Chris Fowler

[Chris Fowler @chrisfowler]

@samaaron 🔥

[Chris Fowler @chrisfowler]

@IndieFude ❤️

[Science girl @sciencegirl]

Researchers have found that some traditional artisan cheeses can host an unexpectedly large and diverse range of living microbes, in some cases exceeding 1,000 distinct species.

A study from the University of Reading and Nettlebed Creamery examined how microbial communities evolve during the ageing of British farmhouse cheeses. The results showed that bacteria and fungi within the cheese are not static, but continue to shift and interact over time, influencing both flavour development and biochemical activity that may have relevance for digestion and gut health.

One example, a cheese known as Witheridge and matured in hay under low-oxygen conditions, developed exceptionally high microbial diversity during ripening. Researchers suggest the hay environment may encourage a wider ecosystem of microbes to establish and compete as the cheese matures.

Another variety, Highmoor, showed major microbial changes during ageing due to repeated brine washing, which introduced salt-tolerant organisms and even microbes typically found in marine environments. These shifts were linked to changes in aroma and rind development.

The study also observed that as cheeses mature, lactose levels decline as microbes convert it into compounds such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which are short-chain fatty acids associated with gut health and metabolism. In some cases, fungi in the rind were also found producing chitin-like substances that resemble dietary fibre and may support beneficial gut bacteria.

Researchers note that these biological changes may help explain why aged cheeses are often better tolerated by people with lactose sensitivity, and suggest that the structure of cheese itself could help protect microbes as they pass through the digestive system.

Overall, the findings point to artisan cheese as a far more dynamic microbial environment than previously understood, with potential implications for nutrition and digestive science.

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

“The time has come to put aside national ambitions and look for an international ambition of survival,” Sir David Attenborough told 60 Minutes in 2020. He turns 100 today.

Attenborough warns that if world leaders don’t change, “It’s going to sink us in the end."

[The Bee Guy @the_beeguy]

It’s that time of year - folks asking us about #bumblebees - WHY THEY’RE SEEING THEM ON THE GROUND - so here’s a thread to explain.
Please #retweet!
Every queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce queen #bees for next year!
So important to #share!
1/9

[ALASTAIR CAMPBELL @campbellclaret]

Trump is utterly disgusting. Surely we cannot be far from the time when King Charles refuses to be involved in Trump’s attempts to use a significant 🇺🇸 anniversary for his own ends. Just take today - for a US President to say “I’m glad he’s dead” of a man who has devoted his life to public service is beyond vile. And his endorsement of Orban (farewell any notion of not interfering in other countries’ politics) puts him in the Putin camp once more, furthering the risk to Ukraine. Add in the endless insults of @Keir_Starmer and I really think the time has come for the 👑 to follow the Pope in being otherwise engaged .

[Chris Fowler @chrisfowler]

@NVIDIARobotics You could have at least referenced https://t.co/5r6ThJUf00 as a pioneer in this space.

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

U.S. farmers are intentionally flooding their fields to revive ancient "prairie potholes," creating temporary "pop-up" wetlands that deliver a huge boost to migratory birds while improving soil health.

In regions like California's Central Valley and the Mississippi Delta, innovative programs—most notably BirdReturns (launched by The Nature Conservancy in 2014)—pay farmers to strategically flood low-lying or post-harvest fields at precise times during bird migrations. These short-term wetlands mimic the natural prairie potholes and seasonal marshes that once dotted the landscape but were largely drained for agriculture.

By timing floods to align with peak migration periods (e.g., spring and fall for shorebirds, waterfowl, and sandhill cranes), farmers provide essential stopover habitat: shallow water, mudflats, and abundant food for millions of birds traveling along flyways like the Pacific Flyway. The approach has transformed tens of thousands of acres of working farmland into critical refueling stations, with studies showing dramatic increases in bird use and numbers—sometimes 3.5 times higher in these managed pop-up wetlands compared to standard fields.

Farmers also gain practical benefits. Seasonal flooding enhances soil structure, boosts nutrient cycling (as bird activity and water help break down residues), recharges groundwater, reduces erosion, and supports long-term land productivity—often without hurting crop yields in subsequent seasons.

This win-win model proves that modern agriculture and wildlife conservation can reinforce each other, turning productive farmland into flexible ecological assets that sustain both birds and resilient farming systems.

[The Nature Conservancy. BirdReturns: Creating Dynamic Habitat for Migratory Birds. The Nature Conservancy California]

[Barra Best @barrabest]

Today! The Emerald Isle shining in the overdue sunshine. The sun will return on Friday and Saturday. View from space via @NASAEarth.

[The Irish News @irish_news]

“We understand very intimately grief and pain. This is not singular to us as Irish people, but I think we understand grief and pain as a thing that can be told through hope and lightness.

“I think that a specific thing to here is that when we tell these difficult stories – we tell them with hope and with kindness.”

Local stars including Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Seamus O’Hara, Danielle Galligan and Lisa McGee speak to Sophie Clarke about why they think Irish storytelling resonates around the world.

🎥 Dylan Hegarty

[Jeffrey Ladish @JeffLadish]

I was interviewed for this film. Most documentaries create strawmen of the people they interview

Not this one! I feel like the filmmakers did a pretty good job representing many views: The gravely concerned, the optimistic, the CEOs... Highly recommend watching this!

[Trades Union Congress @The_TUC]

BREAKING 🚨 | Reform announce plans to legalise discrimination.

Plans include scrapping the Equality Act, which would legalise discrimination against a worker if they were a woman, disabled, black, pregnant or gay.

From ripping up equality protections, to backing fire-and-rehire, to opposing a ban on zero-hours contracts, Reform UK have made it clear whose side they’re on – and it’s not working people.

[Feargal Sharkey @Feargal_Sharkey]

"Dirty Business: The Filthy Truth About England’s Water Companies."

Channel 4, Feb 23rd at 9pm, be there.

https://t.co/uRK7mIMOPo

[European Democrats @democrats_eu]

At the Munich Security Conference, Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton did not exaggerate. She did not rant. She simply described, with cold precision, what is unfolding before our eyes: pressure on Ukraine to surrender, a cynical convergence with Putin, and the erosion of the values that have underpinned the West since 1945. This is not theatre. It is the defence of democracy, sovereignty and human dignity. What is at stake today is the credibility of the democratic world itself.

[UBI Works 🇨🇦 @ubi_works]

Ireland's basic income pilot for artists worked so well they made it permanent. The economic growth it generated paid back more than its net cost, study shows.

How many people are being held back from their potential because they're living bill-to-bill? UBI is true freedom.

[Hugo Baraúna @hugobarauna]

What if? 👀

#ElixirLang #Nerves #Raspberry

[Jon Harding @_i0n]

BBC news tells me that, in the future, the ruling will mean the Home Secretary will find it more difficult to ban terrorist organisations.

No.

In future, the ruling means it will be more difficult for the Home Secretary to ban organisations that are not terrorist

[Chris Fowler @chrisfowler]

This!

[sam @SamuelBeek]

someone made a Claude Code Tamagochi with https://t.co/YEnlZTf04c whuuutt, absolutely wild, this tool didn't exist 1 week ago

[Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla]

OMG!! This is amazing. Court rules government's ban on Palestine Action is unlawful. This entire episode has been such a shameful stain on Keir Starmer's government.

https://t.co/d7hr9HBTqu

[Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana]

A billionaire worth £17,000,000,000 who moved to Monaco to dodge £4,000,000,000 in tax is now blaming immigrants for Britain’s problems.

If parasitic billionaires like Jim Ratcliffe paid what they owe — and politicians weren’t in their pockets — our NHS, schools and public services wouldn’t be on their knees.

It is textbook divide and rule. The real enemy of the working class travels by private jet, not migrant dinghy.