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Posts by Barral Lab

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Spain's renewables build-out has structurally decoupled its electricity prices from gas markets. Gas now sets the price in only 15% of hours, compared to 90% in Italy.

Countries that invested early in clean power are far less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. Those that didn't now pay the price.

1 month ago 4207 1928 52 203
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First 6 Days of Iran War Cost U.S. $11.3 Billion, Pentagon Says

The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.

1 month ago 4431 2048 35 116
NYT headline: First 6  days of Iran War Cost US $11.3 billion, Pentagon says

NYT headline: First 6 days of Iran War Cost US $11.3 billion, Pentagon says

The ERC budget for 2026 is 2.7 billion euros 🧪

1 month ago 44 12 3 0

It's crazy to me how the papers that get published today could easily have been 3 or 4 papers even a decade or two ago. The amount of information they are saturated with is intense.

1 month ago 50 6 2 2

“The gender pay gap, which stands at £2,548 a year, means that women have effectively worked for free so far this year, the TUC said”

This is a stain on the country

Ask yourself, are your mother, sister, daughter, wife less valuable than their male colleagues?

2 months ago 3 2 0 0

This is an absolute outrage that should be discussed as widely as possible. I expect that this failing government will try and use the MRC to divert funding from academic research into commercial enterprises, killing UK research in the process.

2 months ago 8 5 1 0
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MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates - Research Professional News Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls

Both MRC and BBSRC responsive modes now withdrawn until further notice. Existing applications unlikely to succeed (late 2025 round expecting 1-5% success rate).

Listen, I get that UKRI wants to pivot. But killing both at once is devastating.

Let's hope at least one opens by summer... #AcademicSky

2 months ago 28 30 4 7
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Open letter from Ian Chapman to research and innovation community UKRI Chief Executive outlines changes to UKRI investment approach, addressing concerns about research funding and the financial position of STFC.

I am sorry. We all knew the three buckets were coming. We are all prepared for a shift in priority. But this message does nothing for all the UK scientists dependent on project grant funding. It doesn’t actually give any information

www.ukri.org/news/open-le...

2 months ago 41 14 4 1
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MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates - Research Professional News Boards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls

More cheery news from UKRI

'MRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates'

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

2 months ago 4 1 0 0

Update on UKRI funding situation.

Summary: it is mostly bad news, and with significant uncertainties around new funding model.

2 months ago 15 10 1 0
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Has the MRC research funding ‘pause’ been covered by any major news network?

It feels like it should be a major news story

2 months ago 28 11 8 4
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We need to talk about salaries in science Academia too often has a ‘passion first, money second’ culture. Overcoming this mindset is crucial for building a happy career.

Absolutely

“We need to talk about salaries in science” www.nature.com/articles/d41...

3 months ago 2 3 0 0
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The Guardian view on universities: Labour needs a clearer plan | Editorial Editorial: Ministers promised a ‘change of approach’, but their new tax could tip weaker institutions over the edge

'Despite all their difficulties, universities remain an enormous and irreplaceable national asset. As well as educating millions of people, they generate about £24bn in export earnings, which is about 1% of GDP – more than aircraft manufacturing and legal services combined'. 1/2

3 months ago 86 55 2 2
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The effect of shingles vaccination at different stages of the dementia disease course A natural experiment found that herpes zoster vaccination reduced the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment and deaths due to dementia, indicating that the vaccine may slow the progression of dement...

Taking advantage of a natural experiment, this follow-up by @pascalge.bsky.social of their earlier study in Nature on the beneficial effects of shingles vacination on dementia. Very cool stuff!

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

4 months ago 13 3 0 0
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Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for researchers.

BBC News - Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy
www.bbc.com/news/article...

4 months ago 32 22 0 2
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Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is

"Why do we put hurdles in the way of the people that are actually going to drive our economy? It makes zero sense."

Prof Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel prize winning scientist, says the UK's scientific future is being put at risk

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

4 months ago 27 13 0 3
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Why we have to continue with animal testing for medical research | Letters Letters: Dr Robin Lovell-Badge and Prof Emma Robinson respond to an editorial on using new technologies to reduce the reliance on animal experiments

We need to apply @nc3rs.bsky.social principles, ensure animal welfare & do the best possible by research animals. But let's not confuse people or ourselves by thinking they're dispensable.

Why we have to continue with animal testing for medical research | Letters www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

4 months ago 7 2 0 0
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Why we have to continue with animal testing for medical research | Letters Letters: Dr Robin Lovell-Badge and Prof Emma Robinson respond to an editorial on using new technologies to reduce the reliance on animal experiments

Key points on the need for continued animal use in scientific research. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

4 months ago 20 8 0 0
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Vaccinating boys and girls. It works bitches.

4 months ago 412 155 0 25
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“There were no cervical cancer cases diagnosed in women aged <25 years in 2021 – the first time that this has occurred in data going back to 1982. This remarkable achievement is almost certainly due to the impact of HPV vaccination.” From report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au

#vaccinationsaveslives

4 months ago 158 67 2 8
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Frikkin amazing stuff.

4 months ago 1128 303 24 92
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International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women | United Nations The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women aims to create awareness of the fact that violence against women is a human rights violation that impedes progress in many areas, in...

Today is the International day for the elimination of violence against women. In 2024, an estimated 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members worldwide. That is 137 women and girls every day. One every ten minutes. www.un.org/en/observanc...

4 months ago 37 22 0 0
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Sudan: MSF calls for protection of health facilities and staff after health worker killed | Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF ... MSF calls for protection of health workers and facilities after a colleague was killed at Zalingei Hospital in Central Darfur, disrupting care.

#Sudan: We call on the RSF to protect health facilities and staff, following the death of a Ministry of Health colleague during a shooting at Zalingei hospital.

For the second time this year, we have withdrawn staff to ensure their safety.

ow.ly/O8VW50XxNcx

4 months ago 82 34 0 0
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Reader in/Professor of Immunobiology | King's College London

We are recruiting a Reader/Professor of Immunobiology at @kingslsm.bsky.social . This is a unique opportunity to shape basic immunology at @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social . Please RP.
www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/131447-...

4 months ago 5 5 0 0
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Gender pay gap growing across majority of UK universities More than half of higher education institutions failed to improve gender pay equity last year

'THE’s analysis includes more than 120 institutions from the government’s gender pay gap service providing undergraduate education in 2024-25, and excludes school trusts and further education colleges.' 1/3

4 months ago 26 11 2 2

'The UK should establish a network of “disruptive invention” labs outside of the university system to pursue frontier science and technology'. (Tony Blair Institute)

The UK should stabilise the disrupted university system before faffing about with shiny new disruptive networks. (actual researcher)

5 months ago 55 13 6 3
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Not sure why @lpachter.bsky.social did not post this here. But it is brilliant. Single cell genomics finally makes it to the clinic.

5 months ago 53 13 1 1
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Fantastic Inaugural Lectures by Katie Doores and Patricia Barral
@barrallab.bsky.social . It is a real privilege to have colleagues like them at @kingslsm.bsky.social .

5 months ago 8 2 0 0
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Pressure to publish is rising as research time shrinks, finds survey of scientists Researchers feel that pressures to publish are increasing, but the time and resources available to do research are decreasing, according to a survey by Elsevier.

Scientists feel that the pressure to publish is rising, but that the time and resources they have to do the necessary research are falling, according to a survey of 3,200 researchers

go.nature.com/4hNDvuN

5 months ago 64 29 0 8
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Fairy Liquid unveiled as secret ingredient in University of Cambridge scientists’ near-universal magic formula It helps them with experiments studying the inside of cells.

It is not often that a new flow cytometry protocol makes the newspaper! I also got a kick out of seeing our science tagged as "quirky"!

www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/fairy-l...

5 months ago 30 4 2 2