Cam Simpson
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mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
Cam Simpson
@mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
240 followers 290 following 1.4K posts
Whadjuk Noongar country. Freelance medical research writer. Once immunologist, vaccine developer, research integrity. Just a namby-pamby fact-checker.
Also! Girl dad. Cavaliers basketball. Endurance sports. Now blocking: ppl who quote Chat GTP at me.
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mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
Cam Simpson @mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social · Aug 8
Reposted by Cam Simpson
publichealthguy1.bsky.social
i’m proud to have studied and worked with many chinese public health scientists over the years. this red scare bullshit is unjust, bigoted, and utterly self-destructive
colincarlson.bsky.social Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 16h
The only way we will win a better world is not only leftism for America, but internationalism. “Researchers who have anything to do with China should have their careers ended” is a bipartisan position, and it can’t be anymore. If we live in a fragmented world, it will burn in our lifetime
November 14, 2025 at 6:36 AM
mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
One of the most lovely colleagues I ever had was a woman from China - was in our lab for 3+ years. Worked hard, visited home to her family often. Really sad she eventually moved on.
gavinyamey.bsky.social Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 10h
So have I, and this shit is pathetic; we have lots of research collaborations with Chinese colleagues and I have taught in China many times
publichealthguy1.bsky.social public health guy 🦃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 15h
i’m proud to have studied and worked with many chinese public health scientists over the years. this red scare bullshit is unjust, bigoted, and utterly self-destructive
November 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM
mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
Honestly, does seem like they are more interested in playing the game… #cavs
susieb.bsky.social SusieB @susieb.bsky.social · 21h
Sit the starters and play the kids again
November 14, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
punishedsardines.bsky.social
Sardines For Christmas Dinner @for... • 2d Are you the actual real Lawrence Krauss? Can l ask you a physics question? Lawrence M. Krauss @lkrauss1.bsky.social Follow Sure December 8, 2024 at 3:18 AM .• Sardines For Christmas Dinner @f... • now What was Jeffrey Epstein like?
November 13, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
yungenchee.bsky.social
I'm so delighted at HOW DELIGHTED people are that Monash Uni has dropped WoodCIDE

People LOVE this corrective action against a land-, ocean-Indigenous culture- & planet-destroying fossil fuel corp and I hope mainstream media puts out a big, illustrated story on it soon
pennytangey.bsky.social Penny Tangey @pennytangey.bsky.social · 3d
It's just been confirmed that Monash University is dropping Woodside as a partner because they don't align with their sustainable values. This is an incredible win for @stopwoodsidemonash.bsky.social who have run a dedicated grass roots campaign for years.
November 12, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
brendannyhan.bsky.social
A staggering statistic: "North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year." What are we doing?
hansonmark.bsky.social Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 3d
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 12, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
bachynski.bsky.social
“What we’re seeing is an acceptance that individual risk needs to be zero,” Jernigan said. “If that’s the case, we’re not going to have population-based interventions. We’re not going to have things that will benefit the vast majority of people”
November 12, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
michaelmazengarb.bsky.social
Important context as one of Australia's major political parties readies to abandon its commitment to net zero emissions.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Supply boom in cheaper renewables will seal end of fossil fuel era, says IEA
Watchdog’s flagship report says rise in low-carbon electricity will make transition ‘inevitable’, despite Trump’s calls to carry on drilling
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
sheencr.bsky.social
Great news as Prof Lidia Morawska who has done fantastic work on particulate matter and raised awareness of the fact that covid 19 can be spread via airborne route has just won a prize in recognition of her achievements
Australian scientist who alerted world that Covid is airborne wins top science prize
Prof Lidia Morawska says recognition of her research comes at a fraught time – an ‘age of anti-science’
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
antongerashchenko.bsky.social
The Russian budget,after 2 months of surplus,has returned to deficit

Putin's war is costing Russian economy a lot.You can see on the graph.

In October,the Ministry of Finance,in a preliminary estimate,spent 3.4 trillion RUB (~ $41.9 billion),with revenues of 3 trillion RUB(~ $37.0 billion)⤵️
November 12, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
oldnotdead.bsky.social
1st today from JP @atpgeo.bsky.social

BREAKING: Trump Utterly Fails to Hold Russia & Hungary to the Fire, TACOs on Sanctions

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkOx...
BREAKING: Trump Utterly Fails to Hold Russia & Hungary to the Fire, TACOs on Sanctions
YouTube video by ATP Geopolitics
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:15 PM
mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
A memoir...
November 8, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
ketanjoshi.co
Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg

www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...
Bill Gates Gave $3.5M to Think Tank Run by Climate Crisis Denier Bjorn Lomborg
Tax records reveal that the billionaire’s foundation has donated for years to Lomborg’s Copenhagen Consensus Center.
www.desmog.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
muppybean.bsky.social
15 years sober today. 5 of which have been under the Trump administration, so I'm gonna round up to 20 😎
a man in a red shirt is sitting on a couch and saying can i get a hallelujah .
ALT: a man in a red shirt is sitting on a couch and saying can i get a hallelujah .
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
australia.theguardian.com
Monique Ryan urges Australia to fast track medical innovation funding as Trump guts research
Monique Ryan urges Australia to fast track medical innovation funding as Trump guts research
‘Releasing MRFF funds not only secures the future of Australia’s research sector; it delivers better health outcomes’, Kooyong MP says * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australian scientists and independent MP Monique Ryan are urging Labor to speed up funding for cutting-edge Australian medical innovation, taking advantage of the growing vacuum caused by Donald Trump’s gutting of government-funded research in the US. Ryan, the Kooyong MP and paediatric neurologist, is urging the Albanese government to release more of the earnings from the $20bn Medical Research Future Fund, above the annual disbursement amount of $650m. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
treblaw.bsky.social
I'm ferrying four families of billionaires out of NYC right now in a Durango, we are headed to Austin
November 5, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
aetiology.bsky.social
This a million times. Denial never really changes, just shifts to update its language with new discoveries and new terminology. We see the same with evolution and HIV denial. Plus, people were sick of antivaxxers even in the late 1800s.
Tweet that quotes a news article from 1875 where guy is annoyed that antivaxxers still exist. "One might suppose that the popular prejudice against vaccination had died out by this time, considering that it has been practiced for nearly a century." Is highlighted.
November 4, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
sethcotlar.bsky.social
Donald Trump showing his appreciation for his Black soldiers, by Godfrey the comedian.
November 1, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
neorsd.org
sewers, and your phone. it’s hard to start a morning without them.

we offer 4 unexpected ways to start stronger 🧵
October 29, 2025 at 10:46 AM
mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
@ketanjoshi.co While you are on a tear, can you rip this pathetically predictable outcome? www.abc.net.au/news/science...
Users say they plug in their hybrid EVs, but the data says otherwise
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are sweeping the Australian market. Exclusive modelling suggests the "low-emission" sales boom may actually delay emissions reductions.
www.abc.net.au
October 29, 2025 at 12:10 PM
mitochondriamuppet.bsky.social
Better late than never. Anyone involved in this level of litigation that could comment on likely timeline for a resolution?

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
ACCC alleges Microsoft 'deliberately hid' cheaper Microsoft 365 subscription
The consumer watchdog is accusing Microsoft of allegedly misleading about 2.7 million Australians about price increases for certain plans, slamming the tech giant for "deliberately" hiding an option f...
www.abc.net.au
October 27, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
joho.bsky.social
A bunch of doctors openly and transparently treated vaccine myocarditis as fate worse than death. 🧵
October 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
markhisted.org
The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad.

I made a video explainer about why.

Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social

1/4
🧪
October 23, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
trohrkir.bsky.social
Every grandparent needs a Tdap before we see our new grandchildren
October 25, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by Cam Simpson
kevinault.bsky.social
yet another large study....
October 22, 2025 at 11:38 PM