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Laura White

@laurakwhite.bsky.social
3.1K followers 3.9K following 548 posts

Colorado RNA biologist & tRNA enthusiast exploring the wild frontiers of nanopore direct RNA sequencing at the intrepid venn diagram of northern blots & machine learning.

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Reposted by Laura White
Craig Kaplan @triggerloop.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I am going down the rabbit hole on classic Jacob, Monod et al lac operon studies. The cites for isolation of laci (i) mutants are a book chapter + an article in French- does anyone know what the selection/screen was? Was it just use of an indicator plate that could show lactose metabolism+glucose?
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Easy to donate blood or platelets at Children’s Hospital if you’re around the Anschutz Medical Campus in CO: giveblood.childrenscolorado.org/donor/schedu...
giveblood.childrenscolorado.org
Children's Hospital Colorado - Donor Portal
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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
As a historian of smallpox vaccination who collects vaccination ephemera, this is quite literally something I sometimes have nightmares about
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Palaeo @palaeosinensis.com · 20/07/2026
#art #drawing #jaguar #blackjaguar #petroglyph #glyph
Decorative element; artwork of a jaguar petroglyph.Decorative element; artwork of a melanistic jaguar petroglyph.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Baby bears for your Saturday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Zr...
youtube.com
LIVE Brooks Falls - Katmai National Park, Alaska 2026 | explore.org
YouTube video by Explore Live Nature Cams
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Ok first of all, I didn't know that NIH had a 3D print designs library, and second of all 🐸: 3d.nih.gov/entries/3DPX...
3d.nih.gov
NIH 3D
NIH 3D
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
At last, I can finally share my big news: I've been selected as one of the 50 scientist-enterpreneurs of Activate's 2026 cohort! At Andon Bio we're tackling an old problem -- why is protein expression so painfully unpredictable? -- with a new angle: 🔎 tRNA dynamics 🔍. activate.org/news/activat...
activate.org
Activate Welcomes 50 New Fellows to Cohort 2026
Meet the 41 Hard Tech Companies Across 5 Activate Communities
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Max Fürst @maxfus.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Domain swap is a staple in protein engineering. But instead of trial & error, can we predict an ideal crossover w/ comp modeling? Happy to share a wonderful collaboration w/ Jürgen @lassak-lab.bsky.social at my alma mater LMU Munich to convert a protein ligase to an aaRS for β amino acids t.ly/lNpVw
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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
When I explain to peeps how much we do in research labs for how few $$, they simply don’t believe me. I once explained it to a famous person from Pixar, he looked me square in the eye and said “You mean all the cancer, vision, and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be %#ing kidding me!”
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Alice Averlong 🏳️‍⚧️ @alice.averlong.com · 03/07/2026
TIL that from 1961 to 2009 there was a bowling alley in Antarctica (at McMurdo station) and it used penguin-themed pins.
A black and white photo of a bowling alley, showing the penguin-themed bowling pins
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Ryan Flynn @raflynn5.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Taking our first steps towards sequencing the extracellular matrix by “Intact and single-molecule analysis of heparan sulfate” from @phristov.bsky.social in the lab, in collaboration with Miten Jain's lab. "HS-nano-seq" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Dr. Heather Hinam 🍁 🇨🇦 @secondnaturemb.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Antler tissue is the fastest-growing animal tissue. It can grow at a rate up to 2 cm/day in some species. Despite this very high cell division rate, there are remarkably cancer-free, a paradox that biologists continue to study. Elk can grow a whole 40 lb (18 kg) set in less than 6 months. #mammals
A large bull elk munches on lush, green grass next to a forest. His growing antlers are on display covered in a fuzzy skin called velvet.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Weekend pups
Two brown dogs in profile in a backyard. They are panting happily.
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
My version of this for how fast airplane technology developed? Orville Wright flew both the Wright Flyer and a Lockheed Constellation
wright flyer, all cables and delicate wings, just about taking to the air.moden era lockheed constellation four engine passenger plane
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MichaelMcMurray lab @mcmurraylab.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Our new paper was, by definition, an adventure: stepping outside of our comfort zone, embracing the unknown, and engaging in activities where the outcome is uncertain. Includes discovery of a new species and working with a Native American tribe to name it… 🧵👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Comparative Analysis of Stress Adaptation in the Yeast Microbiome of Cactus
Yeasts and related fungi isolated from cacti or nearby non-cactus plants were characterized phenotypically and genomically, revealing differences that hint at modes of adaptation to the cactus host.
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—>realhackhistory.org @bsky.realhackhistory.org · 22/06/2026
I love this illustration for instance, from The News-Times, Saturday January 14th, 1978.
Man in a flat cap, sunglasses, black gloves and a trenchcoat sat at a terminal in front of a large, old computer. There is a flashlight, a set of keys, a crowbar and a small bag on the table beside him.
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Zeynep Baharoglu @zeynepbaharoglu.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
TusDCB-mediated tRNA sulfur modification is required for virulence and intestinal fitness in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli 🦠 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org
TusDCB-mediated tRNA sulfur modification is required for virulence and intestinal fitness in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli | Infection and Immunity
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a well-known foodborne pathogen that causes not only severe hemorrhagic diarrhea but also life-threatening complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome…
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
32 grants on 6/3 and nothing since then. A bit odd, to say the least.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Matt and his growing army of talented junior colleagues will not and perhaps cannot stop coming up with new ways to dissect the complex mechanisms by which cells send RNAs to different subcellular locations. It’s been fun watching Charlie Moffat in his lab systematically chip away at this story.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
the itsy bitsy sisyphus put death in a lock pissed off the gods who handed him a rock cursed for all time to roll it up a hill but the rock just falls back down so he is rolling still
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Sitting on some great news I can’t share publicly yet, so in the meantime, here’s a happy dog for your Friday.
A medium sized brown dog with pointy ears stares directly at the camera on a covered patio, looking happy and alert.
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Sorry Buddy @3cityyimby.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Important Canadian journalism.
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Zamin Iqbal @zaminiqbal.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
This is awful to hear, describing how Sean Eddy (HMMER, infernal, pfam, rfam) has been defunded. The letter said his work "had been determined to be of absolutely no value to the US taxpayer, and therefore it was being specifically terminated," www.npr.org/2026/05/21/n...
npr.org
Researchers say the Trump administration is finding new ways to punish science
Even with federal grants largely restored, scientists say the Trump administration is still preventing those funds from reaching them. The consequences, they say, are already becoming clear.
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Sarah Ellinwood @sarahellinwood.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
#ASGCT2026 had a dedicated area with rescue puppies you could play with and I hereby demand every science conference has this going forward. @darthbluesky.bsky.social
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Imagine pulling up next to what you think is the driver’s side of this little truck.
A light colored Japanese kei truck in a Colorado parking lot. The steering wheel and driver are on the right. On the left hand side, where the driver would sit in a standard US vehicle, is a full sized human skeleton.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
not afraid to say i'll never be this cool
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Victoria Rose Richards @aerialembroidery.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
'Beltsville Agricultural Research Centre', Maryland - I was privately commissioned to memorialise the BARC by a past employee after learning it will be shut down by the USDA after over 100 years of research. They wanted to focus of this aerial embroidery to be the field plots... 1/3 (see thread)
An embroidery hoop containing an aerial view embroidered landscape. It depicts the BARC in Maryland with green and brown field plots and a building area in the bottom right corner.A zoomed-in angled view of an aerial embroidery. It shows field plots and buildings.A zoomed-in angled view of an aerial embroidery. It shows field plots and buildings.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
a dad next to me in line for pizza is explaining, upon preteen prompting, who Chuck Norris is: “what do you mean then he went crazy, dad?” “uhh he just got very political. but anyway you’ve probably heard some memes about him” “like what?” this guy spent his whole 20s preparing for this moment
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lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 15/04/2026
not many people know this, but Barilla has a line of 3D printed pasta it sells mostly to the fine dining industry. I don't want the pasta. I want the pasta printer
a variety of 3d printed dried pastas in basket shapes, whorls, little vases, etca vase shaped 3d printed pasta in a purple goo with little globs of green stuffthe pasta printer, a big bulky black machine that prints pasta onto glass sheetsmore pastas printed on the pasta printer
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I know I’m in Georgia because a TSA agent just held up an empty Pepsi bottle that came loose in the scanner and asked the line whose Coke it was.
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Janne M. Korhonen @jmkorhonen.fi · 30/03/2026
This sign raises many questions, which probably should be answered by the sign but aren't
A sign on the fence of a graveyard. It reads "No use of geiger counters on church property."
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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
If you get your hands on a decent UV flashlight or other UV light source, try pointing it at a bruised banana. You'll have the opportunity to observe a phenomenon called "blue halos of death" caused by cellular senescence & the breakdown of chlorophyll in the fruit peel. Let's talk about it.
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Chris Bianchi @bianchiweather.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
This is just crazy. March 20th. Colorado.
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I filled out my family's college basketball pool bracket based on mascots' abilities to win in head to head competition, so now it's time to reshare the greatest picture ever taken of Uga, the University of Georgia's namesake bulldog.
Uga VI, the University of Georgia's white English bulldog mascot in his red G jersey, is fully airborne with all four paws off the ground, biting onto a large red Georgia flag being held by a cheerleader on the field at Sanford Stadium in 2004. The cheerleader's mouth is open in shock witnessing the world's least aerodynamic dog defying gravity. Photo from the Savannah Morning News: https://www.savannahnow.com/story/lifestyle/celebrations/anniversary/2010/03/25/uga-savannah-s-own-celebrity/13698279007/
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Wow, so bendy!
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Jessica Andreani @jessicaandreani.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
🚨Come work with us! 🚨 I2BC is recruiting new team leaders in molecular and cellular biology, with special attention to multidisciplinary approaches and computational biology. 🧬🧪🔬👩‍🔬🧑‍💻 We provide a great environment with top-notch technological facilities. 🗓️ Apply by April 22, 2026!
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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
You know what would be really fun? Synthetic epigenetics. There are so much chemical space to decorate DNA, but most of them are not naturally occurring (e.g., DNA acylation). If we put together a set of writers, readers, and erasers, we can get a whole orthogonal synthetic epigenetic system going.
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
I love this joke. You love this joke. We all do. It is hilarious. Buuuuuut...you know we're about to discuss Roman calendars, right? And that this joke isn't quite right? SO! Let's talk about Roman calendars and why the 'number months' (Sept-Dec) do not match their numbers (7-10)! 1/
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Following @joshuasweitz.bsky.social post and discussions with him and the Vox story, I have estimated R01 success rates for each NIH institute and center with enough awards for this to be meaningful. A long 🧵... 1/25
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
New reporting on what has happened to science under the Trump administration and HHS leadership, building on publicly available NIH grants data. Take-away: across-the-board cuts are reducing our capacity to discover & serve. Out today, via @pratik-p.bsky.social 🎁 www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The US slashed medical research grants in nearly every field, Pratik Pawar/Vox - https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/482363/nih-medical-research-grants-cut-2025?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6ImJsVWFZMk1PSzEiLCJwIjoiL2Z1dHVyZS1wZXJmZWN0LzQ4MjM2My9uaWgtbWVkaWNhbC1yZXNlYXJjaC1ncmFudHMtY3V0LTIwMjUiLCJleHAiOjE3NzQ2MTkyOTIsImlhdCI6MTc3MzQwOTY5Mn0.DntsxOVbCb9ha3Xw0ZBEvzobSo4z6K2EWfc1qfJk728&utm_medium=gift-link
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Ye GADS Twin fountains! Spectacular.
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Mile Sikic @msikic.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Transformer-based AI has boosted @nanoporetech.com sequencing accuracy, but at a cost to portability due to GPU demands. Our new work, spearheaded by Sara Bakic, introduces Campolina link.springer.com/article/10.1... to improve nanopore signal segmentation for event-based mappers.
link.springer.com
Campolina: a deep neural framework for accurate segmentation of nanopore signals - Genome Biology
Nanopore sequencing enables real-time, long-read analysis by processing raw signals as they are produced. A key step, segmentation of signals into events, is typically handled algorithmically, struggl...
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
With these results in hand, we can now reproduce the graph that @joshuasweitz.bsky.social posted. It is still shocking, but we can now understand why it looks the way it does: The number of R01 and R56 awards were down while the number of applications were up. 16/20
A line graph showing the success rates for fiscal years 2015-2025 as a function of percentile score. The curve for fiscal year 2025 is substantially lower than for previous fiscal years.
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
The plot is only part of the story. The data do not include lost science via terminations, freezes, stalled payments, and award delays. The collapse in awards rates will lead to job loss, gaps in research programs, and drive scientists to spend more time writing grants rather than doing science.
report.nih.gov
NIH Data Book
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
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.
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
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Seth Trueger @mdaware.org · 09/03/2026
oh yeah?
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Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
David Attenborough [whispering]: “As the predators close in on their helpless prey, we can only watch in silent horror, for it is not man’s role to interfere in the hierarchy of nature.”
a pack of kittens closes in a a large dog standing on a chair
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Laura White @laurakwhite.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
👇
The background from Now That’s What I Call Music, but with OUTREACH in place of the word music.
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Alex Palazzo @ribonucleicacids.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Just a reminder - Please Register for the 3rd Codon Usage Conference in Montreal, Canada from May 31- June 3, right after the RNA Society Meeting. Even if you can't go, please share! #RNA #RNAsky #RNAbiology sites.google.com/view/codonus...
sites.google.com
codon usage
About the Conference Codon usage bias—the preference for certain synonymous codons—is a key factor in genome regulation. Codon usage and synonymous codon mutations have been shown to influence gene ex...
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Dr. Christian Brandes @christianbrandes.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
This periodic table shows the origins(!) of chemical elements: The carbon in your bones was created under extreme conditions within dying stars. The iron in your blood comes from exploding stars & the gold in your teeth from neutron stars. We are literally made of star stuff. #science #sagan #stars
Alternative periodic system of chemical elements (source: Wikimedia)
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