I don't know if @chazelgrovemp.bsky.social will be there but let's see!

Black and white photo shows Almeida reaching up to a microscope. Text reads "Meet the Glaswegian woman who discovered coronavirus #WomenInScience"

It's #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience, #11February.

What better time to learn about June Almeida (1930-2007), a Glasgow-born lab technician with no formal qualifications who discovered human coronavirus in 1964.

Read more from @ntlmuseumsscot.bsky.social:

www.nms.ac.uk/discover-cat...

8 posters all describing influential women that have passed through Biological Sciences

To celebrate Women in STEM day on Wednesday 11 February we’ve printed some banners to highlight some of the incredible work that the women of Bio Sci at Bristol have achieved over the years!

Pop into the LSB for the remainder of Feb to check out who’s done what and when!

The BBC History Extra podcast has just done a 4 part series on Pompeii. I would also recommend Robert Harris' novel which is excellently researched.

a man is riding a white horse in a field with mountains in the background . Alt: a man in white robes (Gandalf the wizard) is riding a white horse (Shadowfax, Pride of the Rohan) across a plain with mountains in the background and the menacing dark forces of an evil army heading towards him. He holds his white staff aloft and a bright light shines from it.

WHQ showing us the light!

(and I have actually managed to keep up with Couch25K so far!)

I didn't know you could Bhangra Bach, but now I do...

Very sorry for your loss, my Poppy and I send purrs, hugs and further hopes of eternal ham. xxx

Dear Sir Paul, Re: Royal Society Code of Conduct I am sure that many scientists have written to you about the specific question of Elon Musk’s Fellowship and whether, under the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct, his retaining that Fellowship is appropriate. I will not rehash these issues. Instead, as a female scientist with extensive experience of activities aiming to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the engineering and physical sciences sector, I am writing to you (in a personal capacity) to ask you to reconsider the statements you have recently made in this context to the UK press about the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct and how it is applied. A 2018 report from the joint National Academies of the United States of America, concluded that “sexual harassment is common in academic science, engineering, and medicine” and that “greater than 50 percent of women faculty and staff and 20–50 percent of women students encounter or experience sexually harassing conduct in academia”. This report described codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated as a “powerful incentive for change”. The authors also noted that sexual harassment can have significant and damaging effects on the integrity of research. In my own praxis, I have found that clear and consistently-implemented codes of conduct that address these issues make female scientists and engineers safer, and allow them to focus more effectively on their research. For codes of conduct to have such a positive effect, it is vital that sanctions for actions which transgress the code are meaningful and substantial.

I was hence aghast to realise that in an interview with the Financial Times published on 9/1/26, you appear to have suggested that the Royal Society “should only expel fellows if their science proved “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective””. Moreover, in a further interview with the Guardian on 11/1/26 you suggested that the code “may need to be looked at again”, with the implication that your aim would be to remove the option of sanctions on Fellows for reasons not strictly related to faults or defects in their research. I suggest that changing the Royal Society’s code of conduct so that the likelihood of serious sanctions for sexual harassment is reduced, would directly endanger women who interact with the Royal Society at events or otherwise, and would provide a licence to harass to the already powerful people on whom the Society bestows fellowship. The implications of your words - that under your leadership the only infringements of the code which are likely to receive the sanction of the Fellowship being removed are those related to research misconduct - already risk empowering harassers. You stated, in the Financial Times interview, that “there’s many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances”. Given this awareness of the possibility of bad actors in our scientific community, it is wholly irresponsible to suggest that the Royal Society would not act to sanction these people if they harass more vulnerable scientists. I am hence writing to request that you retract any suggestion that the Society’s Code of Conduct should be changed so that the only reason a Fellow might be sanctioned by the removal of their Fellowship is “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective” research. This action is necessary to safeguard female scientists, a requirement placed on the Society by safeguarding legislation and UK statutory guidance. Yours sincerely, Professor Rachel A. Oliver.

Following coverage over the weekend of Sir Paul Nurse's comments that suggested that the only reason that a Fellow should be expelled from @royalsociety.org is scientific misconduct, I have written to him to explain the risks such an attitude poses of increasing sexual harassment in STEM.

I used to live a few doors down from that! Looks like they've spruced it up since then, nice to see.

Aw nice to see my hometown scrolling past! I remember the year the Council spent a lot of money putting a plywood box round him and the revellers got it off in about 10 minutes. The council gave up after that and just asked the pubs to issue plastic glasses.

If am in the supermarket buying apples I now have to say 'Bapples? Bapples!' to myself in the right voice.

I had to look it up as I haven't grown fatsia, but no, these flowers are monoecious, i.e. have both sexes in one flower. The female parts will be hidden somewhere in the yellow bit.

Yes, the whole pompom is the flower head, the flowers are the white papery bits with yellow centres and the little double-headed things on stalks coming out of the flowers are the stamens.

I wish you less turmoil soon!

Plants for Damp Shade These plants have been tested in our damp shady north facing border, the soil there isn't boggy but reliably moist.

Have you thought of sedges as well? a lot of them grow well in damp areas and have nice seedheads, though they can start spreading.
Some other non fern ideas here - bugle (Ajuga reptans) is pretty easy.
www.plantsshootsandleaves.co.uk/collections/...

there is a feed here: bsky.app/profile/hark...

Happy Birthday from one of your Playschool babies! You were genuinely my favourite. (Though even you couldn't make me like Hamble).

For me it's 'threading the needle' - oh, that's where the cat's toy mouse went!

The production of organic matter and its consumption by heterotrophs, including microbes and animals, is a defining feature of almost all life on Earth.

But these two processes also govern our climate and environment, controlling CO2 levels and the oxygenation of the atmosphere.

Vic's Kid & Mom Tantrum Commercial YouTube video by Traci Brown Body Language Expert-Behavior Analyst

Immediately made me remember this advert (I confess I could not remember what the ad was for, so partal success for the writers)
youtu.be/6v3wYEnYKrs?...

Bio Detection dogs successfully detect Parkinson’s disease by odour, study finds People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs, a new study shows. The research, in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs and the ...

Bumper and Peanut, two very good bois from Medical Detection Dogs, have been trained to sniff out Parkinson's disease in a study from the Uni of Bristol Vet School and @manchester.ac.uk.

Hey @rorycj.bsky.social do you think #SophieFromRomania wants to sign up?

www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

New Friends and Family Handbook gives advice on how to support someone experiencing domestic abuse A new Friends and Family Handbook, written by Dr Alison Gregory, an Independent Academic and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, has been la...

My thanks to @capcbristol.bsky.social for publicising (www.bristol.ac.uk/primaryhealt...) the Friends and Family Handbook (www.womensaid.org.uk/information-...) recently launched by Women's Aid Federation of England.

The handbook is for informal supporters of someone experiencing domestic abuse.

Every day she dreads watching that final swirl of soapy water disappear. It means facing whatever is on the other side of the shower door. Soon, it will carry blood.

#30Words30Days #Swirl

Map of University of Wales Trinity St David Waterfront Campus location

Based on your previous tweet and some fun with Google maps... I'd better get back to work now

Not techie, but after experiencing similar glitches, with important email I have got into the habit of bcc'ing it to myself. If it doesn't arrive I know to follow up.

No! Adios to the Spanish interlopers with their arrogant upright bells and showy blue pollen.

I haven't quite managed every day (sometimes inspirations fails!) but it's been the most regular thinking-about-writing I've done for some time and I've loved being part of the little group. See you again in June I hope!

Taking a few deep breaths, I gather up all my courage. Other people find this so easy.

Finally, I click ‘Share screen’.

‘Thank you everyone for coming to this webinar…’

#30Words30Days #gather

My bow lands on the strings. Three triumphant chords, then a lilting melody which lowers and fades, awaiting the… non-existent orchestra.

I’m no Jacqueline du Pré, but I can dream.

I'm glad someone else got this - the moment I saw the prompt, this was in my head all day!