Alice Rizzardo

About *a third* of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions emitted during the Industrial age have occurred in roughly the last 17 years. The previous third was emitted over a period of roughly 26 years. The first third was emitted over a period of about 131 years.

Here's some start-of-the-semester good news: my students are chatty again! For a few years after COVID, students of my course wouldn't talk to each other during breaks. I couldn't get them to work together, either. It was heartbreaking. But now they're back to being sociable and it makes me happy

Critics of renewables often point to land use as a reason not to invest in wind & solar. Land use IS a real issue for all energy assets incl renewables (unless on-site).

But what critics conveniently forget is the huge land impact of fossil fuels. Aerial view of fracking sites in Wickett, Texas. 👇

Grey seals got more common, too!

Fruit flies have a longer life span than you'd think! But also, have you checked your potatoes? Speaking from experience... Mine (from the potato episode) also really liked my dish soap, but they tended to die in it.

...looks like maybe we had run out of mathematicians, but apparently she still didn’t qualify to get a room named after her? Maybe because she didn’t take up her post in Bologna, devoting her life to works of charity instead.

What’s sad and perplexing about this is that I studied at the University in Bologna for 5 years and I didn’t learn about her until now. The classrooms in the maths department are named after mathematicians with a connection to Bologna, except for one which is aptly named “7th floor classroom”...

Source: June Barrow-Green, The Historical Context of the Gender Gap in
Mathematics oro.open.ac.uk/59159/1/Barr... 4/4

Two years after the book’s publication, she was appointed to the chair of mathematics in Bologna on the recommendation of the Pope, Benedict XIV, but she never took up the position." 3/n

Instituzioni Analitiche, which she originally wrote in order to instruct her younger brothers. Written in the vernacular (which was unusual in the period), the book was accessible to a broad audience and an important contribution to the spread of the calculus in Italy. 2/n

"The first woman in the modern period to make a substantial contribution to mathematics was the Italian Maria Agnesi (1718–1799) who in 1748 published one of the earliest textbooks on the differential and integral calculus, 🧵1/n

Burning banned on England’s deep peat to protect wildlife Ban on burning heather and grass on deep peat extended to improve air quality for local communities, reduce flood risk and protect wildlife.

Fantastic news for British wildlife and the climate 🌎🦤: a ban on burning deep peatlands (>30cm). This terrible practice is used to manage moors for grouse shooting. Comes into force on 30th Sept, a day ahead of new burning season. 👏 @defra.gov.uk www.gov.uk/government/n...

Lizard Lighthouse

"When the bellows-blowers relaxed their efforts and the fires dimmed, he would remind them of their duties by a blast from a cow horn" #MondayMotivation

🌍 1/3 of global emissions come from the food system. Even if fossil fuels are phased out, food emissions alone could push us past 1.5°C.

We must transform how we grow, distribute, eat & waste food.
Explore #SystemsChangeLab 👉 bit.ly/3SWc9qv

An old photograph of a group of men looking intently at a stone with a round hole in the middle. A child standing near the stone looks unimpressed.

Invention of the wheel, ca. 1890. Source unknown.

Bigger cars also means more wear and tear for the tires, which is a major (and underrated) source of pollution

‘Self-termination is most likely’: the history and future of societal collapse An epic analysis of 5,000 years of civilisation argues that a global collapse is coming unless inequality is vanquished

"We’re a naturally social, altruistic, democratic species." An unexpectedly cheerful bit in an article on societal collapse

Metal bottle caps ‘surprising’ source of microplastic contamination, study finds Glass bottles had highest levels of the substance compared with beer, water, wine and soft drinks, researchers found

Which drink would you think contains more microplastics, one that comes in a plastic bottle with a plastic cap or in a glass bottle with a metal cap? Think again!

Thank you so much for your work on this.

Chimps are sticking grass and sticks in their butts, seemingly as a fashion trend | CBC Radio A group of chimpanzees in Zambia have resurrected an old fashion trend with a surprising new twist.

How did this not make my timeline? Bluesky, you disappoint me

Have you forgotten the picture 😊

Here's just one example of how we depend on underappreciated insects: without a compatible species of dung beetle, cattle poo in Australia just... piled up

and on how this particular translation made him reevaluate his whole perception of Mann's Von Aschenbach #booksky

“All novels are translations, even in their original language”. That's the beginning of Michael Cunningham’s introduction to Michael Henry Heim’s translation of Death in Venice. It's a beautiful meditation on the many difficulties of translating a book,

I just misunderstood the lyrics "kein Schwein ruft mich an" (nobody ever calls me) for "ein Schwein ruft mich an" (a pig phones me up) making the song a lot more interesting and also proving my point that German is fiddly

How about pandas, with their extremely inefficient diet? And lots of fiber!

When do girls fall behind in maths? Gigantic study pinpoints the moment Analysis of almost three million children captures when ‘mathematical gender gap’ first emerges and could help focus efforts to stop girls from falling behind.

When do girls fall behind in maths? According to this study, maths abilities of boys and girls are very similar when starting school, but after just a few months of schooling they start diverging sharply with girls lagging behind. I'd love to learn more about what happens in that crucial first year.

I know that was meant as a joke, but I actually find it beautiful and deeply human how people can find humor and truth in AI gibberish. How we can make it ours and assign our own meaning to it.

I like how joy subdivides into joy, sadness and sadness. Maybe a sign of the times

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides

Insects are crucial to nature. We are starving our birds, but we are also putting ourselves in danger: insects perform essential tasks to human survival such as pollination, decomposition of organic matter and feces, pest suppression, and so many more that we are just beginning to understand.