Pallab Ghosh

Science Correspondent for BBC News. Also on @pallabg.bsky.social

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Take a journey into the zeptoverse https://t.co/80SWrvwiVr

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

What is the zeptoverse and why is important? https://t.co/GYneL09WB5

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Scientists have detected signals from the zeptoverse - the smallest scale of nature ever explored https://t.co/N1cvVHWxx1

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Happy Star Trek Day everyone! #StrangeNewWorlds.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

How the brain of a fly may hold the secrets of human behaviour https://t.co/aXy6Fnyp0R

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Solar eclipse: When is it and how to watch it safely by @BBCWorld https://t.co/MNW4hupwgt via @YouTube

[Manchester News MEN @MENnewsdesk]

Jodrell Bank future under threat as Manchester Evening News launches campaign to save iconic space telescope https://t.co/pprZyepVQS

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

If I received £2.8 million this year and in 2028 I received nothing, even though my costs had not increased, what is your perspective on whether that is a cut from my perspective, @ersatzben? 😊

[Ben Johnson @ersatzben]

Yesterday I had £100 to spend on widgets that cost £10 each. Today I still have £100 to spend, but the cost is now £20 each so I can only afford half the number of widgets. Whether this a 50% “cut” depends entirely on your perspective.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Here’s the piece. https://t.co/OZDTa87Xuf

[Conor Fitzpatrick @Fitzparticle]

@stianwestlake @STFC_Matters @UKRI_CEO Of course, we could ask STFC council if blue skies research is being cut or not. They would say 'a major shift of funding from curiosity-driven research to priority areas and targeted programmes' as @BBCPallab reported on this previously.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Here’s the wider story of @UKRI_News’s plan to pivot its funding towards nearer market research that they believe will lead to new industries and so new jobs in the UK. https://t.co/OZDTa87Xuf

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Here’s the latest on the axing of funds by @UKRI_News for the Jodrell Bank Observatory.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Hey @stianwestlake. You may not have seen but my article says quite high up that UKRI received its highest ever science budget and there has been a generous increase. I think it’s legitimate to say some areas have been cut. To say otherwise comes across as a little Orwellian.😉

[Stian Westlake @stianwestlake]

To be clear about what’s happening here:

The budget of @STFC_Matters, which funds astronomy, particle physics and large research facilities *hasn’t* been cut: it’s staying the same in nominal terms - which is a good settlement given how constrained public finances are.

But… the costs of doing this sort of science have risen significantly: in particular, staff costs (wage growth, NI), energy costs (big science = big leccy bill) and FX costs (our subscription fees to CERN are payable in Swiss Francs - rates have not been kind recently).

All this means the same amount of money buys less science.

STFC did what I’d do in the circumstances: looked at their funding and made very tough prioritisation decisions.

By all means argue with the prioritisation, if you have the expertise to do so (though STFC have not done this without considerable thought). Or make the case for spending more on science altogether (though that’s a hard sell right now). But either way, important to recognise there are trade-offs.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Sad news. The UK's iconic Jodrell Bank telescope faces the axe because of cuts. It seems odd because the government has given the record increased for Science spending but @ukri_news has said it can’t continue to fund it because costs have escalated. https://t.co/0tm0UDoUFe

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Here’s the latest on what night shifts do to the mind and body and whether a nap can make a big difference. https://t.co/0uOx9z5cU3

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

The UK‘s research funding agency @UKRI_News has received a record increase for funding Science by the government. Why then is it having to cut the budget of some of the most important labs in the country? https://t.co/mofKZoTCcU

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Nasa has just launched a mission to save falling space https://t.co/xuQ7ZhVvBH could have come straight out an episode of the 1960s science fiction TV series, Thunderbirds. https://t.co/gL2DQO5dUW

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Excited to attend The BBC Correspondents’ Charity Dinner tonight at @Langham_London in support of @bbcmediaaction

This year, it is spotlighting brave journalists from Sierra Leone and Zambia,  trained byMedia Action to pursue the truth and inspire action for their communities.

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

Artemis II crew: 'humans as well as heroes “We left as friends - we came back as best friends”. https://t.co/yJG8ovBB3X

[Pallab Ghosh @BBCPallab]

.⁦@NASAArtemis⁩ 2 mission has obvious parallels with the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, which paved the way for the Moon landing a year later. It gave us a photo that changed the world. Can the Artemis programme do the same? https://t.co/zS8YEEwseq