Athena

There is a pattern, by now tediously familiar, to the British energy crisis.Trouble abroad sends gas prices soaring, and British households pay. Politicians express concern. Economists discuss volatility and global markets. We are told this is unavoidable.

It is not. The crisis is not only geopolitical.

It’s the result of a market design that functions exactly as intended . And that design is a political choice, not an inevitability.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/why-ed-miliband-is-right-about-britains?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Trump spent his term insulting U.S. allies, threatening about taking Greenland by force, and slapping tariffs, all under the banner of ‘America First.’

Now, faced with the potential disastrous consequences of his own decisions, he wants to hand the responsibility off to NATO, as if the alliance were some kind of hired muscle meant to carry out his wishes and clean up his mess.

NATO is a defensive alliance, not a mercenary force at the disposal of the United States.

Humans can make the world an ugly place, but nature is always here to remind us that beauty still exists.

This photograph, which won the 2026 British Wildlife Awards, captures a toad gliding through the clear waters of a Sheffield lake, beneath the quiet shelter of bare treetops - a small, still moment of grace in an imperfect world.

The weekend is here. Take a moment to slow down and hold close the people and things that matter most.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theclimatehistorian/p/the-toad-the-lake-and-everything?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

#nature #wildlifephotography

El Niño is likely to return in 2026, and push global temperatures into uncharted territory. Whether it arrives with a roar this year or quietly builds toward 2027, one thing is no longer in doubt.

The planet is on a trajectory where records exist to be broken. We once treated each new temperature record as an anomaly. We are now learning that anomaly can evolve into routine.

And when the anomaly becomes the routine, it’s the routine you should be afraid of.

https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/the-heat-is-coming-back?triedRedirect=true&_src_ref=mastodon.social

China plans a 10% increase in its science and technology budget this year and at least 7% annual growth in R&D spending over the next five years— a boost that translates to billions of extra dollars each year.

This is in sharp contrast to the US under President Trump's administration, which has tried to cut federal science funding since early 2025.

China now employs more researchers than the U.S. and the entire EU combined.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00770-y

If that’s true, my brain is basically immortal ☕ ☕ ☕

Regular caffeine intake from coffee and tea might slow cognitive decline and reduce a person’s risk of dementia, a huge study suggests.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00409-y

The far-right crime myth: London safer than ever, violent crime down, fewer murders than Paris or Berlin. Londoners know this: 81% feel secure. But far-right influencers on X / TikTok say a different story. "London+crime+immigrants" posts doubled 2020-24, painting a city under siege. 61% of Britons outside London believe the myth over the data. Disinformation works. https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/01/28/london-is-far-safer-than-violent-viral-videos-will-have-you-believe

#Wikipedia needs you

“Everything about Wikipedia is a worship of expertise,” aid its co-founder Jimmy Wales said in an interview with Nature.

That’s the part of the approach that makes it so valuable — and one of the reasons why researchers should take the time to get involved.

As the web gets ever more polarized and swamped with untrustworthy content, "editors who are fair and civil, and who know how to weigh up evidence, are sorely needed.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1