David Zappulla

Deadline tomorrow! Explore advances in telomere biology and its involvement in homeostasis and disease in EMBO Workshop "Telomere function and maintenance in health and disease" in Lazise, IT, 25–30 May 2026.

https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-telomere
#EMBOTelomereMaintenance #EMBOevents 🧪

Happy Holidays, and thank you!

S. pombe telomerase RNA: secondary structure and flexible-scaffold function https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.22.638514v1

Overall, studying telomerase RNP in yeasts continues to advance our understanding of the RNA world, while also getting us closer to cancer- and aging-inhibiting interventions. (4/4)

These findings regarding the fission-yeast telomerase RNA are reminiscent of what we have found in the *evolutionarily distant* organism 𝘚. 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦. (3/4)

Furthermore, our 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰 studies:
(1) map TER1 RNA's functionally important domains vs. dispensable regions
(2) show that the three-way junction can be repositioned in the RNA while still providing its essential function.
(2/3)

We have now published our secondary-structure model for the 1212 nt 𝘚. 𝘱𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘦 telomerase RNA, derived largely from bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses of genomic data. (1/2)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“Put another way, punishing campuses by cutting health research funding would destroy the equivalent of one-quarter of annual gross domestic product in the US.”

Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...

JAMA Forum on the proposed NIH budget…

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

"If the proposal is enacted, Americans today and tomorrow will be sicker, poorer, and die younger”
an $18 Billion cut
Only 3 NIH Institutes will remain in place, and even they will have their funds markedly reduced
www.statnews.com/2025/05/30/n...

A new cover for SUPER AGERS after making the NYT bestseller list. Thanks to you for making it the #1 ranked new non-fiction book on Amazon.
amazon.com/gp/new-relea...

Warning Sirens Were Silent Ahead of Deadly Tornado in St. Louis, City Says

In St. Louis, the sirens to warn people of a tornado threat were not activated by the City Emergency Management Agency before a deadly tornado hit on Friday, and a backup to activate the mechanism that is operated by the Fire Department was broken.

More context:

Our tracker (grant-watch.us) currently lists 877 terminated NIH grants. We have 820 rows in the tracker, but some rows list multiple grants.

As of yesterday, NIH RePORTER listed 807 NIH grants specifically at Harvard.

So we're looking at over 1600 formally terminated NIH grants now.

Government Kills Another Endangered Mexican Wolf at the Behest of the Livestock Industry Just days after admitting that it killed the wrong Mexican wolf in Arizona, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it also killed the breeding male of the Hail Canyon pack in New Mexico...

The USFWS has announced that it killed the breeding male of the Hail Canyon pack in New Mexico. The wolf, a 5 yr old dad named Viento, was the breeding male of a family of wolves that includes Slides - the Mexican gray wolf fostered from the WCC into the wild in 2023.

Measles in the US, update
—712 cases, 11% hospitalized, 3 deaths, 97% cases are unvaccinated
—Now in 24 states
—Actual cases must be multiple thousand to align with the number of hospitalizations and deaths reported
www.cdc.gov/measles/data...
www.cbsnews.com/news/measles...

Application deadline extended to Apr 15 for this summer's #Yeast #Genetics & #Genomics course at @cshlaboratory.bsky.social July22 - Aug12! Get a comprehensive education in all things yeast, from classical genetics through up-to-the-minute genomics. Don't miss out!
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...

The Pacific Northwest Yeast Club is holding their annual meeting on June 20th, 2025 in beautiful Vancouver, Canada! There are only 100 spots and registration is open now: www.pnwyc.net

China’s Biotech Advances Threaten U.S. Dominance, Warns Congressional Report Congress should invest at least $15 billion to support biotech research over the next five years and take other steps to bolster manufacturing in the U.S., the report said.

This!!! I hope someone in Washington is listening

www.wsj.com/tech/biotech...

Looking at grant funding time for all years from 2015-2025

Here is the graph for new and competitive renewal grants (dollar amounts normalized by the overall NIH grant budget for each year_

1/2

I don’t think the country understands the nuclear bomb that has hit and destroyed Americas future. Our competitiveness globally was threatened - it is now guaranteed to dwindle to irrelevance. The future is based on science and technology. By the time they realize the damage, it will be too late. AR

Wandering Wolf “Ella” Found Deceased in New Mexico The Mexican gray wolf who just last week was located north of Interstate 40 near Mount Taylor in New Mexico was found dead on Sunday, March 30, 2025. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated t...

Tragic, infuriating news. Mexican gray wolf Ella, whose travels captivated a nation just last week, was found dead in New Mexico.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has indicated that the cause of Ella’s death is under investigation.

🧪⚛️ If you want to sign a petition to protect the NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group, here's an opportunity: www.change.org/p/oppose-the...

Hat tip to @nanoscaleviews.bsky.social for sharing this.

75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.

The destruction of American science continues apace. Early career people are the most likely to be seeking to leave. One of my about-to-graduate PhDs is seriously considering a job offer in Germany, even though it would involve lower pay. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

Table of 10 companies selling longevity and extended healthspan

I've reviewed 10 consumer-facing companies that are in the business of promoting longevity and healthspan
erictopol.substack.com/p/the-busine...
Open-access, in the new edition of Ground Truths

Texas measles update today
309 cases; 40 have been hospitalized (<-which means there are far more than 300 cases diagnosed)
www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/...

stan marsh from south park says see that 's what happened to me ! ALT: stan marsh from south park says see that 's what happened to me !

ATTENTION

If you are someone (or know someone) who is enrolled in an NIH-funded clinical trial that has been disrupted by grant uncertainties or terminations, please DM me.

THANK YOU!

Saccharomyces Genome Database: advances in genome annotation, expanded biochemical pathways, and other key enhancements Abstract. Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the most extensively characterized eukaryotic model organism and has long been used to gain insight i

New SGD paper!

Saccharomyces Genome Database: advances in genome annotation, expanded biochemical pathways, and other key enhancements academic.oup.com/genetics/art...

A Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise In a small trial, nearly half of pancreatic cancer patients who received an mRNA vaccine for the disease had no relapse three years later.

90% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die from the disease. That's why the medical community is excited about the results of a small trial in which nearly half of the pancreatic cancer patients who received an mRNA vaccine for the disease remained relapse-free three years later.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE! Cohen Children’s Medical Center has confirmed that it has successfully ELIMINATED sickle cell disease from Sebastien Beauzile, using the groundbreaking genetic treatment Lyfgenia. He has made HISTORY by becoming the FIRST in New York to be CURED of sickle cell anemia! 🧪🧵⬇️