Peter van Heusden (he/him) 🗿
@pvanheus.bsky.social
#bioinformatics at @SANBI_SA, building bioinformatics workflows for (Pan-)African PH. health & justice! married. @pvanheus@mstdn.science
A massacre in El Fasher, #Darfur, #Sudan ... 84 killed during prayers at a mosque, according to Mashad Observatory for Human Rights (www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...) and Sudan War Monitor (sudanwarmonitor.com/p/worshipper...) #KeepEyesOnSudan
![Mashad Human Rights Observatory strongly condemns, with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow, the horrific crime perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces through their terrorist shelling of the mosque in the city of Al-Fashir during prayer, which resulted in the killing of more than 84 civilians, including 11 children and the Director of Mashad Organization in the state, and the injury of dozens with serious wounds. This brutal attack constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, foremost among them international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and amounts to a fully-fledged war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The recurrence of these crimes against innocent civilians and the targeting of places of worship and public facilities clearly demonstrates the systematic approach adopted by the Rapid Support Forces in killing Sudanese people and destroying their means of survival, under the watch of the international community, amid a suspicious silence and negligence that rise to the level of indirect complicity and encourage the continued commission of further atrocities.
Mashad Observatory affirms that this terrorist crime constitutes a stain on the conscience of humanity and irrefutable evidence of the support extended by certain international and regional powers to these criminal forces in pursuit of their own interests at the expense of innocent blood. Silence over such grave crimes undermines the values of international justice and erodes what remains of trust in the global system to protect human rights and safeguard human dignity.
We issue an urgent appeal to the peoples of the world of conscience and to what remains of honorable international and regional institutions to condemn this terrorist act ... [see the rest on their the Mashad Observatory Facebook]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rpv7umqk6puyqwawnuf3kvxo/bafkreie3lzntg74v53hq226zdxubxrjmw5ljhpnkpowxdaw2cffehxx3da@jpeg)
September 20, 2025 at 10:05 AM
A massacre in El Fasher, #Darfur, #Sudan ... 84 killed during prayers at a mosque, according to Mashad Observatory for Human Rights (www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...) and Sudan War Monitor (sudanwarmonitor.com/p/worshipper...) #KeepEyesOnSudan
And from the acknowledgements... an acknowledgement the world will miss going forwards
September 5, 2025 at 4:39 AM
And from the acknowledgements... an acknowledgement the world will miss going forwards
#ABPHM25 was once again an amazing opportunity for learning, networking and taking the pulse of the public-health oriented microbial bioinformatics field. Here's a part of the attendees, self-selected from participants on the µbioinfo Slack. Best wishes to everyone as we head home and #FreePalestine
May 23, 2025 at 6:37 PM
#ABPHM25 was once again an amazing opportunity for learning, networking and taking the pulse of the public-health oriented microbial bioinformatics field. Here's a part of the attendees, self-selected from participants on the µbioinfo Slack. Best wishes to everyone as we head home and #FreePalestine
I feel a real need for things-that-don't-suck this morning so here's a picture of the baobab tree I bought in The Gambia recently with its new leaf and the vanilla pod from Madagascar I was given at the food festival yesterday. Sembrando ideales!
March 16, 2025 at 9:34 AM
I feel a real need for things-that-don't-suck this morning so here's a picture of the baobab tree I bought in The Gambia recently with its new leaf and the vanilla pod from Madagascar I was given at the food festival yesterday. Sembrando ideales!
TFW you're just calmly listening to TWIP and you discover that Thomas Winterbottom "discovered" what is known as Winterbottom's sign (a telltale sign of sleeping sickness) by observing the behaviour of *slave traders* in what's now Sierra Leone #colonialmedicine
March 14, 2025 at 6:29 AM
TFW you're just calmly listening to TWIP and you discover that Thomas Winterbottom "discovered" what is known as Winterbottom's sign (a telltale sign of sleeping sickness) by observing the behaviour of *slave traders* in what's now Sierra Leone #colonialmedicine
As I get ready to put the bioinformatician boots on again (a week later than planned), I had a really good time taking a variety of folks on their first ever rockpooling expedition. I'm leaving out the pictures of peeps, but here's an atmospheric shot.
January 5, 2025 at 6:05 PM
As I get ready to put the bioinformatician boots on again (a week later than planned), I had a really good time taking a variety of folks on their first ever rockpooling expedition. I'm leaving out the pictures of peeps, but here's an atmospheric shot.
One of the TAC innovations was the "HIV Positive" t-shirt, which flipped the script of HIV+ from a shameful, to-be-hidden diagnosis to a statement about struggle & solidarity (eventually Mandela himself wore one). Use all tools to fight! (the shirt drew on a long history of use of t-shirts & design)
January 2, 2025 at 2:29 PM
One of the TAC innovations was the "HIV Positive" t-shirt, which flipped the script of HIV+ from a shameful, to-be-hidden diagnosis to a statement about struggle & solidarity (eventually Mandela himself wore one). Use all tools to fight! (the shirt drew on a long history of use of t-shirts & design)
(mostly) colonial powers (Netherlands, UK, France & Thailand) working to control the trade. Access to rubber (for war & industry) was also a reason the Japanese invaded the DEI & my father spent part of his childhood in an internment camp. The picture attached is from Tjideng camp, created from
December 17, 2024 at 1:28 PM
(mostly) colonial powers (Netherlands, UK, France & Thailand) working to control the trade. Access to rubber (for war & industry) was also a reason the Japanese invaded the DEI & my father spent part of his childhood in an internment camp. The picture attached is from Tjideng camp, created from
Thinking about #ColonialHistory... my father was born in Tosariweg, Batavia (now Jakarta), in a house next door to the one pictured. His father was an agricultural engineer, working to control the rubber trade. Rubber was big business & the "Dutch East Indies" a major part of this, with a cartel of
December 17, 2024 at 1:28 PM
Thinking about #ColonialHistory... my father was born in Tosariweg, Batavia (now Jakarta), in a house next door to the one pictured. His father was an agricultural engineer, working to control the rubber trade. Rubber was big business & the "Dutch East Indies" a major part of this, with a cartel of
Oh look... it's someone polluting my timeline with "lab leak" / "gain of function" nonsense. I'm blocking them and would advise others to do similar. Life's not long enough to waste time with people promoting these discredited theories...
December 13, 2024 at 1:20 AM
Oh look... it's someone polluting my timeline with "lab leak" / "gain of function" nonsense. I'm blocking them and would advise others to do similar. Life's not long enough to waste time with people promoting these discredited theories...
an example (source, Hennie Heymans, Nongqai Publications)... the title text translates as "The S.A. Police, remarkable, unappreciated Gideon's squad" (I've literally translated "Gideonsbende", a reference to the story of Gideon in the Christian Bible, where a small squad took on a much larger foe
![A picture of the Apartheid South African Police flag with the title text "Die S.A. Polisie, merkwaardige, ongewaardeede Gideonsbende" [trans: The S.A. Police, a remarkable. unappreciated team] ("Gideonsbende" is an allusion to the story of Gideon in the bible where a much smaller group fought a large foe)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rpv7umqk6puyqwawnuf3kvxo/bafkreic46oj7ywiwi4rz5y6gghwqrlnkgrqwtpp7ikn5d26klgtvicixf4@jpeg)
November 24, 2024 at 12:45 PM
an example (source, Hennie Heymans, Nongqai Publications)... the title text translates as "The S.A. Police, remarkable, unappreciated Gideon's squad" (I've literally translated "Gideonsbende", a reference to the story of Gideon in the Christian Bible, where a small squad took on a much larger foe
📖 #BookSky: "What can she know?" Lorraine Code's 1991 book asks "is the sex of the knower epistemologically significant?" & answers the q in a way that draws on the importance of "second person knowledge" truth-building as a social species. It grounded me in the fundamental importance of others
November 24, 2024 at 9:44 AM
📖 #BookSky: "What can she know?" Lorraine Code's 1991 book asks "is the sex of the knower epistemologically significant?" & answers the q in a way that draws on the importance of "second person knowledge" truth-building as a social species. It grounded me in the fundamental importance of others
ZT herself linked this to a "vaccine trial gone wrong" and now you link it to a lab leak. Considered the evidence there? Anyway, here's more of the ZT stepping way outside her area of expertise & frankly making an astounding claim.
June 23, 2024 at 7:25 PM
ZT herself linked this to a "vaccine trial gone wrong" and now you link it to a lab leak. Considered the evidence there? Anyway, here's more of the ZT stepping way outside her area of expertise & frankly making an astounding claim.
This is an example of ZT's recent tweeting. How is this "good faith" communication? She mixes up a vaccine trial with commentary about lab research that talks to "lab leaker" (and, notably, TESCREAL) talking points. This isn't just "off-script".
June 23, 2024 at 9:12 AM
This is an example of ZT's recent tweeting. How is this "good faith" communication? She mixes up a vaccine trial with commentary about lab research that talks to "lab leaker" (and, notably, TESCREAL) talking points. This isn't just "off-script".
Thanks! Such a pity that so many of the nations the river travels through are troubled. Pic is a view of the Niger River from my hotel in Bamako, Mali a few years ago.
June 22, 2024 at 1:07 PM
Thanks! Such a pity that so many of the nations the river travels through are troubled. Pic is a view of the Niger River from my hotel in Bamako, Mali a few years ago.
Aha! That probably explains why those who saw #aurora in South Africa saw red (e.g. africanews.space/southern-afr... - unfortunately can't link to the SANSA page because that seems to be down) - they were catching the "top" of the aurora (the rest being below the horizon) perhaps?
May 12, 2024 at 9:27 AM
Aha! That probably explains why those who saw #aurora in South Africa saw red (e.g. africanews.space/southern-afr... - unfortunately can't link to the SANSA page because that seems to be down) - they were catching the "top" of the aurora (the rest being below the horizon) perhaps?
From NICD's Communicable Diseases Communique... 11 human rabies cases in 2023. Despite an ambitious rabies control strategy, we don't seem to be getting closer to elimination.
January 21, 2024 at 5:59 PM
From NICD's Communicable Diseases Communique... 11 human rabies cases in 2023. Despite an ambitious rabies control strategy, we don't seem to be getting closer to elimination.
This is Hemedti, the head of the RSF militia that is busy raping & looting it's way across #Sudan & committing genocide in #Darfur, meeting with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. In what capacity is unknown. I'm disgusted by this handshake! #KeepEyesOnSudan
January 4, 2024 at 3:36 PM
This is Hemedti, the head of the RSF militia that is busy raping & looting it's way across #Sudan & committing genocide in #Darfur, meeting with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. In what capacity is unknown. I'm disgusted by this handshake! #KeepEyesOnSudan
Prof Abdul Sesay from MRC The Gambia bouncing between viruses, bacteria, parasites and vertebrates as he describes the sequencing journey his unit has led #ASLM2023 - very inspiring projects!
December 15, 2023 at 3:37 PM
Prof Abdul Sesay from MRC The Gambia bouncing between viruses, bacteria, parasites and vertebrates as he describes the sequencing journey his unit has led #ASLM2023 - very inspiring projects!
Tens of thousands in the streets of Cape Town today. So many friends & comrades there but because of the crowd size I didn't meet one! #Palestine #CeasefireNow
November 11, 2023 at 7:24 PM
Tens of thousands in the streets of Cape Town today. So many friends & comrades there but because of the crowd size I didn't meet one! #Palestine #CeasefireNow
my very-well-travelled cephalopod is concerned
October 22, 2023 at 7:00 AM
my very-well-travelled cephalopod is concerned
I'm just trying to imagine giving directions in this place: to get to #13 you could turn right into Nullarbor Pl, turn left into Nullarbor Pl and finally turn right into Nullarbor Pl.
October 10, 2023 at 5:48 AM
I'm just trying to imagine giving directions in this place: to get to #13 you could turn right into Nullarbor Pl, turn left into Nullarbor Pl and finally turn right into Nullarbor Pl.
Together with colleagues from SANBI, Swiss TPH, FIND and IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele we're running another session of the "Mycobacterium #tuberculosis NGS made easy" course with participants from over 25 different countries on 3 continents - super exciting (and made easy using Galaxy!)
October 4, 2023 at 5:16 PM
Together with colleagues from SANBI, Swiss TPH, FIND and IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele we're running another session of the "Mycobacterium #tuberculosis NGS made easy" course with participants from over 25 different countries on 3 continents - super exciting (and made easy using Galaxy!)
There's something missing on BlueSky: no discussion of #TB, #tuberculosis or the King of Pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (This is at a time when other social media is abuzz with talk of #TB & nutrition, campaigns on bedaquiline & GeneXpert, etc) Hope to see this change soon
September 23, 2023 at 7:04 AM
There's something missing on BlueSky: no discussion of #TB, #tuberculosis or the King of Pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (This is at a time when other social media is abuzz with talk of #TB & nutrition, campaigns on bedaquiline & GeneXpert, etc) Hope to see this change soon
With the assistance of my second-cousin-in-law I'm tracing the ins and outs of my father's family. Turns out that my great⁶ grandfather got into some legal trouble in the 1720s... I've found what I think is the relevant document from 1724 but struggle to decode the goose-quill scratchings. Amazing!
September 21, 2023 at 12:25 PM
With the assistance of my second-cousin-in-law I'm tracing the ins and outs of my father's family. Turns out that my great⁶ grandfather got into some legal trouble in the 1720s... I've found what I think is the relevant document from 1724 but struggle to decode the goose-quill scratchings. Amazing!