Justin Blumenstiel
@bdelloid.bsky.social
Evolution, Genomics, Genetics, Epigenetics, Transposons, Small RNAs, Meiosis, Politics, Music, Kansas....AND DROSOPHILA!!!
Freaked out ribosome and DNA truther doing my own research.
"We are our own reviewers" - Alejandro Montenegro
Freaked out ribosome and DNA truther doing my own research.
"We are our own reviewers" - Alejandro Montenegro
Pinned
Paul Simon was really ahead of his time when he asked his mother to not take his adrenochrome away.
January 9, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Paul Simon was really ahead of his time when he asked his mother to not take his adrenochrome away.
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Our eLetter github.com/caseywdunn/s... responding to a recent Science paper was just posted. The paper found more genes with consistent support for sponge-sister than ctenophore-sister. We found several technical issues that, when corrected, reverse the conclusions and recover ctenophore-sister.
January 9, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Our eLetter github.com/caseywdunn/s... responding to a recent Science paper was just posted. The paper found more genes with consistent support for sponge-sister than ctenophore-sister. We found several technical issues that, when corrected, reverse the conclusions and recover ctenophore-sister.
That settles it*. I'm on cteam ctenophore firsct.
*For now.
*For now.
January 9, 2026 at 3:21 PM
That settles it*. I'm on cteam ctenophore firsct.
*For now.
*For now.
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
I'm reminded of the words of the poet, de la Rocha.
Rep. Roger Williams: "People need to quit demonstrating, quit yelling at law enforcement, challenging law enforcement, and begin to get civil."
January 9, 2026 at 2:38 PM
I'm reminded of the words of the poet, de la Rocha.
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
you guys, i was just invited to actually write this. what is happening???
a grad student at another institution emailed me about their interest in my lab. they attached their thesis proposal, which contained several inaccuracies regarding my work. and also a reference that doesn't exist.
January 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
you guys, i was just invited to actually write this. what is happening???
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
The ICE murder of Renee Good and the failure of any cessation of the Grok CSAM and nonconsensual image generation are part of the same broader story about the establishment of elite impunity for transgressing all moral boundaries of a humanist civil society with individual rights
January 7, 2026 at 10:12 PM
The ICE murder of Renee Good and the failure of any cessation of the Grok CSAM and nonconsensual image generation are part of the same broader story about the establishment of elite impunity for transgressing all moral boundaries of a humanist civil society with individual rights
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Stress controls epigenetic inheritance!
A histone ubiquitylation-based regulatory hub links stress/environmental signaling to heterochromatin self-propagation and epigenetic inheritance-reshaping how we think about development, drug resistance, and cancer
👉 nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09899-8
A histone ubiquitylation-based regulatory hub links stress/environmental signaling to heterochromatin self-propagation and epigenetic inheritance-reshaping how we think about development, drug resistance, and cancer
👉 nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09899-8
January 7, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Stress controls epigenetic inheritance!
A histone ubiquitylation-based regulatory hub links stress/environmental signaling to heterochromatin self-propagation and epigenetic inheritance-reshaping how we think about development, drug resistance, and cancer
👉 nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09899-8
A histone ubiquitylation-based regulatory hub links stress/environmental signaling to heterochromatin self-propagation and epigenetic inheritance-reshaping how we think about development, drug resistance, and cancer
👉 nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09899-8
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
#RNAi is an ancestral #antiviral system that degrades viral RNA, but what about in #cnidarians? @yehumoran.bsky.social &co show that #Nematostella has an siRNA-mediated antiviral response that lacks 2ary amplification & functions as a short-term antiviral mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3N192OD
![dsRNA injection to N. vectensis zygotes triggers mild and transient gene knockdown. Top: Schematic representation of the dsRNA carrying eGFP sequence used in this study and of the transgene of the actin::eGFP line [40]. Bottom left: Heterozygous actin::eGFP embryos showing dimmer eGFP fluorescence 24 hpi of dsRNA carrying eGFP sequence (left) compared to scrambled eGFP sequence (right). Scale bars represent 500 µm. Bottom right: No difference in eGFP fluorescence of heterozygous actin::eGFP embryos is exhibited 72 hpi of dsRNA carrying eGFP sequence (left) compared to scrambled eGFP sequence (right). Scale bars represent 500 µm.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5522ztebtekoor5efelihqhb/bafkreibcytm7tkd5lfkqqb3opea5ptwopbn3yzlw633irru3v6eq2azxtq@jpeg)
January 7, 2026 at 1:58 PM
#RNAi is an ancestral #antiviral system that degrades viral RNA, but what about in #cnidarians? @yehumoran.bsky.social &co show that #Nematostella has an siRNA-mediated antiviral response that lacks 2ary amplification & functions as a short-term antiviral mechanism @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3N192OD
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
A fascinating case report.
The DNA of a female murder victim was genotyped and it turns out that she has been a chimera: a mixture of 46XX/46XY cell lines.
The analysis (STR-based) found:
1. The maternal chromosome was identical between the two cell lines.
www.fsigenetics.com/article/S187...
1/6
The DNA of a female murder victim was genotyped and it turns out that she has been a chimera: a mixture of 46XX/46XY cell lines.
The analysis (STR-based) found:
1. The maternal chromosome was identical between the two cell lines.
www.fsigenetics.com/article/S187...
1/6
Forensic analysis of a parthenogenetic 46, XX/46, XY congenital chimera: A case report
In forensic identification, chimerism is an extremely rare phenomenon in which DNA
samples can easily be misidentified as mixtures from two individuals. If only a single
cell population from the chime...
www.fsigenetics.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM
A fascinating case report.
The DNA of a female murder victim was genotyped and it turns out that she has been a chimera: a mixture of 46XX/46XY cell lines.
The analysis (STR-based) found:
1. The maternal chromosome was identical between the two cell lines.
www.fsigenetics.com/article/S187...
1/6
The DNA of a female murder victim was genotyped and it turns out that she has been a chimera: a mixture of 46XX/46XY cell lines.
The analysis (STR-based) found:
1. The maternal chromosome was identical between the two cell lines.
www.fsigenetics.com/article/S187...
1/6
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Alternatively, blame the dirty frequentists
January 6, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Alternatively, blame the dirty frequentists
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Who said that philosophical skepticism has no real world impacts. Pragmatism rekt
United Airlines Flight Diverted After Passenger Claims 'This Is a Simulation'
A United Airlines flight was diverted to Omaha after a disruptive passenger claimed "This is a simulation" and interfered with the crew.
www.travelpulse.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Who said that philosophical skepticism has no real world impacts. Pragmatism rekt
I was this many days old when I found out that the awesome song by the Breeder's "Drivin' on 9" was originally by Ed's Redeeming Qualities. Probably cuz the Carrie Bradley was in both bands...
January 3, 2026 at 2:59 AM
I was this many days old when I found out that the awesome song by the Breeder's "Drivin' on 9" was originally by Ed's Redeeming Qualities. Probably cuz the Carrie Bradley was in both bands...
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
This is some fascist s#!t from the Immigration enforcement folks in the US.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
December 31, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This is some fascist s#!t from the Immigration enforcement folks in the US.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
i follow a dj collective in brooklyn and their motto is no phones on the dance floor and they're the future
“Prominent artists have started to complain. Kaytranada, a Grammy-winning DJ, has called out stationary crowds. Tyler, the Creator, the rapper who has released four straight No. 1 albums, lamented in July that the threat of constant surveillance was killing dance for his generation.”
Suddenly Everyone Is Scared to Dance at Concerts and Clubs
More partygoers are worrying about looking goofy on camera, prompting some artists to wonder if social media is killing dance.
www.wsj.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:56 PM
i follow a dj collective in brooklyn and their motto is no phones on the dance floor and they're the future
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
We weren't even taught that mlk and Helen Keller were involved in labor organizing
Schools do everything they can to scrub our history of anything that might inspire us
Schools do everything they can to scrub our history of anything that might inspire us
December 30, 2025 at 3:48 PM
We weren't even taught that mlk and Helen Keller were involved in labor organizing
Schools do everything they can to scrub our history of anything that might inspire us
Schools do everything they can to scrub our history of anything that might inspire us
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
💯
I will renew my clarion call that the history of organized labor should e taught in every high school in this country
December 31, 2025 at 12:06 AM
💯
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
One of the all-time great poasters, Mike Fossey, passed away last week. RIP
December 30, 2025 at 8:34 PM
One of the all-time great poasters, Mike Fossey, passed away last week. RIP
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Five years ago today:
December 30, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Five years ago today:
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
AI learns from chromatin data to uncover gene interactions www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI learns from chromatin data to uncover gene interactions
Machine-learning tool for predicting gene expression.
www.nature.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:12 PM
AI learns from chromatin data to uncover gene interactions www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
Really encouraging to read. Highly recommended if you need a mood booster before the new year.
New post!
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
Medical breakthroughs in 2025
... and a happy new year.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev
December 30, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Really encouraging to read. Highly recommended if you need a mood booster before the new year.
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
New post!
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
Medical breakthroughs in 2025
... and a happy new year.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev
December 28, 2025 at 6:37 PM
New post!
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
There was a lot of innovation in medicine and biomedical research this year, and I've tried to summarize the biggest ones in this blogpost.
Medical breakthroughs in 2025. Plus a serious note at the end.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/medical-br...
Reposted by Justin Blumenstiel
2025 recapped
December 29, 2025 at 5:46 PM
2025 recapped
Very nice review by @anneroulin.bsky.social.
#TEsky Blinded by the lights? Re-examining the adaptive role of transposable elements in plants with population genomics doi.org/10.1016/j.pb...
Redirecting
doi.org
December 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Very nice review by @anneroulin.bsky.social.