Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Grad student Sarah Farrell wrote this review about a novel approach to malaria control that drugs mosquitoes instead of the people. We believe it will be a cheap and useful disease control strategy. She paints her own figures, and they are gorgeous. url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/cyiICWLJMv... 220 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 07/06/2026I proposed that apicomplexans arose from mutualistic, photosynthetic symbionts such as the symbiotic dinoflagellates that occur in modern day corals. The symbiotic ancestor of Apicomplexa stopped photosynthesising, crossed-the-tracks, and became a parasite instead of a mutualist. 110 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 07/06/2026To identify the apicoplast, we localised chloroplast related genes (sequenced by Iain Wilson and his then graduate student Malcolm Gardner) with a technique known as in situ hybridization which is like FISH but uses tiny gold balls to see the target sequence by EM. 230 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 07/06/2026The key apicoplast function is to make a 5-carbon isoprenoid building block (isopentenyl pyrophosphate or IPP). Parasites use IPP in dolichols, ubiquinone, tRNAs, & prenylation of proteins. Parasites can’t scavenge IPP from their hosts, so must retain an apicoplast to make it. 164 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 07/06/2026Today marks 30 years since we identified the apicoplast, a relict plastid in human and animal parasites (PMID 8632819). Apicoplasts are the target of the widely used antimalarial prophylactic doxycycline, which has saved many thousands of malaria infections. 37932 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 04/06/2026Jess Home gave her PhD oration on malaria parasite drug resistance yesterday and nailed it of course. Afterwards we went for drinks. 🍷 140 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Meanwhile, its autumn down under. Tupelo tree imported from North America. There are almost no deciduous trees in Australia and most of the ones that lose their leaves do it in the dry season to avoid desiccation not the cold. 040 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Popped into my local Data Centre. A helpful person there helped me find the data I wanted.They explained that I could take the data home for as long as I wanted but please bring it back so someone else can use it too. Apparently this person is paid by the city to curate the data. Amazing innovation. 0101 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Passed 2k emails unread. The sky hasn’t fallen. No lightning bolts frizzling me from on high. I still have a job. I have found you get a lot less email if you don’t reply 🙄 120 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Bit of summer evening malariology at a rooftop bar downtown. 020 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 26/02/2026Cuckoo wasp from SE Australia. Lays her eggs in the larvae of mud daub wasps, which become food for the hatching cuckoo wasp larvae. Remarkably beautiful little insect, and I’m pretty happy with this iPhone shot as she is only 10mm long. 0100 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 15/12/2025It’s not every day that a Nobel Laureate drops in for an update on your lab’s work. Liz Blackburn co-discovered telomeres and still asks hard questions. 1160 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 05/10/2025Fibonacci would have loved Australian wildflowers. 050 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 03/08/2025My time on Moku O Lo’e is almost at an end. The coral spawning was not very successful. Only three of our 40 colonies spawned. Anyway, had a gorgeous visit and the surf was epic for 2.5 weeks. Biggest waves I’ve ridden in years. And that tsunami evacuation night was one to remember. 020 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 18/07/2025Touring the Pacific researching my book on the origin & evolution of Life. Last stop was in Palau 🇵🇼 to see this photosynthetic jellyfish in Ongeim'l Tketau seawater lake. They don’t sting and exist entirely through the food from their pink/brown algal symbionts. They swim to stay in the sunlight. 1314 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 11/06/2025Poisonous mushrooms are in the news in Australia right now. This lovely Amanita muscaria is fruiting out front of the Botany building. 150 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 20/05/2025@sturalph.bsky.social giving the laudatio for Dominique who receives the Lifetime Achievement Award for malariology at BioMalPar. #EMBLMalaria 1244 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 11/05/2025When you don’t let the sticks dry out enough before making them into a fence, or were they hedging their bets? 150 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 29/04/2025So I got a cat, first one ever. Her name is Bob and she’s a rescue. Very affectionate and curious. I get why people like them despite always being a fan of Kipling’s “The cat that walked by himself”. 151 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 29/04/2025Autumn is here and the Otway Coast is gorgeous as always. 120 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 19/03/2025Flexed off for the afternoon to celebrate 67 laps around the sun. A warm 32oC autumn day helped. 4180 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 31/01/2025Koalas live in the trees on my block at the Otway coast. This one was enjoying new growth low down in a manna gum by the back door. 0100 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 14/12/2024A great week. The newly minted Dr Sophie Collier graduated, along with Masters students Yumin Wong and Nicole Smith, who both got distinctions. Sophie submitted a revised review, and Sarah Farrell, our lab manager, submitted her first paper. Dinner at Brunettis to cap the year off. 170 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 29/11/2024It’s a pretty nice afternoon in Melbourne too right now 110 0
Geoff McFadden @fad1.bsky.social · 23/11/2024Off to Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah to teach the ASP Concepts in Parasitology Course. There may be surfing involved. 080 0
