AAAS unveils the AAAS Learning Hub to equip STEMM professionals with skills for today’s world | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) In response to member feedback, AAAS has created a new benefit to equip STEMM professionals with skills to engage with local communities, communicate effectively about their research, and confront tod...

🧪AAAS just launched a Learning Hub focused on leadership, communication, & public engagement for STEMM professionals.
Clear signal that AAAS considers these skills to are becoming increasingly central to scientific careers. Worth a look. 🧬 🔬 #SciComm #STEM #ScienceCareers

Ordering a few liters of glyphosate immediately.

Metabolites and Transcriptional Profiling Analysis Reveal the Molecular Mechanisms of the Anthocyanin Metabolism in the “Zijuan” Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) Anthocyanins are natural colorants that have attracted increasing attention because of their extensive range of antioxidant, antimutagenic, and health-promoting properties. The mechanism of anthocyanin synthesis has been studied in “Zijuan” tea, a representative anthocyanin-rich tea plant. However, the molecular basis underlying the transformation and degradation of anthocyanins is less-thoroughly understood. In this study, we compare “Zijuan” with a similar variety, “Yunkang 10”, for transcriptome and metabolite analysis. In total, four glycosylated anthocyanins were identified in “Zijuan”, including delphinidin-3-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, delphinidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl) galactoside, and cyanidin 3-O-(6-O-p-coumaroyl) galactoside, and the glycosyl might determine the stable accumulation of anthocyanins. Several differentially expressed genes and transcription factors regulating the anthocyanin metabolism were identified, in which the significantly upregulated ANS, 3GT, 3AT, MYB, and WRKY were determined to be responsible for increasing and transforming anthocyanins. Moreover, by comparing the different positions of leaves in “Zijuan” and “Ziyan”, we found that the pivotal genes regulating the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in “Zijuan” and “Ziyan” were different, and the degradation genes played different roles in the hydrolyzation of anthocyanins. These results provide further information on the molecular regulation of anthocyanin balance in tea plants.

Apparently there is a mechanism pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Another one (Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Sep 27;25(19):10437.) seems interesting but it's only in silico based on what I can gather from the abstract.

Hmm interesting. What function would they serve though? I know there are beta-glucosidases that cleave the sugar, and since the aglycone part itself is not that stable, there'll be a housekeeping team for that.

Learning functional groups in complex microbiomes

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Editors of a Canadian medical journal just admitted that all 138 case reports it published since 2000 are fictional. It never disclosed this to readers. "Nuts" doesn't even begin to describe it!

Fungal Cryptography — The Evolution of Molecular Specificity at University College London on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Fungal Cryptography — The Evolution of Molecular Specificity at University College London, listed on FindAPhD.com

⏰ Last chance to apply for this PhD position with my colleague Kabir Husain (not on bsky: kabirhusain.github.io) at @lmcb-ucl.bsky.social

Fungal cryptography & the evolution of molecular specificity

📆 Deadline: 4th March 2026

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are key to discovering and interpreting new biological functions.

We’re excited to introduce 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝑷𝑷𝑰: a new application of gLM2 that uses genomic language modeling to predict proteome-wide PPIs in microbial genomes in minutes.

The student is being asked to take a Masters by research exit instead of them opening an investigation against the advisor. I have heard ~3 hours of the recorded supervision meetings. Full of profanity, humiliation, degradation, and unwanted gossip from the supervisor.

If you feel you can help this PhD student in any possible way (advocacy, anything), please feel free to reach out. The university food chain is closing ranks on them.

Also, are the following phrases healthy?

“If I don’t see your ass out there every single bloody day … I’m going to assume you’re not at work”
“your resting face is a bitch resting face, okay?”
“I almost wonder whether you are bipolar”
“you are singularly the worst student that I’ve had”

Hi All. Asking for a friend in deep trouble.

Is the following a healthy thing to say for a supervisor to say to their PhD student?

"I told you before, before your Qualifying Exam, okay? I told you I will not sabotage you. I could have done so...Now I regret it because you passed."

🚨 Please share! My lab is hiring a Research Assistant! This is a great opportunity to gain experience with cutting-edge systems neuroscience techniques in a collaborative research environment. If you're interested, check the link for further details: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...

Used to be me until I adopted 18-6 fasting routine. It works. A little bit of hunger fixes many ills.

If our small minds, for some convenience, divide this glass of wine, this universe, into parts — physics, biology, geology, astronomy, psychology, and so on — remember that nature does not know it! So let us put it all back together, not forgetting ultimately what it is for. Let

Newfound disappointment: receiving shallow peer reviews that are entirely AI-generated.

The whole point is critical feedback from YOU as a real expert. If reviewers are outsourcing to AI, I think we've lost the plot 🤷‍♀️

As an editor, I'm definitely keeping better track of reviewers I can trust...

Overnight airport layover. A group of 4 young adults Indians nearby was loud while many of us tried to sleep.
An hour later, one of their own fell asleep. And suddenly, silence.
Does empathy often arrive only when inconvenience becomes personal.
What have we become?🤔

Wohh. That size is unbelievable. Are they natural or hybrid (plant genetics witchcraft)

They are probably trying to create work out of it because there are definitely better systems that can scan and import your CV from a document.

Million-year-old seashells preserved in siltstone.

Sorry it looked like FT article. It is Forbes. I mean ARM has IP for the very chips many if these overvalued folks are selling. So, in a just world, ARM is valued fairly. I disagree with the assessment Forbes made, and they should have used common send and some DeepResearch.

The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...

Wow -- moving away from mtDNA has completely rewritten our understanding of cat domestication. For example, in Europe, it's only 2000 years old!

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Only if ft authors bothered to ask LLMs the basic questions.

Students applying for grad school, or reaching out to professors. I have an important piece of advice for you: STOP DOING THIS 👇 (a thread) #STEM #PhD #gradschool #academictips

The scientific world would be a better place if reviews routinely reflected this degree of critical thinking and graphical excellence.

Thanks for putting this together @plaschkalab.bsky.social @rupertfaraway.bsky.social and @thezenklusen.bsky.social

The Cost of Forgetting by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.

The Cost of Forgetting

by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.

Thanks for sharing. An interesting read. My fav: "new products and new processes... are founded on new principles and new conceptions."

Although obvious, many (most) fail to understand this in policy circles.

Sharing this important article... for no reason whatsoever.

"We must also continue to deepen and refine our understanding of fundamental biological processes because these details frequently hold the keys to major advances in applied research."

elifesciences.org/articles/102...

Neuroscience PhD applications — Stories of WiN Dr. Nancy Padilla-Coreano chats with Dr. Ben Giasson, the director of the neuroscience PhD program at the University of Florida, to demystify the PhD application process.

It's PhD application season. If you are applying for a PhD in neuroscience or biomedical field or are mentoring someone who is applying, please check out our @storiesofwin.bsky.social episode with advice! www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...