#OnThisDay in 1938, American evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis was born. Margulis is most known for developing and popularising the endosymbiotic theory, which explains how eukaryotic cells evolved organelles from simpler prokaryotic organisms that resided within another and became incorporated.
#Dros26 Day 2
What antibodies do you wish we had? Comment below your antibody wishlist!
📸 Drosophila egg chamber labeled with DSHB anti-hts in yellow
🧫 dshb.biology.uiowa.edu/hts-RC
🧪March is #WomensHistoryMonth
Today is #InternationalWomensDay
Some highlights of women’s contribution in science.
Of note:
Kizzmekia Corbett was the scientific lead of the team that developed the Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.
@jackiebrenner on IG
#Pinks
Graph of award probability of R35 and R01 from NIH factbook as a function of review rank percentile. As is apparent, 2025 is a significant departure, with lower award probabilities at all scores <40 and significant departures from norm, where even being in the top 10% is no longer a nearly certain indicator of success. Data source: https://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook/report/302
The data is in: the NIH goalposts have shifted.
What were once almost certain fundable scores have become coin flips and what used to be likely grants have become aspirational, leading to fewer awards.
Another manifestation of how HHS policies have led to fewer awards and less science.
maybe I'm focusing on the wrong thing here but this is the wildest shit I've ever heard a white South African say and I study racism for a living
i also have 2 single-digit percentiles, diff topics diff institutes, the answer is not going to be funded. the fact that it's out of my hands is total garbage. important science is not going to be done, and great people will not have jobs, in favor of you know what. good luck on yours...
Quick plug for our new resource, the Drosophila Species Stock Exchange. This is a database and mailing list that documents species currently in culture and the labs holding them. If you want to know more or sign up then please get in touch. See attached for more info and please share!
feeling a lot of positive energy from #Dros26, it is so needed in these times. especially after sharing more broadly about how arts and music intersect with science, i had great convos with lots of people about this. check out this incredible tattoo! bonus points if you know what molecule it is... 🪰
additional secret show tonight with @tarafinegan.bsky.social at #Dros26!
@slewzeus.bsky.social @burgesslab.bsky.social @benoitbruneau.bsky.social @chrmosimann.bsky.social @docdellaire.bsky.social @fish4walking.bsky.social @daphsci.bsky.social @thelovelylab.bsky.social @mads100tist.bsky.social
tim, i'm bummed you missed the premiere of my new song at #Dros26, especially as i included a slide specifically for you!!🪰
you may want to contact @brhopkins92.bsky.social who is organizing a new "fly species stock exchange" to collect info on which species are available amongst the community, and might be shareable. 🪰
hi everyone #Dros26. @tarafinegan.bsky.social and i had so much fun rocking the chicago fly meeting! remember to pick up your fly pin with the fly lyrics, courtesy of our friends at Genesee Scientific. visit their booth, they made 1000 of them, enough for everyone. i also have bunch, pls say hi! 🪰🎸🎶
With this war on Iran costing $1B per day, we are now at 4$B, an amount that would fund 3,200 five year NIH biomedical research grants.
Looking forward to #Dros26 this week. My lab is recruiting and I would be delighted to chat with anyone interested in grad school/postdoc positions in evolutionary cell biology and developmental genetics. Please reach out if interested!
all set for chicago fly meeting #Dros26! umm, why are instruments set up on stage?! find out at 9pm! 🪰
@slewzeus.bsky.social @burgesslab.bsky.social @benoitbruneau.bsky.social @chrmosimann.bsky.social @docdellaire.bsky.social @fish4walking.bsky.social @daphsci.bsky.social @thelovelylab.bsky.social
DO NOT MISS the opening session of #DROS26 this evening - beginning at 7pm.
You are going to be in for a treat listening to @lucksmith.bsky.social and Tara Finnegan perform "The fly song"
#Drosophila
on my way to #Dros26! starting on a good note, met some new fly folks in the airport, and then after boarding, attendant asked if i wanted to move to an empty row ... hell yeah!!
see all you wonderful fly fanciers in chicago! don't miss a special surprise ive got planned for the opening plenary! 🪰
mitski
chaperoning a bunch of teenagers for the night. but it's not a bad assignment: mitski!
The impact is already hitting science agencies hard. The NIH—the world's largest public biomedical research funder—has had to rely on leftover stopgap funds.
New grant awards have slowed to a trickle — exacerbating the effects of a record-long shutdown in October.
(h/t @jeremymberg.bsky.social)
our friends are on a sailing trip and were greeted by a pod of happy dolphins 🐬
collection of swiss potato cookbooks🥔
@chrmosimann.bsky.social @mads100tist.bsky.social
Hey @axios.com, it’s actually nine jets, four of them luxury, with another luxury jet on the way. You’re only counting two luxury jets and the one on the way.
Please credit me when you confirm and update your story, thank you! gillianbrockell.ghost.io/noems-luxury...
Texas is so incredibly mismanaged, it's now a race to see which area of the state becomes uninhabitable first. Space Karen's new lithium refinery is operational, but Corpus Christi was predicted to run out of water in EARLY 2027 before they ever used a drop.
reason #753 why the FLY community is THE BEST! #FlyCROSS is the initiative of grad student Shefali @iamshef.bsky.social to match early stage fly researchers with experienced scientists aligned to their interests and goals. nearly 200 mentors and mentees signed up this year! see you all at #Dros26 🪰💪
what else do you need, really? 🎁🧀🪑
what?!? in 2026, my Skype name still counts as a valid login?!?
Deep, well sourced, moving, and enraging story from the NYT
[Gift Link]
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...
