Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Sen. Adam Schiff @schiff.senate.gov · Sep 20

Border Czar Tom Homan was caught by the FBI accepting bribes - on camera - to deliver government contracts in exchange for $50,000 in cash.

Pam Bondi knew.

Kash Patel knew.

Emil Bove knew.

And they made the investigation go away.

A corrupt attempt to conceal brazen graft.

670 4.3K 12K

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · Sep 18

#NewResearch

Structure of a functional archaellum in Bacteria of the Chloroflexota phylum

@archaellum.bsky.social @sgribaldo.bsky.social & co

#microsky 🧪🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Structure of a functional archaellum in Bacteria of the Chloroflexota phylum - Nature Microbiology

Bona fide gene clusters for archaella are widespread across a bacterial phylum and encode functional motility machinery.

www.nature.com

4 17

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · Jul 19

It is really telling that billionaires have enough to buy anything they want and the thing they want is fascism.

Denny Carter @dennycarter.bsky.social · Jul 19

I think the combination of endless wealth, crushing boredom, and spending every day in a fascist online paradise makes billionaires more dangerous than they’ve ever been

Seth Heder @sethhed.bsky.social · Jul 19

They’re all so rich, so bored, and so stupid. It’s a very deadly combination for everybody around them.

33 340 1.3K

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Jul 18

I knew wild turkeys could fly, but nothing prepared me for the sight of seven chicken-sized turkey chicks flying up into our oak tree. Also, the sound of female turkeys clucking at their chicks is like being in Jurassic Park

1

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Peter Kuper @pkuper.bsky.social · Jul 18

@tomtomorrow.bsky.social @rubenbolling.bsky.social
First they come for the comedians, then the cartoonist. Kings fear being laughed at. We have a funny bone to pick with/without a smile on our faces #Colbert #Kimmel #SethMeyers #DailyShow

380 6.1K 22K

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Emily Nussbaum @emilynussbaum.bsky.social · Jul 18

Having just spent a few months reading accounts of CBS’ grotesque cowardice during the 1950s McCarthy-era blacklist, it’s nice to see that The Tiffany Network respects its traditions

33 720 3.7K

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Tiffany Lowe-Power 🌱🦠 @tlowepower.bsky.social · Jul 18

Do not organize conferences in the US with an expectation to invite international scientists.

www.nbcnewyork.com/news/busines...

Travelers to the US must pay a new $250 'visa integrity fee' — What to know

The fee will be at least $250, is on top of other visa fees, and may be reimbursable.

www.nbcnewyork.com

2 16 39

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Dr. Sue Ishaq @drsueishaq.bsky.social · Jun 25

MSE seminar today on “Viral Entry: Lessons from Pathogens to Improve Human Health”

Events will be hosted January - December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 - 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom. After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with…

MSE seminar today on “Viral Entry: Lessons from Pathogens to Improve Human Health”

Events will be hosted January - December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 - 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom. After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting. Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.

sueishaqlab.org

1 1

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Science Magazine @science.org · May 20

Lab-kept bumble bees roll small wooden balls around for no apparent purpose other than fun, a 2022 study reveals.

Learn more on #WorldBeeDay: scim.ag/4dAwCuD

200 660 3.4K

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Apr 4

Gee, what could have possibly happened 95 years ago.. 🤔

Amy Siskind @amysiskind.com · Apr 4

1

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Sarah Hird, PhD @sarahhird.bsky.social · Mar 25

Our lab’s latest paper just came out & I ❤️ it. Look at all the Archaea in wild bird poop that Universal primers miss. Amazing job by @thunterbio.bsky.social!

#birds #archaea #AcademicSky

Archaeal diversity in the microbiomes of 4 wild bird species. Check it out —>
journals.asm.org/eprint/3VYAS...

Figure 2 from linked paper. Relative abundance of archaeal orders and bacterial phyla found using Archaea-Specific and Universal PCR primers. Relative abundance of archaeal orders and bacterial phyla from Anna’s Hummingbird, Canada Goose, Ruddy Turnstone, and Saltmarsh Sparrow was found using Archaea-Specific (top) or Universal (middle and bottom) PCR primers.

3 12 47

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Mar 21

Two things I have in common with elephants:
1) we’re both mammals, and
2) we both do not like buzzing stinging insects

Elephants hate bees – here's why that's good news for Kenyan farmers

In Kenya, farmers are turning bees into unexpected helpers to keep elephants off their crops

bbc.com

1

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Dave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · Mar 20

Digging up old bacterial genetics papers to figure out where synthetic promoters and plasmids come from makes me feel like an archaeologist unearthing long forgotten tombs

“Why did they build it that way? Oh, that makes complete sense given what you could do in 1985”

5 8 70

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · Mar 17

A paper in Nature Chemical Biology presents a system that uses E. coli bacteria to create biodegradable plastics. The system may help in the production of plastics with desirable thermal and mechanical properties, using renewable resources. https://go.nature.com/4hEOaGc 🧪

This is figure 4, which shows renewable biosynthesis of two PEAs from glucose as a sole carbon source.

2 14 60

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

ASM @asm.org · Mar 19

Meet the Microbiologist: Manuel Martinez Garcia, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at the University of Alicante in Spain, analyzes genomic signatures of microorganisms frozen in ice cores collected from the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf in the Antarctic. asm.org/Podcasts/MTM...

Discovering Fossilized Microbes in Antarctic Ice Cores With Manuel Martinez Garcia

Manuel Martinez Garcia, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at the University of Alicante in Spain, analyzes genomic signatures of microorganisms frozen in ice cores collected from the Filchner–Ronne I...

asm.org

1 6 18

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · Mar 18

BREAKING: A federal court blocked Trump’s military ban on transgender service members, ruling it unconstitutional. The court found no evidence supporting claims of reduced readiness, citing the honor & excellence of trans troops.

ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...

A screenshot of a legal document from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The case is Nicolas Talbott, et al., Plaintiffs, v. United States, et al., Defendants, with Civil Action No. 25-cv-00240 (ACR). The document is titled "MEMORANDUM OPINION" and discusses Executive Order No. 14183 issued by President Donald J. Trump, which focuses on "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness." The text states that the military’s mission is to protect the American people and that service by transgender individuals is considered "inconsistent" with this mission. It references the implementation of the order by Secretary of Defense Peter B. Hegseth on February 26, 2025, and mentions the disqualification of transgender troops from service without exemption. Footnotes clarify that the executive order does not explicitly use the word "transgender" but applies to individuals whose gender identity diverges from their biological sex. The document is formatted in a standard court opinion style, with citations and references to legal filings.

30 660 3.1K

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · Mar 19

How was your day today?

🥸 Forgetting ID card in laptop & having to register as a visitor during a DOGE invasion

🤨 Being told to take cybersecurity training while DOGE bros are hacking secure gov systems

😤 Getting a no-gambling-during-March-madness email while president suspends anti-bribery laws

Picture of plastic bright green toy crocodile. His long snout is open showing a pink interior and rows of white teeth. The toy is lightly crushed so the eyes are squinty and look like he's rolling them, his mouth is curved downwards in a toothy grimace. The caption reads "Things that make you go..."

22 110 1.3K

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Mar 14

The anaerobic bacteriologist tendency to accept blame for every sulfurous smell in our building (it wasn’t us!)

1 2

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · Mar 14

A collaboration with the German Aerospace Center @dlr-en.bsky.social by Erika Muratov et al published in @biofilmjournal.bsky.social - the paper is dedicated to the memory of Ralf Moeller

The biofilm matrix protects Bacillus subtilis against hydrogen peroxide

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

3 9

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · Mar 11

Echinacoside reduces intracellular c-di-GMP levels and potentiates tobramycin activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm aggregates

NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes by Yu-Ming Cai et al from @tcoenye.bsky.social
with Jacob Malone at @johninnescentre.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Echinacoside reduces intracellular c-di-GMP levels and potentiates tobramycin activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm aggregates - npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - Echinacoside reduces intracellular c-di-GMP levels and potentiates tobramycin activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm aggregates

www.nature.com

2 10

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Mar 10

"In a world that hates women, teaching a daughter to be more masculine is easier than teaching a son to be more feminine."
@lyz.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/lyz/p/ho...

How do you raise a son?

Monday discussion

open.substack.com

1 6 23

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Mar 6

Team “non-model microbes” all the way! Need to pump those thermophile numbers up

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · Mar 6

🧫🧪 "Ten species comprise half of the bacteriology literature,
leaving most species unstudied."
'Model' gram - and gram + (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtitles) + human pathogens
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

3

Sara Blumer-Schuette @seblumer.bsky.social · Mar 6

A vaccine would be amazing! Friendly reminder that alcohol-based hand sanitizer doesn’t inactivate norovirus, and it takes only a few viral particles to start an infection. Wash those hands with soap and water!

DEI Virologist @kyt-thatsme.bsky.social · Mar 6

!!!!!!!!

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Mar 6

In the US alone, each year, norovirus causes ~20 million acute gastroenteritis cases, 70,000 hospitalizations, up to 800 deaths, at a cost of ~$10.6 billion annually.
An pill vaccine shows considerable promise in a clinical trial, establishing mucosal immunity
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

1

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Miguel Matilla - Matilla Lab @miguelmatilla.bsky.social · Mar 5

We found that a #biocontrol rhizobacterium responds to the #auxin indole-3-acetic acid by modifying its #transcriptome, increasing toxic compounds resistance, altering c-di-GMP levels and affecting #phage infection. @asm.org @csic.es

t.co/zpz0IInXBa

2 7 18

Reposted by Sara Blumer-Schuette

Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · Mar 2

If you’re consolidating power while under the guise of cutting “fraud” and making government operate more efficiently, it’s inconvenient to have folks around who can credibly explain that’s not what you’re doing.

21 88