Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO... Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out. Watch and share! 1/7

Prepping my RPPR and it seems like “my NCBI” is currently non functioning due to shutdown? Anyone else having issues?

Successful presentations to our Joint Drosophila Group Meeting celebration excuse. W @vickylopez.bsky.social and Ian Peasley

Come join us! Applications to the GCDB Biology Doctoral program at IU are due December 1st. @iubiology.bsky.social @alizeemalnoe.bsky.social @rhcalderon.bsky.social @lesleynweaver.bsky.social @hoosierflyman.bsky.social @tennessenlab.bsky.social @flyeyelab.bsky.social @briancalvi.bsky.social

Poster prize for my student Ian Peasley at the Maggot Meeting!

So many great talks at the Maggot Meeting in Leipzig!

Now out in @natneuro.nature.com What happens to the brain’s body map when a body-part is removed? Scanning patients before and up to 5 yrs after arm amputation, we discovered the brain’s body map is strikingly preserved despite amputation www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02037-7 🧵1/18

Whatever you do, don’t criticize the University in class. www.ipm.org/news/2025-08...

We fly folks had a good run while it lasted. This is such awful news

I am now officially “I put my wallet in the lower pocket of my cargo shorts” years old.

Flies are not considered to be animals according to NIH guidelines. Shhhhh.

The "Big Beautiful Bill" isn’t the federal budget—it’s a reconciliation bill focused on tax cuts. The real FY26 funding decisions for NIH, NSF, and more are happening now in Congress. www.ascb.org/science-poli...

@warnock.senate.gov -I absolutely agree cuts to NIH are devastating for patients fighting life-threatening diseases like cancer. We must fight the Trump administration’s cuts to save lives and ensure Americans get the care they deserve.

Statement from Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Ranking Member on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee):

NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years. NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."

Very VERY excited to see this addition to the SCIMaP project. @joshuasweitz.bsky.social @asinclair.bsky.social BOTTOM LINE: Proposed NIH cuts are estimated to result in ~50b in economic losses and over 200k job losses. But hey! How are those egg prices?? scienceimpacts.org/fy26

Is this C. amoena?

Hell of a photo

We could have had her, America.

I personally know 5 early career and trainee level academic scientists who have changed jobs/ career paths in the last month. They did not see a sustainable future with ongoing cuts and attacks. The scale of decimation of the pipeline that the scientific workforce in U.S. faces is staggering.

I asked Secretary McMahon if she had done ANY analysis about how the Department of Education would be able to perform its basic obligations under the law before firing HALF of its staff. NO analysis was done. None. These people want to take a CHAINSAW to public education with a BLINDFOLD on.

The Flybase grant at Harvard has been canceled by Trump. Bloomington and Cambridge canceled too. Flybase is on life support. Please donate to keep it alive.

#drosophila @flybase.bsky.social request emergency funding: "As it stands, by the end of July, 2025, there will be no future updates to FlyBase, and in the worst case scenario access to the website will also be lost" => please donate! www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

Every organism's research community aspires to have a resource like FlyBase. Let’s help!

My lab studies bacterial infections. We spend a lot of time looking at (or for) species-specific genetic and genomic databases for hosts and microbes. FlyBase is the best of all—there is literally no comparison. Its existence is under threat. Please donate. www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

Can forward the email I received from the Europe side. They have split two funding campaigns into a US side and a Europe side. Donations must be placed through the Cambridge-linked facility for Europe via lab PO or personal payment via the following page: www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

The #Drosophila community can donate to the European side to save FlyBase @flybase.bsky.social at the following link: www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...

Yesterday, the NIH R35 “Outstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

The new GOP tax bill gives the richest Americans (making over $4.3 million) an average tax cut of over $389k—while working families earning $17k-$51k will lose $700 a year on average. It’s a slap in the face to hardworking families who need tax relief the most.

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be a scientist while HHS, NIH, and FDA are run by idiots consumed by conspiracy theories. They are going to get people killed in service of telling themselves a fairy tale in which they are the heroes, all while feeding the American public a poisoned apple.

I shared the story of Natalie, a mom from WA state with stage 4 colorectal cancer enrolled in an NIH clinical trial, but she was told her care was delayed because of RFK Jr.'s staffing cuts. He admitted NIH cuts, "are gonna hurt."   It's unacceptable. I'm demanding accountability.

Just said goodbye to my NIH MIRA award. Really hurts to see the word “terminated” in writing. Even worse to see it next to the F31 awarded to a fantastic PhD student in my lab @aybv.bsky.social. I REFUSE to let this stop us!!!

Words matter

“And so the Greeks send me this horse, we’re talking about one of the most beautiful horses you’ve ever seen. So big. So strong. Normally they keep this kind of horse for themselves but they were such big fans they said sir, please take our big wonderful horse we’ll even bring it to your house”

Great visit to U Iowa. Thanks @sethtomchik.bsky.social and @candrewfrank.bsky.social for being such great hosts. So nice to see my scientific big brother Chun-Fang Wu is still going strong!

Say goodbye to “model systems” research. I’ve had a good run but this is awful for the young folks just getting started,

For US students interested in the UK, if you have an acceptance letter from a US college or university, these applications will be considered rapidly at @exeter.ac.uk for the 2025/2026 year. If you're interested in an MSc or PhD, happy to chat & support. I study #Drosophila #Immunity #Genetics 🪰🦠🧬

"If you look at a long period of time, a lot of our increase in living standards seems to be coming from public investment in scientific research." The devastating cuts to science funding aren't just academic, they threaten our livelihoods and wellbeing. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...

Indiana Republicans bill includes provisions for post tenure review of faculty at Indiana University that measures “productivity” and can result in “probation” and termination. We must also now post our syllabi on a publicly accessible website.

Along with every geneticist I am a total Mendel groupie and this new figure (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) that shows the chromosome location and underlying basis of his allelic pairs moves me to near-tears. Oh, to fly back in time and show this to him ...

In honor of Easter here are genetically pink larvae we made in the lab.

Great piece.

“Look how many people are women; look at how many people are non-White. Is there any way to attribute this to something other than race and gender? And then when you look at the numbers and the chances it could be any reason other than race and gender?” super grateful that this is being reported

Just received word that the Office of Pain Policy and Planning and the NIH Pain Consortium did not survive the cuts. Pain is the number one reason that people go to see their doctor. These people are idiots.

Bravo! And thank you @aaup.bsky.social! If you haven't already, join your faculty union now. Our dues support these lawsuits 💪

Great to visit to IU for a talk and to meet with wonderful fly (and non-fly) colleagues! Thanks to @mariadelapax.bsky.social and @hoosierflyman.bsky.social for the invitation! Visiting the Bloomington stock center was like a trip to Mecca. That’s a big fly food kettle! 5 million vials/year!

The Tennessen Lab and the Tracey lab got together for a lovely brunch: Post #Dros25 fun hangouts. @tennessenlab.bsky.social @hoosierflyman.bsky.social

What a fantastic way to kick off #DROS25 with a plenary lecture from the amazing @denisemontell.bsky.social! A role model to all of us scientists, a brilliant experimentalist, and an all-around great human.

@denisemontell.bsky.social linking 🪰 border cell migration with cancer therapy at #DROS25 🙌

One of these things is not like the others