Brianne Barker

@bioprofbarker.bsky.social

Immunologist/Virologist teaching and doing research with undergrads at Drew University. 1x Jeopardy Champ. Science communicator podcasting on TWiV and Immune. Duke sports fan and cat mom.

@isabelott.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

Hey, this is that “study” that was previously cancelled after outcry at how monstrously unethical it was. It’s sentencing the poorest kids on earth to die of completely preventable liver cancer for white antivaxxers’ curiosity. How a medical doctor could co-sign this atrocity is beyond me.

@plaguepoems.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

I saw a headline from an immunologist stating “What worries me about the Russian potential plague incident is that the US is unprepared for disease emergencies,” and as if to prove her point the next headline I saw noted that Measles cases in the US have surpassed 4,000.

@kenlowery.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

I will simply say I am seeing exactly this situation play out right now in a different field. Work that would have taken about 3 weeks start to finish via traditional methods is now into week 6 and still in what amounts to first draft territory

@carlzimmer.comReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc

nyti.msDid Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
@joshuasweitz.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

“I’ve heard from a bunch of people in our field who say, ‘Uh oh, are they training on my prompts?’” Dr. Shipman said. “We can’t not think about it.” ... '[A]fter Anthropic’s announcement last week, he is winding down his projects with Claude.' “I’m shutting down everything,” [Dr. Mestre] said.

@microbetv.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

Roberto Cattaneo & Kalpana Yadav join TWiV to discuss SSPE (subacute sclerosing pan encephalitis) a rare but fatal, long-term neurological sequela of measles infection. From TWiV 1359: SSPE, the Long Shadow of Measles Recorded at the ASV 2026 @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

@harmitmalik.bsky.socialReposted by @bioprofbarker.bsky.social

Some random thoughts: Good science doesn't always need disruptors. Often, it needs load-bearing walls. You can't pivot away from a failed multi-year experiment or "iterate" your way out of a mentee's PhD. Science needs stable foundations, not churn. Don't break the people building on top of it.