Otago Biochemistry
@otagobiochemist.bsky.social
Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago
Te Tari Matū Koiora, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka
Te Tari Matū Koiora, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka
Say hi to this year's Otago Biochemistry summer students. Just started their research projects, and here enjoying a welcome morning tea today. They'll keep us on our toes this summer!
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Say hi to this year's Otago Biochemistry summer students. Just started their research projects, and here enjoying a welcome morning tea today. They'll keep us on our toes this summer!
Six members of the Otago Biochemistry whānau (Indranil (and his wife Benazir), Jia Yee, Sakshi, Matthias, Sankalita and Judy) visited the Papakura marae in Auckland last weekend to share their mahi with Māori and Pasifika community members.
November 25, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Six members of the Otago Biochemistry whānau (Indranil (and his wife Benazir), Jia Yee, Sakshi, Matthias, Sankalita and Judy) visited the Papakura marae in Auckland last weekend to share their mahi with Māori and Pasifika community members.
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Handwritten notes are more useful for studying and committing to memory than typed notes, ultimately contributing to higher achievement for college students.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Handwritten notes are more useful for studying and committing to memory than typed notes, ultimately contributing to higher achievement for college students.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Apropos ... Let's not make public-facing scicomm sound more complicated and scarier than it is!
It typically requires a perspective larger than your last study. You unpack why your topic is interesting/important and community progress. It's not so hard to do well if you are thoughtful /1.
It typically requires a perspective larger than your last study. You unpack why your topic is interesting/important and community progress. It's not so hard to do well if you are thoughtful /1.
November 19, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Apropos ... Let's not make public-facing scicomm sound more complicated and scarier than it is!
It typically requires a perspective larger than your last study. You unpack why your topic is interesting/important and community progress. It's not so hard to do well if you are thoughtful /1.
It typically requires a perspective larger than your last study. You unpack why your topic is interesting/important and community progress. It's not so hard to do well if you are thoughtful /1.
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Watch the Tutorial: Introduction to Molecular Animation at PDB-101
Learn how to use ChimeraX to create simple animations that can enrich your presentations, websites, and social media
Learn how to use ChimeraX to create simple animations that can enrich your presentations, websites, and social media
PDB101: Tutorial: Introduction to Molecular Animation
PDB-101: Training, Outreach, and Education portal of RCSB PDB
pdb101.rcsb.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Watch the Tutorial: Introduction to Molecular Animation at PDB-101
Learn how to use ChimeraX to create simple animations that can enrich your presentations, websites, and social media
Learn how to use ChimeraX to create simple animations that can enrich your presentations, websites, and social media
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
GLP-1 receptor agonists got their start in an unlikely place: the mouth of a lizard. A peptide discovered in Gila monster saliva, called exendin-4, was found to mimic the action of GLP-1 and was developed into the drug exenatide (Byetta) for type 2 diabetes treatment.
November 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
GLP-1 receptor agonists got their start in an unlikely place: the mouth of a lizard. A peptide discovered in Gila monster saliva, called exendin-4, was found to mimic the action of GLP-1 and was developed into the drug exenatide (Byetta) for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Is anyone I know going to the Australasian Wildlife Management Society conference in Queenstown in early December awms.org.au/conference/a... 1/3 🧵
AWMS2025 | AUSTRALASIAN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT SOCIETY
awms.org.au
November 18, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Is anyone I know going to the Australasian Wildlife Management Society conference in Queenstown in early December awms.org.au/conference/a... 1/3 🧵
"I think sometimes people believe the choice is between “oversimplified” science communication and fully accurate science communication. It’s not: it’s between “oversimplified” science communication and no science communication at all."
When I posted about hyberbole in science communication, there was an interesting split in responses: scientists hate the idea, non-scientists are fine with it. So I dig into that a bit: scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/t...
“This changes everything” redux: opinions about “pathological pedantry”
A few weeks ago, I wrote about “This changes everything” – a common rhetorical device that’s used to signal excitement and importance, but that is never fully and literally true. (I’d deployed “thi…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:19 PM
"I think sometimes people believe the choice is between “oversimplified” science communication and fully accurate science communication. It’s not: it’s between “oversimplified” science communication and no science communication at all."
Congratulations to Ria Knoef on being awarded the Neurological Foundation PhD Scholarship!
Otago Biochemistry's Rare Disorder Genetics Lab is delighted to welcome her back next year as she begins her PhD journey.
Exciting discoveries ahead — well done, Ria! 👏🧬
Otago Biochemistry's Rare Disorder Genetics Lab is delighted to welcome her back next year as she begins her PhD journey.
Exciting discoveries ahead — well done, Ria! 👏🧬
November 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Congratulations to Ria Knoef on being awarded the Neurological Foundation PhD Scholarship!
Otago Biochemistry's Rare Disorder Genetics Lab is delighted to welcome her back next year as she begins her PhD journey.
Exciting discoveries ahead — well done, Ria! 👏🧬
Otago Biochemistry's Rare Disorder Genetics Lab is delighted to welcome her back next year as she begins her PhD journey.
Exciting discoveries ahead — well done, Ria! 👏🧬
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
I don't think this science communication resource gets enough love.
OpenMoji offers 4,000+ free, #opensource emojis (CC BY-SA 4.0), with categories for healthcare, climate, UI...
Challenge: find Greta Thunberg and a Viennese coffee house. ☕
🔗 openmoji.org #SciComm #Design
OpenMoji offers 4,000+ free, #opensource emojis (CC BY-SA 4.0), with categories for healthcare, climate, UI...
Challenge: find Greta Thunberg and a Viennese coffee house. ☕
🔗 openmoji.org #SciComm #Design
November 18, 2025 at 10:41 AM
I don't think this science communication resource gets enough love.
OpenMoji offers 4,000+ free, #opensource emojis (CC BY-SA 4.0), with categories for healthcare, climate, UI...
Challenge: find Greta Thunberg and a Viennese coffee house. ☕
🔗 openmoji.org #SciComm #Design
OpenMoji offers 4,000+ free, #opensource emojis (CC BY-SA 4.0), with categories for healthcare, climate, UI...
Challenge: find Greta Thunberg and a Viennese coffee house. ☕
🔗 openmoji.org #SciComm #Design
Looks like some useful stuff here for biochemists wanting to extend themselves in all sorts of directions...
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Looks like some useful stuff here for biochemists wanting to extend themselves in all sorts of directions...
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
OK, #bioinformatics folk. We have some (many many) reads from a metagenome. They have been binned into a bacterial genome. They have no matches to any known genome in any database. They code for "bacterial" genes. What are good triple-checks to do to argue that they are not, in fact, euk sequence?
November 18, 2025 at 5:29 PM
OK, #bioinformatics folk. We have some (many many) reads from a metagenome. They have been binned into a bacterial genome. They have no matches to any known genome in any database. They code for "bacterial" genes. What are good triple-checks to do to argue that they are not, in fact, euk sequence?
DNA detectives: the Otago scientists decoding ultra-rare genetic disorders
A global revolution in genetic sequencing is helping University of Otago scientists solve the mysteries of ultra-rare disorders, for one family at a time.
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...
A global revolution in genetic sequencing is helping University of Otago scientists solve the mysteries of ultra-rare disorders, for one family at a time.
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...
DNA detectives: the Otago scientists decoding ultra-rare genetic disorders
A global revolution in genetic sequencing is helping University of Otago scientists solve the mysteries of ultra-rare disorders, for one family at a time.
www.otago.ac.nz
November 14, 2025 at 1:15 AM
DNA detectives: the Otago scientists decoding ultra-rare genetic disorders
A global revolution in genetic sequencing is helping University of Otago scientists solve the mysteries of ultra-rare disorders, for one family at a time.
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...
A global revolution in genetic sequencing is helping University of Otago scientists solve the mysteries of ultra-rare disorders, for one family at a time.
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...
Looks like the NZSBMB conference in Rotorua went well. Lots of Otago Biochemistry postgrad students presented posters.
Congrats to Jess Willans (& supervisor Liz Ledgerwood) who won a prize for her Peroxiredoxin 2 research poster!
Congrats to Jess Willans (& supervisor Liz Ledgerwood) who won a prize for her Peroxiredoxin 2 research poster!
November 13, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Looks like the NZSBMB conference in Rotorua went well. Lots of Otago Biochemistry postgrad students presented posters.
Congrats to Jess Willans (& supervisor Liz Ledgerwood) who won a prize for her Peroxiredoxin 2 research poster!
Congrats to Jess Willans (& supervisor Liz Ledgerwood) who won a prize for her Peroxiredoxin 2 research poster!
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Writing the “Alternative Plans” part of the grant
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Writing the “Alternative Plans” part of the grant
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Scientific writing and writing for the public are very different. As I do both, is that difference eroding for me? And if it is, is that good or bad?
Are my academic and non-academic writing styles converging? And would that be good?
I spent the first 25 years of my academic career writing scientific papers (and the grant proposals to fund them, of course). I never found that easy – although it got easier through time (and it c…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Scientific writing and writing for the public are very different. As I do both, is that difference eroding for me? And if it is, is that good or bad?
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Very pretty #SciArt 🧪 🎨 render of Asgard chromatin 🧬 (determined by the @dodonova-sveta.bsky.social lab). Nice one Leonora! 👩🔬👩🎨
November 11, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Very pretty #SciArt 🧪 🎨 render of Asgard chromatin 🧬 (determined by the @dodonova-sveta.bsky.social lab). Nice one Leonora! 👩🔬👩🎨
Journal Club – Fri 14 Nov, 12pm, Rm BIG13
Rebacca Yorker: More than just a sugar craving…?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Michael Dunnet: Orange you curious? The origin of the sweet orange.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rebacca Yorker: More than just a sugar craving…?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Michael Dunnet: Orange you curious? The origin of the sweet orange.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Origin and de novo domestication of sweet orange - Nature Genetics
Genomic analyses of Citrus species including haplotype-resolved genomes of Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium highlight the origin of sweet orange and provide a strategy for de novo domestication of...
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Journal Club – Fri 14 Nov, 12pm, Rm BIG13
Rebacca Yorker: More than just a sugar craving…?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Michael Dunnet: Orange you curious? The origin of the sweet orange.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rebacca Yorker: More than just a sugar craving…?
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Michael Dunnet: Orange you curious? The origin of the sweet orange.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Franklin did not fail to grasp the structure of DNA. She was an equal contributor to solving it.
Getting Franklin’s story right is crucial, because she has become a role model for women going into science."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Getting Franklin’s story right is crucial, because she has become a role model for women going into science."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
"Franklin did not fail to grasp the structure of DNA. She was an equal contributor to solving it.
Getting Franklin’s story right is crucial, because she has become a role model for women going into science."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Getting Franklin’s story right is crucial, because she has become a role model for women going into science."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Advancing the antituberculosis activity of nitropicolinic acids and amides
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Advancing the antituberculosis activity of nitropicolinic acids and amides
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Advancing the antituberculosis activity of nitropicolinic acids and amides
Ambitious milestones set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030 currently appear out of reach, and there rema…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Advancing the antituberculosis activity of nitropicolinic acids and amides
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Advancing the antituberculosis activity of nitropicolinic acids and amides
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium
Sulfate-reducing bacteria import organosulfur compounds from the environment for anaerobic respiration. They contribute to human disease and are probl…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Structural basis of isethionate transport by a TRAP transporter from a sulfate-reducing bacterium
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Otago Biochemistry
Could be an interesting collection to explore -
For those with a scholarly interest in Franklin, Watson, and other pioneering researchers in molecular biology, @sciencehistory.org has just opened our new landmark collection of their papers, and applications for research fellowships are currently open:
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
www.sciencehistory.org
November 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Could be an interesting collection to explore -
We're very excited that Dr Alice-Roza Eruera will be returning from Harvard to take up a Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship, jointly hosted by the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. She plans to study ancient viruses for use in biotech. Ka mau te wehi!
November 7, 2025 at 2:47 AM
We're very excited that Dr Alice-Roza Eruera will be returning from Harvard to take up a Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship, jointly hosted by the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. She plans to study ancient viruses for use in biotech. Ka mau te wehi!
Just confirming what we already knew: Otago Biochemist Associate Professor Lynette Brownfield is an awesome postgrad supervisor! This week awarded the Division of Health Sciences Supervisor of the year. Here she is with her group of young scientists enjoying a well-earned break amongst the rhodies.
November 7, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Just confirming what we already knew: Otago Biochemist Associate Professor Lynette Brownfield is an awesome postgrad supervisor! This week awarded the Division of Health Sciences Supervisor of the year. Here she is with her group of young scientists enjoying a well-earned break amongst the rhodies.
Journal Club – Friday, 12pm, Rm BIG13
Adam Middleton: Life Lessons From (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
Firsanov, D., Zacher, M., Tian, X. et al. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale. Nature (2025)
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Adam Middleton: Life Lessons From (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
Firsanov, D., Zacher, M., Tian, X. et al. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale. Nature (2025)
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale - Nature
Analysis of the longest-lived mammal, the bowhead whale, reveals an improved ability to repair DNA breaks, mediated by high levels of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein. &nbs...
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Journal Club – Friday, 12pm, Rm BIG13
Adam Middleton: Life Lessons From (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
Firsanov, D., Zacher, M., Tian, X. et al. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale. Nature (2025)
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Adam Middleton: Life Lessons From (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
Firsanov, D., Zacher, M., Tian, X. et al. Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale. Nature (2025)
doi.org/10.1038/s415...