Rowan Hooper
@rowhoop.bsky.social
Journalist and podcast host @newscientist.com. Former Tokyoite. Books: SUPERHUMAN (2018) and HOW TO SPEND A TRILLION DOLLARS (2021). Next book: TOGETHERNESS (2026). すごい!
Glad to reference the Butlerian jihad in this week’s New Scientist. Subs wanted to replace jihad with “revolution” but I had to insist
November 22, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Glad to reference the Butlerian jihad in this week’s New Scientist. Subs wanted to replace jihad with “revolution” but I had to insist
Cabaret Voltaire last night at the ICA. Epic! It was Chris Watson’s birthday. Stephen Mallinder got the crowd to sing to him “but it’s not a Cabs thing to do so don’t tell anyone”
November 22, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Cabaret Voltaire last night at the ICA. Epic! It was Chris Watson’s birthday. Stephen Mallinder got the crowd to sing to him “but it’s not a Cabs thing to do so don’t tell anyone”
Caberet Voltaire! They’ve still got it. Industrial electronic Sheffield comes to London!
November 21, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Caberet Voltaire! They’ve still got it. Industrial electronic Sheffield comes to London!
Real treat this week. Steve Pretty of Hackney Colliery Band came to the studio to play CONCH SHELLS and discuss the origin of music. Look at the joy on our faces! @pennysarchet.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
November 21, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Real treat this week. Steve Pretty of Hackney Colliery Band came to the studio to play CONCH SHELLS and discuss the origin of music. Look at the joy on our faces! @pennysarchet.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Mani has died aged only 63. First Andy Rourke and now Mani, arghhh
November 20, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Mani has died aged only 63. First Andy Rourke and now Mani, arghhh
And - for later rewilding projects - a lynx! 3/3
November 18, 2025 at 11:05 AM
And - for later rewilding projects - a lynx! 3/3
What’s that? More cats? Ok here’s a wild kitten 2/…
November 18, 2025 at 11:03 AM
What’s that? More cats? Ok here’s a wild kitten 2/…
Since wildcats are in the news, here are some I saw at Derek Gow’s rewilding centre in Devon. 1/…
November 18, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Since wildcats are in the news, here are some I saw at Derek Gow’s rewilding centre in Devon. 1/…
Finally found some fly agaric, which I’ve not seen for AGES. This one looks nibbled - some hallucinating squirrels around
November 17, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Finally found some fly agaric, which I’ve not seen for AGES. This one looks nibbled - some hallucinating squirrels around
Biang biang noodles at Master Wei, just the GREATEST Sunday lunch and mega umami hit
November 16, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Biang biang noodles at Master Wei, just the GREATEST Sunday lunch and mega umami hit
On the podcast this week we welcome Father Christm- science writer legend BILL BRYSON!
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
On the podcast this week we welcome Father Christm- science writer legend BILL BRYSON!
The Denisovans get their name from a cave in Siberia once inhabited by a hermit called Denis
November 14, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The Denisovans get their name from a cave in Siberia once inhabited by a hermit called Denis
Denisovans had mega teeth. Look at the size compared to H. sapiens
(Photo: S. Sawyer et al, PNAS)
(Photo: S. Sawyer et al, PNAS)
November 14, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Denisovans had mega teeth. Look at the size compared to H. sapiens
(Photo: S. Sawyer et al, PNAS)
(Photo: S. Sawyer et al, PNAS)
200,000-year-old molar from a Denisovan. There’s a bloke in the pub with worse teeth than this!
November 14, 2025 at 2:46 PM
200,000-year-old molar from a Denisovan. There’s a bloke in the pub with worse teeth than this!
"Roman traffic report: heavy buildup on the M4 between Londinium and Calleva"
November 13, 2025 at 3:57 PM
"Roman traffic report: heavy buildup on the M4 between Londinium and Calleva"
And here, flourescence distinguishes fungal from plant structures. Paper: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 13, 2025 at 12:13 PM
And here, flourescence distinguishes fungal from plant structures. Paper: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Impressive images here. Advances in palaeomicroscopy mean we can see the plant-fungal symbiosis in a 407-million-year-old fossil!
November 13, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Impressive images here. Advances in palaeomicroscopy mean we can see the plant-fungal symbiosis in a 407-million-year-old fossil!
Noticed aphids swarming and saw they are all plugged into the phloem, quivering in ecstacy
November 12, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Noticed aphids swarming and saw they are all plugged into the phloem, quivering in ecstacy
She looks up at a crow perching above her then tears after it, banking and accelerating into the trees like a sparrowhawk. The crow escapes, and caws a warning to its gang. @fabperegrines.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
She looks up at a crow perching above her then tears after it, banking and accelerating into the trees like a sparrowhawk. The crow escapes, and caws a warning to its gang. @fabperegrines.bsky.social
The Booker goes to FLESH by David Szalay. Super-taut novel about a man’s life over 50-odd years. Compulsively readable - wolfed down in 2 sittings.
50 grand prize, woo-eee.
50 grand prize, woo-eee.
November 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
The Booker goes to FLESH by David Szalay. Super-taut novel about a man’s life over 50-odd years. Compulsively readable - wolfed down in 2 sittings.
50 grand prize, woo-eee.
50 grand prize, woo-eee.
The extent of the deadly algal bloom in South Australia made clear by this satellite image. Yellow is the bloom, which is one of the biggest ever seen www.newscientist.com/article/2503...
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
The extent of the deadly algal bloom in South Australia made clear by this satellite image. Yellow is the bloom, which is one of the biggest ever seen www.newscientist.com/article/2503...
In Russian, a few elements take a female gender: antimony (pictured), platinum, mercury, sulphur, copper. Why these? Gold, silver, tin and iron are neuter. All the rest are male. What about other languages?
November 8, 2025 at 8:22 AM
In Russian, a few elements take a female gender: antimony (pictured), platinum, mercury, sulphur, copper. Why these? Gold, silver, tin and iron are neuter. All the rest are male. What about other languages?
Kingfisher was just perching here, had a good time with it (with my binoculars too, happy days)
November 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Kingfisher was just perching here, had a good time with it (with my binoculars too, happy days)