I am delighted to announce that I will be starting as an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona in Spring 2026. Our lab will study intestinal best4+ cells in zebrafish. We are seeking a lab manager with previous zebrafish experience – come build with us. surlab-gastro.my.canva.site

Xenopus Conference 2025 - Check out the video of the 20th International Xenopus Conference held at the Univeristy of Portsmouth August 17-21st, 2025. www.youtube.com/watch?v=plxx... #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs

On the ground impacts from the loss of USAID. As a child of peace corps & niece of a USAID employee, watching US aid crumble is heartbreaking. Aid investments have always been in our national self-interest, but nonetheless have been essential for uplifting millions globally. shorturl.at/kU5Eu

@mariamikedis.bsky.social is closing out Midwest SDB with our final talk of the conference! Great weekend of science and lovely colleagues here at @cincyresearch.bsky.social @socdevbio.bsky.social #MWSDB25

An important reminder from @thelovelylab.bsky.social after an amazing talk at #MWSDB25

The #MWSDB25 tour of the Nikon Center of Excellence at Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation ✨

Fantastic interactive plenary talk at #MWSDB25 on from Jason Organ on the importance of changing our communication styles as scientists to more effectively communicate with the general public @socdevbio.bsky.social

Going strong on day 2 of Midwest SDB #MWSDB25 @socdevbio.bsky.social @cincyresearch.bsky.social

Kicking it off at #MWSDB25 with a keynote from Paul Trainor @aussiebiologist.bsky.social! @socdevbio.bsky.social @cincyresearch.bsky.social

Midwest SDB starting now @cincyresearch.bsky.social @socdevbio.bsky.social #MWSDB25

Harvard victory leaves scientists feeling vindicated but uncertain @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Shootings on campus are always bad.

PhD student from @cincychildrens.bsky.social leaving the US for more fertile ground in Europe The uncertainty and devastation of NIH cuts will either destroy the academic careers of trainees, stamp them out before they begin, or push them to places they never thought under duress

Zorn lab & @xenbase.bsky.social team had a great time at #IXC25 in portsmouth! Including (finally!!!) key good news shared by @nicoleedwds.bsky.social 😉 Thank you to everyone who organized and made it possible!!

New Xenopus community lore unlocked at the #IXC25 @frogwranglers.bsky.social

"With debate growing around whether the “14-day rule” on human embryo research remains fit for purpose, the need for inclusive public dialogue is more important than ever". www.nuffieldbioethics.org/news-blog/if...

🤩 Very excited to share our new work! We have derived euploid and aneuploid trophoblast organoids and extra-embryonic mesoderm cell lines from early human embryos. In doing so, we have characterised the tissue requirements for their specification. If you want to know more, continue reading….

9. I simply cannot ethically hire anyone on federal funds under these new conditions, and I will not do so going forward. That hamstrings my research, but worse it prevents the development of brilliant, talented researchers like my former students who are professors, startup founders, and more.

7. Training, meanwhile, becomes impossible. In the US, earning a PhD takes 5 years or more. Every student I have ever trained has been supported on federal funds that they were directly awarded or from grants that I won. If I can't guarantee to pay, I can't take students. It's that simple.

Well, this is a huge Executive Order power grab... www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... 1/3

Per a question to the chair from Senator Durbin: $400 M increase in the bill.

Here is the bill (I haven't had time to read it) www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/do... 1/2

NEW The White House is blocking the NIH from awarding new research grants for the rest of the fiscal year Chokes off billions in research funding Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol... with @nidhisubs.bsky.social

Odds of winning #NIH grants plummet as new funding policy and spending delays bite | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

I was thinking about this too as I'm a standing member at NIH and review did the DoD. The amount of time and effort for no monetary benefit that is expected of us is unreasonable even at a 10th percentile funding rate. But at 4%.... what are we even asking of scientists?

New paper out from @zernickagoetz.bsky.social lab led by Dong-Yuan Chen. We show how the extracellular matrix guides body axis formation in mouse—and possibly human—embryos. Dong did some very challenging experiments - glad to have played a part in seeing it complete. doi.org/10.1038/s414...

I guess no Appros. markup from the house at least on the labor/HHS (NIH) before Aug recess (from the house at least) since Speaker is afraid of Epstein files. In the meantime, AAAS has a decent dashboard for FY26 markups/exec budget requests (interactive more u.p.d): www.aaas.org/news/fy-2026...

Venus Williams just won her first match in two years and at the end when they were interviewing her about what a miracle it was, she said she had to come back and play a match; they told her she was on cobra and she’s always at the doctor so **she needs the health insurance**

My quote of the day A Video Quote Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble. (From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)

The situation is still dire for institutions such as Northwestern (shown here) where non-competitive renewals are still not being issued at an appreciable rate. /fin for now

Dear all, PLEASE add comments on the importance of model organism research at this link:

In personal news, highly recommend eloping/courthouse wedding/buying your pup a little suit (we saved so much money)

No. The OBBA covers mandatory spending, taxes, and some policy issues with budget implications. Discretionary spending is handled through appropriation bills now in the works. It is confusing. And Google AI (at least) gets it wrong.

Happy Birthday, UCSC Genome Browser 🥳 An essential resource for all of us, provided by @ucscgenomics.bsky.social

Speak up for science! Proposed cuts to NIH & NSF threaten critical research. Call your lawmakers—especially if they’re on Appropriations—and urge them to protect funding. Act now:

Appears that OBBBA will pass the House today. It does not seem to address NIH or NSF. Pres requested a 40% reduction for NIH & consolidation of ICs. Ask your Reps/Sens not to do this in upcoming budgetary bill! DOGE cuts will also need to be validated in the Sen via Recissions package as well.

I find myself at a loss for words… (not common)

NIH BREAKING NEWS NIH BREAKING NEWS Hearing from multiple sources that an email went out late yesterday afternoon Effective immediately: Please do not terminate any additional grant projects. Please pull back all grant projects that are in the cue to be terminated.

So incredibly grateful to have been selected as one of the 2025 Jane Coffin Childs Fellows!

Zornwellians took #ISDB2025! @cincyresearch.bsky.social big thanks to all the organizers for an awesome time in Puerto Rico!

The preprint of my dear friend Svetlana Jovanic showing that "cell behaviour during gastrulation is robust to the deficiency of yolk topology & signalling originating from the yolk syncytial layer." is now online! Super interesting read! #zebrafish #embroids #DevBio www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Science advocacy starts at home. Our recent article explains how to hold a productive meeting with your representative’s district office staff. It covers how to schedule a meeting, craft your message, and follow up effectively: www.asbmb.org/asbmb-.... #ScienceServesUsAll

What? Some good news on a Friday? Parent Fellowship Notices of Funding Opportunities are up! F30, F31, F32, F33 grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Every time I pay a bill to a medical provider, I sigh and think to myself- I miss the NHS

Got our pup a xenopus-esque dog toy a while ago and he remains obsessed with it. It brings me much joy lol

Boosting this reply thread to answer some qs (some speculation, some things I know for sure)

Finding out HHMI is canceling the Hanna H. Gray Fellows competition is heartbreaking. Especially since if they decide to hold it next year, I’ll no longer be eligible

.... i just recieved an email saying HHMI is pausing "all competitions" and I don't see this news anywhere else? Anyone else?

RFK Jr. said multiple times during his house and senate hearings today that no scientists have been fired from federal agencies. Our reporting has shown that hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists have been let go from NIH/CDC/FDA