Katherine Spack
@kspack.bsky.social
Postdoc in the Smeeton Lab
At the intersection of mechanics and biology. Collagenous matrix organization and cell-matrix crosstalk.
At the intersection of mechanics and biology. Collagenous matrix organization and cell-matrix crosstalk.
The one spelling that the US has the least correct is behavior. There really should be that u in there
September 30, 2025 at 12:47 AM
The one spelling that the US has the least correct is behavior. There really should be that u in there
Reposted by Katherine Spack
I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN.
It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.
Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats
It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.
Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats
ggplot2 4.0.0
A new major version of ggplot2 has been released on CRAN. Find out what is new here.
www.tidyverse.org
September 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Katherine Spack
BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity.
This is a major win for public health.
This is a major win for public health.
June 16, 2025 at 9:46 PM
BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity.
This is a major win for public health.
This is a major win for public health.
Reposted by Katherine Spack
You mean I’m supposed to work when there are birds out there who aren’t being watched?
May 28, 2025 at 1:14 PM
You mean I’m supposed to work when there are birds out there who aren’t being watched?
Reposted by Katherine Spack
A new #ScienceSignaling study interrogates crosstalk between mechanical and biochemical signals in epithelial cells, illustrating how mechanical stretching activates a kinase that regulates cell growth, migration, and differentiation.
E-cadherin mechanotransduction activates EGFR-ERK signaling in epithelial monolayers by inducing ADAM-mediated ligand shedding
Epithelial stretching promotes the release of EGF receptor ligands that stimulate ERK activation.
scim.ag
May 26, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A new #ScienceSignaling study interrogates crosstalk between mechanical and biochemical signals in epithelial cells, illustrating how mechanical stretching activates a kinase that regulates cell growth, migration, and differentiation.
This extra tall scratcher for the extra tall boy is the best $30 Ive ever spent
May 21, 2025 at 5:24 AM
This extra tall scratcher for the extra tall boy is the best $30 Ive ever spent
Reposted by Katherine Spack
One estimate found that a single ChatGPT search uses 10 times the energy of a normal Google search.
In this op-ed, politics editor
@leximcmenamin.com
addresses the environmental costs of AI that not many seem to be talking about ⤵️
In this op-ed, politics editor
@leximcmenamin.com
addresses the environmental costs of AI that not many seem to be talking about ⤵️
ChatGPT Is Everywhere — Why Aren't We Talking About Its Environmental Costs?
One estimate found that a single ChatGPT search uses 10 times the energy of a normal Google search.
www.teenvogue.com
May 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
One estimate found that a single ChatGPT search uses 10 times the energy of a normal Google search.
In this op-ed, politics editor
@leximcmenamin.com
addresses the environmental costs of AI that not many seem to be talking about ⤵️
In this op-ed, politics editor
@leximcmenamin.com
addresses the environmental costs of AI that not many seem to be talking about ⤵️
Reposted by Katherine Spack
Only important news. (Rat)
May 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Only important news. (Rat)
Reposted by Katherine Spack
In light of the skinny budget (55.8% reduction), 6 past NSF directors and 7 NSB chairs have sent the House Committee on Appropriations a letter advising doubling the NSF budget.
"We face a fork in the road. Do we want to win or concede the race for new knowledge and a competitive STEM workforce?"
"We face a fork in the road. Do we want to win or concede the race for new knowledge and a competitive STEM workforce?"
May 4, 2025 at 2:18 AM
In light of the skinny budget (55.8% reduction), 6 past NSF directors and 7 NSB chairs have sent the House Committee on Appropriations a letter advising doubling the NSF budget.
"We face a fork in the road. Do we want to win or concede the race for new knowledge and a competitive STEM workforce?"
"We face a fork in the road. Do we want to win or concede the race for new knowledge and a competitive STEM workforce?"
Reposted by Katherine Spack
Even when I try to write about fascism I write about plants
May 3, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Even when I try to write about fascism I write about plants
The secret bonus tier of Maslow's hierarchy is looking at a cool bird
April 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The secret bonus tier of Maslow's hierarchy is looking at a cool bird
Reposted by Katherine Spack
The Ph.D. Journey
April 22, 2025 at 9:13 PM
The Ph.D. Journey
Reposted by Katherine Spack
If you’re admiring the chirping birds this Earth Day, you may have Rachel Carson to thank. A brilliant biologist, Carson led the charge against harmful pesticides in the 1960s and helped launch the modern environmental movement.
Read more here ⤵️
Read more here ⤵️
How One Biologist Raised the Alarm About Pesticides and Changed History
Rachel Carson highlighted the environmental consequences of our actions in a way that had never been done before.
www.teenvogue.com
April 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
If you’re admiring the chirping birds this Earth Day, you may have Rachel Carson to thank. A brilliant biologist, Carson led the charge against harmful pesticides in the 1960s and helped launch the modern environmental movement.
Read more here ⤵️
Read more here ⤵️
Reposted by Katherine Spack
The NYC council voting for this downgrade was just such an own goal.
April 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The NYC council voting for this downgrade was just such an own goal.
ChatGPT is not a search engine and WILL lie to you if you are looking for verifiable facts. I need folks to please keep this in mind.
April 22, 2025 at 12:59 AM
ChatGPT is not a search engine and WILL lie to you if you are looking for verifiable facts. I need folks to please keep this in mind.
Reposted by Katherine Spack
April 18, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Katherine Spack
It has been a while since I advertised some of the tools we have released to help researchers analyze the zebrafish genome. So a brief Bluetorial on our zebrafish genomics UCSC public data hub and the bigger effort led by @ferencmueller.bsky.social to create a zebrafish ENCODE project (Danio-CODE):
April 15, 2025 at 4:54 PM
It has been a while since I advertised some of the tools we have released to help researchers analyze the zebrafish genome. So a brief Bluetorial on our zebrafish genomics UCSC public data hub and the bigger effort led by @ferencmueller.bsky.social to create a zebrafish ENCODE project (Danio-CODE):
Reposted by Katherine Spack
"The proposal would reduce the more than $47 billion budget of the NIH to $27 billion — a roughly 40 percent cut. It would consolidate NIH’s 27 institutes and centers into just eight."
SCOOP: Internal budget doc reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts. About 1/3 of HHS discretionary budget. Our story w @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @rachelroubein.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social @laurenweberhp.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Internal budget document reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts
HHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one third of its discretionary budget.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 16, 2025 at 8:38 PM
"The proposal would reduce the more than $47 billion budget of the NIH to $27 billion — a roughly 40 percent cut. It would consolidate NIH’s 27 institutes and centers into just eight."
Reposted by Katherine Spack
The NSF's flagship fellowship program typically gives offers to 2,000+ young scientists. This year, in the face of looming budget cuts, that number was halved: only 1,000 received an offer. Our story on what that means for the science talent pipeline: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.
www.nature.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:15 PM
The NSF's flagship fellowship program typically gives offers to 2,000+ young scientists. This year, in the face of looming budget cuts, that number was halved: only 1,000 received an offer. Our story on what that means for the science talent pipeline: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Katherine Spack
Colossal making woolly mice and "dire wolves" while HHS is being gutted.....
April 8, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Colossal making woolly mice and "dire wolves" while HHS is being gutted.....
Reposted by Katherine Spack
🚨🚨🚨 Four NIH institute directors have been removed from their posts and some offered reassignments to the Indian Health Service, effective today.
These institutes include NIAID (Jeanne Marrazzo), NIMHD (Eliseo Pérez-Stable), NICHD (Diana Bianchi), and NINR (Shannon Zenk).
These institutes include NIAID (Jeanne Marrazzo), NIMHD (Eliseo Pérez-Stable), NICHD (Diana Bianchi), and NINR (Shannon Zenk).
‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs
In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.
www.nature.com
April 1, 2025 at 5:39 PM
🚨🚨🚨 Four NIH institute directors have been removed from their posts and some offered reassignments to the Indian Health Service, effective today.
These institutes include NIAID (Jeanne Marrazzo), NIMHD (Eliseo Pérez-Stable), NICHD (Diana Bianchi), and NINR (Shannon Zenk).
These institutes include NIAID (Jeanne Marrazzo), NIMHD (Eliseo Pérez-Stable), NICHD (Diana Bianchi), and NINR (Shannon Zenk).
The fact that I can hear that podcast ads now have AI voiceovers feels incomprehensibly evil. I'd rather you take the audio from a DS microphone in a windstorm
March 18, 2025 at 5:40 AM
The fact that I can hear that podcast ads now have AI voiceovers feels incomprehensibly evil. I'd rather you take the audio from a DS microphone in a windstorm
Solving the egg price problem by simply not having any eggs to sell
March 18, 2025 at 5:29 AM
Solving the egg price problem by simply not having any eggs to sell
Reposted by Katherine Spack
