Academic freedom slides globally, as it takes a nosedive in the US. Really!

Let me guess, a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome by the Royal Society of Chemistry! What a piece of junk journalism!

"Academic freedom continues to decline globally, with a marked fall in the US, according to the 2026 update to the Academic Freedom Index. The index revealed that over the last decade academic freedom has slipped in 50 countries, with just nine registering improvement. ...

‘This academic freedom erosion is part of broader democratic backslide that we’re seeing in the US,’ [???] says Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. ‘It mirrors the rise of authoritarianism that we’ve seen in Hungary and Turkey [???], where higher education is often targeted.’ ..."

Academic freedom slides globally, as it takes a nosedive in the US | News | Chemistry World

Portrait of Hannah Fry unveiled at Royal Society on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year

Yesterday, I blogged here about Hannah Fry's latest visit to the robotics laboratory of Google Deepmind!

"... Hannah Fry was awarded the Royal Society's David Attenborough Award and Lecture 2024 in recognition of her significant work in public engagement with science and for her prolific role in popularising mathematics. 

Made by award-winning monoprint artist Chloe Barnes, the portrait is a monotype, printed on Arches Huile paper. Incorporating traditional oil painting techniques, the monotype has been finished with glazing and soft pastel. ..."

Portrait of Hannah Fry unveiled at Royal Society on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year | Royal Society "A portrait of mathematician and broadcaster Professor Hannah Fry commissioned by the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy, has been unveiled on the final episode of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2025, painted by the series winner, Chloe Barnes."

Why I returned the Faraday prize to the Royal Society: Elon Musk is a member

Besides the Trump Derangement Syndrome there seems to be also an Elon Musk Derangement Syndrome!

Why I returned the Faraday prize to the Royal Society | Opinion | Chemistry World "Andrea Sella explains how inaction over Elon Musk’s membership motivated him to act"

"Andrea Sella (born February 1961) is a chemist and broadcaster based at University College London where he is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry."

Time off for menstruation is a good idea. Period. | Careers | Chemistry World. Really!

I want time off for balding and shaving!

This is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry! What a woke society!

Time off for menstruation is a good idea. Period. | Careers | Chemistry World "Menstrual leave can improve working conditions for all employees"

Royal Society of Chemistry: Why pharma companies are rushing to flatter Trump by abandoning DEI policies. Really!

What a laughable article by the Royal Society!

As if DEI policies were not extremely whimsical!

"... On the surface, these firms have no obligation to conform to Trump’s political whims. GSK is a UK-based company, and even though Pfizer has its headquarters in the US, it is a corporation, not a federal agency. ..."

Why companies are rushing to flatter Trump | Opinion | Chemistry World "Pharma firms are among many pausing diversity programmes and promising domestic investment"

AI can tell Scottish and American whiskies apart

ML & AI are now attending to the finer things in live? I toast to that! 😊

"Machine-learning method identifies prominent aromas

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to tell the difference between American whiskey and Scotch, and identify their prominent aromas, potentially better than a human expert."

AI can tell Scottish and American whiskies apart | Research | Chemistry World

High levels of PFAS found in smartwatch wristbands. Really!

The never ending alarmism and hysteria about PFAS! This one is disseminated by the Royal Society of Chemistry! Shame on them!

Alert: Plastophobia is a serious disorder. Please seek immediate medical help! (Caution: satire)

What about all the benefits of plastics in our lives? What are the substitutes?

"There are elevated levels of leachable per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in several smartwatch wristbands, US researchers have shown. Fluoropolymers are often employed in such products owing to their oil-and water-repelling properties. The research suggests that some bands contain significant residues of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) – used as a surfactant during manufacturing – providing an opportunity for skin exposure. ..."

High levels of PFAS found in smartwatch wristbands | News | Chemistry World

Over 10,000 letters from and to the scientist John Herschel between 1807-1875 are digitized now

Good news! Will they inspire the next Albert Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or a female genius?

Herschel Letters | The Royal Society: Science in the Making This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

Portrait of John Frederick William Herschel, by Christian Albrecht Jensen, 1843.

An example

Royal Society of Chemistry: Oil and gas industry emissions are not on track to hit climate goals. Really!

Again, the Royal Society of Chemistry promotes socialism and communist central planning in the name of the greatest scam of our time: Global Warming hoax/Climate Change religion! Disgusting and appalling!

"... Almost a decade on from the Paris agreement, made by governments around the world to restrain global warming, the world’s largest oil and gas companies have still not aligned to its goal. ..."

Oil and gas industry emissions are not on track to hit climate goals | Business | Chemistry World Several big firms have rolled back their targets, saying governments need to set pace with policy

Royal Society of Chemistry: Affirming identity in chemistry classrooms. Really!

What! Even the Royal Society promotes this propaganda and demagoguery! Disturbing!

Affirming identity in chemistry classrooms | Opinion | Chemistry World Showing students that science can be inclusive

Royal Society wants your pledge to fight climate change. Really!

I have reported here before that the Royal Society spreads the propaganda and demagoguery of climate change! Isaac Newton, David Faraday, Charles Darwin and others are wildly spinning in their graves!

What if the climate change is mostly a natural phenomenon? What if e.g. the observed rise in air temperature is an artifact of human urban heat islands? 

Share your pledge to our planet Write your pledge to our Planet and inspire others to help fight climate change and biodiversity loss. 

Royal Society: White male scientists have privileges that boost their career beyond merit. Really!

Isaac Newton, David Faraday, Charles Darwin and others are wildly spinning in their graves!

The 2018 study on which this news article is based was even published by the American Physical Society. The research article was published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Such propaganda and demagoguery coming from such institutions is sickening! What a piece of pseudoscience (garbage)!

"White able-bodied heterosexual male scientists not only avoid the disadvantages experienced by women, minoritised racial groups and other marginalised identities, but also experience exclusive benefits associated with their status. This, according to an analysis of more than 25,000 US scientists’ survey responses, allows white men more career opportunities, professional respect and higher salaries that can’t be attributed to factors such as work effort or level of qualification. ..."

From the abstract:

"A foundational assumption of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) inequality research is that members of the most well represented demographic group—white able-bodied heterosexual men (WAHM)—are uniquely privileged in STEM. But is this really the case? Using survey data of U.S. STEM professionals (N = 25,324), this study examines whether WAHM experience better treatment and rewards in STEM compared with members of all 31 other intersectional gender, race, sexual identity, and disability status categories. Indicating systematic advantages accompanying WAHM status, WAHM experience more social inclusion, professional respect, and career opportunities, and have higher salaries and persistence intentions than STEM professionals in 31 other intersectional groups. Decomposition analyses illustrate that these advantages operate in part as premiums—benefits attached to WAHM status that cannot be attributed to variation in human capital, work effort, and other factors. These findings motivate research and policy efforts to move beyond a single axis paradigm to better understand and address intersectional (dis)advantages in STEM."

White male scientists have privileges that boost their career beyond merit | Research | Chemistry World

The intersectional privilege of white able-bodied heterosexual men in STEM (open access)

Royal Society: Sunscreen’s coral-killing mechanism uncovered. Really!

You better feel guilty now when you visit the beach next time for summer fun! (Caution: Satire)

Again, the Royal Society spreads propaganda and demagoguery! This whole article is highly dubious!

Please also notice the slight of hand used by the scientists from Stanford University!

"[oxybenzone] is a naturally occurring chemical found in various flowering plants as well as being an organic component of many sunscreen lotions." (Source)

"Scientists have revealed how the sunscreen compound oxybenzone kills corals and other marine invertebrates: under UV light, the animals convert the normally benign compound into a potent phototoxin. ...
This is why Hawaii, Palau as well as some other regions have banned oxybenzone-containing sunscreens. ...

A research team from Stanford University, US, has now uncovered how the compound exerts its toxic effects. The team was surprised to find that UV light is a key ingredient in making oxybenzone toxic. Sea anemones exposed to oxybenzone and UV light died quickly, whereas those that weren’t exposed to UV survived identical oxybenzone doses. It turns out that the animals – using a metabolic pathway intended to remove contaminants – convert the compound into oxybenzone–glucoside, oxy-malonyl-glucoside and other conjugates.

The researchers couldn’t measure the conjugates’ phototoxicity directly because their high water-solubility made it difficult to introduce them into the animals. Instead, the team used a model compound, an oxybenzone whose hydroxyl had been replaced by a methoxy group. ...Under UV light, the model compound killed sea anemones three times faster than a 10-fold higher amount of oxybenzone."

Sunscreen’s coral-killing mechanism uncovered | Research | Chemistry World

Royal Society: Scientists call for global cap on plastic production

These are politicized agitators and authoritarians, not scientists!

Plastic is one of the greatest inventions of modern times! Plastic is immensely useful in many circumstances! To demonize plastic as a pollutant is pure propaganda and demagoguery! Heil plastophobia!

One can only hope, that Western countries will be smarter not to sign on to any excessive U.N treaty on plastic in 2024. 

Sure enough, the Royal Society is again disseminating such ideological rubbish! Isaac Newton, David Faraday, Charles Darwin and others are wildly spinning in their graves!

Prohibitions are most of the times the dumbest solutions human can come up with! History is littered with such foolishness! When will humans ever learn!

Intelligent human beings develop e.g. recyclable or decomposable plastics! Human ingenuity can handle this issue easily!

"Following the United Nations’ decision last month to adopt a global and legally-binding treaty by 2024 to end plastic pollution, and with governmental negotiations on the agreement slated to begin soon, an international group of scientific experts are arguing that such a treaty must cap production of new plastics from fresh feedstocks, and phase them out in the long-term. ..."

Here are some excerpts from the United Nations demagoguery on plastic:

1. "On track ‘for a cure’"
2. "‘Triumph by planet earth’"
3. ""It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it." Inger Andersen"

Scientists call for global cap on plastic production | News | Chemistry World The upcoming UN treaty to end plastic pollution will require capping and then phasing out virgin plastic production by 2040, researchers argue

U.N. News: Nations sign up to end global scourge of plastic pollution

President of the Royal Society on climate change: The next decade is make or break

What a fool! Isaac Newton, David Faraday, Charles Darwin and others are wildly spinning in their graves!

When the president of the prestigious Royal Society engages in propaganda and demagoguery then this is very serious!

The Global Warming hoax/Climate Change religion is the biggest scandal, human folly, and demagoguery of this 21st century! There are plenty and varied motives why there are so many influential and elite perpetrators involved!

Climate change, COP26 and the Royal Society | Royal Society

Royeal Society: Call for STEM sector to join forces to end disparities for Black and ethnic minority scientists

More evidence that the famous Royal Society has for years succumbed to leftist ideology! Very regrettable! Robert Boyle, Michael Faraday, Humphry Davy, and Isaac Newton are spinning in their graves!

How could this happen in the UK! I have documented it before since about December 2018 e.g. here, here, and here.

Call for STEM sector to join forces to end disparities for Black and ethnic minority scientists

Ethnicity in STEM academic communities | Royal Society

Climate change: evidence and causes By The Royal Society

The world famous Royal Society is a purveyor of the Global Warming hoax!

Many of the famous fellows of this society are probably spinning in their graves. E.g. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Ernest Rutherford, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Albert Einstein  and many others!

Just take the first two sentences:
"The Sun serves as the primary energy source for Earth’s climate. Some of the incoming sunlight is reflected directly back into space, especially by bright surfaces such as ice and clouds, and the rest is absorbed by the surface and the atmosphere."
The Royal Society wants us to believe that we know everything about the sun and that the sun and its radiation never changes! Both is total nonsense!

Climate change: evidence and causes | Royal Society: Supplementary information for the project 'Climate Change: Evidence and causes'.

Bad U.N. COP, good U.N. COP?

The famous British Royal Society and the professor who wrote this blog piece for the Royal Society are engaging in serious scaremongering & demagoguery! Shameful!

"The very first assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990 estimated that global temperature would rise by 0.3°C per decade in a scenario with the highest emissions of carbon dioxide (labelled business as usual). .... In fact the trend since 1990 has been very close to 0.2°C per decade."
Seriously, 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade? 0.2 is like a measurement error or the range of uncertainty! Given all the measurement manipulations and massaging that were applied this is a joke! What about the heat island effect?


"Science brings us these warnings, but it also brings us potential solutions some of which have become reality since 1990; for example, cheap renewable energy sources"
Another joke! Renewable energy is not cheap at all! It has been e.g. heavily subsidized by governments!


Bad COP, good COP? | In Verba | Royal Society In November 2020 the UK hosts the next UN climate summit, known as COP26, where world governments gather to debate and decide an international response to climate change

Robert Hooke: The Leonardo of England

Highly recommendable! Indeed, Robert Hooke is seriously underrated! The title of this video is no exaggeration!

Who Is The President Of the Royal Society?

Posted: 7/20/2019

The president of the prestigious Royal Society, i.e. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK) has authored a Correspondence in the Nature International Journal of Science, where he compares the justified and serious concern of the U.S. government over Chinese espionage in the U.S. to “... Actions such as the internment of US citizens of Japanese descent during the Second World War or the blacklisting of actual or alleged communists during the McCarthy era are now considered shameful episodes in US history” (S1; emphasis added)

This president of the Royal Society is such a naive, dumb, political hack and should be removed from office immediately! He is perhaps a brilliant scientist (shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009), but his political views are deeply tarnished by a myopic ideology!

A Noble prize winner with views that are anything but noble!