I’m late to the party on this one, but for those of you looking for a fascinating window into public health, forensics and an unsettling chapter in American history, Aftermath is worth a listen. It is also really interesting to hear some familiar voices tell their story. www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-p...

Terrific new feature presented by @theo.io on @pathoplexus.org called SeqSets for generating DOIs for sequence subsets used in publications, that can then be tracked for impact via CrossRef that will allow data generators to track impact! #IMMEMXiV

✅ Influenza ✅ COVID-19 Powered up for the fall.

As a dad, the number of ways you can slip “6 or 7” into everyday conversations with your teenager is limited only by your own creativity. Glee gives way to disgust, and eventually, dread.

Food safe? Water clean? Air healthy? Public health labs are constantly testing to make sure what surrounds us is safe. #PublicHealth #ThanksPHLabs

The commercials during the VMAs are conveniently just long enough to book an appointment for this year’s updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

For those of you who might be feeling a bit old tonight, Max Headroom went off the air almost a decade before Doja Cat was born.

And so it begins

Scoop - SUSAN MONAREZ, nation’s newly installed CDC director, is being ousted, people familiar tell @lenasun.bsky.social @laurenweberhp.bsky.social + me

🗓 Pathoplexus turns ONE! 🎂🎉 In the past year we’ve grown from 4 pathogens to a truly global, community-driven platform for transparent, equitable & impactful pathogen sequence sharing. 📰 Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2025-08... 1/10

🎉 New in August: Measles virus joins Pathoplexus! Following strong community support, we added MeV data submission (with Open & Restricted-Use options, as always) and powerful search & data access for MeV pathoplexus.org/measles/search 5/10

Verily, Google's sister company, made cuts to staff as part of a big internal shakeup. Its CEO warned of "difficult decisions" ahead.

I joined NEJM to discuss the role of the CDC and current threats to the public health infrastructure in the U.S. Please listen to the interview:

Fun fact: diluted tattoo inks and washes make pretty decent carbon sources for NTMs.

Cbot.

Interesting reporting on the current state of philanthropy in public health and biomedical research. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/p...

REMINDER: Friday, August 15th is your LAST day to order these incredible masterpieces before they are gone forever. Own a collectors item today!

Post your last photo of DC to show what a hell-hole it is. (A friendly horse at the Park Police stables on the National Mall).

FYI

I miss Olde Tymers.

CDC workers were terrified as gunman shot at the agency’s headquarters yesterday. Today they are still reeling from shock, fear — and rage. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/u...

Those shots would have all needed to pass directly over a busy daycare, right at pickup time.

Join us August 27 from 2-3pm ET for a webinar on K-12 outreach in public health laboratory science! Learn how to inspire the next generation of scientists through age-specific strategies tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students. Register now: buff.ly/sLj3Hrw #publichealth

✨ Looking to add something special to your decor? This is your last chance to order FREE Scientific Superhero posters for your home, office, university, or lab from CDC-INFO on Demand. The last day to order is August 15, 2025 before they shut things down. www.cdc.gov/advanced-mol...

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Oy vey. finance.yahoo.com/news/elizabe...

🚨Our study on characterising the within-host SARS-CoV-2 evolution during persistent infections is now out in @lancetmicrobe.bsky.social! 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

📢New job posting!📢 Are you excited by the idea of building global infrastructure to make pathogen sequencing more accessible, interpretable, and equitable? 🧑🏻‍💻🧬 My group at @swisstph.ch has an opening working with ARTIC2, @pathoplexus.org, & Loculus - read on! 1/5

I think my kids may be single-handedly responsible for whatever numbers K-Pop Demon Hunters is doing right now.

Replication Crisis xkcd.com/3117/

The Trump administration halts “dangerous” research on viruses and pathogens despite recommendations of scientists at the National Institute of Health, who argue the move could block experiments that are safe and potentially lead to new treatments.

Fantastic postdoc fellowship opportunity @mcgill.ca! mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/McGill_Caree...

Genomic Surveillance Reveals Global Spread of Macrolide-Resistant Bordetella pertussis Linked to Vaccine Changes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.16.665123v1

Health considerations aside, the United States currently imports over 30% of its’ cane sugar and less than 1% of its HFCS.

The new clean energy regime can be summarized in one incredible statistic: China installed more wind and solar power in a single year than the total amount of renewable energy currently operating in the United States.

Another difficult and bewildering day.

This is disturbing on so many different levels.