Emma Harding
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emma-harding.bsky.social
Emma Harding
@emma-harding.bsky.social
Postdoc at Oxford University researching paleovirology, virus evolution and the global virome 🇦🇺 🇬🇧
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Hello bluesky! I'm a postdoc in evolutionary and computational virology. I'm interested in finding new viruses and tracing their evolutionary history using endogenous viral elements. 🧬🧑🏻‍💻

In general be posting about virology, popular science and life as a scientist.
I'm excited to introduce our new workflow for detecting endogenous viral elements - HI-FEVER. 🖥️🧬

academic.oup.com/bioinformati...

🧵

Big thanks to @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social, @humanceae.bsky.social, José Gabriel and Cormac for bringing this from conception to fruition!
HI-FEVER: a Nextflow pipeline for the high-throughput discovery and annotation of endogenous viral elements
AbstractSummary. Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) offer valuable insights into virus and host evolution, but their detection remains computationally and bi
academic.oup.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Registration is now open for SMBE 2026!

Head over to the registration page to find all the details and secure your spot 🏃‍♀️

📝 smbe2026.org/registration
🐦 Early-bird deadline: March 31, 2026

If you are an active member of the SMBE you can register for the meeting with discounts.

#SMBE2026
November 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Come join the Workshop on Phylogenomics in Cesky Krumlov, Czechia, from January 25 through February 7, 2026!

Applications close November 15!

#phylogenetics #evolution #genomics #ai

evomics.org/apply-worksh...
Apply: Workshop on Phylogenomics 2026 - Evolution and Genomics
Application for the 2026 Workshop on Phylogenomics Use this form to apply for the 2026 Workshop on Phylogenomics being held in Cesky Krumlov, Czechia from 25th January through 7th February, ...
evomics.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
One of astronomy's most inspiring figures, Dame Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell was in Sydney this week.

@cosmicrami.com sat down for an interview with her, discussing the impact of her discovery and community advocacy legacy.

www.spaceaustralia.com/feature/inte...

#SpaceAustralia

📸 Uni. of Cambridge
October 20, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Now published: EnVhogDB, a large database of viral protein family HMM profiles to help functional annotation of new phage genomes - peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
EnVhogDB: an extended view of the viral protein families on Earth through a vast collection of HMM profiles
peercommunityjournal.org
October 18, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Haunted lately by @galaxyproject.bsky.social CO₂e estimates for jobs. This one MEGAHIT assembly: ~450g CO2e. I've run this ~150k times on HPC, ~75 tonnes of CO2e 😬. Perhaps ARC/NHMRC would accept Australian Carbon Credit Units as part of the grant cost for offset? What others are doing in AUS/INT?
October 6, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
🦴🧬🦴🧬🦴

Abstract submission is now open for the 1st International Conference on Palaeogenomics!

June 23–26 2026, in Stockholm.

Join researchers from across the field for 4 days and >100 talks (+ poster sessions)!

Submit abstracts here 👉
icp2026.palaeogenomics.org/abstracts/

Deadline: Nov 30th
October 1, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Do you research endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) or want to learn more about them? 🧬🤔

Consider presenting at or attending AuusiERV - an inaugural online symposium for ERV research in Australia 🇦🇺 (and abroad) 🗺️

Abstracts due 1st October!

events.humanitix.com/aussierv-2025

#ERV #retrovirus
AussiERV 2025
AussiERV: Australia’s first symposium dedicated to endogenous retroviruses. Join us for this one-day virtual event on November 7th!
events.humanitix.com
September 27, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
📢 The Call for Symposia for SMBE2026 is now open. We warmly invite you to submit a symposium proposal and help shape the scientific content of our annual meeting.

🗓️ Key dates
Call for symposia: Sep. 1 - Oct. 15
Announcement of accepted symposia: Nov. 3

More information: smbe2026.org/symposia
September 9, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
🚨 Proceedings B is recruiting new Data Editors!
Join our editorial board to help ensure data/code transparency across biology.
🗓 Term: 3 yrs from Jan 2026
📩 Apply by 30 Sep 2025 with a 2-page CV + cover letter: [email protected]
🔗 Info: [email protected] /[email protected]
August 7, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
There’s been a bunch of new approaches looking at deep viral evolutionary history. We’ve put together a mini review highlighting some recent advancements in structural phylogenetics and time-dependent rate models and what they could do for the field 🦠
🔗 journals.asm.org/doi/full/10....
Recent advances in the inference of deep viral evolutionary history | Journal of Virology
Phylogenetic studies examining the origins, emergence, and spread of viruses have arguably been one of the most active and successful areas of evolutionary biology and form the bedrock of the flourishing field of genomic epidemiology. This, in part, reflects the ability of viruses, particularly those with RNA genomes, to evolve at rates much greater than their cellular counterparts (1). The rapid rate at which viruses evolve and accumulate mutations enables evolutionary signals to be identified through comparative genomics at short timescales relevant for outbreak investigation and response. The integration of phylogenetics and epidemiology, known as phylodynamics, has become a vital tool in response to numerous viral outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics, including Ebola (2), Zika (3), and, more recently, COVID-19 (4) and mpox (5).
journals.asm.org
August 25, 2025 at 8:32 PM
New paper alert 🎉
We explore the origins of deltaviruses and find they have infected and co-evolved with termites for 141 million years 🐜🕑🦴

This was a fascinating story to work on with @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social, Jose Gabriel and @anselmojiro.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Endogenous viral elements in termite genomes reveal extensive diversity of deltaviruses and provide insights into their origins
Deltaviruses are subviral agents of animals, which, in humans, require a hepadnavirus helper for transmission. The absence of deltavirus-like endogeno…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 15, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Phage "satellites" that produce capsids but have no genes to produce tails have puzzled scientists for a long time. These are abundant as prophages in bacteria, but it was unclear how they can infect without tails

Now, Penadés & co show that they hijack tails from other phages. Incredible!
September 11, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
I gave in! After students asking for it, I now made a simple figure design checklist.
To help all scientists w/o graphic skills create clear, accessible, and truthful charts!
-> Out in @nature Cell Biology: rdcu.be/erwl4

#DataVisualization #PhD #SciComm

Thx for review @bethcimini.bsky.social + 2
A checklist for designing and improving the visualization of scientific data
Nature Cell Biology - Creating clear and engaging scientific figures is crucial to communicate complex data. In this Comment, I condense principles from design, visual perception and data...
rdcu.be
June 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
🚨JOB ALERT!🚨

Postdoc position at #CpgSthlm on Microtine Palaeogenomics!

Join our deep-time genomics project, funded by @erc.europa.eu, and help us explore lemming and vole evolution using ancient DNA from fossils spanning the last 2.6 million years 🐭🦴🧬

Apply here:
su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
September 2, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Excited to say we’re hiring 😊. We’re looking for a post-doc in ancient pathogen genomics to join our friendly supportive team in London at @ugiatucl.bsky.social. Start date January 2026.

www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
September 1, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Look at these wonderful scientists introducing themselves in the thread advertising @whysharksmatter.bsky.social @drjuliawester.bsky.social paper on the science community moving to bsky

academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...

Here's the top 150 in a starter pack! (use link not pic) -> go.bsky.app/At5DDri
August 27, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Scientists of Bluesky, introduce yourselves by replying to this post and I’ll share it and help you get some followers!

I’m David, I’m based in DC and study shark ecology and conservation policy. I’m the author of “Why Sharks Matter.”

🧪🦑🌎🐠🦈
August 20, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
📢 Calling all Postgrad Virologists! 🦠

Postgraduate Virologists Network are hosting their first conference for virology students, by virology students.

📍 @uofglasgow.bsky.social
📆 8-9 September

Register and submit an abstract: www.postgradvirologistsnetwork.co.uk/2025-meeting
Another reminder that registration and abstract submission are still open for our 2025 meeting: the first annual virology conference by virology students, for virology students 🦠 A brilliant opportunity for PhD and MSc students to discuss their work and network!
August 7, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
You link #phenotype 🦜 to #genotype 🧬 with #comparative #genomics 💻?

This #review is for you 📜: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

We review new #methods, remaining #challenges and #future directions and highlight recent key studies.

Thanks @hillermich.bsky.social!

Please share! 🙂
July 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
My paper "Social media for fisheries science and management professionals: How to use Bluesky and Instagram, and why you should" is formally published in an issue.

It's a how-to guide to using Bluesky, the first ever published in the scientific literature! 🧪🦑🌎🐟

academic.oup.com/fisheries/ar...
Social media for fisheries science and management professionals: How to use Bluesky and Instagram, and why you should
ABSTRACT. Social media tools have revolutionized how people communicate with one another. A 2018 paper in Fisheries summarized the use of Twitter, Facebook
academic.oup.com
August 1, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Emma Harding
We are excited to announce the SMBE Fellows Program! ✍️

Designed to provide networking and mentorship opportunities to early-career researchers through scientific writing in evolutionary biology for @molbioevol.bsky.social and @genomebiolevol.bsky.social

📆 Aug. 31

🔗 smbe.org/smbe-fellows-program
July 28, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
🦇 NEW RESEARCH: Our 3-year study of Australian flying foxes identified six co-circulating coronaviruses, with highest rates of infection and co-infection in young bats, and evidence of circulating recombinants 🧪🌏 🧵

Available open access in @natcomms.nature.com

📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Synchronized seasonal excretion of multiple coronaviruses coincides with high rates of coinfection in immature bats - Nature Communications
Bats harbor diverse coronaviruses but temporal dynamics are less well studied. Here, the authors analyzed coronaviruses in Australian flying foxes over 3 years showing peak shedding and co-infections ...
doi.org
July 21, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Reposted by Emma Harding
Applications opening soon for the @geneticssociety.bsky.social Human Genome Scholars Initiative! Deadline is Aug 18 for this wonderful two-year program for early career researchers. ashg.org/membership/a... 🧬 🧪
Human Genetics Scholars Initiative
HGSI supports and prepares early-career individuals for professional success and creates a community of researchers committed to achieving ASHG’s vision.
ashg.org
July 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM