Ché Pillay
@chepillay.bsky.social
This is a really interesting approach. Should open many other avenues of research.
We are honored to share that our work, led by @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social, has been featured as a Science Highlight on the DOE's Office of Science website. 200 articles are selected annually to be highlighted. Check it out! 🧫
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
Machine Learning Reveals Genes That Help Yeasts Resist Stress
Study provides a framework for connecting genetic mechanisms and trait variation across diverse yeast species.
www.energy.gov
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
This is a really interesting approach. Should open many other avenues of research.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
We are honored to share that our work, led by @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social, has been featured as a Science Highlight on the DOE's Office of Science website. 200 articles are selected annually to be highlighted. Check it out! 🧫
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
Machine Learning Reveals Genes That Help Yeasts Resist Stress
Study provides a framework for connecting genetic mechanisms and trait variation across diverse yeast species.
www.energy.gov
October 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
We are honored to share that our work, led by @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social, has been featured as a Science Highlight on the DOE's Office of Science website. 200 articles are selected annually to be highlighted. Check it out! 🧫
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
www.energy.gov/science/ber/...
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Very cool new paper on a genetically encoded redox sensor in Cryptococcus neoformans: pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
These kind of approaches can enable so many cool experiments with real time monitoring!
Great work, @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social
These kind of approaches can enable so many cool experiments with real time monitoring!
Great work, @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social
Genetically Encoded Sensors for Monitoring Intracellular Redox Health of the Pathogenic Fungus Cryptococcus neoformans
Redox sensing and regulation are critical to both the survival and virulence strategies used by the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans to evade host immunity and establish infection. However, the precise genetic and biochemical mechanisms driving these redox regulation systems in the context of fungal virulence are unclear. To address this limitation, we designed genetically encoded redox sensors optimized for expression in C. neoformans and linked these sensors to cryptococcal redox proteins for real-time monitoring of intracellular redox status. Using these sensors, we established several fluorescence-based techniques for monitoring dose-responsive changes in the intracellular oxidation status of C. neoformans under stress. Specifically, we demonstrated sensor responsiveness to nontoxic doses of peroxide stress and during different stages of cell growth, and we verified sensor responsiveness in a mutant with known sensitivity to oxidative stress. This approach provides a framework for developing and deploying biosensors in pathogenic fungi and in basidiomycetes─a group of microorganisms with relatively few sophisticated genetic tools for molecular and synthetic biology. Overall, our sensors enable real-time insights into the key redox mechanisms driving growth and survival of a globally important pathogen and pave the way for tool development in other fungi.
pubs.acs.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Very cool new paper on a genetically encoded redox sensor in Cryptococcus neoformans: pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
These kind of approaches can enable so many cool experiments with real time monitoring!
Great work, @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social
These kind of approaches can enable so many cool experiments with real time monitoring!
Great work, @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Catching up on blog posts: a biochemical role for the element tungsten, of all things. Don't look for it in your multivitamins any time soon, though:
Biochemical Tungsten - Really
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Catching up on blog posts: a biochemical role for the element tungsten, of all things. Don't look for it in your multivitamins any time soon, though:
Yes
This will be the first meeting of the G20 leaders to be held in Africa, and the first that a member state - the US - has declined to attend
go.nature.com/47TtN6I
go.nature.com/47TtN6I
South Africa is right to put debt, climate and inequality at the heart of G20
The host of the high-level meeting must not be swayed from its priorities, which are in line with the evidence from research.
go.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Yes
Reposted by Ché Pillay
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Catching up on blog posts! Here’s one on the idea that antidepressants have a common mechanism in promoting new neural connections. More and more work on this is showing up:
TrkB, BDNF, and Depression
www.science.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Catching up on blog posts! Here’s one on the idea that antidepressants have a common mechanism in promoting new neural connections. More and more work on this is showing up:
Reposted by Ché Pillay
How a single line of code exposed an Indian disinformation network targeting South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom
The fake news factory | How a single line of code exposed an Indian disinformation network | News24
Since May, hundreds of fake news stories targeting South Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada have appeared on hijacked domains, drawing official debunks and comment from various governme...
www.news24.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:33 AM
How a single line of code exposed an Indian disinformation network targeting South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom
What an excellent read.
OK, as promised, here's my thread about the links between tear gas/pepper spray and the arms trade and gun industry.
November 6, 2025 at 8:42 AM
What an excellent read.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
OK. Who wants another Captain Dan history thread? (Reprised and rescued from the bad place....) I present you with Chemical Warfare and Chemical Weapons in the Second World War.
October 31, 2025 at 3:17 PM
OK. Who wants another Captain Dan history thread? (Reprised and rescued from the bad place....) I present you with Chemical Warfare and Chemical Weapons in the Second World War.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Hospital tender boss Hangwani Maumela splashed R52 million on one of the world’s rarest hypercars just months after whistleblower Babita Deokaran was murdered. The Italian hypercar was part of a R208-million spending spree funded by stolen hospital funds, with these vehicles now tracked by the SIU.
Hangwani Maumela bought R52m Italian hypercar with Tembisa Hospital cash | News24
Hospital tender boss Hangwani Maumela splashed R52 million on one of the world’s rarest hypercars just months after whistleblower Babita Deokaran was murdered. The Italian hypercar was part of a R208-...
www.news24.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Hospital tender boss Hangwani Maumela splashed R52 million on one of the world’s rarest hypercars just months after whistleblower Babita Deokaran was murdered. The Italian hypercar was part of a R208-million spending spree funded by stolen hospital funds, with these vehicles now tracked by the SIU.
The primary culprits in BV are anaerobic bacteria. This interesting pilot study showed how oxygen supplementation can be used to treat BV. doi.org/10.53260/EGO... Very clever!
Vaginal supplementation of high concentration Oxygen for the treatment of vaginal infections: A pilot, controlled trial
Background: Vaginal discomfort (VD) due to infections remains a challenge in clinical practice. Since many microbial agents grow in anaerobic…
doi.org
October 23, 2025 at 8:00 AM
The primary culprits in BV are anaerobic bacteria. This interesting pilot study showed how oxygen supplementation can be used to treat BV. doi.org/10.53260/EGO... Very clever!
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Reviewing this classic article @bmj.com
Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
I still teach it all the time
Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
I still teach it all the time
Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
In this article by Robert Yeh and colleagues ( BMJ 2018;363:k5094, doi:10.1136/bmj.k5094), the final sentence of the Methods section should …
doi.org
October 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reviewing this classic article @bmj.com
Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
I still teach it all the time
Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial
doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
I still teach it all the time
What a charming paper. It will be interesting to find out how this work and others (e.g. www.nature.com/articles/nco...), leads to a better understanding of light and metabolism.
October 20, 2025 at 10:11 AM
What a charming paper. It will be interesting to find out how this work and others (e.g. www.nature.com/articles/nco...), leads to a better understanding of light and metabolism.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Never assume that you know all about what any drug molecule is doing in the body - where it's going, what it's binding to. A new example:
Rapamycin's Secrets
www.science.org
October 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Never assume that you know all about what any drug molecule is doing in the body - where it's going, what it's binding to. A new example:
The personal stories of the 3 Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry are so inspiring. Well worth a read: www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemi...
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks.”
www.nobelprize.org
October 8, 2025 at 10:53 AM
The personal stories of the 3 Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry are so inspiring. Well worth a read: www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemi...
Reposted by Ché Pillay
Some kinds of biological stress can make cells live longer - such as nutrient starvation. One such mechanism:
Cellular Longevity Through Stress
www.science.org
September 15, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Some kinds of biological stress can make cells live longer - such as nutrient starvation. One such mechanism:
How awesome that our world produces such brilliant people: www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah...
At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery | Quanta Magazine
After finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at Berkeley, where she ended up disproving a 40-year-old conjecture.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 13, 2025 at 8:59 AM
How awesome that our world produces such brilliant people: www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah...
I have been invited to give a seminar on our recent work by the South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Details below:
Title: “A role for dynamics in the oxidative stress response”
18 September 2025 at 15:00 (SAST)
Zoom link: zoom.us/j/4620290536
Title: “A role for dynamics in the oxidative stress response”
18 September 2025 at 15:00 (SAST)
Zoom link: zoom.us/j/4620290536
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
zoom.us
September 8, 2025 at 5:38 AM
I have been invited to give a seminar on our recent work by the South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Details below:
Title: “A role for dynamics in the oxidative stress response”
18 September 2025 at 15:00 (SAST)
Zoom link: zoom.us/j/4620290536
Title: “A role for dynamics in the oxidative stress response”
18 September 2025 at 15:00 (SAST)
Zoom link: zoom.us/j/4620290536
Reposted by Ché Pillay
How is this possible?
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
September 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM
How is this possible?
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
This ant can lay eggs of two different species, birthed by the same mother
Reposted by Ché Pillay
A condensate-dissolving compound shows some connections to neurodegenerative disease:
A Condensate Dissolver
www.science.org
September 2, 2025 at 9:13 PM
A condensate-dissolving compound shows some connections to neurodegenerative disease:
Reposted by Ché Pillay
How do cells clean up misfolded proteins when they divide?
This study finds that the cleanup crew includes the ER chaperone BiP and the proteasome, and kicks in right as cells finish dividing. Surprisingly, one major cell cycle regulator isn’t involved.
buff.ly/KkxgQCy
This study finds that the cleanup crew includes the ER chaperone BiP and the proteasome, and kicks in right as cells finish dividing. Surprisingly, one major cell cycle regulator isn’t involved.
buff.ly/KkxgQCy
August 27, 2025 at 10:03 AM
How do cells clean up misfolded proteins when they divide?
This study finds that the cleanup crew includes the ER chaperone BiP and the proteasome, and kicks in right as cells finish dividing. Surprisingly, one major cell cycle regulator isn’t involved.
buff.ly/KkxgQCy
This study finds that the cleanup crew includes the ER chaperone BiP and the proteasome, and kicks in right as cells finish dividing. Surprisingly, one major cell cycle regulator isn’t involved.
buff.ly/KkxgQCy
This was so surprising to me: doi.org/10.1242/dmm..... I didn't know about the actin/MICAL/MsrB redox cycle in deafness. Wow.
MSRB3 antioxidant activity is necessary for inner ear cuticular plate structure and hair bundle integrity
Summary: Our study suggests a protective role for MSRB3 in the maintenance and maturation of mouse stereocilia and hair cells, a conserved mechanism aimed at maintaining actin redox dynamics in these ...
doi.org
August 25, 2025 at 6:31 AM
This was so surprising to me: doi.org/10.1242/dmm..... I didn't know about the actin/MICAL/MsrB redox cycle in deafness. Wow.
Reposted by Ché Pillay
A very interesting (and very thorough) case for Alzheimer’s as (of all things) a disease of lithium deficiency. This one’s worth taking seriously, I believe:
Lithium Deficiency and Alzheimer's Disease
www.science.org
August 11, 2025 at 6:39 PM
A very interesting (and very thorough) case for Alzheimer’s as (of all things) a disease of lithium deficiency. This one’s worth taking seriously, I believe: