Prof Chris Scotton

Members of the Reform-led Kent County Council have awarded themselves a 3.8% increase in wages. More here: bbc.in/4bnCKaj

This reflects how science has been packaged and evaluated over the past two decades. In the 2000s figure preparation software such as PowerPoint and Illustrator became straightforward to use. By the early 2010s, high-impact journals came to associate dense, elaborate figures (i.e. the exhibits of a scientific study) with rigor and depth. The implicit assumption was that more panels and more data reflected more thorough and careful work. At the same time, the editorial decision on whether to proceed to peer review was made by individuals not deeply embedded in the specific science, relying more on visual presentation and the perceived completeness of the data. The aesthetics of the figure panels became a proxy for scientific thoroughness. In response, scientists adapted. Figures became more complex, more densely populated, and more expansive in scope. This gave the appearance of rigor independent of whether the additional data materially clarified the central questions of the study. Reviewers were tasked with evaluating these large and complex datasets under significant time constraints, typically within a few days and without compensation, while managing substantial professional responsibilities. Under these conditions, it is impossible to systematically interrogate every component of a multi-panel figure. There is also a reluctance to question whether key elements of a study are missing if there is a possibility they are included somewhere within the large amount of presented data. The result is a publication system in which the presentation of large volumes of data in complex figure formats can facilitate publication in high-profile journals, often with limited connection to the underlying clarity, coherence, or quality of the science itself.

Failure to understand that the fundamental principle of Mendelian randomization (MR) is of gene-environment equivalence contributes to the flood of nonsense MR papers that are appearing; Shah Ebrahim, Gib Hemani and I explain why in this short commentary. journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/a…

The same western blot image used 23 times in 14 different papers by one Japanese team. The image has been labelled as representing a range of experiments and proteins. This is the most I have ever seen. Perhaps it is a record?

European Respiratory Journal: SARD-ILD carries high morbidity and mortality. Here, the current advances in transcriptomic research of SARD-ILD and the implications for therapeutic development are reviewed. bit.ly/4oUUTAb

Since @Ofcom seems to have given up, we asked 20 experienced journalist from a wide range of backgrounds to watch multiple hours of @GBNEWS . Their conclusion: the supposedly regulated channel has, in effect, become Reform TV. How did it happen? thenewworld.co.uk/alan-rusbridge…

NEW: Nigel Farage has sold videos in which he endorsed a neo-Nazi event, repeated extremist slogans and supported a man convicted over his involvement in a far-right riot - Henry Dyer & Michael Goodier report theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-int…

Isn't it ironic that many Brits voted for Brexit because they wanted immigration to go down? How did this happen?

Look at the DISDAIN Reform is showing the public here. Farage says he wishes they “hadn’t bothered” running a council facing financial difficulties. When the going gets tough Reform GIVES UP. If this is how they already treat a COUNTY, imagine what they’d do to the COUNTRY.

Inhaled Treprostinil for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis | New England Journal of Medicine nejm.org/doi/full/10.10… Positive news for our patients

In their paper today, the authors assert that LLMs are "homogenizing" human thought and expression cell.com/trends/cogniti…

Before I was an MP, I worked on the current series of polymer banknotes at the Bank of England. So I know how decisions about our currency are made, and why they matter. Nigel Farage clearly doesn’t. What he conveniently ignores is that central banks regularly issue new banknote series. It’s how they stay ahead of counterfeiters and keep our currency secure. It’s technical. It’s essential. And it’s completely routine. So why is he manufacturing outrage? Because Farage and Reform UK have spent months attacking the Bank of England itself. They’ve demanded the Bank halt quantitative tightening. 💷 They’ve pushed to stop interest being paid on central bank reserves, which would completely destroy monetary policy transmission. ⚠️ And Farage has even suggested replacing the Governor with someone aligned to his agenda. Let’s be clear: Politicians leaning on central banks is how you spook markets and undermine confidence in the economy. Bank of England independence, brought in by the last Labour government, exists for a reason. To keep markets and household finances stable. I back the Bank to keep our currency secure, not to be dragged into political point-scoring. So if Farage spent half as much time understanding how the Bank works as he does attacking it, we’d hear a lot less of this nonsense. ❌

Return the Water Industry to Public Ownership - Sign the Petition! c.org/5SCmn6dsgW via @UKChange

An attack on Iran as Oman report significant progress on Iran US talks is a clear indication that an indicted Israeli Prime Minister mired in the genocide in Gaza and an Epstein compromised US President are dangerously out of control. Two men making the world unsafe for all of us

Iran was the third most common nationality of refugees on small boats in 2025. It was the number 1 nationality of refugees coming to the uk in the last 20 years. This chancer has made his career off the suffering of the “wonderful Persian people”

Since 2021 I have lamented the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan allowing the Taliban to retake power and implement their brutal reign with women silenced and subjugated , public executions and floggings and subjecting its people to a humanitarian crisis. 1/2

While everyone is freaking out about the Green win in the by-election, I noted that the combined Green & Labour vote was easily double of that of the votes for the rest. Proof our country isn't the right wing hellscape you'd expect from media coverage.

The cover of the Lancet. It says it all.

📣 Calling all women raising their voices against the Far Right: ‘A Million Women Rise March’ is happening on 7th March 2026 in London. Meeting point : Duke Street near Selfridges Time: 12pm Please share! (Other events will be taking place across the U.K. that weekend)

This is one of the most heart-breaking & important articles I have ever read - from someone whose voices are so rarely heard, a teenaged girl. If you want to understand online misogyny in all its devastating impact, please read this shattering piece. Here’s one appalling extract: "A few days ago I saw an Instagram reel of a young woman talking about how she had been raped six years ago, struggled with thoughts of suicide afterwards, but managed to rebuild her life again. Among the comments – the majority of which were from men – were things like “Well at least you had some”, “No way, she’s unrapeable”, “Hope you didn’t talk this much when it happened”, “Bro could have picked a better option.” Reading those comments, which had thousands of likes and many boys agreeing with them, made me feel sick.” And here’s the impact on this teenager’s self-esteem: "Using social media has ruined my self-esteem & my relation to being a girl in this world, & nearly every day I feel hatred towards my gender, my appearance, or even teenage girls as a category. The misogyny I see from boys my age online, which is echoed in real life too, has made me grow resentful and bitter towards them, as much as I try to avoid it. As wrong as it is, I persistently find myself considering if there are truly any boys out there who are not misogynistic to some extent, & have even questioned whether I can find love in the future because of this.” Our daughters do not have to grow up in a world that teaches them they're "community pussy" while still children. Teen boys aren't born misoygnistic - they learn these attitudes from adults. This is on every one of us, male and female alike, to fix. Banning kids from social media won't come close to addressing the fundamental misogyny that's alive, well and thriving in contemporary society. If all of us refused to accept it, called it out for what it is, culture would change. What a brave young woman this author is.