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Brianne Barker

@bioprofbarker.bsky.social
1.5K followers 488 following 129 posts

Immunologist/Virologist teaching and doing research with undergrads at Drew University. 1x Jeopardy Champ. Science communicator podcasting on TWiV and Immune. Duke sports fan and cat mom.

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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Up to you whether we’ll call this a timeline cleanse or a need to show off a project that I really struggled on…but here is my lion
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Isabel, booonyavirus wonk @isabelott.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Hey, this is that “study” that was previously cancelled after outcry at how monstrously unethical it was. It’s sentencing the poorest kids on earth to die of completely preventable liver cancer for white antivaxxers’ curiosity. How a medical doctor could co-sign this atrocity is beyond me.
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Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I saw a headline from an immunologist stating “What worries me about the Russian potential plague incident is that the US is unprepared for disease emergencies,” and as if to prove her point the next headline I saw noted that Measles cases in the US have surpassed 4,000.
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The Ken In Yellow @kenlowery.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I will simply say I am seeing exactly this situation play out right now in a different field. Work that would have taken about 3 weeks start to finish via traditional methods is now into week 6 and still in what amounts to first draft territory
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 27/09/2026
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
nyti.ms
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“I’ve heard from a bunch of people in our field who say, ‘Uh oh, are they training on my prompts?’” Dr. Shipman said. “We can’t not think about it.” ... '[A]fter Anthropic’s announcement last week, he is winding down his projects with Claude.' “I’m shutting down everything,” [Dr. Mestre] said.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Super interesting thread
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Love this! Evolutionary biology is fun. www.popsci.com/science/what...
popsci.com
What kind of animal is Gonzo? What kind of animal is Gonzo? The Muppets won't say, so we asked biologists.
Gonzo’s most distinct feature is also his most baffling: his beak. (Or is it a nose?)
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Microbetv @microbetv.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Roberto Cattaneo & Kalpana Yadav join TWiV to discuss SSPE (subacute sclerosing pan encephalitis) a rare but fatal, long-term neurological sequela of measles infection. From TWiV 1359: SSPE, the Long Shadow of Measles Recorded at the ASV 2026 @bioprofbarker.bsky.social
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Pennsylvania tops 800 measles cases as CDC acknowledges only 1 measles death The state has reported four recent measles-associated deaths that the CDC has refused to list on its dashboard. Read more: bit.ly/3V8ICyp
boy with measles
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Cites/links this, which is also good www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking
There is growing concern that AI can blunt memory and reasoning. But science shows ways to keep the brain sharp.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
In praise of human teachers: universities must resist outsourcing everything to AI
An AI revolution is sweeping through education. But teachers who can convey the excitement of thinking and learning are irreplaceable.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Hey! I know one of these podcasts! @microbetv.bsky.social @cindyleifer.bsky.social @stephanielangel.bsky.social news.aai.org/2026/09/23/i...
news.aai.org
Immunology Podcast Roundup - AAI News
Need to catch up on the latest immunology talk on your commute or while washing dishes? Here are five immunology podcasts to fill you in.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Some random thoughts: Good science doesn't always need disruptors. Often, it needs load-bearing walls. You can't pivot away from a failed multi-year experiment or "iterate" your way out of a mentee's PhD. Science needs stable foundations, not churn. Don't break the people building on top of it.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
That is so far past my current skill level lol
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profchander @profchander.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
i’ve never once judged anyone for needing an extension except when that person is me, and then i’m unbelievably harsh
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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This is a fantastic, good faith discussion of the origins of SARS-CoV-2 The peer-reviewed research evidence published in scholarly journals points to zoonotic origins (&, as @angierasmussen.bsky.social notes, it’s not possible to square the lab leak theory with that proven evidence) 1/2
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Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The professor told me 
his classes start soon, 
but that’s okay, as he 
has already achieved all of his goals 
for this summer: 
he didn’t catch Covid
or cyclospora either; so, I reminded him
the summer isn’t over, and in response he let out a heavy sigh.
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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Didn’t need this graph because I’m seeing it in the classroom in real time. But this is useful for my quantitatively minded STEM students who are not convinced of why they shouldn’t use gAI
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🌈Dani "your teacher could become a sardine" Garibaldi @thatpandayouknow.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I'm gonna need people to stop being judgemental shits about what other people enjoy reading, please, coz nobody's griefing them about their loving whatever easy reading they enjoy, they oughta pay the same respect and leave smutlovers alone. People feel feelings for different reasons, leave them be
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This, this, very much this
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Red Pill Junkie @redpilljunkie.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Jeff Bezos, Stephen Jay Gould, and the Perverse Myth of Genius Scarcity www.dailygrail.com/2026/08/jeff...
dailygrail.com
Jeff Bezos, Stephen Jay Gould, and the Perverse Myth of Genius Scarcity
In a 2023 interview with Dark Enlightenment promoter Lex Fridman, Amazon mega-billionaire Jeff Bezos shared his vision of the future: “I would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system....
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Philipp Markolin @philippmarkolin.eurosky.social · 18/08/2026
In 2026, there is no longer any lab leak hypothesis you can state consistently with the available evidence. Despite this, it has been the dominant media narrative for six years. Read my new data-driven investigation: www.protagonist-science.com/p/biased-med...
protagonist-science.com
Biased media coverage and the lab leak theory
Gain-of-function fearmongering and blame gets the glitzy NYT visual treatment as Republicans weaponize the lab leak theory again in attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci
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Decoding the Gurus @guruspod.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
It was great discussing the scientific research on COVID origins and where the evidence stands in 2026 with @kgandersen.bsky.social, @worobey.bsky.social, and @eddieholmes.bsky.social. Less fun to discuss the political persecution of scientists, but also important. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od9c...
youtube.com
Lab Leak and Covid Origins in 2026: An Interview with Holmes, Andersen, & Worobey
YouTube video by Decoding the Gurus
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The Great Pumpkin Papers 🎃🎃🎃 @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Whomst could have foreseen that pushing high school students to publish in peer reviewed journals could have had downsides? retractionwatch.com/2026/08/14/p...
retractionwatch.com
Princeton student says she did not conduct the experiments described in her now-retracted paper
A figure from the now-retracted paper in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering shows the “hypothesized effects” of the experiments described in the study. Earlier this week, Retracti…
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Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I know that right now you’re probably focusing on other health related news, but according to the wastewater tracking data Covid levels are rising again, which is a reminder (an unfortunate reminder) that cyclospora is not the only bad shit happening.
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Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
By now you have probably heard about the deadly outbreak of vibrio vulnificus along the Gulf Coast, and in case you were wondering: yes, this is another case (yes, this is yet another case) where surveillance of this threat to public health was recently cut.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Home from a long and scary day at the vet, where my sweet kitty was diagnosed with a heart disease. A friend works on the same disease in people. The new drug just approved for this disease in cats is a molecule I know of for other research. Life as a scientist is weird sometimes.
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Mychal Threets @mychal3ts.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Vaccines do not cause autism. Autism is not something to be fixed. Autism is not something to be cured. My autistic friends, you are autistic joy. Thank you for being wonderful you ✨ Sincerely, Your Autistic Library Friend 💛
Mychal smiles in a shirt that reads, “Be a buddy not a bully”
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I’ve seen a few people commenting today that the idea of separating the MMR vaccine into three separate shots might be a good strategy to get anti-vax parents to vaccinate. Absolutely not. Here’s why. First, countering anti-vax misinformation is like playing whack a mole. You bat down one lie…
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I cried the day I got that first shot.
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Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH @mtosterholm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
In response to today’s White House Executive Order (EO) on vaccines, parents should continue to rely on evidence-based immunization recommendations developed by experts. Today's EO does not change the scientific evidence supporting childhood immunization. That data has been built over decades.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 10/08/2026
Important: Trump’s executive order is NOT legislation. Though the executive order promotes more misinformation about vaccines, nothing has changed about the availability of childhood vaccines. For evidence-based guidance, please follow and share American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.
AAP Recommended Immunization Schedule
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Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
🎯
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Why should you care if childhood vaccination rates are dropping in your community? 1. All kids deserve to be protected from vaccine-preventable disease. 2. There are people who can’t be vaccinated, such as babies who are too young. If everyone around them is vaccinated, they’re protected.
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
www.bakerinstitute.org/research/ref...
Autism
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Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The COVID Lab leak theory debunked by Paul Offit 1. Started in the Hunan wholesale seafood market (Southwestern section). The first few cases were there and spread out. 2. The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is 9 miles away from that seafood market, on the other side of the Yangtze river. 🧵
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
See, it’s not a weakness on my part. It’s evolution…
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Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
FDA approved the Moderna mRNA flu vaccine, which is great news for everyone! In clinical trials it outperformed existing flu vaccine technology so well that not even Vinay Prasad could cancel it. I talked to Scott Tong at @npr.org @hereandnow.bsky.social about it www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
wbur.org
What to know about the new FDA-approved flu shot using mRNA technology
The flu shot uses the same technology as the COVID-19 vaccines.
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1kr5ur43m.bsky.social @1kr5ur43m.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
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Cian O'Donnell @cianodonnell.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
reason 47 why government funding for fundamental research is the only stable route to scientific progress
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Dr Rasu Shrestha @rasushrestha.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I stand with Dr. Anthony Fauci …because I value EVIDENCE over conspiracy, DATA over rumors, and SCIENCE over politics. No public official is beyond criticism, but there’s a difference between honest scientific guidance and misinformation. I’ll choose evidence EVERY time. #medsky #publichealth
I stand with Dr. Anthony Fauci because I value evidence over conspiracy, data over rumors, and science over politics. No public official is beyond criticism, but there’s a difference between honest scientific guidance and misinformation. I’ll choose evidence every time.
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Alex Churchill @alexchurchill.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Yup. Tis I.
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Ok this is funny because this tells me I am the same age as “antiretroviral”, “lentivirus”, and “interleukin” as well as “compact disc”, “food court”, “chill out” and “first world problem”
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Full house at today’s live #TWiV at #ASV
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 23/07/2026
Let's try to make Fetch happen
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Brianne Barker @bioprofbarker.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Anyone from Pitt or UAB going to #ASV next week? I need a favor from someone from each
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Sort of Damocles @sortofdamocles.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
When journalists asked me "where we will see the effects of DOGE on outcomes?" one of my responses was "during crises...as long as media connect the dots." Well, dots connected: www.wired.com/story/cdc-cy...
wired.com
The CDC Has a Cyclospora Lab. DOGE Downsized It Last Year
“Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished,” the former CDC lab director tells WIRED.
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Morgan @larubia22.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
28 years of cyclosporiasis testing Screwworms eradicated in the US in 1966. Measles eradicated in the US in 2000. All are back because of this science denying administration.
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