In his strongest condemnation yet of animal research, RFK Jr. said HHS is “deeply committed to ending animal experimentation.” He also called for an end monkey to imports and claimed national primate centers are driven by profit. My latest for @science.org

Proud to be in a class with some seriously impressive up-and-comers. Inaugural class here: journals.asm.org/journal/jvi/... I'll be penning an article with colleague and friend @hanckslab.bsky.social on mitochondrial proteins that moonlight to execute immune responses @jvico-eics.bsky.social

The Akhtar Lab @manneresearch.bsky.social and Northwestern University @nufeinbergmed.bsky.social is hiring a full time RESEARCH TECHNICIAN. If you want to study neonatal HSV pathogenesis please send me a message and apply for the position here: luriechildrens.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/externalport...

Another shake-up of scientific leadership is underway at NIH after a policy clash over the alleged dangers of funding a study that would alter seasonal flu viruses. That grant is now suspended, Science has learned, and the leader of the NIH division that oversaw it has resigned.

Feeling festive? Why not deck the halls with @cvrinfo.bsky.social's papercraft #VirusSnowflakes and celebrate the science of viruses and the fight against viral diseases. Download for free: cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl... #scicomm #sciart #decorations

🌟 UNC undergrads—ready to dive into research? Apply for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)! ✅ $4,000 stipend ✅ 9 weeks of hands-on research 📅 Deadline: Feb 1, 2026 👉 Learn more: our.unc.edu/fund/surf/ #UndergraduateResearch #SURF #UNCResearch #STEM

We want you to help us celebrate excellence in virology. CSV is now accepting nominations for our 2026 Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions from trainees through to senior PIs. 🗓 Deadline: March 1st, 2026. 🔗More info can be found here: lnkd.in/eyuzFKJA

Join us on Dec. 8 from 12-1 p.m. ET for a conversation with Nobel Laureate Dr. Katalin Karikó, where she’ll share insights from her memoir "Breaking Through: My Life in Science"—a story of resilience, discovery and revolutionizing medicine. Register now: asm.social/2Ie

🚨ATTENTION EARLY CAREER VIROLOGISTS🚨 We have a webinar on how to get a faculty position! Hear from Jean Lim, @drsprggs.bsky.social and @tylernstarr.bsky.social. Check your email for registration link and form to submit questions in advance.

About that exclusive, "closed-to-press" MAHA summit last week with RFK and JD Vance: I got in. Here's what I saw. 🧵 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

EXCLUSIVE: CDC to end all monkey studies. Decision handed down by recent college grad and former DOGE employee who is now deputy chief of staff at the agency. Animals were being used in studies of HIV prevention. Some may be euthanized. My latest for @science.org

Assistant Professor position posted for my Department, Biological Sciences at UNC Charlotte! Current research foci: Immunology, Microbiology, Virology; Biomolecular Function; Proteostasis; Genome Integrity; Epigenome Regulation; Cancer; Environmental Risks. jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/65141

If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs. Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them! cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...

www.bwfund.org/funding-oppo... bsky.app/profile/bwfu...

Multiple tenure-track faculty positions at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill! We seek creative scientists working in fundamental molecular, cellular, and computational areas. Basic and translational cancer research, all ranks. unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/309...

Psyched to say that Mike Diamond is talking at our next seminar. THURSDAY 20th Nov. All welcome! World leading #virology not to be missed - just email us for a Zoom link. Please help us with a re-post to get the word out 👍

UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts told faculty leaders the university does not plan on signing President Donald Trump’s administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” in exchange for favorable consideration of federal funding.

A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death. Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written." Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating. 🧪🧬🧫

I wrote some reflections this afternoon about how the discovery of the double helix changed the course of science. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qPS3y6

Scientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted. liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...

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.

James Dewey Watson – who won the Nobel Prize for his role in divining the structure of DNA; was instrumental in initiating and propelling the Human Genome Project; and who became notorious for his history of racist and sexist comments – has died at 97. go.nature.com/3JKHqvB

Researchers immunized an alpaca and a llama with snake venoms, and combined some of the antibodies produced into a potent cocktail go.nature.com/47QZkGc

A huge congratulations to Cristian, who defended this PhD thesis yesterday. We're proud to now call him Dr. Roca!

Congratulations to Celeste Robles @celeste-robles.bsky.social who did a great job on her qualifying exam and is our lab's newest PhD Candidate! Celeste is studying HSV neurobiology and defining the neuronal mechanisms that govern latency and reactivation.

They infect mammals worldwide—but, so far, not humans. 🧬 Join Dr. Adam Bailey on Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. ET for a free webinar on new insights into arterivirus receptor usage and host interactions. asm.social/2Fj #Virology #ViralEvolution #Research #JVI #Arterivirus

New PhD opportunity! Can skin inflammation protect us from mosquito-borne viruses like Zika? Join our MRC PhD project at York exploring how psoriasis and eczema change skin immunity to virus. Our grads thrive in academia, biotech & beyond. Apply now 👉 tinyurl.com/bfmd2rf4

Talk about an in-flight meal. For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn

The UNC Department of Biology is seeking a Director of Biology Teaching Labs, a key leadership role overseeing our undergraduate laboratory program. 1/n Learn more and apply here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/308...

Ebola is one of the nasty viruses that can hide in the body even after a patient recovers and tests negative. It can reemerge and trigger a new outbreak years later. How do they survive? And how can they be kayoed?

Emil Ferris created "My Favorite Thing is Monsters" after being paralyzed by West Nile virus www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Evolutionary biologist @scs22.bsky.social has had a lot of success recently sequencing ancient RNA viruses from museum samples. This summer I had the chance to accompany him and a team of researchers to the Arctic where they hope that the permafrost might allow them to go further back in time. 🧪

Come be my chair at The University of Arizona! We have great bike riding, hiking, and of course, science! arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

#microsky #mevosky The UNC Chapel Hill Biology Department is hiring 2 Teaching Assistant/Associate Professors with expertise from any area of biology. Individuals with expertise in microbiology are particularly encouraged to apply. Read more and apply at unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

Congratulations to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund GDEP awardees @bwfund.bsky.social, including Lazear Lab grad student Celeste Robles! @celeste-robles.bsky.social www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-exp...

A case of locally-transmitted CHIKV in Long Island, NY www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/n...

I am fascinated by how viruses evolve - and not just since #SARSCoV2 has shown us at the global stage how consequential virus evolution can be for us. In my new story in @science.org I got to explore how researchers are probing deeper into the past with old RNA virus genome. So a 🧪 thread…

UChicago Microbiology is searching for tenured or tenure-track faculty working in host-pathogens interactions, viral and bacterial pathogenesis, and emerging infectious diseases. Come join our vibrant Department! microbiology.uchicago.edu Apply here apply.interfolio.com/174404

Congratulations to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund GDEP awardees @bwfund.bsky.social, including Lazear Lab grad student Celeste Robles! @celeste-robles.bsky.social www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-exp...

From our @brendanmarks.bsky.social, UNC confirmed that GM Michael Lombardi visited Saudi Arabia for a fundraising trip after being invited. www.nytimes.com/athletic/672...