Big news for the virome research community!  We are thrilled to announce the first-ever UK Virome Forum (UKVF) in-person event! Whether you're a PhD student, an ECR, or a PI working in virome-related research, this is your space to connect and collaborate.

📢 Registration is now open for the first UK Virome Forum meeting! This two-day event will bring together UK-based researchers using genomic approaches to study viromes. Whether you are investigating viral communities in soil 🌱, the human gut 🦠, or whales 🐋, this is your space!

Wondering what happens if a seal sneezes on a whale? We were! 🦭🤧🐋 We sequenced viromes from 16 species of marine mammals stranded in Scotland. Of >100 viruses detected, ~10% appeared in multiple species (one in both seals & cetaceans!), mirroring known interspecies interactions in Scottish waters.

Not all bat viruses spread the same way 🦇 A new study from @averyholmes.bsky.social & colleagues looked at six viruses in vampire bats in Peru & found contrasting patterns of circulation. Some reflect bat movement, others were influenced by human activity. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Excited to share my first paper! Co-circulating viruses in bats show diverse spatial movement patterns, perhaps due to different infection biology. Not all viruses move like their hosts, or like other viruses; Use them for inference with awareness and care!🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Virus‐Dependent Geographic Structure of Co‐Circulating Viruses in a Single Bat Species

Understanding the spatial spread of viruses within wildlife populations is often a key component of disease management efforts. Viral spread is likely constrained by host ecology, but inter-virus dif...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Happy #BatMas everyone! Follow this thread ⬇️ or check out the hashtag to find out about a new bat species everyday, for 25 days! 🦇🌎🧪 #BatSky🧵

a group of bats are sitting on top of each other on a green leaf

ALT: a group of bats are sitting on top of each other on a green leaf

media.tenor.com

The ocean is such a weird and wonderful place. When baby eels first hatch, they are bizarre transparent little guys. But scientists think they may change shape to pretend to be other (more dangerous/less tasty) creatures like jellyfish or salps. Like raaaaar don't eat me I'm scary. Adorable. 🧪🦑

Question for those with greater experience: What are actions that one can take as an early career researcher to help make science more inclusive and accessible to everyone, everywhere? These challenges feel so large, especially as a student, but I’m sure there are still things everyone can do?

How visa rejections are stalling Africa's health research

Experts call for visa equity to boost participation of scientists from the global south.

nature.com

“When governments decide which words can and cannot be spoken and dictate what research can and cannot be published, they are not defending the truth. They are erasing it. We in Europe have seen where this road leads. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.”

Why the European Journal of Public Health and EUPHA are opposing President Trump’s attack on the language of diversity

The news that the Trump administration has ordered scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to withdraw or retract articles co

academic.oup.com

Silence will not shield scientists from the consequences of an increasingly hostile political landscape. UK and other non-US scientists must act to support our US colleagues. Here's what I think we should be doing... 🧵 1/35