Tom Whipple

4 days ago | thetimes.com | Tom Whipple

It must have seemed like an obvious collaboration. One of the parties was a yoghurt company that promised it could improve your microbiome and, in doing so, improve your immune system. The other party was Dan Davis — professor of immunology, science populariser, and a man who knows a lot about immune systems. Would he, the unnamed yoghurt company asked, consider endorsing their particular immunity-improving yoghurt? He would, with regret, not. He turned down the offer. Why, I ask.

5 days ago | thetimes.com | Tom Whipple

At least Magnus Carlsen shook his victorious opponent’s hand. The gesture might have been a little more sporting, though, if the defeated Norwegian grandmaster had looked Gukesh Dommaraju in the eye — and if he hadn’t also just slammed his fist on the table then shouted “oh my God”. It is always a big deal when a player beats Carlsen, by some estimates the greatest player who has ever lived.

1 week ago | thetimes.com | Tom Whipple

Imagine the business pitch. The world is in a slow-moving crisis. It needs your company’s pharmaceutical expertise to prevent thousands of deaths. This will require a research programme costing at least a billion pounds. But — and here’s the really tricky bit for shareholders — if your drug is successful the world doesn’t actually intend to prescribe much of it. In fact, it will strongly urge doctors not to. Will you make the drug? This is the inducement we offer drug companies to make antibiotics.

1 week ago | thetimes.com | Tom Whipple

1 week ago | thetimes.com | Tom Whipple