What is this newsletter about?
This is a newsletter to keep you updated with scientific research. Some of my posts are round-ups of new research, put into context. Others are overviews of topics I’m interested in, narrated and visualized with data. I also write about unsolved problems, and how we can make more progress against them.
Why am I writing this?
Science helps us make sense of the world around us, and scientific knowledge has helped people make the world a better place. But a lot of great research gets overshadowed in the news by flashy headlines that are poorly supported by research, which makes it hard for people to know what to believe.
So, here are some things I aim to do with this newsletter:
Explain what makes research reliable, and when to trust the latest finding reported in the news or the established consensus in a field
Highlight great advances in scientific knowledge that researchers have uncovered from careful work over many years
Show how this knowledge can improve people’s lives
I care a lot about research integrity, which means I try to avoid errors and I focus on high quality studies and in fields I’m familiar with (such as health, epidemiology, genetics, psychiatry and medicine), and explain why I find them credible.
These are aims, rather than a guarantee. I recheck my posts a few times and often ask others to review parts as well, but some mistakes can slip through – see my ‘Earn a reward by pointing out an error I’ve made’ section below.
Data and code for my charts
I occasionally produce my own charts for this blog. You can find the data and code for them in my GitHub repository via code.scientificdiscovery.dev (or click the ‘Code’ tab at the top of this blog). Feel free to reuse, adapt, or just explore it.
If you spot any errors, have questions or comments on how to improve the repository, let me know!
Earn a reward by pointing out an error I’ve made
If you spot any errors or mistakes I’ve made, please let me know.
For now, I’ve set aside a pot of up to £300 for rewards for people who catch errors in my work. This includes my writing in this newsletter, and also other formally published work, published in 2023 or later. If/when this runs out, I’ll re-evaluate or top-up the pot. This system may change in the future.
I’ve set this up because: I don’t want to misinform people, I find mistakes annoying, and want a routine procedure to deal with them, and I learn something new when I’m corrected. This reward system was inspired by my friend Ruben.
You can earn a reward for catching different kinds of mistakes: for example, errors that change the interpretation of a claim, bugs in my code, or even if you point out that I’ve used poor sourcing without mentioning caveats.
I’ll offer £5 (for a minor error), £15 (moderate error), or £40 (major error). It’s difficult to define in advance what counts as each, but I’ll try to be fair.
For very minor errors (e.g. typos, grammatical errors), you will earn my personal gratitude.
If you point out an error but don’t want to receive a reward, I’ll instead donate the amount to a cause listed at the end of this page.
A little about me
I'm a co-founder and editor at Works in Progress, where I commission new articles on science and global health, lead data visualization, and write articles, and co-host a podcast called Hard Drugs with Jacob Trefethen. I’m also an advisor at Open Philanthropy on clinical trials, an advisor at Asimov Press, and a visiting research fellow at the University of Bern.
Previously, I was a researcher on global health at Our World in Data; you can find my previous articles here.
My background is a mix of biomedical sciences, genetics, epidemiology and psychiatry. In 2023, I completed a PhD at the University of Hong Kong and King’s College London, where my thesis focused on differences in study design and how they can influence results in the field of psychiatric genetics.
Outside of work, I enjoy photography, birdwatching, long walks, museums, film noir, and eating gelato. I’m currently learning German!
Contact me
Here are some ways to get in touch with me:
If you’re a subscriber, you can directly press reply to a Substack post you receive by email
You can email me at [email protected]
You can find me on Twitter at @salonium or on Bluesky at @scientificdiscovery.dev
If you’re a(n aspiring) science writer or blogger and this newsletter has inspired you, say hello! :)
In case you’re interested, I’m often on the lookout for new authors to publish at Works in Progress.
Supporting me
I have no plans to monetize this newsletter – it will remain free.
If you’d like to support causes I care about, I recommend donating to any of these:
GiveWell – which funds charities that make a big difference to people’s lives by providing them with malaria nets and treatment, vitamin A supplements, and more.
Project Resource Optimization – which curates a live list of highly impactful and cost-effective programs that the US previously funded, but whose funding was cut when USAID and most of its programs were shut down.
Evidence Action – which provides clean water dispensers that prevent diarrheal diseases and reduce infant deaths, and treatment to remove parasitic worms that can be debilitating.
Your local blood drive (UK, US) – blood is vital to many patients, has a short shelf-life and is often in need.
Ukraine – to support their medical supplies, defence and efforts to rebuild.
And of course, you can also support me by sharing this newsletter with your friends.
