Tim Read
@timothyread.bsky.social
Professor, Emory University Schools of Medicine, Atlanta.
Microbiology, genomics, genetics, bioinformatics.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XF5C7cgAAAAJ&hl=en
Microbiology, genomics, genetics, bioinformatics.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XF5C7cgAAAAJ&hl=en
Reposted by Tim Read
My reviewing style has changed over time. Rather than litigate every little thing, and pushing my own ideas, I focus only on 2 things:
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
November 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
My reviewing style has changed over time. Rather than litigate every little thing, and pushing my own ideas, I focus only on 2 things:
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
Reposted by Tim Read
My former mentor, colleague, and friend Hamilton Smith passed away this week. He was a giant in science, a Nobel Laureate, but also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. He will be missed by many. www.jcvi.org/media-center...
Remembering Hamilton O. Smith
Hamilton O. Smith
August 31, 1931 – October 25, 2025
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Hamilton O. Smith, M.D., a...
www.jcvi.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:26 PM
My former mentor, colleague, and friend Hamilton Smith passed away this week. He was a giant in science, a Nobel Laureate, but also one of the nicest people you could ever meet. He will be missed by many. www.jcvi.org/media-center...
Reposted by Tim Read
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Tim Read
Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled
The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency
@heatmap.news
The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency
@heatmap.news
Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says
It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.
heatmap.news
October 10, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
Reposted by Tim Read
Seems I'm not good at Bactopia v4 progress updates!
Since my last update:
- Nextflow v25+ compatible
- Converted to nf-test
- nf-bactopia plugin released
If you are interesting in testing (very much appreciated!), I now have a dev build available here: github.com/bactopia/bac...
Since my last update:
- Nextflow v25+ compatible
- Converted to nf-test
- nf-bactopia plugin released
If you are interesting in testing (very much appreciated!), I now have a dev build available here: github.com/bactopia/bac...
Bactopia v4 - Overview & Help Wanted · Issue #628 · bactopia/bactopia
Bactopia v4 Yo! Well, it is about that time! I am planning to release version 4 of Bactopia in the near future. With this version, Bactopia will introduce new and exciting things, but at the same t...
github.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Seems I'm not good at Bactopia v4 progress updates!
Since my last update:
- Nextflow v25+ compatible
- Converted to nf-test
- nf-bactopia plugin released
If you are interesting in testing (very much appreciated!), I now have a dev build available here: github.com/bactopia/bac...
Since my last update:
- Nextflow v25+ compatible
- Converted to nf-test
- nf-bactopia plugin released
If you are interesting in testing (very much appreciated!), I now have a dev build available here: github.com/bactopia/bac...
Reposted by Tim Read
This was a powerful speech by Pope Leo which built on Pope Francis’ teaching legacy.
He criticised those who “have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming”.
It was a privilege to be in the room. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
He criticised those who “have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming”.
It was a privilege to be in the room. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pope Leo hits out at critics of global warming
In his first major statement on climate change, the pontiff criticises those who minimise climate change.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 7:32 PM
This was a powerful speech by Pope Leo which built on Pope Francis’ teaching legacy.
He criticised those who “have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming”.
It was a privilege to be in the room. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
He criticised those who “have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming”.
It was a privilege to be in the room. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Tim Read
It’s #MythBustingMonday.
Today’s myth: “Multiple vaccines at once will overload a child’s immune system.”
This idea is popular with anti-vaccine groups and also POTUS. But immunology, decades of research, and real-world data all say the same thing: it’s false. 🧵
Today’s myth: “Multiple vaccines at once will overload a child’s immune system.”
This idea is popular with anti-vaccine groups and also POTUS. But immunology, decades of research, and real-world data all say the same thing: it’s false. 🧵
September 29, 2025 at 8:30 PM
It’s #MythBustingMonday.
Today’s myth: “Multiple vaccines at once will overload a child’s immune system.”
This idea is popular with anti-vaccine groups and also POTUS. But immunology, decades of research, and real-world data all say the same thing: it’s false. 🧵
Today’s myth: “Multiple vaccines at once will overload a child’s immune system.”
This idea is popular with anti-vaccine groups and also POTUS. But immunology, decades of research, and real-world data all say the same thing: it’s false. 🧵
Reposted by Tim Read
Phenomenal. In my 10 year update of A Brief History, I make the point that in the first edition, not one disease had been successfully treated using gene therapy. Today that number is at least 7.
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Phenomenal. In my 10 year update of A Brief History, I make the point that in the first edition, not one disease had been successfully treated using gene therapy. Today that number is at least 7.
Good luck with your new adventure!
After nearly 27 years, this is my last week at St George’s Hospital Medical School/St George’s, University of London/City St George’s University of London. I’ve met and worked with many amazing colleagues, particularly during my time as Director of Cross Cutting Research Themes and ..
September 20, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Good luck with your new adventure!
Reposted by Tim Read
I had to triplecheck this because I didn't believe it...
All of the world's discovered reserves of fossil fuels = the same energy as just 5 days of sunlight hitting the Earth🤯
Solar power is basically unlimited🤷♂️
All of the world's discovered reserves of fossil fuels = the same energy as just 5 days of sunlight hitting the Earth🤯
Solar power is basically unlimited🤷♂️
September 17, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I had to triplecheck this because I didn't believe it...
All of the world's discovered reserves of fossil fuels = the same energy as just 5 days of sunlight hitting the Earth🤯
Solar power is basically unlimited🤷♂️
All of the world's discovered reserves of fossil fuels = the same energy as just 5 days of sunlight hitting the Earth🤯
Solar power is basically unlimited🤷♂️
Reposted by Tim Read
Proud of the work in this new preprint from my postdoctoral research.
We used experimental evolution of mutualistically cross-feeding yeast to test how generalized interactions alter benefit evolution and opportunities for coevolution.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....
We used experimental evolution of mutualistically cross-feeding yeast to test how generalized interactions alter benefit evolution and opportunities for coevolution.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....
Partner fidelity and coevolution: Useful but not required for rapidly increased mutualistic benefits
Evolutionary theory predicts that specialization between mutualistic partners is beneficial, limiting conflict and increasing the opportunity to evolve cooperative benefits through sustained reciproca...
www.biorxiv.org
September 10, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Proud of the work in this new preprint from my postdoctoral research.
We used experimental evolution of mutualistically cross-feeding yeast to test how generalized interactions alter benefit evolution and opportunities for coevolution.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....
We used experimental evolution of mutualistically cross-feeding yeast to test how generalized interactions alter benefit evolution and opportunities for coevolution.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1....
Delighted to see the first version of our new ELife paper. A collaboration with Levi Morran, we show how an intact antibiotic resistance gene (mecA) changes the course of S. aureus evolution on a new host. Kudos to Michelle Su and Kim Hoang for making this happen.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Host and antibiotic jointly select for greater virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
elifesciences.org
September 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Delighted to see the first version of our new ELife paper. A collaboration with Levi Morran, we show how an intact antibiotic resistance gene (mecA) changes the course of S. aureus evolution on a new host. Kudos to Michelle Su and Kim Hoang for making this happen.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Reposted by Tim Read
“Well I don’t like that study because it doesn't give me the result I want’
September 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
“Well I don’t like that study because it doesn't give me the result I want’
Reposted by Tim Read
During the day yesterday in California, >75%of all electricity was produced by renewable #energy, including solar.
After the sun went down, half of all electricity STILL came from renewables, including wind batteries, hydro, geothermal, etc.
After the sun went down, half of all electricity STILL came from renewables, including wind batteries, hydro, geothermal, etc.
September 6, 2025 at 10:26 PM
During the day yesterday in California, >75%of all electricity was produced by renewable #energy, including solar.
After the sun went down, half of all electricity STILL came from renewables, including wind batteries, hydro, geothermal, etc.
After the sun went down, half of all electricity STILL came from renewables, including wind batteries, hydro, geothermal, etc.
Reposted by Tim Read
A BLAST update adding support for compressed files and csv output with headers is a Good Friday night surprise!
blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/doc/blast-ne...
blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/doc/blast-ne...
2025 BLAST NEWS — BlastNews 0.1.1 documentation
blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
September 6, 2025 at 4:53 AM
A BLAST update adding support for compressed files and csv output with headers is a Good Friday night surprise!
blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/doc/blast-ne...
blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/doc/blast-ne...
Reposted by Tim Read
In under 24h following the newly identified outbreak of #Ebola in the DRC, the virus has been isolated, sequenced and the virus sequence data made publicly available.
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
The 16th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A new spillover event from an unknown reservoir host
Background The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing concurrent outbreaks including mpox, cholera and malaria (1-4). The Ministry of Public Health, DRC has declared the 16th Ebola...
virological.org
September 5, 2025 at 12:09 AM
In under 24h following the newly identified outbreak of #Ebola in the DRC, the virus has been isolated, sequenced and the virus sequence data made publicly available.
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
Reposted by Tim Read
Ok this is mad
"...an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species. In this life cycle, females must clone males of another species because they require their sperm to produce the worker caste"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"...an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species. In this life cycle, females must clone males of another species because they require their sperm to produce the worker caste"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
www.nature.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Ok this is mad
"...an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species. In this life cycle, females must clone males of another species because they require their sperm to produce the worker caste"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"...an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species. In this life cycle, females must clone males of another species because they require their sperm to produce the worker caste"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Tim Read
Wow, more than 2.4M of assembled bacteria in the new release of ABT! We plan to index these using our efficient colored De Bruijn graph index, Fulgor. We recently conducted experiments with nearly 1M genomes…getting there :)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
AllTheBacteria - all bacterial genomes assembled, available and searchable
The bacterial sequence data publicly available via the global DNA archives is a vast potential source of information on the evolution of bacteria. However, most of this sequence data is unassembled, o...
www.biorxiv.org
August 28, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Wow, more than 2.4M of assembled bacteria in the new release of ABT! We plan to index these using our efficient colored De Bruijn graph index, Fulgor. We recently conducted experiments with nearly 1M genomes…getting there :)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Tim Read
The data shows that the future will be electric & renewable ... 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🌊🔋 The global energy transition is underway. And that is good for #Climate #Environment #PublicHealth #Economics interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/so...
Factcheck: 16 misleading myths about solar
Carbon Brief factchecks 16 of the most common myths about solar power
interactive.carbonbrief.org
August 30, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The data shows that the future will be electric & renewable ... 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🌊🔋 The global energy transition is underway. And that is good for #Climate #Environment #PublicHealth #Economics interactive.carbonbrief.org/factcheck/so...
Fantastic news - congratulations!
Congratulations to Dr. Kayla King who was awarded the 2025 Francis Crick Medal & Lecture by the Royal Society for contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology & genetics of infectious disease. @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcmicroimmuno.bsky.social @kayla-king.bsky.social @royalsociety.org bit.ly/4lGJrWB
Dr. Kayla King awarded Royal Society’s Francis Crick Medal
Evolutionary biologist Dr. Kayla King has been awarded the 2025 Francis Crick Medal and Lecture by the Royal Society of London for contributions to the fields of evolutionary biology and genetics of i...
bit.ly
August 28, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Fantastic news - congratulations!
Reposted by Tim Read
Bactopia update!
Bactopia is now compatible with @nextflow.io v25 syntax and the plugin (github.com/bactopia/nf-...) is converted to the latest structure. I'm hoping to have a development build soon.
If you're interested in testing please let me know here or at github.com/bactopia/bac...
Bactopia is now compatible with @nextflow.io v25 syntax and the plugin (github.com/bactopia/nf-...) is converted to the latest structure. I'm hoping to have a development build soon.
If you're interested in testing please let me know here or at github.com/bactopia/bac...
August 13, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Bactopia update!
Bactopia is now compatible with @nextflow.io v25 syntax and the plugin (github.com/bactopia/nf-...) is converted to the latest structure. I'm hoping to have a development build soon.
If you're interested in testing please let me know here or at github.com/bactopia/bac...
Bactopia is now compatible with @nextflow.io v25 syntax and the plugin (github.com/bactopia/nf-...) is converted to the latest structure. I'm hoping to have a development build soon.
If you're interested in testing please let me know here or at github.com/bactopia/bac...
Reposted by Tim Read
The "data" package Secretary Kennedy used to bolster his argument for discontinuing #BARDA funding for #mRNA research doesn't support his argument. @jakescottmd.bsky.social lays it out in a must read for @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2025/08/13/r...
Kennedy's case against mRNA vaccines collapses under his own evidence
“This isn't scientific disagreement. It's either staggering incompetence or willful misrepresentation,” writes infectious disease physician Jake Scott.
www.statnews.com
August 13, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The "data" package Secretary Kennedy used to bolster his argument for discontinuing #BARDA funding for #mRNA research doesn't support his argument. @jakescottmd.bsky.social lays it out in a must read for @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2025/08/13/r...
Reposted by Tim Read
Excited to share new #program, STEPS, which can simulate #dynamics of the E. coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (#LTEE) or other microbes in serial transfer regime.
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/s...
STEPS developed by @devinmlake.bsky.social, Zachary Matson, Minako Izutsu, and me.
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/s...
STEPS developed by @devinmlake.bsky.social, Zachary Matson, Minako Izutsu, and me.
STEPS To It
Announcing a new program, called STEPS, to simulate the dynamics of evolving microbial populations.
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Excited to share new #program, STEPS, which can simulate #dynamics of the E. coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (#LTEE) or other microbes in serial transfer regime.
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/s...
STEPS developed by @devinmlake.bsky.social, Zachary Matson, Minako Izutsu, and me.
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/s...
STEPS developed by @devinmlake.bsky.social, Zachary Matson, Minako Izutsu, and me.
Reposted by Tim Read
Howdy! I'm currently writing up version 4 of Bactopia!
Similar to previous major versions, I've started an issue on Github to track v4 progress. If you are a user of Bactopia and would like to help with feedback or with code, check out the following link:
github.com/bactopia/bac...
Similar to previous major versions, I've started an issue on Github to track v4 progress. If you are a user of Bactopia and would like to help with feedback or with code, check out the following link:
github.com/bactopia/bac...
Bactopia v4 - Overview & Help Wanted · Issue #628 · bactopia/bactopia
Bactopia v4 Yo! Well, it is about that time! I am planning to release version 4 of Bactopia in the near future. With this version, Bactopia will introduce new and exciting things, but at the same t...
github.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Howdy! I'm currently writing up version 4 of Bactopia!
Similar to previous major versions, I've started an issue on Github to track v4 progress. If you are a user of Bactopia and would like to help with feedback or with code, check out the following link:
github.com/bactopia/bac...
Similar to previous major versions, I've started an issue on Github to track v4 progress. If you are a user of Bactopia and would like to help with feedback or with code, check out the following link:
github.com/bactopia/bac...
Reposted by Tim Read
To say that "the data show these vaccines fail" in regards to the mRNA plaform is unforgivable.
For those of you that don't remember - this is the data from a SINGLE dose. In December 2020. So good I cried in grateful tears.
For those of you that don't remember - this is the data from a SINGLE dose. In December 2020. So good I cried in grateful tears.
August 5, 2025 at 10:19 PM
To say that "the data show these vaccines fail" in regards to the mRNA plaform is unforgivable.
For those of you that don't remember - this is the data from a SINGLE dose. In December 2020. So good I cried in grateful tears.
For those of you that don't remember - this is the data from a SINGLE dose. In December 2020. So good I cried in grateful tears.