Helen Czerski

@helenczerski.bsky.social

2428

Followers

199

Following

327

Posts

Physics, bubbles, oceans, hot chocolate and curiosity. Associate Professor at UCL, writer, broadcaster. Author of Storm in a Teacup and Blue Machine http://helenczerski.net/books-writing/

Posts Replies Media

Here's a clip from my book talk at How The Light Gets In last year, about how the ocean "should" be dead (at least if you take a very simple view) and why it isn't. The story includes both turnips and pigs. www.youtube.com/watc... (plenty more like this in Blue Machine: tinyurl.com/4f78xpke )

The paradox of the Humboldt Current | Helen Czerski | How oceans shaped the world - YouTubewww.youtube.com Oceanographer Helen Czerski dives into the physical workings of the ocean engine, and explores how it has shaped civilisation.Why don't all nutrients sink to...

Meat has a huge carbon footprint & requires loads of water, land and energy. Can modern science change that? In today's Rare Earth (noon on BBC R4, podcast too), we'll investigate. I'm a lifelong vegetarian, so was I at all convinced by these technologies? Listen to find out www.bbc.co.uk/progra...

It’s exciting to be here at the Royal Institution, at the launch of @markmiodownik.bsky.social ‘s new book It’s a Gas. It looks as though it’s going to be an explosive talk… www.penguin.co.uk/books/312206...

Next week, University College London will be holding its Festival of Engineering and everyone is invited. There's an industry day (Thursday), lots of talks and an exhibition for the public (Friday & Saturday) and it's all free. Do join us & pls register online beforehand. www.ucl.ac.uk/engine...

Some lovely news to share this morning: Blue Machine has been longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for writing on conservation, alongside 11 other books (and there really are some fabulous books on this list). wainwrightprize.com/...

There's no Rare Earth on BBC R4 tomorrow because of the election coverage, but you can still catch up with last week's programme where we ask the question: "is it ever justified to leave an offshore oil rig in place to protect the nature around it?". www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Is #DogsAtPollingStations a Thing here on BlueSky?

Ooh, this looks exciting if you're in or near Bergen in Norway any time soon: their National Aquarium has just opened an immersive ocean exhibit, where you can sit and be surrounded by real ocean video and sound. If you go, do report back! youtu.be/JBzb0UiFL6g...

Some weird lighting as we recorded this week's Rare Earth this morning... We were talking about oil rigs - is allowing some to become reefs sensible environmental planning or a complete cop-out? Listen to BBC Radio 4 on Friday or anytime on BBC Sounds to find out. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

In Blue Machine, I wrote about a weird type of marine worm, Ramisyllis multicaudata, which has one head, lives inside a sponge, and branches as it grows so that by the time it reaches the outside of the sponge it has hundreds (sometimes >1000) anuses. "Normal" is relative www.sci.news/biology...

If the climate, nature and the environment is your priority, or high up on your list, who should get your vote in the General Election? On Friday's Rare Earth, we went through the manifestos to see what's in there (and what isn't). Listen now on BBC Sounds to catch up: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds...

Day out for Rare Earth, seeing oil rig decommissioning (while this week's prog on climate in election manifestos went out). But should this be the end for disused oil platforms, or should some of them become reefs instead? Listen to next week's Rare Earth to find out. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

It was a beautiful 6am cycle to Paddington station this morning. I’m off to Bristol to record this week’s Rare Earth, and we’ll be digging through the election manifestos to see what they’re saying about climate and the environment. You can hear what we find out on BBC R4 tomorrow (Friday) at noon.

Just had the privilege of interviewing the great Sylvia Earle about the ocean. She said this: "If Jane Goodall had been limited to studying chimps by hauling individuals out from high above and inspecting what came up, she would've learned almost nothing" But that's mostly how we study ocean life

Battery passports... you may not be familiar with them yet, but they are a critical part of a better future. Yay for this! "Volvo Cars is launching the world's first EV battery passport recording the origins of raw materials, components, recycled content & carbon footprint" tinyurl.com/33vbdfp4

This week's Rare Earth (broadcast on BBC R4 yesterday, podcast available now) was recorded live at the Hay Festival and it's all about nature writing and how it changes perceptions. Also includes some great book recommendations! Listen now: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #climate #radio #RareEarth

This is very important and needs to be understood by everyone: "Nonconsensual condom removal is classified as rape under English and Welsh law." Rape. Not something to laugh off, or to ask forgiveness for with a cutsy smile. **Rape** It matters. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...

London man jailed for ‘stealthing’ after removing condom without consentwww.theguardian.com Guy Mukendi, 39, from Brixton sentenced to four years and three months for rape

Oh, and here's the trailer for the Horizon where we launched the public vote: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

BBC Two - Horizon, The £10 Million Challenge, Intro: The £10 Million Challengewww.bbc.co.uk Horizon launches the £10 million Longitude Prize 2014

10 years ago, I helped launch the new Longitude Prize when 6 of us (including the late Michael Mosley) presented 6 potential topics to the public for them to choose the prize focus. The winner was announced today: Sysmex Astrego. Congratulations to them! amr.longitudeprize.org/about-the-pr...

We get so unbelieveably excited about the tiniest bit of water on other planets, and yet we are so terrible at appreciating and caring for our own freshwater and salt water here on Earth. "Early morning frost spotted on some of Mars’s huge mountains" www.theguardian.com/science/arti...

For anyone concerned about the water quality in their local streams/rivers... Earthwatch are running a FreshWaterWatch scheme, where (if you join for a bit of £), you get water quality measurement kits and can submit results to a national map. More here: www.freshwaterwatch.org/pages/indivi...

This is incredibly sad news. "Michael Mosley: body of TV presenter believed to have been found on Greek island, authorities say" www.theguardian.com/media/articl...

The TFL e-bikes are a game-changer in London. And for June, Santander bikes are free and e-bikes are only £1 per journey (cheaper than any other transport method) on SUNDAYS. See here for details and give them a go: tfl.gov.uk/modes/cyclin... City cycling is the future!

It was lovely to see so many people joining in the World Ocean Day celebration at Royal Museums Greenwich today (in/outside the National Maritime Museum). And I LOVED this huge turtle, made out of waste material.

It's June 8th, so Happy World Ocean Day! (although of course we live on an ocean planet and every day is an ocean day) Look for a live event near you: Greenwich, London: www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/gre... Southampton: noc.ac.uk/education/op... Global list: worldoceanday.org?post_type=tr... #ocean

Rare Earth is back! Today we'll be looking at "greenhushing" - a growing tendency for companies to keep quiet about what they're doing for the environment. Join us at 12 on BBC Radio 4 or listen to the podcast any time on BBC Sounds to find out more. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

I love figures like this... it's from Bar-On et al 2018 and it shows the distribution of global biomass. Plants rule! And we may be dismayed that there's now a larger biomass of livestock than people or wild mammals, but there's a greater mass of worms than all three together. #data #life

Hello ocean-curious Londoners! A UK project has been investigating the deep sea creatures in the Pacific for the past two years, and there's an exhibition and event about the project, open to everyone, on June 18th at the LSE. Register for free here: lse-law-school.ticketleap.com/underworld-e...

I had to empty a bookshelf at the weekend and I found the book with my FAVOURITE hardback cover of all time - Will Storr's Selfie. The full title is "Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us". And the cover is a mirror. Absolute genius. #books

The usage of "greenwashing" (OED) showed a dramatic rise around 2021. But have you heard of "greenhushing": companies keeping quiet about climate action? That's even newer, & the topic of our first episode of a new series of Rare Earth on BBC R4 (Fri noon) & BBC Sounds. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...