Zamin Iqbal
@zaminiqbal.bsky.social
Professor of Algorithmic and Microbial Genomics at the University of Bath (UK). Pangenomes, drug resistance (esp TB), data structures for DNA search, plasmid evolution, global microbial surveillance. Open Data, reproducibility
Pinned
Zamin Iqbal
@zaminiqbal.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Congratulations to @zaminiqbal.bsky.social from @milnerevolution.bsky.social on being awarded the 2026 Mary Lyon Medal!
Honoured and quite blown-over to receive this award. I have been, and continue to be, very lucky - first with great mentors, and then really prodigious students, postdocs and collaborators. Working with them has been a joy.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Probably the best frame I've shot in at least a year, and I knew it the second I touched the shutter release.
South Island oystercatcher. 🪶
South Island oystercatcher. 🪶
February 17, 2026 at 8:33 AM
Probably the best frame I've shot in at least a year, and I knew it the second I touched the shutter release.
South Island oystercatcher. 🪶
South Island oystercatcher. 🪶
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
An age of insecurity reflected in so many stories today... sometimes tipping over into fear... starting with a story that I first heard last year, fears for other economies if a Trump administration tampered with payment systems... www.theguardian.com/business/202...
UK bank bosses plan to set up Visa and Mastercard alternative amid Trump fears
Exclusive: First meeting to be held over domestic payments system aimed at reducing reliance on US networks
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:22 AM
An age of insecurity reflected in so many stories today... sometimes tipping over into fear... starting with a story that I first heard last year, fears for other economies if a Trump administration tampered with payment systems... www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu died #OTD in 1997.
She conducted the Wu experiment (proving parity isn't conserved) for which her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. Her role wasn't publicly honored until she was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in 1978. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect
She conducted the Wu experiment (proving parity isn't conserved) for which her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. Her role wasn't publicly honored until she was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in 1978. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect
February 16, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu died #OTD in 1997.
She conducted the Wu experiment (proving parity isn't conserved) for which her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. Her role wasn't publicly honored until she was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in 1978. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect
She conducted the Wu experiment (proving parity isn't conserved) for which her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. Her role wasn't publicly honored until she was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in 1978. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Kung hei fat choi and whatnot.
February 17, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Kung hei fat choi and whatnot.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
🧵 New preprint! Our 4-lab team evolved Streptococcus pneumoniae in antibiotic-treated mice of varying immune states and discovered something surprising: bacteria rarely evolved resistance. Instead, they found a different way to survive — by rewiring RNA turnover.
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
February 16, 2026 at 4:39 PM
🧵 New preprint! Our 4-lab team evolved Streptococcus pneumoniae in antibiotic-treated mice of varying immune states and discovered something surprising: bacteria rarely evolved resistance. Instead, they found a different way to survive — by rewiring RNA turnover.
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life.
This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..
Fascinating stuff…
🧪🦠
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..
Fascinating stuff…
🧪🦠
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 15, 2026 at 3:16 AM
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life.
This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..
Fascinating stuff…
🧪🦠
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..
Fascinating stuff…
🧪🦠
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is so evolved at surviving environmental stresses!
By @oneyrolles.bsky.social & team
#TBSky #MicroSky @embojournal.org
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
By @oneyrolles.bsky.social & team
#TBSky #MicroSky @embojournal.org
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Membrane-associated effluxosomes coordinate multi-metal resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis - The EMBO Journal
Bacterial pathogens must withstand metal-induced stress during infection, yet the mechanisms by which they sense and respond to toxic metal ions remain incompletely understood. Here, we uncover a prev...
link.springer.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is so evolved at surviving environmental stresses!
By @oneyrolles.bsky.social & team
#TBSky #MicroSky @embojournal.org
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
By @oneyrolles.bsky.social & team
#TBSky #MicroSky @embojournal.org
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
BBC's Arabic radio service in Lebanon closed after 85 years as part of a £28.5m savings drive. 'Just months later, in October 2023, the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency took over the frequency. Its news bulletin opened with “This is Moscow”, replacing the previous “This is London” intro.' 🙄
BBC warns Russia is taking over World Service radio frequencies
Russian propaganda is filling the void where the BBC has closed World Service radio services due to cuts
inews.co.uk
June 10, 2025 at 6:03 AM
BBC's Arabic radio service in Lebanon closed after 85 years as part of a £28.5m savings drive. 'Just months later, in October 2023, the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency took over the frequency. Its news bulletin opened with “This is Moscow”, replacing the previous “This is London” intro.' 🙄
Looking for recent stats on what % of diagnosed TB cases have gene Xpert run (and what % are sequenced, but that must be tiny). I thought I'd find the former in the annual WHO report but I can't seem to find it. Does anyone happen to know?
February 15, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Looking for recent stats on what % of diagnosed TB cases have gene Xpert run (and what % are sequenced, but that must be tiny). I thought I'd find the former in the annual WHO report but I can't seem to find it. Does anyone happen to know?
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
North Carolina lawmakers have voted to remove all college campus voting sites. Specifically at the largest HBCU in the US NC A&T. They now have to walk 30 minutes to their nearest polling place. Students are protesting this - pls share and support.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
Even without an on-campus voting site, NCAT students still marched to the polls. 💙💛 Students at North Carolina A&T showed that barriers won’t stop their voices. When access isn’t easy, they organize. ...
TikTok video by HBCU Student Action Alliance
www.tiktok.com
February 14, 2026 at 1:55 PM
North Carolina lawmakers have voted to remove all college campus voting sites. Specifically at the largest HBCU in the US NC A&T. They now have to walk 30 minutes to their nearest polling place. Students are protesting this - pls share and support.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Streets of Minneapolis Irish female duet cover
youtu.be/Ci_0PAObc4A?...
youtu.be/Ci_0PAObc4A?...
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Irish Female Duet)
YouTube video by Ethan Gontar
youtu.be
February 15, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Streets of Minneapolis Irish female duet cover
youtu.be/Ci_0PAObc4A?...
youtu.be/Ci_0PAObc4A?...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
My favourite: Bertrand Russell, died 1970, reminiscing about his childhood with his grandfather, who had visited Napoleon on Elba.
February 15, 2026 at 11:37 AM
My favourite: Bertrand Russell, died 1970, reminiscing about his childhood with his grandfather, who had visited Napoleon on Elba.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
A reminder that if you live in England or Wales & were born between 1970-1990 – or even before 1970 – you can help protect your community by getting the MMR vaccine free from your NHS GP now. I did last year. www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...
February 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM
A reminder that if you live in England or Wales & were born between 1970-1990 – or even before 1970 – you can help protect your community by getting the MMR vaccine free from your NHS GP now. I did last year. www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Just checking, it's now ok to flee your homeland, because you're afraid for your safety, and seek refuge in another Country?
Glad we've cleared that up. Let's hear no more about immigration and refugees then.
Glad we've cleared that up. Let's hear no more about immigration and refugees then.
February 14, 2026 at 7:55 AM
Just checking, it's now ok to flee your homeland, because you're afraid for your safety, and seek refuge in another Country?
Glad we've cleared that up. Let's hear no more about immigration and refugees then.
Glad we've cleared that up. Let's hear no more about immigration and refugees then.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Zahawi’s weird “tired man” story is a comical example of the common habit of conflating “I feel uncomfortable” with “I am in danger.” A lot of prejudiced people can feel uncomfortable for bad reasons!
February 14, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Zahawi’s weird “tired man” story is a comical example of the common habit of conflating “I feel uncomfortable” with “I am in danger.” A lot of prejudiced people can feel uncomfortable for bad reasons!
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
The whole sky just exploded in green here in Reykjavík. It was so bright, I didn't even need my flashlight to walk out to my neighborhood beach. It's rare when we get these whole sky engulfing shows.
This season has been something else.
#solarmaximum ftw!
#northernlights #aurora #iceland
This season has been something else.
#solarmaximum ftw!
#northernlights #aurora #iceland
February 13, 2026 at 10:36 PM
The whole sky just exploded in green here in Reykjavík. It was so bright, I didn't even need my flashlight to walk out to my neighborhood beach. It's rare when we get these whole sky engulfing shows.
This season has been something else.
#solarmaximum ftw!
#northernlights #aurora #iceland
This season has been something else.
#solarmaximum ftw!
#northernlights #aurora #iceland
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
I regularly post updates on this story because it's an atrocity on an incomprehensible scale but people don't really talk about it
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, study says
Deep funding cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and its potential dismantling could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, according to research published in The ...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:01 PM
I regularly post updates on this story because it's an atrocity on an incomprehensible scale but people don't really talk about it
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
This man is completely unhinged.
Nadhim Zahawi thinks London is now unsafe, because the other day a tired-looking man walked past him during the morning rush hour.
February 14, 2026 at 8:56 AM
This man is completely unhinged.
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
'The new rules won’t simply mean a longer wait for ILR. They will mean many people don’t qualify for ILR at all and have to leave the country'. @jamesbowes01.bsky.social on the government's earned settlement proposals ukandeu.ac.uk/remigration-...
Remigration by stealth? The government’s earned settlement proposals - UK in a changing Europe
James Bowes analyses the potential impact of the UK government's proposed changes to its settlement schemes to both new migrants and migrants already in the UK.
ukandeu.ac.uk
February 14, 2026 at 8:45 AM
'The new rules won’t simply mean a longer wait for ILR. They will mean many people don’t qualify for ILR at all and have to leave the country'. @jamesbowes01.bsky.social on the government's earned settlement proposals ukandeu.ac.uk/remigration-...
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
Shared with permission (no credit; degrees of separation).
ICE activity in Twin Cities region, data coordinated from rapid response groups & ICE Out. Yellow dots are most activity. Almost certainly this under-counts (suburbs especially) as it only includes witnessed & reported ICE activity.
ICE activity in Twin Cities region, data coordinated from rapid response groups & ICE Out. Yellow dots are most activity. Almost certainly this under-counts (suburbs especially) as it only includes witnessed & reported ICE activity.
February 13, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Shared with permission (no credit; degrees of separation).
ICE activity in Twin Cities region, data coordinated from rapid response groups & ICE Out. Yellow dots are most activity. Almost certainly this under-counts (suburbs especially) as it only includes witnessed & reported ICE activity.
ICE activity in Twin Cities region, data coordinated from rapid response groups & ICE Out. Yellow dots are most activity. Almost certainly this under-counts (suburbs especially) as it only includes witnessed & reported ICE activity.
Does anyone have any information on Mtb resistance mutation prevalence in >1 country? I'm trying to make a small table for one gene (say) showing geographical distribution of rare mutations. Want to get students thinking about impact of training set on ML predictors
February 13, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Does anyone have any information on Mtb resistance mutation prevalence in >1 country? I'm trying to make a small table for one gene (say) showing geographical distribution of rare mutations. Want to get students thinking about impact of training set on ML predictors
Reposted by Zamin Iqbal
"[the US's] premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s web pages".
As leadership said, all as part of the effort to "restore trust".
Down is up and up is down.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
As leadership said, all as part of the effort to "restore trust".
Down is up and up is down.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation
Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.
www.nature.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:37 PM
"[the US's] premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s web pages".
As leadership said, all as part of the effort to "restore trust".
Down is up and up is down.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
As leadership said, all as part of the effort to "restore trust".
Down is up and up is down.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...