Historian Mary Beard giving a great talk in Sydney, Bringing Trump down a peg and some great insight into everyday Roman life

Twas a fine cake, among the best I've had in some time 🍋 🎂 thanks

A loaf-shaped lemon cake, drizzled with sugar and more lemon. God I hope this turned out edible.

Birthday baking for my favourite @theconversation.com author. @tomjeffries.bsky.social I'll be finding lemon seeds all over my kitchen for days, you're welcome 🤣

It was such a delight to see @willdalrymple.bsky.social this week in Sydney, illuminating talk, and grateful for him sticking around to sign books.

All ready to roll for @willdalrymple.bsky.social in Sydney 🙌

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Zoonotic Diseases and Climate Change | August 28th, 2025 | IBEC Join global experts for a CLEAN Lessons Learned session exploring how climate change is accelerating the emergence of zoonotic diseases.

What's that? You want to hear about climate change and zoonotic diseases? Come along to this

weareibec.org/events/zooni...

Australia’s gun lobby says it’s ‘winning’ the fight against firearm control as numbers surge There are now more than 4m guns in the community – almost double the number recorded in the years after the Port Arthur massacre that prompted a national crackdown

NO! NO! NO!

And I say that as a past competitive shooter.

We DO NOT need to turn into the USA. Gun control MUST be maintained. #auspol

Australia’s gun lobby says it’s ‘winning’ the fight against firearm control as numbers surge

Australians can only access one COVID-19 vaccine right now. Experts say that's a problem Pfizer's JN.1 vaccine has been the only option available to Australians since the start of the year. Here's what happened to the other brands, and why experts say choice matters when it comes to vacci...

Australians can only access one COVID-19 vaccine right now. Experts say that's a problem
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...

Congrats on 1 year at WSU @amandaafrick.bsky.social your dry humour and baked goods are a very welcome addition to the corridor 👍👍👍 good egg 🍳

“All cruelty springs from weakness.” ― Seneca

Good to do some science with a good mate 🐝

Bee nesting behavior + network-microbiome = potential integration of socio-eco-evo-immunology 🐝🌺

👉 check out this review @ doi.org/10.1111/eva.70137

w/ @tomjeffries.bsky.social

📸: Simon Tierney

Someone please take this man's keyboard away.

I'll find a way ...

All the Times Trump Has Talked About the Afterlife “I want to try and get to heaven,” the President said this week. It’s not the first time he’s publicly contemplated his fate.

Aside from the obvious, Trump also seems to be stuck in some kind of pre-reformation "salvation through works" theology ....

time.com/7311354/dona...

AI has produced 2 new antibiotics to kill ‘superbugs’. It’s promising – but we shouldn’t get too excited yet This is a significant scientific development, but several hurdles remain before we might see these antibiotics available for use.

My new article out today in @theconversation.com (Aus edition) covers the breakthrough use of AI to search for new antibiotics theconversation.com/ai-has-produ...

I'm going to see @willdalrymple.bsky.social in Sydney a few days before seeing Mary Beard. This is as a good a birthday week as a middle aged history obsessed man can hope for. And I'm not going to Oasis 😂 im genuinely excited 📚📚📚📚

Microbiome impacts surgical outcomes– comparison of gut microbiome dysbiosis in patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy: results from the MISO pilot study - European Spine Journal European Spine Journal - More than 10% of patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH) develop failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) often without clear...

New paper out, surgery meets the microbiome: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A person in the US has died from pneumonic plague. It’s not just a disease of history But today it’s rare – and can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

My latest Conversation article is about #plaque !!! theconversation.com/a-person-in-...

I was wondering when I'd see this post! I'd hate to think I'd finally shamed you into silence 😂

Frontiers | Brain development in a facultatively social allodapine bee aligns with caste, but not group living IntroductionThe ‘social brain hypothesis’ proposes that brain development (particularly primates) is driven by social complexity, more than group size. Yet, ...

new paper on bee brain development in social contexts:
doi.org/10.3389/fevo...

Origin of obligate dim-light foraging in nomiine sweat bees (Halictidae: Nomiinae), with the description of a new species of Mellitidia - Arthropod-Plant Interactions Dim-light foraging is exhibited by the majority of the seven bee families (facultative behavior—five families; obligate behavior – four families) and represents an underappreciated aspect of pollinati...

first phylogeny for nocturnal foraging nomiine bees:
doi.org/10.1007/s118...

What is aflatoxin, the toxic chemical behind Coles’ peanut butter recall? Aflatoxin can cause serious damage to the liver, including cancer. But contamination recalls are rare.

My new article for the @theconversation.com is co-authored with @olliemorton.bsky.social and covers the recent recall from #aflatoxin

theconversation.com/what-is-afla...

Enjoy @amandaafrick.bsky.social

The Queensland melioidosis outbreak is still growing. What’s keeping this deadly mud bug active? So far there have been 221 cases of melioidosis and 31 deaths from the disease in 2025. A microbiologist explains what to know about this infection.

My latest @theconversation.com article is an update on the recent #melioidosis outbreak theconversation.com/the-queensla...

New from @empirepoduk.bsky.social
From the Opium Wars to the War on Drugs

#wordle #auspol

A post-voting democracy sausage and a cupcake. Breakfast of champions.

Happy #DemocracySausage day to all those celebrating.

New from @empirepoduk.bsky.social
Victorian Narcos 5:
Jardine and Matheson-
Flooding China With Indian Opium