Nick Loman
@pathogenomenick.bsky.social
Public health (meta)genomics & bioinformatics, Prof @unibirmingham.bsky.social, Director @imibirmingham.bsky.social & @climb.ac.uk
Reposted by Nick Loman
As AI increases both productivity & ease of creating slop, there's a big challenge for those of us disseminating science. This from @pracheeac.bsky.social is an essential read.
[disclaimer: she & I've spent 10+ years a̶r̶g̶u̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ discussing this stuff] 1/n
pracheeac.substack.com/p/arxiv-is-k...
[disclaimer: she & I've spent 10+ years a̶r̶g̶u̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ discussing this stuff] 1/n
pracheeac.substack.com/p/arxiv-is-k...
arXiv Is Killing Itself So AI Doesn't Have To
Disclosure: I ranted to Claude with a bunch of my grievances and ideas, and had it organize them into this blog post.
pracheeac.substack.com
October 3, 2026 at 1:54 AM
As AI increases both productivity & ease of creating slop, there's a big challenge for those of us disseminating science. This from @pracheeac.bsky.social is an essential read.
[disclaimer: she & I've spent 10+ years a̶r̶g̶u̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ discussing this stuff] 1/n
pracheeac.substack.com/p/arxiv-is-k...
[disclaimer: she & I've spent 10+ years a̶r̶g̶u̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ discussing this stuff] 1/n
pracheeac.substack.com/p/arxiv-is-k...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Nature: AI biohazard hype must not divert attention from the real risks we face now
by Saskia Popescu @nature.com @saskiapopescu.bsky.social
bit.ly/4AQkwZo
by Saskia Popescu @nature.com @saskiapopescu.bsky.social
bit.ly/4AQkwZo
October 5, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Nature: AI biohazard hype must not divert attention from the real risks we face now
by Saskia Popescu @nature.com @saskiapopescu.bsky.social
bit.ly/4AQkwZo
by Saskia Popescu @nature.com @saskiapopescu.bsky.social
bit.ly/4AQkwZo
Reposted by Nick Loman
I am assuming there’s a similar problem at @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social @medrxivpreprint.bsky.social ?
It’s worrying.
cc @richardsever.bsky.social
#AcademicSky #AI
It’s worrying.
cc @richardsever.bsky.social
#AcademicSky #AI
As arXiv announces a new submission rate limit policy, I refer anyone who is up in arms about it to👇Hogg 2026👇.
I'm so confused who would want to submit so much slop? For me (both writing and hiring) it's always been about quality over quantity, every single time. 🧪⚛️
blog.arxiv.org/2026/10/01/u...
I'm so confused who would want to submit so much slop? For me (both writing and hiring) it's always been about quality over quantity, every single time. 🧪⚛️
blog.arxiv.org/2026/10/01/u...
October 2, 2026 at 7:53 AM
I am assuming there’s a similar problem at @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social @medrxivpreprint.bsky.social ?
It’s worrying.
cc @richardsever.bsky.social
#AcademicSky #AI
It’s worrying.
cc @richardsever.bsky.social
#AcademicSky #AI
It makes no sense to me that Microsoft do Office365 2FA through WhatsApp.
September 29, 2026 at 6:51 PM
It makes no sense to me that Microsoft do Office365 2FA through WhatsApp.
Reposted by Nick Loman
While the news & white papers breathlessly cover the idea of a threat of a future AI bioweapon, an Ebola outbreak is escalating, having killed nearly 4,000 people so far.
The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded further, with two additional health zones af...
www.who.int
September 28, 2026 at 1:16 PM
While the news & white papers breathlessly cover the idea of a threat of a future AI bioweapon, an Ebola outbreak is escalating, having killed nearly 4,000 people so far.
The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
Reposted by Nick Loman
How do Burkholderia multivorans bacteria adaptively evolve during infections of the cystic fibrosis airway?
A longtime collab and intensive study of 8 patients links bacterial adaptations to disease progression. Our findings also unite prior studies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
A longtime collab and intensive study of 8 patients links bacterial adaptations to disease progression. Our findings also unite prior studies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Convergent genetic evolution within Burkholderia multivorans chronic infections correlates with lung function decline in cystic fibrosis patients
The patterns and pathways of pathogen adaptation during chronic infections can reveal the gateways microbes must unlock to colonize and persist. In chronic lung infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) pati...
www.biorxiv.org
September 27, 2026 at 9:42 PM
How do Burkholderia multivorans bacteria adaptively evolve during infections of the cystic fibrosis airway?
A longtime collab and intensive study of 8 patients links bacterial adaptations to disease progression. Our findings also unite prior studies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
A longtime collab and intensive study of 8 patients links bacterial adaptations to disease progression. Our findings also unite prior studies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Nick Loman
David Quammen's essay in The New York Times today closes with this paragraph. It's both a scientific falsehood, and an incredibly dangerous narrative. If you're willing to give me five minutes of your time, I'd like to explain why.
September 25, 2026 at 7:23 PM
David Quammen's essay in The New York Times today closes with this paragraph. It's both a scientific falsehood, and an incredibly dangerous narrative. If you're willing to give me five minutes of your time, I'd like to explain why.
Reposted by Nick Loman
Here are my first thoughts as a phage person about the @anthropic.com announcement about a novel enzyme on a phage: www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-tho...
My thoughts on the Anthropic phage enzyme discovery
* Disclaimer: This is not a scientific review, just a few thoughts I had while reading..
www.linkedin.com
September 25, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Here are my first thoughts as a phage person about the @anthropic.com announcement about a novel enzyme on a phage: www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-tho...
This is spectacular: kudos to whoever did it meridian-ai.info
Meridian — Pathogen surveillance, reasoned by AI, pandemic ready.
meridian-ai.info
September 25, 2026 at 11:09 AM
This is spectacular: kudos to whoever did it meridian-ai.info
Reposted by Nick Loman
Anthropic's new biology lab released a technical report on using AI to discover new enzymes. Experts I talked to say "discover" is doing a lot of work here. Story: nyti.ms/4xOGWI7
Anthropic’s A.I. Is Teaching Itself Biology. Now It’s Made Its First Discovery. (Gift Article)
Scientists at the company announced their first finding: a group of enzymes whose function is unknown.
nyti.ms
September 25, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Anthropic's new biology lab released a technical report on using AI to discover new enzymes. Experts I talked to say "discover" is doing a lot of work here. Story: nyti.ms/4xOGWI7
Reposted by Nick Loman
Lab leak people on X are demanding that the editor of Nature be fired because we said Covid-19 is zoonotic in the first sentence of our paper
September 24, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Lab leak people on X are demanding that the editor of Nature be fired because we said Covid-19 is zoonotic in the first sentence of our paper
Reposted by Nick Loman
Steve Busby's scientific family. An impressive career achievement.
September 24, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Steve Busby's scientific family. An impressive career achievement.
Celebrating 40 years of Steve Busby’s exceptional research career today @imibirmingham.bsky.social
September 24, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Celebrating 40 years of Steve Busby’s exceptional research career today @imibirmingham.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Loman
baltic v1.0.0 is live! Get it via pip or clone from Github repo. Now with documentation (baltic.readthedocs.io) & a gallery of tutorials & examples (phylo-baltic.github.io/baltic-gallery, still WIP). Huge thanks to @barney-potter.bsky.social for all the initiative & help along the way. #ViroSky
September 22, 2026 at 2:29 PM
baltic v1.0.0 is live! Get it via pip or clone from Github repo. Now with documentation (baltic.readthedocs.io) & a gallery of tutorials & examples (phylo-baltic.github.io/baltic-gallery, still WIP). Huge thanks to @barney-potter.bsky.social for all the initiative & help along the way. #ViroSky
Reposted by Nick Loman
baltic: the Backronymed Adaptable Lightweight Tree vIsualisation Code https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.20.752947v1
September 22, 2026 at 9:45 PM
baltic: the Backronymed Adaptable Lightweight Tree vIsualisation Code https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.20.752947v1
Folks - if you're interested in how machine learning/AI can be used for microbial genomics, microbiome and metagenomics studies - please join us for a workshop in Birmingham on Thursday 8th October organised with CLIMB & NVIDIA. www.climb.ac.uk/blog/2026/09...
Call for Applications: GPU-Accelerated Computing for Microbiome and Metagenomic Research · CLIMB
CLIMB is a cloud computing infrastructure for microbial bioinformatics — notebook servers, shared storage and reproducible workflows for genomics, metagenomics and pathogen surveillance researchers ac...
www.climb.ac.uk
September 22, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Folks - if you're interested in how machine learning/AI can be used for microbial genomics, microbiome and metagenomics studies - please join us for a workshop in Birmingham on Thursday 8th October organised with CLIMB & NVIDIA. www.climb.ac.uk/blog/2026/09...
Reposted by Nick Loman
OpenAI and Microsoft admitted LLMs are predatory tech built on “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” and the “largest theft of labor in human history.” An internal Microsoft document said AI has created a “doom loop” that is killing “the entire web.” www.404media.co/doom-loop-op...
‘Doom Loop’: OpenAI and Microsoft Admits LLMs Are Destroying the Web and Built on Theft
"Millions of people around the world will soon consider large models ‘hoovering up’ all their work to be an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions."
www.404media.co
September 18, 2026 at 1:30 PM
OpenAI and Microsoft admitted LLMs are predatory tech built on “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” and the “largest theft of labor in human history.” An internal Microsoft document said AI has created a “doom loop” that is killing “the entire web.” www.404media.co/doom-loop-op...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Scientist here:
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
A deep dive into the memo that marks the end of how NSF has done business for 76 years www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF memo implementing Trump’s ‘golden age’ of science unsettles researchers
New document emphasizes support for White House priorities over curiosity-driven ideas
www.science.org
September 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Scientist here:
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work.
Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.
Reposted by Nick Loman
Take a look at the examples Antrophic provides for research that they blocked, and it's immediately clear almost much all of it is just basic research - but research that has gotten scary-sounding names via the media.
An example, put Ebola genomes into Claude Science and ask for a TMRCA > blocked!
An example, put Ebola genomes into Claude Science and ask for a TMRCA > blocked!
"chilling examples of state-sponsored biological weapons developers tapping into the rapidly advancing capabilities of leading AI models" www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/u...
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons
In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine if the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work.
www.nytimes.com
September 10, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Take a look at the examples Antrophic provides for research that they blocked, and it's immediately clear almost much all of it is just basic research - but research that has gotten scary-sounding names via the media.
An example, put Ebola genomes into Claude Science and ask for a TMRCA > blocked!
An example, put Ebola genomes into Claude Science and ask for a TMRCA > blocked!
Reposted by Nick Loman
I keep saying this. But the value isn't the AI, it's the data it's trained on. You'd be a fool to give access to company data to these AI companies. You should be training your own on top of their base model.
September 11, 2026 at 8:48 AM
I keep saying this. But the value isn't the AI, it's the data it's trained on. You'd be a fool to give access to company data to these AI companies. You should be training your own on top of their base model.
Reposted by Nick Loman
From @wkhuber.bsky.social and colleagues comparing foundation models against simple baselines.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Deep-learning-based gene perturbation effect prediction does not yet outperform simple linear baselines - Nature Methods
The analysis presented in this Brief Communication shows that, despite their complexity, current deep learning models do not outperform linear baselines in predicting gene perturbation effects, thus e...
www.nature.com
September 11, 2026 at 9:35 AM
From @wkhuber.bsky.social and colleagues comparing foundation models against simple baselines.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nick Loman
Controversial, not so controversial, take - the dangers posed by AI are real, current, and well-documented.
Those do not include human extinction within a decade, nor do they include AI-manufactured-printed-out-in-the-lab bioweapons, yet, those are the ones we chose to focus on.
Good lord.
Those do not include human extinction within a decade, nor do they include AI-manufactured-printed-out-in-the-lab bioweapons, yet, those are the ones we chose to focus on.
Good lord.
September 10, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Controversial, not so controversial, take - the dangers posed by AI are real, current, and well-documented.
Those do not include human extinction within a decade, nor do they include AI-manufactured-printed-out-in-the-lab bioweapons, yet, those are the ones we chose to focus on.
Good lord.
Those do not include human extinction within a decade, nor do they include AI-manufactured-printed-out-in-the-lab bioweapons, yet, those are the ones we chose to focus on.
Good lord.
AI acting more like a real academic than we’d like here
Millennium math problem solved by OpenAI may have "regurgitated" competitors unpublished work... also they spent more than $22 million in computing power in one week to scoop them.
techcrunch.com/2026/09/08/o...
techcrunch.com/2026/09/08/o...
OpenAI fought dirty on career-making math problem, says NYU mathematician | TechCrunch
There is a $1 million bounty for the first person providing a solution to the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem.
techcrunch.com
September 9, 2026 at 7:12 PM
AI acting more like a real academic than we’d like here
Gosh it looks like again we will have a full house for Genome Science in Manchester next week and the now finalised agenda is looking fantastic: genomescience.org.uk/agenda/ - looking forward to meeting up with this friendliest of science communities again. Who knows if Andy Burnham will swing by?!*
Genome Science UK 2026
Manchester University
genomescience.org.uk
September 9, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Gosh it looks like again we will have a full house for Genome Science in Manchester next week and the now finalised agenda is looking fantastic: genomescience.org.uk/agenda/ - looking forward to meeting up with this friendliest of science communities again. Who knows if Andy Burnham will swing by?!*