Michael Metzger
Assistant Investigator at the Pacific Northwest Research Institute. Clamcer and other things. Opinions my own.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerCondolences to nearly everyone in ecology and evolution today on your grant rejection!
- Has anyone had any success with arguing this? Last year the returns without review were a brick wall, but this year it looks like they at least have a suggested contact email in the rejection letters.
- NSF GRFP applicants (and mentors): Was your application Returned Without Review and deemed ineligible despite fitting in the allowed topics? 1) Write NSF 2) Write your Congressperson 3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter
- Reposted by Michael Metzger1. The thing about science that these jokers don't understand is that science cannot be vibe-coded. Whatever its flaws, the point with vibe coding is that you're trying to quickly make something that sorta works, where you can immediately sorta see if it sorta works and then sorta use it.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerOf Barriers and Loops—How Evolution Limits Most Cancer Risks to Older Ages url: aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscov...
- Reposted by Michael Metzger[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Michael Metzger
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerFinally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- I love that one of the other sites is feeding me a lot of Bill Nye content today because tomorrow is NYE.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerFederal funding cuts are having real consequences for biomedical research — including at PNRI. Long-term studies can’t simply be paused. Through Dec. 31, every gift is matched dollar-for-dollar. 👉https://bit.ly/4j1GTma #raredisease #T1D #supportscience #genetics
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerCheck if your property is in the floodplain: skagitcounty.net/GIS/Document... Following evacuation orders and other guidance from local officials is critical.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerThe new Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) Program page is posted. Please contact us at BIOEDGE@nsf.gov if you have questions. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
- Honest question: When they say AI will “do science” what on earth are they actually talking about? Do they think LLMs will control armies of robots doing PCRs and running gels and doing cell culture and animal work and field work?
- Or do they just have no respect or interest in actual science and think that somehow everything in the universe has already been described and all reality can be accessed from mining the limited datasets we already have?
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerToday is #GivingTuesday. Funding cuts threaten the #raredisease + #type1diabetes research families rely on. Your gift helps protect lifesaving science. Give today: pnri.org/support/scie...
- How is it that the bidet signed by the Berserker Blothar is only at $5,000?! Not that I am actually going to bid on it or want it in my house, but it gives me a warm feeling knowing this exists, (and that it will benefit pbs) e.givesmart.com/events/LYw/i...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerA mysterious virus may be linked to mass die-offs of Pacific oysters. Curtis Suttle and Kevin Xu Zhong discuss the discovery of a previously unknown nidovirus and its potential implications for global aquaculture in the latest PNAS Science Sessions episode. Listen now: ow.ly/oRT750XsRNN
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerCAN LLMs write about science? @science.org decided to find out, and they did it the curious, scientific way. They did an experiment. Love this thoughtful convo. www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/11/12/w...
- Our first Crow Gift! (Crumpled foil from Halloween candy that appeared on our doorstep right after I put out some peanuts)
- I just learned that the @burkemuseum.bsky.social has a new giant clam fossil named Chowder! www.biology.washington.edu/news/news/17...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerSpoke recently to the great folks at the science foundation on their efforts to fund curiosity-driven science. They have a new RFA out for catalytic awards (up to $10K). Take a look if you’re itching to expand or try out a new idea. science-foundation.org
- Reposted by Michael Metzger📢 EvoMG-DN PhD applications are now open! Join our EU-funded MSCA network and explore evolution, ageing, and disease. 👉 www.evomg-dn.eu 📅 Apply by 30 November 2025 #PhD #DoctoralTraining #MSCA #HorizonEurope #Genomics #EvolutionaryBiology #BiomedicalResearch#EarlyCareerResearchers
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerWe're excited to be recruiting an NIH funded postdoc to work in the Coop lab at UC Davis. We're specifically interested in candidates who are want to work at the intersection of human genetics, GWAS, and population genetics modeling. Please RT
- You too Onion? theonion.com/biologists-a...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerWe have two fantastically well-funded #PhD studentships available through the @evomg-dn.bsky.social #EU doctoral network (led by brilliant @mirimiam.bsky.social, @crg.eu). These enable students to move to the UK and come and work with us @icr.ac.uk to exploit #cancer #evolution for patient benefit.
- Congratulations to Drs. Ramsdell, Brunkow, and Sakaguchi! I actually didn’t realize until today that PNRI’s David Galas was a part of the project to identify the genetic basis of the “scurfy” mice that led to Tregs. (@pnrigenetics.bsky.social) David’s legacy has touched more than I can imagine!
- Fred Ramsdell was on vacation in the Montana wilderness when he and two colleagues received the honor for their breakthroughs in immunology. www.wired.com/story/nobel-...
- Reposted by Michael Metzger@sse-evolution.bsky.social just announced the following: Call for Proposals: Research Synthesis Working Groups The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) invites proposals for sponsored Research Synthesis Working Groups at the 2026 Evolution meeting (up to two in-person and one virtual). ...
- I am happy to share some good news from the lab! Our paper on the outcomes of Bivalve Transmissible Neoplasia is out this week in PLOS Pathogens! doi.org/10.1371/jour...
- While the cancer has been seen for decades and we discovered that it was a transmissible cancer during my postdoc 10 years ago now (I am old I guess), there hadn’t been much work following BTN in clams over time to see what the actual outcomes of disease are and how it can progress.
- It was reported to be lethal and had been reported to cause severe population die-offs in the 80s and 2000s. But there were some older reports of regression, and during other experiments we anecdotally noticed one of the clams in our lab showed a very clear case of cancer growth and then regression.
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View full threadAnd we have more to come--understanding disease transmission, identifying new outbreaks of transmissible cancer, and several different strategies to find the genetic mechanisms behind the evolution of resistance to cancer in this unique and exciting system! (If we still have a lab...)
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerHey US scientists, the NY Times wants to hear from you if you've had your funding cut. 🌊🧪
- Before there was the Matrix doorknob shot…
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerToday my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerLet’s talk about AI art. theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerTwo new positions are available at the MPI for Evolutionary Biology to support development of our genomics facility. Both stand to become permanent. Both offer a ton of opportunity to engage in a wide range of creative science. Pls repost 🙏 www.evolbio.mpg.de/3838377/job_...
- Naive question for someone trained in molecular biology and infectious disease: What makes a question or a study ecology v. evolution or vice versa? I find myself following interesting infectious disease questions into evolution and ecology and stepping on field boundaries without realizing it.
- *from someone trained in molecular biology and infectious disease
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerAdvice: download PDFs of any documents you might need from government websites. The NIFA website went offline during the government shutdown during my PhD
- In that vein, NSF's shutdown plans just went public: nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf-sh... Already-funded projects can continue. And proposals can be submitted. But don't expect a response from a program officer during the shutdown.
- I don’t mean to shame anyone’s artistic chooses when making children’s book illustrations, but I just looked closely at this T. Rex on the Dino book my toddler loves…
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerI get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA 10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerKicked off a series on #Drosophila TE discovery and naming. The first post covers elements that predate the term "mobile element", and more. artemilin.dev/posts/te_nam...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerWe created a story about what the dodo looked like and how it behaved, and that story wrong was very wrong; which version of the dodo will #ColossalBio model their #Deëxtinction efforts on, v1 or v2‽ What if there is an even more accurate v3? 🦤 🧪 www.bbc.com/future/artic...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerNews reporting on the screwworm fly threatening Texas livestock focuses on cattle, but if it arrives here the pest will mostly likely first be seen on wildlife like deer. Texas A&M has assembled a useful guide:
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerOur labs are making strides in cancer research that were unimaginable even a decade ago. Their work is irreplaceable in the fight to find a cure. We talk often about Trump’s anti-science admin endangering lives now, but the impact of defunding research will reverberate for generations to come
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerThe GRFP lives!! (due end of October) www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
- Bummer of a week in Seattle—we are losing both an awesome coffeeshop, and one of the few open past 5pm (Distant Worlds) and an amazing toy store (Clover). You have until the 31st for both of these if you have never been. Support the things you want to see in the world and in your neighborhood!
- The stupidity of the phrase "PhD-level intelligence" aside, maybe the most important thing that distinguishes undergrad from PhD training is learning to say "I don't know" when you do not know, rather than bullshitting a string of semi-coherent jargony words and hoping for partial credit.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerPlease share: @UBCScience is searching for 15 TT faculty in diverse areas of expertise science.ubc.ca/about/careers. Included are 2 positions in Quantitative and Environmental Science as part of a hiring cluster for black faculty; you will join 6 current UBC faculty science.ubc.ca/blackscholars.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerWe are so proud of our sea star wasting work that came out today. This interactive article is very complete and includes beautiful videos. Unmasking the Sea Star Killer www.biographic.com/unmasking-th...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerBUSCO v6.0.0 has been released. busco.ezlab.org
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerDeadline for applying for this #postdoc has been extended. You'll work with Erika Burioli, as well as @metzgerm.bsky.social and me, on long reads and Hi-C data of mussel transmissible cancers. Contract is for 18 months, but possibility of extension. #PopGen #MarEvol euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/333894
- Someone seriously needs to invent a topoisomerase for garden hoses.
- Reposted by Michael Metzger
- The 500 additional GRFPs NSF awarded were not very evenly distributed across fields, it seems. www.science.org/content/arti...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerMy latest for American Scientist Magazine helps give scientists the tools to fight back against politicized charges that our research is silly or pointless- tools that will work whether you’re asked “why are we funding this” from your asshole uncle at Thanksgiving or an asshole US Senator. 🧪🌎
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerICYMI: After years of hearing complaints that it's hard to get good career advice in marine biology, I assembled an expert panel to answer your questions about graduate school, where to find jobs, what skills are needed, and much, much more. 🦑🧪🌎🦈🐟
- This does look like a really great opportunity! Spread the word to anyone applying to grad school this year in ecology and evolution!
- Fantastic opportunity for ecology and evolution focused prospective grad students www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
- Sharing a really exciting postdoc opportunity to work on genomic analysis of transmissible cancers in bivalves with an awesome group in Cambridge (the one not in the US). Adrian is an excellent scientist and he will be a great mentor on a really fascinating project! www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51236/
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerA strong statement about the importance of NIH on @cbsnews.com.web.brid.gy Sunday Morning (Part 1)
- Minor issue, but does anyone know if NCBI is still indexing bioRxiv preprints? They used to automatically show up but one from April never did (and the bioRxiv does list NIH funding)...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerSpineless in Seattle! What a great lineup to be part of for @seattleaquarium.bsky.social Lightening Talks with @vikingbooks.bsky.social. #spineless, #invertebrates, #nudibranchs, #crabs, #seastars, #sponges, #marinelife, #tidepools, #aquanaut www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVAp...
- Anyone interested in a postdoc with any lab in Washington State should apply to the WRF postdoc fellowship! Applications due June 26, so there is still time! www.wrfseattle.org/grants/wrf-p... please repost and spread the word
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerWe don’t always know what questions will change the world. But public science has a way of answering them anyway. Federal science funding isn’t just lines in a budget. It’s a vote for progress, for possibility. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/s...
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerIf you’ve ever wondered about the statistical significance of differences among mutational signature profiles, check out our new Aggregate Mutation Spectrum Distance (AMSD) preprint co-led by Sam Hart and @alisonfeder.bsky.social with @nalcala.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
- Reposted by Michael Metzger1. Over the past four months I've talked with many foundation directors about science philanthropy during Trump 2.0. Two things come to the fore every time. i) The most important they can do is maintain the pipeline of talent ii) With the federal govt pulling out, ROI is higher now than ever.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerKJ, a baby born with a rare genetic disorder, is now thriving thanks to the world’s first personalized gene-editing treatment. Doctors used base editing—a method invented by HHMI Investigator David Liu—to correct the single-letter mutation behind his illness. More on the science: bit.ly/4kqgkXy
- KJ Muldoon, a 9½-month-old boy with a rare condition, made medical history by receiving the first custom gene-editing treatment. The technique used has the potential to help people with thousands of other uncommon genetic diseases. Read more: nyti.ms/44H77pg
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerIn talks and in our online course thebullshitmachines.com, I worry about how the extremely high cost of training LLMs concentrates power in the hands of the very few to shape our information environment. Grok going off the rails with talk of White Genocide is a striking example.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerNew report from Bernie Sanders, ranking member on the HELP committee www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/u... Lots of substance in here. Some highlights... 1/n
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerTHIS is what NIH funding means for real people, and why we can't lose it. I sat down with Emily & her daughter Charlie to discuss how NIH-funded clinical trials at Seattle Children's led to a cure for Charlie's cancer. This is why we have to speak up, this is who we're fighting for.
- Reposted by Michael MetzgerNIH's work saves lives—& Trump is gutting it. Straight from D.C. I headed to Seattle Children's to hear from researchers & patients alike about the importance of NIH funding—it's not just about lines in a budget, it's about lifesaving discoveries. We ALL need to speak up to save it.
- Reposted by Michael Metzger#PostDoc in #Montpellier on mussel transmissible cancers #TransCan These weird cancers have undergone genome doublings and aneuploidisation You will play with PacBio and Nanopore data Join the #HyperCan team in a joyfull environment. #MarEvol #PopGen #MusselsAreCool euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/333894
- Reposted by Michael Metzger"Ecologist Katharyn Boyer must shutter the beloved marine research center she manages on the San Francisco Bay’s shores — unless she can raise millions of dollars by next week. Scientists, conservationists and community members statewide have rallied to save the Estuary and Ocean Science Center..."
- Reposted by Michael Metzger[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Michael Metzger@katrinamillerphd.bsky.social & I took a look at over 400 active National Science Foundation grants that got killed in the past few days. Here's our story (gift link) nyti.ms/4jp4aOx
- Reposted by Michael Metzger1. The DOJ has sent threatening letters to several medical journals, focused around whether these journals are spreading misinformation that harms the American people and suppressing alternative viewpoints. I study how the norms and institutions of science facilitate discovery and self-correction.
