Les Sutton
@lessutton.bsky.social
PhD student in the Solnica-Krezel lab at WashU | zebrafish, gastrulation, and cell polarity | they/she | views my own | 🏳️🌈
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Les Sutton
@lessutton.bsky.social
· Dec 3
Hi y'all, I'm Les (she/they). I'm a grad student at WashU studying dev bio with a history of skin cancer research! I like dancing, my cats, coffee, queer theory, and cycling.
Find the cool things I've worked on here: orcid.org/0000-0002-68...
Find the cool things I've worked on here: orcid.org/0000-0002-68...
I love grading students homeworks because I just have fun talking to myself in the comments. Highlighting the good text and commenting "slay," or "bars" throughout their assignment makes me giggle, hope my kiddos enjoy it too
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I love grading students homeworks because I just have fun talking to myself in the comments. Highlighting the good text and commenting "slay," or "bars" throughout their assignment makes me giggle, hope my kiddos enjoy it too
Every time I need to reconnect I watch Cave of Forgotten Dreams from Werner Herzog for this reason exactly
Touching grass isn't enough, I need to be reminded of the timelessness of the human need to create beauty and connection.
November 11, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Every time I need to reconnect I watch Cave of Forgotten Dreams from Werner Herzog for this reason exactly
Pros of switching into a new model for study: learn new tools! Ask different questions! Become flexible in your thinking!
Cons: favorite techniques don't work anymore
Cons: favorite techniques don't work anymore
November 11, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Pros of switching into a new model for study: learn new tools! Ask different questions! Become flexible in your thinking!
Cons: favorite techniques don't work anymore
Cons: favorite techniques don't work anymore
Reminder that the first time Watson mentioned Rosalind in The Double Helix, his comment was that she was ugly and would look nicer if she put more effort into her appearance. Imagine ripping someone's idea, it putting you on the map, and the way you immortalize her is by calling her ugly.
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Reminder that the first time Watson mentioned Rosalind in The Double Helix, his comment was that she was ugly and would look nicer if she put more effort into her appearance. Imagine ripping someone's idea, it putting you on the map, and the way you immortalize her is by calling her ugly.
Reposted by Les Sutton
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
My students keep finding out how old I am and saying I've reached unc status :(
November 7, 2025 at 12:43 AM
My students keep finding out how old I am and saying I've reached unc status :(
Win of the day: inherited 7 alleles in this line of fish for my project that were abandoned for a year before I picked it up. After 6 months, I'm happy to report I finally have tanks of each allele via either an in or outcross that were produced in 2025 and I didn't lose a single one 🎉🎉
October 30, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Win of the day: inherited 7 alleles in this line of fish for my project that were abandoned for a year before I picked it up. After 6 months, I'm happy to report I finally have tanks of each allele via either an in or outcross that were produced in 2025 and I didn't lose a single one 🎉🎉
just called a hazardous chemical a "no-no substance" when explaining to my undergrad the hazardous chemical bins
October 29, 2025 at 10:01 PM
just called a hazardous chemical a "no-no substance" when explaining to my undergrad the hazardous chemical bins
Reposted by Les Sutton
Not fake news. Some serious side effects of COVID mRNA vaccines seem to have been discovered! (Seriously positive side effects.)
🧪
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
🧪
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Study finds mRNA coronavirus vaccines prolonged life of cancer patients
A study found that covid-19 vaccines appeared to awaken the immune system in lung and skin cancer patients, helping them live longer than those not vaccinated.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Not fake news. Some serious side effects of COVID mRNA vaccines seem to have been discovered! (Seriously positive side effects.)
🧪
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
🧪
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Les Sutton
Dawkins is awful in so so many ways, including his vicious and vile transphobia. I think people forget what a gross hack he is sometimes.
I did a deep dive into his various bigotries not too long ago
youtu.be/-XudqTNCqr8?...
I did a deep dive into his various bigotries not too long ago
youtu.be/-XudqTNCqr8?...
October 24, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Dawkins is awful in so so many ways, including his vicious and vile transphobia. I think people forget what a gross hack he is sometimes.
I did a deep dive into his various bigotries not too long ago
youtu.be/-XudqTNCqr8?...
I did a deep dive into his various bigotries not too long ago
youtu.be/-XudqTNCqr8?...
Taught the undergrads in the class I'm TAing about the Zotero word plug-in and how easy it is to have citations managed for you with a citation manager, they have been SO geeked. Anyway this is me singing my love for the Zotero Word plugin
October 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Taught the undergrads in the class I'm TAing about the Zotero word plug-in and how easy it is to have citations managed for you with a citation manager, they have been SO geeked. Anyway this is me singing my love for the Zotero Word plugin
Reposted by Les Sutton
i'm glad the data centers dumping pollution into poor and minority neighborhoods allow you to do your lit searches marginally faster so you still have enough time to post endlessly on social media about how productive you are
it's a real game changer, incorporating LLMs into your workflow, so it is
it's a real game changer, incorporating LLMs into your workflow, so it is
October 21, 2025 at 4:45 PM
i'm glad the data centers dumping pollution into poor and minority neighborhoods allow you to do your lit searches marginally faster so you still have enough time to post endlessly on social media about how productive you are
it's a real game changer, incorporating LLMs into your workflow, so it is
it's a real game changer, incorporating LLMs into your workflow, so it is
Reposted by Les Sutton
This.
Automatically generated "reviews" are for sure useful to learn about a new field.
But as scientific *contribution*, automated reviews merely aggregate information without synthesis.
An illusion of progress or productivity.
Automatically generated "reviews" are for sure useful to learn about a new field.
But as scientific *contribution*, automated reviews merely aggregate information without synthesis.
An illusion of progress or productivity.
Just putting it out there that, if AI can write your review paper for you….maybe the review paper isn’t necessary at that time
Today @anthropic.com released PubMed integration for Claude. No hallucinations. Just real science, real data. As a beta tester, this has been game changing— a supercharged research tool. Here are 6 prompts that will transform how you search the literature. A 🧵
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
October 21, 2025 at 4:41 PM
This.
Automatically generated "reviews" are for sure useful to learn about a new field.
But as scientific *contribution*, automated reviews merely aggregate information without synthesis.
An illusion of progress or productivity.
Automatically generated "reviews" are for sure useful to learn about a new field.
But as scientific *contribution*, automated reviews merely aggregate information without synthesis.
An illusion of progress or productivity.
Reposted by Les Sutton
🚨🚨🚨
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
Penn rejects White House proposal for special funding treatment
With the decision, Penn becomes the third university to decline the offer.
www.thedp.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:24 PM
🚨🚨🚨
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
Reposted by Les Sutton
just gotta say that as a faculty member trying to teach students basic CLI and coding skills for scientific analyses, this forced pivot to interacting with your computer as the default is going to make it SO MUCH HARDER to teach basic computer skills
This is the future of Windows. Microsoft wants to rewrite Windows to turn computers into AI PCs that you talk to. It's now bringing AI features to all Windows 11 PCs today, in a bid to convince you to talk to your PC and let AI control it. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/799768/...
Microsoft wants you to talk to your PC and let AI control it
Copilot Voice and Vision are now rolling out.
www.theverge.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:01 PM
just gotta say that as a faculty member trying to teach students basic CLI and coding skills for scientific analyses, this forced pivot to interacting with your computer as the default is going to make it SO MUCH HARDER to teach basic computer skills
"so in conclusion.... Yay!" Is the best way I think I've ever heard someone summarize a figure during a journal club
October 16, 2025 at 3:24 PM
"so in conclusion.... Yay!" Is the best way I think I've ever heard someone summarize a figure during a journal club
Groves lab wins best incubator for Squid housing with The Squincubator
October 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Groves lab wins best incubator for Squid housing with The Squincubator
Reposted by Les Sutton
Reposted by Les Sutton
Reposted by Les Sutton
Love love love working with undergrads. Mentorship opportunity in the Solnica-Krezel lab, TAing for @biyolokum.bsky.social's regeneration for undergrads class, I'm having so much fun. I miss the excitement and curiosity without worrying about funding or practicality. What a great space to be in.
October 6, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Love love love working with undergrads. Mentorship opportunity in the Solnica-Krezel lab, TAing for @biyolokum.bsky.social's regeneration for undergrads class, I'm having so much fun. I miss the excitement and curiosity without worrying about funding or practicality. What a great space to be in.
Reposted by Les Sutton
SHE FOUND OUT ON TWITTER
There was no direct communication about the changes in vaccine policy with Deb Houry, the CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
This is not transparency.
Do you see what is happening here?
Experts hired to do the job are not allowed to do their jobs. 🧪
There was no direct communication about the changes in vaccine policy with Deb Houry, the CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
This is not transparency.
Do you see what is happening here?
Experts hired to do the job are not allowed to do their jobs. 🧪
THE STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN AMERICA: I asked former CDC official Deb Houry how she found out about the updated COVID vaccine guidance.
She found out by tweet. On social media.
Her title? Chief Medical Officer.
Vaccine policy by tweet is not radical transparency—it's ABSURD and reckless.
She found out by tweet. On social media.
Her title? Chief Medical Officer.
Vaccine policy by tweet is not radical transparency—it's ABSURD and reckless.
September 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
SHE FOUND OUT ON TWITTER
There was no direct communication about the changes in vaccine policy with Deb Houry, the CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
This is not transparency.
Do you see what is happening here?
Experts hired to do the job are not allowed to do their jobs. 🧪
There was no direct communication about the changes in vaccine policy with Deb Houry, the CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER.
This is not transparency.
Do you see what is happening here?
Experts hired to do the job are not allowed to do their jobs. 🧪
Me in the lab blasting Touch My Body by Mariah Carey in my headphones while running genotyping
a boy wearing headphones is standing in a classroom
ALT: a boy wearing headphones is standing in a classroom
media.tenor.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Me in the lab blasting Touch My Body by Mariah Carey in my headphones while running genotyping
First day of TAing in the books, I'm so excited to work with undergrads again 🥹 so cool to see students excited to ask questions about the material after lecture
August 26, 2025 at 11:47 PM
First day of TAing in the books, I'm so excited to work with undergrads again 🥹 so cool to see students excited to ask questions about the material after lecture
Honestly so cool to see @elisabethbik.bsky.social talk at WashU today
August 26, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Honestly so cool to see @elisabethbik.bsky.social talk at WashU today