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Adam Rutherford

@adamrutherford

I had a marvellous time ruining everything. Scientist. Ex-President of @Humanists_UK Lecturer in Genetics @UCL Genetics, race, eugenics, books, cricket, +–=÷× @kbjmanagement adamrutherford.com

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Latest posts by Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford

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Seems appropriate that my collection of the history of eugenics is held up by these low ranking disposable foot soldiers of fascism.

06.03.2026 12:50 👍 104 🔁 8 💬 6 📌 0

Honestly read this as Henry Cavill.

06.03.2026 12:34 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Utterly deserved, Matthew is an inspiration, and his many books are all brilliant.

06.03.2026 12:10 👍 28 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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a man in a suit and hat is standing with his hands in his pockets in a black and white photo . ALT: a man in a suit and hat is standing with his hands in his pockets in a black and white photo .
05.03.2026 21:05 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Also now trying to find out the name of Spallanzani's tame owl.
AI says it's Magnifico, presumably cos he was a fan of Galileo.

But I can't source that.

05.03.2026 16:25 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 3 📌 0
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Earliest Animal Cranial Surgery: from Cow to Man in the Neolithic The earliest cranial surgery (trepanation) has been attested since the Mesolithic period. The meaning of such a practice remains elusive but it is evident that, even in prehistoric times, humans from this period and from the Neolithic period had ...

Trepanning on a Neolithic French cow.

My writing really does take me to some weird places.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

05.03.2026 16:10 👍 34 🔁 6 💬 6 📌 2
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Adam Rutherford – My three #HumanistBookshelf favourites As part of our exciting new #HumanistsBookshelf social media campaign, our President Adam Rutherford here delves into three of his favourite humanist books. The aim of #HumanistBookshelf is simple: to...

Our Vice President @adamrutherford.bsky.social her delves into three of his favourite books: Contact – Carl Sagan, Monsignor Quixote – Graham Greene, and Bi – Julia Shaw. Read more about his favourite on our website.

05.03.2026 13:45 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0

That is because we absolutely don't deny this. But hey, you keep making up stuff and replying to my every message to your 44 followers.

05.03.2026 11:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1

Oh hai reply guy

04.03.2026 20:23 👍 12 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
David Olusoga on religion in schools and politics. 'I do resent [that] it is very difficult to educate your children without them being indoctrinated in religion. I believe in absolute toleration, but I am opposed to religious privilege. I don’t see why we have bishops in the House of Lords, having power in our political system. I don’t accept that collective acts of Christian worship should be imposed upon my child, or anybody else’s child. I also think that religious schools are becoming increasingly a force for disunity in the country.' New Humanist

David Olusoga on religion in schools and politics. 'I do resent [that] it is very difficult to educate your children without them being indoctrinated in religion. I believe in absolute toleration, but I am opposed to religious privilege. I don’t see why we have bishops in the House of Lords, having power in our political system. I don’t accept that collective acts of Christian worship should be imposed upon my child, or anybody else’s child. I also think that religious schools are becoming increasingly a force for disunity in the country.' New Humanist

Historian, author, and BAFTA-winning filmmaker @davidolusoga.bsky.social speaks to geneticist and Humanists UK Vice President @adamrutherford.bsky.social in the Spring issue of @newhumanist.bsky.social about religion, empire, politics, The Traitors, and more ⬇️

newhumanist.org.uk/articles/651...

04.03.2026 14:35 👍 59 🔁 16 💬 3 📌 1

I like the one where the whale goes back in time, and Spock attacks a man on a bus.

03.03.2026 13:33 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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David Olusoga on Empire, identity – and The Traitors We talk to historian David Olusoga about revisiting the story of the Empire, religion in Britain – and why logic gets you nowhere on "The Traitors"

Being clever isn't a prerequisite for doing well on the Traitors, as @davidolusoga.bsky.social and @stephenfry.bsky.social found out last year.

He spoke to @adamrutherford.bsky.social for @newhumanist.bsky.social about religion, slavery, and Empire.

newhumanist.org.uk/articles/651...

03.03.2026 12:26 👍 32 🔁 10 💬 4 📌 2
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Eeehhy, badabing what the fuck T, ya big goombah etc

02.03.2026 17:51 👍 29 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Goodwin's inner monologue is that of the Principle Skinner out of touch meme.

02.03.2026 13:11 👍 20 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0

It's like crack. On speed.

02.03.2026 11:37 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Come and join us. It's such a great place to work.

02.03.2026 10:41 👍 20 🔁 14 💬 2 📌 0

PLEASE EXPLAIN

(yes I know really!)

02.03.2026 10:38 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Same. It's crack of the condiment world.

02.03.2026 10:36 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

FAMILY. CLOSE FAMILY.

02.03.2026 09:53 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

SHE IS CALLED TAO HUABI.

Thank you Blueskyers. I suppose I could’ve looked this up myself.

02.03.2026 08:56 👍 38 🔁 3 💬 5 📌 0

Precisely. I knew I could rely on you.

02.03.2026 08:52 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Please settle a family dispute: we refer to this elixir of spice as Chinese Lady Sauce, because it is Chinese and the picture is of a woman, whom I presume lovingly hand crafts every jar. But some say that it is not a lady. Who is right?

02.03.2026 08:50 👍 21 🔁 1 💬 21 📌 2
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Wait, you wrote this??

02.03.2026 07:28 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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01.03.2026 19:31 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Have any of you lot played Pools? It's TERRIFYING.

01.03.2026 17:18 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 4 📌 0
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@vizcomic.bsky.social absolutely smashing the history of science in the new issue. #histsci

Origin of Species was a prank that got out of hand, and Mendel was breeding his pea plants cos he was a raving plant pervert.

28.02.2026 13:14 👍 52 🔁 7 💬 2 📌 3
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My beautiful elegant hound, fast asleep, dreaming of squirrels.

28.02.2026 07:54 👍 151 🔁 2 💬 4 📌 0

Final re-up on the joy of being a scientific advisor for amazing films and with wonderful actors - Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Ryan Reynolds - and also working on a movie with Jared Leto 😬
arutherford.substack.com

27.02.2026 17:55 👍 37 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 1

Joy of joy!

26.02.2026 17:30 👍 93 🔁 6 💬 5 📌 1

The House of Commons was completed in 1852 and designed to look medieval.

26.02.2026 13:24 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0