Matt Watson
@bioandbaseball.bsky.social
📤 2269
📥 1498
📝 165
#Biosecurity
,
#Biodefense
,
#Biotech
, Pandemic Preparedness
pinned post!
I’m pleased to share our latest commentary - Toward a safer and more secure US
#bioeconomy
- now out in
@naturebiotech.bsky.social
.
rdcu.be/d3IxR
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Toward a safer and more secure US bioeconomy
Nature Biotechnology - To enhance the safety and security of the US bioeconomy, a new public–private partnership should be established to facilitate information sharing and threat analysis...
https://rdcu.be/d3IxR
12 months ago
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John Scalzi
4 days ago
He told them to put the whiskey in the jar
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Amesh Adalja
12 days ago
“There are now 12 confirmed cases in the outbreak, which was first reported in mid-November and is occurring in the southern part of the country..73 suspected case-patients have been tested so far, and 349 contacts were being monitored”
www.cidrap.umn.edu/marburg/deat...
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Death toll climbs in Ethiopia's Marburg outbreak
Three new deaths have been confirmed in the outbreak, bringing the death toll to 8.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/marburg/death-toll-climbs-ethiopias-marburg-outbreak
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Jeremy Berg
21 days ago
I have posted about this before, but... Researchers at Pitt School of Public Health (with NIH funding) developed Project Tycho where they digitized reportable disease data from across the country going back to ~1900.
graphics.wsj.com/infectious-d...
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Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines
The number of infected people, measured over 70-some years and across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, generally declined after vaccines were introduced.
https://graphics.wsj.com/infectious-diseases-and-vaccines/
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This is true both in this context, and beyond. Inherent safety may appear to be a predictable outcome of a complex system, but it isn’t. It’s the product of deliberate engineering.
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about 1 month ago
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Onisillos
about 2 months ago
"...the only long-term solution is for governments to invest in safe drinking water and sanitation."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
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Cholera is spreading fast, yet it can be stopped. Why haven’t we consigned it to history? | Hakainde Hichilema and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Vaccine production must be expanded to combat this ancient disease, especially in Africa, but a lack of political will is holding us back
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/oct/25/cholera-global-spread-vaccine-production-africa-zambia
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Sopranos creator David Chase to write HBO limited series on CIA drug program.
apple.news/AkpUSN4twTKe...
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Sopranos creator David Chase to write HBO limited series on CIA drug program — Guardian US
Return marks his first TV series since groundbreaking mob drama, and will examine covert mind-control program
https://apple.news/AkpUSN4twTKeO3X8pYTQyMw
about 2 months ago
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Daniel S. Goldberg
about 2 months ago
Wow. NHANES js incredibly for population health surveillance, and is nationally representative as well. What a loss.
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Amesh Adalja
2 months ago
“While the administration has since rescinded more than half of the approximately 1,300 termination notices it sent, the upheaval from the layoffs that are still taking effect could undermine efforts to protect public health.”
www.axios.com/2025/10/13/t...
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CDC purge hits 600 workers in key offices despite reversals
The casualties include employees working on health statistics, injury and violence prevention, congressional outreach and human resources.
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/13/trump-kennedy-cdc-firings-rehirings
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Greg Folkers
2 months ago
Inside Medicine: Breaking News: RIFs in reverse. Some CDC workers have been brought back, in latest whiplash by
@jeremyfaust.bsky.social
bit.ly/3W4AHzk
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Breaking News: RIFs in reverse. Some CDC workers have been brought back, in latest whiplash.
This is breaking news.
https://bit.ly/3W4AHzk
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Catherine Rampell
2 months ago
Lots of Epidemic Intelligence Service officers ("disease detectives") gone. In-country staff in Africa (including those helping to manage the current Ebola outbreak) are fired.
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CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.
open.substack.com/pub/insideme...
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BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.
The Trump administration is using the shutdown to further weaken the our national public health infrastructure.
https://open.substack.com/pub/insidemedicine/p/breaking-news-cdc-employees-terminated?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
2 months ago
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Thelonevirologist
2 months ago
Predictability of infectious disease outbreak severity: Chikungunya as a case study
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Predictability of infectious disease outbreak severity: Chikungunya as a case study
Predicting outbreak severity may require looking beyond R0 , especially for mosquito-borne pathogens like chikungunya virus.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt5419
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Nicholas Grossman
2 months ago
The reason for military rules of engagement and adhering to laws of armed combat is not “political correctness,” it’s better strategy, serves long-term national interest, and is a way to make an awful part of the human experience a little less awful, based on lessons learned from centuries of blood.
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Nemesys Insights, in partnership with Frontier Design Group , is currently conducting an online Red Teaming exercise to reduce the dangers posed by cutting-edge AI applications. See the flyer for more information and scan the QR code to register!
3 months ago
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Kevin Ault
3 months ago
#OTD
in 1918, the Indianapolis News reported an outbreak of influenza at Fort Harrison. By October 2, the epidemic had spread into the community and the "Indianapolis Board of Health essentially shut down all public gatherings in the city."
indyencyclopedia.org/1918-spanish...
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1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
From September 1918 to the late spring of 1919, Indianapolis suffered from a viral influenza pandemic that killed nearly 1,000… Read More »1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
https://indyencyclopedia.org/1918-spanish-flu-pandemic/
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Amesh Adalja
3 months ago
“For now, the new Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre..is set to produce Covid and RSV vaccines..In the case of a future health emergency, the site is meant to be able to produce 100 million vaccine doses within six months.”
www.statnews.com/2025/09/25/m...
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As the U.S. dials back mRNA research, the U.K. tries to seize an opportunity
As the U.S. dials back mRNA research, the U.K. is trying to seize an opportunity.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/25/mrna-vaccines-united-kingdom-invests-as-united-states-cuts-back/
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RFK Jr cancelled mRNA research — but the US military is still funding it
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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Exclusive: RFK Jr cancelled mRNA research — but the US military is still funding it
The Department of Defense is continuing to bankroll projects to develop vaccines against deadly pathogens.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03093-6
3 months ago
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Ars Technica
3 months ago
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The DHS has been quietly harvesting DNA from Americans for years
The DNA of nearly 2,000 US citizens has been entered into an FBI crime database.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/the-dhs-has-been-quietly-harvesting-dna-from-americans-for-years/?utm_source=bsky&utm_medium=social
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Crawford Kilian
3 months ago
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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The first emergence of unprecedented global water scarcity in the Anthropocene - Nature Communications
Anthropogenic climate change is projected to cause “Day Zero Drought”, when water demand exceeds supply, emerging as early as 2030 and occurring more frequently than recovery allows, posing escalating risks to regions worldwide.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63784-6?utm_source=nature_etoc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CONR_41467_AWA1_GL_DTEC_054CI_TOC-250924&utm_content=EAES_1
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NPR
3 months ago
After months of aid cuts, the State Department has released a 35-page document detailing how it plans to roll out global health assistance. Here's what it says — and what the reaction is.
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What's in -- and what's missing -- in the new U.S. strategy for global health
After months of aid cuts, the State Department has released a 35-page document detailing how it plans to roll out global health assistance. Here's what it says — and what the reaction is.
https://n.pr/3VqP4xH
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The Bulwark
3 months ago
Sen. Tim Kaine: "Brian Kilmeade 10 days ago suggested that homeless, mentally ill people should be lethally injected. He apologized...He didn't get pulled off the air."
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Maggie Fox
3 months ago
This is a perfect description.
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KFF Health News
3 months ago
A lack of faith in the soundness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new direction has led states to explore enacting their own vaccine policies. A patchwork of divergent recommendations and requirements could result.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
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Kennedy’s Take on Vaccine Science Fractures Cohesive National Public Health Strategies - KFF Health News
A lack of faith in the soundness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new direction has led states to explore enacting their own vaccine policies. A patchwork of divergent recommendatio...
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/cdc-acip-vaccine-recommendations-states-medical-societies-insurance-patchwork/
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The Ferrari Lab
3 months ago
Making recommendations about vaccines isn't easy. It takes leadership & expertise from multiple sectors. Medicine, manufacturing, supply chain, policy, financing, public health. It takes real experts willing to tackle hard problems. The composition of ACIP in the US does not meet this need.
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Dr. Lucky Tran
3 months ago
IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.
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Melody Schreiber
3 months ago
Susan Monarez, the CDC director for 29 days, said RFK Jr. Kennedy told her “the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September, and I needed to be on board with it”. My story, with updates to come as this Senate hearing continues:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
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RFK Jr’s actions have greatly diminished US ability to respond to outbreaks, ousted CDC officials say
Former officials testify before US Senate, saying the CDC under Kennedy is ‘supporting policies not based in science’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/rfk-jr-senate-hearing-cdc-susan-monarez
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Aaron Rupar
3 months ago
Monarez: "Kennedy demanded 2 things of me that were were inconsistent w/ my oath of office. He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation regardless of the scientific evidence. He also directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause"
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#AncientEDC
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3 months ago
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Colin Carlson
3 months ago
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Melody Schreiber
3 months ago
Here's how high-profile departures and widespread layoffs at the CDC will affect our health. Tldr: "Americans should be alarmed," a former top official said.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
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‘Americans should be alarmed’: Experts say loss of expertise at CDC will harm US health
Top officials exited agency under RFK Jr’s leadership, and his anti-vax beliefs have dismayed medical community
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/15/cdc-leadership-loss-experts-alarmed?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
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Amesh Adalja
3 months ago
“the agency is misusing the database”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
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FDA to present data it claims ties Covid shots to child deaths at CDC meeting
The vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to meet next week to review and make recommendations for this fall’s updated Covid shots, among others.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-covid-vaccine-child-deaths-data-cdc-meeting-rcna230849
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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦
3 months ago
If you read 1 thing today, please make it this: my so-talented colleague
@ericboodman.bsky.social
explains why babies in the US are vaccinated at birth against hep B — and what the human costs of changing that policy would be.
www.statnews.com/2025/09/11/n...
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Dropping hepatitis B shots for newborns would ignore history and endanger children, scientists warn
People who study, treat, or have hepatitis B say ending routine vaccination at birth - as some vaccine critics want - could lead to a resurgence of the virus.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/11/newborn-hep-b-vaccine-debate-how-it-started/
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CIDRAP
3 months ago
US government signs $56 million deal for smallpox/mpox vaccine Emergent BioSolutions has received a $56 million contract extension to supply the US government with doses of the ACAM2000 vaccine.
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US government signs $56 million deal for smallpox/mpox vaccine
Emergent BioSolutions has received a $56 million contract extension to supply the US government with doses of the ACAM2000 vaccine.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/us-government-signs-56-million-deal-smallpoxmpox-vaccine
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World Politics Review
3 months ago
A suspected Russian attack on Ursula von der Leyen’s plane last week was yet another sign of Russia’s hybrid warfare in Europe. Despite repeated attacks though, Europe has so far failed to find effective countermeasures.
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Europe Is Still Unprepared to Counter Putin’s Hybrid War
Europe still hasn’t effectively prepared to counter the hybrid tactics that are integral to Putin’s broader aims.
https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/eu-putin-hybrid-war-ukraine/
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Colin Carlson
3 months ago
New preprint! 🥳🎉 We looked at viral coinfection patterns at the largest scale ever in wildlife. We found a strong association among CoVs, PMVs, and influenza A, and higher coinfection rates in wildlife trade; plus, evidence that bats accumulate persistent infections.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Mary-Margaret Fill, MD, MPH
3 months ago
"The vast majority of [state health department] communicable-diseases budgets are paid for with C.D.C. dollars". In fact, ~80% of CDC's budget goes directly out the door to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments.
@newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
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Inside the Chaos at the C.D.C.
A former senior official and two current employees describe the turmoil at the agency under R.F.K., Jr.,’s stewardship.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/inside-the-chaos-at-the-cdc
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Dan Diamond
3 months ago
BREAKING: Susan Monarez, forced out by RFK Jr as CDC director, to testify in front of Senate panel next week. Monarez has said RFK Jr pressured her around vaccines. RFK Jr has said she was untrustworthy.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
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Fired CDC director who clashed with RFK Jr. set to testify in Senate
The hearing would give Susan Monarez a high-profile opportunity to respond to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims about her ethics and their conversations about vaccines.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/09/susan-monarez-cdc-senate-testimony/
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Laurel Bristow, MSc
3 months ago
I made a google doc to try and sort of what COVID vaccine access looks like in each state. It’s very confusing and always changing so if you have info on a state and an SOURCE (not an anecdote) please email me!
[email protected]
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
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2025-2026 COVID VACCINE ACCESS
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11dEtA6wibTE8pgRKEV2FbZreOf8AIk85ElqcdZgKhRM/edit?usp=sharing
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Saloni
3 months ago
Robert Hooke's drawings of objects under the microscope were so beautiful. These are from "Micrographia" in 1665
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One that hits close to home was his early call for biological threat awareness in the scientific community and his and strong support for biosecurity policy development.
www.cshl.edu/archives-blo...
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3 months ago
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Brendan Nyhan
3 months ago
"Why on earth would we abandon institutions that have genuinely made America great? ... Why would we put at risk laboratories that are working to cure cancers or perfecting artificial limbs or exploring deep space or testing the limits of artificial intelligence?"
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Matthew Cobb
3 months ago
News in the history of molecular biology. The Science History Institute in Philadelphia has acquired a huge archive of correspondence and other scientific material from the pioneers of molecular biology (Franklin, Klug, Perutz, Delbrück etc, with items from Crick and Watson, too). 1/n
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History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
https://www.sciencehistory.org/about/projects-initiatives/history-of-molecular-biology-collection/
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WHO -
#Ebola
virus disease - Democratic Republic of the Congo
www.who.int/emergencies/...
h/t
@lsauer.bsky.social
3 months ago
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Greg Folkers
3 months ago
The Atlantic: A Massive Vaccine Experiment / In just seven months, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has undone decades of vaccine synchrony by Katherine J. Wu
bit.ly/42i4TdA
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Every field has its dearly departed giants. DA is one of ours, and
@ameshaa.bsky.social
’s annual questions post is a wonderful tribute.
open.substack.com/pub/ameshada...
3 months ago
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NPR
3 months ago
As federal health agencies change their approach to vaccine policy leaving access for COVID shots uncertain, some states are taking things into their own hands.
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Concerned about federal vaccine policies, states are crafting their own
As federal health agencies change their approach to vaccine policy leaving access for COVID shots uncertain, some states are taking things into their own hands.
https://n.pr/3V6MQ6m
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WHO
3 months ago
📣
#Mpox
is no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
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Matt Watson
Nature
3 months ago
Horses with genomic edits to make them run faster have been banned from polo, but a zoo of CRISPR-edited animals is gaining acceptance in agriculture
go.nature.com/4mO8nNd
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First CRISPR horses spark controversy: what's next for gene-edited animals?
Horses with genomic edits to make them run faster have been banned from polo, but a zoo of CRISPR-edited animals is gaining acceptance in agriculture.
https://go.nature.com/4mO8nNd
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Peter van Heusden (he/him) 🗿
3 months ago
And from the acknowledgements... an acknowledgement the world will miss going forwards
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Matt Watson
BK. Titanji
3 months ago
In under 24h following the newly identified outbreak of
#Ebola
in the DRC, the virus has been isolated, sequenced and the virus sequence data made publicly available.
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
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The 16th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A new spillover event from an unknown reservoir host
Background The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing concurrent outbreaks including mpox, cholera and malaria (1-4). The Ministry of Public Health, DRC has declared the 16th Ebola...
https://virological.org/t/the-16th-ebola-virus-disease-outbreak-in-bulape-health-zone-kasai-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-a-new-spillover-event-from-an-unknown-reservoir-host/1003
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