up my Christmas tree* and I am DELIGHTED. It feels so festive. Delta approves too 😅
(*today was my only free weekend day until 20th Dec. No fricken way I was waiting til then to decorate!)
(*today was my only free weekend day until 20th Dec. No fricken way I was waiting til then to decorate!)
November 22, 2025 at 8:26 AM
I think this is the earliest I've ever put up my Christmas tree* and I am DELIGHTED. It feels so festive. Delta approves too 😅
(*today was my only free weekend day until 20th Dec. No fricken way I was waiting til then to decorate!)
(*today was my only free weekend day until 20th Dec. No fricken way I was waiting til then to decorate!)
My latest article for @forbes.com has just gone live 🧪👩🔬⚛️ www.forbes.com/sites/laurie...
Cities Are Expanding Uphill, Threatening Global Biodiversity
New study reveals cities expanding into hillsides threaten 70% of endangered species worldwide. Learn how urban sprawl impacts biodiversity hotspots globally.
www.forbes.com
November 21, 2025 at 7:58 PM
My latest article for @forbes.com has just gone live 🧪👩🔬⚛️ www.forbes.com/sites/laurie...
Oh no. I just had an idea for something I could make my #secretsantaaonz giftee. It'll take me AGES and I'm a bit time-poor at the mo. But I think they'd really like it.... 😬
November 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Oh no. I just had an idea for something I could make my #secretsantaaonz giftee. It'll take me AGES and I'm a bit time-poor at the mo. But I think they'd really like it.... 😬
I'm happy with my giftee for #secretsantaaonz! They post on here pretty often, which is great. They don't seem to have an obvious "hook" / passion that I could work off, but after some sleuthing, I feel like I have a good sense of who they are. Now to come up with ideas for their gift - exciting!
November 20, 2025 at 6:20 AM
I'm happy with my giftee for #secretsantaaonz! They post on here pretty often, which is great. They don't seem to have an obvious "hook" / passion that I could work off, but after some sleuthing, I feel like I have a good sense of who they are. Now to come up with ideas for their gift - exciting!
If you don't already listen to @20k.bsky.social podcast, you're missing out. The latest episode is all about the sound recording for #Wicked - an utterly fascinating insight into what it took to produce the movie(s) share.google/wWHlhA60Q1xz...
Defying Gravity: The Audio Wizardry of Wicked's Live Vocals — Twenty Thousand Hertz - The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
In movie musicals, the vocals are almost never recorded live on-set. Instead, the actors pre-record their songs, then lip sync to those recordings while filming. But on Wicked, they threw out th...
share.google
November 19, 2025 at 9:08 PM
If you don't already listen to @20k.bsky.social podcast, you're missing out. The latest episode is all about the sound recording for #Wicked - an utterly fascinating insight into what it took to produce the movie(s) share.google/wWHlhA60Q1xz...
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
This govt seems set on doing one really shitty thing after another
Puberty blockers save young lives. This govt is literally admitting it's about anti-"woke" (their word) ideology. Which is why cis kids can still access them!
I'm begging you to take 3 min to write your MP, write to Labour MPs 🙏
Our dead kid rate is high enough tbh
www.1news.co.nz/2025/11/19/g...
I'm begging you to take 3 min to write your MP, write to Labour MPs 🙏
Our dead kid rate is high enough tbh
www.1news.co.nz/2025/11/19/g...
November 19, 2025 at 7:06 AM
This govt seems set on doing one really shitty thing after another
I was back on RNZ today talking about science. For some unknown reason we had a slight delay on the call, but it's hopefully still a good listen. Three stories (language learning, fossil fuels, iron deficiency). Ten minutes. Go! 🧪👩🔬⚛️ #nz www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
Language learning + ageing, fuel CO2 levels hit record
Science commentator Laurie Winkless joins Kathryn with a new study that looked at 86,000 people in 27 European countries to understand how multilingualism may influence their brain health as they age....
www.rnz.co.nz
November 19, 2025 at 2:38 AM
I was back on RNZ today talking about science. For some unknown reason we had a slight delay on the call, but it's hopefully still a good listen. Three stories (language learning, fossil fuels, iron deficiency). Ten minutes. Go! 🧪👩🔬⚛️ #nz www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
Sign up for #secretsantaaonz - a genuinely delightful project based entirely on kindness - closes TODAY. So if you're in Aotearoa and want to spread (& receive) some joy, now's your chance!
It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas,
With sign up going live!🎶🎵
So here's the Bluesky Secret Santa AoNZ, with some friends from Mastodon along for the ride. We hope you are looking forward to some fun, and that we can bring it to you 🎄
Official hashtag: #SecretSantaAoNZ
App: secretsanta.nz
With sign up going live!🎶🎵
So here's the Bluesky Secret Santa AoNZ, with some friends from Mastodon along for the ride. We hope you are looking forward to some fun, and that we can bring it to you 🎄
Official hashtag: #SecretSantaAoNZ
App: secretsanta.nz
November 18, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Sign up for #secretsantaaonz - a genuinely delightful project based entirely on kindness - closes TODAY. So if you're in Aotearoa and want to spread (& receive) some joy, now's your chance!
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
One of the few good things about living in New Zealand is that you can look at the Labour Party and if you are like “wow I’m way more progressive than/left of them”, then you simply don’t have to give your party vote to them and move on with your life guilt free and vote for Greens 🤷🏽♀️
November 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM
One of the few good things about living in New Zealand is that you can look at the Labour Party and if you are like “wow I’m way more progressive than/left of them”, then you simply don’t have to give your party vote to them and move on with your life guilt free and vote for Greens 🤷🏽♀️
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Māori Mermaid has some beautiful t-shirts available to pre-order
orders open until 23 Nov, 11:59pm
maori-mermaid.myshopify.com
orders open until 23 Nov, 11:59pm
maori-mermaid.myshopify.com
Māori Mermaid Shop
Existing between two worlds - māori and pākehā - Māori Mermaid (Jessica Thompson Carr) creates art which embraces and reacts to her endless journey into her māoritanga. From Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāpuhi, ...
maori-mermaid.myshopify.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Māori Mermaid has some beautiful t-shirts available to pre-order
orders open until 23 Nov, 11:59pm
maori-mermaid.myshopify.com
orders open until 23 Nov, 11:59pm
maori-mermaid.myshopify.com
Resharing this because it (& the reply to it) contains some potentially useful hints / info for my Santa, when they're assigned. I can't wait to start searching & plotting for my giftee! #secretsantaaonz
Here are some hints for my #MWSecretSantaAoNZ. I like (please don't spend much $)
- Science-related stuff
- Needle felting
- Old pottery
- Handmade things
- Thrifted things
- Native NZ wood
- Fun / weird necklaces
- Fabric
- Books
- Trains
- Stamps
- Beach glass & fun rocks
- Coffee & chocolate
- Science-related stuff
- Needle felting
- Old pottery
- Handmade things
- Thrifted things
- Native NZ wood
- Fun / weird necklaces
- Fabric
- Books
- Trains
- Stamps
- Beach glass & fun rocks
- Coffee & chocolate
November 17, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Resharing this because it (& the reply to it) contains some potentially useful hints / info for my Santa, when they're assigned. I can't wait to start searching & plotting for my giftee! #secretsantaaonz
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
It’s baby octopus season 🐙🦑
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
November 15, 2025 at 9:32 PM
It’s baby octopus season 🐙🦑
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
“You can’t separate the conditions in which people live from their health. They’re completely interwoven, and I absolutely feel a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to addressing those wider determinants.” — Dr Corina Grey, Director of Public Health. #nzpol e-tangata.co.nz/korero/corin...
Corina Grey: Health inequalities aren't inevitable | E-Tangata
“You can't separate the conditions in which people live from their health. They're completely interwoven, and I absolutely feel a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to addressing those wider ...
e-tangata.co.nz
November 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
“You can’t separate the conditions in which people live from their health. They’re completely interwoven, and I absolutely feel a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to addressing those wider determinants.” — Dr Corina Grey, Director of Public Health. #nzpol e-tangata.co.nz/korero/corin...
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Our beloved Alice Wong has joined the ancestors. It was one of the great honors of my life to call Alice my friend, co-author & co-conspirator. She was a true genius, a force of nature the likes of which the world has never seen before. I love you, Alice, and am equal parts grateful and devastated
November 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Our beloved Alice Wong has joined the ancestors. It was one of the great honors of my life to call Alice my friend, co-author & co-conspirator. She was a true genius, a force of nature the likes of which the world has never seen before. I love you, Alice, and am equal parts grateful and devastated
F*cking hell. Dictators despise science, indeed.
"Prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship & advising a foreign graduate student or postdoc. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding."
Dictators despise science.
Dictators despise science.
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
F*cking hell. Dictators despise science, indeed.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
Kind of crazy that evidence is mounting that the world is run by a group of rapists, pedophiles, and men convinced of women’s inmate natural inferiority, and the pundit class is trying to convince us that the real social crisis is that men are victimized and lonely because women have too many jobs.
You just know that “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” bit would have done NUMBERS in this little clique
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Kind of crazy that evidence is mounting that the world is run by a group of rapists, pedophiles, and men convinced of women’s inmate natural inferiority, and the pundit class is trying to convince us that the real social crisis is that men are victimized and lonely because women have too many jobs.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
There were 159,000 written submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill (on top of over 23,000 submissions last year) - numbers that are second only to the Treaty Principles Bill in NZ’s history.
More than 98% of public submissions were opposed.
There’s a word for this, but it’s not democracy.
More than 98% of public submissions were opposed.
There’s a word for this, but it’s not democracy.
Controversial Regulatory Standards Bill passes third reading
The bill got the backing of the coalition parties
www.rnz.co.nz
November 13, 2025 at 9:16 AM
There were 159,000 written submissions on the Regulatory Standards Bill (on top of over 23,000 submissions last year) - numbers that are second only to the Treaty Principles Bill in NZ’s history.
More than 98% of public submissions were opposed.
There’s a word for this, but it’s not democracy.
More than 98% of public submissions were opposed.
There’s a word for this, but it’s not democracy.
It's lovely when people ask to buy multiple copies of your book to give away at an event they want you to speak at. It's less nice when they do that instead of offering a fee.
Peeps. An author might get ~NZ$2 per copy. And they won't receive it til their next royalty cheque.
PAY YOUR SPEAKERS.
Peeps. An author might get ~NZ$2 per copy. And they won't receive it til their next royalty cheque.
PAY YOUR SPEAKERS.
November 12, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It's lovely when people ask to buy multiple copies of your book to give away at an event they want you to speak at. It's less nice when they do that instead of offering a fee.
Peeps. An author might get ~NZ$2 per copy. And they won't receive it til their next royalty cheque.
PAY YOUR SPEAKERS.
Peeps. An author might get ~NZ$2 per copy. And they won't receive it til their next royalty cheque.
PAY YOUR SPEAKERS.
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
The NZ School Boards Association has launched a petition calling on the Minister of Education Erica Stanford to reverse her ill-informed, hostile decision to remove the obligations of boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in NZ education.
Boost pls
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/pr...
Boost pls
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/pr...
Protect Te Tiriti in Education
Aotearoa should be a place where everyone, regardless of their background, is respected and part of a vibrant connected community. Where everyone feels a sense of belonging and knows their children wi...
our.actionstation.org.nz
November 12, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The NZ School Boards Association has launched a petition calling on the Minister of Education Erica Stanford to reverse her ill-informed, hostile decision to remove the obligations of boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in NZ education.
Boost pls
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/pr...
Boost pls
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/pr...
An important thread to read from someone who really knows this area
I'm in the minority here, I know, but I don't think this move is the right thing to do about online safety (at least, as a first - and only - step).
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
#nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 'deeply supportive' of social media ban for under 16s
The government is looking at the Australian model and other bans with a view to introducing legislation before next year's election, Christopher Luxon says.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 11, 2025 at 10:29 PM
An important thread to read from someone who really knows this area
Reposted by Laurie Winkless
The goal of an advisory panel is to help you, which sometimes requires criticism or redirection. The goal of the LLMs in this article are to retain users, which usually requires affirmation and flattery.
The path in this article doesn't give you wise advisors, it gives you embarrassing flunkies.
The path in this article doesn't give you wise advisors, it gives you embarrassing flunkies.
Here's a fun column! Carsten Lund Pedersen uses #AI to create a kind of career advisory panel. Panelists include digital simulacra of Einstein, Bohr, Feynman, and on one memorable occasion, Bond author Ian Fleming. Here's how he did it.
@nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I have Einstein, Bohr and Feynman in my pocket
Grappling with difficulties in your career? Try asking an AI-powered advisory panel of experts, suggests Carsten Lund Pedersen.
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The goal of an advisory panel is to help you, which sometimes requires criticism or redirection. The goal of the LLMs in this article are to retain users, which usually requires affirmation and flattery.
The path in this article doesn't give you wise advisors, it gives you embarrassing flunkies.
The path in this article doesn't give you wise advisors, it gives you embarrassing flunkies.
Today, my second book-baby turns four! I'm still so proud of Sticky; all the stories, science, and people it featured, and of all the doors it opened for me. Happy birthday lil book ❤️
....Maybe it's finally time to start working on book #3?
....Maybe it's finally time to start working on book #3?
November 11, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Today, my second book-baby turns four! I'm still so proud of Sticky; all the stories, science, and people it featured, and of all the doors it opened for me. Happy birthday lil book ❤️
....Maybe it's finally time to start working on book #3?
....Maybe it's finally time to start working on book #3?
A visit I've been chasing for A YEAR is finally gonna happen next week (barring any emergencies). I'm so excited!
a woman is laughing with her hands in her hair and the words `` i can t wait '' written on the bottom .
Alt: a woman is laughing and dancing with her hands in the air and the words `` i can t wait '' written on the bottom .
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 PM
A visit I've been chasing for A YEAR is finally gonna happen next week (barring any emergencies). I'm so excited!