Ann C. Morris
@anncmorris.bsky.social
Biologist studying retinal development and regeneration at the University of Kentucky. Books, baking, birds, bourbon.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Save the date! The organizers of the Midwest Zebrafish Meeting would like to personally invite you to attend their next gathering, which will be held June 24–26, 2026, at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Check out this thread for more details about the conference!👇 #zebrafish 🧪
February 8, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Save the date! The organizers of the Midwest Zebrafish Meeting would like to personally invite you to attend their next gathering, which will be held June 24–26, 2026, at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Check out this thread for more details about the conference!👇 #zebrafish 🧪
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
New preprint out!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
One of the most salient lessons I learned in all my adventures with screening and protein engineering is the importance of context. The context in which you test a gene or protein determines what function it has.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
One of the most salient lessons I learned in all my adventures with screening and protein engineering is the importance of context. The context in which you test a gene or protein determines what function it has.
February 6, 2026 at 4:32 PM
New preprint out!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
One of the most salient lessons I learned in all my adventures with screening and protein engineering is the importance of context. The context in which you test a gene or protein determines what function it has.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
One of the most salient lessons I learned in all my adventures with screening and protein engineering is the importance of context. The context in which you test a gene or protein determines what function it has.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Since it has been twenty years since I shot film, I forgot the wonderful Schrödinger's film roll feeling of having your photos be both genius and garbage at the same time while they remain undeveloped.
January 30, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Since it has been twenty years since I shot film, I forgot the wonderful Schrödinger's film roll feeling of having your photos be both genius and garbage at the same time while they remain undeveloped.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Our paper on TCBE-Umax is out in @natbiomedeng.nature.com!
We developed these high-efficiency cytosine base editors for zebrafish, enabling rapid functional testing of disease variants. This work is led by a talented scientist, Wei Qin.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We developed these high-efficiency cytosine base editors for zebrafish, enabling rapid functional testing of disease variants. This work is led by a talented scientist, Wei Qin.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
High-efficiency TadA cytosine base editors for precise modelling of human disease variants - Nature Biomedical Engineering
A suite of TadA-derived cytosine base editors was optimized to improve efficiency, reduce sequence bias, expand PAM compatibility and minimize artefacts, enabling precise genetic interrogation of vari...
www.nature.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Our paper on TCBE-Umax is out in @natbiomedeng.nature.com!
We developed these high-efficiency cytosine base editors for zebrafish, enabling rapid functional testing of disease variants. This work is led by a talented scientist, Wei Qin.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We developed these high-efficiency cytosine base editors for zebrafish, enabling rapid functional testing of disease variants. This work is led by a talented scientist, Wei Qin.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
At some point I will do Quatermass and the Pit as a radio play and replace the Quatermass character with Lt. Columbo. Tomorrow is too soon since I'm out of fresh veggies so can't dissect any martians.
January 27, 2026 at 8:32 PM
At some point I will do Quatermass and the Pit as a radio play and replace the Quatermass character with Lt. Columbo. Tomorrow is too soon since I'm out of fresh veggies so can't dissect any martians.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
A new study by Barbara Murdoch and colleagues reveals diverse bacterial communities inside scorpion venom secretions, with differences due to geography and between the two species studied, Paruoctonus becki and Anuroctonus phaiodactylus.
plos.io/4tfd7zk
plos.io/4tfd7zk
Microbiota discovered in scorpion venom
With low nutrient availability and presence of numerous antimicrobial peptides, animal venoms have been traditionally considered to be harsh sterile environments that lack bacteria. Contrary to this…
journals.plos.org
January 27, 2026 at 1:33 PM
A new study by Barbara Murdoch and colleagues reveals diverse bacterial communities inside scorpion venom secretions, with differences due to geography and between the two species studied, Paruoctonus becki and Anuroctonus phaiodactylus.
plos.io/4tfd7zk
plos.io/4tfd7zk
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
With this snow storm coming, I should probably top off the dog's neck cask.
January 23, 2026 at 2:32 PM
With this snow storm coming, I should probably top off the dog's neck cask.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Selling my Academy of American Poets award. It's not a medal, just a letter, but it will make you a poet if you buy it from me.
January 16, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Selling my Academy of American Poets award. It's not a medal, just a letter, but it will make you a poet if you buy it from me.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Shot one roll of color and one black and white, and now I'm sending them to the past to get developed.
January 16, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Shot one roll of color and one black and white, and now I'm sending them to the past to get developed.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
A new paper from my lab. I will have a full description soon. rdcu.be/eX1Ld
ipRGC properties prevent light from shifting the SCN clock during daytime
Nature - The inability of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells to shift the circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus during daytime is caused by light-dependent depolarization...
rdcu.be
January 7, 2026 at 5:17 PM
A new paper from my lab. I will have a full description soon. rdcu.be/eX1Ld
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
whole-genome data for 7 rhododendron
~50% transposable elements (TEs) 🤩
TEs significantly associate w genomic differentiation & structural variances
Gene duplication & loss significantly associated w flower color & expression potentially driven by TEs
🧪🪴🌸🌺🧬
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
~50% transposable elements (TEs) 🤩
TEs significantly associate w genomic differentiation & structural variances
Gene duplication & loss significantly associated w flower color & expression potentially driven by TEs
🧪🪴🌸🌺🧬
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 10, 2026 at 1:48 PM
whole-genome data for 7 rhododendron
~50% transposable elements (TEs) 🤩
TEs significantly associate w genomic differentiation & structural variances
Gene duplication & loss significantly associated w flower color & expression potentially driven by TEs
🧪🪴🌸🌺🧬
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
~50% transposable elements (TEs) 🤩
TEs significantly associate w genomic differentiation & structural variances
Gene duplication & loss significantly associated w flower color & expression potentially driven by TEs
🧪🪴🌸🌺🧬
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Fun! Link to original research: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
January 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Fun! Link to original research: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
LEGO blocks aren’t just for kids 🐟
Research from Dr. Sarah Alderman’s lab @integrativebiology.bsky.social shows zebrafish raised with LEGO early in life learn faster, show less anxiety-like behaviour & handle stress better than those raised in barren environments
🗞️: www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/202...
Research from Dr. Sarah Alderman’s lab @integrativebiology.bsky.social shows zebrafish raised with LEGO early in life learn faster, show less anxiety-like behaviour & handle stress better than those raised in barren environments
🗞️: www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/202...
January 8, 2026 at 7:17 PM
LEGO blocks aren’t just for kids 🐟
Research from Dr. Sarah Alderman’s lab @integrativebiology.bsky.social shows zebrafish raised with LEGO early in life learn faster, show less anxiety-like behaviour & handle stress better than those raised in barren environments
🗞️: www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/202...
Research from Dr. Sarah Alderman’s lab @integrativebiology.bsky.social shows zebrafish raised with LEGO early in life learn faster, show less anxiety-like behaviour & handle stress better than those raised in barren environments
🗞️: www.uoguelph.ca/cbs/news/202...
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Looking for a postdoc? Work on vertebrates and have lab experience? Come be the lab manager/museum postdoc for the LSU Museum of Natural Science!
(It's a great stepping stone to being a curator!)
(It's a great stepping stone to being a curator!)
LSU Museum of Natural Sciences is hiring a postdoc! Come join our very active and supportive museum community. Applicants can work with any of the major divisions: 🐀🦜🦎🐸🐠
Review begins February 15th, please share!
lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LSU/job/0119...
Review begins February 15th, please share!
lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LSU/job/0119...
Postdoctoral Researcher
All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...
lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Looking for a postdoc? Work on vertebrates and have lab experience? Come be the lab manager/museum postdoc for the LSU Museum of Natural Science!
(It's a great stepping stone to being a curator!)
(It's a great stepping stone to being a curator!)
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 6, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Hey, science community (whoever is here). Can you please help me amplify this message? Postdoc position available in Düsseldorf!
January 5, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Hey, science community (whoever is here). Can you please help me amplify this message? Postdoc position available in Düsseldorf!
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
🧪 A fascinating discussion of the disjunct between biological systems and digital computation, that really emphasises the vast gulf between the neurons in our brains and the nodes in a computer-hosted neural network.
When we try to formalize a neuron computationally, we don't translate biology into code—we perform a violent collapse.
www.ocrampal.com/what-a-neuro...
#philosophy #science #psychology #AI #intelligence #physics #biology #philmind #philsci #philsky #philpsy #neurosky #neuroskyence
www.ocrampal.com/what-a-neuro...
#philosophy #science #psychology #AI #intelligence #physics #biology #philmind #philsci #philsky #philpsy #neurosky #neuroskyence
What a Neuron Teaches Us About Computation's Limits
When we try to formalize a neuron computationally, we don't translate biology into code—we perform a violent collapse. We lock causation into fixed arrows when biology lives in causal ambiguity. We sy...
www.ocrampal.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:11 PM
🧪 A fascinating discussion of the disjunct between biological systems and digital computation, that really emphasises the vast gulf between the neurons in our brains and the nodes in a computer-hosted neural network.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
I don't go around bragging about it, because I want to be known for my own accomplishments, but I am a direct descendant the first human.
January 1, 2026 at 9:36 PM
I don't go around bragging about it, because I want to be known for my own accomplishments, but I am a direct descendant the first human.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Join me this evening when I reduce complex philosophical ideas to bumpkin-y nonsense and poo jokes. Ever wonder why there's language? Me neither! Let's not break our streak. Miracle Nutrition on @wfmu.bsky.social WFMU tonight at 6 eastern. Shemp Jive!
January 1, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Join me this evening when I reduce complex philosophical ideas to bumpkin-y nonsense and poo jokes. Ever wonder why there's language? Me neither! Let's not break our streak. Miracle Nutrition on @wfmu.bsky.social WFMU tonight at 6 eastern. Shemp Jive!
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
I've had a couple estranged family members die before I could make peace wih them, and it really isn't as bad as you think.
January 1, 2026 at 10:34 PM
I've had a couple estranged family members die before I could make peace wih them, and it really isn't as bad as you think.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
📢 I'm hiring! 3-year postdoc in theoretical evolutionary ecology at University of Helsinki 🇫🇮 Apply: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Theoretical-Evolutionary-Biology/1348955157/
#AcademicJobs #Postdoc #EvolutionaryEcology #TheoreticalEcology #ScienceJobs #AcademicChatter
#AcademicJobs #Postdoc #EvolutionaryEcology #TheoreticalEcology #ScienceJobs #AcademicChatter
Postdoctoral Researcher in Theoretical Evolutionary Biology
Postdoctoral Researcher in Theoretical Evolutionary Biology
jobs.helsinki.fi
December 29, 2025 at 11:43 AM
📢 I'm hiring! 3-year postdoc in theoretical evolutionary ecology at University of Helsinki 🇫🇮 Apply: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Theoretical-Evolutionary-Biology/1348955157/
#AcademicJobs #Postdoc #EvolutionaryEcology #TheoreticalEcology #ScienceJobs #AcademicChatter
#AcademicJobs #Postdoc #EvolutionaryEcology #TheoreticalEcology #ScienceJobs #AcademicChatter
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Always wanted to be a mall Santa, but I figured I'd never be fat with a big white beard. Now I am, but there are no more malls.
December 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Always wanted to be a mall Santa, but I figured I'd never be fat with a big white beard. Now I am, but there are no more malls.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
What it looks like to me, a known simpleton, is that bourbon distilleries flooded the market years ago then tried to create artificial scarcity, then tried to destroy the hemp industry, now they are dramatically shuttering facities and blaming trade. Also, bourbon is really cheap and good right now.
December 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM
What it looks like to me, a known simpleton, is that bourbon distilleries flooded the market years ago then tried to create artificial scarcity, then tried to destroy the hemp industry, now they are dramatically shuttering facities and blaming trade. Also, bourbon is really cheap and good right now.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
I feel like life is a test and I got done early so now I'm just sitting here looking at my watch.
December 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I feel like life is a test and I got done early so now I'm just sitting here looking at my watch.
Reposted by Ann C. Morris
Made a site comparing the sizes of living things :)
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
December 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Made a site comparing the sizes of living things :)
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/