The world could be such a nice place if we allowed it. It's all so goddamn unnecessary. There's no need for any of it. It's so beautiful here. It should be so cool to be alive
Screenshot from a Reddit post entitled βHow to stop owls from stealing my hats?β
Tbh this almost makes me want to take up running
Turns out that Oxford is a hot spot for beauty in/of the beasts π€£ The only reasonable thing is to read them both!
Oh hey, itβs just my new book taking flight into the world - read on to find out why these beautiful beasts deserve so much more from usβ¦
Available today in all good bookshops! And donβt take my word for it - New Scientist picked it as one of the best pop-sci books released this month, woohoo! π₯³
And while itβs still February, Iβm going to keep bumping this π€£
The second #kakapo chick of the #kakapo2026 breeding season hatched this morning: Hine Taumai-A1-2026 on Ako's nest on Te KΔkahu. We transferred the egg from Anchor two nights ago. This is Ako's first-ever chick, which is just a few hours old in this video. #conservation #birds #parrots
Same - Iβve missed blue skies so much!
A reminder of one of the loveliest pairs of siblings in the dictionary: βmuscleβ and βmouseβ. To the Roman imagination, the flexed biceps of a (typically naked) athlete resembled a rodent scuttling under the skin. βMusculusβ, in Latin, means βlittle mouseβ.
Egg-cellent news! The first California condor eggs of the season have been laid at our wildlife conservation center, and more could be on the way.
βA charming, entertaining glimpse into the lives of unjustly scorned animals.β
Beauty of the Beasts comes out in the UK on Feb 26th, and in the US on April 28th! π₯³
Pre-orders and shares very welcome!
#booksky #nonfiction @chiffchat.bsky.social
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
Letβs pretend - the animal version!
Fascinating new study finds that Kanzi (the superstar bonobo) can play along on a make believe tea-party, keeping track of imagined juice and grapes.
Extremely cool work! π Looking forward to seeing if the same is found in other individuals/species.
Fascinating stuff, Chris! π
Extreme weather disasters and climate tipping points aren't in economic models of the impact of climate change on the global economy
The result "is widespread complacency amongst investors and policymakers"
We will all suffer as a consequence
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Will DM youβ¦ π
And, incredibly, me! Yes, Beauty of the Beasts is included in New Scientistβs best new popular science books of Feb 2026 π€― *pinches self*
Looks fantastic!
Veronika has been promoted π
Image of book entitled Beauty of the Beasts on a purple background with the text, βRethink the repulsive: Discover the hidden beauty of natureβs most misunderstood animalsβ
βWhy would anybody write a book about the creatures that people donβt like? Thatβd never sell.
Well, reader, I did just thatβ¦β
Beauty of the Beasts comes out next month! π₯³
Find out more and pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beauty-of...
π¦ π π π·οΈ π¦ π π π πͺ³
@chiffchat.bsky.social
Weβre working on a story about how childrenβs immune systems and microbiomes develop and we want to hear from you. Have you let your kids eat food that was dropped on the ground? π Argued with grandparents about cleanliness? π§Ό Saw your child do something incredibly gross? π€’ Call us at 877 4 SCIFRI.
Congratulations Zazie!
βThe risks have become too extreme to be ignored.β
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Haha, these words might come back to bite me π€£ Though I suspect the lack of engagement is more about my nonexistence here. Fortunately, social media abilities rarely correlate with book writing abilities! But given it comes out 4 weeks today, Iβd love a bump, if you didnβt mind sharing the below π₯³
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Tears of joy! SCOTLAND HAS JUST PASSED SWIFT BRICKS INTO LAW unanimously!
4 years of asking England & Scotland sorts it in a month led by ACE β¦βͺ MARK RUSKELL MSPβ¬β© β₯οΈThe RELIEF is unreal! Tell England to follow π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώby emailing PlanningPolicyConsultation@communities.gov.uk now!WOOP!
Thank you, I happen to agree! π
Image of book entitled Beauty of the Beasts on a purple background with the text, βRethink the repulsive: Discover the hidden beauty of natureβs most misunderstood animalsβ
βWhy would anybody write a book about the creatures that people donβt like? Thatβd never sell.
Well, reader, I did just thatβ¦β
Beauty of the Beasts comes out next month! π₯³
Find out more and pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beauty-of...
π¦ π π π·οΈ π¦ π π π πͺ³
@chiffchat.bsky.social
Coyotes are such fascinating, maligned animals. As generalists, they survive in every environment, from the wilds of Yellowstone and Yosemite to urban streets and suburban neighborhoods. Now theyβre swimming to Bay Area islands. First it was Angel Islandβ¦ now The Rock?
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
It also reminds me of the time (many years ago) when a news outlet published a little piece on Betty the New Caledonian heifer, clearly the result of a pesky typo (crow -> cow) and a creative sub-editor. How we chuckled at the idea of a cow manipulating a tool! π€¦π»ββοΈ
Yes, itβs a cow using a tool! And in a remarkably goal-oriented, flexible way - Veronika appropriately used the bristles end for scratching her back, and the smooth pole end for her delicate under bits. V cool observations on an animal many people think is stupid π
www.cell.com/current-biol...
