Linzy Elton
@linzyelton.bsky.social
#GlobalHealth researcher #AMR #sequencing, football fan & lover of all dogs that have ever existed. Senior Lecturer in Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics at University of West London (she/her)
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Linzy Elton
@linzyelton.bsky.social
· Apr 24
Notes from a small scientist
Accessible science!
linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com
Hello! I'm Linzy and I'm a postdoc at @ucl-ccm.bsky.social! I do science communications and capacity development, you can read my blog here: linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com
Before the 1940s we had no antibiotics, and thus no cure for tuberculosis. So how did doctors try and cure patients? #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #Biology #MedicalHistory #Tuberculosis
October 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Before the 1940s we had no antibiotics, and thus no cure for tuberculosis. So how did doctors try and cure patients? #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #Biology #MedicalHistory #Tuberculosis
Did you know that Cholera produces its own molecular weapons to trick your body into spreading it far and wide? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #Biology #superbug
October 7, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Did you know that Cholera produces its own molecular weapons to trick your body into spreading it far and wide? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #Biology #superbug
I had the privilege of attending @royalsociety.org Trivedi Science Book Prize award last night. I was part of this year's ScienceWrite cohort run by the incredible, brilliant Roma, Hana and Elizabeth, and I am convinced many of us will be up on that stage one day!
September 30, 2026 at 3:35 PM
I had the privilege of attending @royalsociety.org Trivedi Science Book Prize award last night. I was part of this year's ScienceWrite cohort run by the incredible, brilliant Roma, Hana and Elizabeth, and I am convinced many of us will be up on that stage one day!
Reposted by Linzy Elton
Last week we welcomed Dr John Tembo from HerpeZ in Zambia to the University of West London. A long term collaborator with Dr @linzyelton.bsky.social, it turns out CIGMiS and HerpeZ have lots of projects and ideas in common! We look forward to future collaborations 🧬
September 1, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Last week we welcomed Dr John Tembo from HerpeZ in Zambia to the University of West London. A long term collaborator with Dr @linzyelton.bsky.social, it turns out CIGMiS and HerpeZ have lots of projects and ideas in common! We look forward to future collaborations 🧬
If you thought that the last we saw of Plague was the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages, you might want to keep watching... #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #MedicalHistory #plague
August 24, 2026 at 11:23 AM
If you thought that the last we saw of Plague was the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages, you might want to keep watching... #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #MedicalHistory #plague
Millions of us carry the thrush fungi without even realising. How does it transform from commensal neighbour to infectious disease? Some evolutionary shape shifting... #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #Evolution #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #fungi
August 20, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Millions of us carry the thrush fungi without even realising. How does it transform from commensal neighbour to infectious disease? Some evolutionary shape shifting... #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #Evolution #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #fungi
Where did the Black Death come from? And what can a skeleton from Latvia tell us about Plague's evolution? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #Evolution #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #MedicalHistory #plague #ancientDNA
August 19, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Where did the Black Death come from? And what can a skeleton from Latvia tell us about Plague's evolution? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #Evolution #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #MedicalHistory #plague #ancientDNA
When a patient gets an infection in hospital, how do we stop it spreading? And how can we identify the source? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #superbug #AMR
August 18, 2026 at 9:47 AM
When a patient gets an infection in hospital, how do we stop it spreading? And how can we identify the source? #genetics #Microbiology #science #research #sciencecommunication #superbug #AMR
Sometimes the most important history books aren't made of paper. They're made of DNA #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #genetics #research #science #MedicalHistory #Microbiology #plague #ancientDNA
August 16, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Sometimes the most important history books aren't made of paper. They're made of DNA #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #Biology #InfectiousDiseases #globalhealth #genetics #research #science #MedicalHistory #Microbiology #plague #ancientDNA
Many of us are familiar with athlete's foot, but do you know how the fungi evolved to actually survive (and thrive!) in your toes? #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #genetics #globalhealth #science #research #fungi
August 14, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Many of us are familiar with athlete's foot, but do you know how the fungi evolved to actually survive (and thrive!) in your toes? #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #genetics #globalhealth #science #research #fungi
Would you be brave enough to pull a metre long parasitic worm out of your leg? This worm utilises a unique evolutionary tactic to keep it's life cycle going! #Parasitology #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #MedicalHistory #genetics #globalhealth #science #research
August 13, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Would you be brave enough to pull a metre long parasitic worm out of your leg? This worm utilises a unique evolutionary tactic to keep it's life cycle going! #Parasitology #Evolution #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #MedicalHistory #genetics #globalhealth #science #research
Darwin spent his life explaining how evolution shapes living things. Yet he may have spent decades carrying a parasite whose own survival strategies were forged by millions of years of #evolution. #CharlesDarwin #Parasitology #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #MedicalHistory
August 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Darwin spent his life explaining how evolution shapes living things. Yet he may have spent decades carrying a parasite whose own survival strategies were forged by millions of years of #evolution. #CharlesDarwin #Parasitology #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDiseases #Biology #MedicalHistory
How exactly does Plague use fleas to move between hosts? The clue is likely to be hiding in your sink plug hole... #evolution #genomics #globalhealth #microbiology #science #research #mystery #plague #biofilm
August 11, 2026 at 11:15 AM
How exactly does Plague use fleas to move between hosts? The clue is likely to be hiding in your sink plug hole... #evolution #genomics #globalhealth #microbiology #science #research #mystery #plague #biofilm
How can your immune system fight off a pathogen if it can't even see it? and how could that bug possibly evade detection whilst inside your body? Genetic trickery of course! #parasite #sequencing #evolution #genomics #globalhealth #microbiology #science #research #mystery
August 10, 2026 at 8:18 AM
How can your immune system fight off a pathogen if it can't even see it? and how could that bug possibly evade detection whilst inside your body? Genetic trickery of course! #parasite #sequencing #evolution #genomics #globalhealth #microbiology #science #research #mystery
Finding the right partner can be tricky. You get ghosted. Or the opposite, they're far too needy! One parasite that lives in your blood has taken clingy to the next level though. Relationship status: NEVER LETTING GO. #science #microbiology #globalhealth #genomics #evolution #parasite #research
August 7, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Finding the right partner can be tricky. You get ghosted. Or the opposite, they're far too needy! One parasite that lives in your blood has taken clingy to the next level though. Relationship status: NEVER LETTING GO. #science #microbiology #globalhealth #genomics #evolution #parasite #research
Who was the first person to receive antibiotics? And did they work? Alexander Fleming's discovery was just the start of a long road to the antibiotics we use today. Bacterial evolution means we may lose them #AMR #antibiotics #microbiology #globalhealth #penicillin #evolution #sequencing
August 6, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Who was the first person to receive antibiotics? And did they work? Alexander Fleming's discovery was just the start of a long road to the antibiotics we use today. Bacterial evolution means we may lose them #AMR #antibiotics #microbiology #globalhealth #penicillin #evolution #sequencing
The gut is a hostile, churning environment and intestinal worms have evolved some weird and wonderful ways to hang on and avoid getting flushed! #science #evolution #parasite #research #microbiology #globalhealth #genomics
August 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
The gut is a hostile, churning environment and intestinal worms have evolved some weird and wonderful ways to hang on and avoid getting flushed! #science #evolution #parasite #research #microbiology #globalhealth #genomics
Syphilis used to be incurable, until one controversial psychiatrist deliberately infected his patients with malaria. And it worked! Why? The key is in the syphilis bacteria's genes! Want to learn more? #science #globalhealth #research #microbiology #genomics #sequencing #mystery
August 4, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Syphilis used to be incurable, until one controversial psychiatrist deliberately infected his patients with malaria. And it worked! Why? The key is in the syphilis bacteria's genes! Want to learn more? #science #globalhealth #research #microbiology #genomics #sequencing #mystery
I've added all of my @nanoporetech.com tutorial videos to my blog site to make them extra accessbile! linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com/2026/08/03/o...
Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing tutorials
This page has a number of useful tutorial videos on basic Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing protocols. This is also hosted on PANDORA-ID-NET’s TGHN sequencing tutorial page, the project…
linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com
August 3, 2026 at 12:52 PM
I've added all of my @nanoporetech.com tutorial videos to my blog site to make them extra accessbile! linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com/2026/08/03/o...
Reposted by Linzy Elton
A new monkey species has been identified in the #DRC. The study used a 5 Kb region of mitochondrial DNA to help show that Colobus congoensis (locally known as Likweli) is in fact new to science!
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Likweli: A remarkable new species of Colobus monkey from the Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
We describe and name a new species of African monkey, Colobus congoensis sp. nov. (Primates, Cercopithecidae), from the interfluve region of the Lomami and Congo (Lualaba) Rivers in east-central Democ...
journals.plos.org
July 16, 2026 at 4:44 PM
A new monkey species has been identified in the #DRC. The study used a 5 Kb region of mitochondrial DNA to help show that Colobus congoensis (locally known as Likweli) is in fact new to science!
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Linzy Elton
DYK that the genome size of the European wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) is approx. 1.67 Gb? That's about 1/2 of a human genome & 30x bigger than E. coli! Due to our changing climate they are now found in the UK. This palm-sized pretty lady was spotted by @linzyelton.bsky.social in North London 🕷️
July 15, 2026 at 8:25 AM
DYK that the genome size of the European wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) is approx. 1.67 Gb? That's about 1/2 of a human genome & 30x bigger than E. coli! Due to our changing climate they are now found in the UK. This palm-sized pretty lady was spotted by @linzyelton.bsky.social in North London 🕷️
Whilst I've done plenty of teaching, I've never had to do anything as complex as setting up an entire MSc course before! I've had to think about every tiny detail. So it brought a smile to my face when I saw the course flyers today. A reminder that my hard work is becoming something real!
June 29, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Whilst I've done plenty of teaching, I've never had to do anything as complex as setting up an entire MSc course before! I've had to think about every tiny detail. So it brought a smile to my face when I saw the course flyers today. A reminder that my hard work is becoming something real!
Reposted by Linzy Elton
Piotr and Pedro presented on the research we do here at CIGMiS at the 25th Anniversary Genomics and Proteomics Conference, held at UKHSA Colindale this week, which we also helped to organise! An interesting few days learning about the cutting edge techniques and research. Great to see everyone 👋
June 26, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Piotr and Pedro presented on the research we do here at CIGMiS at the 25th Anniversary Genomics and Proteomics Conference, held at UKHSA Colindale this week, which we also helped to organise! An interesting few days learning about the cutting edge techniques and research. Great to see everyone 👋
It's sad to hear that the Major Oak has died! Having grown up within the reaches of Sherwood Forest, I spent many happy hours as a child and later as an adult there. For it to have stood for 1000 years and then to have died in my lifetime... a privilege and a sorrow. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Major Oak: Ancient 'Robin Hood' tree is dead, experts say
The Major Oak is thought to have stood for more than 1,000 years in the heart of Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 18, 2026 at 11:03 AM
It's sad to hear that the Major Oak has died! Having grown up within the reaches of Sherwood Forest, I spent many happy hours as a child and later as an adult there. For it to have stood for 1000 years and then to have died in my lifetime... a privilege and a sorrow. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I've written a plain language summary of our recently published paper comparing metagenomic samples from human and animal hospital environments. Read my blog post here, or listen to it on Spotify (or other podcast channels): linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/p...
Plain language summary: What can we learn about antimicrobial resistance from hospitals for people and animals?
Also available as a podcast here. This is a plain language summary of a paper we (myself and colleagues across UCL and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC)) wrote, which describes how we compared two…
linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com
June 2, 2026 at 5:35 PM
I've written a plain language summary of our recently published paper comparing metagenomic samples from human and animal hospital environments. Read my blog post here, or listen to it on Spotify (or other podcast channels): linzyelton628749128.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/p...