Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
@needhibhalla.bsky.social
Cell biologist and geneticist, Professor, mom and consumer of alcohol. Those might all be related. I grind til I own it.
She/her/hers.
ORCID: 0000-0002-6859-0073
personal account
She/her/hers.
ORCID: 0000-0002-6859-0073
personal account
Pinned
Scaling back DEI programmes and the loss of scientific talent
Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...
www.nature.com
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
This is a fascinating paper that reveals defined and clear mechanism for a phenomenon that for some seemed unbelievable- the up regulation of genes paralogous to those with specific types of inactivating mutations. This is called transcriptional adaptation 1/ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Mechanisms linking cytoplasmic decay of translation-defective mRNA to transcriptional adaptation
Transcriptional adaptation (TA) is a genetic robustness mechanism through which mutant messenger RNA (mRNA) decay induces sequence-dependent up-regulation of so-called adapting genes. How cytoplasmica...
www.science.org
February 16, 2026 at 2:24 AM
This is a fascinating paper that reveals defined and clear mechanism for a phenomenon that for some seemed unbelievable- the up regulation of genes paralogous to those with specific types of inactivating mutations. This is called transcriptional adaptation 1/ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Breakfast: Mallorcas. Ham, egg, and Swiss cheese.
February 15, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Breakfast: Mallorcas. Ham, egg, and Swiss cheese.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
49 years ago today
The Ramones played a legendary, sold-out concert at the Whiskey a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, on February 16, 1977, with Blondie as the opening act. The performance is considered a milestone of the punk era on the Strip.
📸 Jenny Lens
#punkrock #ramones #punkrockhistory
The Ramones played a legendary, sold-out concert at the Whiskey a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, on February 16, 1977, with Blondie as the opening act. The performance is considered a milestone of the punk era on the Strip.
📸 Jenny Lens
#punkrock #ramones #punkrockhistory
February 16, 2026 at 4:08 AM
49 years ago today
The Ramones played a legendary, sold-out concert at the Whiskey a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, on February 16, 1977, with Blondie as the opening act. The performance is considered a milestone of the punk era on the Strip.
📸 Jenny Lens
#punkrock #ramones #punkrockhistory
The Ramones played a legendary, sold-out concert at the Whiskey a Go Go in West Hollywood, California, on February 16, 1977, with Blondie as the opening act. The performance is considered a milestone of the punk era on the Strip.
📸 Jenny Lens
#punkrock #ramones #punkrockhistory
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
They had a silent auction for art with ICE OUT and the rebel loon. When I put in my donation to theie link for families from Minneapolis schools the total was at $39k and change for a goal of $40k. (5/?)
February 16, 2026 at 12:57 AM
They had a silent auction for art with ICE OUT and the rebel loon. When I put in my donation to theie link for families from Minneapolis schools the total was at $39k and change for a goal of $40k. (5/?)
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
And these kids decided, on their own, to play a benefit show for families impacted by the surge. At that first show they had hoped to raise a couple thousand dollars. Their families and friends came to Minneapolis and packed the house. They ended up raising over 10 grand. (3/?)
February 16, 2026 at 12:51 AM
And these kids decided, on their own, to play a benefit show for families impacted by the surge. At that first show they had hoped to raise a couple thousand dollars. Their families and friends came to Minneapolis and packed the house. They ended up raising over 10 grand. (3/?)
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Let me tell you a tale of how completely the normies have been mobilized. My 14 year-old niece has done School of Rock for the past 5 years; last summer she was part of their touring band, and the kids loved playing together so much that they decided to keep doing it. (1/?)
February 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Let me tell you a tale of how completely the normies have been mobilized. My 14 year-old niece has done School of Rock for the past 5 years; last summer she was part of their touring band, and the kids loved playing together so much that they decided to keep doing it. (1/?)
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
PS they closed out the show with a mash-up of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams" that they apparently came up with themselves?!? Feeling very proud on multiple levels right now
February 16, 2026 at 1:25 AM
PS they closed out the show with a mash-up of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams" that they apparently came up with themselves?!? Feeling very proud on multiple levels right now
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Michelle Haas did not seek to bring her case to the Texas Supreme Court. That's the end of the road. We won.
In 2024, I wrote a story for Texas Monthly about Michelle Haas, whose complaints resulted in the removal of books about slavery from historic Texas slave plantations. Haas sued us, alleging defamation, and was represented by the preferred lawyer of billionaire J.P. Bryan. Today, we won on appeal.
February 15, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Michelle Haas did not seek to bring her case to the Texas Supreme Court. That's the end of the road. We won.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Man this guy makes me cry every time even though I've seen it a million times.
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
February 16, 2026 at 5:04 AM
Man this guy makes me cry every time even though I've seen it a million times.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
I'm in New Delhi for the #AIImpactSummit, the first of these global convenings to be held in the Global South. That matters a great deal.
And yet: Whose voices shape the agenda? Which communities are centered ? Which are displaced? The contradictions are as visible and important as the ambitions.
And yet: Whose voices shape the agenda? Which communities are centered ? Which are displaced? The contradictions are as visible and important as the ambitions.
"Any claims of AI solving for population scale problems must be matched against the reality of the Global South, in which young boys were applying enamel paint on the railings... with their bare hands to prepare for the arrival of Silicon Valley CEOs." www.techpolicy.press/indias-ai-im...
India’s ‘AI Impact Summit’ Promises Little More Than Spectacle
The fourth in a series of convenings that kicked off in Bletchley Park in 2023, the summit is the first held in the Global South, writes Apar Gupta.
www.techpolicy.press
February 16, 2026 at 4:15 AM
I'm in New Delhi for the #AIImpactSummit, the first of these global convenings to be held in the Global South. That matters a great deal.
And yet: Whose voices shape the agenda? Which communities are centered ? Which are displaced? The contradictions are as visible and important as the ambitions.
And yet: Whose voices shape the agenda? Which communities are centered ? Which are displaced? The contradictions are as visible and important as the ambitions.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
"Any claims of AI solving for population scale problems must be matched against the reality of the Global South, in which young boys were applying enamel paint on the railings... with their bare hands to prepare for the arrival of Silicon Valley CEOs." www.techpolicy.press/indias-ai-im...
India’s ‘AI Impact Summit’ Promises Little More Than Spectacle
The fourth in a series of convenings that kicked off in Bletchley Park in 2023, the summit is the first held in the Global South, writes Apar Gupta.
www.techpolicy.press
February 16, 2026 at 4:10 AM
"Any claims of AI solving for population scale problems must be matched against the reality of the Global South, in which young boys were applying enamel paint on the railings... with their bare hands to prepare for the arrival of Silicon Valley CEOs." www.techpolicy.press/indias-ai-im...
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
My local bookshop understands their audience.
January 22, 2026 at 4:13 PM
My local bookshop understands their audience.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
MUST READ:
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The billionaires' eugenics project: how Epstein infiltrated Harvard, muzzled the humanities and preached master-race science
Edge - Jeffrey Epstein's favourite intellectual salon - was sold to me as a gathering of the world's finest minds, writes Virginia Heffernan. The files reveal it was something far darker: a decades-lo...
www.thenerve.news
February 15, 2026 at 7:05 PM
MUST READ:
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Reading American history will break your heart a thousand times but it will also fill you with such admiration and awe for all the people who were excluded from the protection of America’s founding principles and fought to promote, protect and expand them anyways
February 16, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Reading American history will break your heart a thousand times but it will also fill you with such admiration and awe for all the people who were excluded from the protection of America’s founding principles and fought to promote, protect and expand them anyways
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
This March 7th we are rallying for a second time in D.C. and nationwide! Join the fight by visiting standupforscience.net/march7 or fuel the fight for science by visiting standupforscience.net/donate
Thank you!
#March7
#standupforscience
#ImpeachRFKJr
#RemoveRFKJr
#science
Thank you!
#March7
#standupforscience
#ImpeachRFKJr
#RemoveRFKJr
#science
February 15, 2026 at 11:51 AM
This March 7th we are rallying for a second time in D.C. and nationwide! Join the fight by visiting standupforscience.net/march7 or fuel the fight for science by visiting standupforscience.net/donate
Thank you!
#March7
#standupforscience
#ImpeachRFKJr
#RemoveRFKJr
#science
Thank you!
#March7
#standupforscience
#ImpeachRFKJr
#RemoveRFKJr
#science
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
“Asked how the cuts have affected science, one [researcher] said, ‘This is like asking, how do you think dropping an atomic bomb on New York City will affect the future of Broadway musicals? This is a generational loss of innovation, technology, and economic power.’” 🔗 archive.ph/2026.02.12-1...
February 15, 2026 at 9:46 PM
“Asked how the cuts have affected science, one [researcher] said, ‘This is like asking, how do you think dropping an atomic bomb on New York City will affect the future of Broadway musicals? This is a generational loss of innovation, technology, and economic power.’” 🔗 archive.ph/2026.02.12-1...
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Call me delusional but I am thinking more about improving the future vs blame. And for that our institutions have to do better- we cannot change human nature (there will always be morally bankrupt assholes among us) but we can hope for a system that does not allow these individuals to be successful
February 15, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Call me delusional but I am thinking more about improving the future vs blame. And for that our institutions have to do better- we cannot change human nature (there will always be morally bankrupt assholes among us) but we can hope for a system that does not allow these individuals to be successful
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
We are holding our annual Rising Stars in Genetics and Genomics Postdoc Symposium on September 24-25, 2026! Please nominate postdocs who are conducting cutting edge, creative work, and are likely to be a leader in their field. Please nominate by April 30, 2026: forms.gle/85NZaxFezUk8...
(1/2)
(1/2)
forms.gle
February 15, 2026 at 9:05 PM
We are holding our annual Rising Stars in Genetics and Genomics Postdoc Symposium on September 24-25, 2026! Please nominate postdocs who are conducting cutting edge, creative work, and are likely to be a leader in their field. Please nominate by April 30, 2026: forms.gle/85NZaxFezUk8...
(1/2)
(1/2)
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Already doing it….
Can we start using “Epstein class” to describe scientists? 🤔
What I’m seeing in some of the Epstein revelations about well known scientists who maintained contact after his conviction, is folks who always thought they were the smartest person in any room, sure they could shrewdly navigate a route that gets them what they want without getting dirty themselves.
February 15, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Already doing it….
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Endorse
Can we start using “Epstein class” to describe scientists? 🤔
What I’m seeing in some of the Epstein revelations about well known scientists who maintained contact after his conviction, is folks who always thought they were the smartest person in any room, sure they could shrewdly navigate a route that gets them what they want without getting dirty themselves.
February 15, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Endorse
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
I was just going to respond with this--these types become emotional black holes for departments. And much of the emotional toll is trying to mentor those affected by the bullshit bullying. In the rearview mirror, so I can see clearly now the impact on productivity and morale.
February 15, 2026 at 6:05 PM
I was just going to respond with this--these types become emotional black holes for departments. And much of the emotional toll is trying to mentor those affected by the bullshit bullying. In the rearview mirror, so I can see clearly now the impact on productivity and morale.
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
Menopause is a chapter in women’s lives that brings a myriad of sometimes debilitating medical issues that can last for more than a decade. It’s an area of medicine that for years has been overlooked and underfunded. (from 2025) https://to.pbs.org/3PFuQgE
How a decades-old study gave hormone therapy for menopause a bad reputation
Menopause is a chapter in women’s lives that brings a myriad of sometimes debilitating medical issues that can last for more than a decade. It’s an area of medicine that for years has been overlooked ...
to.pbs.org
February 15, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Menopause is a chapter in women’s lives that brings a myriad of sometimes debilitating medical issues that can last for more than a decade. It’s an area of medicine that for years has been overlooked and underfunded. (from 2025) https://to.pbs.org/3PFuQgE
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
"I was shocked. At the beginning, I didn't believe it."
Bad Bunny bought out this Palo Alto restaurant after the Super Bowl
"I was shocked. At the beginning, I didn't believe it."
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM
"I was shocked. At the beginning, I didn't believe it."
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions
February 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
i’ll end this little brainstorm by just asking what it is, exactly, that the MAGA right likes about the United States, since it explicitly rejects those things that make this nation distinctive — its pluralism, its revolutionary heritage and egalitarian aspirations, and its republican institutions