Constance Bailey
@constancebailey.bsky.social
#SynBio and #naturalproducts. Enzymology, heterologous expression, and bioengineering. Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Synthetic Biology
at the University of Sydney
.
at the University of Sydney
.
New preprint on conserved BCG in myxobacteria from Cole Steven's lab!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
June 22, 2025 at 10:33 AM
New preprint on conserved BCG in myxobacteria from Cole Steven's lab!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The Extraordinary Benefit of Nature’s Chemistry to Health, Society, and the Economy | Journal of Natural Products pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
The Extraordinary Benefit of Nature’s Chemistry to Health, Society, and the Economy
The connection between humans and Nature’s chemistry is astonishing and built into the very fabric of our genetic code. In this Perspective, we focus on bioactive molecules from microbes, plants, and ...
pubs.acs.org
June 16, 2025 at 3:04 AM
The Extraordinary Benefit of Nature’s Chemistry to Health, Society, and the Economy | Journal of Natural Products pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Constance Bailey
NIH is freezing funds for research abroad, threatening thousands of projects. 9/10
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NIH to suspend funds for research abroad as it overhauls policy
Move by US biomedical agency threatens thousands of projects on infectious diseases, cancer and more.
www.nature.com
May 1, 2025 at 11:50 PM
NIH is freezing funds for research abroad, threatening thousands of projects. 9/10
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Important story of NSF cuts by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social, & important perspective from @alondra.bsky.social: ‘These accounts of how we are decimating with a thousand cuts the science & research ecosystem are devastating… It’s sort of cutting off the future.’ www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis
The $9 billion agency, which exists solely to fund researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters, is hitting reverse on its mission.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 2, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Important story of NSF cuts by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social, & important perspective from @alondra.bsky.social: ‘These accounts of how we are decimating with a thousand cuts the science & research ecosystem are devastating… It’s sort of cutting off the future.’ www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Affected by the foreign subawards policy? Help run clinical trials abroad on a project with a subaward? I want to hear how this policy impacts you.
Send me a message on Signal at mkozlov .01 or email me at maxkozlov [at] protonmail [dot] com. You can stay anonymous.
Send me a message on Signal at mkozlov .01 or email me at maxkozlov [at] protonmail [dot] com. You can stay anonymous.
May 2, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Affected by the foreign subawards policy? Help run clinical trials abroad on a project with a subaward? I want to hear how this policy impacts you.
Send me a message on Signal at mkozlov .01 or email me at maxkozlov [at] protonmail [dot] com. You can stay anonymous.
Send me a message on Signal at mkozlov .01 or email me at maxkozlov [at] protonmail [dot] com. You can stay anonymous.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
There's an open call for editors (5-year terms) at Applied and Environmental Microbiology, for those of you who might be interested:
journals.asm.org/journal/aem/...
journals.asm.org/journal/aem/...
journals.asm.org
April 28, 2025 at 6:49 AM
There's an open call for editors (5-year terms) at Applied and Environmental Microbiology, for those of you who might be interested:
journals.asm.org/journal/aem/...
journals.asm.org/journal/aem/...
I know conservation biologists have ethical concerns about Colossal Biosciences, etc., but one thing is for sure: DAFT and the OGTR are never ever going to let a GMO thylacine-like animal that is actually a GMO numbat or whatever wander the bush in Tassie.
April 23, 2025 at 7:09 AM
I know conservation biologists have ethical concerns about Colossal Biosciences, etc., but one thing is for sure: DAFT and the OGTR are never ever going to let a GMO thylacine-like animal that is actually a GMO numbat or whatever wander the bush in Tassie.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
This is chilling www.fda.gov/news-events/...
FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs
FDA Plans to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement
www.fda.gov
April 11, 2025 at 1:06 AM
This is chilling www.fda.gov/news-events/...
I injured my thumb tripping on a run this morning, and it is kinda annoying typing, but I am really glad that I am not a PhD student/postdoc anymore because pipetting would be literally impossible.
April 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I injured my thumb tripping on a run this morning, and it is kinda annoying typing, but I am really glad that I am not a PhD student/postdoc anymore because pipetting would be literally impossible.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Great news: NIH postbac program is recruiting again! If your grad school plans were affected by program cutbacks or admissions freezes this year I highly encourage you to apply, this could be a perfect opportunity. Please repost.
www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...
www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...
www.training.nih.gov
April 10, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Great news: NIH postbac program is recruiting again! If your grad school plans were affected by program cutbacks or admissions freezes this year I highly encourage you to apply, this could be a perfect opportunity. Please repost.
www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...
www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...
Reposted by Constance Bailey
NSF will award ~1,000 instead of their usual ~2,000 Graduate Research Fellowships this year.
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.
www.nature.com
April 9, 2025 at 1:17 AM
NSF will award ~1,000 instead of their usual ~2,000 Graduate Research Fellowships this year.
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Not to throw rocks at glass houses (because I definitely am guilty of this) but sometimes synthetic biology is so vibey. Sometimes people are just doing a pretty basic genetic experiment and dressing it up in technical futuristic jargon.
April 9, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Not to throw rocks at glass houses (because I definitely am guilty of this) but sometimes synthetic biology is so vibey. Sometimes people are just doing a pretty basic genetic experiment and dressing it up in technical futuristic jargon.
General vibes right now
April 6, 2025 at 1:09 AM
General vibes right now
Reposted by Constance Bailey
🧪 #ScienceSky and #AcademicSky: We’re trying to learn more about the real-life scope and impact of the Trump administration terminating NIH grants.
Here's how you can help our reporting 👇
Here's how you can help our reporting 👇
Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.
www.propublica.org
April 3, 2025 at 3:00 AM
🧪 #ScienceSky and #AcademicSky: We’re trying to learn more about the real-life scope and impact of the Trump administration terminating NIH grants.
Here's how you can help our reporting 👇
Here's how you can help our reporting 👇
I worry about all the focus on commercialision from the ARC here in Oz for the same reason
Gasp, private investors cant justify paying for basic research with no immediate path to commercialization. It's almost like innovation relies intrinsically on fundamental basic research and only way to do that at scale is with nation-scale subsidy. What a shocker 🙃
"Private investors in the life sciences tell C&EN that their coffers don't compare to a juggernaut like the NIH, with its nearly $48 billion budget. Even if they did, industry players say their role is to fund science with immediate applications"
cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...
cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...
March 31, 2025 at 11:55 PM
I worry about all the focus on commercialision from the ARC here in Oz for the same reason
This came to mind after hearing recent discussions on podcasts etc. about the rise of Chinese innovation with companies like Byd and Xaomi, Byd's accession while Tesla flounders and Elon Musk is DODGE-ing, etc. China has won biotech: thehill.com/opinion/tech....
thehill.com
March 31, 2025 at 9:58 PM
This came to mind after hearing recent discussions on podcasts etc. about the rise of Chinese innovation with companies like Byd and Xaomi, Byd's accession while Tesla flounders and Elon Musk is DODGE-ing, etc. China has won biotech: thehill.com/opinion/tech....
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Big ups to ACS for providing complimentary childcare at #ACSFall2025. Attending conferences is enough logistical work as-is. Not having worry about week-long arrangements for kiddos makes a huge difference, especially to early-career folks who are more likely to have young kids.
March 29, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Big ups to ACS for providing complimentary childcare at #ACSFall2025. Attending conferences is enough logistical work as-is. Not having worry about week-long arrangements for kiddos makes a huge difference, especially to early-career folks who are more likely to have young kids.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Nobel Prizes by country and year.
The dominance of Germany is striking every time. Before 1933, that is. And the utter dominance of America (and the UK) after 1945.
The dominance of Germany is striking every time. Before 1933, that is. And the utter dominance of America (and the UK) after 1945.
March 28, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Nobel Prizes by country and year.
The dominance of Germany is striking every time. Before 1933, that is. And the utter dominance of America (and the UK) after 1945.
The dominance of Germany is striking every time. Before 1933, that is. And the utter dominance of America (and the UK) after 1945.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
See this chart for one stark example: NIH funding has dramatically slowed down.
Grant awards are down *$3 billion* so far, compared to same time period last year
I asked the White House to explain.
“This is not a researcher entitlement program,” said an official, defending their new approach.
Grant awards are down *$3 billion* so far, compared to same time period last year
I asked the White House to explain.
“This is not a researcher entitlement program,” said an official, defending their new approach.
March 28, 2025 at 1:13 PM
See this chart for one stark example: NIH funding has dramatically slowed down.
Grant awards are down *$3 billion* so far, compared to same time period last year
I asked the White House to explain.
“This is not a researcher entitlement program,” said an official, defending their new approach.
Grant awards are down *$3 billion* so far, compared to same time period last year
I asked the White House to explain.
“This is not a researcher entitlement program,” said an official, defending their new approach.
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Countries that have issued a travel advisory this year warning their citizens about visiting the United States:
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
New Zealand
United Kingdom
March 27, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Countries that have issued a travel advisory this year warning their citizens about visiting the United States:
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Reposted by Constance Bailey
This doesn't look good, folks
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving
More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.
www.nature.com
March 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
This doesn't look good, folks
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Constance Bailey
Imagine if those funds went to paying students, technicians, or postdocs to do more research. 🧪
🚨 Preprint! We combine our recent open dataset of #APC prices with the article counts per journal-year from #OpenAlex to estimate how much the academic community has paid in APCs over the last 5 years.
A. $8.349 billion ($8.968 B in 2023 USD)
$2.5B in 2023 alone.
arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551 #metasci
A. $8.349 billion ($8.968 B in 2023 USD)
$2.5B in 2023 alone.
arxiv.org/abs/2407.16551 #metasci
Estimating global article processing charges paid to six publishers for open access between 2019 and 2023
This study presents estimates of the global expenditure on article processing charges (APCs) paid to six publishers for open access between 2019 and 2023. APCs are fees charged for publishing in some ...
arxiv.org
March 26, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Imagine if those funds went to paying students, technicians, or postdocs to do more research. 🧪
Reposted by Constance Bailey
biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Here’s a paper that was many years in the making. The idea that the climate can affect the thermodynamic mechanism of binding due to the temperature dependence of the entropy term is interesting- we see gradual shift in binding mode along evo trajectory…
March 26, 2025 at 5:13 AM
biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Here’s a paper that was many years in the making. The idea that the climate can affect the thermodynamic mechanism of binding due to the temperature dependence of the entropy term is interesting- we see gradual shift in binding mode along evo trajectory…
This isn’t just embarrassing; it’s a danger to our national security. Classified information should never be transmitted on unsecured lines, and government officials doing so should pay the consequences for their carelessness.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 25, 2025 at 3:07 AM