Alex Riley

Science writer. Book: How Life Thrives in Extraordinary Places for @AtlanticBooks & @WWNorton (2025). Words in @hakaimagazine, @BBC_Future, @NautilusMag, etc.

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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. https://t.co/bmocBQU0hQ
🦑💡💡

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

Reading through 20-year-old studies on heat stress and imagining a time that's still full of hope for the future.

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

@bielleogy By @KRuthsatz: "Life in Plastic, It's Not Fantastic," how microplastics affect metamorphosis in amphibians. https://t.co/hfYHad7KNk

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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 🌎🌍🌏

[nature @Nature]

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) https://t.co/LDyuLWBBcP

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

"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.
https://t.co/rMO2LpL2aX

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

Person who has no idea what a microscope does selling a microscope:

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

@daisygreenwell Of course!

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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. https://t.co/H2oiD5fWSW

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

Beavers are back and they're here to stay. 🦫 🇬🇧❤️

[Beaver Trust @BeaverTrust]

Today is a historic day!

England's #beavers have finally received the European Protected Status they deserve.

We just want to say thank you to everyone who has made this possible.

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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." https://t.co/8PfPC4sNLb

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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.
https://t.co/MTvQ6jiyhE

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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. https://t.co/a1BCsKw1mc

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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. https://t.co/yR0fAmGJcE

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

Very important, and quite disturbing, analysis of psychedelic therapy, by @StuartJRitchie. In summary: "LSD (Lots of Scientific Difficulties)" https://t.co/jvqp7Bc19K

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

A few recs for more info:
@StuartJRitchie's 'Science Fictions' for bias & hype in sci method https://t.co/654WPVY7IX
@NYMag's Cover Story for abuse in psychedelic therapy https://t.co/MNKvo7IB4h
@d_a_robson's 'Expectation Effect' for placebo effects https://t.co/p8G4dbjkeP

[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) 👇https://t.co/R1HXFBlOqz

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

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.

[Alex Riley @alexlariley]

Sit tight. I'm on my way.

[Royal Institution (now on Bluesky) @Ri_Science]

To learn more about how psychedelic therapy can be used to treat depression, join @alexlariley TONIGHT for a livestream illuminating what the future holds.

Book now 👇 https://t.co/R1HXFBlOqz

[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) 👇https://t.co/R1HXFBlOqz