🔜 | Two events led by @uofgsii.bsky.social colleagues feature in the upcoming Glasgow Science Festival: 🦠 #GermsGalore: Dr Hammarton (9–10 June, Botanic Gardens) 🧬 GoSeq Viral Detection, with Lego DNA Sequencing: @cvrinfo.bsky.social's Dr Smollett, Dr Orton & Dr Gu (14 June, Riverside Msm) 🧵 1/2

🔗 LINKS Germs galore: www.gla.ac.uk/events/scien... GoSeq Viral Detection Using Lego DNA Sequencing: www.gla.ac.uk/events/scien... Glasgow Science Festival website: www.gla.ac.uk/events/scien... 🧵 2/2

As of 27 May, a total of 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths among suspected cases have been reported in the #DRC. As of 29 May, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, with 18 deaths among the confirmed cases, have been reported across both countries. More: bit.ly/4wYz7jJ

We had an amazing time at #ViBioM2026 last week in Vilnius 🇱🇹🤝 Researchers from around the world shared insights on virus #metagenomics, #phylogeny, protein & RNA biology, and #ML approaches. Huge thanks to all organizers, helpers, and our sponsors (GoVilnius, Viruses/MDPI, @febsopenbio.bsky.social#ViBioM2026#metagenomics,

🧬 New resource alert! Pleased to share the release of RABV-gDB: a new platform for rabies virus genomic data, analysis, and sequence management developed @cvrbioinfo.bsky.social as part of the RAGE toolkit. 🌐 gdb-web-dev.cvr.gla.ac.uk 🔧 github.com/RAGE-toolkit #Rabies #Genomics #OneHealth

WHO chief says suspected Ebola deaths at 220 and 'epidemic is outpacing us' www.rte.ie/news/world/2...

The Proximal Origin of the MV Hondius Andes virus outbreak. virological.org/t/potential-...

Our two-part analysis of the current MV Hondius Andes virus outbreak is now live, including reconstruction of the outbreak molecular clock dating of the closest known ancestors of the outbreak lineage. Part 1: outbreak sequence reconstruction and rooting virological.org/t/molecular-...

Congrats to @ulad-litvin.bsky.social on winning 2nd best talk at #Vibiom2026! @cvrinfo.bsky.social 🏅

The Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 contingent at the #Vibiom2026 meeting at Vilnius 🇱🇹 @cvrinfo.bsky.social @roslininstitute.bsky.social

. @davidlrobertson.bsky.social is chairing the phylogenomics session of #VibioM2026 ; Great talks 👏 from @evogytis.bsky.social @willharv.bsky.social

Back on track with Day 3 of #ViBioM2026! After two engaging days of talks, posters, discussions, quizzes, and challenges, we are looking forward to more talks and discussions on #virus #bioinformatics. Great to see such active exchange throughout the meeting 🫶 #ScientificExchange

Teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo & Uganda have now shared the first sequences from the current Ebola (Bundibugyo virus) outbreak using Pathoplexus, just days after cases were confirmed. Read more about the response to Bundibugyo virus here: pathoplexus.org/news/2026-05...

Fifth and final @cvrinfo.bsky.social talk at ViBioM 2026. @ulad-litvin.bsky.social presenting viro3d.cvr.gla.ac.uk and other applications of alphafold in virology.

There’s a LOT going on as researchers and public health experts race to respond to the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in DRC and Uganda before it grows bigger. Some really important questions still open, but also a few answers coming into view🧪 My overview in @science.org is here (and thread coming):

. @ulad-litvin.bsky.social is presenting his work at #ViBioM2026 @cvrinfo.bsky.social

Amazing speed from the teams in Uganda and the DRC - impressive! Three genomes released so far - a few quick takes: 1️⃣ New genomes ~equidistant from 2007 and 2012 outbreaks. 2️⃣ Represents new spillover from reservoir. 3️⃣ Limited diversity, so too early to speculate on timing. Great work ⭐!

Great to see a strong CVR contingent at #Vibiom2026 with Hayley Stone and James Herzig from @vibelab.co.uk and Robert Strange, Joseph Hughes and Ulad Litvin from @cvrbioinfo.bsky.social giving talks across the meeting sessions and @davidlrobertson.bsky.social chairing the Phylogenomics session!

📣Registration is now open for the 1st UK Virome Forum meeting, on 5–6 October at @glasgow.ac.uk . This two-day event will bring together researchers using genomic approaches to study viromes. More info and registration: tinyurl.com/ukvf-2026 @cvrinfo.bsky.social

. @bljog.bsky.social presented a framework for interpreting mutation in viral genome on International Virus Bioinformatics meeting @evbc.bsky.social #Vibiom2026 @cvrinfo.bsky.social

Robert Strange from @davidlrobertson.bsky.social presents his work at #ViBioM2026 @cvrinfo.bsky.social

🌟 Day 1 of #ViBioM2026 at Vilnius University 🏛️ with a warm welcome by Manja, Gytis, and Ingrida – we already feel at home! Excited to start a full programme of talks, posters, and discussions on computational approaches in #virology. #viralgenomics #datascience #virusevolution

📣Excited to share our (first) VirJenDB publication! 🎁Check it out to see how your #virus database supports #metadata #biocuration and #bioinformatics integration. 🎶Stay tuned for collaboration opportunities in 2026, including a hackathon at #ViBioM2026! 📃 doi.org/10.1093/nar/... 💻 www.virjendb.org

Nuoširdžiai sveiki atvykę! #ViBioM2026 is underway in Vilnius!🎉🇱🇹 It's great to see participants arriving and connecting at today’s welcome get-together 🤝🍺  Excited for the days ahead, filled with talks, posters, and discussions across #virology and #bioinformatics 🧬💻  #researchcommunity

Followed by another @vibelab.co.uk member Dr Jamie Herzig showing how to tease apart genuine 'host signatures' in viral genomes from phylogenetic signal, also with graph neural nets! #ViBioM2026 @evbc.bsky.social

Dr Haley Stone opening #ViBioM2026 showing our work to predict virus-tissue compatibility using graph neural nets! @evbc.bsky.social

Uganda reports that a person has died of Ebola there, too. A 59yo Congolese man. www.facebook.com/100063077148...

Starting to hear that the species responsible is likely Bundibugyo virus - makes sense, given that Bundibugyo town is right across the border in Uganda. Similar case fatality rates across the species, but unlike Zaire and Sudan*, we don't have advanced vaccine candidates or monoclonals for BDBV.

Ebola outbreak kills 65 people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

With the news that a French woman and someone from the US, both of whom had been on board the MV Hondius, have tested positive for #hantavirus, the Andes virus outbreak is now up to 10 cases: That's eight confirmed and two probable. Given the long incubation period, there may still be more cases.

Complete genome of the Hondius outbreak hantavirus (and tree): virological.org/t/complete-s...

I've spent yesterday and today talking to researchers across the globe trying to understand the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. My story in @science.org is here (and some threaded thoughts coming): www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 #IDsky

The lab leak continues to be one of the most worrying cases of mass conspiratorial thinking in America. Zero evidence for it, but the right is frothing at the mouth to imprison anyone even remotely involved with COVID origins research and the center still thinks it's important to ask questions.

Meet Tania Dottorini , Editor-in-Chief of Microbiology Horizons - a journal advancing open, reproducible, and interdisciplinary research, bringing together authors, reviewers, editors, academics and policymakers to tackle global challenges. https://microb.io/4ttwnbm

Protein Language Models (PLMs) could transform outbreak response New research from @kieranlamb.bsky.social & colleagues show that PLMs can identify mutation hotspots and key features of viral proteins - even from a single sequence. www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

Listen to Kieran's recent presentation at the AVE Virology Interest Group "Characterizing novel viral proteins using protein language models (PLMs)": youtu.be/phrIC-J5Je0?...

New paper👇🦠

Maybe you heard somewhere that the COVID-19 pandemic started with a lab leak? NO! That is NOT what the evidence shows. It was not a goddamn lab leak. I’ve had enough. Here is what the evidence shows: it was zoonotic spillover at the market rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/five-reaso...

H5N1 in dairy cows largely has disappeared from the news--a reflection of steeply declining detections. But it continues to circulate on dairies, and researchers continue to debate critical questions about how the virus moves between farms and within herds. www.science.org/content/arti...

🦅 What’s driving the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) across Europe? Using machine learning and wild bird ecology, a new study from @L_Brierley & colleagues reveals a shift towards year-round risk in cold, low-lying regions of NW Europe. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

📢 Fellowship Sponsorship at the CVR 📆 Deadline: Tues 21 April 26 We have an open sponsorship process and are committed to supporting a diverse, inclusive & well-supported community. Full support with application writing, organising peer reviews and interview prep. gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

Read @flodebarre.bsky.social's original analysis: pandemonium.hypotheses.org/898. While the original WeChat post is bonkers, it points to unreleased data from the market, including: 1️⃣ Potentially infected animals in "Stall A" - the hot-spot inside the market. 2️⃣ +Serology of vendor from Stall A.

In 2021, amid debate over COVID-19’s origin, a viral WeChat post claimed the virus came to China from Maine on frozen lobsters sold at the Wuhan market. Scientists dismissed it—but a new analysis suggests the bizarre claim might hint at missing data China hasn’t released. https://scim.ag/47yG2F6

A ludicrous theory posted on WeChat by "Kunlun Sword" in 2021 asserted that Maine lobsters sparked the COVID pandemic. Evobiologist Flo Débarre now has found clues in the post that suggest China has withheld evidence about early infected humans and animals. www.science.org/content/arti...

The value of virological research in wildlife journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

1/ 🦟 Big news: #Pathoplexus now supports Dengue virus & Yellow Fever virus - two arboviruses responsible for over 400 million infections and up to 94,000 deaths per year. Here's what’s new in our latest update 👇🏻 Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2026-03... 📰

Transient RNA structures play a key role in the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses! Great to see this collaboration with Mathis Funk, Mathilde Richard, Stephen Cusack, and others in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Glad to see our recent paper getting some coverage @nytimes.com. Fun little study with some key findings for understanding zoonosis and viral emergence.

Very cool work! Really pinning down some important hypotheses about virus emergence! got myself a comment in the nyt article (although @davidlrobertson.bsky.social had the best quote! 👀) Archived article link here: archive.md/UjxJ0