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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

@mackayim.bsky.social

12K followers 2.9K following 7.2K posts

forever virologist, researcher, PCR guy. past lab manager. husband. dad. reader. writer. fixer. bad typist. learner. australian. #MasksWork https://virologydownunder.com/

virologydownunder.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 5d

Quick update of Australian #flu numbers -07OCT
FluA subtype A(H1N1), derived from our *last* pandemic #influenza virus, dominates.
2025=thick red dashed line/red monthly dots. The last pink dot just marks September as an incomplete month.
1,368 added daily over 14 days (19,147).
➡️slowing continues

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 26m

Typical and expected TACO tactic.

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 57m

Trump on Tomahawks for Ukraine:

Well, I don't know. I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you about Tomahawks. Do they want to have tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so.
I think I might speak to Russia about that, in all fairness.

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 31m

Not my go to tool as anyone who follows me know. I create my own graphics. But I am *not* manually placing 6200 coloured circles for the sake of a quick informative social media post. I did not consider a map of Australia, colours, legend or circles to impinge on or steal from anyone's copyright.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 35m

Yep. In a spot that suits them and that will continue to provide the ongoing water they need for life.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 49m

Crunchy, curling blades
From tan comes green, soft from crisp
Rain brings life to grass

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 11h

Those words are music to my ears btw!

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 11h

Thanks for being someone willing to learn, able to communicate without aggression and who puts up with someone who comes across arrogantly. 🖖

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 11h

Sure are.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 11h

Oh Gods, what have I started?

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 11h

👍

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 13h

See 3rd post added to my original thread describing this new image which I hope captures the original intent. It glitches on one row and two columns of dots so humans still rule!

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 13h

As an experiment, I tried out Google's AI, Gemini, to draw this image which uses 6,250 dots which allows one to represent the area needed for solar renewables. I also got it to add a rough legend that includes all three colours.
Bit clearer?

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

We do need to grow some things for Australia's food security. That will be pretty important in a future where climate really screws what we can grow and where.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

The stat's are in the original article I linked to in the 2nd post in the thread if you want to see them.

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

And they're all still growing strong?

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

....and the excess energy we could produce could go into manufacturing and running desalination plants to aid with water needs.

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

I don't think this ever set out to fix anyone' opinions.
It just provides a fact that can be used around the water cooler or dinner table.
The fact: it takes two fifths of f*&# all land to replace all of Australia's coal-produced energy needs, if we *only* consider solar. Here's the scale of that.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h

...red-green colour blindness enters the conversation...

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 15h

(sorry, was working backwards through my TL and you've noted one of those points already😊)

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 15h

👍

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 15h

The legend helps there, but in this graphic, not enough. It needed to define the third element - the grey dots.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 15h

I disagree. This one is clearly confusing some people (needs better key, colours & zoom), but data per se, especially when boiled down to a simple graphic, don't overwhelm people IMO. Ineffective communication can though.

Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Mick Ryan @warinthefuture.bsky.social · 19h

Recently I published a report that explored how we might ‘translate’ Ukraine lessons for application in the Pacific region.

You can download the full report at this link: researchcentre.army.gov.au/sites/defaul...

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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

Tatarigami @tatarigami.bsky.social · 21h

Our exclusive report on Russia’s tank production is out. Using internal files and state contracts, we show production plans for the next decade and current output. A short thread will follow soon, but for now, you can read the report

frontelligence.substack.com/p/exclusive-inside-russias-20262036

Exclusive: Inside Russia’s 2026–2036 Tank Fleet Modernization and Buildup Plans

In the spring and summer of 2025, as part of our own operation, our team obtained exclusive documents that provide new insight into Russia’s tank-production plans and confirm the existence of a little...

frontelligence.substack.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 18h

Indeed! What inspiring leadership and management.

Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 18h

Undoubtedly on nosocomial and aged care infections. But they're all still cases.
How people acquire their infections - and whether they should have - is untracked (as I'm sure you know) for most things except for rare pathogens or those or particular concern.