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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman
@mjafreeman.bsky.social
4K followers 1.3K following 500 posts
Cell Biologist. Membrane proteins, rhomboids, signalling, inflammation, cancer, unknome... Head, Dunn School of Pathology, @UniofOxford And other stuff
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · Dec 12
Starter packs are still valuable but there is now a mature set of communities @bsky.app

So maybe for the last time (unless things change)

An encyclopaedia of starter packs relevant to 'mechanistic' biomedical science (>100 now!)...

...including collective nouns

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
@mjafreeman.bsky.social's encyclopedia of Bluesky starter packs for 'mechanistic' biologists
docs.google.com
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
andyfraser.bsky.social
Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 14h
Wonderful thinker and communicator. I remember a seminar at Gurdon where (in my memory at least!) he gave the entire thing with only a handful of simple slides, and his narrative of what the elegant experiments showed was so lucid and compelling. Amazing career and such a warm generous person.
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 14h
Oh how sad

Really a towering figure, whose work laid the ground for stem cells, regenerative biology etc

I go to know him well over many years and he was definitely one-of a-kind...
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 4d
OK thanks. We’ll take it.

I feel your pain…
mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 4d
And an antidote to pretty much everything else currently…
mcculloughp.bsky.social
Peter McCullough @mcculloughp.bsky.social · 4d
It must be said though, that that story is so *North* Oxford as to look like a spoof. A part of the Oxford fabric, but still.
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
mcculloughp.bsky.social
Peter McCullough @mcculloughp.bsky.social · 4d
It must be said though, that that story is so *North* Oxford as to look like a spoof. A part of the Oxford fabric, but still.
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 4d
Ah thank you so much! It is an endless source of fascination to us what people latch on to, and what they don't. This it the original post box post (as it were). We think perhaps people just love community? Or possibly knitting....
bsky.app/profile/oxfo...
oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 11d
Over 30 local residents gathered on Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the post box on Beech Croft Road, North Oxford, installed in 1925. Famous hands are believed to have dropped letters through its slot, from Enid Blyton’s daughter to Phil Selway of Radiohead and John le Carré.
Post box with knitted topper including a post van, a cake with candles and 100 written on stand some post boxes.
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 4d
If there's anyone in Oxford who doesn't see this weekly newsletter, you are missing out on lots of local news that you won't see elsewhere

Some so dull, it's cool - 30 people gather to celebrate a postbox - but genuinely always worth a look!

Highly recommended
oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 4d
Once more for the weekend long read crowd. 👇
oxfordclarion.bsky.social
Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 5d
All Oxford’s news in one weekly email. Featuring:
🌳 Free trees
🐝 Rare bumblebees
🗿 The latest new sculptures
📮 Woolly postbox accessories
🏚️ Oxford University's newest building
Plus events, politics news, research and the best of Oxford’s media. Read online or by email
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 5d
A new view of @dunnschool.bsky.social

The Life and Mind Building of @ox.ac.uk has just opened and I got to see this lovely (albeit rather damp) new perspective on our original @dunnschool.bsky.social building
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 6d
There was a young entrepreneur, using Richard Branson as a role model, who tried to establish an air link about 20 years ago

Seem to remember it launched on a Monday, but (metaphorically only) crashed by the Wednesday

Here's the only trace I could find

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/6557771...
Launch of Cambridge air link delayed
Martin Halstead with the plane he plans to use An air service linking Oxford and Cambridge has been delayed before it has even got off the ground.
www.oxfordmail.co.uk
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 7d
If there was a futures market in early career developmental biologists, I'd be buying this gang...
jamesbriscoe.bsky.social
James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · 7d
Meet the 2025 cohort of @dev-journal.bsky.social Pathway to Independence fellows

Read about the scientific visions of eight dev bio post-docs entering the academic job market

journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Pathway to Independence: a forecast for the future of developmental biology
ABSTRACT. In 2022, Development launched its Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, aimed at supporting postdocs as they transition to their first independent position. In 2025, we welcome our third c...
journals.biologists.com
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
dunnschool.bsky.social
The Dunn School, Oxford @dunnschool.bsky.social · 7d
Congratulations Emma!

@mucosalimmunology.bsky.social joint appointment with the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) in Basel will link the Dunn School with a new team of world-leading bioengineers working towards novel therapies, vaccines and diagnostics.
www.path.ox.ac.uk/news-article...
Professor Emma Slack forges link with Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering - Dunn School
Professor Emma Slack, the Barclay-Williams Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Dunn School, has accepted a joint appointment at the newly founded Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE).
www.path.ox.ac.uk
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
sykhalid.bsky.social
Syma Khalid @sykhalid.bsky.social · 7d
Come join us in Oxford! Two positions open right now in @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social
It’s a great place to work. Really supportive colleagues, great students, colleges provide a unique social environment - in summary, it’s a lot of fun.
tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social
Tobias Warnecke @tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social · 9d
Become my colleague @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social !
2 Associate Professorships in the areas of
- prokaryotic/eukaryotic microbiology
- metabolism

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Job Details
my.corehr.com
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 8d
Did you know that the cytoplasmic domain of the pseudoprotease iRhom2 mediates distinct signaling mechanisms to control activation of the cell surface protease ADAM17?

You do now

Brought to you mainly by the outstanding Dr Fangfang Lu

Open access, of course

www.jbc.org/article/S002...
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
carmeloferrai.bsky.social
Carmelo Ferrai @carmeloferrai.bsky.social · 13d
Let’s ride!
isogg.bsky.social
International Society of Genetic Genealogy @isogg.bsky.social · 13d
“Riding a bike is associated with a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared with taking nonactive travel modes such as a car, bus or train…” #ISOGG #DNA #epigenetics www.cnn.com/2025/09/20/h...
Cycling linked with lower dementia risk, study finds | CNN
Cycling instead of driving has been linked with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a large study has found.
www.cnn.com
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 16d
I was Chair of @biologists.bsky.social when we started this initiative, the brainwave of the @stevenkelly.bsky.social

It was an imaginative idea and I am thrilled to see this landmark

Remember: @biologists.bsky.social are the goodies in scientific publishing!
biologists.bsky.social
The Company of Biologists @biologists.bsky.social · 19d
In our Forest of Biologists we fund the restoration and preservation of ancient woodland and dedicate these trees to our peer reviewers.

There are now over 10,000 trees for peer reviews!

Thank you to all our peer reviewers. Find out more:
forest.biologists.com

#PRW2025 @peerreviewweek.bsky.social
Lots of illustrated trees. A sample image taken from the Forest of Biologists website.
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 16d
Fab thread about one of the (many) things one walks past in Oxford without much thought...
oldenoughtosay.com
👻madeline boOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 16d
Time to talk about one of my favourite Oxford buildings, 26-27-28 Cornmarket!!

Popularly known as The Old Pret
A timber framed jettied building, with two distinctive sections
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 16d
And then there is this...

As reported, hard to imagine a worse idea for UK science, growth, innovation...

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 16d
Fingers crossed: this could make a big change in the perception and real substance of UK science and innovation (and all other talent...)
financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 16d
UK explores plan to drop visa fees for top global talent on.ft.com/46stNZq
UK explores plan to drop visa fees for top global talent
PM’s team wants to make it easier to attract people who have attended top universities as US moves in opposite direction
on.ft.com
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
benoitbruneau.bsky.social
Benoit Bruneau @benoitbruneau.bsky.social · 18d
about the $100K H1B fee, here's some interesting details: "If an employee is in the U.S., he or she will not be subject if (i) applying to extend or amend H-1B status, or (ii) applying to change from another visa category into H-1B status from within the U.S."
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
dev-journal.bsky.social
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 23d
The Company of Biologists and the British Society for Developmental Biology: a model partnership

As part of the #biologists100 anniversary, Saanjbati Adhikari and Raman Das review the relationship between @biologists.bsky.social and @bsdb.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1242/dev....
An image of two BSDB supplement covers from Journal of Experimental Embryology and Morphology.
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
dev-journal.bsky.social
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 23d
In honour of Postdoc Appreciation Week, here are three ways we support postdocs:
1. Since 2023, we’ve supported 24 postdocs as they transition to becoming a group leader through our Pathway to Independence programme. Meet our latest fellows: journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/pi... #NPAW2025
A graphic showing someone at a lab bench on the left and a desk on the right.
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
rm0sher.bsky.social
Rebecca Mosher @rm0sher.bsky.social · 23d
Three Associate Professor (or Professor) positions available at Oxford Biology. Come be my colleague! www.biology.ox.ac.uk/article/we-a...
We are hiring! Oxford biology has three associate professorships available as we move to new state-of-the-art facilities
www.biology.ox.ac.uk
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Reposted by Matthew Freeman
bugsinyourguts.bsky.social
Professor Lesley Hoyles @bugsinyourguts.bsky.social · 25d
If you are UK-based and working on any aspect of microbiomes (human, plant, insect, soil, animal, ...), please do sign up to Microbiome-Net for details of networking, funding and training opportunities.

forms.office.com/pages/respon...
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 26d
some sort of symmetry in you writing it for your mum and me replying for my dad
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mjafreeman.bsky.social
Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 26d
No apology needed; just couldn't resist pointing it out!
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