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Xantha Karp

@xanthakarp.bsky.social
1.6K followers 3.2K following 98 posts

C. elegans geneticist, how diapause affects development, microRNA, equity in STEM, professor at Central Michigan University, she/her/hers. karplab.org orcid.org/0000-0001-6602-5583

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Reposted by Xantha Karp
Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Are you looking for a postdoc exploring the cell biology of development, defining how cells change shape and move? Do you want to develop a research program & teaching skills preparing you for a position at a college or small University? Our new NIH grant will support those goals 1/n Please share
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microPublication Biology @micropub7n.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The CCT chaperonin is a context-dependent regulator of RNA-binding protein phase transitions #micropublication #biology #data #caltechlibrary #Celegans #PhenotypeData #NewFinding micropublication.org/journals/biolo…
Figure 1
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John Greally @greally.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Tim Bestor has left us. This obituary captures him well — you always had to be at your intellectual peak with him, while his trainees always spoke highly of their experiences. He made a massive contribution to epigenetics, a giant in our field. www.genetics.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/memoria...
genetics.cuimc.columbia.edu
In memoriam of Professor Timothy H. Bestor
In memoriam: Professor Timothy H. Bestor 1952-2026
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Nick Burton @nickburton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Very excited to put out this new preprint from the lab that represents our 3rd paper now in the lab's move into the field of identifying bioactive molecules in bacteria using C. elegans and studying how they regulate animal physiology. Really excited about this space- www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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microPublication Biology @micropub7n.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Call for Volunteers: C. elegans Managing Editors for microPublication Biology micropublication.org/news/0f62741...
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
🪱 A behavior analysis in #Celegans highlights that the change in reproductive strategies to increase mating following dauer diapause requires sexually dimorphic changes in behavior. Find out more in #G3journal 🔗 buff.ly/Zgi3QXQ
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Under pressure, the DOD just released the text of its secret 10-year agreement with the NIH. Here are the biggest revelations from the document 🧵
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MadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Do you work with microscopy images and segment to quantify or track? Do you study cell biology? development? Gather round! Let me tell you about FOCUS-3D, a segmentation algorithm that is fast, accurate and can be used on any model. We used it here to study zebrafish development. 🧪 (thread)
biorxiv.org
FOCUS‑3D: Robust, generalizable volumetric cell segmentation for three‑dimensional fluorescence microscopy
Understanding how cells establish spatial organization within tissues is a fundamental question in life sciences. While modern three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy captures large-volume tissue ar...
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Mary Munson @marymunson4.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Structural biology postdoctoral position open in my lab--apply now! For more information about the lab, see www.umassmed.edu/munsonlab/. Interested candidates should apply through the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School jobs portal (www.ummsjobs.com/job/11668/).
umassmed.edu
Munson Lab | Home | BMB | UMass Chan Medical School
The Munson Lab researches the mechanistic basis for the regulation of spatial and temporal specificity in membrane trafficking in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology Department at UMass Chan Me...
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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
NIH RFI on plans to stop using percentiles to select grants for funding drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/n...
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
NIH RFI on plans to stop using percentiles to select grants for funding
The NIH issued NOT-OD-26-088 Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review on 8/14/2026. It proposes a radical upheaval of the way that NIH’s Pr…
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MadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Dearest all: I am looking for a queer-owned store that would sell rolls of stickers (or something as in tens of them) with pronouns for handing them out upon registration at the German Fish Meeting. Any pointer/s and RT appreciated! 🧪🐟
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Grosshans Lab @labgrosshans.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) often bind numerous transcripts - but do they act through a network effect? Our new paper in @plosbiology.org shows that the highly conserved LIN28 RBP controls developmental timing in C. elegans larvae through only two targets. doi.org/10.1371/jour... 1/n
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Javier Apfeld @javierapfeld.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Mentee sign-ups are open for the 2026-2027 C. elegans Community Mentor Match Program! Choose: - One-to-one mentoring with an experienced mentor - A peer-mentoring group with people at your career stage Or sign up for both, it takes just 2-5 minutes. And please spread the word! 🧵
forms.gle
Mentee sign-up for the C. elegans Community Mentor Match program
The 2026 cycle of the C. elegans Community Mentor Match is open to graduate students, postdocs, and faculty at any career stage. ⏱️ This form takes only 2–5 minutes to complete depending on your choic...
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
How can a tiny worm shape a scientific career? Join 2026 GSA Mentorship Award recipient @irinakitop.bsky.social of @fredhutch.org on August 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT as she shares how C. elegans has guided discoveries, collaborations, and approaches to mentorship. 🔗https://buff.ly/iUmQCCQ
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Xantha Karp @xanthakarp.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
How do developmental pathways adjust when harsh environments cause delays or interruptions in development? 🧪🧬 C. elegans can enter the stress-resistant and developmentally arrested dauer diapause stage. Progenitor cells actively maintain multipotency during dauer. 🧵
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Maureen Barr @barrlab.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Really excited about our new paper. The 2nd author Carlos Nava Cruz started as an UG, was supported by an diversity NIH supplement, & is completing his masters. C. elegans model for functional analysis of conserved ADPKD variants in cilia, EVs, & signaling academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
academic.oup.com
A C. elegans model for functional analysis of conserved ADPKD variants in cilia, extracellular vesicles, and sensory signaling
Abstract. Interpreting the pathogenic significance of missense variants in human disease gene candidates remains a major challenge in precision medicine. A
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
a key reason why generative AI might not be able to replace biologists. Other biologists might refer to metis as intuition, the deep knowledge that comes from knowing one's system, so that you know when and when not to follow an experimental lead: journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com
The importance of indifference in scientific research
Summary: Martin Schwartz suggests a different approach to scientific ethics that looks at the scientific process from the inside.
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Jorge Iván Castillo-Quan @castilloquan-ji.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Excited to share that in mid-August I'll be opening the Castillo–Quan Laboratory (CORA Lab) as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Ohio University! We study stress responses, homeostasis & healthy aging in C. elegans. Recruiting two PhD students for Aug 2027. Join us @ohiouniversity.bsky.social!
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
After submitting your comment: CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES “Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science.”
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MDI Biological Laboratory @mdibl.org · 10/07/2026
Job opportunity for a #postdoc in the Updike Lab: The Dustin Updike Lab at MDI Bio Lab uses #Celegans to investigate gene function in the germline, with a particular focus on epigenetic mechanisms that maintain germ cell identity. Apply: ow.ly/Mg6i50Zl5rN #sciencejobs #STEMjobs #postdocjob
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🪱 A new mutant analysis reveals the functions of miRNA-producing small RNA pathway in #Celegans male fertility, sperm production, and gonad morphology. Learn more in #G3journal 🔗 buff.ly/Sc8hDzk
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Javier Apfeld @javierapfeld.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Worm friends 🪱 We need your video! Our C. elegans Mentor Match website has short videos from mentors and mentees sharing their experiences. Check it out, record your own video, and please share!
padlet.com
C. elegans Mentor Match Testimonials
Made with Padlet
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Reposted by Xantha Karp
Katja Kasimatis @katjakasimatis.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
First paper from the Kasimatis Lab is now online! We investigate of the maintenance of mate plugging in C. elegans along with its function www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A Male Expressed Copulatory Plug Increases Female Fertility in Caenorhabditis Nematodes
The genomes of self-fertilizing hermaphrodites offer a unique opportunity to probe why some genes with sex-specific functions are lost while others are maintained. In the androdiecious species, Caenor...
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Javier Apfeld @javierapfeld.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Do you want to support the next generation of C. elegans researchers? We are looking for mentors with C. elegans experience, including postdocs, faculty, and scientists outside academia, to share their knowledge and career advice with early career researchers. Sign up to become a mentor!
forms.gle
Mentor sign-up for the C. elegans Community Mentor Match program - 2026
Thanks for volunteering to be a Mentor! The 2026 cycle of the C. elegans Community Mentor Match is open to graduate students, postdocs and faculty at any career stage. This survey collects information...
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Irini Topalidou @irinakitop.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Hey C. elegans friends! What's your preferred method for cell-specific knockout or knockdown? Would love any paper recommendations too! Thank you!!!
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Zihao (John) Li @zihaojohnli.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
For #Celegans researchers: want to capture better worm images? Our new paper explains how light scatters from the worm body and reveals practical strategies for improving imaging quality. Check out our new paper in iScience @cp-iscience.bsky.social: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
This is the biggest threat to American science thus far, and that says a lot, I wrote--the template makes it easy to personalize. 🧪
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Xantha Karp @xanthakarp.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
The Central Michigan University contingent had a fantastic time at #wormtopicmeeting2026 in Madison! C. elegans meetings are the best
Five people with name tags posing for the camera in front of a colorful display
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Best time to start Standing Up for Science was years ago. Second best time is NOW. 📣Leave public comment ☎️Contact Congress 🚨Register for the @standupforscience.net Emergency Science Meeting tomorrow at 4pm et ONE STOP SHOP: fight2win.standupforscience.net
fight2win.standupforscience.net
Stand up for Science
Stand up for Science
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Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
'If a control experiment fails, does that mean that the entire experiment is poorly designed and you must restart from scratch? Often, yes— but not always. I present five examples where failed control experiments triggered entirely new fields of research.' link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
The controls that got out of control - EMBO Reports
EMBO Reports - When experimental controls go wrong, it does not necessarily mean your experiment is flawed. It might well be the first sign of something unexpected.
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🚨The OMB rule will be the end of science as we know it. MARK YOU CALENDAR for the @standupforscience.net EMERGENCY SCIENCE MEETING June 2nd, 4pm et. We will be giving an overview & assigning EVERY SCIENTIST IN AMERICA their marching orders. REGISTER: events.standupforscience.net/stand-up-for...
events.standupforscience.net
Emergency Science Meeting by Stand Up for Science
[discussing OMB-2026-0034?]
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Javier Apfeld @javierapfeld.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Hey worm people, if you have been a mentor or mentee in the C. elegans Mentor Match program, can you record a short video with advice to future participants? So far we have 3 videos, it would be nice to get to >20. Click on the link below to help us out!
padlet.com
C. elegans Mentor Match Testimonials
Made with Padlet
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I heard from several sources yesterday that NIH is planning to release a Request for Information (RFI) that apparently will include this: Scores and percentiles for NIH grant applications will not be shared with applicants although they will be provided to NIH program officers and staff. 1/3
static.klipy.com
Huh Kermit
ALT: Huh Kermit
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
👉️ Are you an undergraduate student interested in genetics? 👉 Do you want to learn how to read a research paper properly? 🪱 Read the #WormBase article in the May issue of #GENETICS, which provides a step-wise guide on understanding a #Celegans study. 🔗 buff.ly/fUkhQum
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Javier Apfeld @javierapfeld.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Worm friends, we need your help! For the next C. elegans Mentor Match cycle, we’re gathering testimonials from past mentors and mentees. One of our biggest challenges is recruiting new mentees, and hearing directly from past participants could really help. Please record a short video, and share!
padlet.com
C. elegans Mentor Match Testimonials
Made with Padlet
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Zebrafish Rock! @zebrafishrock.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Dearest shoalmates: Please consider posting a comment to the NIH regarding the Strategic Plan that includes reducing funding for animal research. Responses from the research community are currently greatly underrepresented compared w/ advocacy groups opposing animal experimentation. 🔗 below ⬇️ 1/2
Image of racks of zebrafish tanks. Credit to NC3Rs. https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/events/guide-refinement-fish-species
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Buck Samuel 🪱🦠🧬🔬 @microbeminded.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Opening for a #postdocjob in modeling of #genetics of host- #microbiome interactions in #Celegans at @bcmhouston.bsky.social — take a look here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44... Questions or apply via cover letter, CV, and references to bucks [at] bcm.edu . Hiring ASAP! #microsky #jobs 🦠🪱🧬
linkedin.com
Baylor College of Medicine hiring Postdoctoral Fellow in Genetics of Host-Microbiome Interactions in Houston, TX | LinkedIn
Posted 7:15:27 PM. Company DescriptionBaylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, is…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
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Denis Wirtz @deniswirtz.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Download our updated database of postdoc fellowships from different foundations and agencies. We identified 275 fellowships. For each entry, we provide description of the fellowship, focus, amount, deadline, eligibility, etc. Download this database here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
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Nick Burton @nickburton.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
As one of the postdocs in my lab will be leaving to take a faculty position soon I will likely be placing a new ad in the coming week for someone with experience mapping C. elegans mutants from screens or doing bacterial genetics. If anyone knows/has candidates #Celegans #worms #bacteria #genetics
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Jonathan Pettitt @genotripe.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
New paper from the lab. "Cap-adjacent 2′-O-ribose methylation of RNA in C. elegans is required for postembryonic growth and germline development in the presence of the decapping exonuclease EOL-1". This thread explains the background to the paper and our key findings. doi.org/10.1093/nar/... 1/15
doi.org
Cap-adjacent 2′-O-ribose methylation of RNA in C. elegans is required for postembryonic growth and germline development in the presence of the decapping exonuclease EOL-1
Abstract. Cap-adjacent 2′-O-ribose methylation (cOMe) of the first two transcribed nucleotides of RNA polymerase II transcripts is a conserved feature in m
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Xantha Karp @xanthakarp.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
The Karp lab had a fantastic day at the Midwest C. elegans meeting last week with 6 undergrads and 3 grad students presenting. Thanks to @nickburton.bsky.social and the other organizers for all their work. It’s such a pleasure to get together and talk about science.
Eleven Karp lab members posing for the camera in an auditorium, with a wall of windows behind them on the left and wood paneling behind them on the right. Above their heads is a large sculpture by Dale Chihuly, of mostly blue glass spheres shaped into double helix.
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Dan Richards @dan-m-richards.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Normally non-toxic bacteria, when induced to produce the bioplastic PHB, kill C. elegans! PHB has been in the microbiology text books for over a century — in this new study I co-authored with Gabrielle Giese in the Walhout lab we show this bioplastic is also relevant for host-microbe interactions!
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I'm excited to tell you about the most recent preprint in my lab, demonstrating that a conserved spindle matrix protein, NPP-21/TPR, is required for the stronger checkpoint in germline cells during embryogenesis in C. elegans
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
⚒️ NEW TOOLBOX for #Celegans researchers 🪱 Theresa Gibney and Ariel Pani developed a method that allows for a standardized workflow to generate N-terminal and internal tags in any background and without the need for genetic balancers. Paper in #GENETICS:🔗 buff.ly/wXMml3x
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Savage-Dunn lab @cswormlab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
It’s great to see our latest microPublication go live! Four undergraduate researchers worked with grad student Kat Yamamoto to demonstrate a correlation between fat storage and survival of #Celegans on pathogenic bacteria! Congrats Alan, Grace, Tiffany, and Daniel! #undergradinthelab #proudPI
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Science professors and educators all have a role in combating this eugenics resurgence www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Trends in Genetics
Volume 41, Issue 4, April 2025, Pages 261-265
Society Logo
Science & Society
We must not ignore eugenics in our genetics curriculum
Author links open overlay panelMark Peifer 1 2
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Abstract
Eugenics, that promoted planned breeding to ensure 'racial improvement', was central to the development of genetics and led to horrifying policies. However, eugenics is not dead and continues to influence science and policy today. Thus, we should include eugenics in our undergraduate classes to remind students that scientists must speak out when others lie about science and use it to further their political views.
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Maureen Barr @barrlab.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
New preprint! An ECM gene acts cell non-autonomously from neighbor neurons to regulate ciliary function, protein localization, extracellular vesicle shedding, and ultrastructure @katiejacobs.bsky.social is the lead in another great collaboration w/ David Hall www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
TEM
cross sections of the cephalic sensory organ at the level of the ciliary transition zone in wild-type and
mec-9(ok2853) mutants. N = 8-10 sense organs examined across 2-3 animals per genotype. Numbers in
lower left corner of images indicate the number of sense organs exhibiting the phenotype shown over the
total number of sense organs examined. Scale bars = 200 nm. In the cartoons, CEP and CEM neurons are yellow and blue, the sheath cell is light gray, and the lumen is dark gray. Lumenal EVs are indicated as white circles.
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Max Heiman @heiman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
NYT feature on their website's front page about our local C. elegans colleague Will Mair and NIH funding www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/u...
nytimes.com
His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.
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Antebi Lab @antebilab.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
1/4 Our preprint “Modulation of the RNase P/MRP complex and mitochondrial ribosome enhances cytosolic ribosome coordination and sustains longevity” is now live @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social 📄 #agingbiology #ribosome 👉https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.23.707525v1
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Teresa Lee @snickclunk.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
🪱Worm-friends! Join us this summer in Madison for the C. elegans topic meeting(s) - MAPSS *and* DevCell 🪱 Early birds get the you-know-what, and the early registration deadline is THIS FRI: conferences.union.wisc.edu/ceaging/ It's buy-one-get-one, and who out there doesn't love a deal?? 🙌
conferences.union.wisc.edu
Aging, Metabolism, Stress, Pathogenesis and Small RNAs in C. elegans | Hosted By Wisconsin Union Conference Services
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