Zamin Iqbal
@zaminiqbal.bsky.social
Professor of Algorithmic and Microbial Genomics at the University of Bath (UK). Pangenomes, drug resistance (esp TB), data structures for DNA search, plasmid evolution, global microbial surveillance. Open Data, reproducibility
Pinned
Zamin Iqbal
@zaminiqbal.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Congratulations to @zaminiqbal.bsky.social from @milnerevolution.bsky.social on being awarded the 2026 Mary Lyon Medal!
Honoured and quite blown-over to receive this award. I have been, and continue to be, very lucky - first with great mentors, and then really prodigious students, postdocs and collaborators. Working with them has been a joy.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Córy Doctorow with another verbal bullseye: pluralistic.net/2026/01/13/n...
January 18, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Córy Doctorow with another verbal bullseye: pluralistic.net/2026/01/13/n...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Seems unfair that you only get to use the bouncy slide to get off a plane when things have gone wrong. The bouncy slide should be a treat they give to the best passengers who did the flight correctly.
January 17, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Seems unfair that you only get to use the bouncy slide to get off a plane when things have gone wrong. The bouncy slide should be a treat they give to the best passengers who did the flight correctly.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Average Sunday show interview:
OFFICIAL: we are going to dip enemies of the state into acid vats
HOST: how will you pay for it?
OFFICIAL: tariffs
HOST: critics say tariffs don't generate acid vat money
OFFICIAL: tariffs have generated more money than has ever existed
HOST: thank u for ur time
OFFICIAL: we are going to dip enemies of the state into acid vats
HOST: how will you pay for it?
OFFICIAL: tariffs
HOST: critics say tariffs don't generate acid vat money
OFFICIAL: tariffs have generated more money than has ever existed
HOST: thank u for ur time
January 18, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Average Sunday show interview:
OFFICIAL: we are going to dip enemies of the state into acid vats
HOST: how will you pay for it?
OFFICIAL: tariffs
HOST: critics say tariffs don't generate acid vat money
OFFICIAL: tariffs have generated more money than has ever existed
HOST: thank u for ur time
OFFICIAL: we are going to dip enemies of the state into acid vats
HOST: how will you pay for it?
OFFICIAL: tariffs
HOST: critics say tariffs don't generate acid vat money
OFFICIAL: tariffs have generated more money than has ever existed
HOST: thank u for ur time
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Deutsche Bank here with the good stuff.
Game on.
Game on.
January 18, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Deutsche Bank here with the good stuff.
Game on.
Game on.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
this is absolutely so
black people have been trying to highlight this for my entire life and before I was born, trying to tell people that what was used on them—almost as if for practice, to hone the mechanism—could and would be used on everyone else
black people have been trying to highlight this for my entire life and before I was born, trying to tell people that what was used on them—almost as if for practice, to hone the mechanism—could and would be used on everyone else
This David French article shows the analytic peril of ignoring the way normal policing and repression work in communities of color. The so-called "dual state" he's highlighting (laws applied unequally, non-compliance met with violence) is *exactly* what Black Lives Matter was protesting.
Opinion | An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 4:13 PM
this is absolutely so
black people have been trying to highlight this for my entire life and before I was born, trying to tell people that what was used on them—almost as if for practice, to hone the mechanism—could and would be used on everyone else
black people have been trying to highlight this for my entire life and before I was born, trying to tell people that what was used on them—almost as if for practice, to hone the mechanism—could and would be used on everyone else
I must read this!
3/
Can ASCT guide drug development?
Testing 65 drug regimens in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we found that killing under starvation conditions (but not in nutrient-rich media) predicted infection outcomes in mice and humans. MICs did not.
Can ASCT guide drug development?
Testing 65 drug regimens in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we found that killing under starvation conditions (but not in nutrient-rich media) predicted infection outcomes in mice and humans. MICs did not.
January 18, 2026 at 4:15 PM
I must read this!
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with EU
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with EU
January 18, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with EU
Jokers to the right
Here I am, stuck in the middle with EU
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
🙃
This FB post is public.
This FB post is public.
January 16, 2026 at 11:24 PM
🙃
This FB post is public.
This FB post is public.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Fiery morning twilight, Monterey Bay.
January 17, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Fiery morning twilight, Monterey Bay.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
This photo was taken in 1911 using glass plate technology by Herbert Ponting who was part of Scott's Antarctic expedition,
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
January 17, 2026 at 7:12 AM
This photo was taken in 1911 using glass plate technology by Herbert Ponting who was part of Scott's Antarctic expedition,
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Enterococcus fans: Check out our latest on E. faecalis EET, advancing our understanding of both the fundamental physiology of this bug and new mechanisms of its virulence. This is the product of a thrilling collaboration with friends in Singapore @gthibault.bsky.social led by @aarontan.bsky.social.
We’ve discovered how the superbug E. faecalis prevents chronic wounds from healing.
It’s not a toxin. It’s metabolism.
The bacteria use extracellular electron transport (EET) to electrochemically generate ROS, effectively "freezing" skin cells in place.
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb5297
It’s not a toxin. It’s metabolism.
The bacteria use extracellular electron transport (EET) to electrochemically generate ROS, effectively "freezing" skin cells in place.
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb5297
Enterococcus faecalis redox metabolism activates the unfolded protein response to impair wound healing
E. faecalis EET generates ROS, which induces the UPR in keratinocytes, inhibiting in vitro migration.
doi.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Enterococcus fans: Check out our latest on E. faecalis EET, advancing our understanding of both the fundamental physiology of this bug and new mechanisms of its virulence. This is the product of a thrilling collaboration with friends in Singapore @gthibault.bsky.social led by @aarontan.bsky.social.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
A bit late to this but super informative and well worth your time. Helps to unpick the drivers of the protests, how the regime is responding, how it is similar/different to what we have seen before, and what the West has got wrong - and how it is responding now.
🚨🚨IRAN EPISODE 🚨🚨
I spoke to Iran expert Charlie Gammell about the latest protests and where it's all going. Recorded yesterday, Charlie had fascinating insights on the Islamic Republic, its likely intentions, and the response from protesters. Have a listen!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
I spoke to Iran expert Charlie Gammell about the latest protests and where it's all going. Recorded yesterday, Charlie had fascinating insights on the Islamic Republic, its likely intentions, and the response from protesters. Have a listen!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
Iran in Crisis: Charlie Gammell on the protests
Podcast Episode · Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell · 14/01/2026 · 46m
podcasts.apple.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:38 PM
A bit late to this but super informative and well worth your time. Helps to unpick the drivers of the protests, how the regime is responding, how it is similar/different to what we have seen before, and what the West has got wrong - and how it is responding now.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Out Now! A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system #MicroSky
A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-025-02239-6A library of 400 phage protein-coding genes is used to find a trove of antiphage systems, revealing systems that target tail fibre and major capsid proteins.
go.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Out Now! A phage protein screen identifies triggers of the bacterial innate immune system #MicroSky
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
January 16, 2026 at 4:14 AM
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
As you talk about Greenland, please make sure you are talking about the >56,000 Inuit who have called the Island their home for thousands of years. Here are 2 stories that include their voices, concerns, and hopes.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
canadiangeographic.ca/articles/buy...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
canadiangeographic.ca/articles/buy...
‘Buying countries is Stone Age mentality:’ Inuit speak up on Greenland
Indigenous Greenlanders, who endured centuries of colonialism from Denmark, now face a new threat from Donald Trump’s United States
canadiangeographic.ca
January 16, 2026 at 11:22 AM
As you talk about Greenland, please make sure you are talking about the >56,000 Inuit who have called the Island their home for thousands of years. Here are 2 stories that include their voices, concerns, and hopes.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
canadiangeographic.ca/articles/buy...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
canadiangeographic.ca/articles/buy...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
"Democracy and human rights were only their concern insofar as arguing for them to be imposed on the Middle East was a precursor to stripping them away from their own citizens."
novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
Today’s Public Intellectuals Are More Likely to Serve Power Than Challenge It | Juliet Jacques
30 years ago, the BBC invited Palestinian thinker Edward Said to deliver six lectures on the public intellectual, writes Juliet Jacques. Can you imagine something so outlandish happening today?
novaramedia.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:41 AM
"Democracy and human rights were only their concern insofar as arguing for them to be imposed on the Middle East was a precursor to stripping them away from their own citizens."
novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
This is so important. If you persist in misrepresenting or misunderstanding reality you give even more ammunition to populist liars who understand nothing.
It is really important to understand that the asylum hotel chaos of 2022-24 is a *failed experiment in closed borders* (in contrast to the liberal visa policy)
The hotel chaos comes from passing multiple laws that all claims will be refused & to stop processing claims
bsky.app/profile/pete...
The hotel chaos comes from passing multiple laws that all claims will be refused & to stop processing claims
bsky.app/profile/pete...
“Robert Jenrick is the man who as Immigration Minister oversaw the open borders experiment that led to the biggest increase in illegal immigration in our country”
Labour's Steve Reed reacts to Robert Jenrick's decision to defect from the Conservatives to Reform UK
Labour's Steve Reed reacts to Robert Jenrick's decision to defect from the Conservatives to Reform UK
January 16, 2026 at 8:45 AM
This is so important. If you persist in misrepresenting or misunderstanding reality you give even more ammunition to populist liars who understand nothing.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Vaccination against whooping cough, RSV and flu during pregnancy saves babies lives, but expectant parents are sometimes unsure.
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
Vaccines in Pregnancy, UK | Learn More About Vaccination Today
Comprehensive guide to vaccines during pregnancy in the UK, including timing and locations for vaccination. Essential information for expectant parents and healthcare providers.
www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
January 16, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Vaccination against whooping cough, RSV and flu during pregnancy saves babies lives, but expectant parents are sometimes unsure.
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
How do I know it's safe? Will it protect my baby?
To answer these questions, we've created www.vaccinesinpregnancy.org
#ObGynSky #MedSky #ImmunoSky
1/
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
This is simply a lie. There was no “open borders experiment” and what he’s talking about affected legal migration, not illegal. The attack seems to be that this racist used to be insufficiently racist
“Robert Jenrick is the man who as Immigration Minister oversaw the open borders experiment that led to the biggest increase in illegal immigration in our country”
Labour's Steve Reed reacts to Robert Jenrick's decision to defect from the Conservatives to Reform UK
Labour's Steve Reed reacts to Robert Jenrick's decision to defect from the Conservatives to Reform UK
January 16, 2026 at 9:52 AM
This is simply a lie. There was no “open borders experiment” and what he’s talking about affected legal migration, not illegal. The attack seems to be that this racist used to be insufficiently racist
Folks, I am looking around for good introductory materials for students to try exploring clinical impact of human genetic variation (eg take a 1000g VCF, restricted to some chromosome/region and play with ensembl VEP). Good examples would be v welcome
January 16, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Folks, I am looking around for good introductory materials for students to try exploring clinical impact of human genetic variation (eg take a 1000g VCF, restricted to some chromosome/region and play with ensembl VEP). Good examples would be v welcome