Elinne Becket, PhD
@bielleogy.bsky.social
8.1K followers 2.9K following 7.2K posts
Assoc Prof @CSUSM | 🦠⇄🦠 MGEs & coastal metagenomes | #BlueSoup 🥣🧬 🧫 | R1→Biotech→PUI | Protective mama bear of students | She/Her
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bielleogy.bsky.social
All important #BlueSoup updates, from me or Sebastian, will be added in line with the original thread here (it's run a little long so you need to click "show replies" at the bottom):
bielleogy.bsky.social
Ok I'm outing myself here but there was forgotten beef soup in our fridge we just cleaned it out and it was BLUE?!?!? Wtf contam would make it blue??? Like BRIGHT blue!! 🤢🤮 Even w/ all my years in micro I'm not handling this well.
bielleogy.bsky.social
Add another to the grading pen graveyard
Photo of a teal colored pen with no more ink lying on a piece of paper
bielleogy.bsky.social
When you squash a bug on a student's paper you're grading and the resulting smear isn't great...
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
juliedicaro.bsky.social
So Kilmer Abrego-Garcia will not challenge a deportation to Costa Rica, who has agreed to for him residency, but DHS won’t agree to send him there because it’s not cruel enough.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...
For weeks, Mr. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who is married to a U.S. citizen, has made clear that he would not challenge his deportation if he were sent to Costa Rica, which has promised him legal residency and guaranteed that he would not be sent back to El Salvador.

But the Trump administration has refused to deport him to Costa Rica, and in an earlier hearing this week, Judge Xinis pressed the administration to consider the option or clarify why it was unacceptable.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
punkrockscience.bsky.social
We have problems when we release lab-raised animals that *do* currently exist, that *do* have studied living behaviors - they imprint on humans, they don’t socialize well with others of their species, and they have trouble foraging and hunting.

What hubris to think humans could raise a dire wolf.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
punkrockscience.bsky.social
Let’s set aside the question of whether these edited animals *are* the species they’re claimed to be - what possible argument would there BE for releasing them into a wild that isn’t the ecosystem they went extinct from? It would likely be condemning behaviorally-unequipped animals to slow death.
washingtonpost.com
One of the world’s most important nature groups is weighing a call for a temporary ban on allowing genetically engineered plants or animals, such as canines edited to appear like extinct “dire wolves,” from being released into the wild.
These animals are extinct. This vote would make sure they stay that way in the wild.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, a top conservation group, is weighing a moratorium on unleashing genetically modified plants or animals into the wild.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
jennifernuzzo.bsky.social
Some of these people have now been fired and rehired TWICE since January. The current state of dysfunction is mind boggling.
sherylnyt.bsky.social
OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed
sherylnyt.bsky.social
BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
linsalrob.bsky.social
🦠Join the legendary @viromegirl.bsky.social lab

Jobs in marine micro, virology & genomics
💻 Viral 'omics in seagrass
🧬 Marine microbial & bioinformatics
🧫 Vibrio phage + iron biogeochemistry
🎓 sea urchin–ciliate diseases

👉 www.marine.usf.edu/genomics/app...

#MarineVirology #Phagesky #Microbiome
Welcome to the Breitbart Lab - Genomics
We are modern virus hunters, using metagenomic sequencing to discover viruses in a wide range of environments and hosts. Have fun exploring the marvels of microbiology on this website!
marine.usf.edu
bielleogy.bsky.social
I'm so glad my lab understands and embraces how much of a sarcastic humor I have 😆🫣
bielleogy.bsky.social
The mood stabilizing effect as frustration grows is very needed
bielleogy.bsky.social
When you grade at a winery, you can grade on a Cu(r)vée.
Photo of lab reports being graded at a patio table with a glass of wine behind them.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
angierasmussen.bsky.social
For more information about the Friday night massacre at CDC, I wrote up an analysis of who got terminated and what that means for public health.

Grateful to @saveamericamvmt.bsky.social for supporting and amplifying. We are in really terrible trouble.

rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
kyt-thatsme.bsky.social
Anyone wanna form a viral or pathogen evolution working group ?
sse-evolution.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
angierasmussen.bsky.social
I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
adamkeiper.com
You would not fire these people—including the staff of the hugely, HUGELY important 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'—if you cared at all about public health, if you wanted people to live.

And you would not let your thuggish henchmen fire people like this if you were a responsible president.
sherylnyt.bsky.social
BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:
bielleogy.bsky.social
Also at the moment I'm a bit more preoccupied with fascism that maybe my contempt for the oligarchy seems diluted
bielleogy.bsky.social
See you gotta be on my feed more
bielleogy.bsky.social
Lol why? I do coastal microbial ecology and I hate the oligarchy. Totally on brand.