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Stephanie Caty, PhD

@stephcaty.bsky.social
188 followers 123 following 53 posts

Scientist and science communicator Postdoc @ US EPA researching immunotoxicology Views are my own

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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Amidst all the drama at the EPA, we’re still trying to do science. Buying reagents has been prohibitively difficult, but on the bright side, we finally got some new supplies today! That we ordered on April 30…. Most of this is focusing fluid for our flow cytometer, nothing costly or unusual 🧪
Three cardboard boxes sitting on a laboratory bench.
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The Stanford Biology Preview Program @stanfordbpp.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Just a few more days until the deadline! If you're planning to apply to Bio-based PhD programs this year, considering joining us at the Biology Preview Program where we'll walk you through the PhD application process and help you polish you application materials! Apply here: bit.ly/4n4Nxtu
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Not pictured: the small shout and large flinch when this spider—inevitably—jumped on me. #jumpingspider #macrophotography 🧪
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Lauren Goode @laurengoode.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Not an April Fool's joke: The CDC has been gutted. Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a RIF. www.wired.com/story/cdc-gu... from @makenakelly.bsky.social @leahfeiger.bsky.social @knibbs.bsky.social
wired.com
The CDC Has Been Gutted
Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Whenever I move somewhere new, for some reason, people love to tell me about how bad their allergy season is. I do think North Carolina takes the cake though. Footprints and tire tracks in pollen is a whole new level.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
This weekend I went out in search of some fun things to look at on my microscope and found some flowers that I thought would be cute. And they are cute, but even better, they were COVERED in aphids. Probably not great for the plants, but a very fun surprise for me. #microscopemondays #microscopy 🧪
A close up of a flower with white petals. The stamens are covered in bright yellow grains of pollen. A close-up image of several bright green aphids clustered on a plant stem. The aphids have translucent bodies and delicate legs, with visible antennae extending from their heads. The plant stem is covered in tiny reddish-brown spots. The background is slightly blurred, with hints of white flower petals visible.An image of a small cluster of white flowers, next to a quarter for scale.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Think corn was the first crop to be domesticated in the US? Think again. 🌽 In my latest video for @scishow.bsky.social, I dive into the story of America’s lost crops—ancient plants that were farmed in what is now the US long before corn took over. youtube.com/watch?v=VjFT... #SciComm 🧪
youtube.com
The Ancient Crops We've Forgotten How to Grow
YouTube video by SciShow
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved
graph of NIH basisfor new drugs
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
The wildflowers around my apartment are quickly becoming my favorite microscope muses 🧪 #microscopemondays #microscopy
Microscopic image of a dandelion seed head, with thin, hair-like filaments extending outward in a starburst pattern.
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Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
One of my favorite tools for designing pretty graphics for my science is coolors.co which can help you build a color palette for your poster or figures. If you have some colors embedded in your work already (like these microscopy images I had) you can build a color scheme around them #scicomm 🧪
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
This week I had been planning to attend the @sotoxicology.bsky.social annual meeting for the first time. However, DOGE had other plans. But the science-sharing must go on! So here is my poster plus a thread with some details of what I’ve been doing. #2025SOT 🧪
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
The flowers have started blooming in North Carolina, including this teeny one I’ve seen popping up all over the place. 🧪 #microscopemondays #microscopy
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Pine needles are much prettier than I realized #MicroscopyMonday #microscopemondays #sciart #microscopy 🧪
A highly magnified image of overlapping pine needles, with fine lines and rows of tiny white dots running along them.
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jp flores (he/him) @jpflores.rbind.io · 08/03/2025
March 7 @standupforscience.bsky.social happened. I now have a question. Reply to this thread w ur answers! What do we do with this momentum? Think innovative, creative, mundane, give us all your ideas. We have ideas, but this is for EVERYONE. I want everyone’s ideas.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
NC friends of science. Join me tomorrow in Raleigh on Halifax Mall by the State Capitol for the Stand Up For Science Rally--talks begin at 12:30. Let's remind our neighbors and our politicians that science solves societal problems, develops disease treatments and creates jobs! 🧪 Please share
Rally Poster with the Stature of Liberty
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 03/03/2025
Science fuels economic opportunity—creating jobs, driving education, and supporting mobility. We're standing up for science to protect the critical infrastructure that makes this possible. Stand Up for Science with us on March 7th! #scienceforall #standupforscience2025
purple background with white text that says standing up for science is standing up for economic mobility.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Dandelions: basically tiny, fancy bouquets if you zoom in enough. #MicroscopyMonday #MicroscopeMondays 🧪
A close-up microscopic view of a dandelion, showing the individual yellow florets in fine detail. Each floret has a tubular base with delicate, hair-like structures extending outward, creating a dense, feathery texture.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Made some signs tonight to get ready to #standupforscience 🧪 @standupforscience.bsky.social
A handmade protest sign with the phrase “WE JUST WANT TO WORK” written in green and blue capital letters. Below the text, there are cartoon-style illustrations of a test tube, beaker, pipette, and Bunsen burner, all with angry or sad faces. A handmade protest sign with the phrase “TIME TO REACT” in bold black and blue capital letters. Below the text, there is a cartoon-style illustration of an Erlenmeyer flask filled with green liquid and bubbles. The flask has a surprised expression, arms, and legs, and is holding a small protest sign that reads “FUND SCIENCE.”
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Cane toads are surprisingly good navigators and can travel home even when moved a kilometer away. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Take me home, country toads
Cane toads have remarkable navigation abilities, even when their sense of smell and magnetic-sensory systems are compromised.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
🫠🫠 “Trump said the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, had said he might reduce headcount at that agency by 65%.” 🧪 www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...
reuters.com
Musk to attend Trump cabinet meet as workers brace for more uncertainty
Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser tasked with radically downsizing the U.S. government, will attend President Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting on Wednesday as turmoil continues to swirl around his plans to fire federal workers.
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 26/02/2025
🚨⬇️🧵 What’s Going on With Medicaid? A Breakdown of Congress’s Budget Fight The House just passed a budget resolution that could lead to $880 billion in spending cuts—and Medicaid is on the chopping block. Here’s what you need to know:
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Classroom/Library enrollment was down pretty bad in February. National chaos and uncertainly likely has something to do with it. Can you help me make sure that all the educators on bluesky know Skype a Scientist exists and is ready to connect them with scientists? Every RT helps! #EduSky #STEMEd
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
🔬 #MicroscopyMonday 🍄 🧪 The underside of this little fungus looks like a mini coral, which apparently means it’s toothed? Found growing on a log in North Carolina. I’m not sure what it is—any mycologists out there recognize it? #Fungi #Mycology #Nature #MicroWorld #microscopemondays
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500 Women Scientists @500womensci.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
DOGE is slashing federal science jobs—harming public lands, research, & safety. See this thread for agency budgets & workforce details, then download state-specific info cards linked below. Call Congress & fight for science! #FundScience #SaveOurAgencies
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Beth Popp Berman @epopppp.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
1/ I am seeing a lot of comments on the slashing of NIH support along the lines of “universities should just spend their huge endowments.” I’m the last person to cheer on the institutional stratification rising endowments have contributed to. But let me explain why this is not a solution.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
When you definitely should have thrown out the bouquet last week… but the fungi got a head start on decomposition. 🧪 #MicroscopeMondays #MicroscopyMonday
A close-up view of a decaying flower with bright yellow and orange curled petals. On the right side of the image, a fuzzy white mold with delicate, hair-like filaments spreads across the flower.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Want a break from the doom and gloom of the news? Please enjoy this video I wrote for @scishow.bsky.social about octopuses and their powers of persuasion youtu.be/Ou-tbidf5GY?... 🧪
youtu.be
The Octopuses Are Making Fish Armies
YouTube video by SciShow
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jp flores (he/him) @jpflores.rbind.io · 13/02/2025
Young researchers mobilize to protest Trump administration’s science policies  www.statnews.com/2025/02/13/r... via @statnews.com @cdelawalla.bsky.social @samschuelstein.bsky.social @emmalovesscience.bsky.social @leslie-bern.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social
statnews.com
Young researchers mobilize to protest Trump administration’s science policies
Stunned by attacks on the scientific research system, early career scientists plan a D.C. demonstration and a national ‘Stand Up for Science’ event.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
During my PhD, I created Roots to STEM, a podcast about the many paths that lead to a career in science. Scientists come from all backgrounds, and meandering journeys are just as valid as direct ones. Sharing this as a resource for anyone who feels like they don’t belong in science.
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Matteo Farinella (he/him) @matteofarinella.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
📣 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 🔬 I made this short comic to explain what the #NIH cuts mean in practice because behind the abstract label of #overheadcosts are real people, doing important work! #AcademicSky #resist #organize #scicomm
NIH Overhead Costs explainer
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Some worm wiggles for your Monday morning 🧪 #microscopemondays #microscopymonday
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Cutting the indirect costs paid by the NIH will put an enormous cost burden on universities, cutting into resources available for doing the actual research. This move is a huge blow to scientific progress by American researchers. 🧪 www.statnews.com/2025/02/08/n...
statnews.com
Indirect research costs are complicated, wonky — and crucial to science
After two decades of work in biomedical research policy, there is no topic Carrie Wolinetz hates talking about more than indirect costs. She’s addressing them now because they are crucial.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
I’ll be live posting about this on Thursday from the @sconc.bsky.social account, but I recommend checking out the talk in person or virtually if you can make it! 🧪 #scicomm
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
A little ciliate from a stream near my house. If you look closely you can see the cilia beating along its body so that it can swim #microscopemondays #microscopymonday 🧪
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
In a time when America’s scientific institutions are being questioned, I want to highlight some of the important work the EPA does that often flies under the radar. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I had no idea the EPA did this kind of work until I saw my current position advertised. #scicomm 🧪
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
The sphagnum moss from our Venus fly trap has some (very brief) Dune-style worm riding by a little mite #microscopemondays
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
I asked for a microscope for Christmas so why not share some of what I’ve been looking at? 🧪 Suggestions for future things to image are very welcome #microscopemondays
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
Hello, little friend. #invertebrates #macrophotography
A close-up macro photograph of a spider perched on a plant. The spider has a hairy body and legs, with intricate details visible on its texture. The plant is green with hints of pink and brown, and the background is softly blurred to emphasize the spider.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Excited to see my PhD research featured on the cover of Current Biology - and it's an extra bonus to see it paired with a photo I took. These little frogs have been a central part of my life for the past six years, so it’s great to see them get some cover time. 🧪🐸🦠🧫
A poison frog with yellow spots on orange-brown skin rests on a brown leaf.
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Stephanie Caty, PhD @stephcaty.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Love this write up from @jakebuehler.bsky.social about my dissertation work. www.sciencenews.org/article/bact...
sciencenews.org
Toxin-gobbling bacteria may live on poison dart frog skin
Toxins on poison dart frog skin mold the skin's microbial community, boosting species variety and potentially even feeding some daredevil bacteria.
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