iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Conor (Conchúr) Meehan @conmeehan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We are looking for someone with a strong background in metagenomics and epidemiology to join our team for ~2 years at UKHSA to work on the mSCAPE programme. Please see (and share) the link below and feel free to message me with any enquiries. www.healthjobsuk.com/job/Canary_W...

healthjobsuk.com

Job vacancy: Senior Scientist (Epidemiology), UK Health Security Agency, Canary Wharf, London | trac.jobs

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Solidarity with all the people dropping off at University today

static.klipy.com

Sad Crying

ALT: Sad Crying

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Two sessions that I am involved with and coming up at next years Microbiology Society Conference to keep an eye out for: 'AI in Microbiology' and 'Microbes in the respiratory tract: interactions and infections'. Get those abstracts ready! #Microbio27 tinyurl.com/3tynjmst

tinyurl.com

Annual Conference 2027

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Sorry but the colander thing is such a piece of shit. Fine, it's not safe to stare right at the sun. But let's not pretend I'm going to have a great time watching a tiny shadow on a piece of paper through a fucking kitchen utensil.

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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

For thousands of years, a solar eclipse has been a prophetic harbinger of a spectacular, epoch-making event. Just saying. #VoteBinface #Clacton

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

The combined MMR vaccine, developed by Dr. Maurice Hilleman in 1971, “is more convenient for patients, and this convenience actually saves lives. Fewer injections translate as fewer missed doses, and therefore more protection in a shorter time. The MMR vaccine has saved millions of lives worldwide.”

si.edu

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccines | Smithsonian Institution

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

This is fucking insane … but wholly predictable

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Dr Claire Smith @drclairesmith.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Delighted to share our new paper, out now in @natureportfolio.nature.com where we show that neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) tracks RSV severity in infants, and can be used as a functional readout of therapeutic efficacy in the lab. 📄 Read it (open access) 👉 rdcu.be/ftx53

rdcu.be

Neutrophil myeloperoxidase as a functional biomarker for RSV severity: implications for in vitro therapeutic screening

Nature Communications - Preclinical human models are needed to investigate mechanisms and evaluate therapies for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in children. The authors here...

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Chris Newfield @cnewf.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

the FT has two pieces on the slow-motion collapse of UK higher ed. 4/5ths of unis are doing voluntary layoffs; 38% are doing compulsory. Meanwhile Britain and its flatlined productivity growth sleepwalks through its unprecedented loss of advanced capabilities www.ft.com/content/8097...

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Camila Gazolla Volpiano, PhD @gazollavolpiano.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

New preprint! The first first-author work of my postdoc at the Baker! So, babies' airways are colonised from birth, and our group has shown that early colonisers shape respiratory health. 1/7 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Respiratory Microbiomes @resp-micro.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Question: anyone struggle with Streptococcus pneumoniae growth in plasticware? Eliminated almost every other variable and it's lovely in glass but terrible in polystyrene plates. Anyone observed, got a mechanism or a fix? Driving us potty!

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Nick Loman @pathogenomenick.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Rapid release of multiplex PCR amplicon scheme for Andes hantavirus whole genome sequencing validated on control material: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @scalene.bsky.social @stevepullan.bsky.social @ukhsa.bsky.social output from HPRU in Public Health Genomics

biorxiv.org

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

However you dice it, it’s been a great night for Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaires & Vladimir Putin - who, incredibly, is currently getting more good news from the UK than Ukraine.

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

It’s a strong look, and guaranteed to make people give you a wide berth

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Saw a review of this and looks great. It’s on my list!

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Krystle J McLaughlin @biophyskrys.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

As a scientist, I am here to report that this headline is indeed accurate as I am in fact STUNNED!! Wow. This is incredible. 🧪 "Newly discovered bacterial defense system challenges genetic code’s central dogma.": www.science.org/content/arti...

Screenshot of Science commentary articleL Scientists stunned by ‘fundamentally new way’ life produces DNA.
Newly discovered bacterial defense system challenges genetic code’s central dogma. Image: In a newly discovered bacterial defense system, paired strands of DNA (orange and cyan) are synthesized by two enzymes: One (yellow) uses an RNA template (beige) to guide the assembly of the nucleotide bases that make up DNA, while a second, highly unusual enzyme (light blue) uses its own amino acids as a template."

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A. Murat Eren (Meren) @merenbey.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

How every layer of science's "self-correcting machinery" failed when Iva Veseli and I simply wanted to reproduce the findings of a high-profile study on gut microbiome and autism: merenlab.org/2026/04/15/u...

merenlab.org

Unfalsifiable by Design: A Year of Trying and Failing to Reproduce a Human Microbiome and Autism Study

The myth of open data, reproducibility, responsibility, and accountability in science, and your role in it

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Gc Rox @gcrox.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Postdoctoral Position (Please re-post) A funded postdoctoral position for a recent graduate to study aspects of Neisseria gonorrhoeae pathogenesis, antigenic variation, genetics, or physiology. Please contact Hank Seifert h-seifert@northwestern.edu #Microsky, #Microbiology, #MicrobialEvolution

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Raymond Kiu @raymondkiu.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Here I would like to introduce a genome downloading tool: GenomeFetch 👇🧬 This is a Linux tool written in pure Shell/Bash for downloading bacterial genomes (genome assemblies) from RefSeq or GenBank 🧫

github.com

GitHub - raymondkiu/GenomeFetch: GenomeFetch: a fast, user-friendly bacterial genome assembly retrieval tool for RefSeq and GenBank.

GenomeFetch: a fast, user-friendly bacterial genome assembly retrieval tool for RefSeq and GenBank. - raymondkiu/GenomeFetch

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Mehrzad Mohsseni Pour @drmehrzadmp.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I had the opportunity to present my research at #AIR2026 (Wellcome Genome Campus), focusing on how lactate shapes host-microbe interactions in the lung It was a great experience to share this work, receive valuable feedback, and engage with researchers across microbiology and immunology. #microbiome

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Respiratory Microbiomes @resp-micro.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Here we go then, lab website at last! Still some gaps to fill and I've definitely not caught all the broken links yet but here we are. www.lungmicrobiome.org Hellow world!

lungmicrobiome.org

Respiratory Microbiome Group — University of Birmingham

Investigating the role of microbial communities in respiratory health and disease.

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John Lees @johnlees.bacpop.org · 30/03/2026

Minor update on genomics of the menB outbreak. UKHSA have updated with four more outbreak isolates, and a high quality assembly of the earlier genome. tl;dr ran ska+gubbins again, same results, all of these genomes look basically identical www.bacpop.org/blog/menb_up...

bacpop.org

Updated genomic analysis of the 2026 menB outbreak in Kent, UK

This is a brief update to the previous menB analysis we’d posted here. UKHSA have released a technical briefing and further data which includes four further isolates from the outbreak, and a high qual...

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Now sat at the front of a lecture room … something that NEVER happened when I was here as a student

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Back at my old stomping ground @uniofsurrey.bsky.social with my eldest for an offer holder day. Forgotten how nice the campus was …

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John Lees @johnlees.bacpop.org · 18/03/2026

I did my PhD on bacterial meningitis, finding whether there are genetic factors which make meningitis more likely. Wrote down some initial thoughts on the current outbreak in Kent: johnlees.me/posts/menb-o... I tried to think of factors and their likelihood to explain why this is happening now

johnlees.me

menB outbreak in Kent -- initial thoughts

A cluster of meningitis cases is currently dominating the UK news. At least five of the cases have been confirmed as serotype B (menB), from what I can tell the others have not yet been analysed. My P...

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David Cleary @bacterioskeptic.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

It’s the hope that gets you. C’mon 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #GuinnessM6N #IREvSCO

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Magdalena Kurteu @magdalenakurteu.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Saying goodbye to Birmingham after a brilliant week of learning about microbial genomic analysis at #AMGDMar26 🧫🧬 @unibirmingham.bsky.social with the best teachers and cohort! And a special thank you to all of you for following along and helping me win the most coveted prize of the AMGD mug! ☕️

Magdalena is a white woman with short curly ginger hair and is wearing a bright yellow raincoat over a mint green top. She’s smiling at the camera with a mechanical bull statue of Ozzy the bull behind her

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Raymond Kiu @raymondkiu.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Final day (day 5) of #AMGDMar26 at @unibirmingham.bsky.social as @pathogenomenick.bsky.social gave an amazing talk on the applications of bacterial genomics in pandemics.

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John Clark-Corrigall @johncorrigall.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

#AMGDMar26 Bairn’s first phylogenetic tree, please ignore the reflection of the light at one of the nodes it’s not a clade experiencing a damascene intervention it’s purely the reflection from the ceiling.

Phylogenetic tree on a white background, light reflecting off of one of the lines associated to a clade

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