Sam Díaz-Muñoz (they / ella)

Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist, has died. She was 91

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

🌐 From the first web page created in 1991… to 1 trillion web pages archived today.

Every meme, blog, tweet & vanished site is part of our shared story. This is our collective memory. And it’s being saved.

Join in our celebration this October: blog.archive.org/trillion/

#Wayback1T #WaybackMachine

Host cell state: an overlooked factor impacting the production of influenza A deletion-containing viral genomes and non-infectious particles | mBio Within the infected host, influenza A virus has a bipartite existence as intracellular viral genomic segments undergoing replication and assembly into progeny particles and extracellular progeny parti...

New out in #mBio from our lab! Dr. Ile Agu reviewed developments on *host* influences on influenza deletion containing viral genomes (DelVGs, fka defective viral genomes).

Hoping for more research in this area. So much promising basic and applied science!
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
@asm.org

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I'm reporting on #H5N1 #BirdFlu (#AvianInfluenza #HPAI) for @thesicktimes.bsky.social, & want to talk to farmworkers or people who work with them re impacts of H5N1 on farmworkers. I'm especially interested in hearing re human cases since Feb 2025. Sources can be anonymous! (1/4)

Ben Barres (1954–2017) Neurobiologist who advocated for gender equality in science.

#AltPride #AltGov
To close out Pride Month, we are recognizing neuroscientist Ben Barres. Beyond making seminal discoveries related to glial cell function, he was also a staunch advocate for equality in science for both women and the LGBTQIA+ community. 1/n

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

So this interview lasted 2 hours so this “you’re scaring me” part might seem like an overreaction or fearmongering to someone without that context.

There’s a lot of evidence to support my hypothesis that a potential H5N1 pandemic would be worse than COVID.

the word alert is in a purple circle ALT: the word alert is in a purple circle

ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM

Implementation of Schedule F

This is what a lot of us have been worried about.

This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs.

BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD...

1/n

Advancing RNA phage biology through meta-omics Abstract. Bacteriophages with RNA genomes are among the simplest biological entities on Earth. Since their discovery in the 1960s, they have been used as i

In this first publication from the lab, now out in @narjournal.bsky.social, we review the current state of RNA phage biology with a focus on meta-omics methods. Many things left to be discovered!

#PhageSky

doi.org/10.1093/nar/...

Viral piracy of host RNA phosphatase DUSP11 by avipoxviruses Author summary Viruses face a critical challenge of disabling or avoiding host immune defenses. Cells typically recognize the presence of a virus through specific molecular markers, including triphosp...

Another nice example of a host-acquired gene in poxviruses, which modulates the host immune response.
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

Updates on NSF Priorities

“Awards that are not aligned with NSF's priorities have been terminated, including but not limited to those on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and misinformation/disinformation”—National Science Foundation

www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...

The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist "I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."

We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.

A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia - Nature Using a natural experiment that avoids common bias concerns, this study finds that the live-attenuated shingles vaccine reduced the probability of a new dementia diagnosis within a follow-up period of...

The vaccine against Shingles helps protect against dementia, results of a natural experiment, adding to prior evidence
"implications are profound"
New @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/s41...

Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness Many bacteria carry phage genome(s) in their chromosome (i.e., prophage), and this intertwines the fitness of the bacterium and the phage. Most Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains carry filamentous phages ...

Preprint out! Bacteria w/ hyper-replicative filamentous phage lead to overnight emergence of cheater phages. Bacteria w/ both phages can outcompete wildtype, then rapidly lose phage via a phage Tragedy of the Commons
@shellyscrib.bsky.social @vscooper.micropopbio.org www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Big news: we are setting up a new non-profit organization to run bioRxiv and medRxiv. It's called openRxiv [no it's not a new preprint server; it's dedicated organization to oversee the servers] openrxiv.org 1/n

Who funds biomedical research? @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Killing PEPFAR means killing millions of people All to save 0.08 percent of the budget.

“about a million additional people will die terrible deaths every single year for the foreseeable future if PEPFAR doesn’t get reversed”

www.vox.com/future-perfe...

NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.

This just came out on NIH's website, which appears intended to move a purported 22% of grants from IC-based study sections to the CSR.

"The proposed consolidation would eliminate the IC-based study sections so that CSR conducts all first-level review."

Full release:
www.nih.gov/news-events/...

‘Silence is complicity’ — universities must fight the anti-DEI crackdown Higher-education establishments must not be bullied into abandoning their mission of diversity, equity and inclusion.

DEI is under attack, but the stakes are higher than many realize. Universities *must stand firm* in defending it. I lay out why in my latest piece for Nature.

Silence is complicity. Without DEI, we fail our students, our research, and our future.

www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

Cross-species and mammal-to-mammal transmission of clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 with PB2 adaptations - Nature Communications Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza lineage 2.3.4.4b has spread through the Americas in birds since 2021 with frequent spillover into mammals. Here, the authors characterise the dissemination of th...

Cross-species and mammal-to-mammal transmission of clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 with PB2 adaptations

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Yay!!! Congrats Crystal!!!

Timing and molecular characterisation of the transmission to cattle of H5N1 influenza A virus genotype D1.1, clade 2.3.4.4b Jonathan E. Pekar, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Thomas P. Peacock, The Pirbright Institute, Woking, UK, GU24 0NF; Department of Infectious Disease, Imper...

Our analysis of the second incursion of H5N1 viruses (genotype D1.1) into dairy cattle in the US is now posted to virological virological.org/t/timing-and...

Development of a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine against clade 2.3.4.4b H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus - Nature Communications Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses from H5 clade 2.3.4.4b are circulating widely in birds and have recently caused large outbreaks in mammals. Here, Furey et al. develop a clade 2.3.4.4b HA-exp...

Indirect costs support our entire research infrastructure. Without indirect costs, we wouldn’t have been able to develop this vaccine against H5N1 bird flu. If indirect costs are cut, we won’t be able to prepare and respond to our next pandemic threat.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Zuckerberg joins HHMI and the entire federal government in killing programs that support diverse scientists

If a NBA team worth about $5B fired all its players and went from a $150M to a $0 payroll does that mean the team was efficient and saved money? Or, does it mean there is no basketball team and there is no more revenue because then no one comes and the team is worthless?

#analogies

Right there with you, but I have my doubts that this is for the greater good.

I am so sorry to hear this, Leslie. Not at all the outcome that NSF employees deserve for all your work and sacrifice keeping science going 😔

Email from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative cancelling the Science Diversity Leadership Award

So much for diversifying the funding sources for my lab...

A Lady Professor with brown hair and glasses, wearing a scarf in red, green, yellow, & black, a gift from an incredible lactation consultant, sitting in in front of cactus.

I escaped poverty because I am a scientist.

And I am a scientist because of the National Science Foundation.

A 🧵: