How do cells sort which RNAs to keep or destroy? New preprint from THJ, Brenneke and Plaschka labs shows that export and decay machineries (TREX2/PAXT) both recognise UAP56-bound RNAs. Whether they’re exported or degraded depends on where in the nucleus this happens. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Regulation by RNAs might be even more extensive than we thought. Many enzymes and other proteins not previously considered as RNA-binding proteins do seem to fall into this class & might have their activity regulated by RNA. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

What a towering loss! Jim was as kind as he was brilliant and he was very, very brilliant.

To have this paper appear the same day that RFK Jr is canceling all mRNA vaccine funding is further indication that irony is not dead, even though we might all be soon.

"We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted..." Words really don't mean anything anymore, do they? The incompetence is staggering, the political motives, clear as day. www.hhs.gov/press-room/h...

I’m lucky to celebrate this RNA day by completing the West Highland Way. 96 miles in 8 days, and a ton of memories. Time for a pint!

do you ever stare at the ceiling and think about how the worldwide scientific establishment did the impossible and created a COVID vaccine in under a year and the response of the general public has been to go on an unstoppable rampage to destroy science and scientists

Advice distilled from an NSF PO: Apply for NSF funding this year. Because NSF's current policy is to forward-fund active projects (e.g. pay down their mortgage on the future years of funding), there are plausible budget scenarios where NSF has a LARGE budge to spend next fiscal year (on your grant)

Just finished reading Eco's "How to Write a Thesis" before adding it to the lab library. "First, writing a thesis should be fun. Second, writing a thesis is like cooking a pig: nothing goes to waste." So many gems of advice, clever sourcing ideas, and encouragement, even for modern scientists.

Have a random Wednesday timeline cleanse in the form of this iridescent tRNA! 🤩🧬

“A thesis represents an investment with an uncertain return, mostly because its life-changing aspects have to do with process.” So true! Very thoughtful write up here

Dear science journalism, Please start including the funding source and whether it has been imperiled by the coup in your coverage of cool new science papers. The public should know the floor is being cut out from under us.

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday 📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

important historical perspective on the value of federal funding of basic research at universities: "These are the building blocks of America's extraordinary strength, created over the last 100 years, and they are now being dismantled in 100 days" 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...

NIH is allowing us to recruit postbacs and postdocs again. Please reach out if you are interested in working with us! Ad: genomeinformatics.github.io/jobs2025/

As new PhDs graduate, I'm reflecting on the below convocation address I delivered at my own PhD ceremony about science's most essential question: "How do we know that?" Equal parts #NightScience meditation and a call to action. Sometimes we need to hear from our younger selves. #StandUpForScience

New work from Matti Turtola showing that mRNA poly(A) tail length is controlled by a kinetic ruler. A real pleasure to work with him! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Dear Tenured Facility, Over the past 100 days my career trajectory has turned into a question mark. At best, the TT job market just got even crazier, at worst there won’t be research career options in the US when I finish my PhD. It took me a while to find my path and I love being a scientist. 1/x

Check out this fun preview of my postdoctoral work! It highlights our findings plus lots of intriguing questions that I’m super excited to tackle in the coming years. (And the model is beautiful! Thank you! 🧑‍🎨 )

Congrats Michael (and co-first Gabriella)! True story: I left the CSHL sys bio meeting last year finally convinced that mammalian enhancers are real because of your poster + preprint and now awesome paper. Fantastic work @jengreitz.bsky.social lab

I'm sorry, but rich, privileged women going on a space fieldtrip is not inspiring. The people are who ARE inspiring are the hardworking women working in STEM. You know, the ones who are at risk of losing their jobs and grants. #SaveOurScience

Ever wondered how several individual RBPs cooperate to repress translation? Lead by @marcopayr.bsky.social and in great collaboration with @hennig-lab.bsky.social, we simultaneously tracked the binding of several proteins to single mRNA molecules in real-time! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

This is a thoughtfully written op-ed on the immense value of US science, to lives and people. Thank you for speaking out @ardemp.bskyverified.social “Now is the time for all of us to speak up – because protecting American science means protecting our future shared prosperity.” Couldn’t agree more!

Bioimaging and bioimage analysis friends, some help if you have 2-3 mins; for a paper, we're trying to estimate the number of biologists trained in open source software or tools in the last ~5 years. (1/2) #bioimaging #microscopy #bioimageanalysis

Great summary - please share www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/o...

Solid analysis here but holy smoked agave the story of tequila makers forming Mexico’s first cartels responding to WWI import bans, the boon in smuggling during prohibition, violence in sleepy border towns…I’ll never see a margarita the same way again. Congrats on the book. Somebody option this asap

This makes me sad and angry. I got my start in science through a PREP funded postbac, it set me on a PhD path that changed my life. This is yet another pointless and cruel action to hobble the future of American science.

If biotech wants to continue to recruit highly talented, energetic, and creative PhDs they need to help us to advocate for stable funding for young scientists in academia to prevent a brain drain and loss of scientific innovation. We discuss this on this week's Night Science Podcast with David Baker

I'd like to tell you a story about a scientist you may not have heard of, but who shaped a lot of modern health research... 🧵

RFK Jr. forces out Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine scientist apple.news/A7H4nfa0USZy... Operation warp speed saved 3.2 million US million lives. Now its architect is being forced out. We’re rapidly winning the race to the bottom. God save our kids because apparently the HHS secretary will not.

I'm almost halfway through Night Science (I know, I'm so late on getting on this train). Apropos of absolutely nothing beyond their new logo, here are my top 8 favorite episodes from the first 30 installments of this gem of a podcast. @nightsciencepod.bsky.social nightscience.buzzsprout.com/1744020

This is good reporting on the sad reality of an easily preventable measles outbreak.

#RNAsky friends, how come this super cool lab has only 15 followers? They deserve more !!!! bsky.app/profile/misk...

NIH is the best investment there is. www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

Lots of great points here. One that jumped out at me: “This communicative aspect, now embodied in the science communication movement, must become a formal technical frontier of the scientific enterprise, and not patronizingly summarized as ‘outreach’ or ‘activism.’” 100% agree.

This is an incredibly moving thread.

A win is still a win. Congrats on the paper @simonelsasser.bsky.social and team!

Excellent essay by @tonyzador.bsky.social on the importance and challenges of communicating the value of science! www.thetransmitter.org/outreach/how...

“You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could and before you even knew what you had you patented it and packaged it and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now you're selling it, you want to sell it!”

Excited to share our latest work! We asked if and how TDP-43 regulates RNA transport in neurons and if this is misregulated in ALS. We found that it works to keep RNAs *out* of neurites, and that loss of TDP-43 activity results in specific RNAs aberrantly accumulating there.

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON MARCH 7TH!? Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one! #standupforscience2025

I got laid off today, with the rest of 18F. 18F was an elite federal software shop. We made gov't websites work better, more efficiently for the American people. We saved taxpayers from getting screwed over by contractors. And were fired for it. We made this website to tell our story: 18f.org

If you’re a Dem elected and you’re not mentioning the massive cuts to cancer cure and social security funding in every public appearance you’re just not doing your job.

Every university president or school of medicine dean needs to read this and start giving interviews. The silence is deafening.

Francis Collins, longtime NIH director with bipartisan bona fides*, retires as of yesterday. He returned to NIH in 2023 to focus on research in his own lab, in the NIH in-house intramural research campus. His letter seems to imply he wasn’t ready to leave. NIH is being torn down. 1/🧪 #academicsky

Save the date for the next edition of this wonderful meeting. We look forward to seeing you in Portugal!!

A new intro slide for every RNA biologist just dropped and it’s perfect.