Peter Tennant
@pwgtennant.bsky.social
Epidemiologist with an interest in causal inference methods at @universityofleeds.bsky.social.
Check out my Intro to Causal Inference Course: https://www.causal.training/
#Epidemiology, #EpiSky, #CausalInference, #CausalSky, #AcademicSky
Check out my Intro to Causal Inference Course: https://www.causal.training/
#Epidemiology, #EpiSky, #CausalInference, #CausalSky, #AcademicSky
Pinned
Peter Tennant
@pwgtennant.bsky.social
· Oct 21
DEBATE: "Is AI the future of health and social science?"
For those in London on 15 Dec 2025, don't miss this fun in person debate between me and David Bann sponsored by @ncrm.ac.uk!
Will the arguments change anyone's mind? 🤔
Sign up to attend IN PERSON: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-ai-the-...
For those in London on 15 Dec 2025, don't miss this fun in person debate between me and David Bann sponsored by @ncrm.ac.uk!
Will the arguments change anyone's mind? 🤔
Sign up to attend IN PERSON: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-ai-the-...
How are people establishing and dealing with different attitudes to LLMs with their collaborators and co-authors?
Two colleagues have told me they now have an explicit conversation at the beginning of every new project to establish a clear agreement on what is/not acceptable to all partners.
Two colleagues have told me they now have an explicit conversation at the beginning of every new project to establish a clear agreement on what is/not acceptable to all partners.
Look, LLM use in academia isn't just students. You need to be speaking clearly with your collaborators about your writing standards from the beginning. Make people say out loud that they don't write their own articles anymore.
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How are people establishing and dealing with different attitudes to LLMs with their collaborators and co-authors?
Two colleagues have told me they now have an explicit conversation at the beginning of every new project to establish a clear agreement on what is/not acceptable to all partners.
Two colleagues have told me they now have an explicit conversation at the beginning of every new project to establish a clear agreement on what is/not acceptable to all partners.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
My line was that I reserve the right to pull my name from the project or paper if I learn that it is LLM produced.
November 25, 2025 at 12:46 PM
My line was that I reserve the right to pull my name from the project or paper if I learn that it is LLM produced.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Look, LLM use in academia isn't just students. You need to be speaking clearly with your collaborators about your writing standards from the beginning. Make people say out loud that they don't write their own articles anymore.
November 25, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Look, LLM use in academia isn't just students. You need to be speaking clearly with your collaborators about your writing standards from the beginning. Make people say out loud that they don't write their own articles anymore.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Dear Lord 🥺
Properly moving xkcd
xkcd.com/3172/
xkcd.com/3172/
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Dear Lord 🥺
Reposted by Peter Tennant
One of the biggest challenges in public health & environment-related fields is the miscommunication of population-scale results to the individual-level
This is often caused by the desire to formulate “action” relevant to people’s lives but ends up blaming individuals for things not in their control
This is often caused by the desire to formulate “action” relevant to people’s lives but ends up blaming individuals for things not in their control
November 25, 2025 at 9:10 AM
One of the biggest challenges in public health & environment-related fields is the miscommunication of population-scale results to the individual-level
This is often caused by the desire to formulate “action” relevant to people’s lives but ends up blaming individuals for things not in their control
This is often caused by the desire to formulate “action” relevant to people’s lives but ends up blaming individuals for things not in their control
Reposted by Peter Tennant
HYBRID EVENT: 'Introduction to Quantitative Bias' with Rachel Hughes on Monday 1st December at 10am-12pm UK time.
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
November 24, 2025 at 11:28 AM
HYBRID EVENT: 'Introduction to Quantitative Bias' with Rachel Hughes on Monday 1st December at 10am-12pm UK time.
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
Higher education is one of the UK's most important exports. This policy would cripple many of the UK's leading universities. It's equivalent to slaughtering the goose that lays the golden eggs.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Higher education is one of the UK's most important exports. This policy would cripple many of the UK's leading universities. It's equivalent to slaughtering the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
This petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy already has over 26,000 signatures. Let’s get it to 100,000 this week.
Please sign and share 🙏
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Please sign and share 🙏
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy
We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaig...
petition.parliament.uk
November 24, 2025 at 7:36 PM
This petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy already has over 26,000 signatures. Let’s get it to 100,000 this week.
Please sign and share 🙏
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Please sign and share 🙏
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
I'd like to see the response to this if the question added "if that that means universities have less money to spend on UK students".
With Rachel Reeves reportedly set to apply a new tax on tuition fees paid by overseas students, most Britons support such a move at the previously mooted level of 6%
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
November 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I'd like to see the response to this if the question added "if that that means universities have less money to spend on UK students".
Reposted by Peter Tennant
12th grade girls are now less likely to say they want to get married someday
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
12th grade girls are now less likely to say they want to get married someday
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
1993: 83%
2023: 61%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Misinformation is one of the world's biggest threats to public health. And governments are not doing enough to protect us.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Misinformation is one of the world's biggest threats to public health. And governments are not doing enough to protect us.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
HYBRID EVENT: 'Introduction to Quantitative Bias' with Rachel Hughes on Monday 1st December at 10am-12pm UK time.
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
November 24, 2025 at 11:28 AM
HYBRID EVENT: 'Introduction to Quantitative Bias' with Rachel Hughes on Monday 1st December at 10am-12pm UK time.
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
For those near Leeds, bring your laptop and enjoy this as an in-person session!
Sign-up before 9am on Thursday 27th via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introducti...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
please stop saying ear microbiome, you are like a pair of butterflies vigorously flapping when you know that for any single flap the potential eventual outcome is a hurricane of observational epi papers linking they ear microbiome to psychological health...
November 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
please stop saying ear microbiome, you are like a pair of butterflies vigorously flapping when you know that for any single flap the potential eventual outcome is a hurricane of observational epi papers linking they ear microbiome to psychological health...
Misinformation is one of the world's biggest threats to public health. And governments are not doing enough to protect us.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Misinformation is one of the world's biggest threats to public health. And governments are not doing enough to protect us.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
Social media companies should be held accountable for spreading harmful misinformation in that same way we hold manufacturers responsible for spreading harmful chemicals.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances.
A new decade-long Brexit study explains it:
a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.
Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.
A new decade-long Brexit study explains it:
a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.
Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.
New: Boris Johnson’s ‘Brexit Titanic success’ was half right
Nearly ten years on, the first full assessment of Brexit confirms what millions warned: Britain made itself poorer
eastangliabylines.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances.
A new decade-long Brexit study explains it:
a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.
Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.
A new decade-long Brexit study explains it:
a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.
Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Spot on analysis by Martin Wolf in @financialtimes.com on what is wrong with British economy and how successive governments have made it worse. Brexit disaster, failed regional policies, now attacks on universities. And inevitably, Farage features prominently, not in a good way
November 24, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Spot on analysis by Martin Wolf in @financialtimes.com on what is wrong with British economy and how successive governments have made it worse. Brexit disaster, failed regional policies, now attacks on universities. And inevitably, Farage features prominently, not in a good way
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Find someone that looks at you the way that universities look at AI
November 22, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Find someone that looks at you the way that universities look at AI
Does this count as neutral language from the BBC regarding last year's national insurance increase?🤔
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 24, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Does this count as neutral language from the BBC regarding last year's national insurance increase?🤔
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Reposted by Peter Tennant
It’s really hard to defend industry academic collaborations with meta as earnest, if they’re internally burying evidence of harm.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
November 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM
It’s really hard to defend industry academic collaborations with meta as earnest, if they’re internally burying evidence of harm.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Most scientists don't understand how effect sizes work and are therefore far too quick to dismiss "small" effects.
A correlation of .03 between taking aspirin & prevention of future heart attacks implied the prevention of 85 attacks in a sample of 10,845 people
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
A correlation of .03 between taking aspirin & prevention of future heart attacks implied the prevention of 85 attacks in a sample of 10,845 people
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 23, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Most scientists don't understand how effect sizes work and are therefore far too quick to dismiss "small" effects.
A correlation of .03 between taking aspirin & prevention of future heart attacks implied the prevention of 85 attacks in a sample of 10,845 people
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
A correlation of .03 between taking aspirin & prevention of future heart attacks implied the prevention of 85 attacks in a sample of 10,845 people
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Peter Tennant
The wealthy will get artisinal education built on human interaction, creativity, and critical thinking. Everyone else will get AI mush and multiple choice.
My hot take is that over the next 10 years, we're going to see more emphasis on and investment in the humanities at Ivy League and other fancy schools just as state schools and small privates continue to decimate and even eliminate the humanities.
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
November 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The wealthy will get artisinal education built on human interaction, creativity, and critical thinking. Everyone else will get AI mush and multiple choice.
Reposted by Peter Tennant
Powerful piece by @drrachelclarke.com on the COVID inquiry. Those who say it’s easy to be wise in hindsight are being utterly disingenuous. Many of us spoke out at the time, and it’s in the public record.
@independentsage.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
@independentsage.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Powerful piece by @drrachelclarke.com on the COVID inquiry. Those who say it’s easy to be wise in hindsight are being utterly disingenuous. Many of us spoke out at the time, and it’s in the public record.
@independentsage.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
@independentsage.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...