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Andrew Sparling

@awsparling.bsky.social
6.7K followers 5K following 3.8K posts

Ph.D., history. Hist. of sci. & med.; Paracelsus; c16 Germany. Husband & father. 𝕏-pat. Hobby: learning about & not catching brain-eating bat viruses. In public indoor spaces, wear a high-quality mask (N95 or better). Clean the air! 📍Melbourne, VIC

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Reposted by Andrew Sparling
Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 9h
Marc Thiessen, using a photo of 1944 Warsaw and pretending it's 1945 Dresden to dunk on *checks notes* Piers Morgan, who, incredibly, is not on the wrong side of things for once regarding Israel and Gaza, is peak 2026 Twitter.
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 8h
Have been listening to a whole bunch of climate week panels and in so many of them, people word sentences in chatbot-structure. "It's not X, it's Y", weirdly punctuated sentences. It is SO SO WEIRD once you notice it
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Andrew Sparling @awsparling.bsky.social · 20h
Exactly. This is a big part of why A”I” content frequently looks so much like an F freshman essay.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 23h
At a time when the most influential leaders of the U.S. need to stand up loudly and clearly for the rule of law, they are leading the charge in the opposite direction. But not Jack Smith. Kudos to him for continuing to be a much needed voice of clarity.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Whether it’s Benjamin Netanyahu empowering Hamas, presiding over a massive intelligence failure that let them kill 1,200 Israelis on October 7th, and then killing 74,000 Palestinians in response or Zohran Mamdani pointing out that he did this, both men have fueled their bitter feud.
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I've reported first-hand on steel mills in Korea, China, Japan, Illinois, and Mississippi. This is 100% not going to happen. Disagree? Bet me. (Though I'm against online betting. It's just not going to happen.)
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
An absolutely damning report on the unnecessary COVID deaths of workers at the Cargill plant in High River, AB, highlighting public health and infection control's mismanagement of the crisis, and failure to engage OHS or follow the precautionary principle. albertapolitics.ca/wp-content/u...
As the evidence marshalled in this report shows, the massive
outbreak associated with Cargill was by no means inevitable. It
occurred because systems designed to protect worker health and
safety failed. And they failed for a number of interrelated reasons.
OHS and AHS Did Not Adopt the
Precautionary Principle
The virus SARS-CoV-2 is spread among humans via aerosol
transmission. The period during which someone with COVID-19
can transmit the virus varies depending on factors such as the
variant and severity of illness, but transmission can occur both
before and after symptom onset. Some infected individuals never
experience illness but still spread the virus to others.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Hinshaw and many other
public health leaders believed that COVID-19 only spread via
large droplets and that asymptomatic transmission was not
occurring. As a result, AHS EPH primarily focused on physical
barriers, physical distancing, hand-washing, and surgical masks as
preventative measures at Cargill.Cargill, AHS, and OHS did not consider the possible range of
aerosol transmission of the virus in a large crowded industrial
work setting and, therefore, did not prioritize — let alone consider
— higher-level control measures such as improved ventilation, air
filtration, and N95 (or equivalent) respirators.
Surgical masks, which were made mandatory at Cargill after April
16, provided inferior protection to workers working eight hours a
day, especially for those working in close quarters with inadequate
ventilation. Sometime between the closure of the facility (April
22) and its reopening (May 4), Alberta OHS came to believe that
tight-fitting, higher-filtration respirators (N95 or equivalent
masks) were required, as demonstrated by the ministerial order
approving KN95 masks (May 3) and OHS officers’ decision to wear
N95 masks during their May 4 inspection. However, the evidence
suggests that this view was not shared by Hinshaw.
Ventilation was not identified as a potential factor in the spread
at Cargill until early May, and even then, there is no evidence that
this pathway was further investigated by AHS or OHS.
Had OHS, AHS, and Cargill adopted the precautionary principle,
which requires taking proactive measures to maximize human
safety before the science about the transmission of a new virus
is known, more aggressive control measures would have been
adopted early on. If improved ventilation, provision of N95 masks
(or cartridge respirators), and other actions had been taken earlier,
hundreds of workers may have been spared from illness.None of the evidence we reviewed showed any communication
or coordination between AHS EPH officials and Alberta OHS at
this time. In response to our freedom of information requests for
email correspondence between the manager for OHS in Calgary
and several AHS officials who were directly involved in the Cargill
response, we were informed by the Government of Alberta’s
access to information that “a thorough search […] did not yield any
records responsive to your request.”195
By April 16, the total number of known confirmed positive cases
had reached approximately 550. At this point, there had only
been one in-person inspection of the plant, that being AHS’ April
7 visit, which resulted in non-binding recommendations. And, as
mentioned, there was no epidemiological analysis of the outbreak
showing the temporal pattern of the spread within the plant and
in the community.
An internal AHS MOH update on April 17 noted that “84% of
new COVID-19 cases [in the province] are in Calgary Zone, ‘most
related to Cargill.”196 By this time, a Cargill worker and union shop
steward had been admitted to an ICU. On April 18, another worker
would need life support care in the ICU. Cargill, AHS, and OHS had
lost control of the outbreak.Echoing Cargill’s response to the union’s April 12 letter, Dreeshen
cautioned workers not to listen to “inflammatory rhetoric” and
appealed to them to instead focus on information from public
health experts:
“…On this call are Alberta’s best medical minds and
they provide Alberta’s government with the best up
to date information on a daily basis and I would just
like to encourage everyone to not get distracted by
misleading noise or inflammatory rhetoric because
any government's primary goal — our core goal — is
to keep our people safe…”
Immediately after the town hall, Dreeshen posted on his social
media: “Directly communicated with [Cargill] workers to reassure
them that their worksite is safe.”217 Internal email messages
among senior officials with the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry suggest there was also “a request” to share some “key
messages” about the safety of Cargill’s plant through Hinshaw’s
Twitter account.218
Hours after the town hall, Dr. Nick Etches, acting lead medical
officer of health for the Calgary Zone, wrote to colleagues
requesting assistance with an epidemiological analysis of
the outbreak:
“[Hu] just spoke with [Hinshaw] and she wants us
to answer some questions that will likely require
additional epi support. Essentially we want to
determine the proportion of the Cargill-associated
cases that are due to:
1) Workplace transmission
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Stella Sacco @antlervel.vet · 23/01/2026
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step. 1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish. 2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
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the beggars out of here getter @milesklee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
trendy new coffee spot near us has a bunch of one-star reviews because of one specific barista who is allegedly mean. i’m just wondering how that isn’t an automatic 30% tip
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Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW: In ‘24, the FBI sought to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins. Then Trump eviscerated the FBI & DOJ public corruption teams. ProPublica unearthed the investigation and you can read it 👇 www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
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Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Inside Medicine: Covid-19 wastewater levels ain’t what they used to be. What does that mean? by Jeremy Faust @jeremyfaust.bsky.social bit.ly/4xPdJwv
bit.ly
Covid-19 wastewater levels ain’t what they used to be.
That’s good. But it’s still a useful metric.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The major platforms—Facebook, YouTube, and X—are all refusing to show the trailer for the upcoming documentary that eviscerates the ridiculous pest Elon Musk. So I guess we have to do our part to make sure it is seen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_8...
youtube.com
Musk | Official Trailer | Bleecker Street
YouTube video by Musk
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’ve been reporting on the CDC for years, and have written about many of its troubles over the past year. I was still shocked by the extent of the staff losses and political interference I found when reporting this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/h...
nytimes.com
‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission (Gift Article)
The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Vought is breaking the law but he is not “going rogue.” At his confirmation hearings, Vought told Republicans he would do this and they voted for him anyway. If they want to stop him, they still can via impeachment. They won’t.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’m sorry, what? This piece was not a joint publication/ reporting job (as some are). It was @propublica’s alone and the Times followed with a summary. This is so indicative of NYT. If they don’t ignore proper credit, they just go for stolen valor.
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Tom Kindlon @tomkindlon.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
(Geelong & Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia) People with ME/CFS sought for treatment trial impact-trials.deakin.edu.au/trial/tri-me... #MEcfs #PwME #CFS #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome
TRI-ME Trial logo

TRI-ME Trial
Researchers at Deakin University are investigating if a potential new treatment is effective in treating Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). 

Researchers at Deakin University are investigating if a potential new treatment is effective in treating Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This study will assess the effectiveness of the medication in a high-quality, clinical trial.

In a recent drug screening program, the medication showed promising potential to address the key elements of ME/CFS by reversing mitochondrial dysfunction – the likely pathway in ME/CFS.

The medication works to improve the efficiency of how the body creates energy by promoting specific energy production pathway.

Key Points for Participation
• There is no cost involved for participants in the trial
• Participants can continue on their usual treatments
• The trial will be held over 8 weeks and involve a total of 5 sessions
• Participants will be randomly allocated to receive either the active medication or placebo

If you would like to receive more information or enquire about participating, please visit their website.

Ethics approval number: Barwon Health HREC 23/196
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 26/09/2026
peter thiel is another one of those guys who we are supposed to think is brilliant but every time he opens his mouth my first thought is “this guy sounds like an idiot”
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Bénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
About last week’s NIH & OMB meeting… Okkn what basis can the NYT claim that Bhattacharya has been trying to preserve work on health disparities?? I have NEVER heard him speak up in favor of studying the social and economic determinants of health at NIH. Not once. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
One of Mr. Trump's executive orders, issued on his first day back in office, ended all administration programs involving "diversity, equity and
inclusion." It has had far-reaching effects on N.I.H. studies, including those investigating "health disparities" — why populations defined by factors like race or socioeconomic status may be prone to certain diseases or to suffer worse outcomes.
As a Stanford University economist, Dr.
Bhattacharya conducted research on health disparities and has been trying to find a way to preserve N.I.H. funding for such work. In 2011, for instance, he and colleagues reported on "persistent racial disparities in survival after heart transplantation."
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Dr Noor Bari @njbbari3.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The following is from an article that I’m not allowed to share due to it containing vaccine information from a source other than the government. This bit is shareable. “2026 measles cases: 37% in adults >20; adult hospitalizations now exceed children.”
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Luke Ontario @coolhand.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
They didn’t go fucking rogue, they were put in a leaky box and given bad instructions
nytimes.com
OpenAI’s A.I. Went Rogue and Meddled With U.S. Government Websites (Gift Article)
The company did not learn until recently that its technology had meddled with websites for the Education Department, Commerce Department and Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Washington Post once got attention by cracking and exposing Watergate. Now, it's going viral with articles about whether you should drink iced coffee at interviews. What a comedown.
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Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We're not supposed to mention this anymore, but the BC NDP government stood firmly behind public-health messaging that promoted droplet precautions for an airborne virus and saw masks in healthcare as unnecessary
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 25/09/2026
Feedback from healthcare providers in response to the AI pilot program has been scathing, with one calling it “a disgrace to the human race” and reporting that they saw patients crying in pain as they waited for care.
arstechnica.com
Trump admin using AI to deny medical care for seniors in disastrous experiment
Vendors rolling out AI have an "incentive to deny as many claims as possible."
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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The agency is literally getting people killed with measles and food parasites, also preventable, so okay let's everyone trust them with deciding acceptable risks
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Andrew Sparling @awsparling.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
Sailor, 75, on his last legs and last beer when help arrived
After 30 days at sea, Digby Campbell was down to his last can of beer and two Red Bulls when three strangers saved the 75-year-old sailor adrift off Darwin Harbour.
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Galina Esther Shubina, my coffee is my own @galsh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
By UPS HAHAHahahahahahahHAHA
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Jac Mac @jacmacandsneeze.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
person who wants touchscreens banned and they speak obliquely enough that you think it's about distracted driving but it's that they believe touchscreens transmit satan's evil, manifesting as cancer
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We've seen a distinct drop in interest in these conditions as people have memory-holed COVID; they'd like to forget infection-associated chronic conditions, but they're impacting everyone, including kids. I'm the Scientific Director at #MEAction, and I advocate for #MECFS, #LongCOVID, & other IACCs.
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cuber @cubered.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
everyone who calls me stupid for thinking spreadsheets are my girlfriend is doing a culture war
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It's already pretty obvious what Xi thinks of the Orange Chicken here
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Andrew Sparling @awsparling.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
arstechnica.com/science/2026...
arstechnica.com
Contrary to some reports, you don't have two brains
A bad press release makes a good excuse to look at how developmental biology works.
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Andrew Sparling @awsparling.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What the hell is “Olde” English?
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The people pushing anti-PPE misinformation and the people pushing anti-vax misinformation are two different tables at the same country club.
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Stefan Pöhlmann @snpoehlm.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🧪Where is SARS-CoV-2 circulating? Below is a collection of useful surveillance sites from around the world - wastewater, genomic and respiratory-virus data - that may help you assess virus circulation in your area and make informed decisions about protection.
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Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Superb work!
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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
TBH a not-insignificant part of the enduring hatred towards "stochastic parrots" is because the authors of it are women and they aren't in the little boys club of the AI labs, but 3/4 are on Bluesky, so follow them: @timnitgebru.blacksky.app & @emilymbender.bsky.social & @mmitchell.bsky.social /7
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Eoin Higgins @eoinhiggins.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
You’re right—that plane shouldn’t have gone there. That’s my fault, and I should have made sure there wasn’t a terminal in the landing path. Would you like me to call emergency services, or assist with lining up takeoffs?
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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Your regular reminder that Matthew Syed, who has his own BBC radio show, enthusiastically endorses the white supremacist Great Replacement Theory.
An opinion headline that reads "Migration is being used to enfeeble us, so it's clear what we have to do", by Matthew Syed.
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Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk @ilkokowalczuk.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Heute Abend werten Miosga und Lanz die zwei (2) Wahlen in anderthalb (1,5) ostdeutschen Ländern aus. Sie haben acht (8) Gäste. Ratet mal, wie viele davon einen ostdeutschen Hintergrund haben. genau: Es sind genau Null (0).
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There is something genuinely incredible about how often advisers are bad at advising. We see this in the UK all the time as well.
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Kathryn Tewson @kathryntewson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
these quotes are the DEFENDANTS, describing THEIR OWN CONDUCT as “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions” and the “largest theft of labor in human history” as well as describing their products as “largely substitutive, period” and “will get more and more substitutive as they get better.”
This case is about, as Microsoft’s Director of Applied Science put it, “an astonishing theft
of unprecedented proportions”; SF1437, perhaps the “largest theft of labor in human history.”
SF1652. Defendants repeatedly copied millions of Plaintiffs’ copyrighted articles in their entirety
without permission to produce substitutive commercial AI products. OpenAI’s Head of ChatGPT
wrote that “[p]ublishers” face an “existential threat” from those products, SF1466, which, he said,
“are largely substitutive, period” and “will get more and more substitutive as they get better.”
SF1473-74. Such admissions eviscerate Defendants’ “fair use” defense because substitution is
“copyright’s bête noire.” Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, 598 U.S.
508, 528 (2023). For Defendants to prevail on this defense “would,” the same Microsoft executive
recognized, arguably “make a complete mockery of the idea of ‘fair use.’” SF1450.
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The Vertlartnic @thev.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Of Course The Virus That Has Killed Millions Doesn’t Disable People
A laughing human
Headline:
Of Course The Virus That Has Killed Millions Doesn’t Disable People
Story by Kelvin Dorbel and Grad Forthright

Photo from Adobe
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Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 17/09/2026
“A senior executive at Microsoft said A.I. systems built on the work of others will be seen as ‘an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions’ and possibly the greatest robbery of labor in human history, according to court documents unredacted Thursday in an ongoing Manhattan lawsuit.”
orlandosentinel.com
Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’
The admission appeared in a newly unredacted filing in the landmark copyright infringement legal battle playing out between newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel and tech companies Microsoft and OpenAI...
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 15/09/2026
arstechnica.com
Boston dumps Flock, says it shared data nationwide in violation of contract
City: Flock enabled "nationwide lookup" despite contract requiring it to be disabled.
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Paul Blinkhorn @paulblinkhorn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
You can't blame Ed Sheeran for caving in to American stadium owners I suppose. I mean, take these guys in the 60s, they refused to play to racially-segregated audiences in stadiums in the southern states of the USA and who remembers them now?
bbc.co.uk
The Beatles banned segregated audiences, contract shows
The Beatles refused to play to segregated audiences in the US, a contract for one of the group's concerts shows.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The US National Science Foundation Directorate for Geosciences, which has funded most of my research over the past three decades, has been enshitified by Trump and his lackeys.
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Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:
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Seth Rockman @sethrockman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is a big one: Brown University is searching for the next director of the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. Please help us identify excellent candidates to lead this signature program into the future. Please write me with ideas; please share in your networks; please apply.
networks.h-net.org
Brown University - Professor and Director of the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice | H-Net
1. Academic Accomplishment. We seek a scholar with a strong scholarly record, including excellence in both research and teaching, appropriate for appointment at the level of full professor in a social science, humanities, or arts department at Brown.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 14/09/2026
this guy is one of the architects of a war that might rank as one of the worst strategic missteps in american military history and here is on CBS getting a softball interview about his feelings
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