I think about this post every day 🧪

So I’ve got some real bad news about a large fraction of the AI in medicine efforts

The hater to constructive ratio of this website is generally pretty bad, but man, when someone you hate dies. What a community

Yes, some people's legacies are complicated. For example, Watson. After all, though he was racist, don't forget his other traits. For example, he was also sexist. And also anti-semitic. And a data / idea thief. So let's not forget all the different facets.

We are looking for a scientific computing associate interested in data-driven equation discovery here at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social. This is an alternative to a postdoc that you can use to move into academic or software jobs. Please spread the word! hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...

His death will put end the tradition of him nearly running over Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers with his car, a story I've heard on at least half a dozen different occasions.

The elimination of USAID was an unforgivable moral atrocity that should haunt Trump, Elon Musk and Marco Rubio for the rest of their days and beyond

New paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Klebs can evolve resistance to Colistin through mgrB mutation or by acquiring the mcr-1 gene. Both routes have similar fitness costs against a bacterial competitor, but mgrB mutations are associated with enhanced virulence.

If you're looking for a faculty position at the intersection of ecology and computing (both broadly defined), please apply to this joint search between the CEE Department and the College of Computing at MIT: cee.mit.edu/people/share...

the year i’m having

Really enjoying feeling hope. Let's do this more, yeah?

biology is so cool because like every week someone is like "Dr. Smith is coming to campus! She is the world expert in blargyblarg!" And i'm like A) never heard of blargyblarg, B) look it up, it's super important and interesting

BOSTON (AP) — Two Massachusetts men have been arrested in connection with a weekend explosion at Harvard Medical School, authorities said Tuesday. The FBI’s Boston office announced the arrests on social media ahead of a 1 p.m. news conference. It didn’t provide further details.

It’s Tuesday folks, and you know what that means:

Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:

If you're in line to bat at Game 7 of the World Series STAY IN LINE

Wow

When did they call him up from the minors?

Between grants getting politically targeted and my lab’s building getting literally fucking bombed, 2025 is going great thanks

I went as an AI hallucination this year. I actually felt very dated because I was trying to get the LLMs to build the messed up text characteristic of a year or so ago and they won’t do it anymore!

You should apply to do an internship with us! - Make sure you attach a research statement (we don't consider anybody with no statement for interviews) - The application site will probably go down for a day or two on Nov 17, and the link may change jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/jo...

I've often wondered about what we should call organisms whose similarity might be due to acquired genetic material. It got a little complicated, but I made a stab at it here Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

Reading the microbial warfare literature

those of you who are afraid of aging, please understand that one of the huge blessings of middle age is arriving at this exact station

The only thing more scientifically dispiriting than reading a potentially exciting paper that turns out to be a ton of hype and little else is seeing your colleagues uncritically holding it up as a breakthrough

New pre-print: Plasmid dependent phage effectively eliminate AMR bacteria and block plasmid transmission in the chicken gut microbiome Fun collaboration with Tao He lab (JAAS) and @brockhurstlab.bsky.social lab (Manchester) #phagesky#microsky www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

When he says “hit it, Joe”, I don’t think first time viewers are going to be prepared for just how hard Joe hits it.

When you buy a cutting board from bioinformaticians

Anyone looking for an undergrad research assistant this coming summer? I have a truly phenomenal undergrad with expertise in genetic mapping, long read sequencing & bioinformatics who wants experience in another lab before grad school. She has been in our lab for 3 years & writing her first paper!

But seriously, I can’t wait for the first bubble to burst because it might actually be possible to have a conversation about what’s useful and interesting and what’s just more bullshit hype yelled in a circle

Of fo sho. I mean yeah Republicans put DOGE in charge and now if a grant has ‘diversity’, ‘equity’, ‘inclusion’, ‘climate change’ etc, it can’t get funded, but sure PIs can speak their minds…

A university that signs the “compact” is one that acknowledges its own inability to compete and succeed based talent and merit. It would signal insecurity and mediocrity to current and future students and faculty. Say no. Recruit the best people, protect their freedom and support their hard work.

Podcast with me and @turiking.bsky.social for the @milnerevolution.bsky.social series, on plasmid evolution over the last 100 years, talking about our ( @cazares-adr.bsky.social , Nick Thomson, @sarah1alexander.bsky.social & co) recent paper www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... youtu.be/Mzr3TD4ijs0?...

I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not against AI, I dislike bullshit

Administrators: look at how your “peer institutions” are reacting. You wouldn’t want to sign it and mark yourself as needing special favor and so a tier below, would you?

That murder is the leading indicator here says Microsoft sales reps should use more aggressive tactics

Terrific writeup of our new paper led by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, thanks Pitt media! www.medschool.pitt.edu/news/bacteri...

The first school to volunteer for this will be making an unambiguous statement: we would be the first to resegregate our university if we could. Sure would hate to see any school I’ve been affiliated with go down in history as that kind of scum

Phages evolve fast, or do they? In oysters, some stay identical for years. With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements. Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

I'm very excited to announce that UNC Biology has 6 faculty positions open this year! The first is for an Asst Professor who studies organismal resilience using an integrative approach 1/n unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

(forgetting the word for antibiotics) do i need cancel culture

Odd to consider, but T-Rex had a Krebs cycle

Starting session 6 on experimental evolution with the online participation of Will Ratcliff. #Multicellverse @wcratcliff.bsky.social

Is a healthy microbiome one that is rich in phages? 🦠 Excited to share our paper out in Lancet Microbe with @bkoskella.bsky.social & @dholtappels.bsky.social where we test whether virome diversity can be used a broad signature of microbiome health 📈

MIT says no to the Trump admin higher-ed compact clearly and emphatically. Other universities would be well served to read, remix, and respond similarly. "In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences." orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

trying to mind my business and think about viruses and this strange man approached me and just started talking about some sort of magical orb or perhaps crystal called a “plasmid.” pretty sure that’s not a thing that exists. if you are in New Haven please be safe, the plasmid man is still at large