Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 3m

When I taught Micro, we talked a lot about how drug-resistant infections are a serious challenge for 21st century medicine. Standard healthcare (for example, surgical procedures) relies heavily on effective antimicrobials.

WHO @who.int · 3h

🚨Drug-resistant bacteria are becoming more dangerous.

Life-saving antibiotics are losing effectiveness, increasing infection risks & limiting treatment options.

Some resistant infections can only be treated with antibiotics that are costly, difficult to access, & often unavailable 👉 bit.ly/438Ta1u

Infographic images of various antibiotic pills. The text reads:
“Common infections now often require stronger, more expensive antibiotics.
In 2023:
1 in 3 urinary tract infections
1 in 15 gastrointestinal infections
1 in 6 bloodstream infections
…were resistant to antibiotics.”

The design uses orange and black text on a light blue background with pill icons illustrating the statistics.

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 1h

New from @agreenberg.bsky.social and me: For three years, security researchers pointed a satellite at the sky and found highly sensitive data being sent unencrypted

They found: calls and texts on T-Mobile’s network; military info from the US and Mexico; in-flight Wi-Fi browsing, and a lot more

Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypte...

www.wired.com

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 17h

“CDC has confirmed 44 measles outbreaks in 41 states this year…The vast majority of cases were in people who were unvaccinated; 27% percent have been in children under the age of 5. About 1 in 8 measles cases have resulted in hospitalization.”

Vaccination is so important to protect our communities.

U.S. measles cases continue to climb, with outbreaks across the country

In South Carolina, more than 150 unvaccinated schoolkids are under quarantine after being exposed to measles. Across the U.S., total case counts could be even higher than the official number.

www.npr.org

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 1d

Forgot to start culture

Marjorie James Keenan @unenthusiast.com · 2d

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

rm -rf ~/

hammancheez @hammancheez.bsky.social · 2d

"The chancellor approved it"

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · 1d

Threw away the pellet

Marjorie James Keenan @unenthusiast.com · 2d

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

rm -rf ~/

hammancheez @hammancheez.bsky.social · 2d

"The chancellor approved it"

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 1d

NOOOOOOOOO!

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Good grief.
The first seven paragraphs of this.
I’m heartbroken for the dedicated public servants at CDC. I’m heartbroken for U.S. public health.
Just awful.
Thinking of fed workers at other agencies, too.

Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 2d

The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Laura Williams

Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 2d

I'm the incoming SSE president and am behind this idea -- if you're interested in putting together an app and have questions, pls reach out!

Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 5d

Now accepting proposals for new Research Synthesis Working Groups! Each funded group will present a symposium at the Evolution meeting, collaborate on a publication, and establish a lasting research network. Submit your proposal by January 6: www.evolutionsociety.org/content/soci...

Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Call for Proposals: Research Synthesis Working Groups. Deadline: January 6.

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Black Microbiologists Assoc (Black In Micro) @blackinmicro.bsky.social · 3d

#BlackInMicro Week is more than just an event; it's a hub for connection. The need for strong communities like ours has never been more urgent. Donate today to show your support: tinyurl.com/GiveBiM (all links in bio) #BIMWeek2025 #HARMONY

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Caitlin Rivers @cmyeaton.bsky.social · 9d

The government shutdown interrupted CDC's disease updates, so Team Force of Infection spent our Saturday going to the websites of all 50 health departments to check on Covid-19, flu and RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/cdc-data-i...

CDC data interrupted, so we went state by state

A look at Covid-19, flu and RSV trends in each state

caitlinrivers.substack.com

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Reposted by Laura Williams

CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @cosmicrami.com · 10d

4 October (today) is International Observe the Moon night!

It's super easy to do - just head out and look up at our celestial companion who has been with us for nearly all of our time. Without it, our world would be very different.

*There's a whole other world that just hangs in our sky for us*

International Observe the Moon Night

Join NASA and lunar observers around the world in a global celebration of the Moon.

moon.nasa.gov

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 11d

A terrible, avoidable tragedy.
Per the article, the infant was too young to get the vaccine, therefore dependent on protection from a vaccinated community.
State Health Officer: “We do believe that declining vaccination rates are impacting this.”

Matthew Herper @matthewherper.bsky.social · 11d

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough, the State’s First Pertussis Death in 13 Years www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippi-...

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough Amid Rising Cases

A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012. The baby was less than two months old—too young for vaccination.

www.mississippifreepress.org

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 12d

That is a “you have 15 minutes to reach minimum safe distance” color.

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 12d

Anytime I feel like things are temporarily going my way but likely soon to collapse, I say “Everything’s coming up Milhouse!”

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 12d

I saw this thread and thought “I cannot read this thread at work or I will be in floods of tears by the end”.
It’s not even the book! I can’t even read the thread! Honestly, I feel the verklemptness starting, and all I’ve done is think about it.

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 12d

I was furloughed from USDA postdoc position in 2013 shutdown. We were told clearly and firmly we should not conduct any official work or even check our gov’t email.

This time around, I’ve read furloughed feds may be allowed/instructed to check email to see if they’ve been fired. Grim stuff.

Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 12d

Posted by NSF on LinkedIn:

“Due to a lapse in government funding, NSF will not post content or respond to any comments/replies until the government reopens.”

Confirmation of expected: non-essential functions must cease during a shutdown. NSF personnel cannot perform any official work.

Screenshot of LinkedIn post. Text is: Due to a lapse in government funding, NSF will not post content or respond to any comments/replies until the government reopens.

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Reposted by Laura Williams

National Association of Science Writers (NASW) @sciencewriters.org · 13d

DEAL ALERT: Take advantage of early bird rates for #SciWri25! For writers, editors, authors, journalists, institutional writers, communications managers, students, and anyone working to translate science for the non-scientist. Join us.

Early bird rates end tomorrow, Oct. 1

sciencewriters2025.o...

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 13d

Thinking of my USDA colleagues today, who are facing the prospect of a government shutdown and ongoing uncertainty about their jobs and projects.

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 13d

Published this month:
Antibacterial activity of Bdellovibrio isolated from urban watersheds against Salmonella serovars responsible for outbreaks of foodborne illness.
First author Yewande Ajao led this work while an ORISE postdoc fellow at USDA.
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Antibacterial activity of two newly isolated Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus strains on Salmonella enterica serovars of food safety concern | Microbiology Spectrum

Bdellovibrio is the most studied obligate predatory bacteria. It has potential for use as biological control of gram-negative bacteria in health, agriculture, and the food industry. Most basic researc...

journals.asm.org

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Jason Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 14d

The new #NSF #GRFP application now excludes 1000’s of students, including those who were told they could apply this year, or who planned to apply next year.

We have a new specific petition urging #NSFGRFP undo this harmful action. If you are impacted sign here: laurenkuehne.github.io/grfpChanges/

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 14d

Excellent! Thank you! Looking forward to reading these.

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Guy Leonard @guyleonard.bsky.social · 14d

Oooh and this olivia.science/ai from bsky.app/profile/oliv...

Critical AI

On this page are some resources for Critical AI Literacy (CAIL) from my perspective.

olivia.science

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Reposted by Laura Williams

Guy Leonard @guyleonard.bsky.social · 14d

Some recent papers/articles:
1. zenodo.org/records/1706...
2. www.chronicle.com/article/some...
3. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-b...
4. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
5. www.theverge.com/report/78717...
6. www.civicsoftechnology.org/blog/no-ai-g...

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Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 14d

Re-upping this short thread because I am confident people have recommendations for my reading list on AI technologies and their impact on society.

What should I read to be better informed?

Laura Williams @laurawilliams.bsky.social · 15d

I want to be more informed about AI, so I started a reading list.
So far, I’ve read:

Co-intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (2024)

AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor (2024)

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