iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Health Nerd

Elisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Boot Camp Promises a Submitted Paper in Just 2 Days— Critics worry AI-aided program enables shoddy research "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in 1 Weekend" @rachrobertson.bsky.social reports @medpagetoday.com Quotes by Matt Spick, @gidmk.bsky.social, and me. www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Boot Camp Promises a Submitted Paper in Just 2 Days

Critics worry AI-aided program enables shoddy research

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Always fun to come on to Bluesky to say things about COVID-19 that are totally uncontroversial everywhere else only to get unhinged rants about how WeRe STilL iN a PaNdEMiC

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

New piece on the Last Ditch bar shenanigans and how it's remarkable that some people are still misattributing COVID-19 risk. gidmk.substack.com/p/the-last-d...

gidmk.substack.com

The Last Ditch Mask Fight: What Are The Risks of COVID-19 in 2026?

A discussion that we’re still somehow having

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The lesbian bar/masking story is wild for many reasons, but most of all because it shows the deeply bizarre beliefs people still hold about COVID-19, disability, and risk in 2026.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The wildest part of this story is that there are bars enforcing masking regulations in 2026 at all.

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Matthew B. Jané @matthewbjane.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Audit Clinical Evidence (ACE) Initiative posted an update to the first audit report (wrt Abdelbasset et al 2019). @gidmk.bsky.social found some additional errors in the baseline tables that have now been included in the report. auditclinicalevidence.org/reports/ACE2...

auditclinicalevidence.org

Audit of Abdelbasset et al. (2019) – ACE

Three 2019 RCTs on exercise for depression in heart failure: overlapping trial arms, duplicated PHQ-9 data, impossible statistics and baseline p-values. 25 integrity violations; retraction recommended...

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

A thought: current AI writing detection cannot always consistently identify current frontier model writing. HOWEVER, future models will almost certainly be able to identify AI writing from current models. So the chances that someone will get caught using AI without declaring it rises

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Me: I'm a serious scientist reading a very serious paper. Also me: FOLLOWING BUTTS

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

New piece on a great project from @matthewbjane.bsky.social looking at problematic research. Also, extremely worrisome issues in studies of exercise for depression. gidmk.substack.com/p/how-do-we-...

gidmk.substack.com

How Do We Deal With Seriously Problematic Research?

A new solution to a very serious issue

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Matthew B. Jané @matthewbjane.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I’ve been quiet on social media lately, but today I’m launching Audit Clinical Evidence (ACE), an initiative I’ve been developing over the past year. Take a look: AuditClinicalEvidence.org

auditclinicalevidence.org

ACE

Independent audits of published clinical research for statistical errors, data inconsistencies, and research integrity violations.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I'm not a lawyer but this seems to be actual crimes?

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

1/n In response to my claim that Jason Arday faced a level of criticism almost never seen for white academics who do naughty things, Jesse Singal has said this. I think he's wrong for two reasons: 1. It is factually incorrect. 2. He's completely missing the point.

Text from Singal's blog saying "The complaints of racism—that “Jason Arday was hounded by a society that demands different standards for young Black men than white guys,” as the academic Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz put it—constitute an even more extreme example of point-missing. Look: In much the same way some of the media coverage was excessive, of course, amid the broader online circus, there has been racist commentary. There always is when a person of color is the subject of public scrutiny and shaming, especially in a situation like this where the story really does involve a dispute about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

But to claim that Arday was unfairly singled out on account of his race is to ignore the very important other half of the ledger: He was elevated to an untenable position because of his race! You don’t need to take my word on that. Just read the very end of the Times of London’s contemporaneous article about his hiring, if you can stomach it:

Professor Hilary Cremin, head of the Faculty of Education at Cambridge, said hiring Arday was proof of the university’s commitment to tackling existing inequalities.

She told The Times: “Not only is Jason Arday a world-class scholar, he also brings a wealth of experience that can help us to take forward our efforts to widen participation at all levels."

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Do most sushi fish contain parasites? Yes. Should you worry? That's a more complex question. gidmk.substack.com/p/does-most-...

gidmk.substack.com

Does Most Sushi Contain Parasites?

Yes and you’ve probably eaten them.

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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

As the number of observational studies continues to grow and with big data and AI use exploding, epidemiologists need better tools and best practices to produce reliable evidence and maintain public trust in science @natureportfolio.nature.com @gidmk.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s44...

nature.com

Seven ways to improve observational epidemiology and build trust - Nature Health

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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Remember the proposed RFK Jr-funded trial by Danish vaccine researchers in Guinea-Bissau, in which they wanted to deny half of newborns the hep B vaccine birth dose? The unethical trial was suspended. Now: "Vaccine researchers are under 'reasonable suspicion' of misconduct by their own university"

Article in Weekendavisen
"Vaccine researchers are under 'reasonable suspicion' of misconduct by their own university."
2 Sept, Gunver Lystbaek Vestergard

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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Good Lord, how on earth did @bmj.com Public Health end up publishing such a garbage "study" claiming that Covid was mostly harmless but Covid vaccines caused mass death? The study has, finally, been retracted. @gidmk.bsky.social does the post mortem.

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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In our @natureportfolio.nature.com essay, @gidmk.bsky.social and I wrote about the importance of statisticians for those of us doing medical and epi research Involve them early, not when the paper comes back for revisions Make sure they are co-authors & compensated www.nature.com/articles/s44...

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Is "transgender ideology" linked to violence? No. Not even a little. The story of yet more state-sponsored pseudoscience in the United States. gidmk.substack.com/p/is-there-a...

gidmk.substack.com

Is There A Link Between “Transgender Ideology” And Violence?

No. The whole thing is remarkably silly.

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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Happy to share our new essay in @nature.com Nature Health @gidmk.bsky.social & I offer 7 suggestions to improve observational epidemiology and build trust rdcu.be/fCbVp

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Me: large sections of Jason Arday's thesis are identical to other people's previously published work. Them: no they're not! That was debunked! Me: here are examples. Them: *block* People are really wedded to their narratives about this case, huh.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

A 2024 paper went massively viral for claiming that COVID-19 vaccines caused lots of excess deaths. I complained to the journal about it at the time - it was woeful. It was recently retracted. What went wrong and why did it take so long? gidmk.substack.com/p/covid-19-v...

gidmk.substack.com

COVID-19 Vaccines And Excess Mortality - Why Does Scientific Correction Take Such A Long Time?

Some insights from a recent retraction

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The Jason Arday saga made me furious and sad in equal measure so I wrote about it. The whole thing is deeply unpleasant. gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...

gidmk.substack.com

The Jason Arday Saga Is Terrible And Everyone Involved Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves

The whole thing makes me furious

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It is so exhausting watching well-meaning lefties get basic facts about the Jason Arday case wrong.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The Jason Arday saga made me furious and sad in equal measure so I wrote about it. The whole thing is deeply unpleasant. gidmk.substack.com/p/the-jason-...

gidmk.substack.com

The Jason Arday Saga Is Terrible And Everyone Involved Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves

The whole thing makes me furious

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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Brilliant critique of a study that *falsely* concluded there were benefits to full fat milk (the study was funded by, um, the dairy industry 🧐) The study (& past studies) found greater weight loss with low fat milk The science does NOT support RFK Jr’s push to get us to eat full fat dairy

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

My new piece - why, despite the contrarians and ridiculous headlines, full-fat milk is still a bit less healthy than low-fat. Featuring a seriously problematic study filled with issues. gidmk.substack.com/p/full-fat-d...

gidmk.substack.com

Full Fat Dairy And Heart Health

Were the dietary guidelines wrong all along?

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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Today seems like an excellent day to re-read @gidmk.bsky.social’s superb, accessible, beautifully written piece of science writing on Covid origins The peer-reviewed scientific research literature points to a zoonotic origin (as for most epidemics & pandemics) gidmk.substack.com/p/pandemic-r...

gidmk.substack.com

Pandemic Revisionism, Part One: COVID-19 Origins

Because people keep getting this very wrong.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Recent headlines are crying that an avocado a day helps heart health. The reality is a bit absurd. If anything, the data shows quite strongly that avocados do little/nothing for your heart. gidmk.substack.com/p/an-avocado...

gidmk.substack.com

An Avocado A Day Is No Panacea

Why eating more avocados probably won't cure heart disease

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

My new piece in Slate takes a look at the concept of "ultra" processed foods and why the whole thing is so bizarrely unscientific slate.com/technology/2...

slate.com

One of the Biggest Boogeymen on Our Grocery Shelves Needs a Better Name

It’s all about the vibes.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I can only imagine this would end in quite a lot of dead people.

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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

"What we can say with a great deal of certainty is that NHS England is currently relying on terrible evidence to make decisions about trans healthcare."

gidmk.substack.com

Hormone Therapy For Trans Teens

The remarkable deficiencies in new NHS policy looking at whether transgender teenagers should be able to access hormone therapy.

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james.claims @jamesclaims.skystack.xyz · 04/06/2026

You Probably Can't Diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder From A Urine Test • Picky eaters, pokey numbers, and powerful confusion

jamesclaims.substack.com

You Probably Can't Diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder From A Urine Test

Picky eaters, pokey numbers, and powerful confusion

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

I finally bit the bullet and made a LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-me...

linkedin.com

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

My new piece looks at recent bizarre overestimates of Long COVID rates. Also, how we can be fairly certain that the true rate of Long COVID is now very low in 2026. open.substack.com/pub/gidmk/p/...

open.substack.com

No, 1 in 6 People Do Not Have Long COVID

The ongoing story of bizarre overestimates of Long COVID rates

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

I finally bit the bullet and made a LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-me...

linkedin.com

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Ah yes, a "randomized controlled" trial.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Haven't seen one of these in the wild in AGES. Scientific error-checking difficulty: very easy Why is this table definitely not real data?

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Are omega-3 supplements destroying your brain? They definitely don't have a benefit, but the data showing that they are harmful is very weak. My new piece: gidmk.substack.com/p/are-omega-...

gidmk.substack.com

Are Omega-3 Supplements Destroying Your Brain?

New scary headlines and the rather uncertain science behind them

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

The massive decline of COVID-19 has been fascinating to watch. If current trends persist, the disease will end up nothing more than a common cold.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

It was remarkable to see this persistent myth about COVID-19 pop up again in 2026, so I wrote about it open.substack.com/pub/gidmk/p/...

open.substack.com

The Most Persistent Myth About COVID-19

Six years on and people are still making this ridiculous claim.

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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Are you worried about hantavirus? Well research on this virus and other emerging infections is disappearing in real time, right now. My Yale colleague just lost $5 million, which the National Science Foundation (NSF) has refused to release to his group. It is so twisted and sick.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Everyone is freaking out about hantavirus, so I read my notes from my MPH and a bunch of articles so you don't have to. Long story short - it's shit for people impacted, but you are very, very unlikely to be impacted. gidmk.substack.com/p/you-probab...

gidmk.substack.com

You Probably Don't Need To Stress About Hantavirus

Some facts about the new outbreak that's worrying the globe

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Every once in a while I re-read the retraction watch article about the 30th most-retracted researcher of all time, Hitler Louis, and his collaborator who fiercely defended their reputation, Innocent Benjamin: retractionwatch.com/2026/02/24/c...

retractionwatch.com

Chemist nears three dozen retractions for image duplication, self-citation and more

A screenshot of Louis’ LinkedIn profile before we reached out to him. Racking up 35 retractions in just 24 months, chemist Hitler Louis has scored a place on our leaderboard. The papers…

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

This puts Didier Raoult well and truly on the Retraction Watch top 10. With 56 retractions, he was joint 11th place, now he is firmly the 10th most retracted researcher of all time. Another two would make him 8th (with a tie at 58), after that there's a jump to beat Iwamoto's 91 retractions

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

There have been a bunch of headlines recently about ultra-processed foods giving us all dementia. Apparently just a packet of potato chips a day significantly harms your brain! Except it's very silly. My new piece: gidmk.substack.com/p/are-potato...

gidmk.substack.com

Are Potato Chips Giving Us All Dementia?

A tale of ultra-processed foods and very uninspiring research.

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Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

I knew that this would irritate me, but it is so much worse than I originally thought. Article incoming.

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