Reposted by Ewen Callaway
A protein-folding AI model, OpenFold3, gets much better when it's trained on more than 20,000 proprietary protein structures (locked away in drug company vaults, but permitted for use in this project).
by @ecallaway.bsky.social | @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
by @ecallaway.bsky.social | @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Drug firms’ secret data supercharge AI protein models
An AI system trained on more than 20,000 protein structures from pharmaceutical companies outperforms AlphaFold-like models that use only public data.
www.nature.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:37 PM
A protein-folding AI model, OpenFold3, gets much better when it's trained on more than 20,000 proprietary protein structures (locked away in drug company vaults, but permitted for use in this project).
by @ecallaway.bsky.social | @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
by @ecallaway.bsky.social | @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Scientists have discovered the first known transmissible cancer in fish, the 4th naturally occurring cancer known to spread between animals
Anglers noticed the disease in 2012 in bullhead catfish in a Vermont-Québec lake. Thoreau might even have seen it in the 1850s.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Anglers noticed the disease in 2012 in bullhead catfish in a Vermont-Québec lake. Thoreau might even have seen it in the 1850s.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Rare contagious cancer discovered in wild catfish
Transmissible tumours have been found in only a few types of animal, but there might be many more out there.
www.nature.com
July 23, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Scientists have discovered the first known transmissible cancer in fish, the 4th naturally occurring cancer known to spread between animals
Anglers noticed the disease in 2012 in bullhead catfish in a Vermont-Québec lake. Thoreau might even have seen it in the 1850s.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Anglers noticed the disease in 2012 in bullhead catfish in a Vermont-Québec lake. Thoreau might even have seen it in the 1850s.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
another #Nature #News feature:
from billion-fold volumetric expansion to in situ structural biology. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The recent #UMG - #MIT preprint shows what is possible on purified systems. Next challenge: same but inside intact cells
a brilliant piece from @ecallaway.bsky.social
from billion-fold volumetric expansion to in situ structural biology. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The recent #UMG - #MIT preprint shows what is possible on purified systems. Next challenge: same but inside intact cells
a brilliant piece from @ecallaway.bsky.social
Making samples one billion times bigger lets simple microscopes pinpoint amino acids
Stretching protein samples in all directions pulls molecules farther apart, allowing them to be visualized using only light microscopy.
www.nature.com
June 24, 2026 at 6:39 PM
another #Nature #News feature:
from billion-fold volumetric expansion to in situ structural biology. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The recent #UMG - #MIT preprint shows what is possible on purified systems. Next challenge: same but inside intact cells
a brilliant piece from @ecallaway.bsky.social
from billion-fold volumetric expansion to in situ structural biology. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The recent #UMG - #MIT preprint shows what is possible on purified systems. Next challenge: same but inside intact cells
a brilliant piece from @ecallaway.bsky.social
For the first time (?), researchers have recovered ancient human DNA from cave art. But does it belong to the artists? The published reviews suggest that they claims were toned down somewhat. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art - Nature Communications
Ancient DNA can be preserved on materials from archaeological floor deposits such as bones, sediments and artifacts. Here, the authors investigate whether Palaeolithic wall art can preserve human DNA ...
www.nature.com
June 24, 2026 at 8:20 AM
For the first time (?), researchers have recovered ancient human DNA from cave art. But does it belong to the artists? The published reviews suggest that they claims were toned down somewhat. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This is the first @thisiscolossal.com paper that I've covered to be published in a journal. This rebuts a critique I've heard that they make a big splash in preprints and fail to follow-up with peer-reviewed publications.
Derivation of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Derivation of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells - Nature Methods
This study reports the first successful derivation of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells.
www.nature.com
June 22, 2026 at 3:06 PM
This is the first @thisiscolossal.com paper that I've covered to be published in a journal. This rebuts a critique I've heard that they make a big splash in preprints and fail to follow-up with peer-reviewed publications.
In just his second ever tweet - though, from an account only set up in June 2025 - John Jumper drops the mic. x.com/JohnJumperSc....
John Jumper (@JohnJumperSci) on X
A bit of news: After nearly 9 years, I have decided to leave Google DeepMind and join Anthropic (after taking some time to recharge). I am incredibly grateful for my time at GDM. @demishassabis took a...
x.com
June 19, 2026 at 8:55 PM
In just his second ever tweet - though, from an account only set up in June 2025 - John Jumper drops the mic. x.com/JohnJumperSc....
Can anyone recommend a hype-free (or at least light), human-written summary of bio-AI news and research? Other than just following @delalamo.xyz and @anshulkundaje.bsky.social? I'm drowning!
June 18, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Can anyone recommend a hype-free (or at least light), human-written summary of bio-AI news and research? Other than just following @delalamo.xyz and @anshulkundaje.bsky.social? I'm drowning!
This is fascinating work. Did they get analytical advice from anyone with expertise in phylogenomics/viral evolution eg scientists developing @nextstrain.org @pathoplexus.org tools used?
What ProPublica Found in the Genetic Code of America’s Measles Outbreaks
by Nat Lash and Patricia Callahan @natlash.bsky.social @sheinvestigates.bsky.social @propublica.org
▶️ bit.ly/4e8K6hI
by Nat Lash and Patricia Callahan @natlash.bsky.social @sheinvestigates.bsky.social @propublica.org
▶️ bit.ly/4e8K6hI
June 8, 2026 at 12:44 PM
This is fascinating work. Did they get analytical advice from anyone with expertise in phylogenomics/viral evolution eg scientists developing @nextstrain.org @pathoplexus.org tools used?
I'd love to hear evo/pop geneticists' thoughts. The argument that structure has been ignored feels like a straw-man. Odd not to quote anyone else working on this. There are many people with no connection to initial discovery. www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/14/1...
The problem with thinking you’re part Neanderthal
The idea that modern humans inherited DNA from Neanderthal ancestors is one of the 21st century’s most celebrated discoveries in evolution. It may not be that simple.
www.technologyreview.com
April 14, 2026 at 8:27 PM
I'd love to hear evo/pop geneticists' thoughts. The argument that structure has been ignored feels like a straw-man. Odd not to quote anyone else working on this. There are many people with no connection to initial discovery. www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/14/1...
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
@ecallaway.bsky.social wrote a news article on our AlphaFold complex work. Thank you for covering it.
📄 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
📄 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AlphaFold hits ‘next level’: the AI database now includes protein pairing
The database of 200 million protein-structure predictions now includes homodimers, adding new biological relevance.
www.nature.com
March 17, 2026 at 4:21 PM
@ecallaway.bsky.social wrote a news article on our AlphaFold complex work. Thank you for covering it.
📄 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
📄 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@jdiggans.bsky.social Hi James, I'm interested in speaking to you for a Nature news story. I've also contacted media team at Twist, but not yet heard back. Thanks!
March 5, 2026 at 10:53 AM
@jdiggans.bsky.social Hi James, I'm interested in speaking to you for a Nature news story. I've also contacted media team at Twist, but not yet heard back. Thanks!
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
The results are finally in! 🏆💻🧬
I'm thrilled to announce that the manuscript for the Bits to Binders protein design competition is out on bioRxiv! Here's a summary of our findings, including some simple criteria that nearly *double* success rates when applied as a filter 🧵
I'm thrilled to announce that the manuscript for the Bits to Binders protein design competition is out on bioRxiv! Here's a summary of our findings, including some simple criteria that nearly *double* success rates when applied as a filter 🧵
March 4, 2026 at 3:02 PM
The results are finally in! 🏆💻🧬
I'm thrilled to announce that the manuscript for the Bits to Binders protein design competition is out on bioRxiv! Here's a summary of our findings, including some simple criteria that nearly *double* success rates when applied as a filter 🧵
I'm thrilled to announce that the manuscript for the Bits to Binders protein design competition is out on bioRxiv! Here's a summary of our findings, including some simple criteria that nearly *double* success rates when applied as a filter 🧵
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
Ewen's writeup of the new Evo 2 paper in Nature is reliably good. I can imagine this foundation model will be useful for doing synthetic biology in microbes.
But it's important to recognize that making this work for eg humans is not just a scaling-up issue...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
But it's important to recognize that making this work for eg humans is not just a scaling-up issue...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI can write genomes — how long until it creates synthetic life?
The Evo2 genomic language model can generate short genome sequences, but scientists say further advances are needed to write genomes that will work inside living cells.
www.nature.com
March 5, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Ewen's writeup of the new Evo 2 paper in Nature is reliably good. I can imagine this foundation model will be useful for doing synthetic biology in microbes.
But it's important to recognize that making this work for eg humans is not just a scaling-up issue...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
But it's important to recognize that making this work for eg humans is not just a scaling-up issue...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
After 5 years, 150k papers and 17 million genomes, here's what we learned about SARS-CoV-2 and viruses in general.
It holds lessons for future pandemics - only if we listen. "We’re in a worse place in terms of pandemic prevention" @eddieholmes.bsky.social told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It holds lessons for future pandemics - only if we listen. "We’re in a worse place in terms of pandemic prevention" @eddieholmes.bsky.social told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Four ways COVID changed virology: lessons from the most sequenced virus of all time
After 150,000 articles and 17 million genome sequences, what has science taught us about SARS-CoV-2?
www.nature.com
March 13, 2025 at 10:24 AM
After 5 years, 150k papers and 17 million genomes, here's what we learned about SARS-CoV-2 and viruses in general.
It holds lessons for future pandemics - only if we listen. "We’re in a worse place in terms of pandemic prevention" @eddieholmes.bsky.social told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It holds lessons for future pandemics - only if we listen. "We’re in a worse place in terms of pandemic prevention" @eddieholmes.bsky.social told me.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Anyone been to Park Street lately? Me neither.
"You talk to anybody around here, we're very worried. We all have signs up in our windows: Save Park Street."
Traders on what was once Bristol's most prestigious shopping road are united in their opposition to close it to through-traffic
Traders on what was once Bristol's most prestigious shopping road are united in their opposition to close it to through-traffic
Traders united in opposition to closing Park Street to through-traffic
Ambitious plans envisage Park Street "made into a pleasant environment and encourage people to spend more time supporting local businesses"
www.bristol247.com
March 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Anyone been to Park Street lately? Me neither.
I wrote about Colossal's new woolly mouse (left), engineered with a mix of mammoth-inspired edits and mouse phenotypes. My story: www.nature.com/articles/d41....
20+ years ago Jackson Lab bred a 'wooly' mouse (right) missing a gene called Fam83g. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
20+ years ago Jackson Lab bred a 'wooly' mouse (right) missing a gene called Fam83g. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
March 4, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I wrote about Colossal's new woolly mouse (left), engineered with a mix of mammoth-inspired edits and mouse phenotypes. My story: www.nature.com/articles/d41....
20+ years ago Jackson Lab bred a 'wooly' mouse (right) missing a gene called Fam83g. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
20+ years ago Jackson Lab bred a 'wooly' mouse (right) missing a gene called Fam83g. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
This. Again, RFK Jr is lying and needs to be called out as a liar by the press. This is the first U.S. death *in 10 years*! So yeah, pretty damn unusual.
Actually, a measles outbreak IS an unusual occurrence. Especially in a country like the US, which had eliminated the disease thanks to vaccination until recently.
It's so unusual that most physicians in the U.S. have NEVER seen a case!
www.nbcnews.com/now/video/-i...
It's so unusual that most physicians in the U.S. have NEVER seen a case!
www.nbcnews.com/now/video/-i...
'It's not unusual': RFK Jr. comments on growing Texas measles outbreak
When questioned about a growing measles outbreak in West Texas that has claimed at least one life, Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters "we have measles outbreaks eve...
www.nbcnews.com
February 27, 2025 at 1:52 AM
This. Again, RFK Jr is lying and needs to be called out as a liar by the press. This is the first U.S. death *in 10 years*! So yeah, pretty damn unusual.
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
I feel so strongly about the need for evidence-based policy and a dogged defence of science
I said it in 2020, and will reiterate it til the end of time.
The world may change - our principles should not
I said it in 2020, and will reiterate it til the end of time.
The world may change - our principles should not
In 2025, we continue to advocate for policy based on scientific evidence. This 2020 Editorial, “We need leaders that believe in scientific evidence”, resonates today as loudly as ever: plos.io/34lyl59. PLOS Biology also continues to push for DEI and a diverse scientific community:
plos.io/3rzxczU 🧪
plos.io/3rzxczU 🧪
We need leaders that believe in scientific evidence
In a world beset by attempts to undermine scientific evidence and evidence-based policy, we emphasize their important role in helping humanity rise to the challenges of our time.
plos.io
February 19, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I feel so strongly about the need for evidence-based policy and a dogged defence of science
I said it in 2020, and will reiterate it til the end of time.
The world may change - our principles should not
I said it in 2020, and will reiterate it til the end of time.
The world may change - our principles should not
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
This is indeed a great story from Ewen (Science magazine has reported on this too). Ewen makes it properly clear that there are many questions about the functionality (or not) of all these "mini-proteins". Many may turn out to be "junk peptides". BUT...
If you need a bio-break from all the political news in the US, this extremely geeky exploration of 'dark proteins' is a great read www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Dark proteins’ hiding in our cells could hold clues to cancer and other diseases
The human genome encodes potentially thousands of tiny proteins that were previously overlooked. The search is on to find out what they do.
www.nature.com
January 29, 2025 at 3:51 PM
This is indeed a great story from Ewen (Science magazine has reported on this too). Ewen makes it properly clear that there are many questions about the functionality (or not) of all these "mini-proteins". Many may turn out to be "junk peptides". BUT...
I wrote for @natureportfolio.bsky.social about 'dark proteins' encoded by our genomes. Once overlooked, they may be central to cancers, cellular biology and evolutionary innovation. As @sebastiaanvheesch.bsky.social told me: "There's new biology here."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Dark proteins’ hiding in our cells could hold clues to cancer and other diseases
The human genome encodes potentially thousands of tiny proteins that were previously overlooked. The search is on to find out what they do.
www.nature.com
January 30, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I wrote for @natureportfolio.bsky.social about 'dark proteins' encoded by our genomes. Once overlooked, they may be central to cancers, cellular biology and evolutionary innovation. As @sebastiaanvheesch.bsky.social told me: "There's new biology here."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
Hi palaeopeople - this new Robyn Pickering account is a fake. The real Prof Pickering is @pickeringrobyn.bsky.social
This new account has an extra ‘bsky’ after the handle and started DM-ing me immediately after I followed it.
This new account has an extra ‘bsky’ after the handle and started DM-ing me immediately after I followed it.
January 5, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Hi palaeopeople - this new Robyn Pickering account is a fake. The real Prof Pickering is @pickeringrobyn.bsky.social
This new account has an extra ‘bsky’ after the handle and started DM-ing me immediately after I followed it.
This new account has an extra ‘bsky’ after the handle and started DM-ing me immediately after I followed it.
Reposted by Ewen Callaway
The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered microRNAs, a class of tiny RNA molecules that help to control how genes are expressed in multicellular organisms. Read the Nature article. 🧪
Medicine Nobel awarded for gene-regulating ‘microRNAs’
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun identified a class of tiny molecules that have a crucial role in controlling gene expression.
go.nature.com
October 7, 2024 at 1:46 PM
The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered microRNAs, a class of tiny RNA molecules that help to control how genes are expressed in multicellular organisms. Read the Nature article. 🧪