Ian Hewson
@ianhewson.bsky.social
PI of the Cornell Marine Mass Mortality Lab (CM3L). Views are my own. 🏳️🌈🇦🇺. 1st gen phd, immigrant. Swimming content at @oceansciswim.bsky.social lab site http//team-aquatic-virus.com travel blog @ianfliesplacez.bsky.social
The distance between truth and reality has become an abyss
January 24, 2026 at 10:32 PM
The distance between truth and reality has become an abyss
Empirically worked out that the courier that starts with D and ends in HL is one of the most unreliable, confusing, and painful companies to work with. 3 weeks in transit for overnight?
January 23, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Empirically worked out that the courier that starts with D and ends in HL is one of the most unreliable, confusing, and painful companies to work with. 3 weeks in transit for overnight?
You know you’re into a project when you’re rushing to get multiple gels done ahead of a winter storm…
January 23, 2026 at 12:49 PM
You know you’re into a project when you’re rushing to get multiple gels done ahead of a winter storm…
Loaded 188 samples on a single gel today. That’s a new one for me…
January 21, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Loaded 188 samples on a single gel today. That’s a new one for me…
We have a lot of interest in culturing the Dino Triops (Cerarium) furca, Protoperidinium, and a couple of others. Only problem is my knowledge of Dino culture is awful. Anyone have any experience or advice? Or want to collaborate :)?
January 19, 2026 at 10:32 PM
We have a lot of interest in culturing the Dino Triops (Cerarium) furca, Protoperidinium, and a couple of others. Only problem is my knowledge of Dino culture is awful. Anyone have any experience or advice? Or want to collaborate :)?
Final morning in St Thomas for our NSF Diadema project emergency trip responding to an outbreak. Cultures are growing, urchins continue to die, and a quick survey of the site on the way to the airport revealed constrained impact for the moment. Collaborators at UVI will continue monitoring.
January 18, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Final morning in St Thomas for our NSF Diadema project emergency trip responding to an outbreak. Cultures are growing, urchins continue to die, and a quick survey of the site on the way to the airport revealed constrained impact for the moment. Collaborators at UVI will continue monitoring.
Another day of responding to Diadema disease as part of our NSF project in St Thomas. Today a different site where they are totally fine then a return to the impact site to gain cultures. Sad to see these important organisms in distress. Had a clue today from microscopy about another stressor.
January 16, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Another day of responding to Diadema disease as part of our NSF project in St Thomas. Today a different site where they are totally fine then a return to the impact site to gain cultures. Sad to see these important organisms in distress. Had a clue today from microscopy about another stressor.
Emergency sampling in the USVI as part of our NSF Diadema project. Didn’t even know I was coming down here yesterday at breakfast; today flew down, and was in the water within 45 mins of arrival. Unfortunately, it’s happening at our site (but this is good for our study). Urchins are dying…
January 16, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Emergency sampling in the USVI as part of our NSF Diadema project. Didn’t even know I was coming down here yesterday at breakfast; today flew down, and was in the water within 45 mins of arrival. Unfortunately, it’s happening at our site (but this is good for our study). Urchins are dying…
Emergency for Caribbean collaborators: There appears to be Diadema mortality somewhat reminiscent of the 2022 die off occurring right now in the USVI. If anyone hears of wider occurrences in the region please let us know! Please re-post!
January 14, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Emergency for Caribbean collaborators: There appears to be Diadema mortality somewhat reminiscent of the 2022 die off occurring right now in the USVI. If anyone hears of wider occurrences in the region please let us know! Please re-post!
Reposted by Ian Hewson
My first first-author paper is posted! Glad to have this out! 🦠🚨🕺
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
Starvation-independent alarmone production inhibits translation through GTP depletion https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.12.699007v1
January 13, 2026 at 2:09 AM
My first first-author paper is posted! Glad to have this out! 🦠🚨🕺
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
Latest work on the Diadema pathogen and its seasonal occurrence at a time series site
Host-independent persistence of the Diadema antillarum Scuticociliatosis Philaster clade in coastal environments https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.07.698123v1
January 8, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Latest work on the Diadema pathogen and its seasonal occurrence at a time series site
Returning home from another holiday season in Australia with my mum. I don’t typically do science when I’m home, but this year will launch a new collaboration with folks in Sydney and Tasmania since global disease pandemics include the antipodes. Back to cold and grey Ithaca…
January 8, 2026 at 3:22 AM
Returning home from another holiday season in Australia with my mum. I don’t typically do science when I’m home, but this year will launch a new collaboration with folks in Sydney and Tasmania since global disease pandemics include the antipodes. Back to cold and grey Ithaca…
Marking 17 years today that I arrived in Ithaca and started as an assistant professor at Cornell. This was the view from the plane at the airport- it was 17F…
January 1, 2026 at 1:43 AM
Marking 17 years today that I arrived in Ithaca and started as an assistant professor at Cornell. This was the view from the plane at the airport- it was 17F…
December 31, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Apropos my last post about FedEx losing urchin specimens in Memphis. Shipped 12/11, cleared by usfws 12/15 and then disappeared by FedEx. Well today got an invoice for $12.75 for tariffs (on a $50 declared value). Beware importers of frozen materials to the US: it seems this may not be possible.
December 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Apropos my last post about FedEx losing urchin specimens in Memphis. Shipped 12/11, cleared by usfws 12/15 and then disappeared by FedEx. Well today got an invoice for $12.75 for tariffs (on a $50 declared value). Beware importers of frozen materials to the US: it seems this may not be possible.
Memphis strikes again. Shipment cleared usfws a week ago and handed off to FedEx. Then FedEx have lost it in Memphis.
December 22, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Memphis strikes again. Shipment cleared usfws a week ago and handed off to FedEx. Then FedEx have lost it in Memphis.
New position alert!
My lab is seeking a new, full time staff member for the role of “courier coordination”. The new position will entail contacting FedEx, sitting for hours on hold, chasing shipments in Memphis, tracking packages, spending more time on hold, etc. This is a full time position.
My lab is seeking a new, full time staff member for the role of “courier coordination”. The new position will entail contacting FedEx, sitting for hours on hold, chasing shipments in Memphis, tracking packages, spending more time on hold, etc. This is a full time position.
December 17, 2025 at 12:53 PM
New position alert!
My lab is seeking a new, full time staff member for the role of “courier coordination”. The new position will entail contacting FedEx, sitting for hours on hold, chasing shipments in Memphis, tracking packages, spending more time on hold, etc. This is a full time position.
My lab is seeking a new, full time staff member for the role of “courier coordination”. The new position will entail contacting FedEx, sitting for hours on hold, chasing shipments in Memphis, tracking packages, spending more time on hold, etc. This is a full time position.
I’m absolutely horrified by events in Sydney against the Jewish community. Australia is a peace loving country and Bondi our most sacred of sites for enjoying the Aussie way of life. To have that shattered by terrorism shows that nowhere is safe from extremism. Even in a country that bans guns.
December 14, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I’m absolutely horrified by events in Sydney against the Jewish community. Australia is a peace loving country and Bondi our most sacred of sites for enjoying the Aussie way of life. To have that shattered by terrorism shows that nowhere is safe from extremism. Even in a country that bans guns.
Carpe diem. Do I take the opportunity to visit the Mascarene Islands (Indian Ocean) in January?
December 12, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Carpe diem. Do I take the opportunity to visit the Mascarene Islands (Indian Ocean) in January?
Last day in St Thomas on our Diadema project. Quick snorkel this morning to look at protists in the mucus of corals and were accompanied by some 8 legged friends! Back to the white north this afternoon…
December 9, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Last day in St Thomas on our Diadema project. Quick snorkel this morning to look at protists in the mucus of corals and were accompanied by some 8 legged friends! Back to the white north this afternoon…
Day 3 of December Diadema project trip. Today chased some non echinoid echinoderms (which are everywhere!) and then processed a bunch of experiments set up 48h ago. Also ran a couple of gels on the bento box- yay for real time data!! Last full day here. Heading home tomorrow!
December 8, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Day 3 of December Diadema project trip. Today chased some non echinoid echinoderms (which are everywhere!) and then processed a bunch of experiments set up 48h ago. Also ran a couple of gels on the bento box- yay for real time data!! Last full day here. Heading home tomorrow!
Day 2 of our December Diadema sampling in St Thomas. Today was all about diadema - collecting spines and coelomic fluid (blood) samples. This afternoon set up two approaches to detect our ciliate- LAMP and PCR (first time using a bento box!). Awesome to go from field to lab to results within 20yds.
December 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Day 2 of our December Diadema sampling in St Thomas. Today was all about diadema - collecting spines and coelomic fluid (blood) samples. This afternoon set up two approaches to detect our ciliate- LAMP and PCR (first time using a bento box!). Awesome to go from field to lab to results within 20yds.
Day one of our December Diadema time series sampling today in St Thomas USVI with @aquaticmicrolab.bsky.social and Marilyn Brandt. Fascinating to see season changes in microbial ecology of our site. Today we saw a big increase in diatoms, presumably due to cooler water.
December 6, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Day one of our December Diadema time series sampling today in St Thomas USVI with @aquaticmicrolab.bsky.social and Marilyn Brandt. Fascinating to see season changes in microbial ecology of our site. Today we saw a big increase in diatoms, presumably due to cooler water.
First real snow of the season in Ithaca. Though I very much enjoy the snow, looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Caribbean to continue our project on Diadema scuticociliatosis
November 28, 2025 at 1:54 PM
First real snow of the season in Ithaca. Though I very much enjoy the snow, looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Caribbean to continue our project on Diadema scuticociliatosis