Patrick Heizer
@patrickheizer.bsky.social
Biomedical engineer at AstraZeneca, permaculture farmer in Maryland, amateur Camus scholar, Chesapeake Bay watershed supremacy, husband, and father.
TheCounterpoint.substack.com
TheCounterpoint.substack.com
This will be my last post on this account.
You can find me on Twitter (same username) or The Counterpoint on Substack (link in bio).
To any mutuals: should the winds ever blow you through Maryland, please feel free to stop on by the farm.
You can find me on Twitter (same username) or The Counterpoint on Substack (link in bio).
To any mutuals: should the winds ever blow you through Maryland, please feel free to stop on by the farm.
December 31, 2025 at 12:18 PM
This will be my last post on this account.
You can find me on Twitter (same username) or The Counterpoint on Substack (link in bio).
To any mutuals: should the winds ever blow you through Maryland, please feel free to stop on by the farm.
You can find me on Twitter (same username) or The Counterpoint on Substack (link in bio).
To any mutuals: should the winds ever blow you through Maryland, please feel free to stop on by the farm.
Maryland just updated its definition of agriculture:
December 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Maryland just updated its definition of agriculture:
Apparently my newsletter is ranked #75 in "Rising in Philosophy," which I'm both incredibly humbled by but also in disbelief at.
You should subscribe and maybe it'll bump me up to 74th!
You should subscribe and maybe it'll bump me up to 74th!
December 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Apparently my newsletter is ranked #75 in "Rising in Philosophy," which I'm both incredibly humbled by but also in disbelief at.
You should subscribe and maybe it'll bump me up to 74th!
You should subscribe and maybe it'll bump me up to 74th!
One of my favorite annual essays: the ten best books I read this year.
I try to read widely, so I'd guess there is probably at least one book here that you'll find intriguing.
Personally, I felt like it was a great year of reading!
thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/the-ten-be...
I try to read widely, so I'd guess there is probably at least one book here that you'll find intriguing.
Personally, I felt like it was a great year of reading!
thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/the-ten-be...
The Ten Best Books I Read In 2025
Brief reviews of the best books I read this year, in no particular order.
thecounterpoint.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:41 AM
One of my favorite annual essays: the ten best books I read this year.
I try to read widely, so I'd guess there is probably at least one book here that you'll find intriguing.
Personally, I felt like it was a great year of reading!
thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/the-ten-be...
I try to read widely, so I'd guess there is probably at least one book here that you'll find intriguing.
Personally, I felt like it was a great year of reading!
thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/the-ten-be...
In Oct 2021, my wife & I started a permaculture farm in Maryland. This is our 4th annual report.
Truly thankful to everyone that has supported us.
I'd be extra appreciative of likes/RTs/comments. Spread the power of small, local agriculture! thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/blue-glade...
Truly thankful to everyone that has supported us.
I'd be extra appreciative of likes/RTs/comments. Spread the power of small, local agriculture! thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/blue-glade...
Blue Glade Farm: Our Fourth Year
In October 2021, my wife and I started a permaculture farm in Maryland. This is our fourth annual report.
thecounterpoint.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 12:36 PM
In Oct 2021, my wife & I started a permaculture farm in Maryland. This is our 4th annual report.
Truly thankful to everyone that has supported us.
I'd be extra appreciative of likes/RTs/comments. Spread the power of small, local agriculture! thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/blue-glade...
Truly thankful to everyone that has supported us.
I'd be extra appreciative of likes/RTs/comments. Spread the power of small, local agriculture! thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/blue-glade...
Since the Kubuto King account was made in August, the price of 1st edition Kabuto cards has increased ~1200%.
November 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Since the Kubuto King account was made in August, the price of 1st edition Kabuto cards has increased ~1200%.
Tell me you're assuming only 1-2 kids without telling me.
Childcare is not "just a few years."
Childcare is not "just a few years."
childcare for instance is the second one. parents fund it out of pocket, meaning it's insanely expensive (bc of rising wages over time), but only for a couple years. it should instead be funded by everyone like K-12, spread the burden as wide as possible
November 24, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Tell me you're assuming only 1-2 kids without telling me.
Childcare is not "just a few years."
Childcare is not "just a few years."
Here's how I'd do DOGE:
Push for a legislative grand bargain budget where everything, including Social Security, takes a one-time 2% cut.
If inflation is ~3%, that's a ~5% real "speed bump" reduction.
Doesn't solve everything, but more than anyone else has done.
Push for a legislative grand bargain budget where everything, including Social Security, takes a one-time 2% cut.
If inflation is ~3%, that's a ~5% real "speed bump" reduction.
Doesn't solve everything, but more than anyone else has done.
November 24, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Here's how I'd do DOGE:
Push for a legislative grand bargain budget where everything, including Social Security, takes a one-time 2% cut.
If inflation is ~3%, that's a ~5% real "speed bump" reduction.
Doesn't solve everything, but more than anyone else has done.
Push for a legislative grand bargain budget where everything, including Social Security, takes a one-time 2% cut.
If inflation is ~3%, that's a ~5% real "speed bump" reduction.
Doesn't solve everything, but more than anyone else has done.
Bowhead whales are the second-largest animal on Earth and they live for ~200 years, yet they don't really get cancer.
Why? Because they are really good at repairing their DNA.
Why? Because they are really good at repairing their DNA.
November 23, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Bowhead whales are the second-largest animal on Earth and they live for ~200 years, yet they don't really get cancer.
Why? Because they are really good at repairing their DNA.
Why? Because they are really good at repairing their DNA.
There was a hot air balloon over the farm last night.
November 23, 2025 at 11:19 AM
There was a hot air balloon over the farm last night.
Genuinely don't understand how RNA could survive that long.
RNA sequencing revealed which of the woolly mammoth Yuka's genes were active when it died: "In the creature’s final panicked moments, its muscles were tensing and its cells were signaling distress—perhaps unsurprising since Yuka is thought to have died as a result of a cave lion attack." 🧪
World’s oldest RNA extracted from Ice Age woolly mammoth
Sequencing an ancient creature’s RNA opens up a new window into extinct life.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Genuinely don't understand how RNA could survive that long.
How the periodic table explains the current economy.
My latest, "AI Bubble or Island Of Stability?"
open.substack.com/pub/thecount...
My latest, "AI Bubble or Island Of Stability?"
open.substack.com/pub/thecount...
AI Bubble or Island Of Stability?
How the periodic table explains the current economy.
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM
How the periodic table explains the current economy.
My latest, "AI Bubble or Island Of Stability?"
open.substack.com/pub/thecount...
My latest, "AI Bubble or Island Of Stability?"
open.substack.com/pub/thecount...
North America has the highest quality grasslands and savannas in the entire world.
We could and should be entirely independent from globalized meat production.
Any meat import is a policy error.
We could and should be entirely independent from globalized meat production.
Any meat import is a policy error.
October 20, 2025 at 12:27 PM
North America has the highest quality grasslands and savannas in the entire world.
We could and should be entirely independent from globalized meat production.
Any meat import is a policy error.
We could and should be entirely independent from globalized meat production.
Any meat import is a policy error.
Protesting is all well and good, but if you really want to hurt the current (or any) administration, then stop spending money.
You vote every day with your dollars.
You vote every day with your dollars.
October 18, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Protesting is all well and good, but if you really want to hurt the current (or any) administration, then stop spending money.
You vote every day with your dollars.
You vote every day with your dollars.
Hey Dads, go plant some fruit trees with your children.
You won't regret it.
You won't regret it.
October 18, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Hey Dads, go plant some fruit trees with your children.
You won't regret it.
You won't regret it.
In the 41 House elections since 1944, Republicans have won >50.0% of the total vote four times.
Democrats have done it 24 times, and four times since 2006.
Democrats have done it 24 times, and four times since 2006.
October 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
In the 41 House elections since 1944, Republicans have won >50.0% of the total vote four times.
Democrats have done it 24 times, and four times since 2006.
Democrats have done it 24 times, and four times since 2006.
The future contains more paths forward than you're imagining.
October 17, 2025 at 11:39 AM
The future contains more paths forward than you're imagining.
"Unlike human cGAS, which inhibits DNA repair by homologous recombination in the nucleus, the naked mole rat enzyme has four amino acid changes that allow it to enhance DNA repair, thus delaying aging and enhancing life span."
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging
Efficient DNA repair might make possible the longevity of naked mole-rats. However, whether they have distinctive mechanisms to optimize functions of DNA repair suppressors is unclear. We find that na...
www.science.org
October 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
"Unlike human cGAS, which inhibits DNA repair by homologous recombination in the nucleus, the naked mole rat enzyme has four amino acid changes that allow it to enhance DNA repair, thus delaying aging and enhancing life span."
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
One aspect of the crisis of modernity is the decay of our capacities for both punishment and forgiveness.
My latest: thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/we-need-pu...
My latest: thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/we-need-pu...
We Need Punishment; We Need Forgiveness
A diagnosis of modern society
thecounterpoint.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
One aspect of the crisis of modernity is the decay of our capacities for both punishment and forgiveness.
My latest: thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/we-need-pu...
My latest: thecounterpoint.substack.com/p/we-need-pu...
Infinite Jest deserves every bit of acclaim it receives, but I wish more people also read The Pale King.
While unfinished, it contains as much genius, heart, and wisdom as Infinite Jest.
While unfinished, it contains as much genius, heart, and wisdom as Infinite Jest.
September 28, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Infinite Jest deserves every bit of acclaim it receives, but I wish more people also read The Pale King.
While unfinished, it contains as much genius, heart, and wisdom as Infinite Jest.
While unfinished, it contains as much genius, heart, and wisdom as Infinite Jest.
My farm's very first pawpaw!!
I'm in a quiet and humble state of shock. I knew that this tree had flowered, but it was the only one, so I'd said, "oh, maybe next year!"
But I was mowing the orchard for the last time this year, and I noticed this single fruit in the mulch.
I'm in a quiet and humble state of shock. I knew that this tree had flowered, but it was the only one, so I'd said, "oh, maybe next year!"
But I was mowing the orchard for the last time this year, and I noticed this single fruit in the mulch.
September 27, 2025 at 3:48 PM
My farm's very first pawpaw!!
I'm in a quiet and humble state of shock. I knew that this tree had flowered, but it was the only one, so I'd said, "oh, maybe next year!"
But I was mowing the orchard for the last time this year, and I noticed this single fruit in the mulch.
I'm in a quiet and humble state of shock. I knew that this tree had flowered, but it was the only one, so I'd said, "oh, maybe next year!"
But I was mowing the orchard for the last time this year, and I noticed this single fruit in the mulch.
Permethrin-treated baby wraps reduce the incidence of malaria by ~50%.
Extraordinary results from a "low-tech" intervention. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Extraordinary results from a "low-tech" intervention. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Permethrin-Treated Baby Wraps for the Prevention of Malaria | NEJM
Malaria remains a major cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. We leveraged
the traditional practice of mothers carrying children on their backs in cloth wraps
to assess whether treating t...
www.nejm.org
September 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Permethrin-treated baby wraps reduce the incidence of malaria by ~50%.
Extraordinary results from a "low-tech" intervention. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Extraordinary results from a "low-tech" intervention. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Please do NOT take either aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) instead of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy without consulting your OBGYN first.
Both inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, an extremely important class of lipid compounds, which could put you or your baby at risk.
Both inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, an extremely important class of lipid compounds, which could put you or your baby at risk.
September 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Please do NOT take either aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) instead of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy without consulting your OBGYN first.
Both inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, an extremely important class of lipid compounds, which could put you or your baby at risk.
Both inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, an extremely important class of lipid compounds, which could put you or your baby at risk.
Frederick, MD has one of the nicest downtowns in the US. It's a walkable core overflowing w/ local small businesses, historic buildings, & mature tree canopy.
But it didn't just happen. It took decades of active leadership & community involvement.
This book tells that story.
But it didn't just happen. It took decades of active leadership & community involvement.
This book tells that story.
September 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Frederick, MD has one of the nicest downtowns in the US. It's a walkable core overflowing w/ local small businesses, historic buildings, & mature tree canopy.
But it didn't just happen. It took decades of active leadership & community involvement.
This book tells that story.
But it didn't just happen. It took decades of active leadership & community involvement.
This book tells that story.