I just returned from a conference where a couple of grad students from India said that one thing that unifies conservative and liberal Indians is the opinion that Kash Patel is a total joke.

New preprint! A bold aspiration, to target and control genes as chromatin complexes, not as nucleotide strings. How it started: total noise. New resolution: fuzzy blobs coming into focus. Not perfect yet but a huge step. khayneslab.wordpress.com/2025/11/27/r...

My new kink is getting into a racially loaded exchange with a bigot, avoiding any direct mention of race, and when they finally mention race, I say “why are you so obsessed with race?” Yes, this is petty. Healing is a journey.

My favorite* academic mic drop “As strongly requested by the reviewers, here we cite some references [35-47] although they are completely irrelevant to the present work” … has been retracted! But in good faith … the paper is getting a new review. retractionwatch.com/2025/04/09/i...

So Watson kicked the bucket. My work as a CSHL summer course instructor put me in proximity with him. I was there when he lobbed his phony genetic elitism at a white (East European-looking) student. The public stories you’ve probably heard are just the tip of the iceberg. www.npr.org/2025/11/07/n...

Important study Children & adolescents are "far more likely to experience rare but serious heart & inflammatory conditions after a COVID-19 infection than after being vaccinated–and the risks after infection lasted much longer" Next post has link to study itself 1/3 www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...

From my recent FAMU-FSU Dept. of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering seminar: “FAMU taught me that science and self-knowledge are inseparable.” “A *culturally responsive education* doesn’t divide, it expands what we see as possible.” Share/repost to support inclusive education in Florida.

On my way to the airport, my Lyft driver’s Spotify feed (Spanish-language) was disrupted by the nauseating voice of Kristie Noem, warning “illegal immigrants” to self-deport, or else be found (by her goons). Please sign this petition: sign.moveon.org/petitions/st...

Ridiculously incredible aquarium view in our private dining area for the 2025 Hypothesis Fund retreat! @montereybayaquarium.org

Moon jelly fish at @montereybayaquarium.org

Beautiful comb jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California!

That moment when convergence strikes like a lightning bolt: #chromatin states in floating cells are more flexible than in adherent cells. It’s been right there in the literature all along! Oh and here’s a food photo: pulled roasted lamb, toast, fries, corn cob (Las Brasas, Decatur).

The shark on the hoverboard! Y’all! ❤️🤣

Standing up for science at #nokingsday in Decatur, GA.

Making good trouble by the John Lewis statue (that replaced the Confederate monument) in downtown Decatur, GA #nokingsday

Downtown Decatur, GA #nokings

Downtown Decatur, GA checking in for #nokingsday

My latest science writing blog: 10 Tips on How to Write Your First Bioengineering Review Article drkarmellahaynes.com/2025/10/13/1... (graphic: characters by AI; composition by me)

MIT basically said “how do you like them apples?” to the Trump administration. This fall I’m trying different types of apples. Today: Sweet Tango from Publix. Crispy, juicy, sweet and floral, not tart, with tender skin. Definitely for snacking, not cooking.

Cancer misinformation kills. Literally. Cancer patients who refuse conventional treatments and rely on unsupported therapies die more often and faster. Colorectal cancer patients: A 4.57-fold increased risk of death Five-year survival plummets from 79.4% to 32.7%. 1/

🚨 AIMBE calls on the scientific community to urge Congress to ensure timely passage of the FY2026 budget 👇 Strong, sustained funding for our nation's health and science agencies is essential for economic prosperity, U.S. global competitiveness, and public heath. takeaction.io/aimbe/protec...

The goats are supposed to be chewing up the overgrowth, but are battling instead, and I don’t even know what the donkey is up to. 😆

Alert from Alt CDC: the real CDC has been overrun by brain-dead zombies. Life imitating art #thewalkingdead

Update: Out of an abundance of caution, campus events including the talk I was scheduled to present for the FAMU-FSU Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (CBE) Department Seminar Series have been cancelled. I am coordinating with the organizers to schedule a new date. Stay safe, FAMU-ly. #FAMU #HBCU

My uncle this morning: “the only social media I use is the family group chat” 😆❤️

I received a fellowship from a major scientific society for AfroBiotech! The official announcement with details will be released soon. Time to get to work on a biotech renaissance! #blackinSTEM #STEMequity #bioengineering

I always thought robot swarming was cool, but when you juxtapose this against the alternative visual … robots just bumping into each other, swarming is amazing. 😃

Just a FAMU alum doing my small part to dispel the Desantis allies’ anti-woke and anti-science smokescreen. “About me” intro to include how the synergy of rigorous science education, critical race theory, and STEM inclusion generated a great bioengineer. khayneslab.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/i...

As a person who works within walking distance of the CDC and early-votes at the polling place across the street, I support this message.

Yes, too much emphasis on how bad slavery was … not enough patriotic celebration of the slave rebellions. We need entire museum displays about Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, Robert Smalls, Oney Judge, the Stono Rebellion, and John Brown!

A recent AJC article covered how Georgia lawmakers want all public university syllabi to be made public, in line with a movement to keep classrooms free from what has been labeled as “woke.” I’ll save everyone the trouble; I am glad to share my syllabus openly. www.ajc.com/education/20...

I heard that syllabus reviews are coming for public university courses in GA. I’m happy to freely share my woke BME syllabus that states that BME products that don’t serve *all* people who need them are not real gold standard technologies. Photo: barbecued pork knuckles on bok choy with tofu.

MUSTAAAAAAAARD!

The only way this could have been better is if he threw a taco.

Big congrats to Hypothesis Fund Awardee @bjmarlin.bsky.social! We're proud early supporters of her research on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, and can't wait to see what she'll discover next! Go Bianca! 🌟

I wonder if the shooter was connected to that guy who is constantly standing near the CDC with large anti-vaccination and other conspiracy theory signs. He needs to be detained asap. www.cnn.com/2025/08/09/u...

Just kicked off another summer course in synthetic biology at Cold Spring Harbor this year! After only one round of day-long “boot camp” modules students built 36 new chromatin protein constructs & a large set of gene circuits, & did a math modeling deep dive! #cshlsynbio @cshlnews.bsky.social

Living in the USA as a person who wants people to thrive together is like being stuck in a mandatory group project with the worst partner ever.

I just got my first book set order!!! These are their thank you gifts! Bookmarks, postcards, stickers and more! I just got my first book set order!!!!! #KidLit #BookSky #BlackBookSky #ChildrensBooks #KidST #STEMBooks #DiverseBooks #RepresentationMatters www.noiresteminist.com/product-page...

Congrats Christian @scsatcmu.bluesky.social! I’m looking forward to seeing you test and challenge a major biological cell development paradigm by using synthetic biology to control transcription factors in ways that are not possible with standard approaches.

Ever see an awesome paper in a high-impact journal and think “must be the money?” Not always. Smart figure design matters, regardless of digital tools. Here’s a 3-part framework to bring harmony to your figures: drkarmellahaynes.com/2025/07/15/t... #SciComm #AcademicWriting

Trump is trying so hard to manufacture a Nobel Peace Prize win. Instead of trying to manipulate and bully Zelensky and Putin into playing nice so that Trump can take credit, he could always make up his own prize and give it to himself. It would be on brand for him.

And I still have it. Maybe I should actually finish it.

Just out in ACS Synthetic Biology! These are the first results to connect metabolic state to epigenetic repression this clearly. Our study includes breast cancer cells of African and European ancestry. Read the paper here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... #SyntheticBiology #Epigenetics #CancerResearch

I am deeply honored & moved to have my story featured in The Leap from NPR Science Friday. It’s a story about being a multi-layered STEM outlier (identity & technical approach) and a testament to the power of support from #STEMdads and #STEMparents @scifri.bsky.social @hypothesisfund.bsky.social

We’ve had the White caste, and the Black caste, and once birthright citizenship is gone, we’ll have the “Illegal” caste. Folks are already using Illegal as a proper noun. Structures are being erected that would easily support enslavement. snyder.substack.com/p/concentrat...

Mentors: ever watched a great project fall flat at submission time? Too many lose their shot at publication before peer review just b/c the manuscript wasn’t formatted correctly. Read & share w/ trainees who need to read it. drkarmellahaynes.com/2025/06/29/m... #AcademicWriting #Publishing101

Spot on. This is the clearest explanation I’ve seen. It ‘s relatable, and humanizes the issue in a way everyone can understand.

My sweet boy Starbuck passed this morning at 11.5 years old. His kidneys succumbed to age, but he had a great doggy life. Everyone he met fell in love … huge personality and super smart. Hilariously picky; he only ate bread if it was brioche. I’m going to miss the hell out of him.

DEFIANT is officially out today! In honor of Juneteenth, LegionM is gifting free copies to teachers and librarians to help bring the story of #RobertSmalls into classrooms and libraries.If you know an educator, send them to teachers.defiantproject.com #Defiant #Juneteenth