There is going to be another edition of Mycobacteria Protocols. This time coediting with Ainhoa Lucia (U Zaragoza). It will be a combination of good old protocols and new ones. As we finalize the list, are there chapters that you really, really wish were in the new ed? #tuberculosis #mycobacteria🧪🦠

I am sorry that the US is such a bad neighbor.

RFK Jr's response to someone collapsing nearby him was to haul ass out of the room as quickly as possible

I showed my daughter my latest TLC results (lipid analysis in mycobacteria). I explained how the "fats" are separated. Then we did a little experiment so she could understand. So many skittles eaten before breakfast...

The US awards the Medal of Honor "to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor." Curious fact. Only 1 woman (of 3547) has been awarded it: Mary Edwards Walker. And the US tried to take hers back.

I am up-to-date on all my vaccines. Flu, COVID, measles, pertussis. Thank you scientists for making safe and effective vaccines that save lives!

Happy Halloween! Annual department pumpkin carving contest. The Portland Protest Frog was a clear favorite.

Trump administration's revisions to womenshealth.gov Quick summary: not good www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

HAPPENING NOW: Portland Police Commander Franz Schoening testifies that federal officers on Oct. 18 barraged protesters with crowd control munitions — not because of any violence but because another federal officer accidentally shot tear gas onto the roof of the ICE facility.

Fake eyelashes are a form of self-oppression. It is enough of a burden to use black paint to color in my eyelashes... I am not going to glue fake hair to my eyelids.

Is the AWS outage impacting ERA Commons and Login.gov? Thx.

What "war zone"? Picture taken today (Oct. 17 2025) at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

📢 Applications are open for the 4th installment of our ChemTools conference. We'll explore: 🧪 Platforms & tools for analyzing cell/tissue networks ⚡ Methods to perturb biological networks 🔍 Applications that yield new insights 🛏️ Lodging + meals covered ➡️ Apply by Dec 5: https://janelia.news/CHM26

UC Berkeley got five Nobel prizes for absolutely top-notch work. How many did the White House get? 🦗🦗🦗

View of "war ravaged" Portland, with Mount St. Helens in the background. Taken from my department's break room.

Agree 100% @stanfordaaup.bsky.social! “When it inevitably comes time for Stanford to choose, we must remember that we owe our loyalty not to any executive branch official but to our own foundational principles. We must be ready, when it’s our turn, to walk away.” stanforddaily.com/2025/10/12/f...

Spot on advice from humorous columnist Adam Rubin. Welcome to your Ph.D.! Now choose a lab | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Thank you MIT! MIT is a world-renowned center for research and innovation. They value scientific merit and freedom. They will not be coerced to sign "the compact". orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

My family had purple cauliflower for dinner. The cooking water turned purple (because of anthocyanine). Then... I amazed my family with how the purple water acts as a pH indicator. Ta-dah! Check out the pretty colors!

I am hosting Christoph Grundner (Seattle Children's) today for a seminar. Excited to hear about his latest work. I really enjoyed this paper from 2023 where he showed that >80% of the M. tuberculosis proteome is phosphorylated. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

It was a beautiful Sunday in Portland. Farmer’s markets, the Portland Marathon, peaceful protests, and some views of Mt. Hood. This city is vibrant, peaceful, and resilient. We do not need a federal occupation, and we sure as hell don’t want one.

Important piece from Sarah Stanley at Berkeley on new NIH definitions that can be construed to arbitrarily halt research that is both safe and important to public health and future cures www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/g... via @statnews.com

📣 Calling 2nd-year grad students and their mentors: You just abruptly lost the ability to apply for the NSF grad research fellowship. Join ~900 others (and growing!) in signing @omfishient.bsky.social's petition to reverse that. [Or reshare this petition if you're not directly impacted]

RFK Jr.’s claim that Tylenol causes autism has no backing Genetic factors are far more likely to influence a child’s later diagnosis. cen.acs.org/policy/RFK-J... #chemsky 🧪

Another horrible act by Trump: www.npr.org/2025/09/19/g...

Just finished reading this great book by @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social. I learned a lot and found it to be an excellent read. As a TB researcher, I am struck over and over again by how critical effective diagnosis and treatment are. TB kills over a million people EVERY YEAR. Fund TB research!

Early Registration extended through today (Sept. 16). Register now!

Last chance for early registration for the 2025 Chemical Biology & Physiology Symposium (Dec. 11-13 in Portland, Oregon, USA). Register here: www.ohsu.edu/school-of-me... Great program, including talks by Carasco, Chang, Bogyo, Baskin, Swarts, Sampson, Sletten, Dodani, Francis, Urano, Gibbs, etc.

Speaking of how awesome vaccines can be, I just learned that Denmark is close to wiping out leading cancer-causing HPV strains after vaccine roll-out #VaccinesSaveLives

Interesting graphic from the WSJ: Bill Gates is a notable billionaire because he intends to spend his fortune during his life, largely on global health. Looks like he still has a long way to go, keep it up!

14.4 million lives were saved in the first year that the COVID vaccines were available. VACCINES SAVE LIVES. I was excited and grateful to get my first COVID vaccine. It was a glimpse that life would eventually return to normal after the long and devastating effects of the pandemic.

Resign Robert F. Kennedy. Your work is done. You have damaged and endangered the health of Americans for years to come. www.savehhs.org

1000+ current and former HHS staff speak out: "Should he decline to resign, we call upon the President and U.S. Congress to appoint a new Sec. of HHS, one whose qualifications and experience ensure that health policy is informed by independent and unbiased peer-reviewed science." www.savehhs.org

On Sunday, Aug. 17, during #ACSFall2025, the American Chemical Society Board of Directors’ chair, Wayne E. Jones Jr., announced that the ACS Board approved $2.5 million to be granted to graduate students who have been impacted by recent funding cuts. cen.acs.org/acs-news/ACS... #chemsky 🧪

"NIH employees [could] refuse to terminate grants because such terminations are illegal and unconstitutional. " "Defending the Constitution now may require opposing illegal Trump administration actions, even when the Supreme Court provides political cover for those actions." Good post

Great opportunity to join the Leiden University Medical Center as a Junior Principal Investigator! Congratulations to this year's awardees (Marieke Barnhoorn, Edouard Fu, Lydiane Hirschler, @lloeff.bsky.social and Rajagopal Murugan)! Applications are possible for 2026: www.lumc.nl/en/news/2025...

Come be my boss! We’re looking for a passionate and supportive leader for our Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Research in MMI spans diverse models and systems of host-pathogen interactions. Come join us in the beautiful Pacific NW! facultycareers-ohsu.icims.com/jobs/35624/c...

Serving as Chair of MMI was one of the most rewarding roles of my career. The department is full of brilliant scientists tackling host–pathogen interactions from every angle. I can’t think of a better opportunity. And of course, doing it all in the natural beauty of the PNW doesn’t hurt.

OHSU CHAIR POSITION: Please share Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR) is looking for a Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Nominations, inquiries, or applications (CV w/ cover letter) can be sent to Cathy Villagomez (villagoc at ohsu.edu).

The illegal loss of funding for these grants is a profound loss of progress in research. Before funding, these grants were all subjected to highly rigorous peer-review by experts in the research topics. NIH and Congress approved the funds. Trump stole them away. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

🧪 BREAKING: In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court allows NIH to re-terminate grants pending a full ruling. It's complicated though. Not a clear full win for Trump. And if you have terminations or active grants at ANY OTHER AGENCY -- NSF, EPA, etc. -- this concerns you too. 🧵 Let's break it down

Roald Dahl was an outspoken advocate for the measles vaccine because his 7 yo daughter Olivia died from a measles infection. He published "Measles: A dangerous illness," to encourage children to be vaccinated. Read essay here: www.immunize.org/clinical/vac... Dahl family w/ Olivia holding puppy.

My Congresswoman knows... but I hope that this will be a fun reminder to @repbonamici.bsky.social that Kennedy is a QUACK.

ACS seeks nominations for 2026 Heroes of Chemistry The award recognizes teams of industrial chemical scientists whose work has led to successful commercialized products that benefit humankind. cen.acs.org/acs-news/ACS... #chemsky 🧪

Blocking humanitarian visas for wounded children seeking medical treatment because you're afraid they are terrorists is the height of cowardice. This administration is led and populated by the worst of us.

Tuberculosis is a deadly disease, but can be cured with proper diagnosis and treatment. The spread of TB in detention centers is another example of legal (and ethical) violations by ICE and the Trump administration.

scienceimpacts.org Please share this link widely-- it allows people to see how the loss of NIH funding will directly impact their county. Includes current impact and future impacts. It is grim. NIH funding benefits us all.

NEW: Hundreds of Jewish UCLA faculty have written to the UC Regents, saying that the Trump administration's $1 billion payment demand in the name of fighting antisemitism is "misguided and punitive." The letter brings together pro-Israel and anti-Zionist Jews: www.latimes.com/california/s...

New position in Developmental Neuroscience in the University of Oregon Department of Biology. There is also a neuroengineering search going on in the Knight Campus at the same time, so exciting buildouts in that area at the UO. academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30255