Martin Michaelis (he/him)'s Avatar

Martin Michaelis (he/him)

@martmichaelis.bsky.social

Academic researcher working on cancer, viruses, and meta-research in the life sciences. Opinions are my own.

478 Followers  |  57 Following  |  1,669 Posts  |  Joined: 20.09.2023
Posts Following

Posts by Martin Michaelis (he/him) (@martmichaelis.bsky.social)

Preview
Musk tells jury 'people read too much' into his posts The billionaire is accused of misleading investors in the run-up to his 2022 Twitter purchase.

The more power you have, the more responsibility and accountability you have for your comments and actions. If you do not want to be taken seriously, be quiet.

05.03.2026 08:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
South East Water faces Β£22m fine for supply failures The firm was unable to cope during high demand, Ofwat says, leading to

Does this make sense? A company prioritises profit over the functioning of the service that it sells. If it is fined, the fines will eventually be paid by the customers, who already suffer from the poor service. This may be an area, in which privatisation does not work? #EconSky #PoliSky

05.03.2026 08:02 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Polanski and Farage have more in common than you might think Despite huge political differences, the Green and Reform leaders have much in common, writes Laura Kuenssberg.

Articles like this try to answer the wrong question. They focus on predicting who will win an election in a sports-spectator-like manner. However, the real question that we should discuss is what are real solutions and who can offer them? #politics #PoliSky

01.03.2026 12:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
COVID’s origins: what we do and don’t know Researchers summarize key insights from the world’s first comprehensive investigation into how a pandemic started.

A long-winded, but also realistic way to say that we do not know were SARS-CoV-2 came from. It does not even matter what is the most likely origin, because unlikely things also happen all the time. Just look at football results... #COVID19 #pandemic πŸ§ͺ #MedSky #PoliSky

26.02.2026 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
ChatGPT Health performance in a structured test of triage recommendations - Nature Medicine A stress test of ChatGPT Health triage revealed missed high-risk emergencies and inconsistent activation of suicide-crisis safeguards, raising safety concerns for consumer-scale deployment.

#Evidence that you do not want to put your trust in #AI when it comes to health advice (at least not yet), even when they are designed for this purpose... πŸ§ͺ #MedSky

26.02.2026 22:33 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis after Measles Infection | NEJM A 7-year-old boy was brought to a hospital with a 3-month history of cognitive deterioration and seizures. He had contracted measles at 7 months of age while living in an area where the ...

Subacute sclerotising panencephalitis is one of the scariest complications of #measles and almost always fatal. #MedSky πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky

26.02.2026 11:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Primary Measles Infection | NEJM A previously healthy man presented with a 5-day history of fever, nausea, and vomiting and a 2-day history of an itchy rash. Examination showed an exanthem consisting of minute macules and subtly e...

Medical journals start to provide images of #measles again. Can anyone think of a reason for this? #MedSky πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky

26.02.2026 11:32 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Earth's heat to produce electricity for homes in UK clean energy first Water super-heated by rocks will also provide the UK's first domestic supply of the critical mineral lithium.

The question is not whether we can transfer from fossil fuels to renewables but whether we want to. The solutions are all there and a majority is in favour. We are only held back by a loud minority spurred on by the fossil fuel lobby. πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky #EconSky

26.02.2026 08:06 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
β€˜Spiral of silence’: climate action is very popular, so why don’t people realise it? Researchers find 89% of people around the world want more to be done, but mistakenly assume their peers do not

A reminder: If you wonder why not more people realise the severity of the #ClimateCrisis and ask for change, you will find if you look that a large majority actually does. We are just fed misleading propaganda... πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky #EconSky

25.02.2026 22:36 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis? Even as weather extremes worsen, the voices calling for the rolling back of environmental rules have grown louder and more influential

We are knowingly digging our own hole? Why? #climate #climatechange #climatecrisis πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky #EconSky

21.02.2026 15:28 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Donor suspended from Tories pays Β£50,000 for dinner with Kemi Badenoch Exclusive: Rami Ranger, who was suspended temporarily in 2023, makes successful bid at party fundraising event

In a #democracy, money should enable you to buy access to power. If you read the article to the end, you may also wonder about the moral compass of the Conservative party and the code of conduct of the House of Lords... #PoliSky

21.02.2026 15:14 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
β€˜Reimagining matter’: Nobel laureate invents machine that harvests water from dry air Omar Yaghi’s invention uses ambient thermal energy and can generate up to 1,000 litres of clean water every day

Imagine a world, in which everyone uses their ingenuity to make it a better place, instead of focussing on making money... #economy #economics #capitalism #PoliSky #EconSky

21.02.2026 15:05 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media Deepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses.

Beware of #disinformation and #misinformation fabricated by reckless irresponsible individuals, who do not care about anything or even have ill intentions... #PoliSky

21.02.2026 14:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
More or Less - Did AI researchers let AI hallucinations into scientific papers? - BBC Sounds Investigating a claim that 100 made-up claims were found in AI papers

This is funny: #AI researchers use non-existing references made up by AI in their accepted submissions to an AI conference...

It is also a telltale of what is wrong in a world, in which money is the #incentive... #ArtificialIntelligence #capitalism #AcademicSky #PoliSky #EconSky

21.02.2026 09:28 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
KFC, Nando's, and others ditch chicken welfare pledge as demand soars Wingstop, Burger King, and others have walked away from an industry commitment to avoid using fast-growing chickens

When #ethics, #morale, and #compassion become too expensive in a world, in which money is the only real incentive... #EconSky

21.02.2026 09:08 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This also means that universities with a more diverse student populations will be punished by the league tables and by the government via TEF due to the employment data, which starts a vicious circle and sets wrong incentives.

21.02.2026 08:57 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Blood test for 50 cancers fails key goal in NHS trial The company behind the test said there were positive signs that some of the most aggressive cancers could be prevented.

A reminder that #cancer screening (and improving cancer therapies in general) is difficult and not straightforward.

Moreover, I wonder what the point is of such press releases that come without the data needed to enable an informed assessment? πŸ§ͺ #MedSky

21.02.2026 08:48 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats Traditional vaccines target specific pathogens, limiting their scope against diverse respiratory threats. We describe an intranasal liposomal formulation combining toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and 7/8 l...

Interesting article about an interesting approach, but the pedant in me thinks that this is not a #vaccine in sense that we have understood #vaccines so far? πŸ§ͺ #MedSky

20.02.2026 23:51 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I am not responsible for the photo. My post is about the content of the article.

19.02.2026 17:55 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

But the question poses itself now in a democracy.

18.02.2026 23:03 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Firm assessing Covid vaccine harm replaced after costs spiral to Β£48m The figure paid to Crawford & Company Adjusters is eight times the original estimate for the work.

In the UK, 249 individuals received compensation for harm caused by #COVID19 #vaccines. Given that more than 50 million people were vaccinated, this reflects about 0.0005% of the population and appears not to be an unrealistic number. #vaccination #vaccine #MedSky πŸ§ͺ

18.02.2026 09:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Intermittent fasting for adults with overweight or obesity - Garegnani, LI - 2026 | Cochrane Library Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.

There does not appear to be an obvious difference between the outcomes of intermittent fasting and other forms of calorie restriction diets. Beware of health topics that are dominated by belief and ideology instead of evidence and by influencers, who make a living out of their advice. πŸ§ͺ #MedSky

18.02.2026 09:05 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Plan to increase youth minimum wage could be delayed Government sources tell BBC News they could slow down plans to make minimum wage equal across age groups.

What is the human benefit of an economic system that thrives on exploitation? #economy #economics #capitalism #PoliSky #EconSky

18.02.2026 08:53 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Stephen Colbert says CBS didn't air interview out of fear of FCC Colbert kicked off Monday's episode of "The Late Show" by saying that the network's lawyers told him he could not have Texas state Rep. James Talarico on the broadcast.

Resist the beginnings, or is this already more than just beginnings?

17.02.2026 22:44 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
UK migration could be negative this year – how will that hit the economy? Universities, builders and health trusts are feeling the squeeze, as thinktank says effect of zero net migration could be similar to Brexit

We need rational evidence-based discussions on topics like migration, not belief, propaganda, and hatred. #PoliSky #EconSky

14.02.2026 15:29 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
HyperNormalisation - Wikipedia

Hypernormalisation describes how "everyone in the Soviet Union knew the system was failing, but no one could imagine any alternative to the status quo". Everyone maintained "the pretense of a functioning society." Are we now at a similar stage with #capitalism? #PoliSky #EconSky

14.02.2026 12:46 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
Radical with Amol Rajan - Knowledge and Nostalgia: Why a University Education Should Be Free (Louisa Munch) - BBC Sounds Academic Louisa Munch argues that you shouldn’t have to pay for higher education.

Great podcast with Louisa Munch. #education has a value in itself in a democracy equipping voters with the critical skills needed to identify the real issues and to tackle them. We need more collaboration, less competition, a world that provides a decent place to everyone. #PoliSky #EconSky

14.02.2026 12:28 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"Businesses can either lead transformative change or risk extinction. All businesses depend on and impact nature". Destroying our livelihoods for the benefit of our economy is an obviously flawed, self-destructive approach. πŸ§ͺ #PoliSky #EconSky

14.02.2026 11:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Wie Storm-1516 Deutschland immer wieder ins Visier nimmt Ein internationales Netzwerk verbreitet russische Propaganda über die Bundesregierung und Bundeskanzler Merz. Was ein Fußballstadion in Brasilien damit zu tun hat. Von A. Echtermann.

Jeder kann in den sozialen Medien (fast) alles posten. Deshalb sollte der erste Schritt immer sein, die Informationsquellen sorgfΓ€ltig zu prΓΌfen.
#Misinformation #disinformation #propaganda #AllesLΓΌge

14.02.2026 11:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
In Mexico, at least 28 have died from measles outbreak that started 2025 Mexican Health Minister David Kershenobich said on Wednesday that at least 28 people in the country have died from the measles outbreak that began in 2025.

In 1980, 2.6 million people dies from #Measles. If we stop vaccinating, we will get there again... #vaccine #vaccines #vaccination #MedSky #PoliSky πŸ§ͺ

www.reuters.com/business/hea...

12.02.2026 21:31 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0