Inga Hitzeroth

Biotechnologist/Scientist at UCT

[Inga Hitzeroth @IngaHitzeroth]

Comparison of plant- and mammalian cell-produced human papillomavirus ... https://t.co/yqQlK22KRK

2 papers in a week, not too bad for retirement 😁

[Nick Desnoyer @NickDesnoyer]

Leaf infiltration is a widely used technique in plant science for delivering Agrobacterium or chemicals directly to plant cells 🍃🧬

For those who do it regularly, there’s a satisfaction in watching the liquid flow seamlessly through the leaf's airspaces—when done well..

[nature @Nature]

Researchers have voiced concerns after South Africa updated its health-research ethics guidelines to include a new section on heritable human genome editing https://t.co/zmkZYlpKpD

[Mushtaq Bilal, PhD @MushtaqBilalPhD]

Major academic publishers are getting sued for unlawfully appropriating billions of dollars.

Prof. Lucina Qazi Uddin, a neuroscientist at UCLA, has sued these six academic publishers Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Sage, and Springer Nature.

The lawsuit claims that these publishers violate antitrust laws on the following three grouds:

1. The publishers have colluded to fix the price of peer review at zero.

2. These publishers agree to not compete with each by making it obligatory for researchers to submit their work to only one journal at a time.

3. These publishers prohibit scholars from sharing scientific advancements while they are under peer review, which can take up to a year.

Here's a comparison of the publishers' revenue and what they pay authors and reviewers

Elsevier: $3.9 billion
Springer Nature: $2 billion
Wolters Kluwer: $1.6 billion
Wiley: $1.8 billion
Taylor & Francis: $800 million
Sage: $500 million

They pay:
Authors: $0
Peer reviewers: $0

[Mushtaq Bilal, PhD @MushtaqBilalPhD]

Major academic publishers' revenue and what they pay authors and reviewers:

Revenue:
Elsevier: $3.9 billion
Springer Nature: $2 billion
Taylor & Francis: $800M
Wiley: $1.8 billion

They pay:
Academic authors: $0
Peer reviewers: $0

[Pierre de Vos ⚖️ @pierredevos]

Academic journals are a lucrative scam – and we’re determined to change that. Giant publishers are bleeding universities dry, with profit margins that rival Google’s. https://t.co/gnd28iNhnM

[Carly Charron @Carlycharron]

Had a great time at the 6th @ISPMF conference in beautiful Cape Town last week!
Thank you to the @ISPMF for the opportunity to present my work on developing a plant-based Salmonella vaccine for poultry, and for supporting my travel!
Looking forward to the next conference!

[Tulio de Oliveira @Tuliodna]

Darren is one of my good collaborators! A cool and smart dude that is as good with his computer and evolutionary biology skills as with his surfboard! A legend 🏄‍♂️

[Lewis Pugh @LewisPugh]

This stunning image by amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani just won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. What an incredible shot 📸🐻‍❄️💙

[International Society for Plant Molecular Farming @ISPMF]

We have some fantastic keynote speakers lined up for our upcoming conference in Cape Town. More info, abstract submision, and registration here: https://t.co/rvuBcoaqvb

[International Society for Plant Molecular Farming @ISPMF]

📢 1 week left to submit your abstract to the upcoming ISPMF conference in Cape Town (deadline 15th Jan). Also registration is now open to both ISPMF members AND non-members. Travel bursaries available. Details for abstracts and registration here:
https://t.co/LJ1nEpoptQ

[Reuters @Reuters]

Seychelles declares state of emergency after explosion, flooding https://t.co/7HBd1J9Ptl

[International Society for Plant Molecular Farming @ISPMF]

📢 Abstract submission and registration is now open for the upcoming ISPMF conference in Cape Town! Visit https://t.co/LJ1nEpoptQ for more details

[Anne Schlebusch @anne_schlebusch]

Fascinating and well-attended launch tonight of @PennyHaw latest book "The woman at the wheel", with the smart @pjchudson in the chair. So impressed at how Penny gets so fully and lovingly into the shoes of her feisty women in history.

[International Society for Plant Molecular Farming @ISPMF]

📢 Abstract submissions and registration for our upcoming ISPMF 2024 conference in Cape Town will be open from 1st of November! Visit https://t.co/LJ1nEpoptQ for more details

[Tessa Campbell @ScientistTess]

I once saw someone refer to their PBMC ficoll process taking 2.5 hrs so I want to put our lab's SOP out there. Saves tonnes of ⏱ without compromising quality 👌

Just pop and drop those pipettes of ficoll 😎

[Ralf Reski 🇩🇪🇪🇺 @ReskiLab]

Great opportunity: Virtual @ISPMF workshop on Virus-like particles (VLPs) made in plants and elsewhere.
September 27. With the great @edrybicki!
You need to register in advance:
https://t.co/UvgUGnZ7XR

[Be the change you want to be @AgBioWorld]

Scientists have found a naturally occurring strain of bacteria which can help stop the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. They found it by chance, after a colony of mosquitoes in one experiment did not develop the malaria parasite https://t.co/8lId0KERoM

[Ed Rybicki 🇿🇲🇿🇦🍷🚀 @edrybicki]

New molecules fight viruses by popping their 'bubbles' | @scoopit https://t.co/qojmrttKG2

[Auke-Florian @AukeFlorian]

Bird nests made from anti-bird spikes! 🤯 Even for me as a nest researcher, these are the craziest bird nests I've ever seen. Today my paper came out on this rebellious behaviour. And it's like telling a joke...

A thread. 🧵