Dr Gab Astorga: Microbes, Plainly
A microbial genomics PhD explains plague, malaria and the Nobel Prize at three levels at once — for a five-year-old, a teenager and a fellow scientist.
What it is
@goodolgab is the TikTok of Gab Astorga, a UK microbiologist. His profile reads Dr Gab Astorga, PhD in Microbial Genomics, and the Quadram Institute, where he worked, reports that he won Books and Learning Creator of the Year at the TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025. When we checked, the account had around 432,000 followers and 24 million likes.
The format is short English-language video, usually Gab talking straight to camera: one idea explained, one question answered, or an interview with a specialist he met at a science conference.
Why we picked it
Gab is good at pitching things at the right level. The clearest example is his video on the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, explained three times over: for a five-year-old, a fifteen-year-old and someone with a PhD. You can stop at whichever layer suits you and still come away with something.
He also ties science history to the present. One video tells how, more than 120 years ago, Ronald Ross showed in Liverpool that mosquitoes spread malaria, then moves to what Liverpool scientists are doing about malaria now. His "Yersinia pestis genomics in 60 seconds" is an honest attempt to fit the plague bacterium's genetics into a minute, and he cheerfully admits he stumbled near the end, which only makes it more watchable.
There are interviews too, like an infection prevention and control specialist explaining what that job actually involves, plus a personal video diary about the year since he submitted his PhD. Sponsored posts appear now and then and are labelled as ads.
What keeps us watching is the tone. Gab covers heavy topics, from pandemics to misinformation, without doom or condescension. In a video with a visiting professor he walks through what the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics had in common: uncertainty, unequal impact on different communities and a flood of myths. The clips are short and slot easily into a coffee break.
Where to start
- The 2026 Nobel Prize explained for a five-year-old, a fifteen-year-old and a PhD.
- The Ronald Ross video on Liverpool and malaria.
- "Yersinia pestis genomics explained in 60 seconds."
- The interview with an infection prevention specialist.
- His one-year-after-the-PhD diary, if you're weighing a career in research.
Who it's for
Sixth-formers and biology undergrads deciding where to specialise. Anyone who came out of the pandemic wanting to understand outbreaks without panic or myths. Teachers after short, accurate clips on microbes and public health.
Quick answers
Who is behind the account? Gab Astorga, a microbiologist with a PhD in microbial genomics, linked to the Quadram Institute in Norwich.
Is it only about disease? Mostly microbiology and public health, with interviews, science news and notes on life as an early-career scientist.
How often does he post? Very regularly: in early October 2026 there was a new video almost every day.
