Hunter Hill
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hunterhill.bsky.social
Hunter Hill
@hunterhill.bsky.social
480 followers 490 following 68 posts
Postdoc in the Cooper lab, MT

PhD in Drosophila genetics, currently interested in genome interactions and mechanisms of mitotic failure.

Drosophila, heterochromatin, Wolbachia, endosymbiosis, embryogenesis, chromosomes, Mitosis, Meiosis, histones
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hunterhill.bsky.social
Hunter Hill @hunterhill.bsky.social · Jan 21
I am excited to share the first paper from my postdoc in the Cooper lab. Hopefully, this is useful for anyone working on PEV image quantification in Drosophila. Please reach out if you have any questions or comments, and stay tuned for more updates!

academic.oup.com/biomethods/a...
Quantification of variegated Drosophila ommatidia with high-resolution image analysis and machine learning
Abstract. A longstanding challenge in biology is accurately analyzing images acquired using microscopy. Recently, machine learning (ML) approaches have fac
academic.oup.com
Reposted by Hunter Hill
interactivefly.bsky.social
Crain, A. T., Nevil, M., Leatham-Jensen, M. P., ..., B., Matera, A. G., McKay, D. J., Duronio, R. J. (2024). Redesigning the Drosophila histone gene cluster: an improved genetic platform for spatiotemporal manipulation of histone function. Genetics, 228(1) academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
Redesigning the Drosophila histone gene cluster: an improved genetic platform for spatiotemporal manipulation of histone function
Abstract. Mutating replication-dependent (RD) histone genes is an important tool for understanding chromatin-based epigenetic regulation. Deploying this to
academic.oup.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
nickdesnoyer.bsky.social
Introducing the 1,000 Flower Collection 🧬🌹

I’m creating 1,000 genetically designed flowers each crafted with new colors, patterns, and shapes.

Here’s how I’m making it happen… and how you can join me on this journey 🧵(1/7)
August 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
nickdesnoyer.bsky.social
To promote the collection, I’ve launched a designer clothing line where synthetic biology meets aesthetics.

I will give out 100 free limited edition shirts to the first who retweet and order with their handle in the name! Available here → nickdesnoyer.com 🧵(6/7)
August 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
maxkozlov.bsky.social
NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding.

NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.
Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities
The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.
www.nature.com
July 14, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
aoc.bsky.social
I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.

This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.

It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
July 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
lucaswaltzer.bsky.social
#drosophila @flybase.bsky.social request emergency funding:
"As it stands, by the end of July, 2025, there will be no future updates to FlyBase, and in the worst case scenario access to the website will also be lost" => please donate!

www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Drosophila Genetic Database
The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
lucksmith.bsky.social
i encourage all to comment on the federal move to switch scientific staff to political appointees. this would be yet another disaster to the scientific process, unbiased pursuit of knowledge and medicine. deadline june 7.

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

www.regulations.gov/commenton/OP...
Regulations.gov
www.regulations.gov
May 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
anthonymkreis.bsky.social
Treating a new Covid strain like a crime and not a public health issue is deranged.
May 28, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
cdelawalla.bsky.social
Do not give them an INCH!

It's not: Well, maybe there are some areas where DEI has become too much a focus.
It's: FREE COUNTRIES DON'T SEND OUT BANNED WORDS LISTS TO THEIR SCIENTISTS

It's not: Well, science isn't perfect...
It's: FREE COUNTRIES DO NOT HAVE SCIENCE COMMISSARS
May 25, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
epicypher.bsky.social
🧬NEW review article from Henikoff and Ahmad about emerging epigenomic mapping technologies to study chromatin regulation. Very comprehensive - great for beginners and experts alike!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Summary of emerging technologies to study chromatin-protein interactions on native chromatin / in vivo.
May 21, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
mikefeigin.bsky.social
For all the scientists who voted for Trump (and I know many of you), I hope the war on DEI was worth it.
samsteindc.bsky.social Sam Stein @samsteindc.bsky.social · May 13
Bernie Sanders' office has put out a report this morning on Trump's NIH cuts: "Trump officials effectively cut $2.7 billion in [NIH] funding in the first three months of 2025 – including a 31 percent cut to cancer research through March, compared to the same timeframe last year."
May 13, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
angierasmussen.bsky.social
If you're wondering why there's been so much insistence lately that COVID-19 was a lab leak, here's why: it is going to be an example for why all biomedical research & public health work should be defunded.

No evidence supports a lab leak, but it's used to justify cutting NIH's budget by 40%.
maxkozlov.bsky.social Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · May 2
BREAKING: Reports that Trump would try to cut NIH's budget by 40% have come true.

The request released moments ago would:
- Cut $18 BILLION to NIH's $47b budget
- Eliminate NIMHD, NCCIH, FIC
- Collapse ICs into five 'focus areas'

There's also a long screed about NIH's deficiencies.
May 2, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
cedricfeschotte.bsky.social
💥🥳 At long last, our latest paper is out!

Gag proteins of endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Led heroically by Sylvia Chang & @jonowells.bsky.social

A study which has changed the way I think of #transposons! No less! 🧵 1/n
Gag proteins encoded by endogenous retroviruses are required for zebrafish development | PNAS
Transposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. ...
www.pnas.org
April 30, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
joshtpm.bsky.social
You may be fearing your 401k is no longer enough for you to retire. But with all the cuts to NIH and Medicare you also won't live as long. So the policies are integrated.
April 7, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
tristansnell.bsky.social
If only America would protect school children the way it protects Teslas.
March 23, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
karimmekhail.bsky.social
🚀 New Paper Alert! Our latest @natrevmcb.bsky.social explores how nuclear and genome organization drive DNA double-strand break repair! 🧬

📖 Free access: rdcu.be/edViW

Please 🔄 ❤️
Nuclear and genome dynamics underlying DNA double-strand break repair
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology - Changes in nuclear and genome organization promote the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and genome stability. Processes that are involved include the...
rdcu.be
March 18, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
paulnoth.bsky.social
Mine in today’s @newyorker.com
March 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
hunterhill.bsky.social
Proud to be a part of this community! We had a great turnout for #Standupforscience at UMontana.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0s3...
Protestors rally for science at University of Montana campus
YouTube video by NBC Montana
www.youtube.com
March 9, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
cbibberson.bsky.social
So much this.
March 8, 2025 at 3:05 AM
hunterhill.bsky.social
Local coverage on budget cuts, thanks @nbcnews.com nbcmontana.com/news/local/u...
University of Montana researchers warn of ripple effects from funding cuts
Lab leaders, scientists and professors with the University of Montana released a letter Thursday on the potential impact cutting funds from the government will
nbcmontana.com
February 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
michellefrancl.bsky.social
This is utterly terrifying. The lack of critical thinking is stunning. nbcmontana.com/newsletter-d...
Proposed bill would ban administration of mRNA vaccines in Montana
Legislators heard a bill on Friday that would make Montana the first state to ban the use of mRNA vaccines.
nbcmontana.com
February 9, 2025 at 8:12 PM
hunterhill.bsky.social
#FluorescenceFriday #Drosophila chromosomes!
February 7, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
hunterlab.bsky.social
Sadly, our colleague and friend Scott Hawley passed away this morning. He was an irreplaceable presence and force for good in the meiosis an Drosophila communities and will be sorely missed.
January 31, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
vscooper.micropopbio.org
To all constituents, journalists, and representatives interested in today’s hearings for RFK Jr, please read, consider, and ask the following questions of him.

On behalf of the Coalition for the Life Sciences cc: @needhibhalla.bsky.social

www.coalitionforlifesciences.org
We write to you on behalf of the scientific community to raise serious concerns about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. We represent the Coalition for Life Sciences, an alliance of scientists and scientific organizations focused since 1990 on (1) promoting policies and practices that foster innovative, impactful research and training in the life sciences, and (2) ensuring that public policy is informed by sound scientific evidence. The leader of the Department of Health and Human Services needs to make evidence-based decisions supported by validated scientific data. Adherence to such data-driven policymaking has made America the gold standard for biomedical discovery and public health policy. Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not use scientific evidence in developing his positions and, in fact, often denies substantial bodies of scientific research to sow doubt over health interventions long established to be safe and effective. Some of these positions have already cost lives by influencing individual behavior. Providing him with a platform to embed them in US policy would have sweeping consequences, putting potentially millions of American lives at risk. The United States is the global leader in biomedical research, which has improved health on many fronts and generated a biotechnology industry that contributes nearly $100 billion each year1 to our economic and national security. One of the great successes of biomedical research is management of infectious diseases. In the 20th century, widespread vaccination removed infectious disease from the leading cause of death in the United States for nearly all age groups. This safe prevention strategy has saved millions of lives and trillion of dollars in the U.S. economy. Changing vaccine policy or even voicing counter-factual statements about vaccine safety will lower vaccination rates and lead to the widespread reemergence of deadly diseases like measles, typhoid, and tuberculosis and hasten the next global pandemic. We recommend you ask the following questions at Mr. Kennedy’s confirmation hearing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Finance Committee’s responsibilities include oversight of Medicare. • Do you support flu vaccination for older adults? o Estimates of economic costs are >$85 billion each year, of which two-thirds are attributable to adults over 65 and ~90% of annual deaths from influenza are in people older than 65. 2 • Do you support RSV vaccination for older adults? o A recent study found that prior to availability of the RSV vaccine, there were 4 million RSV cases in adults over 60 years of age and an economic burden of $6.6 billion each year.3 o Can you provide rough comparisons of RSV vs. influenza virus in terms of symptomatic disease, hospitalizations, and deaths among adults over 65? If the emerging avian influenza virus mutates to become transmissible between people, it is likely to hit seniors the hardest. What will you do as HHS Secretary to prepare for such a threat? • Will you support the development of a vaccine? • Will you promote the use of effective public health interventions? <incomplete, see image > 6. • lHow will you, as HHS Secretary, monitor infectious disease trends across our borders in the absence of WHO data and information? You have been quoted as saying that the NIH should stop research on infectious diseases for 8 years7 to focus on chronic, non-communicable diseases. • What are the potential costs to stopping research into infectious pathogens when they continue to evolve, when so many health costs are due to infections, when new causes of infectious disease are appearing and expanding their scope? • Without research, how will you defend Americans from the increasing threat from the novel avian influenza virus? What are the potential costs if that virus mutates to become transmissible between people? • Can you provide a summary of NIH’s investment in infectious disease research versus chronic disease (cardiovascular, metabolic, neuropsychiatric and other disorders)? 7. You are widely identified with promoting the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. • What would it take to convince you of the published conclusions of 5 randomized controlled trials, 1 controlled clinical trial, 27 cohort studies, 17 case-control studies, 5 time-series trials, 1 case cross-over trial, 2 ecological studies, and 6 self-controlled case series studies involving 14.7 million –children –– all8 of which have demonstrated that there is no link between vaccines and autism? • What are the likely consequences and costs of reducing the number of people who receive the following vaccines: (MMR for measles, mumps, and rubella; polio; human papilloma virus; hepatitis B virus; etc.) • Many have noted that your efforts to reduce the deployment of measles vaccine in Samoa 6 years ago led to over 80 childhood deaths from measles. How did that experience affect your views on vaccination? • You have been critical of the vaccine approval process. Who should be in charge of the design of clinical trialsfor vaccines during your tenure at DHHS? Who should judge whether they can be used?
January 29, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Hunter Hill
harmitmalik.bsky.social
If you have been affected by the fires in LA, or are concerned about your ability to keep precious Drosophila strains going during the latest funding crisis, we will host your strains as a backup. Please email me.

Please amplify. If you are also able to host fly strains, add your name as well.
January 28, 2025 at 9:45 PM