Boris Zinshteyn's Avatar

Boris Zinshteyn

@bzinsh.bsky.social

RNA Biologist. Bioinformatician. Philadelphian.

258 Followers  |  1,141 Following  |  12 Posts  |  Joined: 07.12.2023  |  2.1694

Latest posts by bzinsh.bsky.social on Bluesky

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MADELEINE DEAN: The president is unhinged. He's unwell

JOHNSON: A lot of folks on your side are too

D: Oh my god, please. That performance in front of the generals?

J: I didn't see it

D: It's so dangerous! Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a POTUS who's unwell.

02.10.2025 00:40 β€” πŸ‘ 35931    πŸ” 10722    πŸ’¬ 3556    πŸ“Œ 1813
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You asked for it! We delivered Quack-O-Grams to our members of Congress urging them to #ImpeachRFK, and get that Quack out of office!

There's still time for you to get in on this fluffy, feathery action: Send your own duck at zurl.co/W1ZnB and keep the momentum going! πŸ¦†

17.09.2025 21:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1012    πŸ” 357    πŸ’¬ 30    πŸ“Œ 63

I use it for Python as more of a high-end autocomplete, or to help me get the right syntax for some package I'm not familiar with. Huge time saver for that but I don't get good results asking it to do an entire task from scratch.

23.09.2025 02:15 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

THE VIDEO IS HERE!!!

17.09.2025 21:36 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 1
rainbow rubber duckies all in a line

rainbow rubber duckies all in a line

🐀Promise you this is one you'll want to say you were a part of...

Help us get our 'ducks in a row' and IMPEACH AND REMOVE THAT DANG QUACK!!!! πŸ“£πŸ¦†πŸ“£πŸ¦†πŸ“£πŸ¦†πŸ“£πŸ¦†

Link here: tinyurl.com/sufsci

21.08.2025 18:00 β€” πŸ‘ 124    πŸ” 49    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 8
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🚨ACTION OF THE DAY🚨
@standupforscience.bsky.social

Day 21! QUACK-O-GRAM THURSDAY!

For $3 we will hand deliver an "IMPEACH THE QUACK" rubber ducky to your House Representative! (By one of our team members in a duck suit!)

DO IT (AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS)

act.standupforscience.net/fundraising/...

21.08.2025 13:47 β€” πŸ‘ 495    πŸ” 293    πŸ’¬ 33    πŸ“Œ 59
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Help power the Summer Fight For Science movement! Donate now to help mobilize the fight for science and democracy. Every contribution matters!

Via @standupforscience.bsky.social

Join us in pressuring all in the House to IMPEACH AND REMOVE RFK Jr. We'll hand-deliver a rubber ducky with your IMPEACH THE QUACK message to YOUR House Rep.

Of course I did it. $3 well-spent.

act.standupforscience.net/fundraising/...

21.08.2025 13:37 β€” πŸ‘ 314    πŸ” 107    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 8
Portrait of Rachel Green, an RNA biologist at Johns Hopkins University

Portrait of Rachel Green, an RNA biologist at Johns Hopkins University

β€œWhat a [sunburned] cell is trying to do is make decisions about whether to live or die based on how damaged the DNA is… but amazingly, it’s the RNA that signals that. That’s the remarkable observation.” β€” Rachel Green, biologist at Johns Hopkins University.
www.quantamagazine.org/rna-is-the-c...

04.08.2025 20:04 β€” πŸ‘ 79    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3

β€œwe reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and completely ignored it all because we are fuckin dumbasses who want millions of people to die”

05.08.2025 23:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1994    πŸ” 455    πŸ’¬ 37    πŸ“Œ 13

Mitch McConnell, shown here busily de-funding NIH research on childhood cancers,

06.08.2025 00:16 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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BREAKING NEWS: a government watchdog confirmed the Trump administration is breaking the law by blocking NIH funds.
Β 
How many kids with cancer or grandmas with Alzheimer’s have to get closer to death while crucial research is stalled?Β 

Trump must end this illegal funding freeze.

05.08.2025 22:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1672    πŸ” 487    πŸ’¬ 58    πŸ“Œ 19
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A rapid, simple, and economical method for the isolation of ribosomes and translational machinery for structural and functional studies Nature Communications - Here, the authors present a method to rapidly isolate actively translating ribosomes in a time- and cost-effective manner using poly-lysine. The method is compatible with a...

Our RAPPL purification of ribosomes and associated material is out. I am really proud of this study in collaboration primary with Pavlovic-Djuranovic lab, as well as Jovanovic and Hashem Labs. This method aims to replace 60 years old purification of ribosomes by sucrose cushions

rdcu.be/ezlhg

05.08.2025 13:19 β€” πŸ‘ 51    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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If you think a golden ballroom is more important than childhood cancer research… I have nothing left to say to you. Please unfollow me.

#pediatriccancer #cancermom

05.08.2025 21:40 β€” πŸ‘ 40797    πŸ” 12331    πŸ’¬ 994    πŸ“Œ 577
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Here’s the truth: vaccines save lives.

This National Immunization Awareness Month, please join me in the fight to protect access to vaccines and reverse Trump's cuts to critical immunization research.

05.08.2025 22:30 β€” πŸ‘ 33    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

my lab needs a repeat pipetter that can dispense 1ml 12 times. (can be analog or digital). i've never had one of these- does anyone have one to recommend?

(pls reski)

05.08.2025 12:25 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 19    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 2

The #BethesdaDeclaration signers killed it today during the roundtable with Jay.

Some of my favorite highlights shared from my colleagues:

🧡 1/5

22.07.2025 03:20 β€” πŸ‘ 180    πŸ” 42    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 8

"Jim Kent knew a thing or two about coding." Yes. And he knew a thing or two about splicing as well, like using ESTs to jump across gaps. It's one way you turn "chopped genome salad" into a useful draft.

Congrats on 25 years! A product of the golden age of US science funding. πŸ’ͺ

30.06.2025 14:28 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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’We couldn’t live without it’: the UCSC Genome Browser turns 25 After a quarter of a century, the website remains an essential tool for navigating the genome and understanding its structure, function and clinical impact.

After a quarter of a century, the UCSC Genome Browser remains an essential tool for navigating the genome and understanding its structure, function and clinical impact

https://go.nature.com/40wPxkB

30.06.2025 11:49 β€” πŸ‘ 80    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 7
Image showing all ~$2 billion in grants terminated at Harvard, highlighting the many terminated grants that were focused on training and career development

Image showing all ~$2 billion in grants terminated at Harvard, highlighting the many terminated grants that were focused on training and career development

This is an excellent article on the termination of all federal funding at Harvard.

This visualization shows all of the terminated programs that were supposed to train the next generation of scientists.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

23.06.2025 21:19 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Here Is All the Science at Risk in Trump’s Clash With Harvard (Gift Article) More than 900 research grants worth $2.6 billion are in jeopardy. So is the 80-year-old model of American science.

"The money the government sends to Harvard is, in effect, not a subsidy to advance the university’s mission. It’s a payment for the role Harvard plays in advancing the research mission of the United States." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

23.06.2025 18:48 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 4 months the NIH cut its first grants, a judge has ruled that the directives and process that led to cuts are arbitrary and capricious.

"The explanations are bereft of reasoning β€” virtually in their entirety... unsupported by [facts]."

Each of them are VOID and ILLEGAL, he says.

16.06.2025 18:16 β€” πŸ‘ 1242    πŸ” 307    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 33

Since we featured the Stand Up for Science letter in the Good Trouble segment of the Daily Beans podcast this morning, signatures have gone from roughly 5,000 to 15,000! You can add your name by clicking the link below:

10.06.2025 20:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1801    πŸ” 608    πŸ’¬ 37    πŸ“Œ 8
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ADD YOUR NAME: Sign the Open Letter in Support of NIH Staff Join the courageous and committed National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants by adding your name now.

Please sign on and add your voice in calling for an NIH that prioritizes the safety of research participants and public health over political momentum.
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...

10.06.2025 04:10 β€” πŸ‘ 228    πŸ” 86    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 5
Photo of the model, and description from the MIT Museum: Macromolecular crystal structure wire model of yeast phenylalanyl transfer RNA based on the pioneering research of MIT professor Alexander Rich.
The team built a custom metal frame with steel rods running top to bottom (holes were drilled into pieces of acrylic) according to a grid plan. There is graph paper at the base that identifies each rods position on the grid. The model (largley made of brass) was then tied into this latice work of rods. There are small paper tags, some rubber bands, and additional pieces from a standard kit.

Photo of the model, and description from the MIT Museum: Macromolecular crystal structure wire model of yeast phenylalanyl transfer RNA based on the pioneering research of MIT professor Alexander Rich. The team built a custom metal frame with steel rods running top to bottom (holes were drilled into pieces of acrylic) according to a grid plan. There is graph paper at the base that identifies each rods position on the grid. The model (largley made of brass) was then tied into this latice work of rods. There are small paper tags, some rubber bands, and additional pieces from a standard kit.

I've been thinking a lot about the history of RNA biology, and which lines of inquiry got lost to the vagaries of time vs. followed up on. Fun find along the way: this model of a tRNA built by then first year undergraduate Elizabeth Cavicchi @mit.edu

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...

02.06.2025 15:51 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 14    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

NIH funding supporting the HMMER and Infernal software projects has been terminated. NIH states that our work, as well as all other federally funded research at Harvard, is of no benefit to the US.

22.05.2025 12:42 β€” πŸ‘ 288    πŸ” 232    πŸ’¬ 37    πŸ“Œ 46
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...and big thanks to @jiwasa.bsky.social for making this amazing video to illustrate the strand-sliding mechanism!

15.05.2025 19:51 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
A screenshot of the termination notice showing "Outstanding Investigator Grants"

A screenshot of the termination notice showing "Outstanding Investigator Grants"

A screenshot of the termination notice with "This award is terminated effective the date of this award, due to unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest the institution lacks concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students." highlighted

A screenshot of the termination notice with "This award is terminated effective the date of this award, due to unsafe antisemitic actions that suggest the institution lacks concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students." highlighted

Yesterday, the NIH R35 β€œOutstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

13.05.2025 23:37 β€” πŸ‘ 881    πŸ” 582    πŸ’¬ 144    πŸ“Œ 73
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For Philly’s intersex community, Trump administration’s focus on gender and sex is a threat Intersex people are speaking out in the face of the administration’s efforts to define sex as a biological binary.

Great article from the Philly Inquirer about intersex people are facing down attacks on accurate statements about gender and sex. share.inquirer.com/qs83l9

12.05.2025 13:57 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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do du do do

07.04.2025 21:32 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Or having to struggle with the pubmed central version

07.04.2025 15:57 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@bzinsh is following 20 prominent accounts