"The fact that there is no current consensus of biological sex is not
antithetical to science... However, the field urgently needs an ethical
and reproducible approach for discussing sex"
There is No Consensus on Biological Sex
"The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Jay Bhattacharya) has delayed publication of a CDC report showing the covid-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half."
!!!
🎁
My lab at Pitt is looking for a Research Scientist to help us make phage therapy for patients with antibiotic-resistant infections. Please share and apply! cfopitt.taleo.net/careersectio...
Fascinating seminar from @dariavantyne.bsky.social at GSU today!
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Dobzhansky Prize to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. Nominations due December 1, 2025.
Nominations are now open for the Dobzhansky Prize, which recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. The award includes $5000 and an award talk at the in-person Evolution meeting. Deadline: December 1
shorturl.at/p70wY
(next to an image of the Capitol and a hand holding a megaphone) STOP THE TRUMP SHUT DOWN
Senate Democrats continue to hold the line to protect healthcare for millions of Americans and stop health insurance costs from doubling this winter.
More votes are expected today, and your senators need to hear from you. Encourage Democrats to keep fighting: act.indivisible.org/sign/funding...
Our new preprint by @nanamikubota.bsky.social shows that P. aeruginosa, and likely many other bacteria carrying filamentous prophages (like V. parahaemolyticus), risk being exploited by these phages in a runaway process that reduces fitness of both host and virus. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵
NSF GRFP solicitation out.
App deadlines now in November.
As others noted, eligibility rules for current graduate students now exclude 2nd year grad students. See the solicitation - they’ve emphasized “first year” and “less than one academic year” in grad program.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
We're hiring! 5 tenure track assistant professors. 2 #microbiology, 2 #Evolution, 1 #biologicalclocks
jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/675062/f...
Feels surreal to say but: I'm hiring! If you are or know anyone interested in looking at the evolution of phage resistance using A. baumannii and natural transformation, then this might be for you
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
My NIH diversity supplement was reinstated! 🥳
This is not the time to keep quiet or feel defeated by this administration. This is the time to raise hell 🔥 and be heard ✊🏽
Quantitative Phage-Bacteria Dynamics Across Scales Group Photo, College Park, MD, June 24, 2025
Midway through a full week, early career focused event at University of Maryland. Ever more excited for what could be in the study of phage dynamics across scales.
Many thanks to all the lecturers, student/postdoc participants, lab instructors, and support.
weitzgroup.umd.edu/workshops/
Anyone aware of somebody doing compassionate release type phage therapy in Canada? A friend of mine is having a lot of trouble with ever increasing AMR Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
“Importantly, under long-standing law and practice, NIH does not have the authority to arbitrarily terminate grants. Its funding decisions must be guided by congressional mandates, regulatory requirements, and scientific expertise, not vague and undefined criteria.”
We're in an epic, generational crisis.
Mystique is here! When I started my position at @cmdi.bsky.social there were no readily available phage against my A. baumannii focal strain. The solution? Finding my own phage ofc. Mystique is a broad host range Acinetobacter phage, and I'm thrilled to see this work out today #PhageSky 🧪🦠
If a student you know received an honorable mention for the NSF GRFP, encourage them to contact their Congressional representatives! 🧪
Tariffs get all the attention, but ask economists what they're really worried about and many will point to the Trump administration's cuts to federal support for the sciences, including canceling grants and revoking student visas.
#EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the AMS Math Programs page remains unavailable. We have put together a new application site, applications now due April 4. We will make expedited decisions. Travel awards available.
bit.ly/phageschool2...
Please share. The Summer School is on!
Check out this list of awesome #virome tools and be sure to add yours!
github.com/shandley/awe...
#phagesky #microsky
I feel like I spend most of my bioinformatics time just trying to install packages 🙃
NEWS: Last night, the Department of Homeland Security detained a Palestinian who helped lead the Columbia encampment.
Agents told him his visa was revoked. He said he had a green card. They were confused—then said that was revoked too.
His attorney demanded a warrant. Agents hung up instead.
per @michaelmina.bsky.social
'we discovered an exceptionally strong relationship between measles epidemics and all cause childhood mortality - following outbreaks of measles, child mortality was increased for 2-3 years'
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
If you have experienced direct harm to your work/lab/job due to recent changes at US NSF, & are willing to share this on behalf of the Am. Society of Naturalists and NSF, please DM/ email me ASAP (this is time-sensitive) or submit story here sites.google.com/view/scienti...
Please share widely
Join us! Science Homecoming helps scientists reconnect with communities by writing about the importance of science funding in their hometown newspapers. We’ve mapped every small newspaper in the U.S. and provide resources to get you started. Help science get back home 🧪🔬🧬 🏠
sciencehomecoming.com
F99/R00 AND K99/R00 DIVERSITY AWARD APPLICANTS
If you have applied for a F99/R00 or K99/R00 Diversity award and the study section for review is not listed on your eRA Commons page, please reach out to me.
DM me, email berg.grants.2029@gmail.com, Signal jeremymberg.78
THANK YOU
ATTENTION
If you are someone who had an F31-Diversity (or similar) application submitted this cycle, please DM me here, contact me on signal (jeremymberg.78), or email me at jeremymberg@gmail.com.
I will keep all information confidential.
2/n
🚨Academic scientist friends who are members-ideally leaders- of scientific professional societies, I need your help. 🚨
There is a sign-letter being prepared that will speak out against recent politicization of scientific funding and demonization of scientific researchers.
🧪🌎🦑
It’s shocking how few people know about the #Tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas. Why? Because the CDC can’t issue notifications to alert healthcare workers about it. #PublicHealth