Wim Meijer
@wimgmeijer.bsky.social
1.6K followers 900 following 420 posts
Microbiologist, Professor at University College Dublin One Health | Wastewater Based Epidemiology | AMR | Water Quality | Microbial Source Tracking | Host Pathogen Interaction | Rhodococcus equi https://people.ucd.ie/wim.meijer
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wimgmeijer.bsky.social
At the start of Trump’s first term in office he tore up the pandemic preparedness plan by the Obama administration.

Now his administration is burning the US pandemic preparedness infrastructure to the ground.

When, not if, the next pandemic comes the US will not able to protect public health..

🧪
elisabethbik.bsky.social
Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
“Disease detectives,” high-ranking scientists, the entire Washington office and the staff of a weekly public health journal were among those who learned late Friday that they would lose their jobs.
#GiftLink

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
www.nytimes.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Four subtle tweaks to an enzyme could help explain why naked mole rats’ can live for nearly 30 years, an unusually long lifespan for a creature its size.

The enzyme, cGAS, enhances the animal’s ability to repair genetic damage that leads to ageing.

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Naked mole rats live for decades — genetic tweaks reveal insights into ageing
Four subtle changes to an enzyme might explain the hairless rodents’ longevity.
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Nitazenes can be as much as 500 times more potent than opium-derived drugs.

This means that just a tiny amount can be deadly. There were 179 confirmed deaths from nitazene overdoses in the UK since May 2024.

Ireland too has seen several nitazene overdose deaths.

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Dangerous ‘nitazene’ opioids are on the rise: researchers are worried
This class of synthetic opioids is more potent than heroin and morphine.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Wim Meijer
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
The editors of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) were apparently fired today.

The precursor to MMWR began in 1878 to address emerging public health threats rapidly.

We are not “great” without it. We are vulnerable to threats from sporadic foodborne illness to bioterrorism.
Reposted by Wim Meijer
elisabethbik.bsky.social
Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
“Disease detectives,” high-ranking scientists, the entire Washington office and the staff of a weekly public health journal were among those who learned late Friday that they would lose their jobs.
#GiftLink

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
www.nytimes.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Don’t hold your breath, they’re was the same anticipation with the Mueller report.. nothing happened…
Reposted by Wim Meijer
logicallyjc.bsky.social
I like how they gave the Nobel Prize to someone fighting for democracy in Venezuela, instead of someone sinking fishing boats off their coast.
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
First ‘alternative facts’, now ‘alternative proof’…
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
I don’t tango but love gaming.. both are good for the brain 😊

Engaging in a creative pastime can slow brain ageing, according to a study of dancers, musicians, artists and video game players from multiple countries.

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Creative hobbies could slow brain ageing at the molecular level
To keep the mind young, dance the tango.
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Scientists have converted the blood type of a donor kidney and transplanted the organ into a person.

The procedure — the first of its kind — could improve access to donor organs, specialists say, because the blood type of the donor would no longer matter.

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
First human transplant of kidney modified to have ‘universal’ blood type
Recipient diagnosed with brain death received a type-O organ, which is compatible with all blood types.
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Whole genome sequencing to be admitted as evidence in US criminal trials..

“Cold-case units all over the country are going back through their evidence lockers to see if there are samples that can now be tested with a reasonable chance of success.”

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US serial killer case opens door to using cutting-edge DNA data in courts
New York trial could set a legal precedent by admitting findings from whole-genome sequencing as evidence.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Wim Meijer
marinde.bsky.social
A new paper appearing in Cell Stem Cell describes organoids that can replicate some of the functions of kidneys in mice. The lead investigator of the study predicts that there could be a transplantable kidney available for animal testing within 5 years.🧪

www.science.org/content/arti...
Scientists make most authentic kidney replicas so far
Lab-grown organoids reproduce some of a kidney’s internal structure and function
www.science.org
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Just got my Covid-19 and influenza vaccines 😊

As recommended by the Irish government.. we do like evidence based medicine here…

🧪🦠
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Curious to hear if the pope agrees with this..
Reposted by Wim Meijer
mrsbettybowers.bsky.social
Where the separate divisions of ANTIFA landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944:
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Land of the-not-so-free…
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Mirror life consists of synthetic cells built from molecules that are mirror images of those found in the natural world.

Many scientists have voiced concerns that they would pose an enormous risk to human health and the environment.

🧪🦠

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How should ‘mirror life’ research be restricted? Debate heats up
Some researchers are calling for strict limits, while others speak out against halting basic science prematurely.
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Material deep inside Earth, near the planet’s core, has undergone a mysterious shift

The discovery, possible because the geological shift altered the planet’s gravitational field, is a testament to Earth-orbiting GRACE satellites.

Planetary science rocks!

🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Mysterious changes near Earth’s core revealed by satellites in space
Orbiters can pick up gravitational shifts thousands of kilometres below the surface.
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
Outbreaks of dengue are killing thousands in South America each year and is getting worse.

Brazil hopes to turn the tide with a vaccine and an army of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria.

These lower the odds mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans.

🧪🦠

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How billions of hacked mosquitoes and a vaccine could beat the deadly dengue virus
Outbreaks of dengue are killing thousands of people in South America each year and getting worse. Brazil hopes to turn the tide with a home-grown vaccine and an army of mosquitoes infected with Wolbac...
www.nature.com
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
What do mosquitoes like?

People who recently drank beer were 44 percent more attractive to mosquitoes than people who abstained..

Mosquitoes also liked people who used cannabis and people who had slept near another person the previous night…

🧪

www.sciencenews.org/article/avoi...
Want to avoid mosquito bites? Step away from the beer
A Dutch music festival turned into a mosquito lab, revealing how beer, weed, sleep and sunscreen affect your bite appeal.
www.sciencenews.org
Reposted by Wim Meijer
wimgmeijer.bsky.social
US infants, children and teens are almost twice as likely to die before reaching adulthood compared to those in peer countries.

Gun violence has been the leading cause of death for US children. Firearm death rates among US kids have more than doubled since 2013.

🧪

stateline.org/2025/08/28/a...
American kids are less likely to reach adulthood than foreign peers • Stateline
American kids are less likely to reach adulthood compared with foreign peers
stateline.org
Reposted by Wim Meijer
statsepi.bsky.social
Best wishes to @wimgmeijer.bsky.social, @eu-wish.bsky.social and everyone else involved in hosting this genuinely important event. Waste water surveillance is an efficient, scalable surveillance method useful for a wide range of important targets.
eu-wish.bsky.social
In Dublin, we will focus on:

* Day 1: Setting priorities, pathogens and approaches.
* Day 2: Integrating targets into real public health action.

With shared knowledge and collaboration, we are ready to make the right call.