Timothy Caulfield
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caulfieldtim.bsky.social
Timothy Caulfield
@caulfieldtim.bsky.social
Professor of health law and science policy, author, speaker, and commentator. #ScienceUpFirst

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/caulfieldtim
Leading the charge against health misinformation www.royalcollege.ca/en/news/lead...

Such a special event. Thank you, @royalcollege.bsky.social! 🙏
November 10, 2025 at 9:55 PM
This can't be said enough: MAGA media IS THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA!

It has been for years. The right dominates online influencers, engagement, news coverage, etc.

"Liberal MSM bias" a myth. Lies rule.

reuters.com/investigatio...
November 10, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Ridiculous. So maddening.

Yes, complex. But there is NO doubt that antivaxx misinformation big part of problem.

Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says
Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the country's public health agency said on Monday.
www.reuters.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
🚨Again, Tylenol ≠ > risk of autism, etc.

"Existing evidence does NOT clearly link maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy with autism or ADHD in offspring."

Study: Maternal paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and risk of autism www.bmj.com/content/391/...
November 10, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Dark Age 2.0

"God is an anti-vaxxer, and he needs you to speak up."

Inside the conference celebrating RFK Jr.’s rise wapo.st/49HVH6S

Reality: "Dozens of studies have shown that vaccines do not cause autism..."

#VaccinesWork
‘God is an anti-vaxxer’: Inside the conference celebrating RFK Jr.’s rise
An anti-vaccine conference in Austin celebrated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rise to political power, highlighting his influence in Trump’s Washington.
wapo.st
November 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM
The power of political identity...👇

Older adults share more political misinformation. Here's why www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...

"...older people are more likely to believe as true and to share information that aligns with their party, whether that information is true or not."
Older adults share more political misinformation. Here's why
A new international study sheds light on why the 55-and-older set tends to share more fake news on social media—and what can be done about it.
www.colorado.edu
November 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The diff in tone of the responses to my manspreading post on X and Bluesky? So predictable.

To be clear: ZERO anatomical justification for manspreading!

Perhaps those who feel the need to manspread should request an accommodation from gov to help with this fragile condition?
November 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
A good example of how an arbitrary (conceptually incoherent) wedge issue can emerge from ether...

"...the ostriches had become symbols of defiance — and the farm a destination for conspiracists, fringe media, and animal lovers."

www.msnbc.com/news/news-an... by @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social
Why the conspiratorial right rallied around a flock of ostriches
The anti-vaccine, anti-government crusade to save "the miracle cure birds" is over — and the fringe activists lost.
www.msnbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:13 PM
How a childhood virus can contribute to dementia later and what you can do wapo.st/4qQVFzK

“Both versions of the vaccine — one with a version of the live virus and one without — reduce those reactivations and the risk of dementia, the study found.”

#VaccinesWork
How a childhood virus can contribute to dementia later and what you can do
A new study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help prevent dementia by reducing the risk of varicella-zoster virus reactivation
wapo.st
November 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
SEC football game yesterday! Fantastic experience! 🏈

Was a Manspreading Fest! And I got to sit next to the Manspreading Master! Lucky me.
November 9, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Politics and lies. A long history.

Tudor disinformation? Yep. wapo.st/47QBqcR

"...a more than 400-year-old disinformation campaign surrounding the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth I and her successor to the throne."

"...obvious resonance for us today, as we witness the spread of fake news..."
Opinion | The real truth about the Tudor succession comes to light. Literally.
The transition to the Stuart dynasty after Elizabeth I’s death was neither smooth nor peaceful.
wapo.st
November 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Longevity? Needed...👇

Equity. Justice. Access. Eduction. Wealth. Luck.

"....greater wealth was associated with lower mortality, and the association between wealth and mortality appeared to be more pronounced in the United States than in Europe."

www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Association between Wealth and Mortality in the United States and Europe | NEJM
Amid growing wealth disparity, we have little information on how health among older Americans compares with that among older Europeans across the distribution of wealth. We performed a longitudinal...
www.nejm.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Not long ago...

Chemtrails were a comical marker of being totally off the rails. Tinfoils hats et al.

Now? Example of the legitimization & embrace of hardcore bunk.

States ban them & RFK Jr wants a "task force"?

Dark Age 2.0

Chemtrails www.bmj.com/content/391/...
November 8, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Another example "nocebo" effect (expectation of bad response) driving a diet trend? 👇

Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For? www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social

The justifications for diet "hits a wall when people get tested in a blinded fashion."
Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For?
Do you have difficulty falling asleep? A bit of anxiety? Headaches? Any sort of digestive issue? A low-histamine diet may be for you! So claims a blog post on one of the many websites promoting this d...
www.mcgill.ca
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Longevity influencer BS ≠ longevity.

Socioeconomics.

Equity. Justice. Education.

Social Determinants of Health & Cancer Prevention Guideline Behaviors jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

"...demographic, socioeconomic, and geographical factors are associated with health behaviors..."
Social Determinants of Health and Cancer Prevention Guideline Behaviors
This cross-sectional study investigates the association between social determinants of health and health behaviors measured by the American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity.
jamanetwork.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:23 PM
How long does covid booster protection last? wapo.st/3JwuBFj

"The results reaffirm the benefit of staying current with covid vaccination."

At 4 wks "reduced the chances of infection by about 45%..."

"Strongest protection was against hospitalization and death" (57%).
Opinion | How long does covid booster protection last? A new study offers answers.
More evidence highlighting the benefit, and limitations, of covid-19 vaccines
wapo.st
November 7, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Weightlifting outmuscles running for blood sugar control, study finds medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11...

"...when it comes to preventing diabetes and obesity, pumping iron might have the edge..."

#Move! #Lift! #TeamConfirmationBias!
Weightlifting outmuscles running for blood sugar control, study finds
Running may help burn calories, but when it comes to preventing diabetes and obesity, pumping iron might have the edge, according to preclinical findings from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute ...
medicalxpress.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
NO "turbo cancer" associated with nRNA vaccines, but possible "turbo" benefits?

mRNA covid vaccines may “turbo charge” cancer immunotherapy, research suggests bmj.com/content/391/...

Patients with mRNA vaccine "... gained significant benefit in terms of survival & disease progression..."
mRNA covid vaccines may “turbo charge” cancer immunotherapy, research suggests
Patients with cancer who received a covid mRNA vaccine within 100 days of beginning immunotherapy treatment gained significant benefit in terms of survival and disease progression, new research sugges...
bmj.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Timothy Caulfield
📅 Happening soon!

Join us Nov. 18 for the IRPP Fall Lecture with @caulfieldtim.bsky.social, one of North America’s leading voices on health and science misinformation.

An evening of ideas, dialogue, and networking with Canada’s policy community.

🎟️ Register now: irpp.org?p=20841
How to Escape the Fake: Making Good Policy in the Age of Misinformation - IRPP
Join us for an evening of dialogue and networking with Canada’s dynamic public policy community.   This year’s IRPP fall lecture will feature Canadian author and scholar Timothy Caulfield, one of Nort...
irpp.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Timothy Caulfield
Wellness influencers often use misinformer tactics to persuade. We’ve already discussed 4 tactics in a previous post, but here are 4 more 👇

scienceupfirst.com/misinformati...

#ScienceUpFirst
October 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The Blue Jay fan’s guide to dealing with feelings of despair theconversation.com/the-anguish-...

"Fans, meantime, will use the off-season to emotionally steel themselves for, potentially, another wild ride. Spring, after all, is the season of hope when anything seems possible."

#GoJays! ❤️
The anguish of losing: The Blue Jay fan’s guide to dealing with feelings of despair
Fans didn’t just watch the Blue Jays — they carried the emotional weight of a season. Here’s why fandom feels so personal, and how we process it all.
theconversation.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Shadow scholars: inside Kenya’s multibillion-dollar fake-essay industry www.nature.com/articles/d41...

"...a hidden multibillion-dollar industry: contract cheating."

"...students in the wealthy, industrialized countries of the global north outsource coursework to “shadow scholars'"
Shadow scholars: inside Kenya’s multibillion-dollar fake-essay industry
Sociologist Patricia Kingori is helping to expose contract cheating by scholars in high-income countries.
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:11 PM
COVID "...increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots & bleeding disorders among children..."

"...vaccinated had a lower risk of myocarditis than those who were unvaccinated..."

COVID & heart issues in children: www.newscientist.com/article/2502...

#VaccinesWork
Covid raises risk of heart issues in children more than vaccination
Getting covid-19 for the first time slightly increased the risk of heart inflammation, blood clots and bleeding disorders among children, whereas being vaccinated against the virus was much safer and ...
www.newscientist.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The Global Spread of Contraceptive #Misinformation Online www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianou...

"...a flood of misinformation that favours 'natural' contraceptive methods..."

"...only 10% of the analysed videos were created by qualified health professionals."
From Clicks to Consequences: the Global Spread of Contraceptive Misinformation Online - Australian Institute of International Affairs
With over 4.85 billion views, TikTok videos about contraception are shaping how young people around the world understand and make decisions about their reproductive health. Yet, beneath the platform’s...
www.internationalaffairs.org.au
November 6, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Health misinformation ain't new!

Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem www.popsci.com/health/black...

"Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem."
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem
A 14th century trickster tale was misread as fact.
www.popsci.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 PM