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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer

@scs22.bsky.social
652 followers 253 following 38 posts

Infectious disease ecology and evolution, pathogen genomics, environmental DNA, ancient DNA/RNA

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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Our paper on ancient sheeppox virus genomes, including many found from parchment samples, is now published af Science Advances. Congrats to all our co-authors and particularly first author Louis. #aDNA share.google/JqVOTB2lvxcO...
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Three thousand five hundred years of sheeppox virus evolution inferred from archaeological and codicological genomes
Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is a major livestock pathogen causing economic hardship through reduced production and death of vulnerable sheep, with written descriptions of sheeppox-like disease recorded sinc...
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
📣 Wir suchen Unterstützung! Du hast Erfahrung als Laborassistent_in für Biologie/Chemie? Dann komm zu uns ans Helmholtz-Institut für One Health in Greifswald! Wir suchen eine technische Assistenz (m/w/d). Weitere Infos unter: www.helmholtz-hioh.de/de/jobs/
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Jan Gogarten @jangogarten.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Nice coverage by @kakape.bsky.social in @science.org of our preprint, where we present data showing orthopoxviruses, including MPXV, infect duikers, which are popular bushmeat in many mpox endemic regions. Highlights lots more about orthopoxvirus ecology to explore: www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
These small African antelopes may help mpox spread
Researchers find evidence that duikers, hunted and eaten across sub-Saharan Africa, can harbor the deadly virus
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Can safely way this is the craziest and coolest study I have led. We chart the evolution of sheeppox virus, finding it in the Eurasian steppe ~3700 years ago, and also in a LOT of parchment from medieval Europe (made from a range of animals skins!) #aDNA
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Jan Gogarten @jangogarten.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
A paper for the #eDNA crowd, in particular those using flies for terrestrial biomonitoring. We show that massive pooling works well, reducing costs + time, bringing us a step closer to scalable terrestrial eDNA biomonitoring. doi.org/10.1002/edn3...
doi.org
An Exploration of DNA Extraction Methods of Fly iDNA for Scalable Biodiversity Monitoring
Metabarcoding of invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) is an excellent tool for assessing terrestrial mammal diversity, but the time and costs associated with sample processing constrain its wider adoption....
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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer @scs22.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
If you could take just one journalist with you to a polar archipelago, who would it be? 100% @kakape.bsky.social😉 Thanks for the extensive conversations and excellent reporting. Immer wieder gerne!
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
New study by the Institut Pasteur de Bangui and HIOH examines CAR #mpox outbreaks via genomic #epidemiology. High frequencies of independent spillovers highlight the need to strengthen systematic surveillance & identify animal sources to prevent future outbreaks www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Three researchers preparing samples for high-throughput sequencing in the laboratories of the Genomic Surveillance Platform of the Institut Pasteur de Bangui.
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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer @scs22.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
We were part of another viral aRNA study that was just published. In this work spearheaded by Christian Urban in the lab of Verena Schuenemann, a new protocol was assessed (good for short fragments) and a seventh 1918 flu genome was completely sequenced bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com
An ancient influenza genome from Switzerland allows deeper insights into host adaptation during the 1918 flu pandemic in Europe - BMC Biology
Background From 1918 to 1920, the largest influenza A virus (IAV) pandemic known to date spread globally causing between 20 to 100 million deaths. Historical records have captured critical aspects of ...
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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer @scs22.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
We just succeeded in formally linking a specific rodent species - the otherwise charming fire-footed rope squirrel - to the onset of a mpox outbreak in a primate species - sooty mangabeys. Here Kai’s report on the preprint we released yesterday 1/2
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Schaufler Lab (GEAR@HIOH) @schauflerlab.org · 06/03/2025
We are looking for a dedicated replacement to work as a technical assistant. www.helmholtz-hzi.de/karriere/job... If you are interested, please send us your complete application documents in accordance with the job advertisement. @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social
helmholtz-hzi.de
Das Helmholtz-Institut für One Health (HIOH) sucht eine_n Technische_n Assistent_in (w/m/d)
Das Helmholtz-Institut für One Health (HIOH) Greifswald ist ein Standort des Helmholtz-Zentrums für Infektionsforschung (HZI). Hier werden die Zusammen...
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
RESTOREID @restoreideu.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
🧬 First update from the eDNA lab! 🪰 Extracting mammalian DNA from carrion flies collected in Tanzania for biodiversity studies. A first trial using @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social protocol for the flies collected by @uantwerpen.bsky.social + #Gecolab Shoutout to @paulinevanl.bsky.social ! 📸 #eDNA
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH) @helmholtz-hioh.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
🚨 #Job Alert 🚨 Die Bewerbungsfrist für die Position als Institutssekretär:in am HIOH endet bald! 📅 Bewerbungsschluss: 22. Januar. Eine spannende Chance, Teil eines internationalen Forschungsteams in Greifswald zu werden. Mehr Infos: www.helmholtz-hioh.de/fileadmin/HI... #JobOpportunity #OneHealth
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Tulio de Oliveira @tuliodna.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Excited to announce the African STARS Fellowship, one of the largest programs in Africa. In partnership with Mastercard Foundation, Institut Pasteur & Stellenbosch University, initial funding of 165 million rands. Press release ceri.org.za/news/?token=... Launch 15 Jan, Cape Town, SA
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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer @scs22.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
A very reasonable thread on this (a bit unnecessarily overheated) debate.
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Peter Simmonds @psimmond.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Hi Related to your & the previous post, I looked it up and there are 120 Study Groups (SGs), with collectively more than 900 members. These are expert and typically quite experienced virologists, & should provide a reasonable cross-section of knowledge and expertise. So it's not a mad dictatorship!
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
sarah-c-hill.bsky.social @sarah-c-hill.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
🦠 We are recruiting two 2-year postdocs to work at the intersection of virus genomics and infectious disease. jobs.rvc.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx... Please share widely!
An image with text describing the jobs, and the logo of the Royal Veterinary College. The text says:

Title: Hiring two postdoctoral researchers. 

What? Improve identification and response to emerging and endemic virus threats.
Where? Royal Veterinary College.
How? Genomics, metagenomics, phylogenetics.
Who: Working with Prof Oliver Pybus, Dr Sarah Hill, Dr Jayna Rahgwani, and GAP DC. 
When? Apply by 27th January 2025. 

Underneath this, there are two boxes describing the two roles:
Role 1: Phylodynamics: Introduction, emergence and spread of viruses in farmed and wild animals. 
Role 2: Detect and understand threats to/from wildlife and their environments.
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Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer @scs22.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Here the article where the ICTV explains the transition to Latinized binomial species names. I think the rationale is compelling: this change brings coherence, aligning viral taxonomy with that of all other biological entities 1/5 www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
microbiologyresearch.org
Guidance for creating individual and batch latinized binomial virus species names
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses recently adopted, and is gradually implementing, a binomial naming format for virus species. Although full Latinization of these names remains option...
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Grateful to @smritimallapaty.bsky.social for covering our analysis of host transcriptional infection signatures at the Huanan market! Still not the “smoking raccoon dog” but getting closer… www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Sick animals suggest COVID pandemic started in Wuhan market
A preliminary analysis takes a closer look at genomic data collected at the market.
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Reposted by Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer
Martin Kuhlwilm @kuhlwilm.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Out now: How we screened great apes from museum collections to find viruses! rdcu.be/d1UsZ
rdcu.be
Screening great ape museum specimens for DNA viruses
Scientific Reports - Screening great ape museum specimens for DNA viruses
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