TanentzapfLab
@tanentzapflab.bsky.social
A Cell & Developmental Biology lab @UBC. working on the role of cell junctions in development, stem cells, tissue homeostasis.
Reposted by TanentzapfLab
1. On this #HolocaustMemorialDay I remember my great grandfather Jacob Klein (here in his Austro-Hungarian army veterinarian uniform in 1914). He, my great grandmother & 6 of their 8 children perished in the death camps, his daughter, my great aunt Aranka Klein, survived Auschwitz.
January 27, 2024 at 8:53 PM
1. On this #HolocaustMemorialDay I remember my great grandfather Jacob Klein (here in his Austro-Hungarian army veterinarian uniform in 1914). He, my great grandmother & 6 of their 8 children perished in the death camps, his daughter, my great aunt Aranka Klein, survived Auschwitz.
Congrats Martin! well deserved!
January 9, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Congrats Martin! well deserved!
I love finding a paper published years ago (5, 10, 15, 20) that isn't famous or field changing or has a ton of citations but when you read it is just awesome. Like, beautifully designed & executed & written. Best part is that there are so many papers like that lurking in the literature.
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I love finding a paper published years ago (5, 10, 15, 20) that isn't famous or field changing or has a ton of citations but when you read it is just awesome. Like, beautifully designed & executed & written. Best part is that there are so many papers like that lurking in the literature.
This is your regular reminder to always always put scale bars on your figures & always always make sure you use properly scaled axis on your graphs
September 16, 2025 at 5:21 PM
This is your regular reminder to always always put scale bars on your figures & always always make sure you use properly scaled axis on your graphs
Reposted by TanentzapfLab
Venkatesh B, et al. (@tanentzapflab.bsky.social lab) Inside-out integrin activation is essential for early mammalian development. Mol Biol Cell. 2025 Sep 3;:mbcE25030106. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 40901728
September 4, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Venkatesh B, et al. (@tanentzapflab.bsky.social lab) Inside-out integrin activation is essential for early mammalian development. Mol Biol Cell. 2025 Sep 3;:mbcE25030106. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 40901728
The goal of a PhD is not to learn some facts or read a few papers or learn a bunch of techniques. The goal of a PhD is to learn independence, problem solving, how to finish things you start, resilience, & gain the ability to adapt & think creatively. Learning these things is hard.
August 13, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The goal of a PhD is not to learn some facts or read a few papers or learn a bunch of techniques. The goal of a PhD is to learn independence, problem solving, how to finish things you start, resilience, & gain the ability to adapt & think creatively. Learning these things is hard.
The basic problem in science funding in most countries is that the government decides how many scientists to support but universities/institutes decide how many scientists to hire & those #'s are incongruous. I'll never understand why they don't just talk to each other & coordinate.
August 12, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The basic problem in science funding in most countries is that the government decides how many scientists to support but universities/institutes decide how many scientists to hire & those #'s are incongruous. I'll never understand why they don't just talk to each other & coordinate.
I think a good rule of thumb is to spend at least as much time thinking about your data as you did obtaining it. It's common for people to spend a lot less time thinking than doing which gives rise to all kinds of problems.
August 8, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I think a good rule of thumb is to spend at least as much time thinking about your data as you did obtaining it. It's common for people to spend a lot less time thinking than doing which gives rise to all kinds of problems.
fantastic stuff! very exciting work.
August 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
fantastic stuff! very exciting work.
It's Friday it's summer, let's have some fun. Drop in the comments the meanest things a reviewer has ever said to you (bonus if it's on a manuscript you think is good & that you ended up publishing in a different journal). I'll start with the masterpiece below.
July 4, 2025 at 10:57 PM
It's Friday it's summer, let's have some fun. Drop in the comments the meanest things a reviewer has ever said to you (bonus if it's on a manuscript you think is good & that you ended up publishing in a different journal). I'll start with the masterpiece below.
Idea of the day: For every publication the first author prepares & records a 10-20 minute seminar talk about the work that gets posted on the journal website along with the manuscript.
July 4, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Idea of the day: For every publication the first author prepares & records a 10-20 minute seminar talk about the work that gets posted on the journal website along with the manuscript.
Friends in Los Angels. I am giving a seminar in UCLA tomorrow (Friday May 30th) at 3:30 at Boyer 159. I will be speaking about how stem cells make good decisions when seemingly every signaling pathway in the world is present in their environment telling them to do something totally different.
May 30, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Friends in Los Angels. I am giving a seminar in UCLA tomorrow (Friday May 30th) at 3:30 at Boyer 159. I will be speaking about how stem cells make good decisions when seemingly every signaling pathway in the world is present in their environment telling them to do something totally different.
The turmoil impacting NIH funding is a reminder how important it is that ALL countries have robust & well resourced research funding bodies to support science. The world of science can't rely on the US & the NIH to continue playing such a major role in funding key scientific work
April 18, 2025 at 6:39 PM
The turmoil impacting NIH funding is a reminder how important it is that ALL countries have robust & well resourced research funding bodies to support science. The world of science can't rely on the US & the NIH to continue playing such a major role in funding key scientific work
I meant none of those things you list. Rather that the notion that we can fix science funding simply by convincing the public of the importance of funding science is incorrect.
April 5, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I meant none of those things you list. Rather that the notion that we can fix science funding simply by convincing the public of the importance of funding science is incorrect.
I've been doing this for 30 years & I still can't believe that when people ask me what I do for a living I get to tell them "I'm a scientist". It feels like a kid's fantasy career that they dress up as for Halloween, like "astronaut" or "pirate". I feel very lucky I get to do this day in & day out.
April 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I've been doing this for 30 years & I still can't believe that when people ask me what I do for a living I get to tell them "I'm a scientist". It feels like a kid's fantasy career that they dress up as for Halloween, like "astronaut" or "pirate". I feel very lucky I get to do this day in & day out.
6. "educating the public about the value of science" is clearly important but has not been very impactful in improving science funding. We have to think harder how to make increased investment in science important to political parties, because right now this is not the case
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
6. "educating the public about the value of science" is clearly important but has not been very impactful in improving science funding. We have to think harder how to make increased investment in science important to political parties, because right now this is not the case
5. Governments do what people want them to do to an extent but also have basic agendas driven by ideology. The lesson for me is that as scientists our priority should be to find out how to make funding science a key ideological goal of political parties.
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
5. Governments do what people want them to do to an extent but also have basic agendas driven by ideology. The lesson for me is that as scientists our priority should be to find out how to make funding science a key ideological goal of political parties.
4. Another example is how the NIH budget doubled between 1998 and 2003 under both a democratic & GOP administration with very different agendas. Both parties at the time really believed in funding science. Subsequent administrates of either party have not funded science well.
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
4. Another example is how the NIH budget doubled between 1998 and 2003 under both a democratic & GOP administration with very different agendas. Both parties at the time really believed in funding science. Subsequent administrates of either party have not funded science well.
3. You could argue that public opinions influences what politicians & policy makers decide to do but I think that doesn't turn out to be the case. For example, recent governments in Canada were outwardly very pro science, but science funding stagnated.
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
3. You could argue that public opinions influences what politicians & policy makers decide to do but I think that doesn't turn out to be the case. For example, recent governments in Canada were outwardly very pro science, but science funding stagnated.
2. In fact there is little correlation between how much people value science & how well it is funded. What actually matters? How much of a priority science funding is to the politicians & policy makers that run government
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
2. In fact there is little correlation between how much people value science & how well it is funded. What actually matters? How much of a priority science funding is to the politicians & policy makers that run government
1. I think a common misconception in science policy is that we need to convince regular tax payers that science is worth funding. But I think the data shows this has little effect on science funding.
March 10, 2025 at 1:07 AM
1. I think a common misconception in science policy is that we need to convince regular tax payers that science is worth funding. But I think the data shows this has little effect on science funding.
Over my career I learned that whenever there was a paper, or a technique, or a finding that I thought was totally wrong all I had to do was wait & it would go away. Alternatively, I found out that actually I was the one with the wrong opinion. Whatever the case, I learned that time is my friend.
March 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Over my career I learned that whenever there was a paper, or a technique, or a finding that I thought was totally wrong all I had to do was wait & it would go away. Alternatively, I found out that actually I was the one with the wrong opinion. Whatever the case, I learned that time is my friend.
Reposted by TanentzapfLab
Registration is still open to this exciting meeting! Besides cutting edge science and nice people, it’s also a fantastic location to take a bit of a break from it all!
A reminder to colleagues interested in Cell-Matrix adhesion & anything ECM related that registration is now open for the Fibronectin, Integrins & related molecules Gordon Research Conference. Incredible list speakers! incredible location! it will 🔥 🔥 🔥 Please join us! www.grc.org/fibronectin-...
2025 Fibronectin, Integrins and Related Molecules Conference GRC
The 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Fibronectin, Integrins and Related Molecules will be held in Lucca (Barga), Lucca Italy. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
March 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Registration is still open to this exciting meeting! Besides cutting edge science and nice people, it’s also a fantastic location to take a bit of a break from it all!
This week has been comically busy, I’ve been so under the cosh that I spent 10 minutes yesterday frantically searching the kitchen for the grater & turns out I randomly put it in the fridge in my absent mindedness. Please share your best "absent minded scientist" story in the comments below.
February 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
This week has been comically busy, I’ve been so under the cosh that I spent 10 minutes yesterday frantically searching the kitchen for the grater & turns out I randomly put it in the fridge in my absent mindedness. Please share your best "absent minded scientist" story in the comments below.
Reading a nice polished CV is useful & everything but the most important part of my scientific training, the 18 months I spent on a project that failed, which taught me resilience, problem solving, humility, & other such wisdom, is nowhere to be found on my CV. So CVs have their limits.
February 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reading a nice polished CV is useful & everything but the most important part of my scientific training, the 18 months I spent on a project that failed, which taught me resilience, problem solving, humility, & other such wisdom, is nowhere to be found on my CV. So CVs have their limits.