Sam Miles
8.1K posts
@SamMiles87
Find me @sam-miles.bsky.social. Reader in Medical Sociology @QMULBartsTheLon; former social scientist @LSHTM. Researching queer lives, tech, sexual health.
And they did it while maintaining one of the most restrictive migration polices in Europe.
Horrendous footage played just now in the Nottingham Inquiry. When told there had been three fatalities from Calocane's attacks, Chief Inspector David Mather (pictured) is heard saying: "It's not as bad as I thought it was." Follow today's updates here: nottinghampost.com/news/nottingha…
I currently have three papers in review at "high impact" journals. One of them has been sitting there for two years. In that time my daughter was born and learned how to walk, but apparently publishing a PDF was still not possible for me. For another one, after four months in review the editor told me they cannot find a second reviewer and asked me to suggest more reviewers. A third one sent me a message in 2026 saying the PDF I uploaded was larger than 10 MB and that I should please reupload everything to make the file smaller. All of this just to eventually pay between 7,000 and 12,000 USD per paper so someone can officially approve that the science we do is "legitimate". Reminder: not a single reviewer will be compensated here. I still don't understand how we as scientists can collectively be so smart when doing science and still tolerate a system like this when it comes to sharing our findings. We should move to preprints plus open review, whether human or AI, asap. So frustrated about it. I'd suggest sharing your work on bioRxiv or medRxiv, reading and reviewing preprints when you can, and highlighting good research, especially if it is still a preprint. Try platforms like ResearchHub (that pay for peer review) and experiment with AI based reviewers for faster feedback. Instead I read this as a proposed "revolutionary" measure:
💢 “Black rain” and “nuclear winter” effect reported in Tehran after Israeli strikes on oil facilities ▪️ Israeli strikes on oil depots around Tehran have released massive quantities of toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Mixed with rainwater, these chemicals are causing highly acidic precipitation that can cause skin burns and severe lung damage upon contact, according to Iranian authorities. ▪️ Dense plumes of black smoke from the Shahran and other refineries have blotted out the sun, plunging parts of the city into darkness and creating a "nuclear winter" effect, NYT reported. Authorities warned that these noxious fumes cause acute respiratory distress and eye irritation. ▪️ Oil-saturated rainwater has blanketed the city, leaving rooftops, balconies, and streets covered in a thick, murky black liquid and oily soot. This contamination poses a long-term risk of heavy metals like nickel and vanadium leaching into the soil and local water systems. ▪️ Environmental groups warn the pollution threatens migratory birds crossing the Persian Gulf. The "black rain" and smoke plumes can cause internal organ damage and destroy the insulating properties of bird feathers, leading to hypothermia and death. The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned of the dangers of the rain, advising residents to protect themselves and to cover exposed food from oily soot particles. Officials said the rain is highly corrosive and could potentially damage civilian structures. 🎥 Day time in Iran (clip via @tparsi). CNN reports on “oil rain” below.
BREAKING: The people of Tehran woke up to toxic acid rain after the U.S. & Israel bombed oil storage facilities. 10 million people exposed to a serious environmental hazard that causes chemical burns to the skin & damage to the lungs because of war crimes committed by pedophiles.
When in 2007 the mayor of #Ljubljana proposed to close 12 hectares of its city center to private cars, just 40% of residents approved. A decade later, no less than 97% were against reopening to motor traffic: “None of us can really imagine cars ever staging a comeback”.
"Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Manchester and University College London — are collectively enrolling about five Chinese Stem postgrads for every four Brits. In engineering, there are some 3,300 Chinese postgrads versus 1,900 Brits; in maths, 700 Chinese versus 500 Brits." MAD
Giant Sequoia bark is designed to protect from fire & insect infestation It can be up to 2-3 feet thick, & is spongy to the touch This one is in England, so no risk from fire, & is a baby at a mere 165 years old
