Now live! Nearly all human genes contain multiple transcript isoforms - and the genes that predominantly control infection, ISGs, are no different. Using PacBio with analysis help from Yan Guo, Himadri noticed a never-before-seen transcript isoform of ISG15 that potently restricts flu 1/4

Within-host adaptive evolution is limited by genetic drift in experimental human influenza A virus infections https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.07.698006v1

I come back from my winter PTO and day one Congress drops the text of a minibus. The dashboard has been updated with the Senate Homeland numbers, and all the info in the CJS-Int-E&W minibus. A House vote is scheduled tomorrow night, and Senate likely later this week. www.aaas.org/news/fy-2026...

Ever wondered how fever helps fight flu? Our research shows that fever-like temperature tip the scales in the battle between the influenza virus and the immune system by enhancing antiviral responses and altering viral RNA dynamics. Check out the full article here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Happy to see @joelrc.bsky.social's paper identifying cellular heterogeneity in basal OASL expression as a major determinant of interferon induction during influenza virus infection out in its final form: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Happy new year, hope everyone's 2026 is better than 2025!

Blog post: Just quit Quitting projects in science is hard, but we should be doing a lot more of it. open.substack.com/pub/arjunraj...

Check out @lizthayer.bsky.social's new preprint exploring factors that influence cell-to-cell heterogeneity in interferon (IFN) induction potential!

Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️

Just to add - after the molecular clock anomaly of the 2014 Lomela EBOV outbreak in DRC I wondered if @arambaut.bsky.social & I got the West African/Makona EBOV epidemic root wrong. Very happy to see JT McCrone correct the record (or at least get closer to the truth).

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.” Among those RIFd: —leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases; —leadership of global health center —leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

UMass Amherst Microbiology is hiring a tenure-track virologist. Come work with me! 🦠🧪 careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...

Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist Applications due Dec 1 Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339 Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text)

What causes viral transmission bottlenecks? This study uses barcoded virions to show that in the case of #influenza A #virus, early within-host replication dynamics (rather than a reduced inoculum population) drive loss of diversity during transmission @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4ngicDK

🚨🚨Our new preprint establishes the first robust model of severe influenza cardiac complications in WT immunocompetent mice. Heart transcriptomics implicated a potential therapeutic metabolic intervention that indeed shows beneficial heart/survival effects. 🦠🧫🧬🫁🫀🐀 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Excited to share the most recent work from our lab! In which we seek out the cellular source of homeostatic IFNL in the gut and find that gut pDC are ‘rewired’ to produce IFNL over type I IFNs.

#NIH is hanging by a thread. The #CDC has been decimated. #RFK Jr. and Russell #Vought are psychopaths--I don't say this frivolously--they are cold, calculating, inflicting violence on millions through public policy. It is where we are right now. These men are not normal. 1/

Please read all three senior officials’ resignation letters in full. I couldn’t even find quotes to pull. All three are cornerstones of modern public health. Dan Jernigan’s been at CDC longer than I’ve been alive. Department leadership left them in an impossible position.

Still worth celebrating things I think. Our CRITR-Seq paper is now out online in PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

1/ Excited to share the first preprint from my lab! 🎉 My postdoc Paz asked how cholera toxin (CT) helps Vibrio cholerae thrive in the gut. Turns out, CT rewires epithelial metabolism toward L-lactate production—fueling pathogen growth in the small intestine during disease

Just a reminder that if you want to do your postdoc in the best city in the world, well, you might be in luck - our position is still open and we're hoping to fill it within the next couple of weeks, so hurry up!

The Roslin Institute is looking for a full time Engagement Officer. Great to see them highlight that you don’t need a research background or PhD. My research background is a massive help to me in my career, but that is just one of many routes that people can take into engagement. We need all voices!

I'm excited to announce our new biorxiv preprint, wherein we investigate the evolution of the weirdest genetic locus I've ever seen! Behold the tgr genes of the social amoeba, which mediate self/non-self discrimination during facultative multicellularity 🐅 🧵 1/ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Congratulations to SB Pye and team for validating several paramyxovirus copyback genomes by direct RNA-Seq (no PCR involved). Specially cool are species formed between nucleotide 1 of the genome and a sequence close to the trailer..these are real products! journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Great to see jackhammer is back! If you have not tried it please give it a go. We would welcome constructive feedback. We are still adding features.

The Xue lab at UC Irvine is looking for a staff scientist to support our work investigating how microbes interact and evolve in the gut microbiome! Open to a wide range of previous experience levels, see ad for more. recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09601

This Thursday I will present the entirety of my PhD work (and a little bit more on the side) at #ASV2025 @amersocvirology.bsky.social . Be sure to be there if you'd like to know what is the hidden message of the coronavirus N gene!

Tiia is a superstar, and will be presenting not one, but two separate projects that are currently in the works. Make sure to check out her flash talk (W4-9) and posters (P1-28 and P21-1) on Tuesday. We welcome and appreciate your thoughts and feedback! #ASV2025

On our way to Montreal for #ASV2025. Make sure to come check out Matt’s (@mattmcfa17.bsky.social) work during W22-6. Can’t wait to see you all! @amersocvirology.bsky.social

Join our #DVGWorkshop2025 in Hamburg! Registration deadline: July 06. Take your chance to become part of the #DVGWorkshop2025 at @leibnizliv.bsky.social in Hamburg: www.leibniz-liv.de/aktuelles/ve... #virusgenomics #defectivegenomes #DVGs #DIPs #antivirals #sequencing

Does anyone have DNA/ear biopsy from SJL (CD45.1) mice from Taconic or Charles River (originating from there, even if they've been in-house for a long time that's fine) that they can share? I don't have much reach here, would appreciate people sharing the post.

If you're at #ASMicrobe, check out @reneeoles.bsky.social's talk on Monday morning: Session EEB-IDS-501 - Evolution in Microbiomes Across Environments Adaptive Evolution of Bacteroides fragilis under Oxidative Stress Modulates Iron Metabolism and Intensifies Host Inflammatory Responses #asm2025

My Canadian university, Queen's, is offering TWENTY 4-year funded PhDs (40k CAD/yr) for a student of ANY citizenship who has been accepted at a top 100 US university but have had offer rescinded OR are reconsidering offer due to US policy. Details found here👇 www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc...

I'm thinking of organising a meeting on endogenous viral elements (RNA, DNA and retroviral) - if you'd potentially be interested, please fill out the form here - forms.gle/wrCiWMw4yXZe... - so I can gauge interest. Please RT or share with anyone maybe interested! 🧪🧬🖥️🦠 #virology #bioinformatics

There is still time to apply; join our team to work on influenza virus replication mechanisms!

Excited to share our latest from my postdoc at @mskcancercenter.bsky.social in the Sfeir Lab, in collaboration with the Simon Powell Lab! We uncovered a novel genome repair mechanism in human cells: RNA-templated DNA double-strand break repair (RT-DSBR). (1/5)

Hey y'all! My department is conducting a search for an assistant or associate professor in bacteriology. It's pretty broadly defined. If you know anyone who's looking for a great department that does awesome science - please send them our way! You can DM me with any questions you have 😀

Really excited to share the final version of Rechel Geiger’s PhD thesis paper with help from friends www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Rechel is now back in medical school training to become a kickass physician-scientist

I am so grateful to have happy news to share: This summer I'll join @umichmicroimmuno.bsky.social as an assistant professor. The Barnett Lab is opening July 1, where we'll study cell death, damage, and inflammation in viral infection. We'll be hiring at all levels-- stay tuned! GO BLUE!

If you’re at #Immunology2025, check out Marvic’s poster and say hello! #AAI2025

Non-spike protein mutations in #SARSCoV2, likely to impact viral properties, are understudied. @brucelab.bsky.social show that a #nucleocapsid protein mutation in Delta variant enhances viral growth in vitro & in vivo by increasing viral genome #encapsidation @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4iBYsaI

I'm very excited to share the latest work from my group, led by @ahturner934.bsky.social. We revisited one of my favorite proteins (Rab11) and its role in influenza infection& discovered surprising new things. Rab11B is required for entry of current H3N2 isolates! 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Effective recognition of double-stranded RNA in human cells does not require activation of the antiviral interferon pathway www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

CELF2 suppresses immunostimulatory endogenous RNAs that activate the RIG-I-MAVS pathway in macrophages, preventing type I IFN-signature. Congrats to Julian Smith, Olivia Kern, and all the co-authors for their hard work! #innateimmunity #dsRNA #IFN www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Shameless plugs: if you're at the meeting please say hello to members of our group, they are all fab: (1) @danielweiriav.bsky.social talks about TNTs and flu in the Virus:Host Interactions Forum (Weds 2nd 14:45) (2) Junsen Zhang has a poster in block A on pasteurising flu in milk (A036) ...

Hooray! A lovely spring morning in Glasgow, and time to head off to Liverpool for my favourite microbiology conference, @microbiologysociety.org's #microbio25

Proud of this work, led by the amazing Jeannette Tenthorey (now Assistant Professor at UCSF), demonstrating the adaptive power of single indel mutations in host-virus arms races, but a little sad that this is the coda to her amazing postdoc in the Malik & Emerman labs. www.cell.com/cell-genomic...

🎉Congrats to Chase on her new preprint! She developed OMEGA--a simple method for assembling custom gene panels for as little as $1.50 per gene. Big step forward protein engineering and design!🧬 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Excited to share @joelrc.bsky.social 's new paper examining the factors underlying cell-to-cell heterogeneity in interferon induction during flu infection: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Are you a microbiologist looking to move to Alaska? There is an opening for a microbiologist in a clinical lab in Bethel. Only requires a BS. Please share with your networks, they really need to hire someone ASAP. phh.tbe.taleo.net/phh01/ats/ca... #AlaskaSky #Microjobs 🧪🦠🔬

The loss of TBK1, or both TBK1 and the related kinase IKKε, results in uncontrolled cell death–driven inflammation. We show that TBK1/IKKε prevent premature cell death by limiting the activity of multiple death pathways in myeloid cells. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...