“Animal dewormer and a drug used to treat scabies are being sold and promoted as unproven cancer treatments, a BBC investigation has found.” Disinformation at work again.

Undercover reporter offered fenbendazole and ivermectin as cancer treatment

A terminally ill man was offered the drugs by a stair lift salesman claiming they could shrink tumours.

bbc.co.uk

As someone who sat on the Education Policy Institute’s working group on disadvantage gaps during covid, I’m under no illusions about the enormous educational and psychological harms of school closures – especially for working‑class and BME children. Those impacts are real and must not be downplayed.

I’m appearing at the Stratford literary festival on Sunday November 1st to talk about You Don’t Know What You’re Missing. If you’re in the area, please do come down, watch and say hello.

🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12

1. Many school support staff were at very high risk 2. Your argument assumes the virus somehow behaved differently in schools 3. debate should never have been about schools closed/open - as we argued it should have been about making them safe www.independentsage.org/wp-content/u...

Everybody who is reading this survived Covid. Not everyone did.

Prof Christina Pagel@chrischirp.bsky.social · 5d ago

🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12

I was on BBC inside Science as presenter's friend last week. I've summarised some of the topics we talked about (monkeys doing geometry, AI doing maths, testosterone testing, beavers and Orcas ramming sunfish) in my latest substack post. open.substack.com/pu...

It took 20 days to publish this correction. The reporter acknowledged the error on same day of the report when @jdportes.bsky.social pointed this out

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

bbc.co.uk

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3w ago

“What will the Lovell Telescope discover/enable 20 yrs from now? I can’t tell you, and that’s the point. It will either be something extraordinary that none of us can yet predict, or we will defund it and leave Cheshire with a rusting monument to unfulfilled potential and discoveries never made.” 🔭🧪

First time Reform has lost the lead with any pollster since mid-April 2025

Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · last wk.

Our latest voting intention sees cross over. Labour move ahead by 4. Their first lead since March 2025 & highest share since Nov 24 🌹 LAB 28% (+4)
⏩ REF 24% (-2)
🌳 CON 22% (nc)
🔶 LIB DEM 12% (+1)
🟢 GREEN 8% (-3)
🟡 SNP 2% (nc) N = 2061| Dates 24-27/7| Change w 22/7

Strange decision given Jodrell Bank is probably the most iconic symbol of science in the North of the England. I would imagine our new Prime Minister, who is very focussed supporting the North, will have something to say about it.

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

bbc.co.uk

I think the lobster outfit might be a bit of a red herring.

The Tour de France completed it's 113th edition yesterday. By why do cyclist keep making moves they know are destined to fail? Not for nothing is grand tour cycling often referred to as "Chess on Wheels". Check out my latest substack. open.substack.com/pu...

“UK complacent about war threat” warns man whose company makes huge profits from threat of war.

I'm on BBC Inside Science again as presenter's friend this afternoon at 16:30. We'll be talking about Beavers, Orcas, Testosterone, Mathematical Monkeys and Mathematical Machines. Check it out: www.bbc.co.uk/progra... 1/4

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science

A weekly programme looking at the science that's changing our world.

bbc.co.uk

“Millionaires including former footballer Gary Lineker and music producer Brian Eno have written to new prime minister Andy Burnham asking to be taxed more.”

UK millionaires ask Andy Burnham to tax them more

A group including former England footballer Gary Kineker write to the new PM telling him "we can afford it".

bbc.co.uk

*walks into room of mathematicians* Have you considered DOING A BREAKTHROUGH.

mr. TIM@timkellogg.me · 2w ago

the Dinitz-Garg-Goemans conjecture, a graph theory problem that’s gone unsolved for 30 years, was solved with this prompt

“The ex-chief exec of Southern Water has been charged with three others over an alleged plan to manipulate water quality tests to avoid paying financial penalties of about £45m” 😡 Why are we not surprised that this sort of thing might have been going on

Ex-Southern Water boss charged over alleged plan to manipulate water tests

Matthew Wright is accused alongside three others of trying to save the firm millions in penalties.

bbc.co.uk

“The ex-chief exec of Southern Water has been charged with three others over an alleged plan to manipulate water quality tests to avoid paying financial penalties of about £45m” 😡 Why are we not surprised that this sort of thing might have been going on

Ex-Southern Water boss charged over alleged plan to manipulate water tests

Matthew Wright is accused alongside three others of trying to save the firm millions in penalties.

bbc.co.uk

If anyone in the rest of the world wants to be appalled, this is how we do Covid in the UK. No vaccines for children, pregnant women, and we honestly haven't got many people over the age of 80 left anymore after letting covid run wild in care homes (notice - no healthcare staff vaccines). Yup.

Kit Yates@kityates.bsky.social · 2w ago

UK restricts Autumn boosters to 80 year olds. "JCVI noted in their cost-benefit analysis that willingness to pay privately increases with age"

Saw Arcadia last night. A delicious brainfeast. Just found out that @kityates.bsky.social helped with this production kityates.substack.com/p/et-in-arca.... Is it true that Sir Bob May worked on the original?

Et in Arcadia ego

Maths, desire and time’s arrow meet at the Old Vic: as I discover as Arcadia's science consultant

kityates.substack.com

Excited to say that I'll be presenter's friend on Inside Science tomorrow covering an extravaganza of maths related stories from mathematical monkeys to mathematical machines. Give it a listen at 16:30 on Thursday on BBC Radio 4:

Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds

Listen live to Radio 4 on BBC Sounds

bbc.co.uk

Almost exactly 6 months ago, RPN was leaked a document presented to STFC staff that said the council had to reduce spending by £162m by 2029-30 That kicked off months of debate on how cuts would be made But only now has it become clear the total cost savings needed over 4 years is in fact £684m 🧵

Sometimes the rules of sport induce some strange behaviours. But there probably haven't been many stranger football matches than the 1994 game between Barbados and Grenada. Why, with just a few minutes to go were Grenada trying to score in both goals? open.substack.com/pu...

Oooh. The RI just announced the debut performance of my talk "You Don't Know What You're M ss ng". If you're in or near London on 19th September, please do come along and pack the place out. Come and say hi afterwards too. It would be great to see you.

You don't know what you're m ss ng: The hidden data shaping our behaviour | Royal Institution

Mathematician and author Kit Yates returns to the Ri to explore how our understanding of reality is shaped b

rigb.org

The narrowing of eligibility for free Covid Vaccinations seems a staggeringly illogical and anti-science decision by the UK. It clearly isn’t a ’cost based’ decision either given the costs to the whole economy of people becoming disabled from long covid.

Kit Yates@kityates.bsky.social · 2w ago

UK restricts Autumn boosters to 80 year olds. "JCVI noted in their cost-benefit analysis that willingness to pay privately increases with age"

Andy Burnham wants a “cost of living government” that makes life’s essentials more affordable. Free, independent advice services are essential to delivering that - helping millions every year & easing pressure on public services. Read @adviceuk.bsky.social letter to the PM 👇https://bit.ly/3TeGeVQ

UK restricts Autumn boosters to 80 year olds. "JCVI noted in their cost-benefit analysis that willingness to pay privately increases with age"

UK restricts Autumn boosters to 80 year olds

JCVI noted in their cost-benefit analysis that willingness to pay privately increases with age

counterdisinformationproject.substack.com

Oooh. The RI just announced the debut performance of my talk "You Don't Know What You're M ss ng". If you're in or near London on 19th September, please do come along and pack the place out. Come and say hi afterwards too. It would be great to see you.

You don't know what you're m ss ng: The hidden data shaping our behaviour | Royal Institution

Mathematician and author Kit Yates returns to the Ri to explore how our understanding of reality is shaped b

rigb.org

Sometimes the rules of sport induce some strange behaviours. But there probably haven't been many stranger football matches than the 1994 game between Barbados and Grenada. Why, with just a few minutes to go were Grenada trying to score in both goals? open.substack.com/pu...