Dave Baltrus 🦦
@surtlab.bsky.social
7.6K followers 2.9K following 1.3K posts
Professor at UArizona interested in genome rummaging, microbial evolution, and occasional tales about having backyard farm animals. “I’m something of a scientist myself” Baltrus(at)Arizona.edu
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Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
laprofmme.bsky.social
Courtesy of colleagues at Penn
A variation on Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 engraving in the Pennsylvania Gazette, published in Philadelphia, in an effort to foster cooperation among the various colonies against the tyrant king of Britain, with the American colonies replaced by the nine universities selected for special collaboration opportunities
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
bencollins.bsky.social
Listen to the response to this and look how easy it is to say it.
grahamformaine.bsky.social
We have armed secret police kidnapping people off the street based on the color of their skin.

When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
gavinyamey.bsky.social
The lab leak conspiracy theorists running the US health agencies are getting kookier & kookier 🤦‍♂️

In fact, research shows that “the Lyme disease bacterium is ancient in North America, circulating silently in forests for at least 60,000 years” (medicine.yale.edu/news-article...)
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
bconlon.bsky.social
Delighted to share our latest paper - A host-directed adjuvant sensitizes intracellular bacterial persisters to antibiotics. Excellently led by Dr. Kuan-Yi Lu. We think it's a great proof-of-concept that altering immune cell behavior can make antibiotics work better www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A host-directed adjuvant sensitizes intracellular bacterial persisters to antibiotics - Nature Microbiology
The authors developed a screen to find compounds that modulate intracellular Staphylococcus aureus metabolism and discovered KL1, which sensitizes persisters to antibiotics by reversing host-induced tolerance.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
mcopelov.bsky.social
Unprecedented grift & corruption, happening daily right in front of us
dcollier74.bsky.social
Man what a lucky guess.........
surtlab.bsky.social
Christ, this whole thing is dystopian too though. Society is cooked
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
trayon.bsky.social
Model organisms as platforms for training scientific minds

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
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
surtlab.bsky.social
Anyone but the Dodgers, but this is an extra fun other 3 teams
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
spavel.bsky.social
What you're getting from an LLM is a statistical approximation of what the answer would be to a statistical approximation of the question.

This is why prompt engineering is fake. The prompt (and any input data) is just a suggestion - and helps fool you into thinking that your question was answered.
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
gbaucom.bsky.social
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!
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 Dave Baltrus 🦦
fishkin.bsky.social
The Times' coverage of Rowan's role has been remarkable. It is sad to me that after forcing his alma mater, Penn, to oust a really good president for incredibly poor reasons, Rowan's megalomanical next thought was "maybe the federal government should do this everywhere" and they're actually trying.
The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
botsocamerica.bsky.social
🌵Deadline alert! #Botany2026 Symposia & Colloquia Proposals are due October 16. Help shape the scientific program for our Tucson meeting, themed Biodiversity at the Boundaries!

Submit your proposal and get details here: mailchi.mp/botany.org/b...

or here: www.botanyconference.org

#iamabotanist
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
geiselbiofilm.bsky.social
Pls share: Hofstra University is looking for a Tenure-Track Microbiologists!
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We are seeking a microbiologist with a research focus on a non-pathogenic bacterial model system.
hofstra.peopleadmin.com/postings/6542
Assistant Professor of Microbiology
hofstra.peopleadmin.com
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
markowenmartin.bsky.social
New episode of #MattersMicrobial! The superlative Dr. Jeff Gralnick chats with the #QualityQuorum about bacteria that breathe metal! Please spread the #GoodMicrobialWord! @univpugetsound @asmicrobiology @microbe.tv

youtu.be/rh-TK2Bvxj8?...
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
plantevolution.bsky.social
Congrats, Joe Ecker @salkinstitute.bsky.social, to receiving the McClintock Prize! Joe has been a visionary leader of the field of genetics and genomics – not only for plants – for decades
www.salk.edu/news-release...
surtlab.bsky.social
Establishment doesn’t like oyster man
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
joshuasweitz.bsky.social
MIT says no to the Trump admin higher-ed compact clearly and emphatically. Other universities would be well served to read, remix, and respond similarly.

"In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences."

orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
Reposted by Dave Baltrus 🦦
byjoshmoody.bsky.social
MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart
orgchart.mit.edu