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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/

@coolvirus.bsky.social
318 followers 868 following 242 posts

PhD in infectious diseases and immunology, not in impulse control or social skills. Mpox, Yersinia pestis, avian influenza, dengue, EV-A71, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2, cats and dogs, bikes, democracy, sewing. 🇲🇾🇿🇦🇸🇬🇺🇸

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Reposted by Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/
Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems: “Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
APStylebook @APStylebook
X.com
Artificial intelligence systems do not think, feel, want or understand. Avoid language that gives them human characteristics. This is called anthropomorphizing, when we ascribe human traits, emotions or behaviors to non-human things, such as animals or inanimate objects.
Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.
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Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The response effort does not seem to be going well. DRC: Nursery school, hospital in Kisangani closed for 21 days after multiple Ebola cases. actualite.cd/2026/09/29/k...
actualite.cd
Kisangani : une école maternelle et un hôpital fermés momentanément après des cas confirmés d'Ebola
Le Desmet Hospital of Kisangani (DHKis), localisé dans la commune de Makiso, est temporairement fermé pour une durée de 21 jours en raison de la maladie à virus Ebola.
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Oh thank Dog, Malaysia finally deploying an oral #rabies vaccine #rabiesvaccine for feral dogs! #Sarawak #Borneo #OneHealth www.malaymail.com/news/malaysi...
malaymail.com
Sarawak vaccinates 3,579 dogs, distributes 2,281 oral rabies vaccine baits in latest drive
KUCHING, Sept 29 — A total of 3,579 dogs have been vaccinated through Sarawak’s recent field rabies vaccination efforts this year, alongside the distribution of 2,281 oral...
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I think the technocrat-to-fascist pipeline revolves around the typical gifted male child fallacy that being the smartest kid in the class growing up extrapolates to being the smartest man in the world, and the corollary being that everybody else is a fucking idiot especially poor people
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Mike Elk @mikeelk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
X is blocking the Brazilian Catholic Bishops' Conference account as polling shows Catholics backing Lula. The Church has denounced outside interference in the election
paydayreport.com
X Blocks Account of National Conference of Bishops of Brasil As Catholics Back Lula
Polls show Catholics backing Lula as the church denounces foreign interference.
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Tyron @tyron.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Just seen it's Wikipedia's 25th birthday. The greatest website online, and possibly the internet's greatest fruit
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Going to get my Covid booster right before heading to #Gorillaz because people are disgusting
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Who knew Ajinomoto was this beautiful? MSG crystallizing, by Cora Harris #nikonsmallworld www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/20...
nikonsmallworld.com
MSG salt crystals forming in drops of solution | 2026 Small World in Motion Competition
Cora Harris - MSG salt crystals forming in drops of solution
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The vet tech at my cats' hospital had this on her bottle 🤣 For those who don't get it, it's a dachsie cycling #dachshunds #antibiotics #sciencehumor #medicalhumor #puns
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Godspeed, big boi: Malaysian elephant on an interstate trek back to Kelantan after his herd was relocated to Perak. The government wildlife department PERHILITAN is monitoring him round the clock. #Asianelephants #elephantconservation www.malaymail.com/news/malaysi...
malaymail.com
Heartbreak and hope as injured elephant ‘Sulong’ treks 100km back to Gua Musang
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — An injured wild male elephant has captured national attention after embarking on a journey across the Titiwangsa Range along the East-West Highway (JRTB)...
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Biochemist Florence Seibert developed the Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) in the 1930s. Before her work, TB skin tests were inconsistent & unreliable. Her PPD formula was adopted as the international standard (1952) & remains in use for TB testing today. Died #OTD in 1991. #WomenInSTEM
Vintage black-and-white studio portrait of American biochemist Florence Barbara Seibert (1897–1991), shown from the shoulders up. The young woman has short, dark, wavy 1920s-style hair parted on the side, wears round wire-rimmed eyeglasses, and offers a gentle smile toward the camera. She is dressed in a light-colored blouse with a ruffled collar. A studio imprint reading “A. F. R. S. Chicago” appears in the lower right corner.
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LSHTM Alumni @lshtmalumni.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This #WorldMosquitoDay learn all about the mosquitoes that LSHTM researchers work with everyday. #malaria #mosquitoes #tropicaldiseaaes www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/n...
lshtm.ac.uk
Meet the mosquitoes helping scientists tackle malaria | LSHTM
At the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), researchers work with mosquito colonies originating from across Africa, Asia and beyond, some of which have been maintained for
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I'll be giving a short talk about #tuberculosis #TB #antibodies #monoclonalantibodies discovery at @astmh.bsky.social ! 🦠💉 That is, if the US government doesn't shut down again this year 😓
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Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-even...
ecdc.europa.eu
World Mosquito Day 2026: Europe must upgrade control tools as disease risks rise
Europe needs to improve its preparedness and control efforts as the risk of mosquito-borne diseases increases, with West Nile virus (WNV) continuing to spread to new regions and invasive mosquito spec...
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
One of the craziest things I've read about disease stigma is that when Sungai Buloh was converted from a leprosarium into a modern infectious disease hospital, the ex-lepers still living there were afraid of the HIV patients.
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Reposted by Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/
Tom Lumberjack @knilb.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Ag uses ground & surface water, which is an input into potable/municipal supply. Data centers use municipal supply which requires treatment, and the treatment equipment and process cost money. The step function to upgrade municipal capacity is a big step.
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Sagittarius A* @sagastar.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
ALFALFA [punches wall]
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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
And here's the best part: "Tehee but at least agriculture uses the water to make food!" Uh, you'd be surprised! Farmers are INCENTIVIZED TO WASTE WATER. To use more than we need, to grow thirsty crops in deserts, etc. A whole lot of that massive ag water use DOES NOT MEANINGFULLY GROW FOOD.
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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
We really have to understand that decades of being told "Turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth!" was kinda bullshit. Folks we are failing to comprehend the SHEER VOLUME of water agriculture uses. ALL urban water use in the CO basin? Is ~1/3 of what the farms there use.
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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The ag lobby really, really, really, really, really, really, really wants you to think AI is the reason reservoirs are going empty. It's not. It's agriculture.
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Onisillos @onisillos.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Given the overwhelming demand (🤥), here are the editorials I've written on covid origins: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... and www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
SARS-CoV-2 is a natural virus that found its way into humans through mundane contact with infected wildlife that went on to cause the most consequential pandemic for over a century. While it is scholarly to entertain alternative hypotheses, particularly when evidence is scarce, these alternative hypotheses have been implausible for a long time and have only become more-so with increasing scrutiny. Those who eagerly peddle suggestions of laboratory involvement have consistently failed to present credible arguments to support their positions.
Take the time to reflect on the paragraph above and how many words were expended to make the simple point that COVID-19 had a natural origin. This is because there are many people, most notably in the USA, with disproportionate influence who are poised to seize on less explicit statements to undermine a simple, and pretty straightforward, truth. These are the same people who are willing to malign individuals—a topical example being former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci—who dedicated themselves to understanding and lessening the impact of the pandemic.
The sheer hubris needed to underpin alternative hypotheses was an early signal of their tenuousness, when we are intensely aware that the natural processes needed to bring about this sort of pandemic are constantly churning and testing the boundaries between animal and human populations. The most remarkable thing about the whole COVID-19 origin saga is the confected controversy over something that should not be controversial at all. The thing that should be controversial is how little of the energy expended over this discussion has been directed towards actual beneficial outcomes.
To be frank, the fanciful ideas put forward by self-described free thinkers are more in keeping with popular movies than the realities of working with pathogens. It is admirable to pursue curiosity wherever it might lead and to reject the constraints of…A year ago, August 2024, we addressed the state of discussions about COVID-19 origins in our Editorial COVID-19 origins: plain speaking is overdue. We did not lay out the evidence because the space we had available was not sufficient to address the points in detail. And the evidence was presented in a comprehensive and digestible fashion by the authors of the relevant research. Our focus was laying out the situation in a clear and uncluttered way, to counter the many commentators in the press who were giving their assessments based on what they wanted to believe (or what would make a more entertaining story) rather than what they could back up with evidence. Given the potential consequences, to pandemic prevention and public health in general, they were being irresponsible.
On June 27, 2025, WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) published their report Independent Assessment of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2. This report provides an update in the context of information that has emerged since their 2022 report. The report outlines the most prominent hypotheses and reflects on the supporting evidence for each of them. They stress that they did not have access to raw data when preparing this report, and SAGO and WHO have requested further information from governments, including those that have made assertions about the origins of SARS-CoV-2: China, Germany, and the USA. At the time of writing the report this information had not been provided. Meaning that this report is based on published literature, not so-called intelligence touted by some governments.
The report outlines four hypotheses but essentially two are based on zoonotic spillover and two are based on a laboratory accident. The assessment in the report from the outset discounts one hypothesis from each of these broad categories due to a lack of evidence, although SAGO remains open to reconsideration if more evidence is forthcoming. Despite giving one of the laboratory accident…
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
wtop.com/animals-pets... Rabid beavers was not on my bingo card for 2026 #rabies #beavers #raccoons
wtop.com
What we know about beavers, rabies and recent attacks in Maryland - WTOP News
The three attacks within a month by beavers at two Maryland state parks has raised a host of questions, and lots of public interest.
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Skeptical Raptor @skepticalraptor.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Professor Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social discusses the challenges and dangers of splitting the #MMR #vaccine into separate doses for measles, mumps, and rubella. The process is complex, costly, and unlikely to increase safety. buff.ly/V9z93g8
skepticalraptor.com
Splitting the MMR vaccine into its three components will be difficult
Professor Reiss discusses the challenges and dangers of splitting the MMR vaccine into separate doses for measles, mumps, and rubella.
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The WHO announced in its press conference today an adaptive Ph3 trial that will evaluate Ervebo the Zaire virus targeting Eola vaccine for BDBV Ebola in the DRC. They plan and adaptive design with a ring vaccination approach. www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/news/who-cal...
clinicaltrialsarena.com
WHO calls for Phase III Ervebo vaccine trial amid Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak
In the absence of a vaccine candidate for the Bundibugyo, panellists agreed to investigate Ervebo against the strain.
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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
New CDC director faces first major test before she even begins work. Will she carry out Trump's order to slash the number of life-saving vaccines recommended for children? www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
cidrap.umn.edu
New CDC director faces first major test before she even begins work
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
If you haven't seen the news about Trebuchet Guy yet, here it is: arstechnica.com/science/2026...
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Honestly, this is one reason I think a lot of management strategies imported from the corporate world struggle in universities: the task of managing a university is invariably herding a lot of cats because only strange cats decide that teaching and researching at that level is what they want to do.
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Orion Kidder @orionkidder.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
If you take all the neurodivergents out of academia, there will be no academia left to speak of.
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
LOL, if you removed everyone with ADHD or on the autism spectrum from academia, I'm not sure you'd have one full university of faculty left. But also being an academic isn't like being a professional athlete - this isn't a contest. If you can do the work (w/ or w/o aids), you can do the work. 🤷‍♂️
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
"The game definitely has more than a little cell-stage Spore in it." That was the only stage of Spore I actually enjoyed LOL. Adding this to my Steam wishlist arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/...
arstechnica.com
Pathogenic review: Damn, it feels good to be a virus
The hot new roguelite twin-stick shooter lives up to the hype.
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
It's an Alolan Sandslash IRL #Pokemon #porcupines #albino www.popsci.com/environment/...
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Lawd ha' mercy #AIslop #PEPFAR #USAID www.reuters.com/world/africa...
reuters.com
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at ‌a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screen...
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell in 5 states linked to Cyclospora outbreak, says FDA The lettuce originated from one supplier in Mexico. People in the 5 states are urged to skip eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell. bit.ly/4aWSwrX 📷: arbyreed / Flickr cc
Iceberg lettuce
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I'm getting my ginormous tonsils removed next month so if anybody wants human tonsils that probably have a pretty interesting array of lymphocytes due to all the things I've been vaccinated against for travel and occupational health reasons, let me know LOL #immunology #sleepapnea
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
DOGE axed the CDC team that tracks cyclospora. Now 1000s are sick, restaurants & hospitals scrambling. What's next? “Cyclospora is just one piece. It's making the news right now, but there are other, more dangerous pathogens.” By @emilymullin.bsky.social 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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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I didn't give you permission to stop scratching my nose #cats
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
#tuberculosis #tb #ventilation www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
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Ben Goldacre @bengoldacre.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
SUVs are higher at the front and three times more likely to kill a child when they hit them. SUV drivers drag the child under their vehicle, and then they crush the child to death. It's incredible that SUVs don't have higher tax, and why not lower speed limits. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Britain’s cars and SUVs are growing bigger – but there is a way to stop this deadly ‘carspreading’ | Christian Wolmar
Larger vehicles crowd our roads and are far more dangerous to pedestrians. Let’s curb them before they do even more damage, says says transport commentator Christian Wolmar
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Dr GangGang @rachcunneen.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
It took me too long to realise that a person's writing style is as unique as their voice or their handwriting. It's dramatically changed what I value in written work.
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Dr Alan Nixon @alangnixon.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I've never enjoyed idiosyncratic grammar, language quirks (people write with an accent and it can vary by suburb), and poetic phrasing more. AI writing steals the soul of language and regurgitates bland mediocrity. It might look good to some. To me it's trash.
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Old Lady Screaming into the Void @oldladyscreaming.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
As a medical school admissions officer, I can't tell you how shocking it is to see all of the college professors using AI to write their letters of recommendation now. It's not just the students.
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Scott Sment @cmentmixer.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
So long as the paper is the end goal, the education is a complication to be dealt with along the way. It's an obstacle.
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daughterofwitches.bsky.social @daughterofwitches.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
As a K12 teacher, we are going back to pen/paper drafts and only the final draft is typed. We are also talking about introducing blue books & removing the 1 to 1 Chromebooks in the fall. The kids actually LIKE the hands on work and projects- you cannot admire your slide deck hanging on the wall.
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Whirly @girlwhowhirls.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I took introductory undergraduate German last year and ran into this problem. It was really hard to tell whether online dictionaries were giving me static content or AI translations.
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Dr Alan Nixon @alangnixon.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
My colleagues and I think it is more insidious than most realise. The AI constantly offers to help the user cheat. Over and over. Sometimes the student can't even tell they are using AI, because it's embedded in translators, grammar help, and other standard features. But all of it horrible AI slop
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Make America Germ-Infested Again Can't imagine what could be driving poor people away from healthcare, or preventing shelter operators from upgrading space and ventilation 🙄 streetsensemedia.org/article/dist... #tb #tuberculosis
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Staying indoors all weekend in my air conditioned flat well away from all the crazy tourists
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Hwa Shi-Hsia /xwa51 ʂɚ55 ɕja35/ @coolvirus.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This is heartbreaking, both for the horrific deaths of children to #rabies and the hundreds of already-vaccinated #dogs murdered by idiots #Ethiopia 🇪🇹 www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Hossana residents forced to kill their own dogs after Ethiopia rabies deaths
Some residents reluctantly hung their dogs to avoid being arrested or fined, locals tell the BBC.
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
GLP-1 was discovered as a glucagon-like peptide encoded by preproglucagon in 1987 in research funded by NIH (NIDDK). Subsequent academic studies demonstrated that GLP-1 acts in an opposite manner than does glucagon, promoting lowering blood glucose level. 4/7
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Where does Atlas think information about the key molecules that led to checkpoint inhibitors can from? These molecules such as CTLA-4 were discovered from studies of basic immunology funded by NIH (NCI) 3/7
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