Swift Science Writing
@swiftsciencewriting.co.uk
Freelance writing, consultancy, evidence, editing and data analysis. Fuelled by Yorkshire tea ☕️
Our new research is out now! Factors associated with #vaccination decisions in pregnant women in the UK. Read the full article online at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #OA #openaccess #scopingreview #evidencesynthesis #vaccines #vaccinehesitancy #maternalvaccines HT @cardiffuni.bsky.social
Research has found that a routine vaccine slows aging and cut dementia risk. www.vox.com/health/47776...
We have a miraculous anti-aging vaccine. Why aren’t more people getting it?
Research has found that a routine vaccine slows aging and cut dementia risk.
vox.com
LinkedIn's default permission for using your data for AI kicks in on November 3. Here's where to switch it off on your account: > Settings & Privacy → Data privacy → Data for Generative AI Improvement tuta.com/blog/linkedi...
Act until Nov 3rd to stop LinkedIn from abusing your data to train AI! | Tuta
Soon your data like your resumes and profile information will be used to train LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Co.'s artificial intelligence. And no, you didn’t opt-in. Take action and stop this now.
tuta.com
A microsimulation model to estimate the impact of care disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer mortality using an administrative database. www.jclinepi.com/article/S089... Via @jclinepi.bsky.social
A microsimulation model based on healthcare pathways to estimate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic–induced delays on breast cancer mortality
This study aimed to develop a microsimulation model to estimate the impact of a care disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer mortality using an administrative database.
jclinepi.com
ACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. https://bit.ly/47Wxc59
New study links marijuana use during IVF to higher risk of abnormal embryos, potentially providing new insights into the link between cannabis use and female fertility. www.statnews.com/2025/09/09/m... Via @statnews.com #fertility #cannabis #marijuana #IVF #statnews
Study links marijuana use during IVF to higher risk of abnormal embryos
Researchers found marijuana's active ingredient may disrupt egg cells and embryos, adds to research that marijuana use can negatively affect male fertility.
statnews.com
With social media site Bluesky growing in popularity among academics, a new study has revealed how it measures up against X when it comes to sharing and promoting scientific research.
Science content on Bluesky attracts more engagement and originality than on X
New social media site is proving better for sharing research findings
chemistryworld.com
Most Americans still don’t know that #alcohol can cause #cancer — and the alcohol industry and Trump are working hard to make sure it stays that way by discrediting and burying a new report that offers new evidence of the link between drinking alcohol and dying www.vox.com/health/46008... @vox.com
Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows.
Kennedy wants to “Make America Healthy Again” — but doesn’t want you to see a report that could do just that.
vox.com
What's wrong with the obsession to consume high protein in your diet or via bars, supplements, or powders? A review of the data on efficacy and safety erictopol.substack.com/p/our-preocc...
Let's all try not to get surgery immediately before the weekend... jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @jamanetworkopen.com
Postoperative Outcomes Following Preweekend Surgery
This cohort study examines 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing surgical procedures immediately before vs after the weekend.
jamanetwork.com
Really thought provoking article on Canada's assisted dying law - and the fairly murky 'rules' that are supposed to guide clinician's on who is eligible for the procedure. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Canada Is Killing Itself
The country gave its citizens the right to die. Doctors are struggling to keep up with demand.
theatlantic.com
NEW: In a likely first, security researchers have shown how generative AI agents can be hijacked to cause physical consequences. They tricked Google's Gemini AI into turning off smart home lights, opening windows, and turning on a boiler. They hid instructions to the AI in a *calendar invitation*
Hackers Hijacked Google’s Gemini AI With a Poisoned Calendar Invite to Take Over a Smart Home
For likely the first time ever, security researchers have shown how AI can be hacked to create real world havoc, allowing them to turn off lights, open smart shutters, and more.
wired.com
Scientists have mapped individual sugar molecules on the surface of cells at a resolution once thought to be impossible for light microscopes go.nature.com/40I9Ewv
Cell's sugar coating mapped at below-nanometre resolution
Nature - Super-resolution technique works with off-the-shelf optical microscopes.
go.nature.com
The U.S. is paying $167,000 to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives - including IUDs, implants & pills - meant for low-income countries that don't expire until 2027 to 2031. This takes the Republican madness to boost the birth rate by any means to a new level... www.npr.org/sections/goa...
The U.S. is destroying $9.7 million in contraceptives. Is there another option?
This planned destruction of birth control devices is part of the dismantling of USAID services — and is linked to allegations by the government that cite abortion. Critics are speaking out.
npr.org
Great article from Nichola Ibe feat. some (hopefully helpful) insights from me on the need for professional indemnity insurance as a science writer. "Doing good quality work should be protection enough" - but it's always good to have some insurance - as well as indemnity clauses in your contract.
Journo Resources@journoresources.org.uk · last yr.🧪 What do you mean you need insurance as a science writer? Our fellow, Nichola Ibe asks that very question in our latest piece, where she dives into the risks of science journalism, and how writers can best protect themselves 🔗
At least since the mid-20th century, England has left mass hunger behind. How was this possible? How did English farmers prove Malthus wrong? My 'Data Insight' on @ourworldindata.org today is about rising yields and falling hunger. → ourworldindata.org/data-insights
Prospective registration was associated with a reduced risk of bias for randomised controlled trials: a meta-research study. www.jclinepi.com/article/S089... Via @jclinepi.bsky.social #riskofbias #bias #reportingguidelines #trialregistration #clinicaltrials #research #evidence
Prospective registration was associated with a reduced risk of bias for randomized controlled trials: a meta-research study
To investigate the association between trial registration and the risk of bias (RoB).
jclinepi.com
More than half of the UK government’s nutrition advisers are paid by world’s largest food companies, including Nestlé, Unilever and Tate & Lyle, generating big conflicts of interest. www.bmj.com/content/386/... Via @bmj.com #OA #openaccess #conflictofinterest #nutrition #food #publichealth
New dental costs of $9.8 billion are expected if the rest of the USA follows Utah and Florida in banning the addition of fluoride to water, based on a new cost-effectiveness analysis. www.statnews.com/2025/05/30/f... @statnews.com #evidence #research #fluoride #dentalhealth #health #dentistry
25 million cavities and $9.8 billion: Study estimates the costs of removing fluoride from water
Researchers estimated 7.5% more U.S. children would get cavities, affecting 25.4 million additional teeth, if fluoridation were banned nationwide
statnews.com
Had enough of the Google AI overview search page nightmare? We’ve changed over to @startpage.com as a browser. Excellent so far! It uses Google’s search engine with super duper privacy protection. It also doesn’t throw up the annoying accept/reject cookies notice every time you open your homepage! 🎉
In the wake of several countries legalising #marijuana, questions remain about the drug's long-term #health effects. A new study has found that people who smoke weed or use edibles do worse on measures of vascular health that predict cardiovascular risk. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... @jama.com
Endothelial Dysfunction and Chronic Cannabis Use
This cross-sectional study aims to determine whether cannabis use is associated with vascular endothelial function.
jamanetwork.com
This critical work from @hsph.harvard.edu scientists continues to compile a list of the NIH & NSF grants that have been cut by the Trump administration in 2025. Over 2,100 grants have gone, many with a focus on minorities - women, LGBTQ, others. grant-watch.us #grantwatch #science #research
A scoping review of carbon emissions associated with clinical trials finds that several trial activities, including travel and meetings, trial facilities, and sample & lab activities, are consistently carbon heavy. www.jclinepi.com/article/S089... @jclinepi.bsky.social #scopingreview #openaccess
Brand new SPIRIT and CONSORT #reporting #guidelines are out now! 🎯 CONSORT 2025 for reporting RCTs now has a 30-item checklist 🎯 SPIRIT 2025 for reporting trial protocols now has a 34-item checklist www.jclinepi.com/article/S089... @jclinepi.bsky.social #SPIRIT #CONSORT #RCTs #protocols
A new reporting guideline has just been published for the involvement of patients and caregivers in identifying and designing healthcare interventions: the IDEAS framework www.jclinepi.com/article/S089... HT @jclinepi.bsky.social #OA #openaccess #IDEAS #coproduction #patients #partners #research
Thank you #Bluesky for helping us reach 50,000 followers! We've been losing followers steadily on X, but we've appreciated the growing recognition here. But many people don’t know about us yet – if you think your followers would appreciate our links in their feed, please let them know about us. 😀
Out of the top 25 most-cited papers in the 21st century, the #PRISMA statement comes in at number 6 with a mind-boggling 133,965 citations according to Web of Science. www.nature.com/articles/d41... H/T @nature.com #systematicreviews #evidence #evidencesynthesis #statistics #data #citations
Exclusive: the most-cited papers of the twenty-first century
A Nature analysis reveals the 25 highest-cited papers published this century and explores why they are breaking records.
nature.com
"Public health isn’t the sum of individual choices. It’s our collective agreement to protect the most vulnerable. When we treat public health as a menu of optional precautions, we stop being a society and start being a collection of disconnected risk profiles" www.statnews.com/2025/04/08/m...
Personal choice has been weaponized to undermine public health
“Public health isn’t the sum of individual choices. It’s our collective agreement to protect the most vulnerable among us,” writes MeiLan Han.
statnews.com
