Helen Pilcher

New book alert!

‘This Book May Cause Side Effects’ is the most personal, relevant and grown up thing that I’ve ever written.
About how beliefs conjure symptoms & steal health. And how to be more well.

Out UK, May 7. US, September. Nervous but excited.

#thisbookmaycausesideeffects #nocebo

This is South Africa's Rising Star cave system, possibly the oldest known human burial site. Fun fact - one part is so narrow that any explorer must squeeze thru on their belly, w one arm pressed against the body, one stretched over the head - like superman. This bit is called Superman's Crawl!

So a deliberate ‘here’s my poop y’all, check it out?! ‘ fabulous

Cover image of the 5 March 2026 issue of Science Magazine. Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), such as this mother and 7-month-old joey from Queensland, Australia, embody a genetic paradox. Populations rich in diversity are declining, whereas those with little variation are expanding and rapidly reshuffling their genomes. These findings reveal that diversity alone does not determine resilience. Instead, a population’s fate depends on several evolutionary processes unfolding across generations.

Genome sequencing in 418 koalas from 27 populations across Australia shows that, though they still have low diversity due to past decline, there are clear signs genetic recovery is underway.
Escaping bottlenecks: The demographic path to genetic recovery in koalas www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🐨🧬😊🧪

One of my favourite places

Stunning!

“It secretes a matcha-coloured substance from its anal gland that smells of rotting flesh.” This animal is insanely good at faking death — BBC Wildlife Magazine Whether it’s to deter predators or to avoid mating, plenty of animals fake their own death March 2, 2026 The human stage has seen many a hammy staged death, but few quite as dramatic as those that occ...

Female common frogs sometimes fake their own deaths to avoid having sex with males - I mean, we’ve all been there right?
#thanatosis #wildlife for BBC Wildlife mag
apple.news/AloI4zvFDQI6...

Oh for this to be a problem in my house

As the owner of a happy indoor cat, I shall be listening with interest

I will be listening w interest. I have an indoor cat, which is a rarity in the uk but I think the way to go.

Erik Wing - marvellous! I think also it must be the same for moths!

Birdwatching may slow ageing of the brain, say neuroscientists | Discover Wildlife Learning to identify birds could be beneficial for cognition as people get older, according to a new study.

Did I need another reason to gawp at birds? No, but here it is. And it’s a good one. Bird watching builds cognitive reserve and may help to slow age related cognitive decline. www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts.... My piece for BBC Wildlife #birdwatching

Couldn’t agree more

Stunning, thanks for sharing

The (very adorable) reason cats prefer sleeping on one side | BBC Science Focus Magazine A catnap is a one-sided experience, according to science

Cats prefer sleeping on their left side, because it optimises lateralised brain function on waking so they are ready to make mischief. My cat, however, sleeps belly up. Always somewhere toasty and inconvenient www.sciencefocus.com/science/the-...

Nice to see Snowy from Tintin out and about

Vital information

A stunner!

Oooh this looks beautiful clever lady x

I love this story! Thanks for sharing

Bruges you do not disappoint. 1st there was the chocolate. Then there was the beer. Then there was the beer. Then another beer. And then… a yellow bellied slider flaunting himself in the sunshine #turtle #bruges

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing

Beautiful picture x

Got to admire the dedication of the Belgians to the art, and it is an art, of tea making. Also, no green tea timer because who drinks that nonsense anyhow #tea #cuppa

10 USA sewer dwellers: Alligators, sea cows, snakes, turtles – the surprising animals lurking in the country's sewers... — BBC Wildlife Magazine From alligators to sea cows these are the astonishing creatures discovered beneath America’s streets. February 21, 2026 The United States has over 700,000 miles of public sewer pipes, enough to wrap a...

Animals found in US sewers include the predictable (politicians, financiers etc) but also (& I’m not tarring them with the same smeary brush) armadillos, California wrens, alligators, snakes and a woefully misplaced manatee. Me for BBC Wildlife

apple.news/AROmHFrFNQEy...

Vultures have been caught hiding some wild medieval treasures in their nests — BBC Science Focus Magazine Hoarding is a common animal behaviour. Lots of creatures cache food for times of scarcity. You probably know that squirrels hide nuts and wood mice store seeds, but did you know that fire ants stockpi...

It’s one thing to hoard chocolate in your office so the kids can’t find it, but quite another, bearded vultures, to hoard Medieval weaponry and weird grass shoes. What is wrong with you? You asked in BBC Wildlife. I answered. The vultures did their thing. The weirdos.

apple.news/AVRVsfhtATEa...

Beauties!

It's been sealed off for an inconceivable 5 million years and is rich in toxic chemicals. Life shouldn't survive here – yet it doesn't just survive – it thrives | Discover Wildlife Life thrives in bizarre ecosystem, sealed off for 5 million years

Been writing about the beastie’s in Romania’s Movile Cave - a bizarre ecosystem sealed off from the rest of the world for 5 million years. Full of toxic gases, life shouldn’t survive yet it positively thrive
For BBC Wildlife mag

www.discoverwildlife.com/environment/...

But worth thinking about. Listen to the pod. Thoughts welcome

I think that’s a sensible, cautious outcome. Not a gung ho ’go for it’ but a considered ‘let’s figure this out as we go along and get the conversation started’.
Sure we need to prioritise animal welfare and have good, solid, evidence based data on potential environmental repercussions…