Rafael Bailo
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rafaelbailo.bsky.social
Rafael Bailo
@rafaelbailo.bsky.social
100 followers 82 following 22 posts
www.rafaelbailo.com
Applied mathematician. Assistant professor at TUEindhoven. Previously in Oxford, Lille, Imperial College. 🏳️‍🌈
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Reposted by Rafael Bailo
profrachelgan.bsky.social
Another day, another journal demanding I perform a review for them for free in less than two weeks. Another email explaining that I do not accede to this approach. Why do journals think this is reasonable?
February 17, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
astrokatie.com
I feel this way about pretty much all vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. You shouldn't be allowed to dump cyanide into municipal drinking water and you shouldn't be allowed to recreationally spread viruses around shared public spaces.
jillian.bsky.social Jillian C. York @jillian.bsky.social · 5d
My most authoritarian opinion is that the MMR vaccine should be mandatory, with only medical (not religious or floofy) exemptions allowed. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
This Is How a Child Dies of Measles
When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
www.theatlantic.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
FOR THE RECORD: one year on, I lay out clearly how Elon Musk FRS has breached the @royalsociety.org’s code of conduct, why the Society’s failure to defend its values has been so damaging, & what they need do to recover their standing in the scientific community. occamstypewriter.org/scurry/2026/...
Colourful image from the webpage of the Royal Society. Background is a mix of images of electronic circuits and silicon wafers. Text reads: "Welcome to the Royal Society. We are the independent scientific academy of the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity."
February 11, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
Regretfully, I have just declined another invitation to review for the Royal Society, pointing out that I will continue to do so until it can credibly demonstrate its willingness to defend the values of the scientific community.
January 22, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
profdanhicks.bsky.social
I have declined two requests to review for the Royal Society in recent months due to their inaction on Elon Musk’s clear breach of their code of conduct for their fellowship — the position of their board is hypocritical and immensely damaging to the reputation of UK science
January 10, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
profrachelgan.bsky.social
Following coverage over the weekend of Sir Paul Nurse's comments that suggested that the only reason that a Fellow should be expelled from @royalsociety.org is scientific misconduct, I have written to him to explain the risks such an attitude poses of increasing sexual harassment in STEM.
Dear Sir Paul, Re: Royal Society Code of Conduct I am sure that many scientists have written to you about the specific question of Elon Musk’s Fellowship and whether, under the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct, his retaining that Fellowship is appropriate. I will not rehash these issues. Instead, as a female scientist with extensive experience of activities aiming to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the engineering and physical sciences sector, I am writing to you (in a personal capacity) to ask you to reconsider the statements you have recently made in this context to the UK press about the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct and how it is applied. A 2018 report from the joint National Academies of the United States of America, concluded that “sexual harassment is common in academic science, engineering, and medicine” and that “greater than 50 percent of women faculty and staff and 20–50 percent of women students encounter or experience sexually harassing conduct in academia”. This report described codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated as a “powerful incentive for change”. The authors also noted that sexual harassment can have significant and damaging effects on the integrity of research. In my own praxis, I have found that clear and consistently-implemented codes of conduct that address these issues make female scientists and engineers safer, and allow them to focus more effectively on their research. For codes of conduct to have such a positive effect, it is vital that sanctions for actions which transgress the code are meaningful and substantial. I was hence aghast to realise that in an interview with the Financial Times published on 9/1/26, you appear to have suggested that the Royal Society “should only expel fellows if their science proved “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective””. Moreover, in a further interview with the Guardian on 11/1/26 you suggested that the code “may need to be looked at again”, with the implication that your aim would be to remove the option of sanctions on Fellows for reasons not strictly related to faults or defects in their research. I suggest that changing the Royal Society’s code of conduct so that the likelihood of serious sanctions for sexual harassment is reduced, would directly endanger women who interact with the Royal Society at events or otherwise, and would provide a licence to harass to the already powerful people on whom the Society bestows fellowship. The implications of your words - that under your leadership the only infringements of the code which are likely to receive the sanction of the Fellowship being removed are those related to research misconduct - already risk empowering harassers. You stated, in the Financial Times interview, that “there’s many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances”. Given this awareness of the possibility of bad actors in our scientific community, it is wholly irresponsible to suggest that the Royal Society would not act to sanction these people if they harass more vulnerable scientists. I am hence writing to request that you retract any suggestion that the Society’s Code of Conduct should be changed so that the only reason a Fellow might be sanctioned by the removal of their Fellowship is “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective” research. This action is necessary to safeguard female scientists, a requirement placed on the Society by safeguarding legislation and UK statutory guidance. Yours sincerely, Professor Rachel A. Oliver.
January 12, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
If the @royalsociety.org won’t stand up for scientific values like truth, evidence & the importance of not spreading misinformation on an industrial scale, then who will?
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
barbarafantechi.bsky.social
Can the authors be sure that the contribution of the various AIs isn't just stolen from some papers they didn't know of? Papers possibly by less well known authors in not so fancy universities that would have greatly benefited from a collaboration, or at least a citation and acknowledgement?

/End
January 13, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
Very disappointing from Nurse and the @royalsociety.org, once again deflecting from the substance of the concerns about Musk’s Fellowship. It’s *not* because some think he may be a “bad person”. It’s because his actions (eg spreading misinformation) contravene their code of conduct.
January 9, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
chrischirp.bsky.social
very disappointing.

There is a code of conduct for Royal Society fellows - it's not a value judgement to say that Musk has contravened it!

see relevant bits of code and the Royal Society stated values below.
January 9, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
seismatters.bsky.social
I've been sitting on this for over a month...but given how cross I am with @royalsociety.org at their ongoing inaction over #Elon #Musk I thought I'd share this.

They invited me to serve on their Public Engagement Committee; I could have been more eloquent, but I had to give a firm "no"...
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
rafaelbailo.bsky.social
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif.
Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 8, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
olivia.science
obligatory
On April 17th, 2020, meme creator Welcome To My Meme Page posted a parody infographic to Facebook,[1] Instagram,[2] and Twitter,[3] titled, "STOP DOING MATH" (shown below). The infographic describes various ridiculous reasons why people should stop doing math, including that "numbers were not supposed to be given names," and ends with the phrase, "they have played us for absolute fools." The post gained over 9,800 reactions on Facebook, 77,000 likes and 23,000 retweets, and 18,500 likes on Instagram in 10 months.
November 20, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
mattbaume.bsky.social
Are electrical outlets mad at me? Many users feel like they're looking at an angry little guy
November 26, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. For shame, Mr Johnson and the team you pretended to lead. Preventable deaths on your hands. They will not return to us. You live on, rich and vainglorious.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
shaunvids.bsky.social
vic...tor...
November 8, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
dieworkwear.bsky.social
crazy how much this bugs me now that someone pointed it out. if i worked at the white house, i would find this ugly, but not as annoying as i do now. ignorance is really bliss bc they more you learn, the more you just walk around thinking "collar gap" and "kerning is off."
Sign at the White House says "The Presidential Walk of Fame." The "T" and "h" in the first letter are slightly off in spacing when compared to the "h" and "e."
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
daveyfwright.bsky.social
"i asked grok" "i asked chatgpt" yeah well i asked carl sagan and he said the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge 🧪
July 18, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
Deeply disappointing. Once again the @royalsociety.org has avoided explaining how *actions* by Elon Musk that clearly repudiate the Society's values are consistent with the code of conduct that Fellows must adhere to. royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:19 PM
rafaelbailo.bsky.social
Elon Musk is still a Fellow of the Royal Society (royalsociety.org/people/elon-...), despite everything he has done to stop science from flourishing. Shame on them!
royalsociety.org The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · Oct 1
"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from the President of the Royal Society regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 1, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
sundersays.bsky.social
On 15th Sept, billionaire & Royal Society fellow Elon Musk called for political & interethnic violence, to pre-empt (ie, begin) a civil war. ("Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die."). A fortnight later, the Society expresses its disapproval
royalsociety.org The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · Oct 1
"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from the President of the Royal Society regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
scurry.bsky.social
A very good thread making key points the Royal Society has missed.
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Oct 1
On 15th Sept, billionaire & Royal Society fellow Elon Musk called for political & interethnic violence, to pre-empt (ie, begin) a civil war. ("Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die."). A fortnight later, the Society expresses its disapproval
royalsociety.org The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · Oct 1
"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
October 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
williamadler78.bsky.social
a woman wearing glasses and a blue shirt is asking what a week huh ?
ALT: a woman wearing glasses and a blue shirt is asking what a week huh ?
media.tenor.com
October 1, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
willvelida.com
Gangs of youths are organizing themselves and creating needless Javascript frameworks. I'm glad that action is being taken to stop it at the source 😂
September 28, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Rafael Bailo
spryoldlorax.bsky.social
Some amazing gay history. Listen up kids.
I'm watching that documentary "Before Stonewall" about gay history pre-1969, and uncovered something which I think is interesting. The documentary includes a brief clip of a 1954 televised newscast about the rise of homosexuality. The host of the program interviewed psychologists, a police officer, and one "known homosexual". The "known homosexual" is 22 years old. He identifies himself as Curtis White, which is a pseudonym; his name is actually Dale Olson. So I tracked down the newscast. According to what I can find, Dale Olson may have been the first gay man to appear openly on television and defend his sexual orientation. He explains that there's nothing wrong with him mentally and he's never been arrested. When asked whether he'd take a cure if it existed, he says no. When asked whether his family knows he's gay, he says that they didn't up until tonight, but he guesses they're going to find out, and he'll probably be fired from his job as well. So of course the host is like ... why are you doing this interview then? and Dale Olson, cool as cucumber pie, says "I think that this way I can be a little useful to someone besides myself." 1954. 22 years old. Balls of pure titanium. Despite the pseudonym, Dale's boss did indeed recognize him from the TV program, and he was promptly fired the next day. He wrote into ONE magazine six months later to reassure readers that he had gotten a new job at a higher salary. Curious about what became of him, I looked into his life a little further. It turns out that he ultimately became a very successful publicity agent. He promoted the Rocky movies and Superman. Not only that, but get this: Dale represented Rock Hudson, and he was the person who convinced him to disclose that he had AIDS! He wrote the statement Rock read. And as we know, Rock Hudson's disclosure had a very significant effect on the national conversation about AIDS in the U.S.
September 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM