Natasha Loder

Welcome to slot-machine Britain! Our cover this week is on First Past the Post, the voting system that turns multi-party politics into a lottery.

Featuring our new modelling of British elections: www.economist.com/interactive/...

Chatbots behaving badly The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises

open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

Top drug regulator Richard Pazdur set to leave FDA Top drug regulator Richard Pazdur filed papers to retire from the Food and Drug Administration at the end of this month, but could withdraw them.

Yes, this is exactly how messed up things are at the FDA. Pazdur has lasted a few weeks and now he is leaving.

www.statnews.com/2025/12/02/r...

Look what just arrived. A new book by Deb Cohen out January. Has the internet hijacked your health? Read her book.

The $6 revolution. How generic weight loss drugs could save millions of lives. The arrival of generic semaglutide is an unheard of opportunity for global public health

Today @who.int recommended GLP-1 drugs for obesity. That’s good! What was downplayed though was that these drugs are life-saving for people with obesity & coronary disease and the number of lives saved could be huge. @natashaloder.bsky.social and I got ya covered open.substack.com/pub/singerp/...

Look what just arrived. A new book by Deb Cohen out January. Has the internet hijacked your health? Read her book.

the russians want to get legitimacy for what they have stolen, and america wants to claim a victory for ending the war (by offering a worthless security guarantee). depressing

wow, good luck and happy thanksgiving

that is some serious entertaining.

Chatbots behaving badly The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises

This week on my Substack I write about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem. Please read it and share it if you like it.

My newsletter Overmatter is completely free and always has been.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

All so predictable. It just makes it way too easy for Musk to laugh at everyone else.

Chatbots behaving badly The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises

This week on my Substack I write about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem. Please read it and share it if you like it.

My newsletter Overmatter is completely free and always has been.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

BBC Radio 4 - File on 4 Investigates, Multi-Cancer Testing - Hype or Hope? Could multi-cancer detection tests help improve earlier diagnosis for NHS patients?

Interested in getting a multi-cancer blood test? This radio programme by Deborah Cohen takes an honest look at the realities of what they can and cannot do.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

UK ministers back Heathrow airport’s £49bn plan for third runway Proposal to expand London hub will require moving part of the M25 motorway

The third runway will be disastrous for parts of west london. At the moment there are periods of respite from the health-damaging effects of noise—which is far above what it needs to be.

on.ft.com/49EcW9s UK ministers back Heathrow airport’s £49bn plan for third runway

The ‘S&P 493’ reveals a very different U.S. economy A few trillion-dollar companies are powering the market’s gains. Here’s what’s happening to most other businesses in the United States.

"An index that leaves out the seven high-flying tech firms — call it the S&P 493 — reveals a far weaker picture, as smaller and lower-tech companies report lackluster sales and declining investment"

Its becoming more difficult to pick the good growth opportunities amongst the smaller companies.

Uh. Sort of yes but sort of no.

What news from the chasm?

That is to presume a great deal about my Twitter feed and who is on it and what data it gives me.

And for me personally, I’m sad that a third runway will spoil the moments of peace that can still be enjoyed in places like Kew Gardens or Richmond Park. Or on a walk along the Thames pathway. All so we can be a hub for transit passengers. Very disappointing.

And for me personally, I’m sad that a third runway will spoil the moments of peace that can still be enjoyed in places like Kew Gardens or Richmond Park. Or on a walk along the Thames pathway. All so we can be a hub for transit passengers. Very disappointing.

UK ministers back Heathrow airport’s £49bn plan for third runway Proposal to expand London hub will require moving part of the M25 motorway

The third runway will be disastrous for parts of west london. At the moment there are periods of respite from the health-damaging effects of noise—which is far above what it needs to be.

on.ft.com/49EcW9s UK ministers back Heathrow airport’s £49bn plan for third runway

Well they taxed private education so it sort of sticks with the same theme

Novo Nordisk A/S: Evoke phase 3 trials did not demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in Alzheimer's disease progression Bagsværd, Denmark, 24 November 2025 – Novo Nordisk today announced the top-line results from the 2-year primary analysis of evoke and evoke+ phase 3 trials...

Trials of oral semaglutide (GLP-1) fail in Alzheimer's unfortunately.

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

My newsletter Overmatter has always been free.

So if you are interested in what to do when chatbots go awry in mental health, then head on over....

Chatbots behaving badly The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises

This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.

Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

This is very good

This is really great, a good jumping off point for @absw.bsky.social discussions perhaps? Do I detect @tomstandage.bsky.social's influence in the "what the past tells us..." angle?

Please read it and share it if you like it. My newsletter Overmatter is completely free and always has been.

Chatbots behaving badly The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises

This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.

Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...

You are welcome!