Always a highlight of the year and still the best mp3 blog in town.

Ottawa! Next week! 👇 This is a critical time. A knowledge crisis. How did we get here & what can we do? How to Escape the Fake: Making Good Policy in the Age of Misinformation : irpp.org/irpp-event/f... via @irpp.org @cmadocs.bsky.social Hope to see there!

United against #MSX - joining forces to fight a deadly oyster disease bit.ly/3HiTbZc @genomeatlantic.bsky.social @genomecanada.ca @rodberesford70 @ednatecinc #MalletOysters @PEIAquaculture #PEIShellfishAssn @PotlotekFirstNation

🇨🇦 (3/3) ❄️ 🧬 🔬 Thanks to our funders @genomebc.bsky.social, we’re revealing hidden Arctic biodiversity through cutting-edge genomics. From icy coasts to tundra blooms, every genome tells a story worth protecting. ❄️🧬

🇨🇦 (2/3) ❄️ 🧬 There’s so much to learn from Arctic plants — their unique adaptations, like flexible membranes and cryoprotective compounds, help them survive extreme freeze–thaw cycles and could inspire future innovations in medicine and biotechnology. ❄️🧬 #ArcticPlants #Adaptation #Cryoprotection

🇨🇦 (1/3) ❄️ Why genome sequence the Arctic? To safeguard biodiversity. 🧬 Canada understands the critical importance of Arctic biodiversity—and thanks to the support of our outstanding funders, we're already sequencing some of the most difficult-to-access species from these fragile northern ecosystems.

Awesome initiative. @genomecanada.ca

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr. Henry Friesen this week. Dr. Friesen was a giant of Canadian biomedical research - a trailblazing scientist, he had a vision and passion for Canadian science that left an indelible mark. genomecanada.ca/in-memory-of... @genomecanada.ca

Happy #DNADay to all who celebrate! (pro tip - you've got DNA, you're part of the club). Very proud to be celebrating Genome Canada's 25th anniversary this year - we've accomplished a lot, but we're just getting started...

Happy Earth Day from the Canadian BioGenome Project! Our power, our planet. We are happy to know that these genomes are helping advance research aimed at preserving our awesome Canadian biodiversity.

Is my genetic data at risk? While not zero risk I think so, but I have taken some extra steps. And I delve into the creepy. First with humanoid #robots and then ask would you really want to remember being a baby? These stories and more in my latest newsletter. #genomics www.mediamargins.ca/...

If I knew nothing about Canada except the promises from the three parties, I'd conclude that the federal government must have a large budget surplus and no pressing need to invest in productivity, infrastructure, or defense.

Happy birthday to Canadian medical researcher & #biochemist Maud Menten (1879-1960). 🧪🐡👩🏼‍🔬 #histscj Not only was she an author of Michaelis-Menten equation for enzyme kinetics, she invented the azo-dye coupling for alkaline phosphatase, 1st example of enzyme histochemistry, still used in imaging of 🧵

Congratulations, @mmarra0630.bsky.social on this well-deserved recognition. Marco has been a trailblazer for genomics whose work is transforming cancer care worldwide. Very proud and pleased that he's part of Canada's genomics community.

They are 10 times our size, but we are 10 times as united and 100 times as resolute.

I’m always immensely proud and grateful to live in a country with free and fair elections, this year more than usual. Never take this for granted - get out and exercise your right to vote!

Dance with the Devil, by @LincolnTownley, 2020, 📸 by Bruce Bennett

Yes, Canada! McDavid, MacKinnon, Marner, Bennett. Hell of a tournament and game from Crosby and Doughty - but torch has been passed. Just awesome. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

The amazing thing about RNA vaccines (aside the many years it took to perfect them and their LNP carriers), is that they reduce time to develop by an order of magnitude and can be rapidly applied to not only infectious diseases but cancer. And they are incredibly safe.

But we are human and I feel sickened by the immediate predicament of so many bright people who were cut loose because of their very training and promise. You wanted to do good and you will prevail. You are on the right side of history.

Science is the independent, utterly arrogant, standard pole against which we pitch our naive questions. It patiently endures our ignorance and only ever hints at the answer. But we glean ever more knowledge, learning to be better. It bows to no one, least of all the king.

With all the carnage being indiscriminately wrought on scientists in the US, remember, a war on science is a lost war. Science doesn’t care what you or anybody else thinks. You either embrace science or you chase imaginary demons. It took us centuries to realize this.

Varmus: "the executive branch is waging war on America’s scientific enterprise...nominating leaders hostile to science and unqualified for their roles...This is not a fight that our country can afford to lose." www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/o...

Congratulations to this year's #OrderOfCanada appointees, including Nada Jabado, Marco Marra and David Chitayat, who have all driven life-saving advances as scientists and leaders in Canada's genomics community! bit.ly/4iLQkpy

Congratulations, Marco - a well-deserved honour!

So while the fate of the FES is... uncertain? I'm surprised not to see more details about the capstone, CIHR and other R&D initiatives signaled in the last budget.

Really interesting conversation here and report on how Canada can be more strategic, and less reactive, in its relationship with the US. www.wilsoncenter.org/event/matter... ppforum.ca/wp-content/u...

❇️ Great read on the “Post Genomic Age” ❇️ “…doing #genomics is easier than ever…” The challenge now is to analyze and make sense of exabytes of #genome #clinical #environment data sets 🧬🧬🧬

Do you want to be born in the US or Belgium? Canada's economic and business commentariat is dominated by people who want us to be the US. I'm on Team Belgium. www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe...

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀: Our @NCIG2013 Director Alex Brown leads a $1.4M NSW-funded genomics project to close health gaps for Indigenous Australians. By leveraging Aboriginal genomic diversity and community-driven solutions, this initiative aims to reduce disparities and improve outcomes.

Sapna Mahajan crushing it on a #CSPC2024 panel about driving innovation in agriculture. Sapna highlighted a project with Genome Atlantic that is doubling production of blue mussels in Atlantic Canada. Awesome and delicious! #GenomeCanada

I spoke to Alexandre Silberman in September about our @cellpressnews.bsky.social paper on genetic evidence of the zoonotic origins of SARS-CoV-2 & now it’s out. Interview airing on The National tonight in 🇨🇦. I am told it contains bonus @isaacbogoch.bsky.social content www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Hey folks - I took this course a few years ago with my three then-teenage sons. It led to important conversations and heightened awareness as well as useful, practical behaviours and actions they have each used to intervene effectively. Highly, highly recommended.

Congratulations to Bonnie Schmidt, founder and President of Let’s Talk Science (and Genome Canada board member!), on her Trailblazer Award at #CSPC2024. Well-earned recognition of Bonnie and the great work done by LTS, bringing STEM experience to young Canadians for 30 years.

I'm looking forward to participating in the opening plenary of the Canadian Science Policy Conference today, alongside impressive co-panelists. The conference is an annual highlight, looking forward to seeing many of you there. sciencepolicyconference.ca #CSPC #sciencepolicy #genomics

Hard to overstate how much I loved this album.

Optimist: the cup is 1/2 full Pessimist: the cup is 1/2 empty Canadian science policy analyst: the cup is another example of Canada’s falling productivity vs the US #nichetweet #CSPCready

An important development for #genomics in Australia! We at Genome Canada 🧬🇨🇦 celebrate the announcement of #GenomicsAustralia @ausgenomics.bsky.social @robannan.bsky.social @dnaziz.bsky.social

Hello tweeps (bleeps?). Just want to tell you how happy I am to see so many of you again - looking forward to relaunching productive, collaborative conversations in the days ahead. Until then, I wish you all a restful weekend!

How it feels reconnecting with Twitter mutuals

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has a new president, Dr. Paul C. Hébert of Bruyère Health and the University of Ottawa. prn.to/3ATSdPE

I know the better option is probably to dispense with social media altogether, and yet here I am.