Exciting news! As part of our Vacation Studentships, we're partnering with, New England Biolabs, who are funding two additional grants specifically for Black students. Learn more about how we’re working together: https://microb.io/4rIMPot #BlackInMicro 

An AI revolution is sweeping through education. But teachers who can convey the excitement of thinking and learning are irreplaceable go.nature.com/4hcPvWA

In praise of human teachers: universities must resist outsourcing everything to AI

An AI revolution is sweeping through education. But teachers who can convey the excitement of thinking and learning are irreplaceable.

go.nature.com

“A senior executive at Microsoft said A.I. systems built on the work of others will be seen as ‘an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions’ and possibly the greatest robbery of labor in human history, according to court documents unredacted Thursday in an ongoing Manhattan lawsuit.”

Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’

The admission appeared in a newly unredacted filing in the landmark copyright infringement legal battle playing out between newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel and tech companies Microsoft and OpenAI...

orlandosentinel.com

Whether it is Meta AI glasses used to harass & covertly film women, Apple AirTags used to track women, Meta algorithms that push sexist ads, Grok AI tools that nudify women's images, tech companies create harassment by design instead of privacy by design. www.irishtimes.com/technology/2...

Women continue to bear the brunt of bad tech decisions

Meta’s smart glasses are just the latest example of technology being used in ways developers should have anticipated

irishtimes.com

The move is likely to do little to tackle the rise of ‘AI slop’ in academia, say researchers go.nature.com/4gttow2

Can Anthropic's invsibile watermarks curb ‘AI slop’? Researchers remain sceptical

The move is likely to do little to tackle the rise of ‘AI slop’ in academia, say researchers.

go.nature.com

As generative AI is increasingly encroaching into our everyday, this article pulled together a lot of the ethical, environmental, and cognitive concerns that I’ve been worrying about and discussing with my peers recently. thewaxdrip.substack.com/p/the-age-of...

The Age of Almost Intelligence

“If you cross the river, a great empire will be destroyed.”

thewaxdrip.substack.com

I signed an Open Letter to @ukri.org in defense of @diamondlightsource.bsky.social funding. It's an internationally leading facility, any cuts to its funding, from operations to staff will have disastrous consequences to #UKscience. Pls sign & share! openletter.earth/open-letter-...

Latest from our lab in special issue "CryoEM in the Fast Lane of Structural Biology". Review on CISs in #C.difficile & new results on phage contraction & receptor binding @jasonwils.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social #SLayers #CryoEM #Phages doi.org/10.1107/S205...

How cryoEM has advanced our understanding of bacteriophages and bacteriocins targeting Clostridioides difficile

Two recent cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) structures provide a unique opportunity to compare a bacteriophage and a bacteriocin targeted at the same host. CryoEM reveals the most detailed view ...

doi.org

Translation: Women and minorities are capable but the job market is sexist and racist.

The Sutton Trust@suttontrust.bsky.social · 4mo ago

💬 “Some disadvantaged groups, particularly working-class girls, and many ethnic minorities, dramatically outperform at school, only to see those gains disappear in the labour market." Our report unpacks how gender, ethnicity, and place shape opportunity ⤵️ www.suttontrust.com/our-research...

I don't usually post about my day job, but the University of Sheffield is planing a restructure and compulsory staff redundancies within Chemistry. 20% of staff are under threat. You can sign an open letter opposing this decision here #SaveSheffieldChemistry savesheffieldchemistry.netlify.app

"Fellows shall not act or fail to act in any way which would […] bring the Society into disrepute." But this morning ministers condemned Elon Musk FRS for enabling violence on the streets of Belfast. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... Would the @royalsociety.org like to comment?

Last session starts with Lilia Hodge from @robfagan.bsky.social on her work on the stringent response in #Cdiff. @3cdf.bsky.social #3CdF2026

Looks like we've passed peak academia. www.ft.com/content/8097... via @data.ft.com

Yesterday, 56 of our fab colleagues at the Physics & Astronomy dept in Nottingham, received “at risk of redundancy” letters. The Uni is planning to reduce the size of the Physics dept by almost a third.🧪⚛️🔭 Sign this petition to show them your support ✍️: nottinghamphysics.github.io/Open_Letter/

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans@astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 5mo ago

STFC cuts will accelerate the closure of UK physics departments, even though everyone recognises the importance & value of physics to UK PLC. Physics is explicitly listed as an area affected by planned compulsory redundancies at Nottingham. So sad to see this. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Artificial Intelligence in microbiology... where do you stand? We'd love to hear your thoughts in our new survey below. Find out more about our new survey: https://microb.io/41bzWqG Take part in the survey: https://forms.office.com/e/hvKeBzFhke #AI #artificialintelligence

Born #OnThisDay in 1670 was German astronomer Maria Margaretha Kirch. She was famous in her time for writing on the conjunction of the sun with Saturn, Venus and Jupiter, and was the first to identify the Comet of 1702 as a comet. #WomenInSTEM

New paper from us. If you're interested in genetic manipulation of Clostridia, we have a few new tools for you! 36 new plasmids - all available from @addgene.bsky.social www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour... #microsky

A set of genetic tools for use in Clostridioides difficile and related species

The Clostridia are a phylogenetically diverse group of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria that include species of medical, veterinary and industrial importance. The last two decades have seen major adv...

microbiologyresearch.org

The scientific evidence is clear. #ClimateChange poses serious risks to human health. To understand how climate change affects human health, and why limiting fossil fuel emissions is important, see: royalsociety.org/-/media/poli...

For International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we asked our Section Editors about their experiences, and spoke in detail with @clairebrockett.bsky.social from @sheffielduni.bsky.social about why inclusion matters in her research. everyone.plos.org/2026/02/11/e... #IDWGS2026 #WomenInScience

Experiences of Women in Science in 2026? - EveryONE

This blog was prepared and written by PLOS One Associate Editor Jen Edwards. Last year, our blog celebrated the 10th anniversary of…

everyone.plos.org

The UK *is* losing a generation of scientists. I know lots of brilliant people who have left their jobs / the country because of the limited jobs & funding. Once lost, they cannot ever be replaced. The UK government is overseeing the death of UK academic science, and it doesn't seem to care.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 8mo ago

UK could ‘lose generation of scientists’ with cuts to projects and research facilities

Sir Paul Nurse PRS writes in today's Times on cuts to UKRI funding: "If [discovery-driven science] is not properly supported, we lose the seed-corn of discovery research, harming subsequent science translation, societal improvement and economic growth." Read more(£): www.thetimes.com/comment/lett...

Times letters: Relevance of the Church in the 21st century

Sir, AN Wilson’s article (“More liturgy, fewer lectures please, archbishop”, Jan 31) is rather like the curate’s egg — good in parts

thetimes.com

Finally comms from UKRI - on a Sunday evening. No mention of the hundreds of ECRs who will see their careers ended by these decisions and notably no explanation for MRC retrospectively applying cuts and wasting all the work that went into writing, reviewing and scoring applications - £millions

UK Research and Innovation@ukri.org · 8mo ago

Today, we're sharing an open letter from our Chief Executive, Professor Sir Ian Chapman, outlining changes to UKRI investment approach, and addressing concerns about research funding and the financial position of STFC. Read his letter here: www.ukri.org/news/open-le...

We need to be shouting about the effects of this on junior researchers from the roofs, writing to our MPs. We are risking a "missing generation" of researchers.

Mark A. Hanson@hansonmark.bsky.social · 8mo ago

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

Appalling news for the biosciences in the UK. I have three grants under review at the moment so the last week since I heard these rumours have been a definite career low point. Shifting priorities (read political interference) are bad enough www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

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

researchprofessionalnews.com

Less than one week to apply to this 2.5 yr PDRA! If you're passionate about biophysics #AFM #Microscopy applied to bacteria and #antimicrobial research this will be a great opportunity in the beautiful city of Sheffield. 😀 jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

Nobel winner and senior scientists slam cuts to UK physics “These cuts are the inevitable consequence of the government’s choices,” Nobel winner Andre Geim tells me www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

Nobel winner and senior scientists slam cuts to UK physics - Research Professional News

Science and Technology Facilities Council’s £162 million cost-saving measures “will have catastrophic consequences”, government warned

researchprofessionalnews.com

Do you have an interest in quantitative microbiology and interdisciplinary research? I'm recruiting a UK PhD student to develop high-throughput ecological screens to help us understand how chemical inputs impact microbial ecosystems: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Identifying how chemicals shape microbial diversity through high-throughput ecological screens at University of Sheffield on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Identifying how chemicals shape microbial diversity through high-throughput ecological screens at University of Sheffield, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

It's the Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2025! Listen in for science-themed gifts, games, seasonal songs, and Nature's 10 🎅 go.nature.com/4oZvyEI

The Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2025

Nature - Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 17 December 2025

go.nature.com

Born #OnThisDay in 1780 was the polymath Mary Somerville. She was the first woman to have a paper read to and published by the Royal Society with her paper on the relationship between light and magnetism, and she in fact inspired the coining of the word 'scientist' itself. #WomenInSTEM