SusanK
@susankleinfelter.bsky.social
Protein folding nerd, curmudgeon, UW IPD. She/her.
Reposted by SusanK
Citizen scientists playing the biochemistry video game Foldit are correcting errors in the PDB to improve our public knowledgebase of protein structure #Foldit #PDBREDO #CitizenScience doi.org/10.1107/S205...
November 11, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Citizen scientists playing the biochemistry video game Foldit are correcting errors in the PDB to improve our public knowledgebase of protein structure #Foldit #PDBREDO #CitizenScience doi.org/10.1107/S205...
Reposted by SusanK
The first crystal structure of FucWf4, a newly characterized fucosidase that has structural similarity to GH29 enzymes but is currently unclassified, is presented #GlycosideHydrolases #Fucoidan #Fucosidase doi.org/10.1107/S205...
November 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
The first crystal structure of FucWf4, a newly characterized fucosidase that has structural similarity to GH29 enzymes but is currently unclassified, is presented #GlycosideHydrolases #Fucoidan #Fucosidase doi.org/10.1107/S205...
Reposted by SusanK
I am excited to share our new preprint on our structural and biochemical analyses of human methionine synthase (MTR). This was the hard work of Douglas Ferreira who carried out this research as a significant part of his PhD. #CryoEM www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Structural insights into cobalamin loading and reactivation of human methionine synthase
Human methionine synthase (MTR) is an essential enzyme of one carbon metabolism. Consisting of a catalytic N-half and a cobalamin binding C-half, MTR utilises this intricate organometallic cofactor in...
www.biorxiv.org
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
I am excited to share our new preprint on our structural and biochemical analyses of human methionine synthase (MTR). This was the hard work of Douglas Ferreira who carried out this research as a significant part of his PhD. #CryoEM www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by SusanK
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
November 10, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
Reposted by SusanK
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by SusanK
When I read the full review of THE OCEAN'S HEART I cried (tears of joy)...Okay, I'm still crying. The reviewer connected with this book on every level. I hope other readers will, too. ❤️@steelworksliterary.bsky.social @lernerbooks.bsky.social @carolhinz.bsky.social #Edusky #Skybrarians #kidlit
November 11, 2025 at 12:06 AM
When I read the full review of THE OCEAN'S HEART I cried (tears of joy)...Okay, I'm still crying. The reviewer connected with this book on every level. I hope other readers will, too. ❤️@steelworksliterary.bsky.social @lernerbooks.bsky.social @carolhinz.bsky.social #Edusky #Skybrarians #kidlit
Reposted by SusanK
Special Issue: Macromolecular Assemblies is now live! Explore advances in cryoEM, cryoET, FIB milling, NMR, & AI for structure prediction. Discover cutting-edge insights into the structure & function of biological complexes. #StructuralBiology #CryoEM
spkl.io/63324AwAho
spkl.io/63324AwAho
November 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Special Issue: Macromolecular Assemblies is now live! Explore advances in cryoEM, cryoET, FIB milling, NMR, & AI for structure prediction. Discover cutting-edge insights into the structure & function of biological complexes. #StructuralBiology #CryoEM
spkl.io/63324AwAho
spkl.io/63324AwAho
Reposted by SusanK
#MD blind predictions of water/ions around Tetrahymena ribozyme #RNA matched cryo-EM data better than our baselines! Congrats #CASP16 + @rachael-kretsch.bsky.social + 23 brave groups. Still a ways to go — time for #DeepLearning of water? Community paper: doi.org/10.1002/prot...
November 11, 2025 at 12:53 AM
#MD blind predictions of water/ions around Tetrahymena ribozyme #RNA matched cryo-EM data better than our baselines! Congrats #CASP16 + @rachael-kretsch.bsky.social + 23 brave groups. Still a ways to go — time for #DeepLearning of water? Community paper: doi.org/10.1002/prot...
Reposted by SusanK
Physical, chemical, and structural properties of human gastric organoid-derived mucus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.08.687257v1
November 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Physical, chemical, and structural properties of human gastric organoid-derived mucus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.08.687257v1
Reposted by SusanK
We've seen what government run by politicians is like. Maybe it's time to see what a government run by scientists would be like.
H/T @cdelawalla.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social @314action.bsky.social @shaughnessy2025.bsky.social @katherinejwu.com
kimbellard.medium.com/support-your...
H/T @cdelawalla.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social @314action.bsky.social @shaughnessy2025.bsky.social @katherinejwu.com
kimbellard.medium.com/support-your...
Support Your Neighborhood Scientist
These are, it must be said, grim times for American science. Between the Trump budget cuts, the Trump attacks on leading research…
kimbellard.medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:36 PM
We've seen what government run by politicians is like. Maybe it's time to see what a government run by scientists would be like.
H/T @cdelawalla.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social @314action.bsky.social @shaughnessy2025.bsky.social @katherinejwu.com
kimbellard.medium.com/support-your...
H/T @cdelawalla.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social @314action.bsky.social @shaughnessy2025.bsky.social @katherinejwu.com
kimbellard.medium.com/support-your...
Reposted by SusanK
📢 Interested in #chromosomes 🧬 & #archaea thriving at the edge of life? PhD project in York,UK on how archaea pass on their genome to daughter cells.Friendly supervisors: me, @steve-quinn-lab.bsky.social & @georgerheath.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
November 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
📢 Interested in #chromosomes 🧬 & #archaea thriving at the edge of life? PhD project in York,UK on how archaea pass on their genome to daughter cells.Friendly supervisors: me, @steve-quinn-lab.bsky.social & @georgerheath.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
📅 January 7, 2026
Please RP🙏thx!
Reposted by SusanK
It's almost the weekend! 🥳
If you're looking for something for you and/or your kids to do, I've recently re-uploaded my arthropod coloring guide 🎨
Please feel free to share, print, and [definitely] have fun with it!!!
drive.google.com/file/d/1V59i...
If you're looking for something for you and/or your kids to do, I've recently re-uploaded my arthropod coloring guide 🎨
Please feel free to share, print, and [definitely] have fun with it!!!
drive.google.com/file/d/1V59i...
November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
It's almost the weekend! 🥳
If you're looking for something for you and/or your kids to do, I've recently re-uploaded my arthropod coloring guide 🎨
Please feel free to share, print, and [definitely] have fun with it!!!
drive.google.com/file/d/1V59i...
If you're looking for something for you and/or your kids to do, I've recently re-uploaded my arthropod coloring guide 🎨
Please feel free to share, print, and [definitely] have fun with it!!!
drive.google.com/file/d/1V59i...
Reposted by SusanK
I’m hearing a lot of despair and “what’s the point”-ing.
Here’s the point:
ONE less person kidnapped by ICE.
ONE more child vaccinated.
ONE grant reinstated.
ONE more PEPFAR treatment.
ONE more meal to a hungry kid.
ONE more person covered by Medicaid.
One life is ALWAYS worth resistance.
Here’s the point:
ONE less person kidnapped by ICE.
ONE more child vaccinated.
ONE grant reinstated.
ONE more PEPFAR treatment.
ONE more meal to a hungry kid.
ONE more person covered by Medicaid.
One life is ALWAYS worth resistance.
July 16, 2025 at 12:32 PM
I’m hearing a lot of despair and “what’s the point”-ing.
Here’s the point:
ONE less person kidnapped by ICE.
ONE more child vaccinated.
ONE grant reinstated.
ONE more PEPFAR treatment.
ONE more meal to a hungry kid.
ONE more person covered by Medicaid.
One life is ALWAYS worth resistance.
Here’s the point:
ONE less person kidnapped by ICE.
ONE more child vaccinated.
ONE grant reinstated.
ONE more PEPFAR treatment.
ONE more meal to a hungry kid.
ONE more person covered by Medicaid.
One life is ALWAYS worth resistance.
Reposted by SusanK
Dung beetles know where they want to go. They roll, push or shove their dung ball & every few seconds they stop pushing to climb on top of the ball to make sure they are going in the right direction. This dung beetle male is just climbing down after a look around.
More info in alt text
#insects
More info in alt text
#insects
November 3, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Dung beetles know where they want to go. They roll, push or shove their dung ball & every few seconds they stop pushing to climb on top of the ball to make sure they are going in the right direction. This dung beetle male is just climbing down after a look around.
More info in alt text
#insects
More info in alt text
#insects
Reposted by SusanK
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
For those with a scholarly interest in Franklin, Watson, and other pioneering researchers in molecular biology, @sciencehistory.org has just opened our new landmark collection of their papers, and applications for research fellowships are currently open:
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
www.sciencehistory.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
Reposted by SusanK
Come by for the next #illustratingMath seminar online on Friday, November 14th, at 9am US Pacific / 12pm US Eastern / 6pm Central Europe. We will hear from Vladimir Bulatov, about "creating and visualizing symmetries", flanked by two "show and ask" talks. See you there!
November 9, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Come by for the next #illustratingMath seminar online on Friday, November 14th, at 9am US Pacific / 12pm US Eastern / 6pm Central Europe. We will hear from Vladimir Bulatov, about "creating and visualizing symmetries", flanked by two "show and ask" talks. See you there!
Reposted by SusanK
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak with Nature about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge, and training opportunities that the country is losing. 🧪
Insiders warn how dismantling federal agencies could put science at risk
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak out about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge and training opportunities that the country is losing.
go.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:32 PM
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak with Nature about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge, and training opportunities that the country is losing. 🧪
Reposted by SusanK
Reposted by SusanK
We’re on the right track! Make sure you track your ballot to confirm it is accepted, NOT challenged. Check our links in bio to do so! More votes will be counted on Monday!
November 8, 2025 at 12:32 AM
We’re on the right track! Make sure you track your ballot to confirm it is accepted, NOT challenged. Check our links in bio to do so! More votes will be counted on Monday!
Reposted by SusanK
🚨vConTACT3 preprint live!🚨(Peer Review soon...!)
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
Scalable and systematic hierarchical virus taxonomy with vConTACT3
Viruses are key players in diverse ecosystems, but studying their impacts is technically and taxonomically challenging. Taxonomic complexities derive from undersampling, diverse DNA and RNA genomes wi...
doi.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
🚨vConTACT3 preprint live!🚨(Peer Review soon...!)
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
vConTACT3 delivers a unified, scalable, and transparent framework for genome-based virus taxonomy — helping translate big viral data into systematic classification.
🔗 Read the preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Improvements details below 👇
Reposted by SusanK
A nice story in @science.org this week about the collaboration between archaeologists and Kuikuro people in Brazil, which has been central to uncovering evidence of social complexity in the Amazon region more than 600 years ago.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
To unearth their past, Amazonian people turn to ‘a language white men understand’
A model partnership between archaeologists and the Kuikuro people has helped rewrite the history of early Amazonian societies
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
A nice story in @science.org this week about the collaboration between archaeologists and Kuikuro people in Brazil, which has been central to uncovering evidence of social complexity in the Amazon region more than 600 years ago.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by SusanK
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by SusanK
I had student meetings yesterday for my class. It was a writing class so most meetings started with my comments on their papers, but I told them they could ask about anything. Some asked for advice for gap years, how to choose the next career step, even audio books :) my favorite question was...🧵
November 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM
I had student meetings yesterday for my class. It was a writing class so most meetings started with my comments on their papers, but I told them they could ask about anything. Some asked for advice for gap years, how to choose the next career step, even audio books :) my favorite question was...🧵
Reposted by SusanK
How do SMC complexes capture DNA? 🧪
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
March 31, 2025 at 2:40 PM
How do SMC complexes capture DNA? 🧪
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Led by Frank Bürmann, Jan Löwe’s & Mark Dillingham’s groups have identified the directional loading mechanism the bacterial SMC complex MukBEF uses to capture & ingest DNA, & found a phage inhibitor to this pathway.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4s8nrrkk
#LMBResearch
Reposted by SusanK
Excited to share our discovery of the RAD51 filament cap, built by a newly identified RAD51 paralog complex 🔬🧬
‼️ Excited to share our new paper out now in @science.org ‼️
We describe a new tetrameric RAD51 paralog complex – XRCC3-RAD51C-RAD51D-XRCC2 – which caps the end of RAD51 filaments.
Link: www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
Thread ⬇️ (1/8)
We describe a new tetrameric RAD51 paralog complex – XRCC3-RAD51C-RAD51D-XRCC2 – which caps the end of RAD51 filaments.
Link: www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
Thread ⬇️ (1/8)
November 7, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Excited to share our discovery of the RAD51 filament cap, built by a newly identified RAD51 paralog complex 🔬🧬