Wouldn't it be cool to invest trillions of dollars into a technology that would actually make society better?

Maybe we can call it “HI” — Human Intelligence.

Instead of “data centers”, we could fund “schools”.

Instead of *stealing* art, literature, and science, we help people *create* it.

Crazy!

Congratulations to the Artemis II crew – but the case for sending astronauts into space is rapidly shrinking | Martin Rees and Donald Goldsmith Soon, thanks to the advance of robots, the only reason left to send humans to the moon will be as an ultra-expensive sport, say astronomer royal Martin Rees and astrophysicist Donald Goldsmith

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and astrophysicist and science communicator Donald Goldsmith argue that as robotics and miniaturisation improve, the practical and scientific case for any human spaceflight weakens.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"[Newton's] Waste Book served as an extension of his mind, rather than merely a memory aid, later becoming the foundation of his magnum opus Principia Mathematica."

From Peepo! to Middlemarch: 25 books to read before you turn 25 An unmissable book for every year of your early life – with recommendations from Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Rosen, Katherine Rundell and more

@questingvole.bsky.social's list contains some good books, and as he says: "there are many dozens more that could, or should, have been here."

Missing for me is Crime and Punishment - essential adolescent reading, imho.

www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

If you're wondering what the Artemis II astronauts will be experiencing during tomorrows reentry, I recently made this video showing the Artemis I reentry with a telemetry overlay. 🔭🧪 #Artemis

Full video on YouTube:
youtu.be/-QbYrs5SZ5M

I wish our (UK) government would cancel the King's state visit.

Chart showing share of self-identified MAHA followers who consider the following ideas either a core principle or a non-core view of MAHA: Core principles, per majority 1. Removing ultra-processed food from American diets 56% core : 32% non-core 2. Removing artificial dyes from foods 56% core : 31% non-core 3. Increasing physical activity 53% core : 33% non-core 4. Reducing the impact of "forever chemicals' and microplastics 53% core : 31% non-core 5. Restricting junk food purchases through federal nutrition programs (e.g., SNAP) 53% core : 33% non-core 6. Limiting pesticide use 50% core : 34% non-core

This is very useful for us in Europe to read, since it's only a matter of time before our extreme-right parties pick up on it.
Hard to argue with the majority view here on core principles (see image), but many others more nuanced and impossible to tackle in a short post.
tldr; - trust the science 🧪

How the US Christian Right and Anti-Abortion Lobbyists are Reshaping NHS Policy A new investigation exposes a global network of anti-abortion groups and US Christian nationalists using UK courts to target bodily autonomy

📌 ICYMI — How the US Christian Right and Anti-Abortion Lobbyists are Reshaping NHS Policy

A new investigation exposes a global network of anti-abortion groups and US Christian nationalists using UK courts to target bodily autonomy

"I anticipated that our work would be questioned, but only because its implications were politically inconvenient. I never expected that science itself would come under attack."

Powerful statements from the brilliant scientist and communicator @drkatemarvel.bsky.social

grist.org/science/kate...

What lukewarm words.

all these universities kept axing medieval history departments as if they thought tyrants beefing with the Pope was going to stop being relevant

Ten years after Brexit, this is the UK: a divided nation frozen in time | Aditya Chakrabortty Tribalism has not faded over the past decade. Instead, new research reveals our politics has become ever-more polarised and fractious, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

Voter identity in the UK is now based on pro/anti-Brexit sentiment rather than class, a new kind of tribalism.
By @chakrabortty.bsky.social, referencing "Tribal Politics: How Brexit Divided Britain" by @sarahobolt.bsky.social and James Tilley.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

🧵 New report just dropped 🚨 "Fractured Reality: How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle Over the Information Space" — from the EU Joint Research Centre, led by Mario Scharfbillig and I. A landmark read for anyone working on disinformation, platforms & democracy. 👇

1/10

Do No Harm by Henry Marsh Book review by medical student, Aiknaath Jain

"Do No Harm" by Henry Marsh.

medium.com/medicine-mat...

Trump calling Starmer 'Chamberlain' is perfect – but not for the reason he thinks The US President tried to insult Starmer, but has ended up with egg on his face

Donald Trump has critcised Keir Starmer as another Neville Chamberlain. But…who does Trump think he is in that scenario?
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...

Much K-12 censorship since 2020 has been about suppressing discussion of politicians' behavior today...

Call off the King’s visit to the US for the 250th anniversary of America's independence With the current political chaos in the US and Trump’s failure to adhere to international norms, and given his apparent obsession with the Monarchy, calling off this visit would send a powerful messag...

you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...

archive.today/BcGFq

Don't yet rejoice in his defeat, you men!
Although the world stood up and stopped the bastard,
The bitch that bore him is in heat again.”

“If we could learn to look instead of gawking,
We'd see the horror in the heart of farce,
If only we could act instead of talking,
We wouldn't always end up on our arse.
This was the thing that nearly had us mastered;

‘It was a warning from history – now it’s the bloody muse!’ Mark Gatiss and Placebo on reviving Brecht’s brutal Hitler satire In these turbulent times, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui has never been more vital, and returns to the stage starring the Sherlock star and with music by the alt-rockers. But, they say, they don’t j...

"The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui" is truly a play for our time. It's good to see the new RSC production:
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/a...

‘It was a warning from history – now it’s the bloody muse!’ Mark Gatiss and Placebo on reviving Brecht’s brutal Hitler satire In these turbulent times, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui has never been more vital, and returns to the stage starring the Sherlock star and with music by the alt-rockers. But, they say, they don’t j...

"The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui" truly is a play for our times, and it's good to see that the RSC is putting on a new production.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/a...

I completely agree, and have picked up others about this elsewhere on this platform. "Degrowth" is an *awful* term and should *never* be used when talking about tackling climate change, capitalism and extractive economics.

No wonder that language in the public square is so intemperate when this kind of message comes right from the top. Whatever happened to:
1. diplomacy
2. a sense of decorum
3. leading by example
4. individual and collective responsibility?

Powerpoint slide titled: The smallest room in the house. Dot points: Social Symbolic Functional Different gravity Privacy, intimacy? Image: Man in terrible trousers demonstrating the Apollo Fecal Containment Device - a plastic bag to poop in. Slide logo: The International Space Station Archaeological Project

Since the toilets on Orion are a continuing topic of fascination, here's a thread about space toilets. It's not just about function - toilets are symbolic and social too, and raise issues of privacy and intimacy. This image shows how to use the Apollo Fecal Containment Device.
#ArtemisII 🧪

So their phone numbers are baa'ed?

Finally, the clitoris is getting the attention it deserves Almost 30 years after scientists mapped the nerves in the penis, they’ve done the same for the clitoris. At least men have stopped denying it exists

www.theguardian.com/society/comm...

Eight-year-old space lover’s plushie shoots for moon onboard Nasa rocket Lucas Ye of California ‘really surprised and very happy’ as mascot designed by him to act as zero-gravity indicator

I grew up following the race into space, which undoubtedly played a part in my decision to study science at university. 🧪

Great to see a new generation of young people inspired in the same way!
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

This is a stunningly good idea. And games to show how vaccination prevents the spread of infectious diseases.

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

We decided to illustrate it.