
Alex Riley
2.7K posts

Alex Riley
@alexlariley
Science writer. Book: How Life Thrives in Extraordinary Places for @AtlanticBooks & @WWNorton (2025). Words in @hakaimagazine, @BBC_Future, @NautilusMag, etc.
Standing on the Moon Katılım Ocak 2012
262 Takip Edilen1.2K Takipçiler
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I wrote about a really big squid and what it reveals about our study of the deep sea. For squid, for whales, but primarily for @NautilusMag. nautil.us/the-mystery-of…
🦑💡💡
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@bielleogy By @KRuthsatz: "Life in Plastic, It's Not Fantastic," how microplastics affect metamorphosis in amphibians. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
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I'm going to take a few days to decompress from part-time extrovert to my normal niche of introvert. Hope to speak to many of you again soon, or meet in the future. #SEB2023
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Thanks to everyone at #SEB2023: the organisers for allowing a nosey writer to loiter around the lecture halls for a few days, and to all the science folks for chatting about their work. Narwals, frogs, geese, tardigrades, worms, worms, and more worms—what a world 🌎🌍🌏
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Alex Riley retweetledi

The biggest light-producing organ in the world belongs to Taningia danae, the Dana octopus squid. Tantalizing evidence — including a short video captured by a camera attached to an elephant seal — is shedding light on their function (via @NautilusMag) nautil.us/the-mystery-of…
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"in the open ocean, elephant seals sleep less than two hours per day—while on land, they doze more than 10 hours a day." Similar to journalists the week of a deadline and straight after submission. I see you elephant seals.
nationalgeographic.com/animals/articl…
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I wrote about the flu virus that is killing seabirds around the world, and why this is so unusual. Spoiler: we’re to blame. For @hakaimagazine. hakaimagazine.com/news/the-rampa…
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ffs. "In the 18-month trial, patients who received lecanemab did 0.45 points better on the test than those receiving placebo, a result that hit the threshold of statistical significance, meaning it’s unlikely to be the result of random chance." statnews.com/2022/09/27/alz…
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I wrote about a hugely successful project in coral conservation, a beacon of hope in a time of mass bleaching, disease, and loss. In an open-top aquarium, a few rows of branching, brownish-yellow coral provide a window into the future of managed reefs.
hakaimagazine.com/features/a-moo…
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I'm critical and cautious of psychedelic therapy. It's not a popular stance, and certainly won't get me a Netflix series. But it is necessary. Science should be skeptical until evidence shows otherwise. My @Ri_Science talk from earlier this year. youtube.com/watch?v=HV1Nux…

YouTube
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A piece that I always hoped would come out re. Sapiens. It's also worth noting that the publishing industry allows such "populist science" writers a platform. Fact checking isn't standard practice, fiction is often labelled as non-fiction. currentaffairs.org/2022/07/the-da…
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Very important, and quite disturbing, analysis of psychedelic therapy, by @StuartJRitchie. In summary: "LSD (Lots of Scientific Difficulties)" stuartritchie.substack.com/p/psychedelics…
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A few recs for more info:
@StuartJRitchie's 'Science Fictions' for bias & hype in sci method sciencefictions.org
@NYMag's Cover Story for abuse in psychedelic therapy bit.ly/3sokiGN
@d_a_robson's 'Expectation Effect' for placebo effects davidrobson.me/books/the-expe…
Royal Institution (now on Bluesky)@Ri_Science
How far have we come in treating depression? Join @alexlariley as he takes us on a journey through the new frontiers of psychedelic treatments and what the future holds for sufferers of this disease. Book now (Theatre & Livestream) 👇rigb.org/whats-on/hopes…
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Thanks to everyone who came to the Royal Institution last night, and to those who watched online. It was a pleasure, @Ri_Science, thanks for having me.

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Alex Riley retweetledi

How far have we come in treating depression?
Join @alexlariley as he takes us on a journey through the new frontiers of psychedelic treatments and what the future holds for sufferers of this disease.
Book now (Theatre & Livestream) 👇rigb.org/whats-on/hopes…
English


