LightNews — News, ranked by scholars

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

W. Kamau Bell

@wkamaubell.bsky.social

There is no such thing as “apolitical”. Pass it on.

September 15, 2026 at 11:38 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

worm

@rfksbrainworm.bsky.social

we need more bats on here

September 13, 2026 at 10:48 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Karin Wulf

@kawulf.bsky.social

Teaching is the very thing that’s been degraded and underfunded and is the very thing that we know across k-16 is the most important aspect of student learning and outcomes – well beyond the classroom. Yes, this is now my checklist for any essay/ pod abt "higher ed." 10/

September 13, 2026 at 11:55 AM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Anna Gifty

@itsafronomics.blacksky.app

lol there are a lot of people talking about AI who, frankly, shouldn't so here are people to listen to and then some:

@timnitgebru.blacksky.app
@alexhanna.bsky.social
@rajiinio.bsky.social
@ruha9.bsky.social
@emilymbender.bsky.social
@karenhao.bsky.social
@dairinstitute.bsky.social

These Women Tried to Warn Us About AI

Rumman Chowdhury, Timnit Gebru, Safiya Noble, Seeta Peña Gangadharan, and Joy Buolamwini open up about their artificial intelligence fears

www.rollingstone.com

September 12, 2026 at 8:45 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

Save the Academy organizers need some volunteers to help hand out informational flyers at the academy of natural sciences this weekend. If you are able to help please get in touch via this contact form save-the-academy.org/contact.html

Contact us — Save the Academy

Questions, press, partnerships, or a way to help? Write to the Save the Academy campaign.

save-the-academy.org

September 10, 2026 at 7:06 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Roland Pierik

@roleo.eurosky.social

The number of cases of cervical cancer reported in Scotland among women given the HPV vaccine at 12-13 years of age is now zero.

Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero.

Zero.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

No cervical cancer cases in fully HPV-vaccinated women in Scotland

A study published by Public Health Scotland finds that the HPV vaccine is "highly effective".

www.bbc.com

September 8, 2026 at 6:50 PM

Tom Cuthbertson

@tcuthbertson13.bsky.social

Anyone have recommendations for a ghost tour in Philly?

September 9, 2026 at 1:36 PM

Tom Cuthbertson

@tcuthbertson13.bsky.social

We've always been at war with Eurasia.

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 8d

Lonnie Bunch will step down from his position as head of the Smithsonian Institution by the end of the year, he announced

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch is leaving amid fights with Trump

Bunch, the first Black person and first historian to lead the institution, said he has ‘mixed emotions’ about departing.

www.nbcnews.com

September 8, 2026 at 6:41 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Snigdha

@snig.bsky.social

Not everyone's train journey is the same.

A lone black woman on a train.
Her carriage is full of masked white men going to march for white supremacy.

Three white women on a train smiling. Their carriage is full of masked white men going to block the port of Dover.

September 8, 2026 at 8:26 AM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

Today’s rally to save the academy of natural sciences was incredible. Hundreds of people turned out.

This is only the beginning. Follow along with save-the-academy.org

September 8, 2026 at 4:32 PM

Tom Cuthbertson

@tcuthbertson13.bsky.social

This demonstrates that there are people out there who :
A) aren't reading any speculative fiction
Or
B) are reading speculative fiction wrong

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 9d

New: a secretive DHS predictive policing unit is analyzing Americans' financial activity, feeding those names to police, then having cops pull them over. Not suspected of any particular crime

We're revealing the unit name too: Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team www.404media.co/a-secretive-...

A Secretive DHS ‘Predictive Policing’ Unit is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over

404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.

www.404media.co

September 8, 2026 at 4:24 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

I better see you tomorrow morning. We got a stage and ASL interpreter and everything 😎

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 13d

Attention Philadelphia!

We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public.

Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck!

RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

A dinosaur on a white background with the text SAve the academy of Natural sciences museum rally Tuesday Sept 8 10am in front of the academy 1900 ben Franklin Parkway. "Tell Drexel University "Keep the museum open!" with the logos for Philly Science Action, Skype a Scientist, and Green Philly

September 8, 2026 at 12:32 AM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Meghan Dennis

@archaeoethicist.bsky.social

Am digital ethicist, can confirm, it is unethical to have LLMs or your chair do your research for you.

tunes to make you run away @whippoorwont.bsky.social · 9d

"people are anthropomorphizing LLMs because they are so astonishingly good at processing human thought and language" people will anthropomorphize a chair if you put the stitches in the right place.

September 8, 2026 at 8:43 AM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social

Attention Philadelphia!

We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public.

Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck!

RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

September 3, 2026 at 9:54 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

The Verge

@theverge.com

As a new Harry Potter trailer makes the rounds, it bears repeating that there’s no way to watch this show without supporting J.K. Rowling’s bigotry and the structural violence she’s inflicting on the trans community.

There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series

You can’t without supporting Rowling’s transphobic bigotry.

www.theverge.com

September 2, 2026 at 3:38 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Exhausted archaeologist-exhausteologist

@hknorton.bsky.social

My article "Black Heritage Sites & the NRHP" dropped today. I crunched the numbers to see if we had improved the number of listings since 2020 & evaluate claims of structural issues in the National Register. Spoiler, its not the #NRHP. 🏺#archaeology #preservation
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/GRBHV...

Black Heritage Sites and the National Register of Historic Places: A Snapshot in Time

This article explores the historical underrepresentation and recent revitalization of African American heritage sites within the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Historically, Black her...

www.tandfonline.com

September 2, 2026 at 3:18 PM

Tom Cuthbertson

@tcuthbertson13.bsky.social

This museum, Ranger Rick, and Eye Witness books are the reason I am who I am.

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 15d

I feel like I’m going to throw up

Screen shot of an Instagram post that says the academy of natural sciences is closing its museum after nearly two centuries

September 2, 2026 at 1:57 AM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Toss

@stevenspoints.bsky.social

I really cannot think of a greater honor than to have the Muppets say this about you upon your passing

Instagram post from the official Muppets account: Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry. As a performer he was unparalleled - witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s crew. Thank you for everything, Tim.

August 26, 2026 at 4:50 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

ACLU

@aclu.org

BREAKING: The Supreme Court denied an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the case affirming marriage equality nationwide.

Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.

November 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM

Reposted by Tom Cuthbertson

Steph Halmhofer

@cultarchaeo.bsky.social

We already see literally this *exact* same claim from adults engaged in pseudoarchaeological content - that humans could not have [done whatever they're focusing on]. I worry about how difficult education on the past will become as kids who believe this begin to take notice of adults in popular
1/

Susanna Shore, Author @susannashore.bsky.social · Nov 4

I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.

A post on Mastodon by small cypress (@small_cypress@indieweb.social):

As an art teacher I was worried AI would come up as an issue of "why should I learn how to draw when I can use AI instead."

But the real issue is that my middle schoolers CONSTANTLY believe all art I show them is AI. Digital art. Photography. Oil paintings from the Western canon. "A human couldn't do that"

Being convinced that humans can't make great art is kind of terrifying

November 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM

Tom Cuthbertson

@tcuthbertson13.bsky.social

Anyone else constantly vacillating between wanting to build community (or at least contribute to one) one moment and wanting to disappear into the Appalachian mountains to build a log cabin/rock shelter into the side of the mountain and become a cryptid the next?

Cool me neither.

November 3, 2025 at 11:17 PM