Jorge E. Contreras

YouTube video by Associated Press Elon Musk predicts AI will lead to work being 'optional' and money 'irrelevant'

Human greed will corrupt whatever idealistic vision they promise. What they call a utopia is likely to become a dystopia for most people (Elysium is coming…)

Vietnam blew me away… but the people? Absolutely THE BEST 🇻🇳❤️

These supernumerary synapses are pruned in a proprioceptor-activity dependent manner.
A cool finding was that impaired proprioceptor activity fails to induce expression of proteins in the complement signaling cascade, which we hypothesized leads to persistent intersegmental synapses.

Activity-driven proprioceptive synaptic refinement in the developing spinal cord by complement signaling mechanisms Proprioceptive group Ia afferents detect muscle stretch to guide effortless and purposeful movement and make monosynaptic connections with spinal α–motor neurons to mediate reflexes, such as the stret...

Happy to share the my lab's latest preprint, where we investigated sensorimotor circuit formation in the developing spinal cord. We show that proprioceptive axons target motor neurons in neighboring spinal segments to give rise to intersegmental reflex responses.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

On our way to the FASEB Ion Channel Regulation Meeting! Passed by a lovely exhibition at SFO. Surprised to see it still standing! ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 @drcontrexin.bsky.social

Please tell me he’s not going back to UCSF…

Current advances in large‐pore channels: From structure–function to physiology and disease Click on the article title to read more.

Large-pore channels: the Transformers of membrane proteins, versatile, dramatic, and never just selective or passive conduits.

Not just simple (typical) ion channels, they’re molecular multitaskers we’re beginning to comprehend.

Don’t miss the first-ever special issue dedicated to this!

Announcing the new SGP Rising Star Travel Awards for students and postdocs. The $500 awards can be used for meetings held up to 1 year from notification. Apply today! Deadline: 1 August 2025 sgpweb.org/awards/risingstar

The real war is on free thought in the United States.

Scientists must fight alongside other academics.

Very cool study! I suspect we're only beginning to understand the importance of communication between myocytes and the vasculature. The more we understand the better we can intercept pathological remodeling processes.

Microvascular Rarefaction in the Sinoatrial Node: A Potential Mechanism for Pacemaker Dysfunction in Early HFpEF

Manning & Rivera et al. (www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...) show that pruning just a few capillaries in the SA node plunges the heart’s pacemaker into metabolic overdraft—slowing the rate and jacking up beat-to-beat variability. The physiological equivalent of running on fumes. @jaccjournals.bsky.social

Exciting news! The EPIC/SGP Symposium at UC Davis will be accompanied by a special issue in the Journal of General Physiology. Stay tuned for more details about this incredible event celebrating cutting-edge research on ion channels!

In 1965, the government tried replacing migrant workers with high-schoolers. It was a disaster. When the migrant-worker bracero program expired in 1965, the government recruited groups of high school male athletes to step into the fields. It was a disaster.

1/2 Really interesting @washingtonpost.com story on end of "bracero" program. By Susan Svrluga/ Joanna Slater/ Terell Wright www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025...

Zelig dept: I was among high schoolers taking "opportunity" to do field work, newly opened to "real" Americans.

An eye-opener

Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.

Well, it’s not like I ever felt safe with the Hillary faction reviewers either. But I’m sure academia’s love for Bernie Bros is now under peer review 😅

Former Obama advisor, Ben Rhodes, is absolutely right!

You can't trust someone who’s an AIPAC puppet to lead with integrity on issues like healthcare or education. If they sell out on war and genocide, they'll sell out anywhere!

Grateful that Nature had the courage to publish on the mass death in Gaza. As scientists, we can’t stay silent while lives are erased. Our work means nothing if we ignore injustice.

Been doing this since 2019 #AbolishICE

They didn’t come to LA just to mock a U.S. senator, they came to save you from the terrifying threat of Latinos existing. Because clearly that’s the crisis. Not poverty, not war, not climate, just too many Josés. Truth is, they lost this battle before it even started.

BREAKING: In a unanimous decision, a federal court of appeals has ruled that Louisiana's law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms is unconstitutional.

We’ll keep saying it: Public schools are not Sunday schools.

I think it’s important to note that @elisazhang.bsky.social and I literally organized a whole @standupforscience.bsky.social rally in Sacramento while also preparing for perhaps one of the most important interview of our lives… so honored to call her my colleague and friend!!!

The 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars | HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholars are outstanding early career faculty who have the potential to become leaders in their research fields.

Congratulations to all the amazing scientists named 2025 Freeman Hrabowski Scholars by HHMI. We’re immensely honored to have two #PMB faculty members, @doctheagrif.bsky.social and @elisazhang.bsky.social , among this inspiring group. An incredible and well-deserved achievement! @ucdavis.bsky.social

Very proud husband moment: my wife just pulled off a rare double, 2025 HHMI Freeman Hrabowski and McKnight Scholar! 🎉 Huge congrats as well to my colleagues Elisa and Sergey. A big moment for @ucd-physiology.bsky.social

While they prep the party, we’re heading off to celebrate in Barbados! 🎉🏖️🐬

Happy Father’s Day to the best daddy out there 💙💙💙 @drcontrexin.bsky.social

😍🥰😘

BTS

From the Davis community on Reddit: No Kings! Almost 4000 showed up for the Yolo country rally. Thank you everyone for participating! Posted by Rpdaca - 105 votes and 7 comments

www.reddit.com/r/Davis/s/aa...

My wife...

Absolutely, I was so proud. She stood up for me, for her dad, and for all the immigrants who make this country better.

I rolled with AOC back when “Brand New Congress” sounded like a band name 😁

Anyone else feeling the urge to temporarily reinstall Twitter? Musk and Trump are in a public ego meltdown over there 😂