Dan Weinberger and I @yalesph.bsky.social are hiring multiple research positions in microbial/virus sequencing and bioinformatics workflows with respiratory pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, RSV, and/or hMPV.
See 👉 forms.gle/xpmzTtNqHFqK...
For anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the energy-AI challenge (should be everyone!), there's an excellent new Substack worth subscribing to currentclimatedp.substack.com
Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years
New in @science.org ‼️ In the most comprehensive study to date, we show that wildlife trade is driving animal-to-human zoonotic spillover at a planetary scale, with +1 spillover per host every 10 years. Live animal markets and illegal trade pose even greater risks. 🔓 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Just write anything. It literally doesn't have to make sense even to you. If you're any good at this, you will be the last person to ever know
AND if you’re an NYC-based journalist or newsroom, they’re also looking for mentors to support student journalists, opportunities to feature student stories, and professionals willing to offer shadowing experiences.
Start organizing here: www.youthjournalismnyc.org/jweek
✏️ In the media capital of the world, 4 out of 5 NYC public high schools don’t have a journalism class.
One of my closest friends leads the NYC Youth Journalism Coalition and is collecting signatures urging leaders to support citywide funding.
Sign + spread the word!
tinyurl.com/jweek-letter
If you ever want to read a paper for free and can't find it otherwise, email the lead author and politely ask for a copy. You will not be bothering the person. You will in fact make their whole entire day. I have had scientists get so excited I asked they sent me everything they ever published.
ICYMI: Trans people's IDs in Kansas were revoked overnight. They are:
- Unable to drive
- Unable to fly
- Unable to leave the state on their own
- Unable to apply for work
- Unable to vote (Kansas has voter ID)
- Unable to apply for driver's licenses in *any other state* /1
The Kansas driver's license law is purely about bigotry, stigmatization, and criminalization of difference. It serves no rational or legitimate purpose. A 🧵1/
Expert engagement and evidence use in treaty negotiations 24 Pages Posted: Anna Bezruki affiliation not provided to SSRN Chloe Batie Yale University Colin Carlson Yale University Date Written: February 10, 2026 Abstract Science-and evidence-based decision-making are core values in global health, but in multilateral processes, they often take a backseat to politics. The Pandemic Agreement requires Parties to use "the best available science and evidence as the basis for public health decisions for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response," but is the treaty itself evidence-based? In this chapter, we trace how scientific and technical evidence were introduced into the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. External experts were a key source of advice, especially on legal issues, but they were mostly excluded from the negotiations. Over time, Member States began to treat Relevant Stakeholders as a secondary source of technical expertise, introducing potential conflicts of interest into the process. In the end, scientists and stakeholders successfully leveraged scientific authority to facilitate the incorporation of One Health approach to pandemic prevention (Articles 4 and 5)-but otherwise, the treaty was shaped more by politics and pragmatism than by science. Moving forward, the Conference of Parties will be an opportunity for Member States to establish formal channels for scientific evidence synthesis and engagement-or to preserve a status quo that falls substantially behind evidence-based global governance in other areas. Keywords: Citation networks, evidence-based policy, One Health, Pandemic Agreement, scientometrics, World Health Organization
Figure 1. Evidence use in the WHO Pandemic Agreement negotiations: (A) by user type and evidence type; and (B) by individual users and documents. Flows are proportional to the number of instances. In panel B, shaded flows represent self-citations by individual contributors (purple) or by organizations (red).
Figure 2. Evidence use networks connecting documents (red) and users (blue). Edge width and node size is proportional to the number of references made. For visual clarity, only the most influential nodes are labeled. Layout is based on network connections and readability, and does not necessarily reflect node properties (e.g., centrality).
NEW‼️ For the forthcoming Pandemic Agreement travaux préparatoires edited by @alexandraphelan.bsky.social, we did a deep dive on how experts and evidence shaped the negotiations. What we found is a microcosm of global health: limited time, high stakes, and familiar shady actors like Big Pharma. (1/3)
Something very different and cool for my lab. Sequencing a 4.4mb TB genome using the Artic-style PCR amplicon method with >5128 primers in two reactions 🤯
Enables culture-free WGS for TB!
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Ahh! It’s so cool to see my book out in the world, especially in the hands of former students who’ve become friends! @haileyrobertson.bsky.social got in on the ground floor back in 2018, providing invaluable research assistance for the data project culminating in this book!
Holding the book “Governing Truth: NGOs and the Politics of Transitional Justice” by Kelebogile Zvobgo
So excited for my copy of Governing Truth by @kellyzvobgo.bsky.social — an absolutely monumental research effort. Highly recommend to anyone curious about what it takes for transitional justice (and specifically, truth commissions) to succeed in the face of impunity and political violence.
You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.
We're looking for a full-stack developer! Help us build the best open data platforms for pandemic prediction in the world.
Probably a short-term contract, but if you're looking for a full-time gig, let's talk. Inquire within: www.viralemergence.org/blog/were-hi...
Our paper on the Genomic Epidemiology of DENV2/3 in Colombia and the Americas is finally out @cp-cellreports.bsky.social, check it out: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Big thanks to my collaborators @lambod50.bsky.social, @viralverity.bsky.social, @nathangrubaugh.bsky.social, and many others!
Jesus.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
we're excited to share that Proceedings B has also come on board for listing PHAROS as a recommended repository for open wildlife pathogen and parasite testing data! thanks to @royalsociety.org for the support. @viralemergence.org
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/pages/f...
🦟📄 New preprint! Our first large-scale phylodynamic study of Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) reveals how mosquito ecology shapes the evolution, persistence, and spread of this understudied arbovirus in North America.
Read it here! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Check out our new print that combines dense sequencing and phylodynamics to uncover a bunch of 😎 things about an understudied virus.
- Doesn't evolve for 10 months a year ✅
- Uses some mossies for maintenance, others for spread ✅
- Established in Northeast for ~300 years ✅
Important read. Among many other things, Judge Ellis found that Kristi Noem "commented that the more people protest, the harder the government will come after them."
I like From Data to Viz: www.data-to-viz.com
I find it especially helpful for beginners because it a) gives an overview and "common mistakes" for each plot type and b) interfaces with R/Python Graph Gallery so you can immediately get to basic implementation!
Exciting news to start 2026: for the first time ever, the PHAROS repository for wildlife disease surveillance is a journal-recommended home for your archived data!
Thanks to Integrative and Comparative Biology for taking the leap with us 🦠🔢➡️🌎💻💫 academic.oup.com/icb/pages/Ge...
Variations in annual dengue intensities are explained by temperature anomalies
Our new work led by Abbey Porzucek, @rafalpx.bsky.social, @colincarlson.bsky.social, Dan Weinberger to develop a method to compare relative dengue intensity between years and countries.
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.
My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!
go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT
A conceptual figure outlining a protocol for using species distribution models to prioritize sampling for pathogens in wildlife
A scientific figure showing a case study of the protocol applied to Arenaviridae in rodents in India
🚨🐭🦠 New preprint!
Monitoring wildlife disease is expensive, so we need to be smart about where we sample to get as much useful info as possible.
We show how SDMs can guide adaptive sampling for zoonotic disease surveillance, using case studies in rodents.
This is, not a joke, one of my favourite papers in a long time. Absolutely stellar co-authors, but also a straight line from "nitpicky little nerds obsessing over sampling" to "translational research with clear implications for management". Go read all about it here: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
I started getting reports of an unseasonal Joshua tree bloom in the last few weeks, and looking over records on @inaturalist.bsky.social it's pretty widespread! So we're putting out the call for folks to record this "bonus bloom" and help us study it 🌿
lab.jbyoder.org/2025/12/10/w...
Photo shared by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025 tagging @naomi.marie__, @nathanmiller612, @rubyscher, @holaarepa, @birksg, @chefjholig, and @haihaimpls. May be an image of text that says 'AS SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, I.C.E. PAID US A VISIT AT AREPA YESTERDAY. OUR GM NAOMI & TEAM MEMBERS FOLLOWED OUR ICE PROTOCOL PERFECTLY, THE AGENTS LEFT & NO ONE WAS DETAINED. tO WHOEVER NEEDS THIS: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WHEN IT COMES TO I.C.E. (1/5)'. christinanguyenmpls 11h We had an ICE scare yesterday and even though we’re afraid of the repercussions of being vocal, we feel that it’s also important to inform people that this is right at our front door. ICE is not some far away boogeyman. They are here right now, spreading fear in our community. We’re so grateful to our entire staff and their bravery. They did the right things and couldn’t have dealt with this situation in a better way. We are grateful to our community activists that came to support us from @miracmn @litosonlake and Monarcha. We hope that if you find yourself in the same situation, that you find these resources helpful. Peace and take care of each other ❤️
Photo by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025. May be an image of text that says 'IF I.C.E. COMES TO YOUR RESTAURANT: UNLESS THE AGENTS HAVE A SIGNED JUDICIAL WARRANT, THEY CANNOT ENTER A PRIVATE AREA LIKE THE KITCHEN WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION EVEN IF THEY LIE AND SAY THY DON'T NEED A WARRANT, STAND YOUR GROUND AND INSIST THAT YOU NEED PAPERWORK (2/5)'.
Photo by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025. May be an image of text that says 'IF I.C.E. COMES TO YOUR RESTAURANT: HAVE OTHER STAFF OR PEOPLE PRESENT RECORD THEM AND EVERYTHING THEY ARE SAYING. (PEOPLE DOING UNLAWFUL THINGS HATE BEING CAUGHT IN TH ACT) YOU HAVE THE RIGHT to REFUSE SERVICE & YOU CAN ASK M tO LEAVE YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY IF THY DON'T HAVE A WARRANT. (3/5)'.
WE ARE HEARTBROKEN THAT OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE TWIN CITIES ARE BEING TARGETED AND TERRORIZED BY THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION. THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING USED AS POLITICAL PAWNS AND IT'S APPALLING. REGARDLESS OF THEIR LEGAL STATUS, THERE ARE SO MANY LATINOS & SOMALIANS WHO ARE AFRAID OF BEING DETAINED DUE TO MISTAKEN IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY MIGHT NOT GET DUE PROCESS & A FAIR TRIAL. THEY WILL JUST END UP IN DETENTION CENTERS & A LEGAL PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A BLACK HOLE. WE STAND IN SUPPORT OF OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, WHO ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS, AMERICA IS NOT THE SAME PLACE. STAY SAFE OUT THERE & TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS. LOVE, HOLA AREPA & HAI HAI (5/5)
ICE raided a James Beard award winning restaurant & because the chef/owner was prepared, left emptyhanded: