by Roberto — If I were asked to name scientists who have deeply influenced the evolution of my own thinking along the decades, there's little doubt that Julian Davies would be at the top of the list. Julian died this past February 2nd, shortly after turning 93.
by Christoph — When you leave 𝕏, it means that among the "bookmarks" you take with you, you will also come across some that contain images or videos that are mainly nice to look at and even entertaining. As in 'Lost & Found #4', two such are included today in 'Lost & Found #5'.
by Tobias Engl — Beewolves, their larvae, and their Streptomyces symbionts not only use multiple, largely different classes of chemical compounds to protect themselves against detrimental microbial competitors. To be most effective, these compounds are produced and deployed in a precisely timed sequence. ...
by Janie — Pseudouridine, an isomer of uridine, is perhaps now most widely known for its critical role in the success of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Three years ago on STC, Roberto wrote an appreciative note about this key feature of the vaccines, the N1-methylpseudouridine that acts a bit like an invisibility cloak...
by Mechas and Roberto — When it comes to microbes, the public still perceives them largely as the cause of infections. This worldview goes back to the latter half of the nineteenth century with the seminal findings of Pasteur and Koch. During the past few decades this predominant view changed towards a recognition of microbes' largely beneficial roles, but the pandemic appears to have slowed down this learning process.
by Roberto — Last week, my enthusiastic feelings for the beginning of the new year were greatly dampened when I received the news of Chris Walsh's untimely death, the consequence of a fall. Many of us fortunate enough to have known and interacted with him for many years are still processing...
