Dr Claire Asher

@claireasher
635 Followers
474 Following
400 Posts

Freelance science writer & communicator. Co-author of #BraveGreenWorld.

Interests include #Evolution #AnimalBehaviour #Conservation #Sustainability #Climate #Science #Wildlife

Websitewww.claireasher.co.uk
Etsywww.etsy.com/uk/shop/CuriosityCreative
PronounsShe / her
Dr Claire AsherMar 10

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis, but what if we could design plastics that automatically deconstruct after use?

My latest article for @mongabay looks at a recent study that used clever chemistry — inspired by the way DNA, RNA, and proteins break down — to do just that.

https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/promising-breakthrough-creates-plastics-that-self-deconstruct-on-cue-study/ #PlasticPollution #Chemistry #CircularEconomy

Promising breakthrough creates plastics that self-deconstruct on cue: Study

Plastics have a gigantic built-in problem: They’re tenacious, which is very good for a milk jug or a car bumper. But they don’t easily break down, which is bad for the environment. From the 1950s, when plastics were first produced in significant amounts, through 2017, the petrochemical industry churned out more than 8.3 billion metric […]

Conservation news
Dr Claire AsherNov 24

Really interesting interview with George Monbiot on Zack Polanski's podcast.

We need more conversations like these. https://youtu.be/3xx6lNFx8tI?si=lTWPXAcub3EDsCRA #Climate #Politics

How To Platform Socialist Ideas Through Billionaire Owned Channels | George Monbiot | Zack Polanski

YouTube
Dr Claire AsherOct 4
Robot TalkOct 3

📢 New Episode Alert!

In the first episode of the new season, I chatted to Prof. Frances Zhu from the Colorado School of Mines about intelligent robotic systems for space exploration. 🤖 🪐

Listen now: https://www.robottalk.org/2025/10/03/episode-127-frances-zhu/ #Robots #Robotics #Space #AI #Autonomy #Rover

Dr Claire AsherSep 17, 2025

Tropical soils appear to be more sensitive to warming than previously thought.

In a field experiment in Puerto Rico, warming understory plants and topsoil by 4°C increased CO2 emissions by between 42% and 204%, depending on the terrain.

My latest article for @mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/warming-triggers-unprecedented-carbon-loss-from-tropical-soils-study-finds/ #Climate #Soil #TropicalForests

Warming triggers unprecedented carbon loss from tropical soils, study finds

Climate warming could cause much greater soil carbon losses in the tropics than previously predicted, with potentially dire consequences for the global climate, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. Tropical forests store around a third of the world’s soil carbon and exchange more CO2 with the atmosphere than any other land biome. […]

Mongabay Environmental News
Dr Claire AsherSep 3, 2025

In my latest feature for @mongabay, I look into the current state and future prognosis of the soil carbon sink.

It stores an astonishing 2.5 trillion metric tons of carbon (in just the top 2m!), but is at risk of becoming a net CO2 source as the climate warms. https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/soil-carbon-crucial-ally-or-potential-threat-to-net-zero-commitments/ #Ecology #Climate #Soil #NetZero

Soil carbon: Crucial ally or potential threat to net-zero commitments?

The daily destruction of nature’s carbon stores is happening right before our eyes, as forests are ravaged by catastrophic wildfires and vast tracts of wildlands are cleared for agriculture. But even greater stores of carbon lie hidden beneath our feet, and they too are under threat. The world’s soils are a gigantic carbon sink that […]

Mongabay Environmental News
Dr Claire AsherSep 3, 2025

I'm absolutely thrilled to see my lovely and very talented friend Matthew Hutchinson interviewed in @TheGuardian this week about his experiences as a black doctor in the NHS.

I'm really looking forward to reading his book when it comes out! https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/01/youre-the-only-port-of-call-for-400-hospital-patients-which-is-absurd-matthew-hutchinson-on-the-perils-of-life-as-an-nhs-doctor

‘You’re the only port of call for 400 hospital patients, which is absurd’: Matthew Hutchinson on the perils of life as an NHS doctor

He’s a rheumatologist, a standup comedian – and now the author of a memoir. He talks about racism in healthcare, why Covid was the only time urgent care was properly staffed – and his beef with cardiologists

The Guardian
Dr Claire AsherAug 5, 2025

Ever wondered how scientists would solve a crime in zero-G?

My latest story for @sciencefocus looks at how forensic science might work on the ISS.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/heres-how-astronauts-will-soon-solve-murders-in-space #CSI #Forensics #Space

Here's how astronauts will soon solve murders in space | BBC Science Focus Magazine

When it eventually happens, a murder in space will be unlike any that has taken place on Earth. So how do you investigate an astronaut's killing when your crime scene lacks gravity?

BBC Science Focus Magazine
Dr Claire AsherJul 22, 2025
Robot TalkJul 17, 2025

🗣️ It's your chance to have your say!

What topics would you like to hear more about in Robot Talk Season 6?

Select your favourite topic in the poll below or leave a comment to suggest a different topic you'd like me to cover!

Self-driving cars
16.7%
Microrobotics
66.7%
Robots for hazardous environments
16.7%
Aquatic robots
0%
Poll ended at .
Dr Claire AsherJul 2, 2025
Over half a million people may have lived in the lost landscapes north of Australia, before the land was consumed by the ocean around 18,000 years ago. Now, the race is on to uncover the hidden treasures of this Atlantis-like land - my latest feature for @sciencefocus https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/new-hunt-for-real-world-atlantis-australia #Archaeology #Atlantis
Scientists have found what sounds eerily like Atlantis off Australia’s coast | BBC Science Focus Magazine

Over half a million people may have lived in the lost landscapes north of Australia... before they were consumed by the ocean.

BBC Science Focus Magazine
Dr Claire AsherJun 25, 2025
Robot TalkJun 25, 2025

What roles could humanoid #robots play in our future societies? 🤖

At the Great Exhibition Road Festival, I chatted to Dr. Petar Kormushev (Imperial College London), Ben Russell (Science Museum) and Dr. Maryam Banitalebi Dehkordi (University of Hertfordshire) about humanoid robotics.

Available wherever you get your podcasts: linktr.ee/robottalkpod

#Robots #Robotics #Humanoid #AI #Autonomy #HRI #SocialCare