Fintan Burke
@fintanburke.com
Irish science journalist in Hamburg | Outreach for @esci.eu | President @eusja.org
Sé/é. Big fan of the en-dash.
Signal: fintanburke.01
Sé/é. Big fan of the en-dash.
Signal: fintanburke.01
This article has been shared among many science journalism groups I'm in. @beebrookshire.bsky.social's thread adds some well-needed context and lived experience.
One extra point to add what the authors discuss...
One extra point to add what the authors discuss...
Many things to think about in here. I'm sure @chriscmooney.bsky.social and Lewenstein could have used another 10,000 words to unpack it all.
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
Some thoughts:
1. The most popular science voices HAVE ALWAYS BEEN communicators. Not journalists. theconversation.com/is-science-j...
Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today
While science journalism layoffs pile up and publications shutter, more science communication than ever is available via other online venues.
theconversation.com
September 17, 2026 at 4:20 PM
This article has been shared among many science journalism groups I'm in. @beebrookshire.bsky.social's thread adds some well-needed context and lived experience.
One extra point to add what the authors discuss...
One extra point to add what the authors discuss...
“We acknowledge that some of these papers were indeed about Norwegian wood”
Beatlemania: Study finds thousands of papers reference songs by the Fab Four, suggesting scholars under pressure to stand out have leant on ‘one of the most globally recognised cultural phenomena’. Frances Jones reports #highered #edusky #citations
https://ow.ly/smuW50ZLvvg
https://ow.ly/smuW50ZLvvg
September 9, 2026 at 6:33 PM
“We acknowledge that some of these papers were indeed about Norwegian wood”
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Such sad news today. Frank was a terrific reporter and a decent human being. His work did much to defend Dublin from being completely destroyed by greedy developers.
www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2...
www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2...
Frank McDonald obituary: campaigning journalist changed how we think about urban planning
His reporting was relentless and led to the publication in January 1985 of his ground-breaking book The Destruction of Dublin
www.irishtimes.com
September 5, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Such sad news today. Frank was a terrific reporter and a decent human being. His work did much to defend Dublin from being completely destroyed by greedy developers.
www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2...
www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2...
I'm not saying the cold, rainy weather is making me feel normal again, but I just submitted a draft a little bit earlier than the deadline.
September 4, 2026 at 3:39 PM
I'm not saying the cold, rainy weather is making me feel normal again, but I just submitted a draft a little bit earlier than the deadline.
Minor thought: I would definitely read a study on the hours of work lost by office workers during the past weeks' heatwaves. It was* too damn hot to think straight.
*and will be
*and will be
August 11, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Minor thought: I would definitely read a study on the hours of work lost by office workers during the past weeks' heatwaves. It was* too damn hot to think straight.
*and will be
*and will be
Anyone involved in writing, reviewing, or even citing a research paper needs to read @katarinazimmer.bsky.social's phenomenal investigation piece on review mills, just published in @nature.com
#academicsky 🧪 #sts #SciComm
#academicsky 🧪 #sts #SciComm
‘A waste of time for all of us’: caught in the crossfire of the peer-review wars
Review mills — researchers who write fake referee reports with coercive citation requests — are setting off a war in academic publishing. What happens to those caught in the middle?
www.nature.com
August 4, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Anyone involved in writing, reviewing, or even citing a research paper needs to read @katarinazimmer.bsky.social's phenomenal investigation piece on review mills, just published in @nature.com
#academicsky 🧪 #sts #SciComm
#academicsky 🧪 #sts #SciComm
I can confirm it's bloody hot.
Over 40 °C again! It’s another extremely hot day in #Germany. More than 400 stations recorded new daily records, and there were also numerous new monthly records (preliminary). #Weather #Heatwave #ClimateChange
July 30, 2026 at 1:49 PM
I can confirm it's bloody hot.
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Great story by @katarinazimmer.bsky.social & Victoria Uwemedimo congratulations on the award!
🎊 We're delighted to share that Knowable Magazine’s work has won an award!
“For climate and livelihoods, Africa bets big on solar mini-grids,” by Victoria Uwemedimo and @katarinazimmer.bsky.social, placed first in the Multimedia category at the @soljourno.bsky.social awards.
“For climate and livelihoods, Africa bets big on solar mini-grids,” by Victoria Uwemedimo and @katarinazimmer.bsky.social, placed first in the Multimedia category at the @soljourno.bsky.social awards.
July 5, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Great story by @katarinazimmer.bsky.social & Victoria Uwemedimo congratulations on the award!
You know you've spelled something badly when the 'suggested spellings' are words you have never heard of.
July 3, 2026 at 8:42 AM
You know you've spelled something badly when the 'suggested spellings' are words you have never heard of.
My new standard response to missed deadlines.
June 12, 2026 at 8:37 AM
My new standard response to missed deadlines.
I still think they should have called it Beuro
European alternative to Google Docs and Microsoft Office launches on 9 June: free, open source and online, using existing building blocks. An important step in freeing ourselves from US control. www.zdnet.com/article/euro...
Euro-Office, Europe's open-source alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs, launches June 9
European tech firms will ship the first stable release of Euro-Office next month, giving governments and businesses worldwide a ready-to-run, sovereign alternative to Microsoft Office and Google Docs.
www.zdnet.com
May 29, 2026 at 12:43 PM
I still think they should have called it Beuro
The brightest minds in robotics have successfully engineered your uncle at a wedding.
May 22, 2026 at 3:08 PM
The brightest minds in robotics have successfully engineered your uncle at a wedding.
Odysseus was always welcome at Woolworths.
The Cohen brothers are ruining Homer's legacy. Odysseus never records a hit song. This is an assault on western culture. I am very smart.
May 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Odysseus was always welcome at Woolworths.
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Proteins recovered from 400,000-year-old fossils show humans living today may have inherited genes from Homo erectus: "There’s far greater complexity in terms of hominins across Eurasia than previously recognized," says @york.ac.uk geochemist Kirsty Penkman. @science.org
Ghost of long-extinct ancestor lives on in people today
Ancient Homo erectus teeth from China yield protein variants seen in Denisovans—and us
www.science.org
May 13, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Proteins recovered from 400,000-year-old fossils show humans living today may have inherited genes from Homo erectus: "There’s far greater complexity in terms of hominins across Eurasia than previously recognized," says @york.ac.uk geochemist Kirsty Penkman. @science.org
Jogging on an empty stomach during peak barbeque time. I only have myself to blame.
May 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Jogging on an empty stomach during peak barbeque time. I only have myself to blame.
Reposted by Fintan Burke
After 15 years working with North Korean researchers on Mount Paektu, geophysicist James Hammond reflects on sanctions, science diplomacy and the risks of cutting scientific ties entirely:
Science diplomacy lessons from a North Korean volcano
Mount Paektu, a mythic, active volcano on the border between North Korea and China, is almost the epitome of a scientific challenge that crosses political lines. In 946 CE, it erupted in one of the…
buff.ly
May 8, 2026 at 1:11 PM
After 15 years working with North Korean researchers on Mount Paektu, geophysicist James Hammond reflects on sanctions, science diplomacy and the risks of cutting scientific ties entirely:
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Well done article from @us.theguardian.com on how the Trump administration's war on science and data is harming the American public.
"Experts warn that Trump’s destruction of the country’s data infrastructure will have lasting impacts on all aspects of life..."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
"Experts warn that Trump’s destruction of the country’s data infrastructure will have lasting impacts on all aspects of life..."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
The Trump administration is deleting government data. From infant deaths to hunger, here are five ways it’s hurting Americans
This information was used to understand the problems Americans face. The consequences of its erasure, experts warn, could affect generations to come
www.theguardian.com
May 8, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Well done article from @us.theguardian.com on how the Trump administration's war on science and data is harming the American public.
"Experts warn that Trump’s destruction of the country’s data infrastructure will have lasting impacts on all aspects of life..."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
"Experts warn that Trump’s destruction of the country’s data infrastructure will have lasting impacts on all aspects of life..."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by Fintan Burke
An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist
Wanted: a new tech-industry writer
An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist
econ.st
May 6, 2026 at 1:51 PM
An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist
🧪How do you study microplastics when everything in your lab is also made of plastic?
I spoke with researchers in Germany, Norway, the US and Australia about how they try their best to create plastic-free labs, from 100% cotton lab coats to (near) 100% steel laboratories. @cenmag.bsky.social
I spoke with researchers in Germany, Norway, the US and Australia about how they try their best to create plastic-free labs, from 100% cotton lab coats to (near) 100% steel laboratories. @cenmag.bsky.social
How do you study microplastics when they’re everywhere?
Microplastics are everywhere, which makes studying them all the more difficult. Labs are doing all they can to be plastic-free but have few common protocols
cen.acs.org
March 24, 2026 at 8:37 PM
🧪How do you study microplastics when everything in your lab is also made of plastic?
I spoke with researchers in Germany, Norway, the US and Australia about how they try their best to create plastic-free labs, from 100% cotton lab coats to (near) 100% steel laboratories. @cenmag.bsky.social
I spoke with researchers in Germany, Norway, the US and Australia about how they try their best to create plastic-free labs, from 100% cotton lab coats to (near) 100% steel laboratories. @cenmag.bsky.social
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Many science journalists are concerned about plans to hold the profession's flagship international conference in China - a country that ranks 178th on the World Press Freedom Index
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Censorship and safety concerns cloud China’s plans to host science journalism conference
Organizers of the 2029 World Conference of Science Journalists defend Beijing meeting as opportunity to connect with Chinese scientists
www.science.org
February 27, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Many science journalists are concerned about plans to hold the profession's flagship international conference in China - a country that ranks 178th on the World Press Freedom Index
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Looking for sources for a Nature.com story about dealing with predatory 'pay-to-publish' magazines.
They try to convince PhDs/academics to write for their high-impact magazine (read by business people, politicians etc), charging them thousands to do so.
DMs open! #academicsky 🧪
They try to convince PhDs/academics to write for their high-impact magazine (read by business people, politicians etc), charging them thousands to do so.
DMs open! #academicsky 🧪
February 20, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Looking for sources for a Nature.com story about dealing with predatory 'pay-to-publish' magazines.
They try to convince PhDs/academics to write for their high-impact magazine (read by business people, politicians etc), charging them thousands to do so.
DMs open! #academicsky 🧪
They try to convince PhDs/academics to write for their high-impact magazine (read by business people, politicians etc), charging them thousands to do so.
DMs open! #academicsky 🧪
Time is a flat circle
February 14, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Time is a flat circle
Big shock - top universities in Europe's big cities & regions have no problem attracting students. But what about the universities in fringe areas with dwindling populations?
I spoke with the researchers in some of those regions to see how they adapt. 🧪 #AcademicSky
I spoke with the researchers in some of those regions to see how they adapt. 🧪 #AcademicSky
Regional universities seek new ways to attract researchers
Universities and research programmes in many rural regions in Europe are being adversely affected by declining population numbers and brain drain. The...
www.universityworldnews.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Big shock - top universities in Europe's big cities & regions have no problem attracting students. But what about the universities in fringe areas with dwindling populations?
I spoke with the researchers in some of those regions to see how they adapt. 🧪 #AcademicSky
I spoke with the researchers in some of those regions to see how they adapt. 🧪 #AcademicSky
Reposted by Fintan Burke
Google must have finally incorporated AI into Google Maps. How do I know?
It just told me I needed to leave now to be at Dublin Airport by 13:30 now to catch 9am Citylink that arrives in Dublin Airport at 11am. Then I should take the 11:45 Kells bus to Ballymun and walk back one hour to the airport
It just told me I needed to leave now to be at Dublin Airport by 13:30 now to catch 9am Citylink that arrives in Dublin Airport at 11am. Then I should take the 11:45 Kells bus to Ballymun and walk back one hour to the airport
February 9, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Google must have finally incorporated AI into Google Maps. How do I know?
It just told me I needed to leave now to be at Dublin Airport by 13:30 now to catch 9am Citylink that arrives in Dublin Airport at 11am. Then I should take the 11:45 Kells bus to Ballymun and walk back one hour to the airport
It just told me I needed to leave now to be at Dublin Airport by 13:30 now to catch 9am Citylink that arrives in Dublin Airport at 11am. Then I should take the 11:45 Kells bus to Ballymun and walk back one hour to the airport
As a science journalist looking through papers and being asked to 'Sign in through your institution" for two hours 🧪
February 4, 2026 at 4:16 PM
As a science journalist looking through papers and being asked to 'Sign in through your institution" for two hours 🧪