Rhea
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rheasood.bsky.social
Rhea
@rheasood.bsky.social
38 followers 65 following 1 posts
Interested in genetics, gene editing, and immunology. LSRP1 at the Schumer Lab @ Stanford
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rheasood.bsky.social
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mollyschumer.bsky.social Molly Schumer @mollyschumer.bsky.social · 10d
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish
For over a century, evolutionary biologists have been motivated to understand the mechanisms through which organisms adapt to their environments. Coloration and pigmentation are remarkably variable wi...
shorturl.at
November 12, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Rhea
biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.07.687308v1
November 11, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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altnih4science.bsky.social
Breaking: 🚨

Federal district court in California grants a temporary restraining order in AFGE v Trump.

This TRO stops Musk/Trump/DOGE from taking any further actions on RIFs for now. 1/3
Case 3:25-cv-03698-SI Document 85 Filed 05/09/25 Page 1 of 42 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO, et al., Case No. 25-cv-03698-SI Plaintiffs, v. ORDER GRANTING TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND COMPELLING CERTAIN DISCOVERY PRODUCTION Re: Dkt. No. 37 DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. United States District Court Northern District of California 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 The new presidential administration has made clear that it intends to change the way the federal government operates. An Executive Order issued on February 11, 2025 seeks to “commence[] a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy” by “eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity[.]” Exec. Order No. 14210, 90 Fed. Reg. 9,669 (Feb. 11, 2025). It is the prerogative of presidents to pursue new policy priorities and to imprint their stamp on the federal government. But to make large-scale overhauls of federal agencies, any president must enlist the help of his co-equal branch and partner, the Congress. Federal courts should not micromanage the vast federal workforce, but courts must sometimes act to preserve the proper checks and balances between the three branches of government. As a group of conservative former government officials and advisors have written to the Court, “Unchecked presidential power is not what the Framers had in mind.” Dkt. No. 69-1 at 1. The plaintiffs in this case—a collection of unions, non-profit organizations, and local governments—contend that the executive branch cannot lawfully implement large-scale reductions in the federal workforce without the participation of Congress. They bring this suit against President Trump, numerous federal agencies, and their respective agency heads. Specifically, plaintiff
May 10, 2025 at 1:34 AM
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walkerbragman.bsky.social
Here’s everything you need to know about the FDA’s latest appointee.

Prasad’s pick-me energy—boosting and defending Kennedy, justifying Trump’s cuts—paid off.

Now, the admin has another doctor with a history of casting doubt on COVID mitigations and mRNA vaccines in a critical public health role.
Doubt-Peddling YouTube Doctor Named FDA’s New Vaccine Chief
Vinay Prasad has a long history of questioning the necessity, safety, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Now, he’s the FDA’s top vaccine regulator.
www.importantcontext.news
May 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
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altnih4science.bsky.social
This Friday there is a major court hearing about NIH. Judge Susan Illston in the Northern District of California will hear arguments and decide whether to grant a restraining order against the DOGE RIFs.

It’s a big deal!
1030am Pacific/1:30pm Eastern on Fri 5/9.
altnih4science.bsky.social Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · May 5
Finally, Trump is sued to stop the illegal DOGE destruction. New contributed post on our blog.

"The Reductions in Force (RIFs) being used to deconstruct the fed gov't are an illegal usurpation of Congressional authority by Trump & Musk." 🧪

A hearing is set for May 9.
1/

altnih4science.subst...
Finally, Trump is sued to stop the illegal DOGE destruction The Reductions in Force (RIFs) being used to deconstruct the federal government are an illegal usurpation of Congressional authority by Trump and Musk. There is a hearing set for May 9th.
May 5, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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dailybunnies.bsky.social
Two brown bunnies cuddle on a patterned rug by a wall.
May 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
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martinenserink.bsky.social
"It’s like I have to choose between my life and my career." The personal stories of 5 scientists affected by Trump's assault on science. www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. scientists’ lives and careers are being upended. Here are five of their stories
As the second Trump administration sends U.S. science into upheaval, countless researchers are fighting for their futures
www.science.org
May 5, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Rhea
altnih4science.bsky.social
Here’s the status of the case, from the piece.
How this case may play out What should we expect to happen now? While it seems clear that the President does not have the right to destroy via RIF the capacity to execute Congressionally-mandated agency functions via RIF, much will turn on which courts and which judges are weighing in on this case. The case was filed in the Northern District of California, and assigned to Judge Susan Illston, a liberal appointee. You can find the docket here. A motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) was filed on May 1. It asks for, amonst other things, to block or enjoin “…execution of any existing reduction in force (“RIF”) notices.” Most of the NIH RIFs would be finalized in early June. So if the judge grants the order, it will make the NIH RIF notices invalid and put people back to work supporting US science and universities and sending out funds that scientists have won for excellent proposals. The hearing on the motion is set for this Friday, May 9, at 10:30am Pacific. That’s the big hearing. Will the judge grant a TRO? Let’s hope. What comes after any TRO will be big. Republicans would almost certainly call for the judge’s impeachment — an entirely laughable situation, as the judges that do deserve impeachment are those like Clarence Thomas who have accepted payments from Trump-allied billionaires. (Not kidding. We should laugh in the face of anyone who proposes impeaching judges who decide against Trump.) After the district court acts, Trump and his minders like Stephen Miller and Russ Vought will try to get any TRO up to the Supreme Court as quickly as possible, where a majority of justices have issued political decisions to protect Trump. What would happen at the Supreme Court? It’s hard to predict with certainty. But it seems likely from here that the Supreme Court will find a way to use its shadow docket to in effect overturn the TRO, perhaps by “playing fast and loose with terminology to obscure what it is actually doing,” as even far-right Federalist Society lawyer Josh Blackman said about the SCOTUS order in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. As so often with Trump and Republican party action, the way for us to beat their deception is to get out in front of it. We should start saying now that the Supreme Court must let any TRO stand — and not just stand “in part” while the order actually overturns the TRO, but actually let the effect of the TRO stand. If the district court judge stops the RIFs with a TRO, we must demand the Supreme Court shadow docket decision on the TRO must also stop the RIFs. Spread the word to your friends and colleagues. We should start talking about what the Supreme Court will do in this case now. This case deserves a lot of our attention. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
May 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM
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danielbolnick.bsky.social
Thread with an email being sent to @asn-amnat.bsky.social @sse-evolution.bsky.social @systbiol.bsky.social members today calling for a Tri-society week of action for NSF:

Dear members:
The tri-societies (ASN, SSE,SSB) are running a ‘Week of Action for NSF’. Your engagement is crucial.
May 5, 2025 at 11:59 AM
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danielbolnick.bsky.social
New England scientists are in the House (literally) advocating for #NSF #NIH #NOAA funding with @aibsbiology.bsky.social #AIBS2025CVD
April 30, 2025 at 1:40 PM
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drsl.bsky.social
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.

www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
www.spencer.org
May 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
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standupforscience.bsky.social
🚨HEY DORKS, WE NEED YOUR HELP🚨

We preparing for a BIG fight against Trump's attack on science and we won't stop until we win!

We are grassroots and run on donations. Whether it's $5 or $500, every little bit counts in the fight to save science.
#standupforscience

actionnetwork.org/fundraising/...
Stand Up For Science Summer Campaign!
Can you help us mobilize the fight for science and democracy? Every contribution matters!
actionnetwork.org
May 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
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davidimiller.bsky.social
I am so heartened to this seriously AWESOME #SaveNSF website go up today!!!!

Has a take action toolkit with:

1. Press outreach templates
2. Social media toolkit
3. Elected official outreach
4. Talking points

Check it out and share widely!!!! Likely more to come.

www.savensf.com
Welcome to Save The U.S. National Science Foundation A Girl Looking at a Physics Model TAKE ACTION Save NSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the U.S. National Science Foundation. Our mission is to support and advocate for the continuation of vital research and innovation in various scientific fields. NSF funding is critical to this work. Join us in our endeavor to ensure a sustainable future for scientific exploration and discovery.
May 2, 2025 at 10:08 PM
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standupforscience.bsky.social
🔔BREAKING🔔

The NSF has frozen all research grant awards—cutting off life-saving science midstream and demanding ideological screenings for future funding.

This is censorship disguised as oversight.

Here’s how you can help us spread the word ➡️🧵(1/3):
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
www.nature.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:31 AM
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standupforscience.bsky.social
Tax Day next up: NSF!
🛰️ $40 a year. That’s what the average U.S. taxpayer pays annually to fund the National Science Foundation.

💡 Science isn’t luxury - it’s infrastructure.
From disaster prediction to cybersecurity to the tech in your phone, NSF powers the systems that keep society running.
April 15, 2025 at 6:26 PM