Kara McKinley

I am so proud to share @forrestdrogers.bsky.social’s postdoctoral magnum opus, now out in @nature.com! Forrest discovered a novel role for Agouti in the MPOA of the hypothalamus to integrate socio-environmental information to flexibly tune paternal behavior
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Thread! 👇🏻

Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists The Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists is a grassroots effort developed to showcase the expertise, talents, and diversity of Hispanic and Latinx scientific faculty.

And the amazing resource that is the Atlas of Inspiring LatinX/Hispanic Scientists, which you can learn more about and access here:

www.fredhutch.org/en/about/abo...

I am SO incredibly excited to announce the launch of a global list of Inspiring Black Scientists. You can use this list to nominate and connect with researchers. Please share and join us in highlighting these outstanding scientists for #BlackHistoryMonth and beyond!

www.wiley.com/en-us/resear...

Science update from my postdoc Peiyuan Chai - his work “glycoRNA complexed with heparan sulfate regulates VEGF-A signaling” is now published @nature.com uncovering a new layer or glycoRNA-regulation of growth factor mediated control physiological processes rdcu.be/e1bBX

In preprints: shedding light – chemogenetic induction of menstruation in mice

Aishwarya V. Bhurke and Ripla Arora from @aroralab.bsky.social discuss the recent preprint by @cagricevrim.bsky.social, @karalmckinley.bsky.social and colleagues on the X-mens menstruation model.

doi.org/10.1242/dev....

🎉I am very excited to share that the Di Bella lab started at Fundacion Leloir in Argentina 🇦🇷. We will continue to study genetic and molecular mechanisms behind neuronal diversification in the cerebral cortex. We are now hiring at all levels 🧠
www.leloir.org.ar/nuevo-labora...

January marks 5 years of the Flynn Lab - it has been an exciting start and I’ve been lucky to have a great set of lab members that have been working with me to uncover new aspects of glycoRNAs and cell surface RNA biology… Now as an Associate Professor! @harvard.edu @bostonchildrens.bsky.social

Thank you for writing this beautiful piece!

The X-Men(s): A New Model for the Study of Menstruation A new mouse model called X-Mens opens the doors for more detailed study of mammalian menstruation.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… mouse? Check out our latest piece on the X-Mens, a genetically inducible mouse model for the study of menstruation that was recently developed by researchers at Harvard University. #scicomm 🐁

Stress-induced sympathetic hyperactivation drives hair follicle necrosis to trigger autoimmunity Acute stress causes immediate hair follicle necrosis and hair loss via sympathetic nerves, which in turn activates and expands autoreactive CD8⁺ T cells targeting hair follicles. Thus, a single stress event not only causes immediate tissue damage but also predisposes the tissue to future autoimmune attack.

Now online! Stress-induced sympathetic hyperactivation drives hair follicle necrosis to trigger autoimmunity

It’s that time of year for me to dust this thing off and encourage you to apply to be a Leading Edge fellow, this year named in honor of Zara Weinberg

Apply | leadingedgesymposium Apply. The 2026 Leading Edge cohort application is now open! This cohort is named the Zara Weinberg Cohort, in honor of 2021 Leading Edge Fellow, Zara Weinberg. Applications are due February 2, 2026.

Applications are open for the 2026 Zara Weinberg cohort of Leading Edge, named in honor of the incredible, brilliant, fearless @weinberz.witchlab.org.

The LE community has been truly transformative for my scientific journey and my happiness. Please apply!! www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/

Thank you, Ricardo!!

I’d given up on social media, but I was missing too many cool papers. Case in point: this incredible new study from @cagricevrim.bsky.social and @karalmckinley.bsky.social. Simply amazing!

Sosa Lab - Postdoctoral Researchers We are seeking postdocs to start in 2026!

The Sosa Lab is going to #SfN25 and actively recruiting ✨postdocs✨ with systems neuroscience experience! We study both fundamental memory processes and how memory changes during pregnancy and postpartum.

If you are interested in meeting at SfN, please email me! www.sosaneurolab.com/join/postdoc...

The Leading Edge community has been a life-line as I navigate *points to everything*.

Zara was such a shining light of wisdom and warmth. She will be sorely missed, but her legacy will continue in everyone who had the utmost privilege to interact with her.

Apply, apply, apply!!!!

Thrilled to start my Group Leader adventure with these and other great scientists!

This program changed my life. Apply!

Zara was a star, a cherished friend, and an untiring advocate. I wish she had the chance to stay here with us and help create a brighter future, but she already gave us so much in her time here. I'm glad she will be honored in the next cohort of LE fellows ❤️

Being a leading edge fellow has been the single best thing for my scientific career.

Zara’s voice and vision was no small part in that.

Apply. Apply. Apply.

Candid photo of Zara Weinberg. She has short red hair, bangs and glasses. She is laughing.

The Leading Edge Fellows gathered this week to celebrate Zara Weinberg, a beloved member of our community. Our 7th cohort of Leading Edge Fellows (2026) will be named in her honor.

The Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Cohort application is now open! Due Feb 2.

www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/

Zara was an incredibly inspiring scientist, activist, and leader within our community of Leading Edge Fellows. She will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of interacting with her.

We are all better because of the energy, inspiration, brilliance, and tenacity that Zara was. A bright light, role model, advocate & snarky tweeter... everything I needed in a person when I was navigating dark times when we met in 2021. You will be missed deeply, Zara, but never forgotten ❤️

Zara was an inspiration. We never met in person but became friends through Leading Edge. She zealously advocated for her ideals, but was also passionate about helping others realize why they should too. Her loss is gutting & the world is the worse for it. RIP, I'll do my best to continue the fight.

In my lab, she brought such fire to the science and inspiration. She kept doing lab work til she lost mobility due to her love for science and being around the lab. She was a dedicated mentor with sharp wit and bright ideas. She contributed foundational to all our projects and training everyone.

There are no sufficient words for how profound an impact she had on the Leading Edge community. I'm so sorry for your and all of our loss. We will miss you terribly, Zara

Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.

Zara Weinberg was a brilliant, loving, and beautiful woman. She inspired everyone who she interacted with, and always strived to make the world a better place for everyone. Tho the world is a little less bright today without her, her memory will always be a blessing.

She was truly one of the best.

Zara Weinberg was a brilliant light both in and out of science. She changed the lives of everyone she interacted and loved for the better. Her legacy will live on through all of us and we will fight for a better world on behalf of her memory.

Thank you, Daniel! It was great to meet you!