World-first stem-cell therapy shows promise for treating spina bifida in the womb Six pregnant women participated in a small trial in which placenta-derived stem cells were applied to fetal spinal cords and the treatment was found to be safe.

World-first placenta-derived stem-cell therapy applied to fetal spinal cords in six pregnant women shows promise for treating spina bifida in the womb
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... @ucdavishealth.bsky.social

Great epigenomics and chromatin meeting come up in the Bay Area. Check it out!

A remarkable scientific hero who worked in my home town. We never knew her secret powers.

Please repost and share widely - winter break is a perfect time to assemble application materials 😅

Opinion | The Uncertain Fate of the Young American Scientist (Gift Article) Young researchers are choosing between staying in science or staying in the United States.

An excellent article in the Times about the threats to young US scientists, our investments, and economy www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/o...

As #DisabledInSTEM, I benefitted from the NSF GRFP as I entered graduate school knowing I would have funding.

As someone with a disability, it can be difficult to find a lab and a PI who is willing to spend so much money on you.

With my own funding, came independence. #StandUpForScience2025

UPDATE: Black women died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher than white women at childbirth in 2023, and we can expect this to get much worse under Trump with RFK Jr running HHS.

This is a brutal, systemic failure. Wake up, America!

Axolotl Smile GIF Alt: Axolotl Smile GIF

Shoutout to the axolotls and amazing PREP scholar Christian Torres from the lab of @rogerslabucd.bsky.social showcased on the website

How DID this happen?

As Wildfires Grow, Millions of Homes Are Being Built in Harm’s Way (Gift Article) The number of homes in fire-prone parts of the West soared from 10 million in 1990 to 16 million today, a big reason wildfires are causing more destruction.

I first learned about the Silvis Lab's work on homes and the WUI from this NYT article (gift link)
1990: 10 M homes in the Western US in the WUI
2020: 16 M
CA alone has 5.1 M homes in the WUI
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

It also makes it harder for them to ban books.

Intercontinental insights into autism spectrum disorder: a synthesis of environmental influences and DNA methylation Abstract. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a broad range of symptoms. The etiology of ASD is though

Hi all. I’d like to share our review article that links environmental factors and DNA methylation in ASD across different geographic regions, with global and country-specific prevalence data that outlines the factors influencing ASD diagnoses by region and year.

academic.oup.com/eep/article/...

In Praise of Peer Review As an Editor of the journal Development, I often hear complaints about peer review. We all know the problems – from lengthy review times to requests for seemingly unnecessary experiments. I a…

I wrote some thoughts about why peer review matters

It shapes scientific standards, maintains field coherence & trains new researchers

Yes, it needs improvement—but it's the glue that holds scientific progress together

briscoelab.org/2024/12/11/i...

The FT’s 25 most influential women of 2024 This year we celebrate the women remaking the world we live in today

www.ft.com/womenof2024 I enjoyed this collection of inspirational and influential women's stories

On this date in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the imperial forces of Japan. The loss of life and destruction was horrific, and it pulled the U.S. into the war.

For Japanese Americans, it was a terrifying time. Overnight, we became the “enemy within” because we were of Japanese descent. /1

I listen to audiobooks while running

Fantastic book

This is next on my list!

Yes I also enjoyed this

This has been a needed dose of hope and joy for the holidays
I listened to the audiobook

Destroy the myth that libraries are no longer relevant. If you use your library, please share. Picture of library aisle filled with books.

@goodwilllibrarian.bsky.social