Mara Duncan
@mcduncanlab.bsky.social
Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. I post photos of my cat and garden, and helpful tips for running a lab. Thoughts my own.
Pinned
Mara Duncan
@mcduncanlab.bsky.social
· Nov 29
🧪Dear Grad student,
Are you overdue for a thesis committee meeting but feel like you have nothing to show since your last meeting? I'm begging you to schedule that meeting now!
1/🧵
Are you overdue for a thesis committee meeting but feel like you have nothing to show since your last meeting? I'm begging you to schedule that meeting now!
1/🧵
Reposted by Mara Duncan
FWIW The docudrama was “Breaking The Mould” (www.imdb.com/title/tt1434... )
Breaking the Mould (TV Movie 2009) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, History
1h 20m
www.imdb.com
February 18, 2026 at 8:59 AM
FWIW The docudrama was “Breaking The Mould” (www.imdb.com/title/tt1434... )
Reposted by Mara Duncan
IIRC, that case (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_... was in a wonderful docudrama about Florey et al ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_... ) trying to turn penicillin from a petri dish curiosity, into an actual medicine.
Unfortunately at the time they couldn’t produce enough to save Alexander.
Unfortunately at the time they couldn’t produce enough to save Alexander.
en.wikipedia.org
February 18, 2026 at 8:58 AM
IIRC, that case (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_... was in a wonderful docudrama about Florey et al ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_... ) trying to turn penicillin from a petri dish curiosity, into an actual medicine.
Unfortunately at the time they couldn’t produce enough to save Alexander.
Unfortunately at the time they couldn’t produce enough to save Alexander.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
I'm very excited to share our newest preprint, where we show that long, linear bifunctional molecules like PROTACs can bind within the narrow ubiquinone-binding tunnel of mitochondrial complex I, leading to off-target mitotoxicity.
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
(1/4)
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
(1/4)
February 16, 2026 at 10:26 AM
I'm very excited to share our newest preprint, where we show that long, linear bifunctional molecules like PROTACs can bind within the narrow ubiquinone-binding tunnel of mitochondrial complex I, leading to off-target mitotoxicity.
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
(1/4)
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
(1/4)
Reposted by Mara Duncan
I am looking for a post/doc! Are you motivated to study the fundamental questions in autophagy? Have a look!
March 26, 2025 at 4:58 AM
I am looking for a post/doc! Are you motivated to study the fundamental questions in autophagy? Have a look!
Reposted by Mara Duncan
I am finally getting around to discussing our preprint "Septins mediate cell-cycle-dependent exclusion of Cdc42 GAP Rga4 from growth sites in fission yeast" by a very talented grad student Justin McDuffie in the Das lab. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/
www.biorxiv.org
February 15, 2026 at 3:36 PM
I am finally getting around to discussing our preprint "Septins mediate cell-cycle-dependent exclusion of Cdc42 GAP Rga4 from growth sites in fission yeast" by a very talented grad student Justin McDuffie in the Das lab. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Does anyone happen to know what Debs might be talking about?
Many years ago there was a test going round in one of the online broadsheets where you could test the size of your vocabulary- aimed at native speakers but I can’t find it anymore. Google just keeps giving me English language tests for learners but that’s not as interesting to me.
February 15, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Does anyone happen to know what Debs might be talking about?
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Congratulations to Prasanna Satpute-Krishnan (@pskcellbio.bsky.social)
for winning the USU Henry C. Wu Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research!
for winning the USU Henry C. Wu Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research!
February 13, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Congratulations to Prasanna Satpute-Krishnan (@pskcellbio.bsky.social)
for winning the USU Henry C. Wu Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research!
for winning the USU Henry C. Wu Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research!
Reposted by Mara Duncan
FCHo2, not talin, enables inside-out activation of integrin ɑvβ5 in curved adhesions
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
FCHo2, not talin, enables inside-out activation of integrin ɑvβ5 in curved adhesions - Nature Communications
Talin has been believed to be indispensable for integrin activation. Here, the authors show that the curvature-sensing protein FCHo2, not talin, enables inside-out activation of integrin ɑvβ5 in curve...
www.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
FCHo2, not talin, enables inside-out activation of integrin ɑvβ5 in curved adhesions
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
🔬 How does #Yeast optimize protein secretion? SEC72 deletion reshapes cellular functions including iron homeostasis and cell wall assembly, boosting secretion of proteins with strongly hydrophobic signal peptides
🧪 #YeastResearch #SGD #CellBiology #Biotechnology
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
🧪 #YeastResearch #SGD #CellBiology #Biotechnology
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
February 10, 2026 at 7:27 PM
🔬 How does #Yeast optimize protein secretion? SEC72 deletion reshapes cellular functions including iron homeostasis and cell wall assembly, boosting secretion of proteins with strongly hydrophobic signal peptides
🧪 #YeastResearch #SGD #CellBiology #Biotechnology
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
🧪 #YeastResearch #SGD #CellBiology #Biotechnology
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
We are starting Bay Area Chromatin Club up again in 2026! Fist event March 5th at UCSF Mission Bay! Details and registration HERE: If you like to nominate a person for a talk- DM me. It's been a great experience in the past.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Bay Area Chromatin Club - In Person Symposium: March 5, 2026
The Chromatin Club Bay Area was founded to foster a scientific community between academic and industry members in and around the Bay Area.
urldefense.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:40 PM
We are starting Bay Area Chromatin Club up again in 2026! Fist event March 5th at UCSF Mission Bay! Details and registration HERE: If you like to nominate a person for a talk- DM me. It's been a great experience in the past.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Reposted by Mara Duncan
I am looking for examples of a 2-3 hour lab activity for a course that would allow college students to get some experience connected to environmental DNA studies (e.g., e-DNA, rRNA/ITS PCR, metagenomics, etc). Ideally this would have some DNA extraction and some follow up processing / analysis.
February 9, 2026 at 11:25 PM
I am looking for examples of a 2-3 hour lab activity for a course that would allow college students to get some experience connected to environmental DNA studies (e.g., e-DNA, rRNA/ITS PCR, metagenomics, etc). Ideally this would have some DNA extraction and some follow up processing / analysis.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
🩺 From #Yeast to human disease:
Reseach shows metabolic pathway disruption causes amino acids to self-assemble into toxic amyloid structures, providing new insights into inherited metabolic disorders and potential treatments
🔬 #YeastResearch #SGD #DiseaseModeling
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
Reseach shows metabolic pathway disruption causes amino acids to self-assemble into toxic amyloid structures, providing new insights into inherited metabolic disorders and potential treatments
🔬 #YeastResearch #SGD #DiseaseModeling
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
February 9, 2026 at 6:17 PM
🩺 From #Yeast to human disease:
Reseach shows metabolic pathway disruption causes amino acids to self-assemble into toxic amyloid structures, providing new insights into inherited metabolic disorders and potential treatments
🔬 #YeastResearch #SGD #DiseaseModeling
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
Reseach shows metabolic pathway disruption causes amino acids to self-assemble into toxic amyloid structures, providing new insights into inherited metabolic disorders and potential treatments
🔬 #YeastResearch #SGD #DiseaseModeling
www.yeastgenome.org/reference/S1...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Did you know melons have to get married in really big weddings?
They cantaloupe.
They cantaloupe.
a cat wearing a melon hat sits next to a melon
Alt: a cat wearing a melon hat sits next to a melon
media.tenor.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Did you know melons have to get married in really big weddings?
They cantaloupe.
They cantaloupe.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
'The regularization effort underway in Spain actually began as a citizen-led initiative endorsed by more than 900 nongovernmental organizations, including the Catholic Church, and it has the support of business associations and trade unions alike.'
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o...
Opinion | I’m the Prime Minister of Spain. This Is Why the West Needs Migrants.
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:07 PM
'The regularization effort underway in Spain actually began as a citizen-led initiative endorsed by more than 900 nongovernmental organizations, including the Catholic Church, and it has the support of business associations and trade unions alike.'
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
I actually just went over HIV in my Gen Micro class and the gp41 fusion mechanism seems evocative of SNAREs. Are there mechanistic similarities?
February 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM
I actually just went over HIV in my Gen Micro class and the gp41 fusion mechanism seems evocative of SNAREs. Are there mechanistic similarities?
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Lipids challenge ligands to control receptors
The behaviour of a receptor protein can be influenced by the presence of certain lipids in the membrane it is embedded in.
🔗 buff.ly/G1Zl6cZ
The behaviour of a receptor protein can be influenced by the presence of certain lipids in the membrane it is embedded in.
🔗 buff.ly/G1Zl6cZ
February 6, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Lipids challenge ligands to control receptors
The behaviour of a receptor protein can be influenced by the presence of certain lipids in the membrane it is embedded in.
🔗 buff.ly/G1Zl6cZ
The behaviour of a receptor protein can be influenced by the presence of certain lipids in the membrane it is embedded in.
🔗 buff.ly/G1Zl6cZ
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Postdoc job alert in the Crick Institute in London. Are you interested in the actin cytoskeleton? I am looking for a postdoc to examine the cellular, developmental or physiological role of Arp2/3 iso-complex driven actin polymerisation. Multiple aspects available.
crick.ac.uk/WayPostdoc2026
crick.ac.uk/WayPostdoc2026
Postdoctoral Fellow - Cellular signalling and cytoskeletal function lab
crick.ac.uk
February 6, 2026 at 8:22 AM
Postdoc job alert in the Crick Institute in London. Are you interested in the actin cytoskeleton? I am looking for a postdoc to examine the cellular, developmental or physiological role of Arp2/3 iso-complex driven actin polymerisation. Multiple aspects available.
crick.ac.uk/WayPostdoc2026
crick.ac.uk/WayPostdoc2026
Reposted by Mara Duncan
If you're afraid to ask someone for a recommendation, please don't be. It's part of the job of being a mentor, editor, teacher, advisor, former boss, etc. to write recommendations or politely decline.
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
February 5, 2026 at 2:44 PM
If you're afraid to ask someone for a recommendation, please don't be. It's part of the job of being a mentor, editor, teacher, advisor, former boss, etc. to write recommendations or politely decline.
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
Am I the only one who is always somewhat relieved whenever I see my review for a manuscript is almost identical to the other reviewers' reviews?
February 3, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Am I the only one who is always somewhat relieved whenever I see my review for a manuscript is almost identical to the other reviewers' reviews?
Reposted by Mara Duncan
What is a “citation?” I thought it said you could list author and title, etc. So that’s what I did.
February 3, 2026 at 6:21 PM
What is a “citation?” I thought it said you could list author and title, etc. So that’s what I did.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
It’s announcement day!📣 I am greatly honored to receive the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science🎉 I will be even more strongly committed to supporting the next generation of immigrant scientists.
Join us in congratulating the winners of our 2026 Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Biomedical Science, Fashion & Culture, Fashion & Design, and Art History! This year, we awarded $850,000 to 14 immigrants and cultural leaders. https://vilcek.co/4aemyr2
February 3, 2026 at 4:32 AM
It’s announcement day!📣 I am greatly honored to receive the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science🎉 I will be even more strongly committed to supporting the next generation of immigrant scientists.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
My department at Washington State University is recruiting an Assistant or Associate Professor in vector-borne disease 🕷️🦟🦠
Full job description is linked below.
Come join us on the Palouse!
Full job description is linked below.
Come join us on the Palouse!
February 2, 2026 at 9:02 PM
My department at Washington State University is recruiting an Assistant or Associate Professor in vector-borne disease 🕷️🦟🦠
Full job description is linked below.
Come join us on the Palouse!
Full job description is linked below.
Come join us on the Palouse!
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Ever wished there was a way to “paste in place” in PowerPoint, so that pasted item is not way offset vertically and horizontally from the original? There is a keyboard shortcut that doesn’t seem to work on a Mac, but what DOES work is to press an arrow key once after copying and before pasting. 💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
February 2, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Ever wished there was a way to “paste in place” in PowerPoint, so that pasted item is not way offset vertically and horizontally from the original? There is a keyboard shortcut that doesn’t seem to work on a Mac, but what DOES work is to press an arrow key once after copying and before pasting. 💯👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽