Julie Tai-Schmiedel
julietai.bsky.social
Julie Tai-Schmiedel
@julietai.bsky.social
Senior Editor at Nature Microbiology 🦠
Views are my own.
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Now out in @nejm.org :
Between 2023–2024: Sixteen human infections with A/H5N1 in Cambodia. Six deaths. Most in children. All exposed to sick or dead poultry.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Resurgence of Zoonotic Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Cambodia | NEJM
In this report from Cambodia, 16 human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection that occurred from February 2023 through August 2024 are described.
www.nejm.org
October 23, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Across scientific disciplines, US university departments are cutting the numbers of PhD candidates they plan to accept in the current application cycle, for students due to begin in 2026, according to a Nature news article. Some plan to pause admissions altogether. #Academicsky 🧪
US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold
Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.
go.nature.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
"A river doesn't argue with rocks, it flows around them"
Public health, Science and evidence based medicine much like a river will find a way to keep flowing during this time. Sad it's coming to this, but alternatives are important and needed right now.
www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/c...
NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDC’s MMWR publication
Two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the CDC’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
www.statnews.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
I'm honored to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. As always, I extend my sincerest thanks to all my wonderful mentors, colleagues, collaborators, admins, and trainees who make this work possible. #MacFellow
October 8, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Our most recent editorial explains why the @natmicrobiol.nature.com team attend conferences.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Its also time for us to start planning our 2026 travels, so if you are organising or attending any microbiology conferences next year, please let us know! 👇

#microsky
Why editors go to conferences - Nature Microbiology
You may have spotted us at different conferences and wondered what we’re doing amid active researchers. Here, we demystify the editorial aims of conference attendance.
www.nature.com
October 17, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Check out our paper on intricate nested interactions between viruses and virus satellites of haloarchaea and their nanosized DPANN symbionts. Excellent collaboration with @deemteam.bsky.social, @anagtz.bsky.social and Michail Yakimov
Free access link: rdcu.be/eLtCH
🧵 by @yifanzhou.bsky.social 👇
October 17, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
New pro/con perspective piece by @drneilstone.bsky.social & yours truly

Joining the X-odus: Contrasting perspectives on whether infection specialists should leave X (formerly Twitter)

That I'm sharing it here belies where I stand on the issue

www.cmi-comms.org/article/S295... #IDSky
Joining the X-odus: Contrasting perspectives on whether infection specialists should leave X (formerly Twitter)
Social media is a cultural and communications phenomenon that is an integral part of life in the 2020s. Twitter was founded in 2006 and became a leading social media platform with an active user base ...
www.cmi-comms.org
October 16, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
This is very sad, but also not surprising. The science has warned for a long time, including in IPCC reports, that even modest levels of global warming will devastate virtually all coral reefs.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’
Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Meet our virology editor Julie Tai-Schmiedel at the Keystone meeting “Predicting and Responding to Emerging Viral Infections” next week!

@julietai.bsky.social
October 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Sometimes we need a moment, but if you tune out completely, they win. Fascism doesn’t need your support, just your silence.
October 10, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#Resource

Sequencing the genome and microbiome of about 1,500 tick samples from regions across China revealed host–microbe associations in ticks that could have implications for controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases.

#MicrobiomeSky #MicroSky 🪲🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Genome-resolved metagenomics reveals microbiome diversity across 48 tick species - Nature Microbiology
Sequencing the genome and microbiome of about 1,500 tick samples from regions across China revealed host–microbe associations in ticks that could have implications for controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#NewResearch

HIV infection triggers transcriptomic remodelling and a quiescence programme via KLF2 and the p53 pathway leading to proviral silencing.

#MicroSky 🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
HIV infection reprogrammes CD4+ T cells for quiescence and entry into proviral latency - Nature Microbiology
HIV infection triggers transcriptomic remodelling and a quiescence programme via KLF2 and the p53 pathway leading to proviral silencing.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#Editorial

If you have ever been surprised by seeing an editor at a conference and wondered what they are doing there, this month's editorial has all the answers you need.

#MicroSky #AcademicChatter

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Why editors go to conferences - Nature Microbiology
You may have spotted us at different conferences and wondered what we’re doing amid active researchers. Here, we demystify the editorial aims of conference attendance.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#ConsensusStatement

A consortium of microbiome scientists discuss current sequencing data sharing policies and propose the use of a Data Reuse Information (DRI) tag to promote equitable and collaborative data sharing.

#MicrobiomeSky #MicroSky 💻🦠📄🌐

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data - Nature Microbiology
In this Consensus Statement, a consortium of microbiome scientists discuss current sequencing data sharing policies and propose the use of a Data Reuse Information (DRI) tag to promote equitable and collaborative data sharing.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#News&Views

Epstein–Barr virus is associated with cancer and implicated in autoimmune diseases. Three studies reveal desmocollin 2 and R9AP as receptors for Epstein–Barr virus infection, highlighting new avenues for targeted therapies.

#MicroSky 🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Identified receptors shed light on Epstein–Barr virus infection - Nature Microbiology
Epstein–Barr virus is associated with cancer and implicated in autoimmune diseases. Three studies reveal desmocollin 2 and R9AP as receptors for Epstein–Barr virus infection, highlighting new avenues for targeted therapies.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
#Perspective

Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps.

#MicroSky #MicrobiomeSky 🦠

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
How nutrient starvation impacts the gut microbiome - Nature Microbiology
In this Perspective, Estrela and Huang discuss nutrient starvation in the context of the gut microbiome, outlining what is known and highlighting key questions for future research to address knowledge gaps.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Some keen Observations in Our October issue!

🦠 Cancer microbiome
🌊 Marine microbes in warming oceans
🌐 broad-range phages
🧬 genetically minimised Salmonella
🔧 Viral infection mechanisms
🧪 Oxaloacetate antiviral defence

and more, here: www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/v...
October 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
🎉 Congratulations to Max Kellner, former PhD student in the Penninger Lab, who was presented with the ÖGBMT Life Sciences PhD Award Austria. The award recognizes Kellner’s PhD research on how dangerous viruses emerge from natural reservoirs like bats. More: https://imba.science/3KiRYSN
September 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
A roadmap for equitable reuse of public microbiome data by The Data Reuse Consortium @natmicrobiol.nature.com
September 27, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
📢 A new collection 'Climate Change and Infectious Diseases' is open for submissions!

A joint project with @natcomms.nature.com @nathealth.nature.com & @commsmed.nature.com, with @julietai.bsky.social as the lead editor for Nature Microbiology

#MicroSky 🦠
More info: www.nature.com/collections/...
Climate Change and Infectious Diseases
Through this cross-journal Collection, the editors at Communications Medicine, Nature Communications, Nature Microbiology, Nature Health, and Scientific ...
www.nature.com
September 23, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Savour the fine flavour of our September issue, featuring...

〰️Bacterial prions in phage defence
💊Antibiotics from archaea
🔺Spike complexes in Sabiá, Junin and Machupo viruses
🛡️Aggresomes and mRNA protection
🤝A call for early-career teams

...and more, here 👇
www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/v...
September 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Get inspired to scale the challenges with our August issue!

Read about:

🦟Fighting malaria
🕹️Remote controlled probiotics
🍄Antifungal resistance
💉mRNA vaccines against bacteria
⚕️Yellow fever vaccine
🫧Archaeal ribosomes
🦠giardia-host interactions

and more.
www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/v...

#MicroSky
August 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Julie Tai-Schmiedel
Some really cool papers in this month's special issue that focuses on overcoming infectious diseases.

#MicroSky
Get inspired to scale the challenges with our August issue!

Read about:

🦟Fighting malaria
🕹️Remote controlled probiotics
🍄Antifungal resistance
💉mRNA vaccines against bacteria
⚕️Yellow fever vaccine
🫧Archaeal ribosomes
🦠giardia-host interactions

and more.
www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/v...

#MicroSky
August 1, 2025 at 3:37 PM