Alexandra Lion, PhD
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alexandralion.bsky.social
Alexandra Lion, PhD
@alexandralion.bsky.social
PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry. Currently in the Lehoczky Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School studying mammalian digit regeneration competency || MBL Embryology '24 Alumni
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Our new collaborative paper with Cyndi Bradham's lab at BU, led by first author @alexandralion.bsky.social is out in @devbiol.bsky.social & featured on the Sept 2025 cover! 😀🥳

PFAS (PFOA & GenX) disrupt sea urchin embryo development!
Cover art: embryos + flow fields
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.yd...
September 17, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
The NIH is asking scientists and the public to comment on plans to drastically limit animal model research. If you think animal models remain important tools for basic and clinical research tell them! Click the link below and scroll down to send your comments!

www.fda.gov/news-events/...
FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing
The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.
www.fda.gov
July 11, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Alcian blue staining of cartilage in a two-headed zebrafish embryo. Credit to @jakeleyhr.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
May 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081
April 25, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
My group is hiring a new Postdoc to work on gene regulation and chromatin in Nematostella. Please RT!
For more information see here:
gahanlab.com
tinyurl.com/34xke35d
April 8, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
it's a hard and sad time in science / higher ed in the US right now. on the other hand, lots of PhDs are looking for work, so I wanted to share—

I'm hiring a postdoc!

it's a two-year position at UCSC to do (preferably Bayesian) modeling of marine ecosystems: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01892
Postdoctoral Scholar in Quantitative Marine Ecology
University of California, Santa Cruz is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucsc.edu
April 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
NSF GRFP Awards by the Year:
2021 - 2074
2022 - 2193
2023 - 2555
2024 - 2036
2025 - 1000

Again, these funding cuts will have drastic longterm effects on the scientific future of the US.......

@jeremymberg.bsky.social @altnih4science.bsky.social
April 8, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
When your kids ask you what you did to save US science in the crisis of ‘25, you will say that you showed up! Please spread the word and join us!!
@standupforscience.bsky.social
March 3, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Inside the lobby at NSF…
February 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
A new analysis confirms links between early life #PFAS exposure and stunted “cognitive, motor, and language development” as well as “behavioral issues like hyperactivity.”

#foreverchemicals appear to be damaging children’s brains, and not only highly exposed kids.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39888511/
Effects of Early-life PFAS Exposure on Child Neurodevelopment: A Review of the Evidence and Research gaps - PubMed
Sixty-one studies in total were published from 2008 to March 2024, with 35 in the last five years. Findings primarily link early life PFAS exposure to reduced cognitive, motor, and language developmen...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
February 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
All study section and council meetings suspended until at least 2/2
They have also suspended all NIH travel including for study sections
Here it comes #science folks: Trump has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media posts including officials at the National Institutes of Health
January 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Our second post, and it's another successful defense! Congratulations, @alexandralion.bsky.social 🎉 🎊
December 20, 2024 at 7:19 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Congratulations Dr. Alex Lion!! So proud of you and your fantastic thesis defense on Wednesday! Excited for what's next on your horizons!!
December 20, 2024 at 3:32 PM
I'm very excited to announce that yesterday I successfully defended my dissertation "Sea Urchin Morphogenesis: Teratogenesis and P-bodies" at Boston University. I am extremely thankful for all of the love and support I have received, and am looking forward to this next phase of my career ❤️👩‍🔬🧪
December 19, 2024 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
#DBfeature #SeaUrchin🌊

Visualizing metabolic regulation using metabolic biosensors during sea urchin embryogenesis

by Aidan Furze, Ashley Waldron, Mamiko Yajima
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
December 13, 2024 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
There are so many #morphogenesis researchers here!
My first starter pack is full!
Here is Part 2: go.bsky.app/K6YYKeC

#devbio #cellbio #science

Tell me if I should add you but try to make sure, that you're not already in Part 1.
I cannot cross-reference everyone 😅

Part 1: go.bsky.app/RzDD9or
November 27, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
These Friday lab critiques are awesome fun. Here are some views from a ct scan of a sea urchin and its feeding apparatus, Aristotle's lantern.
🧪🐡
November 22, 2024 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Deadline for applying to the Embryology Course at the MBL in Woods Hole, MA is near! 6 weeks of a unique hands-on experience. Substantial aid available. Due date: January 10. Apply here: www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
January 6, 2024 at 6:03 AM
Excited for my first post on Bluesky to be a new preprint announcement! Read about the effect of PFAS chemicals PFOA and Gen X on sea urchin larval development; we characterize defects to skeletal patterning, neural development and function and more. 🧪👩‍🔬🌊
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
PFAS Compounds PFOA and Gen X are Teratogenic to Sea Urchin Embryos
Per-and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that are used to make fluoropolymer coatings found in many products, such as non-stick pans, clothing, cosmetics, and food packaging. ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 22, 2024 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Alexandra Lion, PhD
Development’s Special Issue 'Uncovering Developmental Diversity' is now complete. #DevSIDiversity

Explore the full ToC, including review-type articles and research papers highlighting 32 different organisms from across the multicellular tree of life:

journals.biologists.com/dev/issue/15...
November 20, 2024 at 4:48 PM