New review out! 🧬🪱 How do Argonautes bind the right small RNAs? We synthesize how small RNA features, Argonaute properties, chaperones, and subcellular organization shape small RNA binding specificity. rnajournal.cshlp.org/content/earl...

Y'all, I just got out of the NSF-BIO webinar where they explained changes to peer review. It's not good. 🧪 scienceforeveryone.science/changes-to-n...

Today @anthropic.com released PubMed integration for Claude. No hallucinations. Just real science, real data. As a beta tester, this has been game changing— a supercharged research tool. Here are 6 prompts that will transform how you search the literature. A 🧵 www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...

Dear all, A scientist from UNC Chapel Hill, Paul Maddox, is running for congress in NC for a seat currently held by a republican. If you care about science (and democracy) please consider donating to his campaign #Standupforscience secure.actblue.com/donate/paul-...

Today was a hard day for Ph.D. students who found out that they can no longer apply for NSF's prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship Program. "Devastating“ was how one student described it to me. #GradSchool #NSFGRFP www.science.org/content/arti...

I did a thing. I wrote a textbook about #RNA. I wrote it so that those without formal science training could understand what RNA is and how it is used in medicine. It releases in the US and Europe on September 8th. www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook...

Sign the petition to call for the removal of RFK, Jr. www.standupforscience.net/rfk-impeachm...

The US could see a 30-40% decline in new international student enrollment, resulting in nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 fewer American jobs. https://www.nafsa.org/fall-2025-international-student-enrollment-outlook-and-economic-impact

Suspension of all grants to UCLA www.latimes.com/california/s...

A little known - but hugely consequential - part of the government’s changes to science funding: open.substack.com/pub/sciencea...

This is a catastrophe in the making gizmodo.com/rfk-jr-says-...

Go worms! #worm25

Huge thanks to Cathy Savage-Dunn @cswormlab.bsky.social and Baris Tursun @baristursun.bsky.social for an amazing #worm25 !! I want to call out the OUTSTANDING meeting they created! Talks and posters were A+++. Most of all they brought us together in one of the most challenging times we've had.

c. elegans, ba-ba-bah #worm25

CNN story updated with specifics: "the administration is specifically considering a full termination of federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems. A White House official said Friday afternoon that no final decision had been made on the cuts."

Dear lord: "On Capitol Hill, at least one committee was told recently by a whistleblower that all research grants to the state were going to be cancelled." The U of Cali system alone accounts for $4B+ per year in federal R&D. If true, let's hope for another all-or-nothing fight like Harvard's.

Now there's a memorable stat! "Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined." wapo.st/3EvzMCI

in these bleak times for US science and society, it was so wonderful to connect and celebrate with Ruvkun lab members from the decades. i can't believe postdocs and students i met 33 yrs ago in college still remember me. thanks Gary for giving me a chance and showing me everything cool in science!

Great news: NIH postbac program is recruiting again! If your grad school plans were affected by program cutbacks or admissions freezes this year I highly encourage you to apply, this could be a perfect opportunity. Please repost. www.training.nih.gov/research-tra...

Trump and Musk are demanding NIH cut 35% of contracts. That will devastate NIH science and grant funding — many of the contracts support people doing extramural work, or extramural/grant databases. Moreover, the number is bullshit. They just made it up. There is no need—and in fact, it's illegal.

STILL no New or Competing Renewal awards from NIGMS. Only NIGMS seems to not be making these awards.

FG repeats drive co-clustering of nuclear pores and P granules in the C. elegans germline Read this #OpenAccess Research Article by Laura Thomas, Devavrat Bodas and Geraldine Seydoux: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

It's going to be a brutal day at the NIH. Never forget what the Republicans have done to science. I never want to hear that there is "bipartisan support for research" ever again. Congress could step in at any moment.

It's our turn apparently. #thetop60 #winning nypost.com/2025/04/01/u...

A scientist in Marc Kirschner's lab

This is what breaks my heart. These young people who are so eager and full of promise and who are the next generation of Nobel Prize winners, scientists inventors, teachers. #Trump and #Musk have destroyed it all. www.wired.com/story/the-ch...

$25 C. elegans genomes!!! Let's do some forward genetic screens!

This is a shocking lack of courage from Stanford. Stanford is allowing Bhattacharya to go emeritus instead of calling him out—for all he got wrong on COVID and for all the rank garbage he wrote in rightwing sites from Epoch Times to NYPost Opinion. Stanford will own the damage to NIH that he does.

One of my Bsky posts and a bit of my ranting in this article. Yet another bone-headed move aimed at destroying the American scientific enterprise. www.chemistryworld.com/news/bill-to...

mRNA vaccines are legit a near-miracle tech, there's one in testing that might be able to cure pancreatic cancer, and this fucking degenerate might take them from us arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

I’m a biomedical researcher who lost his wife to cancer. Finding cures is personal to me. What’s happening at the NIH is devastating. Here’s my editorial in my hometown newspaper. www.vindy.com/opinion/edit...

Scientists have just cured pancreatic cancer in some patients with personalized mRNA vaccines. Pancreatic cancer. And this Trump administration wants to throw it all away. They’re throwing away a cure for cancer.

Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage

NEW: Biggest Federal Employee Unions Says Shutdown is Preferable to Elon/Trump CR talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/bigge...

Per a source with knowledge, external access to NIH's Enterprise Directory, which includes names and work contact info for NIH staff and contractors, may be shut off by tomorrow night. It is working as of now. ned.nih.gov/search/

UMASS IS RESCINDING ALL GRAD POSITIONS FOR THIS YEAR

Wondering if your PO, SRO, or other NIH official is still at NIH? Tara pointed out this useful search tool. Unfortunately my MIRA PO, who just took over this portfolio in December, is no longer listed. 💔

Seriously just fucking shut March Madness down

i think shutting the government down is preferably to nullifying article i of the constitution

We are getting a LOT of messages asking "why say the Democratic Senators need to be pressured, aren't they doing everything they can?" No, they are not. Not close. Democrats in the Senate are going along with what Republican Senators want, because they want to be buddy-buddy with those R's. 1/2

Cutting funds for science and research will save you a penny on the dollar but may one day cost you a life that you love.

I have confirmation from several sources now that all T32s, many F30s and F31s, and most or all Center awards (P30, P50) have been terminated at Columbia. This is quite damaging to research and to individuals. This is pure terrorism and cannot be legal. But litigation will take time...

Goes without saying that this list of schools includes some of the largest recipients of #NIH grants.

I got your waste, fraud, and abuse right here

For the Idaho Statesman 🥔, Professor Melanie Samuel explains how science funding drives cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer— and the devastating impact of mass firings in Health & Human Services. Happy Homecoming 🧪🧬🔬🏠 www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/read...

I have several scientific pet peeves: Comic sans in presentations, "statistically significant" differences that aren't substantially different, and GO terms. They can be misleading and are often so broad as to be meaningless. GO Team: Hold my beer. GO big or GO home. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This is a really excellent and accurate description of the situation (though I wish they’d tied in long term impact RE innovation and the economy). Some screenshots in the reply 1/4 www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Thousands of grant applications had been stalled when the Trump administration blocked the National Institutes of Health from posting notices to the Federal Register.

“I don't think we have two years to plan and fight back. I think we have months.” Senator Chris Murphy, Democratic Senator, Connecticut