Lapsed bioinformaticist. Dublin. Molecular Evolution and sequence alignment. Clustal. Current birder and not very good jazz guitarist. Ex TCD, EMBL, EBI, UCC and UCD.https://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3mt4xyultsc2iKeith Tipton RIP. He was professor of biochemistry in TCD when I was in 1st year. His wit was sharp and often hilarious and sometimes savage.15 Aug 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt4xyultsc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3mgyanml2is2yI have battled Tobacco addiction for over 50.years. I finally got off it by vaping. The usual dose has 5 ingredients, none carcinogenic or known to be harmful and used to cost 4 euro. The Irishc**nts Government just raised to price to 11.5euro Thanks a load14 Mar 2026 01:10 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgyanml2is2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lyvb4w44p22mThis is a 2 hour video that is part odyssey, part road trip, part investigation of why birders keep lists and is hilarious and witty and cleverly put together. What's not to like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-wAqplQAo15 Sep 2025 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyvb4w44p22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lxrey6cff22wI'm just back from 8 days seawatching from the Bridges of Ross in the west of Ireland. 355 sabine's gulls on one of the days.01 Sep 2025 10:21 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxrey6cff22whttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lvr7oclcac2qSo I'm watching a modern London version of a Sherlock Holmes story and I see a front door with the number 221b. I Google the address of SH and I see variants of the search including "Where did the real Sherlock Holmes live"? And there I was thinking it was fiction06 Aug 2025 21:56 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvr7oclcac2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lvlycc2gxs27First day this year seawatching. 31 wilson's petrels seen from the Bridges of Ross from 6.30am until 6.30pm04 Aug 2025 20:00 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvlycc2gxs27https://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3luldopoyls2zRIP Ozzy. This was the sound of my mid teens complete with guest piano by Rick Wakeman. https://youtu.be/noUYAPdLMp0?feature=shared22 Jul 2025 20:26 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3luldopoyls2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3ltprsja5ik2o800 Palestinians killed waiting for food in the past 6 weeks. Am I anti-semitic in finding this appalling11 Jul 2025 21:24 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltprsja5ik2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3ltbzvw4ru22rI went past this view hundreds of times over the past 55 years and never looked up. You can smell the malt being roasted at certain times of the day. Those big vertical white tanks are full of Guinness. This is on the western outskirts of Dublin City centre upriver along the Liffey.06 Jul 2025 10:12 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltbzvw4ru22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lssygvelbc2rThis is it. It is the endgame. Once established it gives absolute power. Expect arrests at polling stations. It is all so prosaic and easy and happening in front of everyone and everyone will do their "duty" or look away [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jun 2025 10:36 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lssygvelbc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3lsfasrq7ys26Twitch to Tory Island, 10km off N coast of Ireland today to see Ireland's first ever Song Sparrow (n American passerine). Found by @robertvaughani.bsky.social24 Jun 2025 23:29 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsfasrq7ys26https://bsky.app/profile/deshiggins.bsky.social/post/3ls2vsk2cmc2p@squidgerugby.bsky.social you are at the match in Dublin!!! I just saw the pair of you on Irish TV20 Jun 2025 20:45 +0000at://did:plc:dek7dtrn67ig7yiisreenqfn/app.bsky.feed.post/3ls2vsk2cmc2p