Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Steve Griffin

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 21h

A 15 year old boy with autism went missing earlier this week

He was selling fruit with his family in Springbranch when he disappeared

They filed a missing person’s report & begged the public to help find him

Turns out he was in a Houston ICE detention facility

They kidnapped a disabled child!

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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 23h

So, persistent infection?

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 1d

What a week! Packed out theatres, fantastic audiences, and finishing the week catching up with my lovely friend Dana Goodburn-Brown. I’ve visited Bradford, Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull, Northampton this week. On to Nottingham, Leicester, Colchester and Truro next week!

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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 1d

Skeptic? Outright antivax nutcase, IMHO...

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Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 1d

This is quite frankly terrifying- someone who hears voices, believes in conspiracy theories like chemtrails and pseudomedicine influences decisions of the Florida surgeon general Joseph Ladapo who is himself already a vaccine skeptic ..

Guided by angels, pursued by chemtrails: the weird world of Florida health chief’s influential wife

Brianna Ladapo, the wife of Florida surgeon general Dr Joseph Ladapo, claims her husband won’t work with anyone she hasn’t vetted

www.theguardian.com

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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks Jacqui Young and @bmj.com for discussing this important subject with myself and @dralig.bsky.social

www.bmj.com/content/391/...

Covid-19: Excluding doctors from vaccination programme puts patients at risk, clinicians warn

Doctors have warned that the government’s decision to exclude health and social care workers from its covid vaccination programme is putting patients at risk and will have a major impact on an overstr...

www.bmj.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 2d

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season.

TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet

The latest Covid situation in England and a look at where NHS services are as we head into winter

christinapagel.substack.com

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John Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 2d

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet, from @chrischirp.bsky.social

christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet

The latest Covid situation in England and a look at where NHS services are as we head into winter

christinapagel.substack.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 2d

We are now in a significant COVID wave after a period of relative calm- excellent summary from @chrischirp.bsky.social

England is now experiencing a significant Covid wave, after 10 months of relative quiet

The latest Covid situation in England and a look at where NHS services are as we head into winter

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 2d

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1...

Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins

Nominations closed in January but US President Donald Trump had led a public campaign to win the award.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 2d

I had a high opinion of MIT before today but it just went up some more.

Dr. Dawn Wright @deepseadawn.bsky.social · 2d

MIT, as one of nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks, REJECTS the Trump administration deal.

wapo.st/4niC09b
(gift article) #AcademicSky

MIT rejects Trump administration deal for priority federal funding

MIT is one of nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 2d

Last 2 days in Trump's America - mainly around suppressing dissent and attacking science.

All actions available on www.trumpactiontracker.info

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGuv...

Main authoritarian things Trump has done since Wednesday - as of Fri 10th October

YouTube video by Professor Christina Pagel

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 1d

Academics and university staff being put on leave because of coordinated campaigns by right wing groups accusing them of criticising Charlie Kirk. I must admit I find the hypocrisy under the current US administration re free speech utterly outrageous.

US professors facing threats, firings and harassment over Charlie Kirk posts

As many as 40 academics have been dismissed in aftermath of shooting, allegedly without due process

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting study that looks at dynamics of B cell responses in the lymph nodes to vaccination against SarsCov2 (COVID). This shows that B cell responses are broadened in the node germinal centres enabling wider responses to variants 🧪 #ImmunoSky

Germinal center–mediated broadening of B cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 booster immunization

SARS-CoV-2 variant booster vaccination broadens human B cell responses through the germinal center reaction.

www.science.org

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 4d

🎵 They did the Monster Slash 😭 @ellecordova.bsky.social

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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

And here is a great article about the work by @helentbiz.ft.com

yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/str...

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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

Farage has learned from the US and this is dangerous populist rhetoric

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 3d

Nigel Farage says UK teachers are ‘poisoning our kids’ and predicts strikes as PM

Exclusive: Reform UK leader, speaking at event for private US college, also claimed the ‘Marxist left’ controls education Nigel Farage has predicted teachers would go on strike within weeks of a Reform UK government, and accused them of “poisoning our kids” by telling them that black children are victims and white children oppressors. The Reform UK leader set out his view on British schools in an event for a private US Christian college in Michigan, claiming the “Marxist left” was “now in control of our education system”. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 2d

The relative effects are lower than back in 2020, ie not 95% +, due to background population immunity. Also, it's a combination of waning, which is natural, and viral variation leading to mismatch.
You still retain some immunity for the longer term, but the boosters enhance your protection.

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 3d

Ahem...

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Association of 2024–2025 Covid-19 Vaccine with Covid-19 Outcomes in U.S. Veterans | NEJM

Amid the declining clinical severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and diminishing public uptake of annual coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, ...

www.nejm.org

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 3d

This is excellent work by @chrischirp.bsky.social & @martinmckee.bsky.social, but maybe a chat with a constitutional law scholar would have been helpful: recommendation n.1 risks being completely pointless in a regime with parliamentary sovereignty+executive dominance+FPTP!

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

We suggest seven initial recommendations for strengthening our key scientific and evidence-generating bodies.

1 Increasing legal and statutory protection

2 Supporting independence in leadership appointments

3 Resilient funding models

4 Strengthening accountability to parliament

cont 10/11

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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 3d

Ahem...

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Association of 2024–2025 Covid-19 Vaccine with Covid-19 Outcomes in U.S. Veterans | NEJM

Amid the declining clinical severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and diminishing public uptake of annual coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, ...

www.nejm.org

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 3d

I would suggest these numbers are far less than perfect given there was no significant wave last Autumn, uptake was low, and testing is scarce.
The vaccine does reduce transmission for a short time, at least, depending on mismatch with the virus.
Also, no benefit afforded to long COVID whatsoever?

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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

PS I also wrote a substack post on it which you can read here:
christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-uks-in...

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

My newly launched report on how we can safeguard the independence of our important scientific and evidence-generating institutions - not least so they can hold government to account

christinapagel.substack.com

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

We found that the UK’s top scientific institutions, from the Met Office to the UK Health Security Agency, have inadequate institutional defences.

If an incoming government wanted to weaken the role of science and evidence in policy making, it could do so shockingly fast. 2/11

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Reposted by Steve Griffin

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 3d

🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

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UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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