Alexandra Thompson

Loved reviewing Valley of Forgetting. The first book I've come across that really puts the turmoil of clinical trial participants at the heart of the highs and lows of drug discovery https://t.co/ee6ujmBCOr

On the latest @NewScientistPod I dig into the research about smartphone use and screentime - are they really bad for you? And how to have a healthy relationship with your phone https://t.co/orDBb6K8BB

Ozempic and similar drug are already demonstrating tremendous potential in many aspects of medicine. But what about their societal implications? Will they help us see obesity as a medical condition? Or could they worsen the rich-poor healthcare divide? https://t.co/GKfq2l2ulQ

The fascinating "nocebo effect" - the evil twin of the equally fascinating placebo effect - manifests as feeling supposed side effects from just a sugar pill, and thinking a drug is cheap may make it worse! I spill the beans on the pod, 12.10 onwards https://t.co/kc8KMkBkzW

From empty streets in Times Square to a priest distributing holy water via a water pistol (!), these are the most iconic and surreal covid-19 pics from the past 5 years https://t.co/VveurnLWsC

New Scientist is now filming podcasts....which is....great. Petition for less garish lighting @NewScientistPod . https://t.co/XC7MIYvVyh

Karl Pilkington knew it was impossible, his logic always comes out eventually https://t.co/vdX5JxzsJ4 https://t.co/A7NRzfvw0m @rickygervais @StephenMerchant

RT @newscientist: Bullying physically changes the structure of the brain. @alexthompo says brain scans of young people who are bullied sho…

Teachers told ⁦@millzymai⁩ that she should have come with a manual, but being neurodivergent has helped her become a brilliant scientist and writer #newscientistlive https://t.co/hnhl6ERS7u

Nate Rae knowing their audience when they hand out sweets (to test our sense of smell) #newscientistlive https://t.co/egIkpOZpgX

I’m aware of the irony of me posting this on my phone during ⁦⁦⁦@garwboy⁩ talk about screen time…I’m also aware this is probably the incorrect use of the word “irony” #newscientistlive https://t.co/FLhqQDgh0K

Nate Rae at #newscientistlive gets major kudos for explaining genetics and neuroplasticity to kids in 40 minutes https://t.co/NdUC6iU1xq

RT @hvthomson: Are there any brain development researchers out there who’d like to speak with me about bulling and the brain? I’ve emailed…

972 people have won a Nobel prize - of whom 17 were Black and 64 were women. And before you come for me, many many women and minority people have done work that is more than worthy of the accolade. The Nobels are on a fasttrack to becoming a joke. https://t.co/3MAvl9SyIQ

It won’t help you win the lottery but will make you less paranoid about burned toast. And please stop with the parent-sex jokes (read/subscribe for context)

New Scientist @newscientist

Top statistician David Spiegelhalter on how to deal with uncertainty https://t.co/rYYIhL4six

If I may pull a Trump and quote myself…ahem…‘we’re not in the dark, we’re in a dimly lit room’ 💡

New Scientist @newscientist

Could mpox be the next covid-19? @alexthompo says the latest mpox variant has infected a record number of people in central Africa, has been found in travellers in Sweden and Thailand, and is now a public health emergency of international concern https://t.co/BpwUttRyMa https://t.co/XRTzP5dmht