Marc Dionne
@marcsdionne.bsky.social
Innate immunity, bacterial infection, physiology, microbiology, Drosophila. Poorly focused. Still angry. Professor, Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Imperial College London.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
If you're a scientist our journalist writing a piece about Watson and his "complex and nuanced character", you're deliberately ignoring the fact that his views made him one of the most extreme racist and sexist scientific "leaders" of his time.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
James Watson in his own words
“Some anti-Semitism is justified” “Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you’re not going to hire them” “Japan should be bombed for d…
liorpachter.wordpress.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:52 PM
If you're a scientist our journalist writing a piece about Watson and his "complex and nuanced character", you're deliberately ignoring the fact that his views made him one of the most extreme racist and sexist scientific "leaders" of his time.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
James Watson died yesterday. He was a bad man with many bad ideas. We owe a debt of gratitude to the unknown hero who uploaded this picture of him to Wikipedia.
November 7, 2025 at 7:52 PM
James Watson died yesterday. He was a bad man with many bad ideas. We owe a debt of gratitude to the unknown hero who uploaded this picture of him to Wikipedia.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Dear funding agencies,
I know we all want to discover the wonder drug that will cure the horrible diseases, but to do that, we need to invest in basic, unsexy, foundational research on how the systems work. Funding can’t all be drug development.
Sincerely,
Looking for basic research grants.
I know we all want to discover the wonder drug that will cure the horrible diseases, but to do that, we need to invest in basic, unsexy, foundational research on how the systems work. Funding can’t all be drug development.
Sincerely,
Looking for basic research grants.
October 14, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Dear funding agencies,
I know we all want to discover the wonder drug that will cure the horrible diseases, but to do that, we need to invest in basic, unsexy, foundational research on how the systems work. Funding can’t all be drug development.
Sincerely,
Looking for basic research grants.
I know we all want to discover the wonder drug that will cure the horrible diseases, but to do that, we need to invest in basic, unsexy, foundational research on how the systems work. Funding can’t all be drug development.
Sincerely,
Looking for basic research grants.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Model organisms, in particular non-mammalian model organisms, such as yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, #Drosophila and zebrafish, have long stood at the centre of biological discovery www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reaffirming the value of model organisms in training scientific minds - Nature Cell Biology
As biomedical research prioritizes human models and translational promise, classic model organisms are increasingly dismissed. Here we argue that they have a lasting value, both in enabling discovery and in cultivating scientific thinking, by training researchers in systems reasoning, integrative thinking and independent inquiry.
www.nature.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Model organisms, in particular non-mammalian model organisms, such as yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, #Drosophila and zebrafish, have long stood at the centre of biological discovery www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Marc Dionne
People point to the Tories broader record in government but them leaning on Ofcom to leave GB News alone despite its repeated regulatory breaches & its star presenter being a political rival of theirs may actually be the thing that dooms them
Naturally, Labour are refusing to correct this mistake
Naturally, Labour are refusing to correct this mistake
If a news organisation is making -200% margin after five years, it is not a commercial operation and should be assumed to have a different purpose.
The channel lost £33 million to communicate its content to a large audience
www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/g...
www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/g...
October 9, 2025 at 9:35 AM
People point to the Tories broader record in government but them leaning on Ofcom to leave GB News alone despite its repeated regulatory breaches & its star presenter being a political rival of theirs may actually be the thing that dooms them
Naturally, Labour are refusing to correct this mistake
Naturally, Labour are refusing to correct this mistake
Reposted by Marc Dionne
"The work I was involved in had no obvious therapeutic benefit. It was purely of scientific interest. I hope the country will continue to support basic research even though it may have no obvious practical value."
- John Gurdon
- John Gurdon
Very saddened to hear of John Gurdon’s passing. I’ve been lucky enough to interact with him at multiple points through my career - from undergrad lectures, through his position as former Chair of @biologists.bsky.social’s Board of Directors, and as an author at @dev-journal.bsky.social.
Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Gurdon dies aged 92
It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute.
www.cam.ac.uk
October 7, 2025 at 5:46 PM
"The work I was involved in had no obvious therapeutic benefit. It was purely of scientific interest. I hope the country will continue to support basic research even though it may have no obvious practical value."
- John Gurdon
- John Gurdon
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Hm is it bad if the industry somehow propping up a trembling economy is based almost entirely on our collective willingness to let it do crimes
September 30, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Hm is it bad if the industry somehow propping up a trembling economy is based almost entirely on our collective willingness to let it do crimes
Reposted by Marc Dionne
This country made significant progress against racism in my lifetime - but we did not do so by chance. There is a visible visceral regression in experiencing of overt racism because the toxic fringe with the most extreme views have a sense of permission & impunity
www.easterneye.biz/racism-in-uk...
www.easterneye.biz/racism-in-uk...
Comment: Why are we going backwards on racism in Britain?
Black and Asian people have increasingly equal opportunities to reach the top, but a viscerally and unacceptably unequal experience of public space
www.easterneye.biz
September 25, 2025 at 6:47 AM
This country made significant progress against racism in my lifetime - but we did not do so by chance. There is a visible visceral regression in experiencing of overt racism because the toxic fringe with the most extreme views have a sense of permission & impunity
www.easterneye.biz/racism-in-uk...
www.easterneye.biz/racism-in-uk...
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Amongst pro-migration voters - i.e. Labour's base last year and the easiest votes to recover in future - support for this policy is...0%. Nil. Nada. Zip. Zero.
Goals don't come more open than this. Labour should be attacking this proposal at every opportunity.
Goals don't come more open than this. Labour should be attacking this proposal at every opportunity.
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Amongst pro-migration voters - i.e. Labour's base last year and the easiest votes to recover in future - support for this policy is...0%. Nil. Nada. Zip. Zero.
Goals don't come more open than this. Labour should be attacking this proposal at every opportunity.
Goals don't come more open than this. Labour should be attacking this proposal at every opportunity.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Farage’s proposal to create a permanent underclass of migrants has 3% support. *3%*. If ever there was a golden political opportunity for Starmer’s Labour-whose support base let’s not forget is *pro-migration* - this is it. Is this mealy mouthed accountant language the best they can do?
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Farage’s proposal to create a permanent underclass of migrants has 3% support. *3%*. If ever there was a golden political opportunity for Starmer’s Labour-whose support base let’s not forget is *pro-migration* - this is it. Is this mealy mouthed accountant language the best they can do?
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
September 24, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Shot, chaser
Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
September 14, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Shot, chaser
Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Mix of cowardice and failing to understand the way racists have forced the agenda. This has to come to an end.
September 13, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Mix of cowardice and failing to understand the way racists have forced the agenda. This has to come to an end.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
Keir Starmer should be old enough to remember that we didn't use to call them patriots, we called them football hooligans.
September 13, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Keir Starmer should be old enough to remember that we didn't use to call them patriots, we called them football hooligans.
Reposted by Marc Dionne
If I were the UK Government I would simply not route all my communications through the platform whose owner just called for regime change in Britain and said "fight back or die"
September 13, 2025 at 6:10 PM
If I were the UK Government I would simply not route all my communications through the platform whose owner just called for regime change in Britain and said "fight back or die"
Reposted by Marc Dionne
This is how you protect your democracy. The US is a demonstration of what happens when you don't. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for plotting military coup in Brazil
Former president sought to ‘annihilate’ country’s democracy after losing 2022 election
www.theguardian.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:54 AM
This is how you protect your democracy. The US is a demonstration of what happens when you don't. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
I find it grimly hilarious that I now cannot stop reading "ACAB" as "assigned cops at birth"
September 11, 2025 at 11:32 AM
I find it grimly hilarious that I now cannot stop reading "ACAB" as "assigned cops at birth"
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
September 8, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
so, as I understand it, the position here is that if you had a hard upbringing, you're allowed extrajudicial executions
Uwu but hawwv you considered the epistemological standpoint of da vice president, including his twauma
September 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
so, as I understand it, the position here is that if you had a hard upbringing, you're allowed extrajudicial executions
It's far too long a story to fit in 300 characters, but—having done something similar*—I find this entirely believable.
* I didn't lose my shoe
* I didn't lose my shoe
September 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
It's far too long a story to fit in 300 characters, but—having done something similar*—I find this entirely believable.
* I didn't lose my shoe
* I didn't lose my shoe
Reposted by Marc Dionne
He was only 83. A man who famously protested segregation was only 83 and has just passed. 👁️👁️
'On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 1960, Mr. McNeil and three classmates from what is now North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro approached the whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s, sat on the turquoise- and salmon-colored vinyl seats and nervously ordered coffee.'
Joseph McNeil, Young Spark in a Civil Rights Battle, Dies at 83
www.nytimes.com
September 6, 2025 at 6:34 PM
He was only 83. A man who famously protested segregation was only 83 and has just passed. 👁️👁️
Reposted by Marc Dionne
'On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 1960, Mr. McNeil and three classmates from what is now North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro approached the whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s, sat on the turquoise- and salmon-colored vinyl seats and nervously ordered coffee.'
Joseph McNeil, Young Spark in a Civil Rights Battle, Dies at 83
www.nytimes.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:36 AM
'On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 1960, Mr. McNeil and three classmates from what is now North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro approached the whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s, sat on the turquoise- and salmon-colored vinyl seats and nervously ordered coffee.'
Reposted by Marc Dionne
My entire feed rn is
Senator: Do you think heart failure causes death
RFK: Senator, medicine doesn't work, we all need to be drinking raccoon blood
Senator: Do you think heart failure causes death
RFK: Senator, medicine doesn't work, we all need to be drinking raccoon blood
September 4, 2025 at 3:37 PM
My entire feed rn is
Senator: Do you think heart failure causes death
RFK: Senator, medicine doesn't work, we all need to be drinking raccoon blood
Senator: Do you think heart failure causes death
RFK: Senator, medicine doesn't work, we all need to be drinking raccoon blood
RFK Jr., leaving Rudy Giuliani beside a broken bicycle in the middle of Central Park East Drive at 2AM
RFK Jr., driving away with Rudy Guliani tied to the roof of his car
September 1, 2025 at 6:44 AM
RFK Jr., leaving Rudy Giuliani beside a broken bicycle in the middle of Central Park East Drive at 2AM
Reposted by Marc Dionne
'Early on in her life, Esther defied societal conventions by pursuing biochemistry, against recommendations from her teachers who believed that a career in science was too difficult for women'
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Pioneer of bacterial genetics: the legacy of Esther Miriam Lederberg
Abstract. Esther Miriam Lederberg's brilliant scientific lifework, from the discovery of phage lambda, bacterial conjugation, and replica plating, provided
academic.oup.com
September 1, 2025 at 3:47 AM
'Early on in her life, Esther defied societal conventions by pursuing biochemistry, against recommendations from her teachers who believed that a career in science was too difficult for women'
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...