Kristian G. Andersen
@kgandersen.bsky.social
Infectious diseases & genomics. Immunologist in (voluntary) exile. Minimal sarcasm. Fierce HOA (Hater of Acronyms). Personal account - opinions expressed are my own and not those of my employer.
On ChatGPTs and the larger world of LLMs, this paragraph (and article) is on point.
"... according to its true believers, is that it is never in its final form..."
Hence, keep sending money. Hundreds of billions, please.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
"... according to its true believers, is that it is never in its final form..."
Hence, keep sending money. Hundreds of billions, please.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
November 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
On ChatGPTs and the larger world of LLMs, this paragraph (and article) is on point.
"... according to its true believers, is that it is never in its final form..."
Hence, keep sending money. Hundreds of billions, please.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
"... according to its true believers, is that it is never in its final form..."
Hence, keep sending money. Hundreds of billions, please.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
RSV and flu really heating up here in San Diego - COVID-19 staying relatively well-behaved.
November 26, 2025 at 7:16 PM
RSV and flu really heating up here in San Diego - COVID-19 staying relatively well-behaved.
This one spotted by @siamosolocani.bsky.social - SUCH a cool example of SARS-CoV-2 evolution! Triple strike! (this happened with Omicron as well, where it took out three serines in a triple strike too).
nextstrain.org/fetch/genome...
nextstrain.org/fetch/genome...
November 23, 2025 at 5:52 PM
This one spotted by @siamosolocani.bsky.social - SUCH a cool example of SARS-CoV-2 evolution! Triple strike! (this happened with Omicron as well, where it took out three serines in a triple strike too).
nextstrain.org/fetch/genome...
nextstrain.org/fetch/genome...
The Leakers have been busy as of late - I gotta say, this is one of the better ones.
Except, KETCHUP ON HOTDOGS, FFS!!!
Except, KETCHUP ON HOTDOGS, FFS!!!
November 11, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The Leakers have been busy as of late - I gotta say, this is one of the better ones.
Except, KETCHUP ON HOTDOGS, FFS!!!
Except, KETCHUP ON HOTDOGS, FFS!!!
It's been more than a decade (😱) since opening the lab here in La Jolla, so it was time for a website refresh!
Want to see what kind of trouble we have been up to lately? Give our tools and data a spin? Maybe even provide some tips and feedback?
Head on over to: andersen-lab.com
Want to see what kind of trouble we have been up to lately? Give our tools and data a spin? Maybe even provide some tips and feedback?
Head on over to: andersen-lab.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
It's been more than a decade (😱) since opening the lab here in La Jolla, so it was time for a website refresh!
Want to see what kind of trouble we have been up to lately? Give our tools and data a spin? Maybe even provide some tips and feedback?
Head on over to: andersen-lab.com
Want to see what kind of trouble we have been up to lately? Give our tools and data a spin? Maybe even provide some tips and feedback?
Head on over to: andersen-lab.com
However, you pop in human ACE2 and TMPRSS2, and now BANAL-236 and SARS-CoV-2 can replicate well in the Rhinolophus cell line.
Why is that? Good question, and I don't know - however, it shows that this particular entry barrier between bats and humans is very low for SARS-CoV-2 related viruses.
Why is that? Good question, and I don't know - however, it shows that this particular entry barrier between bats and humans is very low for SARS-CoV-2 related viruses.
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
However, you pop in human ACE2 and TMPRSS2, and now BANAL-236 and SARS-CoV-2 can replicate well in the Rhinolophus cell line.
Why is that? Good question, and I don't know - however, it shows that this particular entry barrier between bats and humans is very low for SARS-CoV-2 related viruses.
Why is that? Good question, and I don't know - however, it shows that this particular entry barrier between bats and humans is very low for SARS-CoV-2 related viruses.
Here's the data showing that - SARS-CoV-2 and BANAL-236 replicate really well in the human Caco-2 cell line, which has human ACE2, but not in the Rhinolophus cell line RFe, which has bat ACE2.
Pop the human versions in, and you regain replication in Rhinolophus cell lines.
Pop the human versions in, and you regain replication in Rhinolophus cell lines.
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Here's the data showing that - SARS-CoV-2 and BANAL-236 replicate really well in the human Caco-2 cell line, which has human ACE2, but not in the Rhinolophus cell line RFe, which has bat ACE2.
Pop the human versions in, and you regain replication in Rhinolophus cell lines.
Pop the human versions in, and you regain replication in Rhinolophus cell lines.
"SARS-CoV-2 is too well-adapted to humans [hence, insert your favorite conspiracy theory]".
That was never right because, for one, SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic virus so it necessarily had to be "well-adapted".
Now, a new study shows the same is true for BANAL-236 - a related virus isolated from bats.
That was never right because, for one, SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic virus so it necessarily had to be "well-adapted".
Now, a new study shows the same is true for BANAL-236 - a related virus isolated from bats.
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
"SARS-CoV-2 is too well-adapted to humans [hence, insert your favorite conspiracy theory]".
That was never right because, for one, SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic virus so it necessarily had to be "well-adapted".
Now, a new study shows the same is true for BANAL-236 - a related virus isolated from bats.
That was never right because, for one, SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic virus so it necessarily had to be "well-adapted".
Now, a new study shows the same is true for BANAL-236 - a related virus isolated from bats.
This one's funny @peterdaszak.bsky.social - because, nope, it wasn't Trevor and Eddie - both of them totally missed it too! Everybody did 😆😉.
[FWIW, Bob and I had noticed the FCS and told others, including Jeremy]
[FWIW, Bob and I had noticed the FCS and told others, including Jeremy]
October 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
This one's funny @peterdaszak.bsky.social - because, nope, it wasn't Trevor and Eddie - both of them totally missed it too! Everybody did 😆😉.
[FWIW, Bob and I had noticed the FCS and told others, including Jeremy]
[FWIW, Bob and I had noticed the FCS and told others, including Jeremy]
So why did Baric interpret my analyses as October? Probably because that was the lower bound of the 95% HPDs of my estimates and if you're unfamiliar with "HPDs" and "density" plots, I can totally see how my, well, density plot could look like an estimate of a growing epidemic, starting in October.
October 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
So why did Baric interpret my analyses as October? Probably because that was the lower bound of the 95% HPDs of my estimates and if you're unfamiliar with "HPDs" and "density" plots, I can totally see how my, well, density plot could look like an estimate of a growing epidemic, starting in October.
That late-November / early-December start date estimated in January, 2020 is remarkably consistent with our later - and, I should say, much more careful and appropriate - estimates in Pekar et al., 2022.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
That late-November / early-December start date estimated in January, 2020 is remarkably consistent with our later - and, I should say, much more careful and appropriate - estimates in Pekar et al., 2022.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
... turns out he got that from me... 🫣 [see link to Baric's presentation in ALT]
Except, that's not what I said back in January 25, 2020 - I said early December for the MRCA (most recent common ancestor), which would mean a late-November / early-December start date.
virological.org/t/clock-and-...
Except, that's not what I said back in January 25, 2020 - I said early December for the MRCA (most recent common ancestor), which would mean a late-November / early-December start date.
virological.org/t/clock-and-...
October 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
... turns out he got that from me... 🫣 [see link to Baric's presentation in ALT]
Except, that's not what I said back in January 25, 2020 - I said early December for the MRCA (most recent common ancestor), which would mean a late-November / early-December start date.
virological.org/t/clock-and-...
Except, that's not what I said back in January 25, 2020 - I said early December for the MRCA (most recent common ancestor), which would mean a late-November / early-December start date.
virological.org/t/clock-and-...
This is 💯 Origin inside baseball, but I've always been perplexed by Baric's claim that our "market" studies could not be correct because, according to him, the molecular timing of the pandemic in in October, not later.
That was always wrong, but where did he get this October date from?
Well... 🧵👇
That was always wrong, but where did he get this October date from?
Well... 🧵👇
October 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
This is 💯 Origin inside baseball, but I've always been perplexed by Baric's claim that our "market" studies could not be correct because, according to him, the molecular timing of the pandemic in in October, not later.
That was always wrong, but where did he get this October date from?
Well... 🧵👇
That was always wrong, but where did he get this October date from?
Well... 🧵👇
And now NextStrain as well.
Next up, will GISAID start charging open-source community tools to have access?
That would completely shaft users who contributed to GISAID, where we never agreed to that and assumed GISAID would be good custodians of the data we contributed. They're not.
Next up, will GISAID start charging open-source community tools to have access?
That would completely shaft users who contributed to GISAID, where we never agreed to that and assumed GISAID would be good custodians of the data we contributed. They're not.
October 16, 2025 at 7:48 PM
And now NextStrain as well.
Next up, will GISAID start charging open-source community tools to have access?
That would completely shaft users who contributed to GISAID, where we never agreed to that and assumed GISAID would be good custodians of the data we contributed. They're not.
Next up, will GISAID start charging open-source community tools to have access?
That would completely shaft users who contributed to GISAID, where we never agreed to that and assumed GISAID would be good custodians of the data we contributed. They're not.
As we’re sending Mark off on his next adventure - after nine amazing years in the lab - I can also conclude that AI made our cakes go next level…
Mark will be spending the next year(s?) biking through North, Central, and South America!
Gipson in hand, I’m sure! 🚴♂️
Mark will be spending the next year(s?) biking through North, Central, and South America!
Gipson in hand, I’m sure! 🚴♂️
October 9, 2025 at 9:39 PM
As we’re sending Mark off on his next adventure - after nine amazing years in the lab - I can also conclude that AI made our cakes go next level…
Mark will be spending the next year(s?) biking through North, Central, and South America!
Gipson in hand, I’m sure! 🚴♂️
Mark will be spending the next year(s?) biking through North, Central, and South America!
Gipson in hand, I’m sure! 🚴♂️
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"It's an issue of corruption. The CDC is a cesspool of corruption. The CDC is cataclysmically conflicted. It is no longer focused on human health. It is focused on money"
[false]
www.discovermagazine.com/the-robert-k...
[false]
www.discovermagazine.com/the-robert-k...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"It's an issue of corruption. The CDC is a cesspool of corruption. The CDC is cataclysmically conflicted. It is no longer focused on human health. It is focused on money"
[false]
www.discovermagazine.com/the-robert-k...
[false]
www.discovermagazine.com/the-robert-k...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"CDC approved COVID-19 vaccines "without any scientific basis.""
[false]
abcnews.go.com/Politics/fac...
[false]
abcnews.go.com/Politics/fac...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"CDC approved COVID-19 vaccines "without any scientific basis.""
[false]
abcnews.go.com/Politics/fac...
[false]
abcnews.go.com/Politics/fac...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
CDC recommendations have become "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine".
[false]
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
[false]
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
CDC recommendations have become "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine".
[false]
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
[false]
www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"colluded" "poison" "criminals!"
August 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"colluded" "poison" "criminals!"