James Gurney
@jamesgurney.bsky.social
1.5K followers 520 following 180 posts
Assistant professor working on phage. Occasional writer/fact checker for kurzgesagt. I didn’t write dinotopia.
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jamesgurney.bsky.social
Household energy after submitting grant this week.
Reposted by James Gurney
Reposted by James Gurney
evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social
PhD fellowship in biofilm-phage interactions - with Mette Burmølle at University of Copenhagen 🇩🇰
deadline 1 October 2025

employment.ku.dk/faculty?show...

#phagesky #microsky
PhD fellowship in biofilm-phage interactions
employment.ku.dk
Reposted by James Gurney
cbibberson.bsky.social
Come join us in Knoxville! 🧫🧪🦠
utkmicrobiology.bsky.social
We’re hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Microbial Drivers of Chronic Disease, starting Fall 2026!
Reposted by James Gurney
Reposted by James Gurney
plosbiology.org
Bacterial #QuorumSensing is often assumed to follow a strict hierarchy. @brownlab.bsky.social &co find that #Pseudomonas aeruginosa instead uses a reciprocal, cooperative system that enhances responsiveness to population density & environmental changes @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3I7DhRG
The las and rhl QS systems have a reciprocal, synergistic, and unequal relationship. Top: Single-signal models demonstrate that the summed effects of single signals (3 oxo C12 HSL alone, red; C4 HSL alone, orange) cannot account for the maximal expression of lasI or rhlI. The upper green, flat surfaces in the plots indicate the maximum mean expression level measured across all combinations of signal concentrations while the lower semi-transparent surfaces mark the sum of single signal effects. The plotted points represent observed expression levels when C4 HSL is withheld (red) and when 3 oxo C12 HSL is withheld (yellow). Lines indicate the model predictions. Bottom: Multi-signal non-linear models capture the synergistic effects of both signals and match observed expression levels. Model estimates are shown as grid lines. Horizontal bars show the mean value of expression observed at each combination of signal concentrations. Lines extend from these mean values to the relevant grid point for clarity. Right: Data show that relationship of the las and rhl systems is reciprocal, and the multi-signal model quantifies the strength of those interactions. In particular, it reveals the contribution of both signals to the maximum fold-change in expression of both synthases. The charts in this panel summarize the contribution of 3 oxo C12 HSL (red), C4 HSL (yellow), and the synergistic combination of both (orange).
jamesgurney.bsky.social
Standing room only for Eli Mehlferber from @brownbio.bsky.social for breakfast talk this morning. Giving a great talk.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
WHAT?!? one way to cut off my last connection to the UK. Since when has the BBC News become subscription based?
BBC News has become subscription based
Reposted by James Gurney
viromegirl.bsky.social
Do you love phage? I have an opening for a postdoc in my lab at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science (@cmarinescience.bsky.social) looking at interactions between marine phage and iron, which is an important limiting trace metal in the oceans (1/5) 🧵#phagesky 🦠🌊
Electron micrograph of two phage infecting a host cell side-by-side, with hearts between them
jamesgurney.bsky.social
~3 inch Joro Spider. Invasive species in Georgia now.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
New foster in the house. “Lovely” she fits her name to a tee. If you know anyone looking for a dog in the Atlanta area hit me up!
jamesgurney.bsky.social
This is what the look of betrayal from a cat looks like.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
Very proud of my three wonderful Summer undergrad research fellows, all supported by the Molecular Basis for Disease program at State. All three have done great work and have been a pleasure to have in the lab.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
I'd love to come. We have two projects that are ready for public consumption. CRISPRcas and salt. we combined bioinformatics and wet work to explain why archaea have a higher prevalence of Cas. 2nd single cell RNA seq under phage infection. Also happy to talk about outreach and work with Kurzgesagt.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
Finally got my iPod touch to turn back on. I bought this with my first PhD pay check. Time to listen to some classic pre 2010 tunes.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
That climb yesterday was something else.
jamesgurney.bsky.social
Used AI to recreate the strangest bathroom I viewed when I was trying to find an apartment in France. This is a fairly close rendering. Including the off angle steps and it being in the center of the room. It was a bizarre death trap. Just the right height if you fell you’d break your neck.
Reposted by James Gurney
ginalewin.bsky.social
Lovely time with new and old friends at microbiology population biology camp. Leaving with lots of new ideas (and lots of new bug bites)

@cbibberson.bsky.social @peachypotato.bsky.social @jamesgurney.bsky.social
College of New Hampshire views and people eating lobster
Reposted by James Gurney
cbibberson.bsky.social
Feeling tired but inspired after a great week at the #MicrobialPopBioGRC. Great to see old friends and make some new ones! 🦞🗻🧫

@ginalewin.bsky.social @peachypotato.bsky.social @jamesgurney.bsky.social @stephenkdolan.bsky.social
jamesgurney.bsky.social
My first GRC and I get why this is so many folks favorite meeting. Great presentations and interaction with some many people.

Only gripe is my room was hot. But it also does this! Warning flashing lights!