I kicked a can over yesterday, and that's that there are different definitions of the word "antibiotic" in use. Definition and usage of the term vary a bit between disciplines, between countries, in standardisation bodies, in regulatory/legislative definition, etc.

Brilliant thread.

Dan Kaszeta FRHistS@dankaszeta.bsky.social · 2d ago

Penicillin was not, in fact, the first antibiotic.

Further motivation for my nascent plan to start an olive oil farm in Worcestershire www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Price of olive oil expected to rise again as European crops feel the heat

Farmers warn impact of high temperatures, drought and wildfires on range of foodstuffs means costs will increase

theguardian.com

Update of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in DRC & Uganda - 3 Aug. --- DRC: On 2 Aug, DRC reported a total of 3748 confirmed cases & 1657 deaths. 74 new cases & 36 deaths reported since the last update (1 Aug). --- EU/EEA: 1 confirmed case reported in France on 24 June. #PublicHealth #Ebola #IDsky

"He was jailed in 2015 for >3 yrs after posting “vile” antisemitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally."

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2d ago

Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election

Important, interesting new paper 'Molecular Epidemiology and Drug Resistance of Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Bloodstream Isolates [n = 10,098] From Adults Worldwide (2011–2023)' academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

Molecular Epidemiology and Drug Resistance of Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Bloodstream Isolates From Adults Worldwide (2011–2023)

AbstractBackground. Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) can colonize and infect body sites outside the intestines, which can lead to invasi

academic.oup.com

Bizarrely, the countryside in Tuscany is significantly greener than in Worcestershire

England received only 7% of the long-term average rainfall for July. Southern England, just 1%. Factoid: There has been a weather station in Kew Gardens for 155 years. This July was the first month ever to record 0mm of rain. Tomorrow, London will again hit 30C+ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

July set to be driest on record for England and Wales after relentless heatwaves

Climate scientist urges better planning as southern England had just 1% of long-term average rainfall last month

theguardian.com

I'm absolutely furious that facts and information like this are allowed on social media while every Reform MP is working so hard to spread misinformation and lies and stir up our gullible supporters who will believe any old bollocks.

There is no shortage of fantastic art in Florence, but if you can visit in the next three weeks, don't miss 'Rothko in Florence'

A fun day out for all the family

Henrietta Lacks was #BOTD in 1920, and died in 1951 of cervical cancer. The cell line from her cancer contains HPV 18 integrated into her genome. Today we have a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer - #OncSky + #MedSky. nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaah...

Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine | National Museum of African American History and Culture

"Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer on October 4, 1951 at the age of 31. During an examination, cells were taken from her body without her knowledge or consent by a doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospit...

nmaahc.si.edu

Invasive infection with Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus was uncommon among very #PretermInfants, including infants with and without #Probiotics exposure in this multicenter cohort. ja.ma/4fMGpzq

Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister: "We have detected intensive Russian propaganda campaign across Europe using pictures from Ceuta to sow destabilisation." Far-right from EU (& US!) falls with open eyes for hybrid threats from the weaponisation of migration, even fan the flames. #unity #solidarity

It has been a while since I transferred flights in Frankfurt but the airport is still as awful as I remember it

Roses are red Sinner plays tennis

As someone who has lived in the UK for 9 years and is still completely baffled by how secondary education is organised here, this is a great piece deconstructing what works (O levels) and what could be improved (and what not to do). Not the best headline though.

Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 4d ago

New post just out: "Burnham's first mistake" Splitting 14 year olds into academic and vocational paths seems intuitive. But it's a terrible idea that risks increasing inequality, and closing down options for the young people that need them most. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/b...

Has Gianni Infantino resigned yet?

Colistin resistance-mediated lipopolysaccharide modification in Klebsiella pneumoniae modulates host inflammatory response https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.30.741922v1

"This [ruling] sets a legal precedent and will hopefully deter people in not just Oxfordshire but around the country from partaking in this criminal activity [affixing flags to lampposts etc]" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Judge hands down judgement on Oxfordshire lamp-post flag ban

Oxfordshire County Council lodged a High Court case to prevent the hanging of flags near roads.

bbc.co.uk

The perfect illustration of the damage billionaires are doing to the world, and now beyond www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Drifting SpaceX rocket heading for accidental collision with moon

Scientists and sky gazers will watch intently as rocket’s upper stage slams into lunar surface on Wednesday

theguardian.com

It is both interesting and painful to see that the FIFA president faces more democratic accountability than the U.S. president.

We need to take a moment to salute Gianni Infantino for being the first person in history to get 55 European countries to unanimously agree on anything.

Not a great week to have been struck down by a flu-like illness but am definitely on the mend now. Am looking forward to setting off to Italy tomorrow for the GRC Streptococcal Biology.

Greater Manchester Mayoral By-Election 'Exit Poll': Craig | LAB: 41% (+3) Astley | RFM: 22% (+3) Coggins | GRN: 15% (-7) Eckersley | CON: 9% (+1) West | RES: 8% (-1) Kilpatrick | LDM: 5% (+2) Farmer | Ind: 0% (-1) Via @FindoutnowUK, 30 Jul. Changes w/ 7-12 Jul.

🎉 New preprint. First piece of work from us looking at how Klebsiella spp. use gut microbiome-associated metabolites present in urine. Very much v1 but we wanted it out for feedback, and to support lead author @devarsh1917.bsky.social as he applies for PhDs. #microSky

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · last wk.

Hippurate hydrolases encoded by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca are functional https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.27.739834v1

✅ Touring Clacton ✅ Visiting local businesses ✅ Listening to constituents’ concerns ✅ Hi-vis vest Make your Vote Count! #VoteBinface #Clacton

The greatest finish on the Champs-Élysées ever!

I have never disagreed so much with an article on Times Higher Education. Full marks for clickbait! www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/scie...

A science PhD can be completed within 18 months

Supervisors should involve doctoral students with conducting, writing up and publishing experiments straight away, says Adrian Furnham

timeshighereducation.com

We’ve been awarded European Commission Choose Europe for Science Co-fund at Uni of Birmingham! MOBILITY will fund 6 talented postdoctoral researchers at the transition to independence. All within remit of Molecular Biodiscovery. Applications open in October 😀👍. www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2026/bi...

First UK institution awarded Choose Europe for Science grant - University of Birmingham

Birmingham awarded £1.2m in ERC funding to attract talent from outside of Europe

birmingham.ac.uk