Willem van Schaik
@wvschaik.bsky.social
Microbiology, microbiome, antimicrobial resistance. Sometimes UK politics. Head of Research of the School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, University of Birmingham. Also Co-Director of @target-amr.bsky.social.
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
🚨 Publication alert! We are stoked to report the structural basis for activity of a novel class of antimicrobials targeting Gram positive priority pathogens in @natcomms.nature.com. There is something for everyone on this paper, and I will highlight a few things below 👇 1/9 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
A unique inhibitor conformation selectively targets the DNA polymerase PolC of Gram-positive priority pathogens - Nature Communications
In this work, Urem et al. characterize the mode of action as well as mechanism of reduced susceptibility related to a class of antimicrobials that is in development for the treatment of infections wit...
doi.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 AM
🚨 Publication alert! We are stoked to report the structural basis for activity of a novel class of antimicrobials targeting Gram positive priority pathogens in @natcomms.nature.com. There is something for everyone on this paper, and I will highlight a few things below 👇 1/9 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
I feel it is important to reflect on why the scientific establishment thought it a good idea to invite Watson and have him mingle with early-career researchers, and whether similarly damaged individuals are still being invited to 'inspire' the next generation of scientists
My James Watson memory
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
November 8, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I feel it is important to reflect on why the scientific establishment thought it a good idea to invite Watson and have him mingle with early-career researchers, and whether similarly damaged individuals are still being invited to 'inspire' the next generation of scientists
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
NEWS — FDA announces 13 cases of infant botulism across 10 states after babies were given ByHeart powder formula from two specific lots.
Outbreak Investigation of Infant Botulism: Infant Formula
Do not use certain lots of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. FDA’s Investigation is ongoing.
www.fda.gov
November 8, 2025 at 10:09 PM
NEWS — FDA announces 13 cases of infant botulism across 10 states after babies were given ByHeart powder formula from two specific lots.
My James Watson memory
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
November 8, 2025 at 10:31 PM
My James Watson memory
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
One of my PhD students attended an EMBO course on a Greek island, about 10 yrs ago.
Watson also attended and he sat at the same table as my student during one of the dinners.
He was, by my student's account, absolutely awful, mysoginist, racist.
Can confirm that 'A House of Dynamite' is not a particularly relaxing watch
November 8, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Can confirm that 'A House of Dynamite' is not a particularly relaxing watch
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Shout out to people routinely working in their 2nd or 3rd language.
Yesterday I gave a 1-hour research seminar in French. Afterwards, my brain was pretty much done for the day.
Respect to the loads of scientists who do this daily (and usually a lot more effectively than me!)
Yesterday I gave a 1-hour research seminar in French. Afterwards, my brain was pretty much done for the day.
Respect to the loads of scientists who do this daily (and usually a lot more effectively than me!)
November 7, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Shout out to people routinely working in their 2nd or 3rd language.
Yesterday I gave a 1-hour research seminar in French. Afterwards, my brain was pretty much done for the day.
Respect to the loads of scientists who do this daily (and usually a lot more effectively than me!)
Yesterday I gave a 1-hour research seminar in French. Afterwards, my brain was pretty much done for the day.
Respect to the loads of scientists who do this daily (and usually a lot more effectively than me!)
Delighted that our review on resistance to last-resort antibiotics in Enterococci has been published in FEMS Microbiology Reviews
academic.oup.com/femsre/advan... (accepted manuscript version)
TL;DR: the Enterococci are really good at evolving resistance to antibiotics in new and creative ways.
academic.oup.com/femsre/advan... (accepted manuscript version)
TL;DR: the Enterococci are really good at evolving resistance to antibiotics in new and creative ways.
Resistance to last-resort antibiotics in enterococci
Abstract. The genus Enterococcus comprises a diverse group of species, many of which are commensal members of the gut microbiota of humans and animals. The
academic.oup.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Delighted that our review on resistance to last-resort antibiotics in Enterococci has been published in FEMS Microbiology Reviews
academic.oup.com/femsre/advan... (accepted manuscript version)
TL;DR: the Enterococci are really good at evolving resistance to antibiotics in new and creative ways.
academic.oup.com/femsre/advan... (accepted manuscript version)
TL;DR: the Enterococci are really good at evolving resistance to antibiotics in new and creative ways.
'Women represent around 25% of the researchers involved in the selected projects'
@erc.europa.eu may want to reflect, and take action, on this outcome of the latest ERC Synergy Grant call
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
@erc.europa.eu may want to reflect, and take action, on this outcome of the latest ERC Synergy Grant call
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
ERC Synergy Grants to fund 66 teams tackling major scientific challenges
How do you solve science’s toughest puzzles? By joining forces. Sixty-six research teams, bringing together 239 scientists, will receive a total of €684 million in European Research Council Synergy Gr...
erc.europa.eu
November 8, 2025 at 9:09 AM
'Women represent around 25% of the researchers involved in the selected projects'
@erc.europa.eu may want to reflect, and take action, on this outcome of the latest ERC Synergy Grant call
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
@erc.europa.eu may want to reflect, and take action, on this outcome of the latest ERC Synergy Grant call
erc.europa.eu/news-events/...
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Scientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted.
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 4:29 AM
Scientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
James D. Watson: “His decoding of the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist views.”
A thorough & honest obituary.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
A thorough & honest obituary.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James D. Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:27 AM
James D. Watson: “His decoding of the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist views.”
A thorough & honest obituary.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
A thorough & honest obituary.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
Listen to this great podcast with @gemccallum.bsky.social @prob91.bsky.social
In 2019, a mysterious contaminant lead to the start of Contamination Club, an online club dedicated to weird and wonderful intruders.
🎧In this month's Microbe Talk, two of the team, Rob Moran and Greg McCallum, join us to talk about their journey and the online community that they've built.
🎧In this month's Microbe Talk, two of the team, Rob Moran and Greg McCallum, join us to talk about their journey and the online community that they've built.
November 7, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Listen to this great podcast with @gemccallum.bsky.social @prob91.bsky.social
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Worried about identification of human samples from microbial sequencing? We were too- this is what we've done about it! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Benchmarking of human read removal strategies for viral and microbial metagenomics
Human reads are a key contaminant in microbial metagenomics and enrichment-based studies, requiring removal for computational efficiency, biological a…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Worried about identification of human samples from microbial sequencing? We were too- this is what we've done about it! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Congratulations Freya! Well done for all your hard work!
Absolutely delighted (and proud) that @freyaallen.bsky.social passed her viva with minor corrections today.
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Congratulations Freya! Well done for all your hard work!
Absolutely delighted (and proud) that @freyaallen.bsky.social passed her viva with minor corrections today.
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
November 6, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Absolutely delighted (and proud) that @freyaallen.bsky.social passed her viva with minor corrections today.
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Shout out to University of Birmingham folk:
A science-themed play that I co-wrote is coming to you at the Midlands Art Centre on the 17th. A lab-night out? See you there! 🤞
linktr.ee/panaceaplay
@wvschaik.bsky.social @alanmcn1.bsky.social @drjorhodes.com @jkreft.bsky.social
A science-themed play that I co-wrote is coming to you at the Midlands Art Centre on the 17th. A lab-night out? See you there! 🤞
linktr.ee/panaceaplay
@wvschaik.bsky.social @alanmcn1.bsky.social @drjorhodes.com @jkreft.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Shout out to University of Birmingham folk:
A science-themed play that I co-wrote is coming to you at the Midlands Art Centre on the 17th. A lab-night out? See you there! 🤞
linktr.ee/panaceaplay
@wvschaik.bsky.social @alanmcn1.bsky.social @drjorhodes.com @jkreft.bsky.social
A science-themed play that I co-wrote is coming to you at the Midlands Art Centre on the 17th. A lab-night out? See you there! 🤞
linktr.ee/panaceaplay
@wvschaik.bsky.social @alanmcn1.bsky.social @drjorhodes.com @jkreft.bsky.social
Rare case of waking up to good news
November 5, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Rare case of waking up to good news
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Apart from the AI junk part… the notion that one should not offer a potential mechanistic explanation for an observation, without first spending years & (unavailable) $$ trying to test possibilities before sharing the observation with others (who may be better equipped to investigate the mechanism)…
Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
November 3, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Apart from the AI junk part… the notion that one should not offer a potential mechanistic explanation for an observation, without first spending years & (unavailable) $$ trying to test possibilities before sharing the observation with others (who may be better equipped to investigate the mechanism)…
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
🧬Join us for the next TARGetAMR webinar!
💊Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics
🗓️Wednesday 19 November🕐 1–2pm 💻 Online
🎙️With Liam Shaw, Computational Biologist at University of Bristol
🔗Register now! www.targetamr.org.uk/hdrevents/ta...
💊Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics
🗓️Wednesday 19 November🕐 1–2pm 💻 Online
🎙️With Liam Shaw, Computational Biologist at University of Bristol
🔗Register now! www.targetamr.org.uk/hdrevents/ta...
November 3, 2025 at 11:04 AM
🧬Join us for the next TARGetAMR webinar!
💊Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics
🗓️Wednesday 19 November🕐 1–2pm 💻 Online
🎙️With Liam Shaw, Computational Biologist at University of Bristol
🔗Register now! www.targetamr.org.uk/hdrevents/ta...
💊Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics
🗓️Wednesday 19 November🕐 1–2pm 💻 Online
🎙️With Liam Shaw, Computational Biologist at University of Bristol
🔗Register now! www.targetamr.org.uk/hdrevents/ta...
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
This is terrible
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
Blame declining confidence, a lack of convenience and rising complacency
www.economist.com
November 1, 2025 at 2:10 AM
This is terrible
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer have plummeted in Britain
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
(don't worry about me, I am feeling fine)
November 1, 2024 at 9:02 PM
(don't worry about me, I am feeling fine)
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
The Dutch original is one of the very few reasons to learn the language
November 1, 2024 at 9:01 PM
The Dutch original is one of the very few reasons to learn the language
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
Happy November everybody!
JC Bloem - November (1931) (translation: John Irons)
JC Bloem - November (1931) (translation: John Irons)
November 1, 2024 at 8:58 PM
Happy November everybody!
JC Bloem - November (1931) (translation: John Irons)
JC Bloem - November (1931) (translation: John Irons)
Reposted by Willem van Schaik
1. Characterising the role of the dual-function VanT in C. difficile vancomycin resistance.
A collaboration between our group in @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social and the groups of @gavinhthomas.bsky.social and Marjan van der Woude at the University of York
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
A collaboration between our group in @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social and the groups of @gavinhthomas.bsky.social and Marjan van der Woude at the University of York
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
October 31, 2025 at 3:44 PM
1. Characterising the role of the dual-function VanT in C. difficile vancomycin resistance.
A collaboration between our group in @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social and the groups of @gavinhthomas.bsky.social and Marjan van der Woude at the University of York
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
A collaboration between our group in @molmicrosheffield.bsky.social and the groups of @gavinhthomas.bsky.social and Marjan van der Woude at the University of York
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...