Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
@edrybicki.bsky.social
Semi-retired biotechnologist and virologist, interested in making vaccines, lover of 70s rock and hard SF. And good red wine. Posts are both personal and professional, and may include music and/or strong opinions. And possibly zombies.
Pinned
Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
@edrybicki.bsky.social
· Dec 12
Cann's Principles of Molecular Virology
**Selected for Doody’s Core Titles® 2024 in Microbiology**Cann's Principles of Molecular Virology, Seventh Edition provides an easily access...
www.sciencedirect.com
"Cann's Principles of Molecular Virology 7th Edition revised extensively by Ed Rybicki, is an easily accessible introduction to modern virology, presenting principles in a clear and concise manner."
**Selected for Doody’s Core Titles® 2024 in Microbiology**
www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128...
**Selected for Doody’s Core Titles® 2024 in Microbiology**
www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128...
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
To be fair, the citrus ones are also about sex and/or hobbits.
February 19, 2025 at 1:17 PM
To be fair, the citrus ones are also about sex and/or hobbits.
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Unraveling the mechanism behind the probable extinction of the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B viruses
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Unraveling the mechanism behind the probable extinction of the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B viruses - Nature Communications
Influenza B/Yamagata lineage has rarely been detected since COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions were introduced, while transmission of other influenza lineages resumed. Here, the authors investi...
www.nature.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Unraveling the mechanism behind the probable extinction of the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B viruses
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Since 2005, the number of wild and domesticated birds H5N1 has killed is greater than the combined human populations of the U.S. and Russia. On this week's episode, why this version of avian influenza won’t go away. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/flu...
November 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Since 2005, the number of wild and domesticated birds H5N1 has killed is greater than the combined human populations of the U.S. and Russia. On this week's episode, why this version of avian influenza won’t go away. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/flu...
Just finished "The Green Man's Holiday" by Juliet E. McKenna. Same day I bought it. Meaning…they’re too damn short!! But I’m ready for the next one, @julietemckenna.bsky.social? And - excellent, BTW!!
November 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Just finished "The Green Man's Holiday" by Juliet E. McKenna. Same day I bought it. Meaning…they’re too damn short!! But I’m ready for the next one, @julietemckenna.bsky.social? And - excellent, BTW!!
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
♬ Stuck in the middle with you ♪
November 25, 2025 at 5:57 PM
♬ Stuck in the middle with you ♪
😳 TFW you make an ice coffee with an espresso and cold water, and discover you used sparkling water...even kept its bubbles!
November 25, 2025 at 2:39 PM
😳 TFW you make an ice coffee with an espresso and cold water, and discover you used sparkling water...even kept its bubbles!
And Sanele, Sandiswa, Leah (post-doccing with us), Nicole and Nellie, hanging out with me for a photo 😁
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
And Sanele, Sandiswa, Leah (post-doccing with us), Nicole and Nellie, hanging out with me for a photo 😁
Self and Sandiswa Mbewana, my successor as boss of the Biopharming Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, at the Internal Society for Vaccines meeting in Stellenbosch recently 😁 #ISV2025
November 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Self and Sandiswa Mbewana, my successor as boss of the Biopharming Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, at the Internal Society for Vaccines meeting in Stellenbosch recently 😁 #ISV2025
Here's a link to a talk I gave to a United Nations General Assembly Conference in 2022 on Green Medicines - on "Plant Molecular Farming as n Enabling Technology for LMICs". Forgotten about till now, what with the turmoil around SARS and retiring. Enjoy! #GreenVaccine
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Wow! that's a super interesting discovery and concept 👇
1/5
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🚨🚨 preprint alert! 🚨🚨
I wish to introduce CARDIB, not the singer, but the protein.
CARDIB=CARD Inhibitory Binding protein.
In our new work we discover this antiviral protein that is found in all Anthozoa (sea anemones and corals 🪸) but not in other animals.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
An ancient anthozoan protein reveals an alternative evolutionary path of antiviral signaling
How antiviral immunity first arose in animals is a central question in evolutionary biology. Using the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we identify CARDIB, a previously uncharacterized gene located...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Wow! that's a super interesting discovery and concept 👇
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
It’s been a while since I put together the Structural Virology starter pack, and I’m sure some new folks have joined Bluesky since then. There’s still plenty of space to fill, so if you’d like to be added to the list just let me know.
#virology #cryoEM
go.bsky.app/Qxv95BL
#virology #cryoEM
go.bsky.app/Qxv95BL
November 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM
It’s been a while since I put together the Structural Virology starter pack, and I’m sure some new folks have joined Bluesky since then. There’s still plenty of space to fill, so if you’d like to be added to the list just let me know.
#virology #cryoEM
go.bsky.app/Qxv95BL
#virology #cryoEM
go.bsky.app/Qxv95BL
Here's a link to a talk I gave to a United Nations General Assembly Conference in 2022 on Green Medicines - on "Plant Molecular Farming as n Enabling Technology for LMICs". Forgotten about till now, what with the turmoil around SARS and retiring. Enjoy! #GreenVaccine
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
November 25, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Here's a link to a talk I gave to a United Nations General Assembly Conference in 2022 on Green Medicines - on "Plant Molecular Farming as n Enabling Technology for LMICs". Forgotten about till now, what with the turmoil around SARS and retiring. Enjoy! #GreenVaccine
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jgk0r...
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
A reminder that the median book deal for a debut author in the UK is £7000, paid over 12-18 months. (from 2022 Society of Authors report). Some of your favourite writers are struggling. societyofauthors.org/2022/12/06/a....
A profession struggling to sustain itself - The Society of Authors
ALCS report on author incomes shows 60% drop in median incomes since 2006
societyofauthors.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
If you like an author's work, the best thing you can do is buy it. The second best thing you can do is ask your local library to buy it. Or, do both!
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Good news we have hot water, bad news this shit was expensive
Please buy my books? Definitely need to sell a few dozen (hundred sob) copies
Please buy my books? Definitely need to sell a few dozen (hundred sob) copies
Plumber confirmed that the fuses blowing yesterday was due to the water heater and we need a new water heater. I did find the fuse for the water heater itself so we're good heating wise
(last night we had no light or heating in half the flat, which is less fun).
Wheee
Please buy my books?
(last night we had no light or heating in half the flat, which is less fun).
Wheee
Please buy my books?
November 23, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Good news we have hot water, bad news this shit was expensive
Please buy my books? Definitely need to sell a few dozen (hundred sob) copies
Please buy my books? Definitely need to sell a few dozen (hundred sob) copies
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Are influenza B viruses really “human only”? New review synthesises evidence from serology & metagenomics for #IBV / IBV-like viruses in animals and aquatic hosts. One Health gaps remain. With @marioskoutsakos.viralvaxlab.com @duckswabber.bsky.social www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17...
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Are influenza B viruses really “human only”? New review synthesises evidence from serology & metagenomics for #IBV / IBV-like viruses in animals and aquatic hosts. One Health gaps remain. With @marioskoutsakos.viralvaxlab.com @duckswabber.bsky.social www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17...
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
New preprint! More landing soon!
New preprint: Viral protease-mediated polyprotein processing in human astroviruses
Great collaboration with Lulla lab. And the first of @leandroxneves.bsky.social proteolysis stories. More coming soon!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Great collaboration with Lulla lab. And the first of @leandroxneves.bsky.social proteolysis stories. More coming soon!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Viral protease-mediated polyprotein processing in human astroviruses
Positive-sense RNA viruses often encode large polyproteins that are proteolytically processed by viral and host proteases into functional replication proteins. Astroviruses infect intestinal and neuro...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:34 AM
New preprint! More landing soon!
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
Called out 😭
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Called out 😭
I wrote this ten years ago. I see no reason to change my mind. edrybicki.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/m...
Music of a certain age
And here we are, in 2015, listening to music we grew up with – again. The good wife and I, sitting in our bedroom during an electricity load shedding episode, listening to The Best of Bread …
edrybicki.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:55 AM
I wrote this ten years ago. I see no reason to change my mind. edrybicki.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/m...
Damn! My old science journalist buddy Morgan Morris getting into Nature now! Nice one, MM!!
A nice article, highlighting the important work our collaborators in South Africa are doing using wastewater to surveil a bunch of different vaccine preventable diseases (and finding a lot more of them than other reports would make you believe…).
💪🇿🇦
www.nature.com/articles/d44...
💪🇿🇦
www.nature.com/articles/d44...
Wastewater surveillance reveals disease trends in South Africa
From COVID-19 to measles, scientists are showing how wastewater surveillance can expose underreported infections and strengthen national health monitoring.
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Damn! My old science journalist buddy Morgan Morris getting into Nature now! Nice one, MM!!
Jonathan Shapiro, aka Zapiro, in S Africa’s Daily Maverick today. Cynical bugger, is Zapiro…. www.dailymaverick.co.za/cartoon/2025...
Trump G20 | Daily Maverick
<p><br></p>
www.dailymaverick.co.za
November 24, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Jonathan Shapiro, aka Zapiro, in S Africa’s Daily Maverick today. Cynical bugger, is Zapiro…. www.dailymaverick.co.za/cartoon/2025...
Some of us look back to the TAZARA railway line and its rolling stock as the first evidence of China’s long-term strategy for getting into Africa - in the 1970s.
November 23, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Some of us look back to the TAZARA railway line and its rolling stock as the first evidence of China’s long-term strategy for getting into Africa - in the 1970s.
Just finished "The Green Man's War" by Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social. Was very good. There better be more…?!
November 23, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Just finished "The Green Man's War" by Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social. Was very good. There better be more…?!
Reposted by Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀
#CervicalCancer could be the first cancer EVER in the world to be eliminated, if:
9️⃣0️⃣% of girls are vaccinated
7️⃣0️⃣% of women are screened
9️⃣0️⃣% of women with cervical cancer receive treatment
Learn more: bit.ly/47GIbzd #EndCervicalCancer
9️⃣0️⃣% of girls are vaccinated
7️⃣0️⃣% of women are screened
9️⃣0️⃣% of women with cervical cancer receive treatment
Learn more: bit.ly/47GIbzd #EndCervicalCancer
November 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM
#CervicalCancer could be the first cancer EVER in the world to be eliminated, if:
9️⃣0️⃣% of girls are vaccinated
7️⃣0️⃣% of women are screened
9️⃣0️⃣% of women with cervical cancer receive treatment
Learn more: bit.ly/47GIbzd #EndCervicalCancer
9️⃣0️⃣% of girls are vaccinated
7️⃣0️⃣% of women are screened
9️⃣0️⃣% of women with cervical cancer receive treatment
Learn more: bit.ly/47GIbzd #EndCervicalCancer