Nostr notes by Kit Yates

With all the other distractions, don’t let this good news pass ...

2026-04-21T11:53:55Z

With all the other distractions, don’t let this good news pass you by today.

“Children aged 17 or younger will face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill clears Parliament.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn08jy6w0l5o
1/2

I’m delighted to share some news: my new book "You Don’t ...

2026-04-19T07:02:00Z

I’m delighted to share some news: my new book "You Don’t Know What You’re M ss ng" is coming out in the UK on 4th June.

It’s about something that lies hidden in the background of almost everything we do, yet rarely gets named: Missingness.

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/you-don-t-know-what-you-re-missing-the-science-of-what-s-lost-and-how-to-find-it-kit-yates/497ab9dcf971763a?ean=9781529438031&next=t&aid=11611
1/9

Some good news. “A vaccine during pregnancy which protects ...

2026-04-18T06:24:54Z

Some good news.
“A vaccine during pregnancy which protects newborns against nasty chest infections (RSV) is cutting hospital admissions of babies by more than 80%, UK health officials say.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g84nxwz8wo

Watched University Challenge with my dad last night for the first ...

2026-03-31T07:00:00Z

Watched University Challenge with my dad last night for the first time in about 20 years.

Was pleased with myself for getting the maths questions right.

Then I remembered I am a professor of mathematics.

Took the shine off.

“This notice requires an individual or organisation to stop a ...

2026-03-30T13:50:49Z

“This notice requires an individual or organisation to stop a specified activity. The council has taken this action following the repeated installation of flags on or near highways without consent.”
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/unauthorised-flags/

“Raw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas almost 300,000 ...

2026-03-26T12:09:20Z

“Raw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year after the driest spring for more than 100 years and the sunniest and warmest year on record in England.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/26/sewage-released-into-englands-rivers-and-seas-nearly-300000-times-last-year

I thought he didn’t need NATO help? ...

2026-03-20T14:17:26Z

I thought he didn’t need NATO help?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce84073mr06t?post=asset%3A6bfa211f-2602-4b7c-a84e-33fd90ffb9e0#post

It's no longer OK for you to sit in the house of Lords ...

2026-03-11T08:02:02Z

It's no longer OK for you to sit in the house of Lords because your dad did.
But if your mate put you there?
That's fine.
Neither of these really feel like democracy to me.

One in five children infected in the recent London measles ...

2026-02-16T08:00:05Z

One in five children infected in the recent London measles outbreak were reportedly hospitalised.
Don’t believe the anti-vaxxers when they say “it’s a mild disease” or “it’s better to get immunity naturally”.
It isn’t.

In light of the Royal Society's continued inaction on Elon ...

2026-01-10T08:00:25Z

In light of the Royal Society's continued inaction on Elon Musk, it seems appropriate to share this again.

I wrote it last March when I resigned my position as associate editor at a Royal Society Journal.

Things haven't got better since then.

https://kityates.substack.com/p/why-im-resigning-my-editorship-at

"I'm afraid there's many bad people around, but they ...

2026-01-09T22:15:30Z

"I'm afraid there's many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances." - President of the Royal Society.

The Royal Society continues to be happy to be associated with, indeed honour Elon Musk with fellowship, despite the Grok scandal.

I will never understand this.

Back in Manchester; went for one of my favourite runs - past the ...

2026-01-02T14:53:55Z

Back in Manchester; went for one of my favourite runs - past the McVities factory.

Growing up, this was the Wonka’s Chocolate factory to my Charlie Bucket.

People should know what they are voting for. “A third of Reform ...

2025-12-30T08:00:31Z

People should know what they are voting for.

“A third of Reform UK’s council leaders across the country have expressed vaccine-sceptic views, openly questioning public health measures that keep millions safe.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/dec/29/third-of-reform-uk-council-leaders-express-vaccine-sceptic-views

If you're looking to do a little bit of Christmas-flavoured ...

2025-12-25T08:00:41Z

If you're looking to do a little bit of Christmas-flavoured science with the kids then you could do worse than read this little article.

Can't wait to try SellaTheChemist (npub1w88…lw2w) Fro-Co recipe.

PS The weird symbol in my piece (ϖ) is supposed to be π.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/dec/24/cracker-jokes-chemistry-of-custard-smuggle-science-into-christmas

Flu is surging. What can we do about it? Layered ...

2025-12-16T12:15:57Z

Flu is surging. What can we do about it?

Layered protections—vaccination, isolation with liveable sick pay, and clean air—enabled by government and institutions.

BMJ Opinion by Stephen Reicher, Martin McKee & Stephen Griffin
https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2638
1/10

It’s sad to think, but maybe I’ve gone to the US for the last ...

2025-12-10T12:37:34Z

It’s sad to think, but maybe I’ve gone to the US for the last time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dz0g2ykpeo

Everyone seems incredulous when you tell them the national animal ...

2025-11-14T08:00:01Z

Everyone seems incredulous when you tell them the national animal of Scotland is a unicorn.

But no-one even bats an eyelid when you tell them the national animal of Wales is a dragon.

It's the culmination of a series of cool calculations: 1 × 1 ...

2025-11-13T08:00:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…7pdh
_________________________

It's the culmination of a series of cool calculations:
1 × 1 = 1
11 × 11 = 121
111 × 111 = 12321
1111 × 1111 = 1234321
11111 × 11111 = 123454321
111111 × 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 × 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 × 11111111 = 123456787654321
2/2

Did you know 111111111 × 111111111 = 12345678987654321? 1/2

2025-11-13T08:00:21Z

Did you know
111111111 × 111111111 = 12345678987654321?
1/2

It took just 8 minutes for thieves to steal the Napoleonic-era ...

2025-11-01T08:03:34Z

It took just 8 minutes for thieves to steal the Napoleonic-era crown jewels from the Louvre. There weren't enough cameras and the ones there were there were facing the wrong way.

Could a 50-year-old maths problem have foiled the heist?
🧵
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgk0y97v0go
1/9

"Well it was nice while it lasted. We had an unprecedented 10 ...

2025-10-10T13:14:28Z

"Well it was nice while it lasted. We had an unprecedented 10 months of low and stable Covid levels in England - but this is now over. We are seeing a definite, significant wave of Covid infections across England."

https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is-now-experiencing-a-significant?triedRedirect=true

“A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine ...

2025-10-09T12:42:14Z

“A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination”
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-study-finds-annual-covid-vaccines-protect-people-against-severe-disease/

Just discovered what is possibly the greatest headline of all ...

2025-09-27T07:00:29Z

Just discovered what is possibly the greatest headline of all time:
"McDonald’s fries the holy grail for potato farmers"

If I was a tutoring company and I wanted to convince you that I ...

2025-09-27T07:00:07Z

If I was a tutoring company and I wanted to convince you that I could teach your kids maths, I would probably not have an advert that said “3=2” on it!

That’s just me though.

Expect more silence from the Royal Society in the face of their ...

2025-09-13T17:42:02Z

Expect more silence from the Royal Society in the face of their most notorious fellow advocating for the overthrow of the democratically elected government of a country he is neither a citizen nor a resident of (yet he is a fellow of their most prestigious learned society).

If you’re an academic and you’re not worried by the sort of ...

2025-09-13T10:54:11Z

If you’re an academic and you’re not worried by the sort of rhetoric then you’re not paying attention.
You might think you’re insulated from this in the UK, but this sort of anti-academic propaganda is travelling over here.

Although rare, chickenpox can lead to severe complications. ...

2025-08-29T06:07:19Z

Although rare, chickenpox can lead to severe complications. Infection also means parents and kids have to take time off work and school.

Free vaccination on the NHS is fantastic news.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c860n445vyxo

I guess you've heard some bad jokes about Fibonacci ...

2025-06-29T07:00:02Z

I guess you've heard some bad jokes about Fibonacci sequences?

Well, this one is as bad as the last two you heard put together.

Can they both lose? ...

2025-06-05T21:01:08Z

Can they both lose?

It's certainly true that the UK's experience of the ...

2025-05-13T08:15:21Z

It's certainly true that the UK's experience of the pandemic could have been so different had we handled Find Test Trace and Isolate differently.

There were many short comings.

https://www.channel4.com/news/covid-inquiry-180000-lives-could-have-been-saved

“Thames Water intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged ...

2024-12-24T22:28:01Z

“Thames Water intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged ...

2024-12-24T08:02:01Z

“Thames Water intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged for environmental clean-ups towards other costs including bonuses and dividends.”
I almost wrote ‘unbelievable’, but this is only too believable.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/23/revealed-thames-water-diverted-cash-for-clean-ups-to-help-pay-bonuses

An example of the sort of “brave” that has seen Kemi Badenoch ...

2024-12-21T15:25:02Z

An example of the sort of “brave” that has seen Kemi Badenoch put Toby Young forward for the House of Lords.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55676037.amp

Their contempt for their customers - us the general public - is ...

2024-12-20T08:01:00Z

Their contempt for their customers - us the general public - is just so blatant.

Why doesn't anyone do anything to stop them?

https://buff.ly/49Ok2WJ

If you want to read the full text of the article, that can be ...

2024-12-14T07:49:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…2d6x
_________________________

If you want to read the full text of the article, that can be found here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-024-01089-6.epdf?sharing_token=MNmad00ijMm9YE5_xlPvP9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0P8O_qqTWOXraEz0HDuAKwGjUliu75j8Uc1u0j1W82mz__yQ4eOUQaj6FjXnck1_3B07vE6NM6rFg-LImBLFSTzHG-Bf87FxOKVmIHtnlMpLq370xDNyKQ57y0L8suMmG8%3D

Following on from yesterday's summary of the organisation and ...

2024-12-14T07:48:52Z

Following on from yesterday's summary of the organisation and establishment of @independentsage.bsky.social
in our @natprot.bsky.social article, here is the summary of the learning points we took from the process.

https://kityates.substack.com/p/what-did-we-learn-from-our-experiences

I Wrote a Poem about exponential growth... ...

2024-12-10T08:00:05Z

I
Wrote a
Poem about exponential growth...

“The new Covid corruption commissioner has started an ...

2024-12-03T08:28:13Z

“The new Covid corruption commissioner has started an investigation into personal protective equipment (PPE) fraud.”
Not a moment too soon.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg6r7zk47eo

It's at this time of year, when the Christmas songs come on ...

2024-12-02T12:23:23Z

It's at this time of year, when the Christmas songs come on the radio, that I like to remember one of the Pogues finest works.

A very personal story from me about why it makes sense to ...

2024-12-02T08:01:00Z

A very personal story from me about why it makes sense to vaccinate boys as well as girls against Human Papillomavirus

"I was surprised to learn, in later life, that cervical cancer is one of the few cancers caused primarily by a virus – a cancer you can “catch”, typically through sexual intercourse."

https://buff.ly/3CPpa0p

On how scientists should react to the incoming Trump ...

2024-11-29T08:05:00Z

On how scientists should react to the incoming Trump administration.

“One thing is clear. We cannot afford to “stay in our lane.” As scientists and clinicians, we must strive to overcome our epistemic and disciplinary differences and demonstrate solidarity and collaboration in defence of evidence-informed policy”

https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2654

I don't often swear on here, but stop fucking doing this. ...

2024-11-29T08:01:02Z

I don't often swear on here, but stop fucking doing this.

It's gaslighting of the highest order.

Stop trying to manipulate us with by only showing part of the graph.

We know that what you're showing doesn't look like a 19% increase.

Truncated y-axes are a hill I am prepared to die on.

“I have never understood why, when everyone on the planet is ...

2024-11-24T15:08:09Z

“I have never understood why, when everyone on the planet is one accident or medical condition away from disability, many people seem to lack any empathy and do not attempt to understand how it must feel to be refused service because of a disability.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87x2p535wqo

“A strain of avian influenza is showing signs of adaptation to ...

2024-11-24T08:17:23Z

“A strain of avian influenza is showing signs of adaptation to human hosts, but there is no evidence that it can transmit from person to person.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03805-4

"Nigel Farage’s group campaigning against the World Health ...

2024-11-21T18:37:19Z

"Nigel Farage’s group campaigning against the World Health Organization (WHO) is staffed by consultants who work with the nicotine products industry.

Farage is the chair and a co-founder of Action on World Health, which campaigns to reform or replace the WHO"

And nobody was at all surprised.
https://buff.ly/4fuaout

“Until now, COVID vaccines have been available to pregnant ...

2024-11-20T18:51:53Z

“Until now, COVID vaccines have been available to pregnant women as part of the twice-yearly booster programme, but this offer is being withdrawn.”

This is a bad idea for several reasons.

Check out the article.

https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-no-longer-offering-covid-vaccines-to-pregnant-women-heres-why-that-might-be-a-bad-idea-243770

Turns out that not vaccinating your kids has consequences, and ...

2024-11-20T18:45:16Z

Turns out that not vaccinating your kids has consequences, and not just for your kids either.

“The outbreak is the largest the province has seen in more than 30 years, with more than 80 per cent of the cases diagnosed in people under the age of 19”

https://t.co/WMcrdWlQyY

"A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham ...

2024-11-18T08:14:00Z

"A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests racial disparities and the difficulty in diagnosing the condition may be leading to a massive undercount."

https://buff.ly/4euIM7e

When vaccines blunted their impact, we forgot the fear of the ...

2024-11-16T08:38:00Z

When vaccines blunted their impact, we forgot the fear of the disease, and in our comfort, people began to forget why we needed the vaccines in the first place.

Storm after storm the roof kept them dry. So dry that they forgot ...

2024-11-16T08:07:00Z

Storm after storm the roof kept them dry. So dry that they forgot what it was like to be rained on.

But they worried about the roof keeping the sunlight from them.

So they decided to dismantle the roof altogether.

https://buff.ly/4fqhTT6

The executive director of the American Public Health Association ...

2024-11-15T16:05:42Z

The executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA) said they will "absolutely oppose" RFK's nomination.

“He is not competent by training, management skills, temperament or trust to have this job. He's just absolutely the wrong guy"

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlne0n191wo.amp

"We will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial ...

2024-11-13T11:45:56Z

"We will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X. We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere."

https://buff.ly/4hLmYHe

This is very sad news. Ada Lovelace Day was an excellent project ...

2024-11-12T12:46:04Z

This is very sad news.

Ada Lovelace Day was an excellent project supporting/highlighting women and girls in STEM.

"It is with great sadness that I must announce that Ada Lovelace Day, as an annual event and year-round project is closing. "

https://buff.ly/2OzDM6y

“Boris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another ...

2024-11-11T21:07:10Z

“Boris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another 10,000 hospital beds at the height of the Covid pandemic.”

When we bemoan the long waiting lists and missed routine treatments, remember that this is part of the reason.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpwz3qyr0o

“A swathe of UK-based nonprofits and campaign groups say they ...

2024-11-07T08:29:57Z

“A swathe of UK-based nonprofits and campaign groups say they are set to ditch Twitter/X or drastically cut back their presence, in light of billionaire owner Elon Musk’s backing for Donald Trump.”

https://bylinetimes.com/2024/11/07/x-odus-charities-and-campaigners-to-abandon-musks-twitter-after-trump-endorsement/

“Donald Trump said that he’d let Robert F Kennedy Jr “do ...

2024-11-06T12:58:29Z

“Donald Trump said that he’d let Robert F Kennedy Jr “do what he wants” with women’s healthcare if he returns to the White House.”

And now he’s back.
Inevitably it will be a disaster.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-rfk-jr-kennedy-womens-health-election-b2641639.html

You think partygate was overblown, I’m afraid you have ...

2024-11-03T13:44:26Z

You think partygate was overblown, I’m afraid you have completely lost touch with the British public who stuck diligently to the rules that the Conservative government made.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/03/tory-leader-kemi-badenoch-says-partygate-scandal-was-overblown?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Also, "Jokes" is doing a lot of work in that headline. He ...

2024-11-01T07:57:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…507e
_________________________

Also, "Jokes" is doing a lot of work in that headline.

He has "Joked" about this before.

When someone makes enough "jokes" about this kind of thing you kinda get to thinking they might just be serious about it.

https://www.threads.net/@kamalahq/post/C6oymtKhkln?hl=en-gb

"We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that ...

2024-11-01T07:52:39Z

"We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half."

~ Emmeline Pankhurst

https://buff.ly/3YM3omH

This isn't good news. It feels a bit like we're watching ...

2024-10-31T08:06:00Z

This isn't good news.
It feels a bit like we're watching the precursor to the next potential pandemic play out in slow motion from the sidelines.
https://buff.ly/4fnibd4

“Unlike the US, Canada and Australia, the UK is only giving ...

2024-10-30T12:03:27Z

“Unlike the US, Canada and Australia, the UK is only giving free boosters to some. But the cost of restricting them could be huge.”

I think the general public don’t realise how different the vaccine situation is here compared to other countries.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/30/britain-long-covid-lives-us-boosters

I think this demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of why ...

2024-09-25T18:03:00Z

I think this demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of why many of the people who are off work with long-term ill health can’t work.

It comes from a place of ignorance.

“Sickness benefit claimants should have to look for jobs, says Keir Starmer” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y8g5z67lzo

The main vaccination drive for flu and Covid, will start in ...

2024-09-17T07:03:01Z

The main vaccination drive for flu and Covid, will start in October.

We are still treating Covid like it is just another seasonal virus, when we know its impact it’s very different and (although there maybe a seasonal component) the waves of Covid really aren’t seasonal.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director, said: ...

2024-09-17T07:01:00Z

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UKHSA Deputy Director, said: “Vaccination provides the best protection against serious illness from COVID-19”

I don’t understand then why we are still offering the vaccine to so few people.

“Inexpensive air filters can easily supplement existing ...

2024-09-15T07:15:00Z

“Inexpensive air filters can easily supplement existing ventilation systems, reducing sickness, saving lives, and alleviating pressure on our healthcare system.”
Excellent from Lara Wong of clinically vulnerable families [@cv_cev](https://mas.to/@cv_cev )

https://www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/views/airborne-transmission-a-hidden-threat-that-must-be-addressed/

“‘One of the most important public health failures the United ...

2024-09-12T07:11:01Z

“‘One of the most important public health failures the United Kingdom has ever experienced’ was the verdict on the government’s decisions in a House of Commons Committee report on ‘lessons learned’ in September 2021”

https://journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/12/3/a27

“The analysis, billed as the most in-depth look yet at public ...

2024-09-09T07:17:23Z

“The analysis, billed as the most in-depth look yet at public procurement during the crisis, warns that systemic bias, opaque accounting and uncontrolled pricing resulted in vast waste of public funds on testing and personal protective equipment (PPE).”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/09/tory-covid-contracts-worth-15bn-had-corruption-red-flags-study-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

If you live near enough to a river and have 15 minutes spare to ...

2024-09-08T06:30:11Z

If you live near enough to a river and have 15 minutes spare to sit quietly next to the river, can I encourage you to take part in the Big River Watch.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/07/citizen-scientists-to-check-uk-rivers-for-sewage-and-pollution?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

"In a new study published in the Journal of Hospital ...

2024-09-03T10:01:05Z

"In a new study published in the Journal of Hospital Infections, researchers found simple infection control measures could save lives and reduce costs."

It's not surprising really is it? Does make you wonder why we aren't even doing the basics.

https://buff.ly/3Xihxq2

“Despite the removal of mandates around masking and other ...

2024-09-01T07:20:00Z

“Despite the removal of mandates around masking and other safety procedures, COVID continues to cause severe illness, disability and death”

https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/protecting-hcws-and-patients-an-impossible-fix-or-an-essential-one

“Several posts on Facebook claim that mpox (the disease caused ...

2024-08-21T07:26:38Z

“Several posts on Facebook claim that mpox (the disease caused by the monkeypox virus) is actually a side effect of the Covid-19 vaccines. This is not true.”

Can’t believe we even need these fact checking articles. It’s a sad reflection of where we are.

https://fullfact.org/health/mpox-covid-vaccines/?utm_content=buffer5bc9d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

“One major lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that no country ...

2024-08-16T07:02:01Z

“One major lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that no country is safe from a dangerous pathogen unless all countries are safe.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-in-a-world-where-pathogens-are-just-a-flight-away-the-world-and-canada/#comments

“Fake manuscript titles ranging from “Unpacking the ...

2024-08-16T06:42:12Z

“Fake manuscript titles ranging from “Unpacking the Aerodynamics of Flying Pigs” to “Why Dogs Follow You into the Bathroom: Insights into Canine Codependency”, the game pokes fun at the “absurdity” of what it takes to build a successful scientific career”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02511-5