iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

She’s back to her favourite job.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I’ve found this very informative.

The Hundred Year’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Although the narrative is shifting to highlight the "increasing share of deaths" attributable to non-communicable diseases, note that "despite the global decline, 7 of the top 10 causes of death in 2023 in low-income countries were communicable diseases". www.who.int/news-room/fa...

Figure showing the leading causes of death in 2023 in low-income countries.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Somewhat related. If you don't want to take your strains with you. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

The collection ensures that priceless strains are accessible to future scientists, an appealing opportunity for researchers who are changing institutions or preparing for retirement: depositing in such a collection ensures that their legacy is maintained because the biological material from which their publications are derived are available for future generations of scientists to explore.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Given the popularity of this book, I thought I’d check it out for myself. It was a charming and gripping story. However, I don’t think I’ll watch the movie. It can’t be as good as the book.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

It's looking pretty clearcut now. ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/respiratory-...

Graph of UK covid cases by specimen date showing spikes in for three autumns in a row.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I’m surprised it took them this long.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Mention of Aedes aegypti in the news reminded me of this. Obviously I'm referring to a different species, but I wonder if expectations have shifted. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

A crucial consideration beyond Brazil, and even the Americas, is that climate change is likely to expand the distribution of the aforementioned vectors of chikungunya virus. Making the need to directly address infection much more universal than currently thought—one such vector, Aedes albopictus, is already established in southern Europe and so has the potential to expand its range as conditions permit. As an eye opening example, Jolyon Medlock and Steve Leach stated in 2015 that “models of chikungunya virus transmission from the EU suggest that with climate change, temperatures will be sufficient in London for at least 1 month of chikungunya virus transmission by 2041–70 and across most of southeast England for 1–3 months by 2071–2100”. It is possible that these timescales have moved up now that the impacts of climate change seem to be progressing at a faster rate than anticipated just a few years ago. However, the effects of climate change are not limited to this one vector or pathogen.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Looking at this influenza chart really drives home how powerful physical distancing is. ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/respiratory-...

Chart showing weekly PCR positivity for influenza in the UK. Peaks for every influenza season except 2020.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

UK showing a similar pattern, although on a smaller scale:

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

🤣 I succumbed to curiosity and clicked "generate summary" at the top of a 750-word piece I had written. After several minutes (ie, longer than it would have taken to read it) I got this:

AI summary box stating "An error occurred".

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Proof of my longstanding agreement: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

However, the suggestion that determining the origin of SARS-CoV-2 will help avert future pandemics overstates the impact of this understanding, as we are generally aware of where our vulnerabilities lie in terms of pandemic risk and what is needed to address them. The limiting factor is whether we, as a global community, are willing to act on this knowledge.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Engagement on X seems counterproductive. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

No. I was using it in the legal sense 😁

Law
In law, "sotto voce" on a transcript indicates a conversation heard below the hearing of the court reporter.[6]

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

"Evidence asymmetry!?" I hope listeners grasp that Jha's argument is full of holes. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

On the one hand, we have a hypothesis underpinned by evidence, although imperfect, and on the other hand we have a hypothesis without evidence, although it might exist. Given this state of affairs, maintaining neutrality on this issue amounts to performative uncertainty to create the veneer of academic detachment. But this serves no purpose other than to lend legitimacy to unsupported assertions.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Take the time to reflect on the paragraph above and how many words were expended to make the simple point that COVID-19 had a natural origin. This is because there are many people, most notably in the USA, with disproportionate influence who are poised to seize on less explicit statements to undermine a simple, and pretty straightforward, truth. These are the same people who are willing to malign individuals—a topical example being former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci—who dedicated themselves to understanding and lessening the impact of the pandemic.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Bob's Burgers has a suggestion.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Looks like this website has been eating US lettuce...

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Given the overwhelming demand (🤥), here are the editorials I've written on covid origins: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... and www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

SARS-CoV-2 is a natural virus that found its way into humans through mundane contact with infected wildlife that went on to cause the most consequential pandemic for over a century. While it is scholarly to entertain alternative hypotheses, particularly when evidence is scarce, these alternative hypotheses have been implausible for a long time and have only become more-so with increasing scrutiny. Those who eagerly peddle suggestions of laboratory involvement have consistently failed to present credible arguments to support their positions.
Take the time to reflect on the paragraph above and how many words were expended to make the simple point that COVID-19 had a natural origin. This is because there are many people, most notably in the USA, with disproportionate influence who are poised to seize on less explicit statements to undermine a simple, and pretty straightforward, truth. These are the same people who are willing to malign individuals—a topical example being former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci—who dedicated themselves to understanding and lessening the impact of the pandemic.
The sheer hubris needed to underpin alternative hypotheses was an early signal of their tenuousness, when we are intensely aware that the natural processes needed to bring about this sort of pandemic are constantly churning and testing the boundaries between animal and human populations. The most remarkable thing about the whole COVID-19 origin saga is the confected controversy over something that should not be controversial at all. The thing that should be controversial is how little of the energy expended over this discussion has been directed towards actual beneficial outcomes.
To be frank, the fanciful ideas put forward by self-described free thinkers are more in keeping with popular movies than the realities of working with pathogens. It is admirable to pursue curiosity wherever it might lead and to reject the constraints of…

A year ago, August 2024, we addressed the state of discussions about COVID-19 origins in our Editorial COVID-19 origins: plain speaking is overdue. We did not lay out the evidence because the space we had available was not sufficient to address the points in detail. And the evidence was presented in a comprehensive and digestible fashion by the authors of the relevant research. Our focus was laying out the situation in a clear and uncluttered way, to counter the many commentators in the press who were giving their assessments based on what they wanted to believe (or what would make a more entertaining story) rather than what they could back up with evidence. Given the potential consequences, to pandemic prevention and public health in general, they were being irresponsible.
On June 27, 2025, WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) published their report Independent Assessment of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2. This report provides an update in the context of information that has emerged since their 2022 report. The report outlines the most prominent hypotheses and reflects on the supporting evidence for each of them. They stress that they did not have access to raw data when preparing this report, and SAGO and WHO have requested further information from governments, including those that have made assertions about the origins of SARS-CoV-2: China, Germany, and the USA. At the time of writing the report this information had not been provided. Meaning that this report is based on published literature, not so-called intelligence touted by some governments.
The report outlines four hypotheses but essentially two are based on zoonotic spillover and two are based on a laboratory accident. The assessment in the report from the outset discounts one hypothesis from each of these broad categories due to a lack of evidence, although SAGO remains open to reconsideration if more evidence is forthcoming. Despite giving one of the laboratory accident…

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

One of my favorite typos. Second only to the misspelling of "count".

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

It's funny that Petey Whiskyleaks is pursuing testosterone supplementation as if it's the Super Soldier Serum. When the root of this fantastical idea was probably methamphetamine.

Various packets of Pervitin (methamphetamine)

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

As I was foolish enough to read the recent Atlantic article on covid origins, I will re-share my takes on this topic to cleanse myself: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... and www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

I assume the current spike in mortality is related to the heat. www.euromomo.eu/graphs-and-m...

Excess mortality for all ages from EuroMOMO (euromomo.eu) 2026 showing an unusual spike this summer.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Got sucked in by the hype and picked this up. I’ve read far too many books on this idiot, but it sounds like this one got under his skin.

Regime Change
Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump
By Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Trillionaires don't last long it seems www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Just look at this tracker of the money incinerator every time someone says something is unaffordable. isaiprofitable.com

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

I'm tempted to never restart Teams...

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

All joking aside, please take care ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-heal...

Heat health alerts
Alerts in England

Yellow alert
North East
North West
Yorkshire and The Humber
South West
Amber alert
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
London
South East

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

"...as investments in PPR slow and important reforms stall, this report’s findings offer a clear warning that sustained momentum is essential to prevent preparedness from slipping backward." Translation: preparedness will slip backward. gpmb.org/reports/m/it...

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Looking at a random account that has blocked me shows that the menu is still accessible

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Some people are still struggling with manuscript cover letters. Here's my quick guide: onisillos.substack.com/p/demystifyi...

Think of the cover letter as a simple summary:

What you have found

What it adds to current understanding

Why that matters

Beyond your research, offer other supportive background points. Such as why you feel the journal is best suited to your research and if it relates to upcoming events or government or regulator decisions.

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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

"For global health publications, we argue that equal area projections, which preserve the relative sizes of different areas, are most suitable." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...