On distributions of scientific activity and productivity

This is an update of a blog (as the first three paragraphs, here slightly modified and updated) that I wrote on January 11th, 2009 when I was Chief Executive at BBSRC. It raises generally interesting points that are seemingly not well known, and that – based on a number of recent discussions – I consider […]

Fibrinaloid microclots in Long COVID: assessing the actual evidence properly rather than pretending that it doesn’t exist

Introduction

The journal Research Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis recently chose to publish an opinion piece [1] under the title “Challenging the current hypothesis that thrombosis is responsible for the post-COVID-19 condition”, focusing on the theory (and in our cases the experimental measurement) of fibrinaloid microclots in the plasma of patients with Long COVID and […]

The aetiological involvement of fibrin amyloid microclots in PASC/Long COVID; the clots thicken

On July 24th, 2023, the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis preprinted an article [1] by Connors and Ariëns entitled “Uncertainties about the Roles of Anticoagulation and Microclots in Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection”. While it is not entirely clear what were either the motivation or purposes of that article (referred to as a ‘concept’ under […]

Dealing with clots

A lot of Cochrane

“It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain […]

On scientific censorship and ‘bitchiness’

My first paper was published in 1977, and despite many fights with referees they were mediated by committed and intellectually fair Editors (especially in the controversial field of bioenergetics); thus I suffered not a single rejection until ca 1995. This occurred when a paper we had submitted to the then European Journal of Biochemistry, following […]

David Broomhead: a brief ‘in memoriam’

I learned on Friday of the very sad and untimely death of my good friend David Broomhead. I first came upon Dave’s name when Roy Goodacre and I were working on neural networks in Aberystwyth, and discovered that the Radial Basis Function neural network method that Dave had co-invented [1] […]

Why I am boycotting the journal “Blood”

 

Most academics are used to the rough and tumble of the reviewing of their papers and grant applications, and recognise that it is not without a stochastic element (or worse). Consequently, we occasionally feel – and probably are – hard done by. We are certainly used to being rejected by some of the ‘generalist’ […]

First New Year Blog

A celebratory New Year’s blog.

A New Year with an Honour

This is my first blog since leaving the BBSRC (although my old blogs are archived there), but I cannot let the New Year pass without recording the exceptional (New Year's) Honour accorded me in the form of a CBE. Notwithstanding the slight anachronism of the name (and a Select Committee suggested changing 'Empire' to' Excellence'), the […]

Back to Full-time research

Enjoying my first week back as a full-time researcher. One paper accepted, two others with referees. New blogsite here.