Steve Senior
@stevensenior.bsky.social
Consultant in Public Health. Recovering civil servant. Lapsed neuroscientist. Ex-paper boy and former donut stand operator. Ultracrepidarian. Denizen of West Yorkshire. Opinions my own, re-posts are not endorsements.
Reposted by Steve Senior
#BBCNews - Period blood test could offer less invasive alternative to cervical screening
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Period blood test could be alternative to cervical screening, study says
Looking for signs of the cancer in a more convenient way could help women access the test and prevent the disease occurring, researchers say.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 6:58 AM
#BBCNews - Period blood test could offer less invasive alternative to cervical screening
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Modern parenting is just chaos isn't it? Just an endless torrent of potential cock ups
February 4, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Modern parenting is just chaos isn't it? Just an endless torrent of potential cock ups
Reposted by Steve Senior
I’d buy this and use it every day cackling like a lunatic
February 4, 2026 at 6:04 PM
I’d buy this and use it every day cackling like a lunatic
Picking the right metrics is going to be important.
E.g. 10-year survival can be improved without anyone living longer through ineffective screening which just starts the clock sooner.
The current target around % diagnosed at stage I or II has the same problem.
E.g. 10-year survival can be improved without anyone living longer through ineffective screening which just starts the clock sooner.
The current target around % diagnosed at stage I or II has the same problem.
The government is right to place cancer reform alongside elective recovery as a core NHS priority, signalling serious ambition. But delivering on these targets will depend on workforce capacity and sustainable funding.
Three-quarters of cancer patients in England to survive by 2035 under new plans
February 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Picking the right metrics is going to be important.
E.g. 10-year survival can be improved without anyone living longer through ineffective screening which just starts the clock sooner.
The current target around % diagnosed at stage I or II has the same problem.
E.g. 10-year survival can be improved without anyone living longer through ineffective screening which just starts the clock sooner.
The current target around % diagnosed at stage I or II has the same problem.
Reposted by Steve Senior
UK maternal mortality rate is 12.8 per 100k maternities.
Alabama has the worst maternal mortality in the United States at 60 deaths per 100K live births. For reference, California has 18 deaths per 100K live births.
But Dr. Oz thinks it’s “cool” that American citizens do not have access to good reproductive healthcare in the wealthiest nation in history.
But Dr. Oz thinks it’s “cool” that American citizens do not have access to good reproductive healthcare in the wealthiest nation in history.
Dr Oz: "Alabama has no OBGYNs in many of their counties, so they're doing something pretty cool. They're actually having robots do ultrasounds on these pregnant moms."
February 4, 2026 at 4:42 PM
UK maternal mortality rate is 12.8 per 100k maternities.
Reposted by Steve Senior
‘Novice workers who rely heavily on AI to complete unfamiliar tasks may compromise their own skill acquisition… We find that AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average.’
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
February 3, 2026 at 9:00 PM
‘Novice workers who rely heavily on AI to complete unfamiliar tasks may compromise their own skill acquisition… We find that AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average.’
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
Reposted by Steve Senior
Pretty much the entire history of technological innovation is a new product that’s worse but cheaper. Your electric razor is not as good as a barber with a knife, your AI is not as good as an executive assistant, even your mass produced wine is not as good as 500 year old vine grown French wines.
At an industry event last night one (old media) journalist said “we may need institutions like the BBC because internet searches don’t return separate news stories now, but an AI summary that is usually wrong.”
Watching an industry shrug and surrender to a competitor that DOES NOT WORK.
Watching an industry shrug and surrender to a competitor that DOES NOT WORK.
February 4, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Pretty much the entire history of technological innovation is a new product that’s worse but cheaper. Your electric razor is not as good as a barber with a knife, your AI is not as good as an executive assistant, even your mass produced wine is not as good as 500 year old vine grown French wines.
Today's fun with LLMs and code: being offered "THE SOLUTION THAT NEVER FAILS:" which then ... fails.
February 4, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Today's fun with LLMs and code: being offered "THE SOLUTION THAT NEVER FAILS:" which then ... fails.
"The couple built the business around their viral social media presence"
We're going to see a lot more of this, aren't we?
Want klout -> adopt strong unconventional opinions -> apply those strong opinions in the real world -> find out.
We're going to see a lot more of this, aren't we?
Want klout -> adopt strong unconventional opinions -> apply those strong opinions in the real world -> find out.
This is bonkers. MAHA 'farmers' with ecoli tainted raw milk admit they really don't know how to make the stuff after all.
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
"Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint. Unfortunately, we learned this after the fact."
people.com/ballerina-fa...
Hannah Neeleman's Ballerina Farm Halts Sale of Raw Milk Due to Bacteria Concerns: Report
Hannah and Daniel Neeleman have paused Ballerina Farm's sale of raw milk following health violations discovered during routine testing. Screenings from summer 2025 showed high levels of coliform, the ...
people.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:29 AM
"The couple built the business around their viral social media presence"
We're going to see a lot more of this, aren't we?
Want klout -> adopt strong unconventional opinions -> apply those strong opinions in the real world -> find out.
We're going to see a lot more of this, aren't we?
Want klout -> adopt strong unconventional opinions -> apply those strong opinions in the real world -> find out.
Reposted by Steve Senior
The reason we pasteurize milk is because it prevents this kind of awful, needless death
“Health officials in New Mexico are warning against consuming raw dairy products after a newborn baby in the state died from a listeria infection that they say was likely contracted when the baby's mother drank raw milk during pregnancy.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social
New Mexico warns against consuming raw milk after newborn dies from listeria
While the New Mexico Department of Health said it cannot pinpoint the baby's exact cause of death, officials believe it could have been linked to the mother drinking raw milk during pregnancy.
www.nbcnews.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:24 AM
The reason we pasteurize milk is because it prevents this kind of awful, needless death
Reposted by Steve Senior
Terrific read... Another example showing why, if you don't already follow @drjenndowd.bsky.social, you should...
Live Free and Die: US Life Expectancy Has a Problem (But It's Not Seed Oils)
We deserve to live until we are old
jenndowd.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:11 AM
Terrific read... Another example showing why, if you don't already follow @drjenndowd.bsky.social, you should...
Reposted by Steve Senior
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I taught three, online courses for journalists on basics of epidemiology
Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website
www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...
Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website
www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...
February 1, 2026 at 4:21 PM
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I taught three, online courses for journalists on basics of epidemiology
Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website
www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...
Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website
www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...
Reposted by Steve Senior
oh I've written about this before! one of the big problems with people developing those assumptions is also that they become entirely unable to then engage with normies who represent like.....98% of the population, and whose beliefs are formed on a much more case-by-case basis
The problem with social media is that you’re only allowed to hold opinions in batches. If you believe X and Y, you must also believe Z, which is atmospherically similar to X and Y and believed by all the same people.
If you don’t do this, everyone hates you. It makes actual thinking impossible.
If you don’t do this, everyone hates you. It makes actual thinking impossible.
February 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
oh I've written about this before! one of the big problems with people developing those assumptions is also that they become entirely unable to then engage with normies who represent like.....98% of the population, and whose beliefs are formed on a much more case-by-case basis
Reposted by Steve Senior
100% agree with this and the British Election Study bot provides plenty of evidence for it - regularly spitting out actual voters with combinations of beliefs which the terminally online would regard as impossible
oh I've written about this before! one of the big problems with people developing those assumptions is also that they become entirely unable to then engage with normies who represent like.....98% of the population, and whose beliefs are formed on a much more case-by-case basis
The problem with social media is that you’re only allowed to hold opinions in batches. If you believe X and Y, you must also believe Z, which is atmospherically similar to X and Y and believed by all the same people.
If you don’t do this, everyone hates you. It makes actual thinking impossible.
If you don’t do this, everyone hates you. It makes actual thinking impossible.
February 3, 2026 at 2:39 PM
100% agree with this and the British Election Study bot provides plenty of evidence for it - regularly spitting out actual voters with combinations of beliefs which the terminally online would regard as impossible
Reposted by Steve Senior
"That's the beauty of [public health]... it's lots of different things."
In the latest episode of Public Health Spotlight, made with Panoramic Associates, Siobhan Farmer, Director of Public Health @gloucestershirecc.bsky.social shares her insights into the role.
🎧 👀 ➡️ bit.ly/PHSpotlight
In the latest episode of Public Health Spotlight, made with Panoramic Associates, Siobhan Farmer, Director of Public Health @gloucestershirecc.bsky.social shares her insights into the role.
🎧 👀 ➡️ bit.ly/PHSpotlight
February 3, 2026 at 2:42 PM
"That's the beauty of [public health]... it's lots of different things."
In the latest episode of Public Health Spotlight, made with Panoramic Associates, Siobhan Farmer, Director of Public Health @gloucestershirecc.bsky.social shares her insights into the role.
🎧 👀 ➡️ bit.ly/PHSpotlight
In the latest episode of Public Health Spotlight, made with Panoramic Associates, Siobhan Farmer, Director of Public Health @gloucestershirecc.bsky.social shares her insights into the role.
🎧 👀 ➡️ bit.ly/PHSpotlight
Interesting one this. Can't read the column (hoping it'll turn up in FT Edit in a few days).
My guess is while work is a source of purpose and meaning it's not the only source.
You'll never stop people helping each other or making things, even if the AI could do it for them.
My guess is while work is a source of purpose and meaning it's not the only source.
You'll never stop people helping each other or making things, even if the AI could do it for them.
My column today: on why if AI creates a world where almost everyone has to live off UBI, we should throw away the machine instead:
UBI fans must remember a job is about more than the money
The value of work often gets left out of discussions about AI
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Interesting one this. Can't read the column (hoping it'll turn up in FT Edit in a few days).
My guess is while work is a source of purpose and meaning it's not the only source.
You'll never stop people helping each other or making things, even if the AI could do it for them.
My guess is while work is a source of purpose and meaning it's not the only source.
You'll never stop people helping each other or making things, even if the AI could do it for them.
Anyone know how the QAnon people are doing?
February 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Anyone know how the QAnon people are doing?
Reposted by Steve Senior
🌞Today is a turning point, as legislation to remove the two child limit starts to make its way through parliament.
The policy was a terrible idea. It drove poverty up and future prospects down.
@jrf-uk.bsky.social has joined 65 orgs to urge all MPs to stand with children & support the Bill.
The policy was a terrible idea. It drove poverty up and future prospects down.
@jrf-uk.bsky.social has joined 65 orgs to urge all MPs to stand with children & support the Bill.
February 3, 2026 at 8:28 AM
🌞Today is a turning point, as legislation to remove the two child limit starts to make its way through parliament.
The policy was a terrible idea. It drove poverty up and future prospects down.
@jrf-uk.bsky.social has joined 65 orgs to urge all MPs to stand with children & support the Bill.
The policy was a terrible idea. It drove poverty up and future prospects down.
@jrf-uk.bsky.social has joined 65 orgs to urge all MPs to stand with children & support the Bill.
Would be really bad if a town just getting some mojo back decades after it's major industry collapsed were to end up very exposed to another industrial collapse.
"In the latest move in Labour’s drive to inject AI into Britain’s bloodstream, the government has announced three US tech companies ... have agreed to help as the council pushes to apply AI to local schools, hospitals, GPs and businesses in Barnsley" www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Barnsley rebranded UK’s first ‘tech town’ as US giants join AI push
Minister announces Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe to help apply AI to local schools, hospitals, GPs and businesses
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Would be really bad if a town just getting some mojo back decades after it's major industry collapsed were to end up very exposed to another industrial collapse.
A special case of this that I see a lot: the predict/prevent switcheroo.
This is where you claim to only be interested in predicting some bad things (maybe for capacity planning purposes) and then inevitably end up intervening to prevent it.
This is where you claim to only be interested in predicting some bad things (maybe for capacity planning purposes) and then inevitably end up intervening to prevent it.
When it's not possible to estimate a causal effect - due to unresolvable biases - we often retreat to the position that we are only interested in description.
But this does not save us from misleading interferences. Sometimes we end up 'describing' very misleading data patterns. Is that useful?!
But this does not save us from misleading interferences. Sometimes we end up 'describing' very misleading data patterns. Is that useful?!
February 3, 2026 at 7:28 AM
A special case of this that I see a lot: the predict/prevent switcheroo.
This is where you claim to only be interested in predicting some bad things (maybe for capacity planning purposes) and then inevitably end up intervening to prevent it.
This is where you claim to only be interested in predicting some bad things (maybe for capacity planning purposes) and then inevitably end up intervening to prevent it.
Reposted by Steve Senior
The PREDICT breast web tool is now fifteen years old.
breast.v3.predict.cam
It is free to use.
The tool has been used over 4 million times.
If you'd like to sponsor the costs of web site maintenance or ongoing development send me a DM.
#breastcancer
breast.v3.predict.cam
It is free to use.
The tool has been used over 4 million times.
If you'd like to sponsor the costs of web site maintenance or ongoing development send me a DM.
#breastcancer
February 2, 2026 at 7:44 PM
The PREDICT breast web tool is now fifteen years old.
breast.v3.predict.cam
It is free to use.
The tool has been used over 4 million times.
If you'd like to sponsor the costs of web site maintenance or ongoing development send me a DM.
#breastcancer
breast.v3.predict.cam
It is free to use.
The tool has been used over 4 million times.
If you'd like to sponsor the costs of web site maintenance or ongoing development send me a DM.
#breastcancer
Reposted by Steve Senior
This week I’ve had a look at some of the economic data in Tees Valley – one of only two parts of the North to see productivity growth below the national average in recent years. And this data tells a complicated story.
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1/7
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1/7
January 29, 2026 at 8:55 AM
This week I’ve had a look at some of the economic data in Tees Valley – one of only two parts of the North to see productivity growth below the national average in recent years. And this data tells a complicated story.
🧵
1/7
🧵
1/7
Reposted by Steve Senior
Bike lane so derelict drivers won't even park in it.
February 1, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Bike lane so derelict drivers won't even park in it.
Reposted by Steve Senior
Remember at the start of Covid we all learned about R numbers and that it was 2-3 and that was bad. Well R no of measles in an unvaccinated population is 12-18. That’s half a classroom. And there will be classrooms where only half are vaccinated….
February 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Remember at the start of Covid we all learned about R numbers and that it was 2-3 and that was bad. Well R no of measles in an unvaccinated population is 12-18. That’s half a classroom. And there will be classrooms where only half are vaccinated….