JD Roberts

What do our data show?
We still don't really know
Though our analysis was formidable
There are uncertainties considerable
But we present our results even so

In Episode 3 of 'Edges of Extinction', Andrea Boom,
@sicilyfiennes.bsky.social & @jdroberts.bsky.social talk to Seb Stroud about the looming extinction of botanical knowledge and the importance of plants extinctionstudiesleeds.podbean.com/e/edges-of-e... #botany #education #extinction

This was such a fun (and fascinating!) conversation!

#skystorians #envhist #environmentalhistory #envhum

Really exciting online seminar coming up next week! "In this paper, Simone demonstrates how a water-centred, analytical perspective can reveal the limits and contradictions of colonial actors’ attempts to stabilise nature through mapping" www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thinking-w...

A Castle Amidst Trees, by JD Roberts track by JD Roberts

A new one from me - and it's another excessively chill meditation, with a wistful sax melody and a woodland soundscape
jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/a-cast...

It was inspired by Castell Ewloe, a 12th-century castle built in a wooded gorge on the marches of Gwynedd. It's a magical place: an oasis of tangled woodland in the middle of town and field, with a river winding through the gorge, and a ruined castle standing on a small outcrop high above...

A Castle Amidst Trees, by JD Roberts track by JD Roberts

New single! This one is very me: a minimal sax melody, some deep drones, electronic birdsong and a tone somewhere between the bright and the melancholic jdrobertsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/a-cast...

A stone castle. Curtain walls dominate the right hand side of the image, leading out to a round towar in the centre. To the left green marshes and blue-grey way mirror a blue-grey sky

Castell y Fflint. Stones stand sentinel across the estuary's expanse. Teal and wigeon pipe from the pools while the curlew's cry echoes overhead. A claim in stone, staked in a foreign land by a warlike king; a monument to Llewelyn's downfall. But what do the teal care for the ambitions of kings?

One of the things I love about ambient music is that anyone can do it. You don't need a deep knowledge of music theory, or years of experience, or loads of expensive equipment. All you need is to be able to slow down and enjoy music as you make it

Absolutely agree! I always say most people don't have particularly strong opinions on most things, but on social media all you see is the people who have strong enough opinions to post about them. It can trick you into thinking everyone has thought-out opinions on every issue

I always feel more relaxed after even a few minutes making music. Somehow it clears out all the things that have been bumping around in the back of your mind, and leaves you feeling refreshed. At least, that's what I find

A Wonkier World In this first episode of the Extinction Studies Doctoral Training Programme podcast series ‘Edges of Extinction’, Sicily Fiennes and Diane Nelson talk to Chris Hassall about insect extinctions, what t...

Tune into episode 1 of Edges of Extinction, a new eight-episode podcast by @extinctionleeds.bsky.social, where scholars from different disciplines talk to each other about different kinds of extinction. @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social @katatrepsis.bsky.social @jdroberts.bsky.social

We made a podcast! Please check it out for discussions of every aspect of extinction from languages, to insects, to religion!

Next episode is up of our podcast ‘Edges of Extinction’! Aptly titled ‘Killer Language’… @katatrepsis.bsky.social and @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social speak to Diane Nelson about language extinction, what it means for a language to die, and how this happens.

bit.ly/4roa1XL

Not sure if this is any use or not, but I remember finding this paper on animals, animacy and speech in Toy Story interesting eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/12...

A brown door (a mine entrance) place in the side of a hill. A steep wall of red rock covered in green moss leads towards the door on either side, and brown bracked lies above the door

Alderley Edge. Moss and lichen glow green against red rocks and brown bark; goldcrests dart between bare branches, while ravens and buzzards wheel high above. Fallen leaves languish underfoot: a carpet of copper, bright as the burnished metal once raised and wrought from the scarlet sandstone below

I hate those 'reason for leaving job' bits on application forms. Telling them that I am not currently employed as a Bat Surveyor because bats hibernate in the winter feels so sarcastic, but it's the truth and also I don't think HR people know anything about bats?

Still time to sign up for our first seminar of the year tomorrow!

Myself and @jdroberts.bsky.social made a podcast!!!! Introducing a short series ‘Edges of Extinction’. Recorded at the Helix Suite at the University of Leeds!

We are thrilled to present our new podcast, 'Edges of Extinction'! In our first episode Diane Nelson and @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social talk to @katatrepsis.bsky.social about insect extinctions, what these mean for the world, and how they can be averted extinctionstudiesleeds.podbean.com/e/edges-of-e...

Snake Words in Estonia: Nature and Nationalism in Andrus Kivirähk The Northern Environmental History Network is thrilled to welcome Dr Alfie Howard to present on Snake Words in Estonia!

Looking forward to hearing about snakes, language and Estonian nationalism in 'The Man Who Spoke Snakish' next week! It's an online event, come and join us! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/snake-word...

The impact of multiple infections and community knowledge on engagement with a historical deworming programme: hookworm and Ascaris in Jamaica, 1913–1936 AbstractIntroduction. Community engagement with public health efforts often depends on existing knowledge of a health issue.Methods. Here, qualitative anal

I have discussed herbal treaments for worms here: doi.org/10.1093/trst... but note also Palmer's work on deaths following hookworm treatment using these same drugs (doi.org/10.1017/S002...)

Also, herbal anthelmintics/vermifuges/dewormers can be effective, but the effective ones can also be quite toxic, so if you do have a worm infection, please get some of the very safe, very effective, and very widely-used modern drugs from your doctor

Does it even need to be said? No, you don’t need to do a ‘parasite cleanse’ Pricey deworming remedies are being touted as cure-alls. Supermodel Heidi Klum gave it a go – experts roll their eyes

Lots of people have intestinal parasitic worm infections. But if you're someone reasonably well-off living in a rich country and following online health trends, you are almost certainly not one of them www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

Snake Words in Estonia: Nature and Nationalism in Andrus Kivirähk The Northern Environmental History Network is thrilled to welcome Dr Alfie Howard to present on Snake Words in Estonia!

We also have a new seminar series starting next week. The first speaker will be Alfie Howard (@alfiehoward66.bsky.social) on "Snake Words in Estonia: Nature and Nationalism in Andrus Kivirähk's 'The Man Who Spoke Snakish'". 27/01/26, 1400 GMT, signup here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/snake-word... 4/4

Call for papers, Northern Environmental History Network in-person workshop. 'Yuck: Historical Approaches to Unwanted Non-Human Life'. Humanities Research Centre, Uni of York 09-10/04/2026 This two day workshop will bring together researchers of all career stages and various disciplines to discuss the historical production and perception of categories of unwanted non-human life, such as weeds, vermin, and germs. Our aim is to facilitate wide ranging, critical discussions through a series of themes and research questions; beginning with an overarching inquiry into how unwanted life is historically produced, followed by considerations of the conceptual problems this research faces, and ending with reflections on the future of this nascent field. Each theme (outlined in more detail below) will be discussed in break-out groups over the course of the 2 days, and participants would be expected to prepare a reflection (up to five minutes) on each theme in advance. The workshop will also feature two keynote papers. This is an in-person only event. To facilitate attendance for unfunded PGRs, we hope to provide a limited amount of financial support. Workshop Themes and Questions: 1 - Producing the Unwanted What material and discursive practices are involved in the production of unwanted natures? How do they, and their production, differ across historical contexts? 2 - Agency How can the agency of non-humans be historicised, and related to the production of unwanted life? What issues does an emphasis on agency raise, especially as regards the operation of power in the categorisation of non-human life as unwanted? 3 - Source Material and Archives What demands do these different sources make on historians? How do archival practices contribute to the construction of unwanted life? How does non-human life relate to the archive? 4 - Future of the Field [continues next post in thread]

Firstly, we have a really exciting workshop comming up in April in York, with a deadline for the #CfP on the 31/01! The theme is 'Yuck: Historical Approaches to Unwanted Non-Human Life', considering unwanted life as historically produced, its sources, and the future of more-than-human-histories 2/4

This talk will discuss how the satirical, darkly comedic novel uses the magical Snakish language to critique both colonialism and Estonian nationalism, subverting narratives of progress while also warning against a simplistic and idealistic vision of the past

Set in a fantastical reimagining of thirteenth-century Estonia during the Northern Crusades, Andrus Kivirähk's novel 'The Man Who Spoke Snakish' (2007) tells the story of Leemet, one of the last Estonians to continue living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the forest

Snake Words in Estonia: Nature and Nationalism in Andrus Kivirähk The Northern Environmental History Network is thrilled to welcome Dr Alfie Howard to present on Snake Words in Estonia!

Looking forward to this online seminar next week, please join us! Snake Words in Estonia: Nature and Nationalism in Andrus Kivirähk's 'The Man Who Spoke Snakish' www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/snake-word...