Rakyan Lab
@rakyanlab.bsky.social
Blizard Institute, QMUL, London. Working on inter-individual genetic and epigenetic variation of mammalian ribosomal DNA.
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
The way UK govt funds science is in the midst of a major transition, with creation of a much more direct link between government priorities & UKRI research funding.
My attempt to set in context the biggest upheaval in UK science funding policy since the 1980s:
softmachines.org?p=3252
My attempt to set in context the biggest upheaval in UK science funding policy since the 1980s:
softmachines.org?p=3252
UK science policy in transition – Soft Machines, by Richard Jones
softmachines.org
February 6, 2026 at 8:48 AM
The way UK govt funds science is in the midst of a major transition, with creation of a much more direct link between government priorities & UKRI research funding.
My attempt to set in context the biggest upheaval in UK science funding policy since the 1980s:
softmachines.org?p=3252
My attempt to set in context the biggest upheaval in UK science funding policy since the 1980s:
softmachines.org?p=3252
Interesting. Worth a read.
AI hallucinations in science manuscripts are a nuisance. Paranormal citations, or paracites, will be a nightmare.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (w/ @sina.bio & @lauraluebbert.com).
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (w/ @sina.bio & @lauraluebbert.com).
February 4, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Interesting. Worth a read.
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Time for a thread on our Christmas preprint “Origin and evolution of acrocentric chromosomes in human and great apes”. I had so much fun with this project and paper. It will be hard to summarize in a thread, but I’ll try www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... [1/21]
February 2, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Time for a thread on our Christmas preprint “Origin and evolution of acrocentric chromosomes in human and great apes”. I had so much fun with this project and paper. It will be hard to summarize in a thread, but I’ll try www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... [1/21]
Looks like BBSRC pause will be for a few weeks after which applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. MRC pause apparently till early summer.
February 3, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Looks like BBSRC pause will be for a few weeks after which applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. MRC pause apparently till early summer.
😃😃😃😃!!!!
The Muppet Show: this thrilling return is so great I can’t even count how many times I laughed
The Muppet Show: this thrilling return is so great I can’t even count how many times I laughed
Sabrina Carpenter fangirling Miss Piggy, Beaker losing his eyes … yes, Kermit and co are back for a trip down memory lane – and it’s a perfect, saucy joy
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:17 AM
😃😃😃😃!!!!
Cool new work from @qmulepigenetics.bsky.social members @pradeepmadapura.bsky.social @manthan5277.bsky.social
BRD4 represses developmental and neuronal genes through interactions with polycomb complexes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.31.702994v1
February 1, 2026 at 5:04 AM
Cool new work from @qmulepigenetics.bsky.social members @pradeepmadapura.bsky.social @manthan5277.bsky.social
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Have a look at this fantastic meeting and save the date!
The “RNA in Physiology and Disease” conference, hosted by @gensocuk.bsky.social, will take place 7–9 September 2026 in Newcastle, UK.
genetics.org.uk/events/rna-i...
The “RNA in Physiology and Disease” conference, hosted by @gensocuk.bsky.social, will take place 7–9 September 2026 in Newcastle, UK.
genetics.org.uk/events/rna-i...
RNA in physiology and disease | Genetics Society
Meeting background RNA molecules are at the heart of normal physiological processes, and their dysregulation can drive a wide range of human diseases. This international meeting will bring together wo...
genetics.org.uk
January 31, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Have a look at this fantastic meeting and save the date!
The “RNA in Physiology and Disease” conference, hosted by @gensocuk.bsky.social, will take place 7–9 September 2026 in Newcastle, UK.
genetics.org.uk/events/rna-i...
The “RNA in Physiology and Disease” conference, hosted by @gensocuk.bsky.social, will take place 7–9 September 2026 in Newcastle, UK.
genetics.org.uk/events/rna-i...
What a very cool paper!
now online:
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Structures of naked mole-rat, tuco-tuco, and guinea pig ribosomes—is rRNA fragmentation linked to translational fidelity?
Abstract. Ribosomes are central to protein synthesis in all organisms. In mammals, the ribosome functional core is highly conserved. Remarkably, two rodent
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:05 PM
What a very cool paper!
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
At least the physicists are standing up for themselves. Still waiting for the senior leaders of biological sciences to say anything at all about MRC/BBSRC actions.
Nobel winner and senior scientists slam cuts to UK physics
“These cuts are the inevitable consequence of the government’s choices,” Nobel winner Andre Geim tells me
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
“These cuts are the inevitable consequence of the government’s choices,” Nobel winner Andre Geim tells me
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Nobel winner and senior scientists slam cuts to UK physics - Research Professional News
Science and Technology Facilities Council’s £162 million cost-saving measures “will have catastrophic consequences”, government warned
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM
At least the physicists are standing up for themselves. Still waiting for the senior leaders of biological sciences to say anything at all about MRC/BBSRC actions.
Okaaayy….have just made one small edit to an abstract I am writing….😅
The word 'leverage' in biomedical literature (as search by Pubmed trends). I wonder what is behind it. Every other abstract I read now seems to be leveraging.
January 20, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Okaaayy….have just made one small edit to an abstract I am writing….😅
Most definitely took my mind off the grant app I am writing! 😅
The perfect story to take your mind off other news:
Veronika, a cow in Austria, has been documented not only using a tool - a broomstick - but using it in different ways to scratch different parts of her body. 🧪 #animals #animalbehavior #intelligence
www.livescience.com/animals/land...
Veronika, a cow in Austria, has been documented not only using a tool - a broomstick - but using it in different ways to scratch different parts of her body. 🧪 #animals #animalbehavior #intelligence
www.livescience.com/animals/land...
Ever seen a pet cow pick up a broom and scratch herself with it? You have now
A pet cow in Austria started using a broom to scratch herself — the first ever documented case of bovine tool use.
www.livescience.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Most definitely took my mind off the grant app I am writing! 😅
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Open postdoc position in our lab @icr.ac.uk to develop a cfDNA test for #early detection of colorectal #cancer in inflammatory bowel disease #IBD:
jobs.icr.ac.uk/vacancies/14...
It's bench-to-bedside research, translating biology of pre-cancer evolution.
Funded by @bowelcanceruk.bsky.social
jobs.icr.ac.uk/vacancies/14...
It's bench-to-bedside research, translating biology of pre-cancer evolution.
Funded by @bowelcanceruk.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Training Fellow - Genomics and Evolutionary Dynimcs in Sutton | The Institute of Cancer Research
View details and apply for this Postdoctoral Training Fellow - Genomics and Evolutionary Dynimcs vacancy in Sutton.
Salary: Dependent on relevant Postdoctoral experience.
Durati...
jobs.icr.ac.uk
January 19, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Open postdoc position in our lab @icr.ac.uk to develop a cfDNA test for #early detection of colorectal #cancer in inflammatory bowel disease #IBD:
jobs.icr.ac.uk/vacancies/14...
It's bench-to-bedside research, translating biology of pre-cancer evolution.
Funded by @bowelcanceruk.bsky.social
jobs.icr.ac.uk/vacancies/14...
It's bench-to-bedside research, translating biology of pre-cancer evolution.
Funded by @bowelcanceruk.bsky.social
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
☠️ The world's most dangerous animals by annual deaths.
January 18, 2026 at 8:18 PM
☠️ The world's most dangerous animals by annual deaths.
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Keeping generative artificial intelligence reliable in omics biology www.cell.com/patterns/ful... 🧬🖥️🧪
January 13, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Keeping generative artificial intelligence reliable in omics biology www.cell.com/patterns/ful... 🧬🖥️🧪
Exciting work!
Human eggs must segregate their chromosomes with exquisite precision — yet errors rise with maternal age, causing miscarriage & infertility.
Our new article on @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social shows why chromosome cohesion fails in aging eggs & how to improve it.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (1/10)
Our new article on @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social shows why chromosome cohesion fails in aging eggs & how to improve it.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (1/10)
January 13, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Exciting work!
😅
January 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM
😅
OMG!!
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 8, 2026 at 6:21 PM
OMG!!
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Need a bit of escapism? Not exactly Lord of the Rings, but in similar vein:
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
Epimutations: raw material for evolution? - The EMBO Journal
Epigenetics is fundamental to cell differentiation as it enables cells with identical genomes to adopt distinct fates. Some epigenetic information can also be transmitted between generations, in a pro...
link.springer.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Need a bit of escapism? Not exactly Lord of the Rings, but in similar vein:
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
Couldn’t agree more.
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
go.nature.com/49fOOrP
go.nature.com/49fOOrP
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
go.nature.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Couldn’t agree more.
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
If you’ve heard me talk in the past ~5 years, you will know I have developed an obsession with acrocentric chromosomes. This is all of that, condensed into one paper. I will do a full thread in the new year, but for those that want something to read over the holidays, have at it. Such a cool story!
Origin and evolution of acrocentric chromosomes in human and great apes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.22.696095v1
December 24, 2025 at 3:59 AM
If you’ve heard me talk in the past ~5 years, you will know I have developed an obsession with acrocentric chromosomes. This is all of that, condensed into one paper. I will do a full thread in the new year, but for those that want something to read over the holidays, have at it. Such a cool story!
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Human acrocentric chromosome short arm de novo mutation and recombination https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.16.694519v1
December 18, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Human acrocentric chromosome short arm de novo mutation and recombination https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.16.694519v1
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Complete genomes of a multi-generational pedigree to expand studies of genetic and epigenetic inheritance https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.14.693655v1
December 17, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Complete genomes of a multi-generational pedigree to expand studies of genetic and epigenetic inheritance https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.14.693655v1
Reposted by Rakyan Lab
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The vault associates with membranes in situ
The eukaryotic vault particle is a giant ribonucleoprotein complex that assembles into an iconic barrel-like cage. Its cellular function has remained elusive despite extensive characterization. Using ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Vaults. They are cell biology's greatest puzzle! This preprint from Martin Beck's lab shows them docked on ER membranes with a ribosome inside. What on earth is going on there??
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#CellBiology #WTFology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...