Scott Nichols
@scottnichols.bsky.social
📤 1875
📥 2307
📝 46
Associate Professor of Biology @ University of Denver. Sponges, evolution, cell biology.
pinned post!
Happy to announce our latest paper! A fresh look at the sponge Aggregation Factor, a glycoprotein complex involved in self-recognition and adhesion. Previously thought to be sponge-specific, we report compelling structural links with proteins found in all animals!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2409125121
about 1 year ago
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Help with invert ID? Point lobos, Carmel CA. I don’t know what either the yellow or the while things are. White looks like it has two siphons, yellow has only one. Thinking the yellow might be a keyhole limpet? No idea about the white one….
2 days ago
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Stephen Heard
2 days ago
It's official - my new book is officially published today! If you mentor science students who write - grad or undergrad - you're the reason we wrote this. Mentoring/teaching writing is hard; but we can make it easier!
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It’s publication day! “Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences”
Ok, we’re seriously excited – not for tonight’s fireworks, but because after several years of work, our new book is officially published today! That’s right – Teaching and Mentoring Writers i…
https://scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/its-publication-day-teaching-and-mentoring-writers-in-the-sciences/
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Katerina Ragkousi
2 days ago
In our recent paper, we used surface proteomics, gene knockout and imaging approaches to examine the role of an NCAM protein in sea anemone epithelia. "An abundant membrane protein in the NCAM superfamily is required for epithelial organization in sea anemone embryos"
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Maximilian Ganser
6 days ago
Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of: A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids. A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
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Adrian Woolfson
7 days ago
My review of Max Telford’s excellent new book ‘The Tree of Life’ by
@maxjtelford.bsky.social
published today in the Wall Street Journal
@wsj.com
@wwnorton.com
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
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‘The Tree of Life’ Review: The Ancestor at the Root of It All
Properly deciphering the branching pathways of evolution could unlock the history of every component of natural biology.
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/the-tree-of-life-review-the-ancestor-at-the-root-of-it-all-e50b7a04?st=YxgjZN&reflink=article_imessage_share
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Total Internal Reflection🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦
8 days ago
Tour de force
#UExM
study of
#protist
#cytoskeleton
structures (>200 species🤯), led by
@dudinlab.bsky.social
,
@gautamdey.bsky.social
. A must for
#tubulin
&
#centrin
aficionados🤩
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
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Charting the landscape of cytoskeletal diversity in microbial eukaryotes
An imaging resource of over 200 microbial eukaryotic species provides a glimpse into the remarkable universe of cytoskeletal diversity.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01127-4
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Sergio Muñoz-Gómez
10 days ago
End-of-year preprint dump! A collaboration with
@messorensen.bsky.social
and German and Korean colleagues: "The phylogenetic context for the origin of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis "
doi.org/10.64898/202...
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Prakash Lab @ Miami
10 days ago
🚨 POSTDOC OPENING 🚨 NIH-funded Bio-Fluid Mechanics Postdoc in my lab
@univmiami.bsky.social
Hofstenia miamia | cilia-driven flows | behavior & neuroscience Collab w/ Mansi Srivastava
@harvard.edu
🕒 Start: Jan–Feb 2026 ⏳ 1 yr, renewable | Email me ASAP!
#Postdoc
#Biophysics
#FluidDynamics
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Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
11 days ago
Excited to share the final version of our study on Nematostella cell type regulatory programs. Part of our
@erc.europa.eu
StG project, this was a challenging 5-year effort extraodinarily led by
@aelek.bsky.social
and
@martaig.bsky.social
.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Decoding cnidarian cell type gene regulation - Nature Ecology & Evolution
This study reconstructs the gene regulatory networks that define cell types in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, providing a valuable resource for comparative regulatory genomics and the evoluti...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02906-1
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Chris Wallace
11 days ago
I have seen many people say that no academic needs to use LLMs for writing, because of course we are all already excellent at writing. I fear that risks exacerbating imposter syndrome in early career researchers. I therefore want to raise my hand and say while I enjoy writing, I find it hard.
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Gautam Dey
14 days ago
Thanks
@jcellsci.bsky.social
for this opportunity to contribute to your centenary collection with our take on the state of the field - 10 years after its modern reincarnation 🧪🌍 W/
@alebenoit.bsky.social
@eelcotromer.bsky.social
@fritzlaylin.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
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Evolutionary cell biology comes of age
Summary: This Perspective discusses how the discipline of evolutionary cell biology, by integrating evolutionary theory, comparative physiology and modern molecular approaches, works to understand how...
https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/138/24/jcs264348/370175/Evolutionary-cell-biology-comes-of-age
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Pawel Burkhardt
16 days ago
Thrilled to see our review article "The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins" highlighted on the cover of Nature Reviews Neuroscience 🤩.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@msarscentre.bsky.social
🧠✨🧬🌊🪼🧽
add a skeleton here at some point
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Long Term Ecological Research Network (United States)
16 days ago
Like living in an extraordinarily beautiful place? Excited about world class aquatic research, education, and outreach? Flathead Lake Biological Station is seeking a new Director:
apply.interfolio.com/178916
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Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
https://apply.interfolio.com/178916
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Ted Morgan
25 days ago
The new Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) Program page is posted. Please contact us at
[email protected]
if you have questions.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
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Enabling Discovery Through Genomics (EDGE)
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/edge-enabling-discovery-through-genomics
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Max Telford
23 days ago
Some more shenanigans on the Ctenophora Porifera debate from
@rcply.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
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Sponges, ctenophores and the statistical significance of syntenies
Abstract. Shared fusions between ancestral chromosomal linkage groups have previously been used to support phylogenetic groupings, notably sponges with cni
https://academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-article/doi/10.1093/molbev/msaf321/8373738?login=false
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ASM
24 days ago
How do microbes shape animal life? From Lyme disease control to applications of the vibrio-squid symbiosis, the Fall 2025 Microcosm uncovers the vital ties between animals, microbes and the people and environments with which they interact.🔗
asm.social/2Jc
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Mark Mandel
23 days ago
Read
@jtsangwrites.bsky.social
's article about the squid-vibrio symbiosis in the latest
@asm.org
Microcosm magazine!
add a skeleton here at some point
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Nat Clarke
25 days ago
Interested in cell adhesion, evolution of multicellularity, or developing tools for emerging marine models? My lab at UM is hiring a postdoc, and the application is now open: 🔗
tinyurl.com/28jvu4aa
If you know anyone looking for a postdoc, please pass this along!
add a skeleton here at some point
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Julie Maresca
about 1 month ago
Oh hey congratulations
@oliverio.bsky.social
@rmshepherd.bsky.social
@hbrappap.bsky.social
on the awesome thermophilic amoeba story!
add a skeleton here at some point
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Manuel Thery
about 1 month ago
The law of the jungle. Interactions of cells in a collective lead to global rotation. In 80% of the case HUVEC cells turn clockwise. How many cells does it take for this to happen?
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John Wallingford
about 1 month ago
SAVE THE DATE! Stoked to organize the 2026 Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting with
@rashmi-priya.bsky.social
,
@lowelab.bsky.social
, and Shelbi Russell. Come learn about Biomedicine, Biomechanics, and the Biosphere, August 24-28, 2026. Registration dates, etc., coming soon! Please RT
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🧬Jacob L Steenwyk
about 2 months ago
NEW pub in
@science.org
🥳 Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life? For over 15 years,
#phylogenomic
studies have been divided. We provide new evidence suggesting that... 🔗:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Nature Reviews Neuroscience
about 2 months ago
The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution — a Review by Jeffrey J. Colgren & Pawel Burkhardt
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social
@pawelburkhardt.bsky.social
#neuroscience
#neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were co-opted into functional assemblies and...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-025-00983-6?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nrn
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Max Telford
2 months ago
I've written a piece about great new article by
@thibautbrunet.bsky.social
, Chantal Combredet & Mylan Ansel. (
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
)
theconversation.com/how-the-firs...
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How the first animals evolved – a new clue from a tiny relative
Meet the choanoflagellates - the microscopic cousins of animals.
https://theconversation.com/how-the-first-animals-evolved-a-new-clue-from-a-tiny-relative-268238
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Pawel Burkhardt
2 months ago
First neurons didn’t appear overnight. We trace their roots to ancient secretory cells - showing how lifestyle & behavior shaped the evolution of first synapses.🧠🌊
#Evolution
#Neuroscience
Our latest in
@natrevneuro.nature.com
Link:
rdcu.be/eMX3E
@jeffcolgren.bsky.social
@msarscentre.bsky.social
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The evolutionary origins of synaptic proteins and their changing roles in different organisms across evolution
Nature Reviews Neuroscience - Recent studies have shed further light on the evolutionary origins of chemical synapses, In this Review, Colgren and Burkhardt explore how ancient proteins were...
https://rdcu.be/eMX3E
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Prachee Avasthi
3 months ago
We have a bunch of new job ads out
@arcadiascience.com
. If you haven’t checked them out, take a look!
www.arcadiascience.com/careers
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Careers | Arcadia Science
Evolve with Arcadia.
https://www.arcadiascience.com/careers
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Tom Williams
3 months ago
There's a PhD position now available with me in Bath, on the evolution of symbiosis.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
. The supervisory team also includes
@anja1.bsky.social
@phil-donoghue.bsky.social
and others. NB, this is open both to UK-based students *and* to international students :)
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The genomic basis of symbiotic integration at University of Bath on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - The genomic basis of symbiotic integration at University of Bath, listed on FindAPhD.com
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/the-genomic-basis-of-symbiotic-integration/?p187773
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Nat Clarke
3 months ago
🚨 My lab is hiring at all levels! Interested in animal origins & evolutionary cell biology? I'm recruiting a postdoc, PhD students & a research assistant to study the molecular evolution of cell adhesion using marine invertebrates + comparative genomics. 🔗:
clarkelab.com/join/
Please repost!
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Steve Haddock
4 months ago
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!! 30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing. Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea.
#bioluminescence
#fluorescence
🦑🧪🌊
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Mike the Mad Biologist and "Radical Left Scum"
4 months ago
Jared Polis wants Coloradans to get sick.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Raphaël Clément
4 months ago
Mechanosensation and fast reorientation of ciliary structures: Marvin's work on the surprising locomotion capabilities of Trichoplax, an animal without neurons!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Extinct blog
4 months ago
Soooo. I have a new paper on the origin and spread of the expression "Cambrian explosion," with some fun mid-twentieth century paleo, as well as some remarks on post-Wonderful Life shenanigans. Also, Darwin, Lyell, Simpson, Preston Cloud, TC Chamberlin and more!
www.extinctblog.org/palaeonews/2...
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Max's new Cambrian paper — Extinct
Since I just posted my new paper on the historical challenge of classifying the Ediacaran biota , let me shamelessly promote another new paper, this one on the origin of the expression “Cambrian expl...
https://www.extinctblog.org/palaeonews/2025/8/25/maxs-new-cambrian-paper
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Cell adhesions (magenta) at the leading edge of a sponge epithelium at the interface with the coverslip substrate.
5 months ago
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Tera Levin
5 months ago
I'm excited to announce our new biorxiv preprint, wherein we investigate the evolution of the weirdest genetic locus I've ever seen! Behold the tgr genes of the social amoeba, which mediate self/non-self discrimination during facultative multicellularity 🐅 🧵 1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Hypermutable hotspot enables the rapid evolution of self/non-self recognition genes in Dictyostelium
Cells require highly polymorphic receptors to perform accurate self/non-self recognition. In the amoeba Dicytostelium discoideum, polymorphic TgrB1 & TgrC1 proteins are used to bind sister cells and e...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.01.668227v1
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Harmit Singh Malik
5 months ago
Extra kudos and thanks to all the staff at NIH and NSF and other federal funding agencies for working extra hard in very small windows of opportunity to get grants reviewed and funds released before the attention-addled federal policies change again (on an hourly basis).
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Bhamla Lab @ Georgia Tech
5 months ago
Hiring 4 postdocs — organismal biophysics, soft robotics, frugal Raman diagnostics, or your own bold idea. 3-year funding, $65K+ benefits. GT (Atlanta) now → CU Boulder BioFrontiers Institute in Fall ’26. PDF/details in next post. Tag/share if someone comes to mind. 🧪🪲🪳#livingphysics
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Dr. Brooke Weigel
5 months ago
✨Dream job alert!✨ Come join our Oceans Department at Stanford University! We are hiring an Assistant Professor. This faculty search focuses on 3 major areas: Oceans & global change, Ocean technologies & solutions, or Human dimensions of oceans 🌊
facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/49...
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Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Assistant Professor in Oceans
https://facultypositions.stanford.edu/en-us/job/494870/assistant-professor-in-oceans
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Marine Biological Laboratory
5 months ago
We're thrilled to announce the largest private gift in our 137-year history: a $25 million unrestricted donation from MBL Whitman Scientist Mark Terasaki. His extraordinary generosity will bolster our renowned research and education programs. 🔬 Learn more:
bit.ly/452WL1m
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MBL Announces Largest Ever Gift for Its Renowned Biological Education and Research Programs | Marine Biological Laboratory
Cell Biology Researcher Mark Terasaki’s $25 Million Unrestricted Gift Will Support Operations and Infrastructure Contact: Samantha Cummis
[email protected]
; 973.800.4119
https://bit.ly/452WL1m
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Citizen Cohn / Jonathan Cohn
5 months ago
“A nuclear bomb dropped on cancer research” Must-read
@donmoyn.bsky.social
about a new Trump administration attack on NIH funding
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/alert-the-...
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Alert: The Trump administration is quietly slashing new NIH grant awards, and it's not via the budget
NIH’s sudden move to multiyear grant funding is forcing shocking cuts in the number of grants funded. This is an effective budget cut. It's bad, folks.
https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/alert-the-trump-administration-is
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Nature
5 months ago
These members of the NIH Council of Councils are voicing serious concerns about NIH grant terminations, restructure, and budget cuts
go.nature.com/46Vr8t2
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Protect the integrity of the US National Institutes of Health
Letter to the Editor
https://go.nature.com/46Vr8t2
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Scott Nichols
Please help get the word out - We are hiring at all levels (graduate students, technicians, and postdocs)! If you are interested in sponges, cell biology, evolution, immunity, and symbiosis, please don’t hesitate to contact me to learn more.
6 months ago
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Not the very best picture, but the first Toucan I’ve ever seen.
6 months ago
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Katherine Xue
6 months ago
The Xue lab at UC Irvine is looking for a staff scientist to support our work investigating how microbes interact and evolve in the gut microbiome! Open to a wide range of previous experience levels, see ad for more.
recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09601
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Junior, Assistant, or Associate Specialist – Xue Lab
University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!
https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09601
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Please help get the word out - We are hiring at all levels (graduate students, technicians, and postdocs)! If you are interested in sponges, cell biology, evolution, immunity, and symbiosis, please don’t hesitate to contact me to learn more.
6 months ago
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Khoa
6 months ago
Using time series graphs to make causal claims be like
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Dan Sloan
6 months ago
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
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Sloan Lab
Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...
https://sites.google.com/site/danielbsloan
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Dr. Lauren E. Fuess
6 months ago
Celebrating this Friday evening!! After 7 long months I can finally share that I have received an NSF CAREER award to study the link between bleaching and disease in cnidarians!! Stay tuned for more info about postdoc and graduate student positions!
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Dr Alessio Veneziano
7 months ago
US
#science
🧪 is being wrecked and its leaders are ignoring it as it is just a 4yr phase, instead of using their power to fight back. History remembers the 12 profs who stood against the italian fascist regime, not the hundreds who took its oath. (1/2)
arstechnica.com/science/2025...
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US science is being wrecked, and its leadership is fighting the last war
Facing an extreme budget, the National Academies hosted an event that ignored it.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/us-science-is-being-wrecked-and-its-leadership-is-fighting-the-last-war/
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Gert Wörheide
8 months ago
We just published our first paper in the Peer Community Journal - diamond open access, no APCs! Awesome experience, with less than a week from submission after receommendation by
#pcigenomics
. Highly recommended!
#molpalmuc
@lmumuenchen.bsky.social
@peercommunityin.bsky.social
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Genomic changes are varied across congeneric species pairs of animals
https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.563/
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@LaBonneLaB
8 months ago
It is beyond disturbing when the NIH and HHS Directors do not understand that animal models are essential in research
www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/a...
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There is no replacement (yet) for animal models in medical research
The NIH is “reducing animal use in research.” But there is no replacement for animal models.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/19/animal-models-research-nih-biology-medical-breakthroughs-nobel-prize/
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