Jen Herman 🌪️
@jukebarosh.bsky.social
Mostly Bacillus | unpublished data | hypotheses | wild ideas | sand-outta-box | who wants 2 bet? | 🧠🔥🐳 | Zinc ♡ | No one important | pls pass the puns | www.hermanlab.com |
Pinned
Jen Herman 🌪️
@jukebarosh.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Acct for sharing Bacillus-related stuff, but guaranteed to go off topic, b/c that's just what I do
Hypotheses made to be broken
#uncharacterizedgenes
#metabolism
#bacillussubtilis
#phage
#mitochondria
Hypotheses made to be broken
#uncharacterizedgenes
#metabolism
#bacillussubtilis
#phage
#mitochondria
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Man the implication that somewhere deep in our brain there is a “see tiny people all over the place” button and a mushroom can press it, that’s deeply unsettling.
With most psychedelic drugs, you never know what you're going to get. But this mysterious mushroom from China - without fail - causes users to hallucinate tiny people: crawling up walls, popping out from under furniture and marching under doors. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
'They saw them on their dishes when eating': The mushroom making people hallucinate dozens of tiny humans
Only recently described by science, the mysterious mushrooms are found in different parts of the world, but they give people the same exact visions.
www.bbc.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Man the implication that somewhere deep in our brain there is a “see tiny people all over the place” button and a mushroom can press it, that’s deeply unsettling.
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
www.findaphd.com/phds/project... interested in bacterial antagonism? PhD opportunity in our team, see below. Please repost!
Characterising antibacterial toxins in the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Characterising antibacterial toxins in the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:33 AM
www.findaphd.com/phds/project... interested in bacterial antagonism? PhD opportunity in our team, see below. Please repost!
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan has just clearly stated, out loud, that he wants to experiment on the people of the United States by seeing what happens as vaccination coverage plummets and infectious diseases spread.
January 22, 2026 at 7:47 PM
RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan has just clearly stated, out loud, that he wants to experiment on the people of the United States by seeing what happens as vaccination coverage plummets and infectious diseases spread.
Fyi: It's not just you - the feeling of work grating against your values
January 22, 2026 at 3:20 AM
Fyi: It's not just you - the feeling of work grating against your values
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Paper is here and preview is below. This is case where the long back and forth between authors and reviewers is illuminating and touches on the historical literature elifesciences.org/articles/105...
January 20, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Paper is here and preview is below. This is case where the long back and forth between authors and reviewers is illuminating and touches on the historical literature elifesciences.org/articles/105...
Kafkaesque novel, but where I'm accused of doing GOF research on proteins of unknown fxn
January 19, 2026 at 3:14 AM
Kafkaesque novel, but where I'm accused of doing GOF research on proteins of unknown fxn
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
84% of Americans say government investments in scientific research aimed at advancing knowledge are worthwhile.
Yet a large and increasing share of Americans from both parties say we are losing ground.
So, let's elect reps who support science!
www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...
Yet a large and increasing share of Americans from both parties say we are losing ground.
So, let's elect reps who support science!
www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...
Do Americans Think the Country Is Losing or Gaining Ground in Science?
Republicans and Democrats agree that it’s important the U.S. is a world leader in science, but sharply diverge on how the U.S. is faring.
www.pewresearch.org
January 16, 2026 at 4:19 PM
84% of Americans say government investments in scientific research aimed at advancing knowledge are worthwhile.
Yet a large and increasing share of Americans from both parties say we are losing ground.
So, let's elect reps who support science!
www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...
Yet a large and increasing share of Americans from both parties say we are losing ground.
So, let's elect reps who support science!
www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Thrilled to share that my first-author paper is now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 Huge thanks to my PI, Dr. Drew Bridges (@bridgesbio.bsky.social), my collaborators, and all the incredible lab members for their support throughout this project
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A small periplasmic protein governs broad physiological adaptations in Vibrio cholerae via regulation of the DbfRS two-component system - Nature Communications
A two-component system, DbfRS, regulates biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae. Here, Nguyen et al. identify a small periplasmic protein that controls the activity of the system’s receptor, and show th...
www.nature.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Thrilled to share that my first-author paper is now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 Huge thanks to my PI, Dr. Drew Bridges (@bridgesbio.bsky.social), my collaborators, and all the incredible lab members for their support throughout this project
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
The first of some rather chunky papers coming out of Sam Fenn’s work here at @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social
Here we identify and characterise yet another way S. aureus survives life in the bloodstream, but remodelling a major part of its metabolism
Here we identify and characterise yet another way S. aureus survives life in the bloodstream, but remodelling a major part of its metabolism
Metabolic reprogramming promotes Staphylococcus aureus serum resistance during bacteraemia.
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bloodstream infections causing an estimated 300,000 deaths worldwide. Using a functional genomics approach, our group previously identified that adaptation ...
eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:47 PM
The first of some rather chunky papers coming out of Sam Fenn’s work here at @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social
Here we identify and characterise yet another way S. aureus survives life in the bloodstream, but remodelling a major part of its metabolism
Here we identify and characterise yet another way S. aureus survives life in the bloodstream, but remodelling a major part of its metabolism
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Fancy!
Mitella stauropetala, our Side-Flowered Mitrewort, blooming on the Rocky Fork Trail #nativeplants
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to July 13 🌿
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to July 13 🌿
January 13, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Fancy!
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
My first first-author paper is posted! Glad to have this out! 🦠🚨🕺
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
Starvation-independent alarmone production inhibits translation through GTP depletion https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.12.699007v1
January 13, 2026 at 2:09 AM
My first first-author paper is posted! Glad to have this out! 🦠🚨🕺
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
We show that pGpp production depletes GTP, inhibits translation, and remodels the transcriptome faster than (p)ppGpp.
...and more!
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Defending PhD student, looking over their thesis: “If I knew then what I know now, I could’ve done all of this in like 9 months.”
A thread about my favorite pioneering cave explorers and why I don’t think AI will ever “solve” biology.
A thread about my favorite pioneering cave explorers and why I don’t think AI will ever “solve” biology.
January 11, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Defending PhD student, looking over their thesis: “If I knew then what I know now, I could’ve done all of this in like 9 months.”
A thread about my favorite pioneering cave explorers and why I don’t think AI will ever “solve” biology.
A thread about my favorite pioneering cave explorers and why I don’t think AI will ever “solve” biology.
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
we are busy tidying up our archives during the winter holidays. we've now worked our way back to 2008, making some 1.800+ posts available again: smallthingsconsidered.blog/page/300/
January 9, 2026 at 10:59 PM
we are busy tidying up our archives during the winter holidays. we've now worked our way back to 2008, making some 1.800+ posts available again: smallthingsconsidered.blog/page/300/
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Best TikTok thing going is the two dudes trying food from every country without leaving NYC. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s incredible. My favorite so far is last week’s. Legit got me emotional.
January 9, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Best TikTok thing going is the two dudes trying food from every country without leaving NYC. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s incredible. My favorite so far is last week’s. Legit got me emotional.
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...
Opportunity Details - Faculty Opportunities
facultyopportunities.wustl.edu
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Bruce Hammock was a scientific legend, brilliant and kind. He was always happy to talk and collaborate without ego. Like many others, I will miss him. 💔
Bruce Hammock: 1947-2026
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Hammock at his desk, Feb. 24, 2009.
entnem.ucdavis.edu
January 8, 2026 at 6:40 AM
Bruce Hammock was a scientific legend, brilliant and kind. He was always happy to talk and collaborate without ego. Like many others, I will miss him. 💔
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Congratulations to Sean Yu-Hao Wang, Will DePas, @catarmbruster.bsky.social and colleagues on their use of experimental evolution to identify regulators of Mycobacterium abscessus biofilm production!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Experimental evolution in the cystic fibrosis chemical environment reveals early TCA cycle flux as a central regulator of Mycobacterium abscessus biofilm formation
Mycobacterium abscessus (MAB) is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that can cause severe, recalcitrant pulmonary infections in susceptible groups, in…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Congratulations to Sean Yu-Hao Wang, Will DePas, @catarmbruster.bsky.social and colleagues on their use of experimental evolution to identify regulators of Mycobacterium abscessus biofilm production!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
If you are submitting an NIH grant in February, you will be required to use SciENcv to prepare you biosketch.
IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
Set aside *at least* 4 hours just to transfer an existing an biosketch into SciENcv.
IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
Set aside *at least* 4 hours just to transfer an existing an biosketch into SciENcv.
January 6, 2026 at 11:29 PM
If you are submitting an NIH grant in February, you will be required to use SciENcv to prepare you biosketch.
IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
Set aside *at least* 4 hours just to transfer an existing an biosketch into SciENcv.
IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
Set aside *at least* 4 hours just to transfer an existing an biosketch into SciENcv.
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Is arginine the new cysteine?! Check out our lab's latest in collaboration with @ianseiple.bsky.social's team where we introduce ninhydrin as a selective covalent warhead and probe targeting reactive arginines.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Ninhydrin as a covalent warhead for chemical proteomic-enabled discovery and selective engagement of reactive arginines
Covalent molecules have emerged as next-generation therapeutics and as powerful tools for perturbing fundamental biological processes. Chemical proteomic methods to screen for reactive proteinaceous a...
www.biorxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Is arginine the new cysteine?! Check out our lab's latest in collaboration with @ianseiple.bsky.social's team where we introduce ninhydrin as a selective covalent warhead and probe targeting reactive arginines.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
🎉 New year, NEW PREPRINT!
Bacteria exhibit astonishing genetic diversity, but where do new genes come from?
My best friend Arya Kaul (/labmate in the @baym lab) investigates how advantageous deletions can spawn new genes - "deletion-born fusions." 🧵:
Bacteria exhibit astonishing genetic diversity, but where do new genes come from?
My best friend Arya Kaul (/labmate in the @baym lab) investigates how advantageous deletions can spawn new genes - "deletion-born fusions." 🧵:
Novel genes arise from genomic deletions across the bacterial tree of life https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.05.697752v1
January 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM
🎉 New year, NEW PREPRINT!
Bacteria exhibit astonishing genetic diversity, but where do new genes come from?
My best friend Arya Kaul (/labmate in the @baym lab) investigates how advantageous deletions can spawn new genes - "deletion-born fusions." 🧵:
Bacteria exhibit astonishing genetic diversity, but where do new genes come from?
My best friend Arya Kaul (/labmate in the @baym lab) investigates how advantageous deletions can spawn new genes - "deletion-born fusions." 🧵:
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
"Conflates answers [or outcomes] with learning" - this a is perfect distillation of the shift in how higher ed's value is perceived, and something we need to keep fighting against, particularly in the age of AI.
In case anyone needs it for their syllabi, my statement in gen-Ai from the minicomic I made as a syllabus for class last semester. All online and printable here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
January 6, 2026 at 9:26 PM
"Conflates answers [or outcomes] with learning" - this a is perfect distillation of the shift in how higher ed's value is perceived, and something we need to keep fighting against, particularly in the age of AI.
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Really excellent analysis. I see now that @hussmanjp.bsky.social is also on Bluesky:
January comment is up! 🐳
www.hussmanfunds.com/comment/mc26...
www.hussmanfunds.com/comment/mc26...
How the Bubble Manipulates Time - Hussman Funds
The defining feature of every bubble is the same: a growing inconsistency between the long-term returns that investors expect in their heads - based on extrapolation of the past, and the long-term ret...
www.hussmanfunds.com
January 6, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Really excellent analysis. I see now that @hussmanjp.bsky.social is also on Bluesky:
Reposted by Jen Herman 🌪️
Registration is open for the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Response to be held on July 19-24 2026!! Submit your abstract by February 15th to be considered for a short talk. Apply now before it fills up!! Hope to see you there!! www.grc.org/microbial-st...
2026 Microbial Stress Response Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Response will be held in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
January 6, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Registration is open for the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Response to be held on July 19-24 2026!! Submit your abstract by February 15th to be considered for a short talk. Apply now before it fills up!! Hope to see you there!! www.grc.org/microbial-st...