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Alan McNally

@alanmcn1.bsky.social
6.6K followers 659 following 2.4K posts

Chair of Microbial Genomics @ University of Manchester, School of Biological Sciences. Proud Scot. Oversaw a few Covid PCR tests

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Paul Hoskisson 🧫 🦠🐸 @paulhoskisson.bsky.social · 57m
Thanks @mermanchester.bsky.social for hosting me,such a great day of science, thanks @bexlowrypalms.bsky.social @matthewjshepherd.bsky.social for the invitation,great to catch up @whelanfj.bsky.social @alanmcn1.bsky.social @drrebeccajhall.bsky.social @mbottery.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social
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Paul Hoskisson 🧫 🦠🐸 @paulhoskisson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Off to University of Manchester and excited to talk to members of @mermanchester.bsky.social, give a seminar, and catch up with friends, collaborators and new people to meet up and discover more about the cool science they do
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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 15h
Nurse!
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Dorothy Bishop @deevybee.bsky.social · 16h
haha. Reminds me of a memorable (apocryphal) meeting of the EPS where the chair responded to a questioner with “if you want to give a talk, you need to get your abstract in on time”
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Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · 17h
"A question is a short sentence that ends in a question mark". Conference attendee guidance from @wilbanks.bsky.social at #saegeassembly26 that all should observe
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 17h
One of the ten UK microbiologists (sarcasm) to actually have published on Yersinia and not a single press request to talk about a lab infection incident with zero public health ramifications To be honest I think I am relieved though it’s amazing the people who do jump at these.
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Leonardo Carella @leonardocarella.bsky.social · 20h
In other words, a 10 percent contraction in one of Britain’s most successful exports. If it were steel or fish or other infinitely less profitable sectors, people would be having a meltdown.
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Rebecca Lowry Palmer @bexlowrypalms.bsky.social · 19h
Fantastic talk today from @paulhoskisson.bsky.social at our UoM Ecology and Evolution Seminar - all about Streptomyces evolution and antibiotic production! 🧬🦠 Such cool work!
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
'According to analysis by social mobility charity the Sutton Trust, those who were eligible for free school meals (FSM) earn 55 per cent more than non-graduates from a similar background. In contrast, graduates who aren’t from an FSM background earn only 43 per cent more.'
timeshighereducation.com
Disadvantaged ‘gain more from degrees’ than better-off peers
Social mobility charity urges universities to double down on access efforts after releasing new analysis showing benefits of higher education
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Duncan MacCannell @drm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A phylogenetic tree won't tell you who infected whom. The latest module from Pathogen Genomics in Public Health is on Interpretation. It covers the genomic outputs that epidemiologists see most — and their limits. Free, 90 min. learn.hms.harvard.edu/programs/pat... #GenomicEpidemiology
learn.hms.harvard.edu
Pathogen Genomics for Epidemiology: Interpretation | Harvard Medical School Professional, Corporate, and Continuing Education
Learn how to interpret pathogen genomic data to meaningfully inform epidemiological investigations and public health action.
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Dave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
PSA for those submitting genome assemblies to NCBI… Had a complete bacterial genome submitted and stuck at “processing” since April. It took one email and it’s being released soon. Know I’m not the only one in that boat
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George O'Toole (he/him/his) @geiselbiofilm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Pls share:The Department of Microbiology at the University of Georgia invites applications for a tenure track Associate or Full professor position in Medical Mycology, beginning August 1, 2027. www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/508...
ugajobsearch.com
Associate Professor or Professor of Microbiology in Medical Mycology
The Department of Microbiology at the University of Georgia invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-track position in Medical Mycology at the rank of Associate or Full Professor, with an anticip...
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Xavier Charpentier @labxc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Very happy that this work found a good home at @pnas.org Thanks to the reviewers for their constructive comments. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Two D-loop resolution systems enable natural genetic transformation in bacteria | PNAS
Natural transformation is a widespread mechanism driving genetic exchanges in bacteria. It proceeds from the capture of extracellular DNA released ...
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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 07/10/2026
Holy shit. Someone has decompiled the Adobe suite, rebuilt it in Rust and released it as open source. Either all software is dead or the US copyright laws are about to receive an update. getartcraft.com/apps
getartcraft.com
Crafting Apps: open-source creative tools
Image editing, vector illustration, video, photography, PDFs, motion graphics and page layout: seven native, open-source apps from the ArtCraft team, built in Rust and free to use.
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Will Smith @willpjsmith.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🚨 We're recruiting! 🚨 Are you interested in antimicrobials and their evolution? Join Me, @coytelab.bsky.social and Tucker Gillman as we build a "silicon colosseum" to model their advantages in bacterial communities! Do share with anyone who might be interested :) willsmithlab.com/2026/10/06/n...
willsmithlab.com
New vacancies opening! - SMITH lab @ Manchester University
Delighted to announce that the lab is recruiting! Bacteria poison prey and rivals using a diverse arsenal of weaponised toxins, spanning a huge diversity of molecular and interaction lengthscales. But...
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Robbo getting his hundredth cap for Scotland is a beautiful thing to see. Man is a legend
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Joseph Fink, we're going to win @planetoffinks.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
all the money in the world, and the billionaires cannot buy the ability to tell a single funny joke, to have a spark of talent in the arts, to hold a single original idea. they know this and it kills them
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Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge @geneticscam.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🚀 We're Hiring! The Department of Genetics is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor in Pathogen Genetics. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to teaching excellence, and join our world leading community in Genetics. 📢 Apply www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
cam.ac.uk
Assistant/Associate Professor in Pathogen Genetics
Applications are invited for an Assistant or Associate Professorship in Pathogen Genetics to be held in the Department of Genetics. We are searching for a talented individual with a track record of fu...
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
That is sooooo good
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MꙬse Allain @mooseallain.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
My contribution to this evening’s Locally Sourced new material comedy night P-themed raffle. It’s a panda fight! Come along, laugh at comedy, buy a raffle ticket you could be walking home with this succulent drawing.
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Kevin J. Kircher @kevinjkircher.com · 09/10/2025
Over 40% of corn grown in Indiana is used to make ethanol that cars burn. One acre of corn yields about 16,500 vehicle-miles per year of ethanol, which sounds high until you realize that one acre of solar yields about 2,700,000 vehicle-miles per year: 16,000% more driving for a given plot of land.
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Danna Gifford @dannagifford.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
📣 New preprint: We looked at population survival and recovery of the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius at near-boiling temperatures—conditions that occur in its environmental niche. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Stephen Graham @stephengraham.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I had this bit about Jeffrey Archer from the 1995 HIGNFY video memorised for whenever I needed a handy fact about him.
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Paul Hoskisson 🧫 🦠🐸 @paulhoskisson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
super cool from the @peterfineran.bsky.social et al Defining the essential genome of diverse phages with phage Tn-seq www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Defining the essential genome of diverse phages with phage Tn-seq - Nature Microbiology
Phage Tn-seq uses Tn5 transposon mutagenesis with anti-CRISPR-based selection and deep sequencing as a method to generate unbiased, genome-wide mutations across diverse phages
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Not a bad office view
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
And so it begins
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SlenderSherbet @slendersherbet.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Of course they do, they can't see over the fucking steering wheel. Accident waiting to happen.
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
No, Jim Nantz. Brock Bowers does not have flu.
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
And here I am. Aged 50 feeling like the Sunday before I started high school all over again.
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 27/09/2026
How do Burkholderia multivorans bacteria adaptively evolve during infections of the cystic fibrosis airway? A longtime collab and intensive study of 8 patients links bacterial adaptations to disease progression. Our findings also unite prior studies. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Convergent genetic evolution within Burkholderia multivorans chronic infections correlates with lung function decline in cystic fibrosis patients
The patterns and pathways of pathogen adaptation during chronic infections can reveal the gateways microbes must unlock to colonize and persist. In chronic lung infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) pati...
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Thanks to my incredibly wonderful and generous past colleagues in Birmingham we are about to sit down to destroy an Aktar at Home feast!!!!
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This England football team Is incredibly good. As good as I have seen them.
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Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Health Policy Watch: COVID-19 Drops Out of World’s Top 10 Causes of Death for First Time Since Pandemic Began by Stefan Anderson @healthpolicywatch.bsky.social @stefananderson.bsky.social bit.ly/4hDFMsS 💥
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Steven (with a PH) @sjksalisbury.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sat next to a crying baby for the entire flight. I don't mind though. Feel like they were the only other passenger who truly grasped the unnatural horror of our undertaking. Man does not belong to the sky. The real monsters are those who remain silent.
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Jessica Blair @jessicamablair.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Today marks 20 years since I started at the University of Birmingham @unibirmingham.bsky.social as an absolutely terrified PhD student. At that point I assumed I'd be here for the three years and then leave but I've not quite got around to that yet....
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Microbiology Society @microbiologysociety.org · 02/10/2026
Exciting news! As part of our Vacation Studentships, we're partnering with, New England Biolabs, who are funding two additional grants specifically for Black students. Learn more about how we’re working together: microb.io/4rIMPot #BlackInMicro 
Logos of Microbiology Society and New England Biolabs side by side with text indicating Vacation Studentships Grant Partners.
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Rachel M. Wheatley @rachelmwheatley.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🔊 Fully-funded 4 year PhD: How does the microbiome evolve under repeated pathogen exposure? 🦠 Project looking at how commensal microbes resist pathogen invasion, impact of antibiotics on these outcomes, and selective pressures in the microbiome. Come join us at QUB! www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
gla.ac.uk
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Hall Lab @halllab.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Excited to see our review on bifidobacterial adaptation to the gut ecosystem published in Nature Reviews Microbiology 🎉 Congratulations to all co-authors, including Grace and @charliejones17.bsky.social from our team.
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My work is done. Zam. Just let Lilly run this lol
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(Screams From The) Burning Ambulance @burningambulance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Dune 3: You Should Have Someone Take A Look At That
Poster for Dune Part Three depicting a phallic object with an unsightly bulge on one side
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Write a review together. Lilly is a genius
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
And that’s a wrap UoB. I will miss you. It’s been emotional
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Less than a fifth of students undertaking STEM PhDs are from low socio-economic backgrounds, a report has found, resulting in disadvantaged students “being lost from the pipeline”, reports Juliette Rowsell #highered #STEM #disadvantage #edusky #PhDs ow.ly/isxB50ZTbQZ
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I can’t help but feel the current Man City situation has our prime minister with slightly sweaty palms………..
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NewsThump @newsthump.com · 30/09/2026
NEWS! Nigel Farage insists police declare terrorist incident after car backfires outside mosque newsthump.com/2026/09/30/n...
newsthump.com
Nigel Farage insists police declare terrorist incident after car backfires outside mosque
Nigel Farage has demanded police declare a terrorist incident after a car backfired outside a mosque, despite officers establishing that the noise came from a car backfiring outside a mosque.
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NewsThump @newsthump.com · 30/09/2026
NEWS! ‘Sheikh Mansour Airlines’ is a completely legitimate sponsor, insists Man City newsthump.com/2026/09/30/s...
newsthump.com
‘Sheikh Mansour Airlines’ is a completely legitimate sponsor, insists Man City
Manchester City have told football authorities that ‘Sheikh Mansour Airlines’ is a completely legitimate shirt sponsor, it has been revealed.
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Anon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Most stand up comedians get shitter as the become more popular. This is because they lose touch with everyday life as get richer and further up their own arse. The only exceptions to this are Billy Connolly and Tommy Tiernan.
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Willem van Schaik @wvschaik.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Steve Busby's scientific family. An impressive career achievement.
Group photo of Busby lab alumni
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Fiona J Whelan @whelanfj.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
So proud of UoM & @mermanchester.bsky.social ECRs for putting together this amazing day of microbiology. Fully ECR conceptualized, organized, and led - brilliant!
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Douglas Cheape @douglascheape.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This, to me, doesn't look like the kind of thing you want to encourage your dog to go for.
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