Rohan Williams
@briefutopia.bsky.social
Academic computational biologist, microbial ecology, metagenomics and multi-omics, biotech cofounder, Australian lives/work in Singapore
Carl Gibson-Hill, as seen at the National Library of Singapore
October 23, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Carl Gibson-Hill, as seen at the National Library of Singapore
Reposted by Rohan Williams
most people don't want politics that hurt other people. we just want a long overcoat like david bowie and affordable housing
October 20, 2025 at 5:46 AM
most people don't want politics that hurt other people. we just want a long overcoat like david bowie and affordable housing
Reposted by Rohan Williams
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors
“With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.”
www.404media.co
October 17, 2025 at 1:15 AM
wikipedia's data shows that AI is siphoning traffic away from the site, which is a danger to its sustainability. ironically Wikipedia is more important than ever to users who want reliable information instead of slop, and to AI companies that need it for training data www.404media.co/wikipedia-sa...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
Reposted by Rohan Williams
will we take climate change seriously now?
alaska national guard transporting evacuees in western alaska to safe, warm shelters outside of the region
October 16, 2025 at 1:16 PM
will we take climate change seriously now?
Reposted by Rohan Williams
I read and write, I explore and I question, I design and script and analyse, I interpret and communicate. I do this to train my mind in the hopes of one day generating new knowledge. New knowledge that might even be useful, and that no algorithm can yet be trained on.
Y'all. I just got ChatGPT to do everything in R for this manuscript. I mean EVERYTHING. And it's all legit and reproducible. I'm shook.
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
Statistics in the era of AI
How do we mentor, teach, and do stats when AI can do so much of the work?
scienceforeveryone.science
October 12, 2025 at 8:07 AM
I read and write, I explore and I question, I design and script and analyse, I interpret and communicate. I do this to train my mind in the hopes of one day generating new knowledge. New knowledge that might even be useful, and that no algorithm can yet be trained on.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.05195 a wonderful outreach book just posted on on #arXiv by the African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA). These personal narratives are hugely important for young people to see their way forward, esp. w/o the presence of immediate role models.
Inspiring stories from women in astronomy in Africa
In preparation for the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly (GA) 2024, the first GA held in Africa, the African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA) embarked on a visionary project...
arxiv.org
October 8, 2025 at 2:24 AM
arxiv.org/abs/2510.05195 a wonderful outreach book just posted on on #arXiv by the African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA). These personal narratives are hugely important for young people to see their way forward, esp. w/o the presence of immediate role models.
Reposted by Rohan Williams
Introducing AutoOpenRaman, an automated, inexpensive microscope setup for Raman spectroscopy! We recapitulated many features of expensive commercial systems using economical hardware and open-source software 🧵 [1/8]
research.arcadiascience.com/pub/resource...
research.arcadiascience.com/pub/resource...
AutoOpenRaman: Low-cost, automated Raman spectroscopy
We developed AutoOpenRaman, an automated, inexpensive microscope for Raman spectroscopy. We recapitulated many features of expensive commercial Raman spectroscopy systems using economical hardware and...
research.arcadiascience.com
September 16, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Introducing AutoOpenRaman, an automated, inexpensive microscope setup for Raman spectroscopy! We recapitulated many features of expensive commercial systems using economical hardware and open-source software 🧵 [1/8]
research.arcadiascience.com/pub/resource...
research.arcadiascience.com/pub/resource...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
Non-Conventional Yeasts as a Source of Genetic Diversity and Biotechnological Potential | Annual Reviews - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Non-Conventional Yeasts as a Source of Genetic Diversity and Biotechnological Potential | Annual Reviews
Most of our current knowledge about yeast is based on the workhorse Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, can this yeast represent the vast array of natural yeast life-forms? This review discusses signif...
www.annualreviews.org
August 29, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Non-Conventional Yeasts as a Source of Genetic Diversity and Biotechnological Potential | Annual Reviews - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
aka a 'bullshit artist'...to evoke an old Australian phrase...
The people dominating our political landscape, culture, and economy are just so stupid and full of shit it's almost impossible to describe
August 19, 2025 at 10:03 AM
aka a 'bullshit artist'...to evoke an old Australian phrase...
really sorry to see the #theprojector #singapore shutting down...great films, spaces and vibes...the pop-up at Riverside Point was my favourite. Blade Runner at the Pasir Panjang Power Station was unforgettable. Thanks to everyone involved, esp. the volunteers, and good luck for future ventures
The Projector at Golden Mile Tower shuts down on Aug. 19 after 11 years - Mothership.SG - News from Singapore, Asia and around the world
mothership.sg/2025/08/proj...
mothership.sg/2025/08/proj...
The Projector at Golden Mile Tower shuts down on Aug. 19 after 11 years
The Projector shared that it will enter voluntary liquidation.
mothership.sg
August 19, 2025 at 6:54 AM
really sorry to see the #theprojector #singapore shutting down...great films, spaces and vibes...the pop-up at Riverside Point was my favourite. Blade Runner at the Pasir Panjang Power Station was unforgettable. Thanks to everyone involved, esp. the volunteers, and good luck for future ventures
Sunday afternoon walk at Marina Coastal Park #Singapore
August 18, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Sunday afternoon walk at Marina Coastal Park #Singapore
the @economist.com has a good summary of this disappointing episode
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
August 17, 2025 at 7:12 AM
the @economist.com has a good summary of this disappointing episode
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the A-bombing of Nagasaki. In this podcast, Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki discusses the importance of pursuing a culture of peace: "We have to move forward, even if it is one little step" "to realize a world without nuclear weapons" open.substack.com/pub/annelise...
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki
On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki calls on the world to remember—and act.
open.substack.com
August 9, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the A-bombing of Nagasaki. In this podcast, Nagasaki mayor Shiro Suzuki discusses the importance of pursuing a culture of peace: "We have to move forward, even if it is one little step" "to realize a world without nuclear weapons" open.substack.com/pub/annelise...
Picked up a book request at the Central Library this afternoon and decided to back walk to the Life Sciences Institute via Kent Ridge Road…an isolated and vaguely haunting stretch of high road positioned between the north and south sides of #NUS campus
July 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Picked up a book request at the Central Library this afternoon and decided to back walk to the Life Sciences Institute via Kent Ridge Road…an isolated and vaguely haunting stretch of high road positioned between the north and south sides of #NUS campus
Reposted by Rohan Williams
NLM will be going through a major server maintenance from July 25th to July 28th. I'd say avoid NCBI upload/usage during that time! 🧬🖥️🧪
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/08/n...
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/08/n...
NCBI Website Maintenance - Beginning July 25th - NCBI Insights
On Friday, July 25th, starting at 9:00 PM EDT, we’ll be performing essential maintenance on the NLM data center. This upgrade is critical to ensure the continued reliability and stability of our servi...
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
July 16, 2025 at 11:48 AM
NLM will be going through a major server maintenance from July 25th to July 28th. I'd say avoid NCBI upload/usage during that time! 🧬🖥️🧪
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/08/n...
ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/08/n...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
“This decision will kill people. It will lead to millions, if not billions, of USD in additional damages per [hurricane] event.”
One has to assume, on purpose.
One has to assume, on purpose.
Forecasters to Lose Hurricane Satellite Data at the Worst Possible Time
This latest blow to federal forecasting abilities is sparking outrage from meteorologists and public officials.
gizmodo.com
July 10, 2025 at 4:58 AM
“This decision will kill people. It will lead to millions, if not billions, of USD in additional damages per [hurricane] event.”
One has to assume, on purpose.
One has to assume, on purpose.
Reposted by Rohan Williams
We have an open call with @continuous.foundation for a Modular Style Peer Review Working Group to:
🌻 Co-create practical models for reviewing non-traditional outputs
🌻 Build trust without gatekeeping
🌻 Design review processes that reflect researcher needs
Join us: continuousfoundation.org/peer-form
🌻 Co-create practical models for reviewing non-traditional outputs
🌻 Build trust without gatekeeping
🌻 Design review processes that reflect researcher needs
Join us: continuousfoundation.org/peer-form
Peer Review Working Group Form | Join the Peer Review Innovation — Continuous Science Foundation
Participate in shaping modular peer review with the Continuous Science Foundation and PreReview, fostering ongoing scientific conversations and transparency.
continuousfoundation.org
June 27, 2025 at 1:20 PM
We have an open call with @continuous.foundation for a Modular Style Peer Review Working Group to:
🌻 Co-create practical models for reviewing non-traditional outputs
🌻 Build trust without gatekeeping
🌻 Design review processes that reflect researcher needs
Join us: continuousfoundation.org/peer-form
🌻 Co-create practical models for reviewing non-traditional outputs
🌻 Build trust without gatekeeping
🌻 Design review processes that reflect researcher needs
Join us: continuousfoundation.org/peer-form
looks like an extremely useful paper for those microbiome folks working in the low-biomass context
Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies rdcu.be/esB91
Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies
Nature Microbiology - In this Consensus Statement, the authors outline strategies for processing, analysing and interpreting low-biomass microbiome samples, and provide recommendations to minimize...
rdcu.be
June 23, 2025 at 5:19 AM
looks like an extremely useful paper for those microbiome folks working in the low-biomass context
Reposted by Rohan Williams
This story is just so sad: a postdoc's life is ruined, and so stupid: our government is disgustingly duplicitous, and the media and university are completely credulous.
Needless to say, everyone must have the proper permits for your strains. More importantly, this is targeted fascism.
the details:
Needless to say, everyone must have the proper permits for your strains. More importantly, this is targeted fascism.
the details:
A potent mixture of bio-scare and yellow-peril here, so far as I can tell.
Foreign scientists take Fusarium graminearum spores to a lab where they've been studying Fusarium graminearum for decades.
To find ways of tackling the crop disease.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Foreign scientists take Fusarium graminearum spores to a lab where they've been studying Fusarium graminearum for decades.
To find ways of tackling the crop disease.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk
June 5, 2025 at 4:23 AM
This story is just so sad: a postdoc's life is ruined, and so stupid: our government is disgustingly duplicitous, and the media and university are completely credulous.
Needless to say, everyone must have the proper permits for your strains. More importantly, this is targeted fascism.
the details:
Needless to say, everyone must have the proper permits for your strains. More importantly, this is targeted fascism.
the details:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
a compact insightful piece by Sarah Wilson on a recent visit home to #australia the last paragraph says it all
a compact insightful piece by Sarah Wilson on a recent visit home to #australia the last paragraph says it all
Everyone in Australia's wearing a bloody Oura ring...
and some other parting observations
substack.com
May 18, 2025 at 3:51 AM
substack.com/home/post/p-...
a compact insightful piece by Sarah Wilson on a recent visit home to #australia the last paragraph says it all
a compact insightful piece by Sarah Wilson on a recent visit home to #australia the last paragraph says it all
Reposted by Rohan Williams
The new NIH director said grants “canceled because they’re DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]-based science … [which does] not actually have anything to do with promoting the health of the American people” www.science.org/content/arti...
So let’s take a quick look at some of his past papers… 🧵
So let’s take a quick look at some of his past papers… 🧵
May 6, 2025 at 8:55 AM
The new NIH director said grants “canceled because they’re DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]-based science … [which does] not actually have anything to do with promoting the health of the American people” www.science.org/content/arti...
So let’s take a quick look at some of his past papers… 🧵
So let’s take a quick look at some of his past papers… 🧵
The Australian people have clearly rejected what one commentator has described as "bunyip Trumpism"
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australia re-elects Anthony Albanese as Labor rides anti-Trump wave to seal crushing win
Opposition leader Peter Dutton fails to dissociate himself from Trump-like rhetoric and policies – and loses his seat
www.theguardian.com
May 4, 2025 at 3:02 AM
The Australian people have clearly rejected what one commentator has described as "bunyip Trumpism"
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
"These narratives play into our cultural practice of blaming diseases on people outside our tribe, instead of our own failings and responsibilities."
observer.co.uk/culture/arti...
observer.co.uk/culture/arti...
Was it the bats all along?
A new film about the origins of Covid-19 tells how rightwing conspiracy theorists pushed the lab-leak theory to their own ends, suppressing the work of real scientists
observer.co.uk
May 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM
"These narratives play into our cultural practice of blaming diseases on people outside our tribe, instead of our own failings and responsibilities."
observer.co.uk/culture/arti...
observer.co.uk/culture/arti...
Reposted by Rohan Williams
Small update from AllTheBacteria (allthebacteria.org). Assemblies can be bulk downloaded from OSF as before, or you can now get individual assemblies from AWS. We now also have a LexicMap index on AWS, so you can align your favourite gene against 2.4million bacteria (next post for price estimates)
AllTheBacteria
allthebacteria.org
April 29, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Small update from AllTheBacteria (allthebacteria.org). Assemblies can be bulk downloaded from OSF as before, or you can now get individual assemblies from AWS. We now also have a LexicMap index on AWS, so you can align your favourite gene against 2.4million bacteria (next post for price estimates)