Corrado Minetti

Hi everyone, I wanted to share some sad news about the future of the Verena program. As you know, in September, NSF delayed our annual payment indefinitely, and asked us to keep spending closer and closer to zero until they could “justify” another payment. We began to run out of funds at some universities this month, and will be fully spent out by late spring, so the goal was to get paid in December. We’ve been working with our program officer to make this happen, but sadly, we’ve learned we’re not getting an increment again, and there’s no clarity on when or how much we will be paid in the remainder of the grant (through September 1, 2027). Because of this, the Executive Committee has made the difficult decision to essentially shut the BII down until / unless something changes. What that means is an indefinite end to all programs (e.g., seminar), training activities (integration workshops, trainee corner), and evaluation. On research, what’s able to continue will have to be navigated by each investigator; our goal is to work together to push out all the impactful science we’ve spent three years collecting and analyzing data for, but we also know that priorities may shift around to keep people employed. If we’re lucky, Congress will pass a budget that lets us continue doing something like what we planned, and we’ll pick that back up when Zoe and Collin are back in April. Until then, Verena will continue to exist as a community where we can collaborate (and give and receive support!), and we’re working to find funding sources that can pick up from where the BII left off. On a personal note: it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work with all of you, and an unbelievably lucky thing to get to run an NSF center in my 20s. I’ve loved this project, and I hope it’s made as much of a difference in your lives as it has in mine. In case I don’t see you later: happy holidays, be well, and so long and thanks for all the viruses. Best, Colin

Yesterday, we sent this message to the @viralemergence.org team, bringing a (hopefully temporary) end to our project three years into what started as a decade of planned work. /1

Demodex mites live in your facial pores and have lost some of the genes that respond to daylight. They cannot make their own melatonin, so they use the melatonin your skin releases at night as a cue to crawl out and mate on your face.

You're never truly alone. ❤️

🧪 #entomology #invert 🪲🪳

The Biodiversity Cell Atlas: mapping the tree of life at cellular resolution - Nature The Biodiversity Cell Atlas aims to create comprehensive single-cell molecular atlases across the eukaryotic tree of life, which will be phylogenetically informed, rely on high-quality genomes and use...

please share this postdoc job alert! come join the budding Biodiversity Cell Atlas initiative as a postdoc or senior postdoc at @sangerinstitute.bsky.social working closely with @arnausebe.bsky.social and me to make progress on what we cover in this paper www.nature.com/articles/s41...

What makes bird flu spill over to humans? 4y funded PhD in the genomics and molecular virology behind zoonosis of avian influenza A virus, working with @tompeacock.bsky.social and others between Liverpool, Pirbright, and Uppsala!

open to applications until next week!

If you missed our open event on 26th November, or are looking for information more targeted at returning learners, join us for a virtual Q&A on 3rd December @ 7-8 pm. sign up @ www.ilesla.ox.ac.uk Videos of yesterday's presentations will be available from 28th Nov for you to watch beforehand.

Just came across this neat looking pre-print by @maxfarrell.bsky.social et al "Experimental infections reveal unexceptional viral tolerance in bats" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... - meta analysis across 54 viruses, 85 host species, >5600 individuals

Time to publish responsibly: DAFNEE, a database of academia-friendly journals in ecology and evolutionary biology url:

academic.oup.com/jeb/article/...

Universities in Need - Research Professional News Ivory Tower: a telethon charity appeal for higher education and research, under threat of extinction

Universities in Need.

Ivory Tower: a telethon charity appeal for higher education and research, under threat of extinction.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

ECE 2026 - XIII European Congress of Entomology It is our great pleasure to welcome you to Tours, France, in the heart of the Loire Valley, from June 29 to July 3, 2026.

Join us at ECE 2026 in Tours, France (29 June - 3 July 2026), focusing on evolutionary biology. Early bird registration and abstract submission close on 15 December 2025. Stay updated: www.ece2026.org. #conference

First electric cars and buses, now trucks: in the past we were often told that electric trucks would not be feasible.

But the market is picking up speed and electric trucks have become a reality. Expectations are for significant market expansion in the coming years.

final week to apply for @sangerinstitute.bsky.social PhD programme (due Nov 27th) -- free to apply, open to anyone anywhere, and a superb training opportunity for students interested in genomic approaches applied to biodiversity, pathogens, vectors, and of course us pesky humans.

Interested in working on #metagenomics for #arbovirus and #mosquito #surveillance and #discovery 🧬? Apply to the @ilesla.bsky.social doctoral training program👇 Deadline: 8th of January 12pm UK time.

We have been awarded close to £2.5m from the Office for Students to build next generation digital labs, AI-powered training facilities and clinical simulation suites, bridging critical skills gaps in advanced technologies to support the city region’s growth ambitions.

Read more: lstm.ac/OfS2025

Portrait of Kathryn Brown, above text "UKCEH appoints new science director"

📣We're pleased to announce Kathryn Brown OBE as our new Science Director!

Kathryn, who will join us from The Wildlife Trusts, will lead UKCEH science across our portfolio spanning land, water and air, and will shape direction for the UK and internationally.

🔗 www.ceh.ac.uk/press/ukceh-... 🧪

Towards scalable age-grading of Aedes albopictus mosquito using mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning Scientific Reports - Towards scalable age-grading of Aedes albopictus mosquito using mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning

Our new paper is out!

Towards scalable age-grading of Aedes albopictus mosquito using mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning

Read it here 👉 rdcu.be/eQy0X

@sbohvm.gla.ac.uk #UniversitaSapienza

🎉LSHTM #1 in the UK for #PublicHealth for 9th year running in the 2025 #ShanghaiRanking

We have also been ranked #3 in the world for public health in recognition of our prestigious research & study programmes in public and #GlobalHealth🌍

www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/n...

Today, we start one of the most advanced virus discovery & metagenomics workshop in the world in Stellenbosch. Experts from Australia, America, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Italy, Nederlands, Japan, U.K and Sweden come together to teach participants from 20 countries.

Renewable energy is reshaping the global economy – new report The energy transition is often painted as a jobs killer, but the evidence says otherwise.

'Renewable energy is now much cheaper than fossil fuels.'

The energy transition is often painted as a jobs killer, but the evidence says otherwise, explains the @smithschool.ox.ac.uk’s Prof Sam Fankhauser ⬇️
#OxfordClimate #COP30

Moskítóflugur fundust í hesthúsi á Suðurlandi Moskítóflugur fundust í nóvember í hesthúsi á sveitabæ í Ölfusi. Um er að ræða nýja tegund fyrir landið, ekki sömu og greind var í fyrsta sinn á Íslandi í október.

🦟" #Culex #mosquitoes found in stables in South #Iceland 🇮🇸"

www.natt.is/is/frettir/2...

For #FollowFriday:

Follow LSHTM's centres, projects & groups for more on work to tackle some of the biggest challenges in #PublicHealth

🎉Welcome to new addition @cmmid-lshtm.bsky.social!

go.bsky.app/4FczAGW

Storms like Claudia will keep getting worse and happen more often until we stop burning fossil fuels.

Experts warn that the UK isn’t prepared, with lives and property - and our economy - at growing risk.

It’s essential MPs are fully briefed:
www.nebriefing.org

Deterring foreign students ‘risks shutting out generation of talent’ - Research Professional News Policy experts warn of long-term implications for research from tightening UK policies on international students

Deterring foreign students ‘risks shutting out generation of talent’.

Policy experts warn of long-term implications for research from tightening UK policies on international students.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Had an amazing time with my fellow mosquito wranglers Ary Faraji (MUVE President) and Larry Reeves (U Florida FMEL). Took a collecting trip to find Aedes togoi, a mosquito that uses rocky ocean-side outcrops as larval habitat.

Job opportunities - Royal Entomological Society Job opportunities If you have an insect-related or entomology job opportunity please send us the details info@royensoc.co.uk Want to work with us? Keep an eye on our RES Vacancies page for any paid…

Thinking of a career switch? Find your perfect job in #entomology 🪲

Visit our #job opportunities page for the latest openings 🔽

buff.ly/lESo5k5

📸 Leaping locust (c) Martin Tampier

#Education #Research #Science #InsectJobs #InsectCareers #STEMjobs

📢 @ukhsa.bsky.social is #hiring for a Senior Medical #Entomologist position. Closing date 19 November 2025! 🦟🪰🕷️

apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/7...

If you are interested in #diseasevectors, #viruses and #metagenomics please DM me about this program👇

Interested in a #PhD on #metagenomics and #eDNA for #viruses #mosquitoes and #vectorbornepathogens #surveillance and #discovery with me? Apply to the ILESLA doctoral programme: lnkd.in/dvMJFWiU. Thursday 8th January 2026 at 12:00 midday, UK time. Please share widely and DM for more info.

Hello mosquito 🦟 and microbiota 🧫 🦠 aficionados, we are looking for a postdoc to join our team (Saleh's lab @salehlabparis.bsky.social at Institut Pasteur @pasteur.fr ) to investigate the interplay between the mosquito, its microbiota, and arboviruses. More information here 👇

Wildlife One Health Special Collection Vector-borne diseases are increasing in incidence, expanding geographically, and emerging at a faster pace than ever before. The prevailing hypothesis is that t

I'm so excited to introduce a new Special Collection from the Journal of Medical Entomology (and juuuust in time for #EntSoc25! 😎), the ✨Wildlife One Health Special Collection✨, put together by @machtingerlab.bsky.social, Risa Pesapane, Danielle Tufts, & me! 🎉

🔗 academic.oup.com/jme/pages/wi...