That time I found a dehydrated Ring tail possum on my fence. It was dusk and I saw a shadow on my fence that looked like a giant rat and I literally jumped. It was very sluggish so I contacted a wildlife support volunteer and they just advised me to let it go. I hope it survived.

My journey into science started with a love of animals and wondering why they behave the way they do. With my wife’s support, I followed that passion. Amazingly, my passion changed to virology, inspired by my honours research at the CSIRO ACDP. But I still pick up the camera from time to time.

I just wrote this with the Prof Nancy Segal, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of twins. I hope you learn something. I did. Genes, environment or a special bond? Why some twins talk and think in unison theconversation.com/genes-enviro...

Wonderful to attend the Discovery Tour for the Day of Immunology VIC. Amazing to see passionate researchers in infection & immunity sharing their work. Big thanks to Rachel Webb for taking the time to chat — my son absolutely loves immunology! #DayofImmunology #Immunology2025

WE ARE BACK! After hosting a successful and innovative #WDA2024 Off Country event last year in Canberra, this year we bring to you the #WDA2025GlobalVoice from Vancouver Island to wherever your are in the world!!! Check wda2025.com/2025-global-... for more information.

We're seeking Associate Editors to join the #AusJZoology editorial board! Associate Editors help manage the peer review process, uphold the journal's high publication ethics, and contribute to the publication of impactful zoological research. Find out more: www.publish.csiro.au/zo/Expressio...

An incredibly sad and bizarre outcome

One of my all-time favourite places to visit is Lake Elizabeth. It's been some time since I've had the opportunity to photograph some wildlife. Unfortunately, after finding the green little bird and snapping a couple of shots, I stepped on a stick and rolled my ankle so badly I thought I broke it.

Summary of Australia's HPAI H7 outbreaks in 2024. 👉 www.sciquest.org.nz/browse/publi...

We must recognise diversity: Australia’s clinical guidelines shape health care. Why do so many still ignore sex & gender? theconversation.com/australias-c...

While the primary focus of this article is aimed at those in a relationship, I see benefits for colleagues, teachers, and friends. An opportunity to empathise with those living with ADHD and truly understand the struggles they encounter daily. www.additudemag.com/slideshows/i...

Bats’ ability to swoop and soar through the sky might have given them another ‘superpower’ — invincibility to most viruses https://go.nature.com/3PSpGOB

My first post on BlueSky is to say Happy Birthday to Alan Alda! Below is one of my favorite quotes, and he is also an excellent science communication advocate. www.aldacenter.org #science #CriticalThinking #STEM #SciComm

Cold emails can be a surprisingly powerful tool for landing a job in science. Here's how to make yours stand out https://go.nature.com/4htNunA

The Vacation Studentships are open for applications. The Society offers limited awards for undergraduates to work on microbiological research projects and gives early/mid-career scientists supervision experience. Apply by 20 February. Learn more:

A group of scientists who are experts at spotting fraudulent research outline five essential steps to combat industrialized scientific misconduct https://go.nature.com/4h78aSw

Impulsivity is at the root of many variables found to reduce life expectancy among adults with ADHD, including alcohol use, smoking, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and risky driving. “ADHD treatments could be used to reduce this background risk factor," said Russell Barkley, Ph.D.

Human case of HPAI H5N1 in the UK. 👉 www.gov.uk/government/n...

Setting up an account to talk about my review article in @microbiologysociety.org - all about how #AI has been applied to virus research! #machinelearning #virology doi.org/10.1099/jgv....

Feelings of inadequacy with ADHD and give rise to RSD, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism. The solution? Breaking free from a flawed core belief of “not good enough.” #ADHD #RejectionSensitiveDysphoria #RSD #ADHDlife www.additudemag.com/not-good-eno...

By 2035, African Penguins could be extinct in the wild. 🐧 In the last century, their numbers have diminished by 97%. Make your voice heard and help us save this iconic species: only.one/act/save-afr... #PenguinAwarenessDay

Latest from the Nature Careers Podcast 🔊 How to be a brilliant ally to your neurodivergent lab mate https://go.nature.com/40doFFu

Mosquito-borne #dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis detected in Queensland. - #JEV likely imported from Southern Queensland, Goondiwindi. Eek.😬 www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...

Clade names getting you down? Now, simply drag and drop and you will have the clade information. Based on 3 Nextclade datasets, can assign clades to H5 HA sequences, call mutations relative to reference strains. Interface: clades.nextstrain.org?dataset-url=... 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

In human alveolar epithelium, A/Vietnam/1203/2004 (old H5N1) replicated most efficiently, followed by A/Texas/37/2024 (human case, bovine genotype), then A/bovine/Ohio/B24OSU-342/2024. Induction of interferon-stimulated genes lower 2344b viruses. 👉 wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/...

HA198 mutations significantly alter receptor binding properties in H9N2: 198V = 4-16 -fold 🔺 in overall receptor-binding avidity. HA198V/T enhanced binding to human α2,6 SA receptors, HA198A to avian α2,3 SA receptors. 👉 www.frontiersin.org/journals/vet...

Systematic approach that healthcare facilities can adopt to prepare to identify, confirm, and safely manage highly pathogenic avian influenza in the healthcare setting 👉 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Avian and human influenzas heat treated: avian viruses more stable at 75°C than human viruses, inactive virus preparations w HA0 protein retained infectious long during heat treatment +regained infectivity after heat inactivation by adding trypsin 👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Blood vessels in the brain rhythmically constrict and dilate to drive waves of cleansing fluid through the organ https://go.nature.com/3PwtwN2

“It’s going to take me longer, but I will get there. My plans have not changed, don’t give up, don’t step away from mentorship” Early-career researchers describe how they juggled workloads, emotions and finances after having children. https://go.nature.com/4gSIfhj

I think EVERY student, graduate students included, should register with the disability office, and here's why. #HigherEducation #ADHD #Neurodivergent theadhdacademic.weebly.com/learning--ad...

🆓🔓Horlin, C., Hronska, B. & Nordmann, E. (2024) I can be a “normal” student: The role of lecture capture in supporting disabled and #neurodivergent students’ participation in higher education. doi.org/10.1007/s107... #bskySPEECHIES

This is interesting.

Nice to meet you, Bluesky! We look forward to sharing #adhd strategies from ADDitude magazine here. www.additudemag.com

In case you missed it, here are ADDitude's Top 10 #ADHD research reports, studies, and news articles of 2024 — from adult diagnosis guidelines to the protective effects of medication to the impact of estrogen fluctuations and beyond.

"The problem is that executive functioning is applied inconsistently in the #ADHD brain. We see this when we’re able to hyperfocus on tasks we find interesting yet find it downright painful to focus on what we find boring." - Ari Tuckman, PsyD How to create systems to compensate & get stuff done!

Female scientists are quitting academic publishing earlier than their male counterparts, even in biological-science disciplines that have roughly equal representation. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Join our news team as a science reporter based in Berlin or Sydney! Applications close January 20th👇🏻 Please help spread the word @nature.com @natureportfolio.bsky.social

Memories! I presented my Honours project poster, The Ecology and Diversity of Avian Paramyxovirus 1: The Causative Agent of Newcastle Disease in Australian Wild Birds, at the VIIN Young Investigator Symposium. This project was done in collaboration with Uni Melbourne, Doherty Institute, and CSIRO.

Here's hoping this social media takes off with a strong, scientifically literate foundation. The toxicity of Twitter really can't be downplayed.