banner
LightNews
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams
@johnhuww.bsky.social
160 followers 38 following 3K posts
wine, gardens, churches and Wales will feature. Professionally interested in health and life sciences, mental health, academic clinical careers and science policy in general. I cross boundaries. @wi_john
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 32m
Alien…
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2h
amusing to see this endorsement of the “Power Slap” so beloved in the manosphere!

Carsten Höller wants us to slap each other (for fun)

on.ft.com/3KLJrI8
Carsten Höller wants us to slap each other (for fun)
The artist’s latest game will test your ethical boundaries
on.ft.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 4h
Solitude…
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 6h
Terrific letter… spot on with its analysis.

Letter: Purpose, not plasma, is the secret to longevity

“those with purpose live longer, healthier, more engaged lives. Achievement, connection and a reason to get up in the morning matter far more than medical fads.”

on.ft.com/3Wy1Tqh
Letter: Purpose, not plasma, is the secret to longevity
From Victoria Tomlinson, Chief Executive, Next-Up, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK
on.ft.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 6h
Constructive Bio joins Ellison Institute to find new medicines: “At a time when the UK scientific ecosystem is under strain as budgets are cut back, the Ellison Institute of Technology aims to help scientists commercialise their ideas.”

www.thetimes.com/article/d2ba...
Constructive Bio joins Ellison Institute to find new medicines
The Cambridge start-up, which secured $75 million in venture funding, is linking up with tech billionaire Larry Ellison’s pioneering engineering biology teams
www.thetimes.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 19h
Academia Is Broken. Trump’s University ‘Compact’ Can Help Fix It.

Fascinating how financial types are expert in the functioning of academia!

Does a high net worth adle the mind !

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o...
Opinion | Academia Is Broken. Trump’s University ‘Compact’ Can Help Fix It.
www.nytimes.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 21h
“This will not be easy, but the scale of the prize — in the form of healthier populations and more sustainable healthcare systems — ought to focus the minds.”
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 21h
“A concerted push from governments, health regulators and tech companies is needed to help fund, trial and deploy AI applications in hospitals, and overcome the cultural and technical implementation obstacles.”
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 21h
The transformative potential of AI in healthcare

“There is, however, one sector where the gains are clear, even if it is less eye-catching to profit-chasing investors: public health.”

on.ft.com/4736eH6
The transformative potential of AI in healthcare
Accelerating the technology’s safe adoption in hospitals should be a priority
on.ft.com
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
This is quite funny!

www.hsj.co.uk/people-moves...
New Hospital Programme boss quits for HS2
The top NHS England official for the programme to build a wave of "new hospitals" that has faced major delays is leaving for a senior role at HS2.
www.hsj.co.uk
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
In our growth and impact obsessed times a reminder that creating knowledge for its own sake is a wonderful thing!

“The mere fact that they bring satisfaction,” Mr. Flexner wrote of such pursuits, “is all the justification that they need.”
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“In 1939, Abraham Flexner, the founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study, published an essay “pleading for the abolition of the word ‘use’” and arguing for the cultivation of scientific knowledge for nothing more than its own sake. To be human is to be curious, after all.”
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“Basic research is where the big steps come from,”

“creating those spaces where people can think freely and explore freely is, in some sense, the most efficient way to spend your research dollars.”
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“In an age when government efficiency has been used to justify sharp cuts to scientific funding, the science Nobels offer a case for plodding curiosity: that esoteric, seemingly useless exploration can lay the bricks for a road to places we cannot yet see.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/s...
Nobel Prizes This Year Offer Three Cheers for Slow Science
www.nytimes.com
1 1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“Another example is their opposition to biotechnology and genetic engineering, particularly of crops.”

A balanced review that is to be welcomed.
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“At the same time, environmental activists on the liberal left have inflicted damage of their own by campaigning against nuclear power, which slowed the adoption of a non-carbon energy technology that could contribute more to the fight against climate change.”
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
“Until recently the Republicans were seen as powerful advocates of mainstream science and research funding — and the party may contain enough residual pro-science sentiment to turn back to its previous support.”
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 1d
Science Under Siege — a rallying cry: “A more fundamental weakness of the book is that it is too politically partisan, seeing science as being under siege almost entirely from the right.”

on.ft.com/48X8WjM
Science Under Siege — a rallying cry against the ‘forces of darkness’
Two scientists go where many fear to tread in the fight against far-right disinformation on climate and vaccines
on.ft.com
4 2 20
Reposted by John Williams
hetanshah.bsky.social
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 1d
Important new report from @chrischirp.bsky.social @uclpolicylab.bsky.social on how easy it would be to politicise some of our key science and research bodies, with ideas on how to strengthen their independence
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation
Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.
www.ucl.ac.uk
1 12 25
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
“a constructive, just culture should distinguish between professional negligence and the ordinary human mistakes any of us can make. Accountability is not the same as blame. Until we distinguish between the two, tragedies will carry on being repeated.”

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Here’s the direct effect of our NHS blame culture: babies die. Tragedy after tragedy, it can’t go on | Jeremy Hunt
Until staff are unafraid to be open about genuine mistakes, however devastating, nothing will be learned – and nothing will change, says former health secretary Jeremy Hunt
www.theguardian.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
“Who will inspect the inspectors? Who will keep powerful people honest?

No one serious about management could possibly work at the CQC.”

myemail.constantcontact.com/CQC.html?soi...
myemail.constantcontact.com
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
A terrific profile of Tabrizi and Wild.

Clinician Scientists who exemplify why this vital professional group must be nurtured and expanded.

The article also reminds us that impactful research is a team game.

www.thetimes.com/article/e182...
A hereditary disease killed our mum. Can this scientist save us?
Charlotte Raven died from Huntington’s disease this year. Her children and her doctor, Professor Ed Wild, talk about the treatment offering hope to sufferers
www.thetimes.com
2 5
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
Imagine if the U.K. had spent less time drafting life sciences strategies and plans and got on with fixing the problems that have reduced our attractiveness to the sector!
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
“Global pharma margin expansion is becoming our base case for Europe, Japan, and other OECD countries,” he said, adding Pfizer’s deal in effect “signals an export of US-style free pricing to the developed world”.

Unwelcome!
1
johnhuww.bsky.social
John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 2d
What a serious Life Sciences plan achieves!

“Almost all the major pharma companies have made serious commitments to invest in US research and development and manufacturing, including a $70bn promise from Pfizer, $50bn each from Roche and AstraZeneca and $27bn from Eli Lilly.”

on.ft.com/46Vg65p
What Pfizer’s deal with Donald Trump means for global drug pricing
Investors are more hopeful about the pharma industry’s chances of mitigating US threats
on.ft.com
1