Rebecca Mosher
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rm0sher.bsky.social
Rebecca Mosher
@rm0sher.bsky.social
1.5K followers 680 following 570 posts
Plant small RNA and epigenomes enthusiast; recently repotted from Arizona to University of Oxford; academic mom
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rm0sher.bsky.social
Prepping some material for a transposon lecture, I ran across this quote from McClintock in 1971. She was ahead of her time in many ways! (From Nina Fedoroff, doi.org/10.1002/9781...)
In the Carnegie Institution Year Book 70 (McClintock, 1971), McClintock wrote: It is now well recognized that the genomes of most organisms have many of the same basic operationaltools: the same kinds of enzymes, the same cellular structures with the same functions, and the sameoverall gene products required to build and maintain these structures. The differences between organisms,therefore, must reflect to a large extent differences in regulation of their genomes.
November 6, 2025 at 4:29 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
The UK doesn’t have Costco, yet you can still buy tea bag’s by the thousands
A 1100-count bag of Tetley tea bags
September 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
It’s definitely the first day of autumn - both cats have decided my lap is the warmest spot in the house!
Two cats are curled up on a red blanket over a lap.
September 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Saturday sunbathing
A tabby cat lounging in a sunbeam. He is on his back next to a man with a laptop. The man has one hand on the keyboard and one hand giving chin scratches
September 6, 2025 at 1:17 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Had to look up an old paper to get the doi. It still completely boggles my mind that TWO Nobel prizes have been given for small RNAs and this work wasn't recognized by either. Abstract is literally like "yeah, we found these tiny antisense RNAs and think they're probably causing gene silencing"
A Species of Small Antisense RNA in Posttranscriptional Gene Silencing in Plants by Andrew J. Hamilton and David C. Baulcombe Abstract Posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is a nucleotide sequence–specific defense mechanism that can target both cellular and viral mRNAs. Here, three types of transgene-induced PTGS and one example of virus-induced PTGS were analyzed in plants. In each case, antisense RNA complementary to the targeted mRNA was detected. These RNA molecules were of a uniform length, estimated at 25 nucleotides, and their accumulation required either transgene sense transcription or RNA virus replication. Thus, the 25-nucleotide antisense RNA is likely synthesized from an RNA template and may represent the specificity determinant of PTGS.
September 1, 2025 at 2:51 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Bank holiday mode activated
A brown tabby cat lounging in his back on a fuzzy blanket. His legs are spread and he has no cares in the world (or thoughts in his head)
August 25, 2025 at 12:55 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Important Q from day one of the Epigenetics GRC:
If I feed this guy lasagne, will he let me love him? 🥺
An orange tabby cat lounging on pavement and surveying his domain.
August 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Exactly! This is why we need to be careful about word choice in letters of rec, too. “Hard-working” is a positive in men, but suggests lack of genius in women. csw.arizona.edu/sites/defaul...
A PDF from the University of Arizona Commission on the Status of Women describing the ways gender bias can unwittingly creep into letters of reference. Full text is available at https://csw.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/avoiding_gender_bias_in_letter_of_reference_writing.pdf
July 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Seeing transposons in action is just the pick me up I needed today!
A geranium with mottled pink petals.
May 29, 2025 at 12:44 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Reviewing some of my colleagues' lectures to help my students revise and came across this gem in a transcript. I have a feeling the switch to online-only journals absolutely ruined Trends in BBQ sandwich. ☹️
Text box reads "I saw it first when I was reading trends in, um, um, uh, trends in, um like a barbecue sandwich where this came from in 1982"
May 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
This one’s almost ready to hatch!
A brown tabby cat curled up into an egg shape
May 9, 2025 at 7:03 AM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Michelangelo’s little-known inspiration for the Sistine chapel:
Young man standing next to a cat who is reclining on his back. The boy has a finger pointed at the cat’s face and the cat is leaning up to be booped.
April 15, 2025 at 10:07 AM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Post-snack snooze in the sun.
The brown tabby is now stretched out in his back in the sun - sated for the moment
April 6, 2025 at 3:27 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Come on! We’re starving here!!
A brown tabby and a black and white cat are sitting on a rug and looking straight up at the camera. The tabby’s mouth is open.
April 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
@effinbirds.com got you covered - mugs, tee shirts, ...
Full color drawing of a vulture behind the text "Powered by spite"
January 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Amazing prickles on this holly bush. Munch on me at your peril!
A dark green leaf with many very sharp yellow prickles along the edge and surface.
January 25, 2025 at 1:21 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
It’s a lazy #Caturday morning in our house
A brown and white tabby cat on a rainbow crochet blanket. The cat is on his back and twisted up, but miraculously very comfortable.
January 25, 2025 at 8:29 AM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Video of kitty face massage to thank you for reading!
January 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Ha! I never get the purple first, but this one was made for me.
January 8, 2025 at 10:47 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Anyone need some kitty snoring to start off their 2025?
January 1, 2025 at 9:08 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Where’s my RNA geeks at?
Classic image from The Breakfast Club with the main characters sitting in a row. They are labeled as types of RNA. The criminal - mi The jock - r The basketcase - si The princess - m The nerd - t
December 24, 2024 at 1:27 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Predictive text cannot determine the methodical rigor of the study, nor its generalizability or value. It’s feeding you plausible bs.
Grayscale image of a squirt bottle and a hand spraying water out. The word NO is written over it
December 24, 2024 at 8:38 AM
rm0sher.bsky.social
While I’m away from home, cat #1 is filling the void. He sleeps on my pillow and he’s taken my place at the dinner table. He’s hoping to claim my sausage, I’m sure.
A black and white cat is sitting in a chair at a dinner table. There is no place setting in front of him, but a serving plate with sausages is nearby.
November 10, 2024 at 6:54 PM
rm0sher.bsky.social
This chimp definitely knows what a Pan genome is.
A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) sitting in the forest
November 9, 2024 at 1:41 AM
rm0sher.bsky.social
Taken by my daughter during a walk at Felbrigg Park.
Late afternoon sunlight shining through the trees in the late afternoon. The foreground is covered with autumn leaves. A couple are sitting on a bench under tree in a field with picnic tables. The sun is sinking low in the sky behind them.
October 27, 2024 at 9:41 PM