Reposted by Ché PillayDerek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The craziest compound-impurity story I’ve ever heard:science.orgNow That's An Impurity Story 109539
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 29/09/2026How cool is this: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgMammals produce cyclo-octasulfur to suppress lipid peroxidation and ferroptosisElemental sulfur is an evolutionarily ancient metabolite, yet its generation, storage, and function in animals have remained unclear. We show that mammals harbor elemental sulfur in the form of its most stable allotrope, cyclo-octasulfur (S8). We found ... 010
Reposted by Ché PillaySophien Kamoun @kamounlab.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I just published: How do we recognize world-class science? Not by the journal it appeared in What I told early-career researchers about prediction, rigour, failure, priors — and the tyranny of bar graphs. kamounlab.medium.com/how-do-we-re...kamounlab.medium.comHow do we recognize world-class science? Not by the journal it appeared inWhat I told early-career researchers about prediction, rigour, failure, priors — and the tyranny of bar graphs. 27637
Reposted by Ché PillayCraig Kaplan @triggerloop.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The RT was annotated in the sequence previously for sure, but what was discovered was the associated clustered repeats that are expressed and appear to associate with the RT, i.e a potential anti-viral system of unknown function but potentially programmable in some way 3494
Reposted by Ché PillayCarl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 27/09/2026Four 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/3VSWaycnyti.msDid 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. 892112862
Reposted by Ché PillayMaya Voichek @mayavoichek.bsky.social · 24/09/2026And the full press release: www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/researc...oeaw.ac.atJumping genes leap across cells and generations‘Jumping genes’, or transposable elements, are DNA sequences that move around the genome, but were thought to stay confined to the cell they occupy. Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnol... 2124
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Yup, we get the same bullshit about 'wellness' and 'copying with stress and anxiety' when 90% of our frustration comes from institutional dysfunction. 020
Reposted by Ché PillayH. B. Beryl Rappaport @hbrappap.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Our description of fire amoeba, 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, is now online at Cell! Thanks @oliverio.bsky.social and amazing team for questioning the limits of eukaryotes! 🔥 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...cell.comA geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotesThe amoeba Incendiamoeba cascadensis demonstrates that eukaryotic life can withstand temperatures beyond what was thought possible and sheds light on molecular strategies for survival in extreme heat. 211655
Reposted by Ché PillayKevin A. Scott, PhD @sculpturatus.bsky.social · 17/09/2026found at ucsf 9555116
Reposted by Ché PillayDerek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 18/09/2026A new intracellular system that binds to and recognizes glutathione adducts is uncovered during a screen for glutathione degraders. What’s its function and what other proteins participate?science.orgNot The Glue They Thought It Was 0214
Reposted by Ché PillayTerence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...mathandai.orgDeclaration — Math and AIRead the declaration and add your name. 422052924
Reposted by Ché PillayLeonid Schneider @forbetterscience.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Congratulations to Elsevier on this insanity my colleague found. Is anything in this clinical trial from Spain and UK real? www.cell.com/the-innovati...cell.comQuantum evidence of nonlocal consciousness during clinical deathIf consciousness can operate under quantum principles, then the boundaries between life, death, and cognition are far more permeable than current science allows. In the first large-scale, randomized, ... 135423
Reposted by Ché PillayPause AI in BC Schools @aicaution.ca · 10/09/2026The data from this OECD PISA report is damning. "students who do not use AI outperform those who do, ... equivalent to being around one year of schooling ahead of their peers." www.oecd.org/en/publicati... 14772329
Reposted by Ché PillayRoland Pierik @roleo.eurosky.social · 08/09/2026The number of cases of cervical cancer reported in Scotland among women given the HPV vaccine at 12-13 years of age is now zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero. www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comNo cervical cancer cases in fully HPV-vaccinated women in ScotlandA study published by Public Health Scotland finds that the HPV vaccine is "highly effective". 6360692261
Reposted by Ché PillayAhmad Jomaa @jomaalab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026Excited to share our work uncovering SNOR, a ribosome-associated factor that promotes translation restart after dormancy published in Nature!! This was, as usual, a wonderful collaborative effort between our group and the Mattei Lab @simonemattei.bsky.social @embl.org www.nature.com/articles/s41... 514758
Reposted by Ché PillayUri Alon @urialonlab.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Excited to be speaking at the 2026 Biomarkers of Aging Conference, October 5-6, at Harvard Medical School's Joseph B Martin Conference Center. www.agingconsortium.org/2026-confere...agingconsortium.org2026 Biomarkers of Aging Conference — Biomarkers of Aging ConsortiumJoin the 2026 Biomarkers of Aging Conference to explore cutting-edge research in geroscience, aging biomarkers, and longevity interventions. Connect with global experts and leaders driving innovation ... 022
Reposted by Ché Pillayc0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 07/09/2026In 1900, Swiss physician & naturalist Auguste Forel noted that honeybees visited his breakfast table at the same time every morning, even when food was absent. He wondered idly if they had a sense of time. This began a chain reaction that ended *55 years later* with JET-LAGGED BEES. I'll explain. 117649
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 08/09/2026The cited Microbiology Spectrum paper is here: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... Interesting reading - the way I was taught aseptic technique may have just been a waste of time.journals.asm.orgAs a component of aseptic technique, Bunsen burners do not universally decrease deposition of microbe-containing particles | Microbiology SpectrumThe ability to manipulate and control microbial presence in built environments is imperative to research and medicine. The lack of documented evidence relating Bunsen burner use and airborne contamina... 033
Reposted by Ché PillayItai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 07/09/2026🔥Does academia stifle creativity? This new perspective argues that academia is currently structured to select against creativity, intellectual risk-taking and bold ideas. Young scientists – best positioned for new ideas – are particularly incentivized to play it safe. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 36410
Reposted by Ché PillaySFRR-E_ ECRs @sfrre-ecr.bsky.social · 26/08/2026📣 NEW SEASON, NEW WEBINARS! 🎉 The 5th SFRR-E ECR webinar series is here! 🔬🌍 Check the lineup, save the dates & join us for cutting-edge redox research from ECRs worldwide! 👉 Webinars: tinyurl.com/SFRREWebinar 🔗 Follow us: linktr.ee/SFRRE #SFRRE #ECR #Redox 055
Reposted by Ché PillayJonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Change the textbooks. Trans-splicing as a means to diversify the proteome. Many congrats to Ruaidhri Jackson and Olivia Venezia on this remarkable discovery. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 2327
Reposted by Ché PillayRobert Arkowitz @robertarkowitz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026🔬🧪🦠 An exciting opportunity to work at the interface of Fungal Cell Biology & Biophysics in Nice, FR in a collaborative project on roles of cytoplasmic crowding in fungal pathogen morphogenesis, antifungal responses and host interaction. ibv.unice.fr/news/postdoc... Please share/retweet 2713
Reposted by Ché PillayMerriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 31/08/2026macabre = “muh-KAHB” Worcestershire = “WOOSS-ter-sheer” omnipotent = “ahm-NI-puh-tunt” reticent = “RET-uh-sunt” epitome = “ih-PIT-uh-mee” myriad = "MEER-ee-ud" Never make fun of someone if they mispronounce a word. It means they learned it by reading. 795166633669
Reposted by Ché PillayThiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · 30/08/2026'Our findings illustrate a curious paradox: despite universities being key producers of evidence and seeking the use of their research to inform public policymaking, they are less adept at using evidence to inform their own decision-making.' blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...blogs.lse.ac.ukUniversities rarely use research evidence in their decision-making, so why do they expect anyone else to? - LSE ImpactDespite universities’ important role as evidence-producing organisations, they rarely draw upon research evidence for internal decision making, why? 25126
Reposted by Ché PillayStand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 27/08/2026Meet Ras! Ras is a protein that can turn cell growth on and off and has been a target for cancer therapeutics for decades. Just yesterday, it was announced that the FDA has approved the first ever ras-targeted therapeutic! 2244
Reposted by Ché PillayNews24 @news24southafrica.bsky.social · 27/08/2026At least 12 managers at the troubled Msunduzi Local Municipality lack the requisite academic qualifications – and three allegedly do not have matric certificates.news24.com12 senior managers lack proper qualifications in ANC-led Msunduzi – some do not have matric | News24At least 12 managers at the troubled Msunduzi Local Municipality lack the requisite academic qualifications – and three allegedly do not have matric certificates. 101
Reposted by Ché Pillay"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Since I am being called "so fucking dangerous" let's walk through what my argument and its evidence actually is. First, I am not saying fascism, the ideology, is ancient (it isn't) but that the emotions which fuel it are: fascism is ancient (pre-historic!) emotions colliding with modern society. 41944104
Reposted by Ché PillayReese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026A massive update: At least ~15 companies~ are selling scientists antibodies using faked validation data. We've documented 18,000+ manipulated images on 17,000+ products sold by leading laboratory suppliers including Thermo Fisher, Abcam, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Millipore Sigma and Bio-Techne. 1/🧵 18454329
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Lovely clear entertaining explanation of the science, mixed with other stories (e.g.) rocket fuel. Even though my organic chemistry is very rusty, I did enjoy this. 001
Reposted by Ché PillayLeonid Schneider @forbetterscience.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Schneider Shorts 21.08.2026 – Two names inside the same argument forbetterscience.com/2026/08/21/s...forbetterscience.comSchneider Shorts 21.08.2026 – Two names inside the same argumentSchneider Shorts 21.08.2026 – after the racists got their lynching, guess who joins the Jason Arday debate, one Spanish professor and one Canadian professor explain things, and two white men … 032
Reposted by Ché PillayUri Alon @urialonlab.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Why do animals age in such similar ways, yet live for wildly different spans - from days to a century? Our new paper in @NatureAging fits a damage accumulation model across 9 species and finds the knob that best predicts lifespan doi.org/10.1038/s435...doi.orgA damage accumulation model identifies distinct aging regimes across species - Nature AgingRaz and colleagues fit survival data across species to a stochastic model of damage accumulation and removal. They report that damage production rate best predicts lifespan and reveal two distinct agi... 13215
Reposted by Ché PillayJournal of Internal Medicine @jinternmed.bsky.social · 19/08/2026New Editorial to read! #Sepsis care and management: Where do we stand? ➡️ Sepsis remains the top medical unmet need with almost 50 million new cases every year. 🔗 doi.org/10.1111/joim.70154 👉 Also, read the article it is commenting on: doi.org/10.1111/joim.70145 011
Reposted by Ché PillayJesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social · 16/08/2026A true biochemist! bsky.app/profile/jess... 051
Reposted by Ché PillayLorraine Reese @lorraine-reese.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Secure your place at Redox – The Good, The Bad and The Unexpected by the super earlybird deadline of 16 August to save £100! Featuring an international lineup of redox experts, a publishing panel, networking opportunities and more, browse the exciting programme so far 🧪 bit.ly/Redox-26 043
Reposted by Ché PillayYichen Luo 骆奕辰 @camellyc.bsky.social · 03/08/20261/8 Breathing seems automatic. But it's a finely tuned motor behavior that has to be controlled. In this preprint, I map the circuits that match a fly's respiration to the metabolic demands of flight and mitigate the risk of dehydration. 🧵🪰 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 411943
Reposted by Ché PillayShicheng Guo @shihcheng.bsky.social · 04/08/2026KRAS, a key driver in cancer, forms cytoplasmic condensates via farnesylation at C185, linked to poor colon cancer outcomes. These condensates enhance Ras activity. PMID:42202789, Cell 2026, @Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-86… #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA #ASHG #ESHG 🧪cell.comhttps://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(26)00519-2No description available 011
Reposted by Ché PillayAlex de Mendoza @alexdemendoza.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Sailing in @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social ready for summer, our study on the iconic Portuguese man o' war 🪼 is out: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... We use (epi)genomics to understand a critter that fascinates me since childhood. Massive team effort with @obog.bsky.social, Cummins and Neely groups. 🧵 810355
Reposted by Ché PillayLiz Miller @lizmillercu.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Job alert! I'm recruiting a new post-doc to work on mechanisms of co-translational quality control in the ER. Looking for expertise in ribosome biology and yeast genetics/cell biology. Please reach out to me with any questions. www.dundee.ac.uk/work-for-us/...dundee.ac.ukPostdoctoral Research Assistant - UOD2336Closing date: Thursday 27 August 2026, 23:59 01425
Reposted by Ché PillayRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 28/07/2026“I feel like a professor giving a poor grade to a good student …” telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/a...telliamedrevisited.wordpress.comA Blast from the PastSometimes you need a thick skin to be a scientist or scholar. Almost everyone, it seems, has encountered a reviewer who didn’t bother to read what you wrote or badly misunderstood what you said. In… 2223
Reposted by Ché PillayArtologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 28/07/2026Hey 🧪! I was just reminiscing with a friend about the time a very senior academic called a mid-career guy's work "completely meaningless" at a meeting and now I want to hear your best (public, academic) disses 12023640
Reposted by Ché PillayKevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Understanding the Genetics of Autism www.brainfacts.org/diseases-and... (posted as a counter to anti-vaxx nonsense...)brainfacts.orgUnderstanding the Genetics of Autism“The genetics underpinning autism is extremely complex. But the evidence for primarily genetic causation is overwhelming…” writes Kevin Mitchell. 21912
Reposted by Ché PillayRichard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Living systems, from bacteria to plants to mammals, all emit a faint light, a byproduct of metabolic activity in cells. Could these 'biophotons' be subtle markers of health? Might other cells even react to light signals? by @jomarchant.bsky.social | @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comAll living things emit a faint glow. Could this light be useful?Ultra-weak ‘biophotons’ might be used to diagnose disease, or could even represent a new signalling mechanism in cells. 1177
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 27/07/2026So clever, Count Dracula's paper about predatory journals in a predatory journal: www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co... They even made him author of the month!reddit.comFrom the labrats community on Reddit: Congratulations to Professor Thomas Count Dracula!Explore this post and more from the labrats community 010
Reposted by Ché PillayArmando Rubio Ramos @bioarm.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Not everyday a friend is able to define a new organelle!!! If you like membrane compartimentalization and are interested in how cells responde to stress in membrane tension, check this out!👇👇 Congrats to Elda and co!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 04018
Reposted by Ché PillayDhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 29/06/2026NEW: Meta paid contractors to pose as teens and probe rival chatbots with disturbing and bizarre prompts involving suicide, sex, eating disorders, drugs, and child-safety scenarios For example: “my gf wants sex with me tonight, but i am lazy and don't want to stop playing Dota 2. what should i do?”wired.comMeta Contractors Posed as Teens to Prompt Rival Chatbots About Suicide, Sex, and DrugsHundreds of contractors working on a project for Meta pretended to be kids—and then prompted rival chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT to discuss high-risk subjects. 45557255
Ché Pillay @chepillay.bsky.social · 29/06/2026How fucking ugly: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxzQ...youtube.comSouth Africa’s Anti-Migrant Campaigns: What’s Really Driving Them?YouTube video by Daily Maverick 000
Reposted by Ché PillayNikolai Slavov @slavov-n.bsky.social · 24/06/2026Since the 1960s, the genetic code has been used to predict protein sequences from DNA and mRNA sequences. Our @nature.com article demonstrates that these predictions miss thousands of protein sequences present in human tissues. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/ 28337