Jill Townley
@jilltownley.bsky.social
RNA structure enthusiast 🧬, participatory science facilitator
I make science puzzles 🧩 eternagame.org
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8528-2227
Keyboard player 🎹 and singer 🎤 https://www.facebook.com/LondontoLiverpoolband
Portland, OR
I make science puzzles 🧩 eternagame.org
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8528-2227
Keyboard player 🎹 and singer 🎤 https://www.facebook.com/LondontoLiverpoolband
Portland, OR
"Through progressively more difficult challenges, Eterna players developed and documented new and productive RNA design strategies. We incorporated player-derived strategies into a Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm called ‘Nucleologic’ that allowed for automation of the RNA sensor design process."🧪
@eternagame got single RNAs to compute functions like all logic gates, A>B, and A*B/C^2, relevant for tuberculosis detection! Now looking for partners to scale to complex applications. Collab w/ Greenleaf Khatri labs @christianchoe.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social at
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Compact RNA sensors for increasingly complex functions of multiple inputs - Nature Chemistry
Designing single molecules capable of complex sensing functions is challenging. Now, using crowdsourced RNA designs from the online game Eterna, compact single-molecule sensors have been demonstrated ...
doi.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"Through progressively more difficult challenges, Eterna players developed and documented new and productive RNA design strategies. We incorporated player-derived strategies into a Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm called ‘Nucleologic’ that allowed for automation of the RNA sensor design process."🧪
Reposted by Jill Townley
Yes, mook. The President of the United States was effective at conveying to his nation that he wishes to dump feces on whatever plurality of its citizens are opposed to him and his policies. Statesmanship to remember alongside that of the greats. Leadership so rare.
Q: What does it say that president released a video of him pooping on the American people?
MIKE JOHNSON: You can argue he's probably the most effective person who has ever used social media. He's using satire to make a point. He's not calling for the murder of his political opponents.
MIKE JOHNSON: You can argue he's probably the most effective person who has ever used social media. He's using satire to make a point. He's not calling for the murder of his political opponents.
October 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Yes, mook. The President of the United States was effective at conveying to his nation that he wishes to dump feces on whatever plurality of its citizens are opposed to him and his policies. Statesmanship to remember alongside that of the greats. Leadership so rare.
Reposted by Jill Townley
"The employees 'were sent incorrect notifications, which was fixed last night and this morning with a technical correction,' a senior administration official said. 'Any correction has already been remedied.'" The nation is being run by idiots. Idiots with power. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error
www.nytimes.com
October 12, 2025 at 2:35 AM
"The employees 'were sent incorrect notifications, which was fixed last night and this morning with a technical correction,' a senior administration official said. 'Any correction has already been remedied.'" The nation is being run by idiots. Idiots with power. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
I don't know how template-based modeling works, but I'm excited to see it in action someday! 🧪 #RNAsky #machinelearning #bioinformatics
The results are in: top codes in Stanford #RNA 3D Folding @kaggle.com competition are competitive with CASP16-leading humans Vfold, beat AlphaFold 3. Top team’s trick was template-based modeling, not #DeepLearning. Congrats: john, odat, Eigen, + all 1706 participants! www.kaggle.com/competitions...
September 24, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I don't know how template-based modeling works, but I'm excited to see it in action someday! 🧪 #RNAsky #machinelearning #bioinformatics
Reposted by Jill Townley
This quote from @whysharksmatter.bsky.social pretty much explains this phenomenon:
"When I talk about fish on Bluesky, people ask me questions about fish. When I talk about fish on Twitter, people threaten to murder my family because we’re Jewish."
"When I talk about fish on Bluesky, people ask me questions about fish. When I talk about fish on Twitter, people threaten to murder my family because we’re Jewish."
August 29, 2025 at 8:10 AM
This quote from @whysharksmatter.bsky.social pretty much explains this phenomenon:
"When I talk about fish on Bluesky, people ask me questions about fish. When I talk about fish on Twitter, people threaten to murder my family because we’re Jewish."
"When I talk about fish on Bluesky, people ask me questions about fish. When I talk about fish on Twitter, people threaten to murder my family because we’re Jewish."
Reposted by Jill Townley
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
“Why Are We Funding This?”
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
www.americanscientist.org
August 18, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
Much-needed hike on Mt. Rainier yesterday to clear the mind. Lots of international visitors. America’s National Parks are very well-managed.
August 13, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Much-needed hike on Mt. Rainier yesterday to clear the mind. Lots of international visitors. America’s National Parks are very well-managed.
Reposted by Jill Townley
Coming up this weekend, Eternacon will feature presentations about fellow #citsci platform @zooniverse.bsky.social and how participants of both Zooniverse and Eterna have created #machinelearning tools for projects. @noirlabastro.bsky.social
Register for free at eternagame.org/eternacon/2025
Register for free at eternagame.org/eternacon/2025
July 23, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Coming up this weekend, Eternacon will feature presentations about fellow #citsci platform @zooniverse.bsky.social and how participants of both Zooniverse and Eterna have created #machinelearning tools for projects. @noirlabastro.bsky.social
Register for free at eternagame.org/eternacon/2025
Register for free at eternagame.org/eternacon/2025
Learn more about how Eterna puzzles are being used for RNA education and outreach at the middle school, high school, and college level in the latest RCSB PDB newsletter. 🧬 🧪
cdn.rcsb.org/rcsb-pdb/gen...
cdn.rcsb.org/rcsb-pdb/gen...
July 9, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Learn more about how Eterna puzzles are being used for RNA education and outreach at the middle school, high school, and college level in the latest RCSB PDB newsletter. 🧬 🧪
cdn.rcsb.org/rcsb-pdb/gen...
cdn.rcsb.org/rcsb-pdb/gen...
Sad to hear Donna Guardino has passed away. Sal and Donna opened their gallery on NE Alberta across the street from my video store shortly before I rented my storefront. They were great neighbors and we talked frequently.
www.orartswatch.org/donna-guardi...
www.orartswatch.org/donna-guardi...
Donna Guardino, gallery owner and a force behind the Alberta Arts District, dies at age 81 • Oregon ArtsWatch
A longtime icon in the Portland arts community, Guardino was known for championing the careers of new artists.
www.orartswatch.org
June 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Sad to hear Donna Guardino has passed away. Sal and Donna opened their gallery on NE Alberta across the street from my video store shortly before I rented my storefront. They were great neighbors and we talked frequently.
www.orartswatch.org/donna-guardi...
www.orartswatch.org/donna-guardi...
Looking forward to attending my first Conference for Advancing the Participatory Sciences this week and delivering a presentation during the Scientific Contributions session on how Eterna players created a large dataset of RNA sequences with pseudoknots for machine learning. 🧪
#CAPS2025
#CAPS2025
May 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Looking forward to attending my first Conference for Advancing the Participatory Sciences this week and delivering a presentation during the Scientific Contributions session on how Eterna players created a large dataset of RNA sequences with pseudoknots for machine learning. 🧪
#CAPS2025
#CAPS2025
Need help modeling your RNA pseudoknot? Stanford researchers have released the RibonanzaNet-SS neural net, which appears to be outperforming other pseudoknot modeling methods as demonstrated by the Tetrahymena ribozyme in Eterna Puzzlemaker. 🧪
April 1, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Need help modeling your RNA pseudoknot? Stanford researchers have released the RibonanzaNet-SS neural net, which appears to be outperforming other pseudoknot modeling methods as demonstrated by the Tetrahymena ribozyme in Eterna Puzzlemaker. 🧪
Are you a biochem professor attending the ASBMB annual meeting in April? @sarahsmaga.bsky.social and I will be leading a workshop on using the Eterna platform to introduce RNA pairing and folding in the undergraduate classroom: events.rdmobile.com/Sessions/Det...
Hope to see you there! 🧬
Hope to see you there! 🧬
March 27, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Are you a biochem professor attending the ASBMB annual meeting in April? @sarahsmaga.bsky.social and I will be leading a workshop on using the Eterna platform to introduce RNA pairing and folding in the undergraduate classroom: events.rdmobile.com/Sessions/Det...
Hope to see you there! 🧬
Hope to see you there! 🧬
Reposted by Jill Townley
I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired.
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
March 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired.
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
I will be leading an Eterna town hall on Monday, March 3, 2pm PT to discuss the experimental results of mutating an Azoarcus ribozyme while maintaining catalytic activity. Eterna players were able to make as many as 75 mutations (out of 193 bases). 🧪
Everyone welcome: eternagame.org/news/13879937
Everyone welcome: eternagame.org/news/13879937
Eterna
eternagame.org
February 26, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I will be leading an Eterna town hall on Monday, March 3, 2pm PT to discuss the experimental results of mutating an Azoarcus ribozyme while maintaining catalytic activity. Eterna players were able to make as many as 75 mutations (out of 193 bases). 🧪
Everyone welcome: eternagame.org/news/13879937
Everyone welcome: eternagame.org/news/13879937
Eterna is hosting a town hall this Monday at 2pm PT where three researchers from the Das Las will discuss CASP 16 RNA structure prediction, computational modeling of tertiary motifs, and pseudoknot design with deep learning.
Zoom link at: eternagame.org/news/13834808
Zoom link at: eternagame.org/news/13834808
Eterna
eternagame.org
January 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Eterna is hosting a town hall this Monday at 2pm PT where three researchers from the Das Las will discuss CASP 16 RNA structure prediction, computational modeling of tertiary motifs, and pseudoknot design with deep learning.
Zoom link at: eternagame.org/news/13834808
Zoom link at: eternagame.org/news/13834808
This new book demonstrates how participatory science has assisted researchers at different stages of the research process in many different fields. Engaging the public in the research process also is an effective way to foster public trust in science. 🧪
#citizenscience
#citizenscience
NEW BOOK
"HOW AND WHEN TO INVOLVE CROWDS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH" co-authored by Henry Sauerman and Marion Poetz. The book is available open access: www.sciencewithcrowds.org
"HOW AND WHEN TO INVOLVE CROWDS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH" co-authored by Henry Sauerman and Marion Poetz. The book is available open access: www.sciencewithcrowds.org
January 24, 2025 at 2:43 AM
This new book demonstrates how participatory science has assisted researchers at different stages of the research process in many different fields. Engaging the public in the research process also is an effective way to foster public trust in science. 🧪
#citizenscience
#citizenscience
Really cool to see Alphafold featured on CBS Sunday Morning during the "Good news you may have missed" year-end review, along with murder hornets, another great story.
John Jumper claimed determining the 3D structure of one #protein costs $100,000. Isn't it more in the $5,000-30,000 range?
John Jumper claimed determining the 3D structure of one #protein costs $100,000. Isn't it more in the $5,000-30,000 range?
December 29, 2024 at 11:23 PM
Really cool to see Alphafold featured on CBS Sunday Morning during the "Good news you may have missed" year-end review, along with murder hornets, another great story.
John Jumper claimed determining the 3D structure of one #protein costs $100,000. Isn't it more in the $5,000-30,000 range?
John Jumper claimed determining the 3D structure of one #protein costs $100,000. Isn't it more in the $5,000-30,000 range?
Reposted by Jill Townley
Need to find a US Senator to ask RFK Jr to please explain this
December 6, 2024 at 5:46 PM
Need to find a US Senator to ask RFK Jr to please explain this
A family member bought Tom Cech's book The Catalyst for me, and I'm really enjoying learning more about how the recent breakthroughs in RNA biology came about. The Eterna game is even featured on pages 84-87!
Available on Amazon: amzn.to/3OzsJu8
Available on Amazon: amzn.to/3OzsJu8
December 1, 2024 at 6:44 PM
A family member bought Tom Cech's book The Catalyst for me, and I'm really enjoying learning more about how the recent breakthroughs in RNA biology came about. The Eterna game is even featured on pages 84-87!
Available on Amazon: amzn.to/3OzsJu8
Available on Amazon: amzn.to/3OzsJu8
Are you a researcher needing to model the secondary structure of a long RNA sequence? The EternaFold server can model sequences up to 1000 nt in length. (Pseudoknots are not modeled.) Code is available for running larger jobs locally.
eternafold.eternagame.org
eternafold.eternagame.org
EternaFold
eternafold.eternagame.org
November 29, 2024 at 11:07 PM
Are you a researcher needing to model the secondary structure of a long RNA sequence? The EternaFold server can model sequences up to 1000 nt in length. (Pseudoknots are not modeled.) Code is available for running larger jobs locally.
eternafold.eternagame.org
eternafold.eternagame.org
I really love how I can select a column of numbers in a Google sheet and the program automatically gives me a sum in the low right corner. Well done, team Google.
I also love being able to perform an operation in three columns, then the program generates the function for me. Big time saver.
I also love being able to perform an operation in three columns, then the program generates the function for me. Big time saver.
November 19, 2024 at 9:58 PM
I really love how I can select a column of numbers in a Google sheet and the program automatically gives me a sum in the low right corner. Well done, team Google.
I also love being able to perform an operation in three columns, then the program generates the function for me. Big time saver.
I also love being able to perform an operation in three columns, then the program generates the function for me. Big time saver.
Reposted by Jill Townley
Terrific piece summarizing a recent report: Every dollar of NIH research funding doubles in economic returns
www.fiercebiotech.com/research/rep...
www.fiercebiotech.com/research/rep...
Report: Every dollar of NIH research funding doubles in economic returns
Research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) generated $2.46 in economic activity for every $1 of funding in 2023, a total of $92.9 billion, according to an
www.fiercebiotech.com
November 17, 2024 at 1:05 PM
Terrific piece summarizing a recent report: Every dollar of NIH research funding doubles in economic returns
www.fiercebiotech.com/research/rep...
www.fiercebiotech.com/research/rep...
Had a blast at ABRCMS last week talking with trainees about all the opportunities for RNA research and Eterna’s new AI for predicting secondary structure, RibonanzaNet-SS.
November 18, 2024 at 10:20 PM
Had a blast at ABRCMS last week talking with trainees about all the opportunities for RNA research and Eterna’s new AI for predicting secondary structure, RibonanzaNet-SS.