Tracy Palmer
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proftracypalmer.bsky.social
Tracy Palmer
@proftracypalmer.bsky.social
We work on the type VII secretion system and are interested in Gram positive competitive mechanisms.
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Happy to see work I contributed to during my MSc at @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social with Jennifer Tomlinson’s lab out in @pnas.org! Everyone Bluesky-less except @antoncalabrese.bsky.social

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#AMR #MRSA #NMR
Inhibition of fusidic acid resistance through restricting conformational flexibility in domain III of EF-G | PNAS
Fusidic acid (FA) is one of few remaining antibiotics active against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. FusB confers resistance to FA by ...
www.pnas.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Now properly published at @natcomms.nature.com with few additional experiments incl. demonstration of Daptomycin's ability to depolarise non-growing cells.
See the original preprint-thread for a summary of our findings.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#microsky
November 24, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Every biologist knows the story of Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin. But is it true?

Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
The Penicillin Myth
Competing theories seek to explain inconsistencies surrounding Alexander Fleming’s famed discovery.
press.asimov.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Really happy to see the final version of this published in @isme-microbes.bsky.social. We show that production of and competition for biotin shapes S. aureus fitness in the context of nasal commensals doi.org/10.1093/isme...
Work lead by the amazing Kevser Bilici!
Competitive fitness of Staphylococcus aureus against nasal commensals depends on biotin biosynthesis and acquisition
Abstract. The human nasal microbiome can serve as a reservoir for pathogens. In particular, the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can be a membe
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Editorial: Society journals matter—supporting science through renewed commitment

Editorial in @femsjournals.bsky.social microLife by @paulbrainey.bsky.social and colleagues

academic.oup.com/microlife/ad...
Editorial: Society journals matter—supporting science through renewed commitment
Paul B Rainey, Puri López-García, Zeynep Ceren Karahan, Paul Williams, Stipan Jonjić, Kenneth N Timmis; Editorial: Society journals matter—supporting scien
academic.oup.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
As part of the WHO World AMR Awareness Week a group of engaged undergraduate students, led by Eloise Nelson, have organised a @microbiologysociety.org sponsored seminars:
Dr Ishwar Singh (University of Liverpool) & Dr Tom Hellyer (Newcastle University) @medicalsciencesncl.bsky.social #antibiotics
November 20, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
How thrilling is this! A glowing review of I Dream of Theresa May in the London Evening Standard:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"There’s honestly not a weak link in this hilarious and heart-breaking production"
www.standard.co.uk/culture/thea...

On until November 29th @taratheatre.com :
taratheatre.com/whats-on/i-d...
I Dream of Theresa May: an electric black comedy about the hostile environment
The former Home Secretary torments and guides a queer Indian immigrant as he desperately seeks settled status
www.standard.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
We are back, soon!
The secrets of bacterial cell envelopes' our free online seminar series is due to resume in January 2026 after a long break.
Hosted by Georgina Benn and Syma Khalid- supported by the Microbiology Society. More details soon.
@microbiologysociety.org
Please spread the word
November 20, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
✨Opportunity to join the 🦁🦠 Predatory Bacteria lab!

My lab will move to University of Bern (CH) in April 2026 based on my #ERCStG.
Therefore, we are looking for:
-a PhD student (shorturl.at/mt0LR)
-a 50% Technical Assistant/Lab manager (shorturl.at/0IIKe)

🙏Thanks for sharing.
#MicroSky
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Very cool print demonstrating how variation in at TonB-dependent transporter repertoires shapes the ability of Bacteroides and Phocaeicola species to utilize fructooligosaccharides (FOS) of different chain lengths
November 16, 2025 at 1:48 AM
When you met your other half in a lab working on molybdenum cofactor (Moco), somehow this museum selfie seems appropriate
November 15, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
The link between the gut #microbiome and autism is not backed by science, researchers say.

Read the full opinion piece in @cp-neuron.bsky.social: spkl.io/63322AbxpA

@wiringthebrain.bsky.social, @statsepi.bsky.social, & @deevybee.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
📣New preprint alert! We report the alarming finding that stringent response mutations found in clinical isolates increase the frequency of donation of multiresistance plasmids in S. aureus 😱 Great team effort @microclaire.bsky.social @paulrjohnston.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Super seminar from @mfwhite2.bsky.social thank you for visiting us in Newcastle!
Brilliant to have Prof Malcolm White from the University of St Andrews giving a Newcastle University Biosciences Institute seminar (hosted by @heathmurraylab.bsky.social) #microbiology #phage #bacteriology
November 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Exciting news! I have two positions open in my lab at the UoManchester: one PDRA and one Research Tech.
Join our team to study evolutionary mycology and help us understand antifungal resistance in fungal pathogens. A fantastic opportunity to join the brilliant Manchester Fungal Infection Group!
November 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).
Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment
Spurred by a recent report on sexual harassment in academia, our columnist revisits a historical case and reflects on what has changed—and what hasn’t
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Northumbria University attempts to move employees to cheaper pension scheme to bring down sky-high contribution rates
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/northumbria-freeze-staff-pay-if-they-refuse-switch-pensions
November 7, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
In which I blabber excitedly about the themes of my play and a whole lot more:

www.youtube.com/watch?reload...
I Dream of Theresa May - Interview with Playwright Vivek Nityananda
YouTube video by Tara Theatre
www.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Nottingham to suspend music and modern foreign language degrees, warning international fee levy will wipe out income from domestic fee rise. Some nursing, theology, education, microbiology and agriculture degrees hit too www.timeshighereducation.com/news/notting... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social
Nottingham suspends music, language and nursing courses
University says financial uncertainties continue as government’s proposed student levy will ‘wipe out any benefits’ from rising tuition fees
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
#ISMEJournal paper from Simon Heilbronner

Competitive fitness of Staphylococcus aureus against nasal commensals depends on biotin biosynthesis and acquisition

academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
Competitive fitness of Staphylococcus aureus against nasal commensals depends on biotin biosynthesis and acquisition
Abstract. The human nasal microbiome can serve as a reservoir for pathogens. In particular, the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can be a membe
academic.oup.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Genome-wide screen identifies novel factors for surface protein cross-wall trafficking and cell envelope homeostasis in Staphylococcus aureus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.03.686427v1
November 5, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Tracy Palmer
We are very much looking forward to the Grand Opening of the Northern Eye Imaging facility tomorrow!

Follow us here for all the news coming from NUSBF!
November 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM