Dr Michelle @Drosmel@qoto.org

We are hiring a podcast editor for Scientific American's multimedia team. (Sharing again because weekends are a good time to think about a new job). Thanks for considering or sharing with anyone looking to join a creative, welcoming, humane & fun team https://careers.springernature.com/job/New-York-Multimedia-Editor%2C-Audio%2C-Scientific-American/1058691801/

Carol Jennings, RIP

Carol Jennings was an amazing woman who letters wrote letters to Alzheimer's researchers about her family. That led to the discovery of the APP gene and, in turn, the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's. (Her family carries a rare form in which mutations to the APP gene cause Alzheimer's with certainty). She devoted the rest of her life to Alzheimer's advocacy. Tragically, she acquired the disorder later in life herself.

Thank you, Carol Jennings. Rest in peace.

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/honouring-couple-dementia-their-contributions-research

Who are giant viruses infecting in the ocean?

In a collaborative paper with the Vardi lab, we were able to link many giant virus lineages to protist hosts using #SingleCell #RNASeq. One #protist host (leucocryptos) made up less than 1% of the community, but we could still identify a cryptic viral lineage infecting it, leading to population collapse.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01669-y

#marine #viruses #microbiology

Are there any #scientists studying #extremophiles here avaliable for some short talk?

5 new lectureships advertised at UCL History including one in environmental history! https://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/opportunities

Hey, Mastodon! Indiana's attorney general has created an anti-teacher snitch portal for people to report school teachers for being too woke. It allows you to upload files and everything!

There appears to be no safeguard against entering any text you want in any of the boxes, and no location/residence checking.

Dare I ask you to do your thing?

https://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/education-liberty/

Boosts welcome!

#academicChatter #education #bts #taylorSwift

When eight-year-old Emma Glenfield wanted to know more about why magpies swoop at people, her teacher (Luke Carr) encouraged her to gather data and analyse it.

She noted that the birds seemed to target tall balding men, and created an online survey with the help of her mum. The survey went viral, with over 30,000 respondents.

The results, as shown in a brilliant Lego graph, demonstrated that the birds do target balding men more frequently (with less than 1% margin of error, thanks to the large sample size).

"According to magpie expert Darryl Jones, professor emeritus at Griffith University, it's the first time anyone has ever examined the link between magpie swooping and appearance."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-09/magpies-swoop-bald-more-often-survey-finds/103297520

The ABC article includes more details, along with this excellent Lego graph (and other great pictures).

#MathEd #Magpie #Lego #Australia

"Under Burrows’s ultraviolet lamps, pistil and stamen, stigma and anther glow with the colors of a distant planet or some bioluminescent creature of the deep seas, at once alien and familiar."

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/books/review/what-the-bees-see-craig-p-burrows.html

Lots of cage, lattice #fungi opening at the moment in Marin. I find these fascinating.
#mushtodon

São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) postdoctoral fellowship available for 12 months at the Prof. Henning Ulrich’s laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo

The #Neuroscience Laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry,
University of São Paulo, invites applications for a 12-month postdoctoral fellowship funded by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) under the supervision of Prof. Henning Ulrich.

This #fellowship is part of a larger research endeavor within the thematic #FAPESP grant. The project shall investigate the effects of caffeine and adenosine receptors in neurogenesis and neuroprotection using in vitro stem cell models of #Alzheimer’s disease.

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate who has obtained a doctorate degree in #Biological #Sciences within the last 7 years and has a strong publication record. Experience in cell culture and neurodifferentiation is essential, while proficiency in immunostaining, cytometry, biochemistry and molecular biology techniques would be advantageous.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate excellent communication skills, evidenced by presentation of scientific articles and data at conferences. The fellowship, commencing on April 01, 2024, will provide a monthly payment of R $ 9,047.40 (Brazilian Reais) per month, along with bench money.

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to henning@iq.usp.br by March 20, 2024:

A motivation letter (up to one page);

C.V, with a list of publications;

One recommendation letter.

Selected candidates will be contacted via email to arrange interviews.

Our FocalPlane features... webinar on #microscopy-based #outreach is happening next week!
We are excited to have talks from Paola Moreno-Roman from Foldscope, Alex Strachan from Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre and Martin Jones from @thecrick Register here (& tell your friends!):
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CtmAqpQlRDKkeRB6F9odwA#/registration
#FocalPlaneFeatures