Mark Peifer (He, him)
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peiferlabunc.bsky.social
Mark Peifer (He, him)
@peiferlabunc.bsky.social
Cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation, Wnt signaling & wherever science leads us + wildflowers & my own idiosyncratic views. First gen college grad
Diversity, equity & Inclusion are core American Values
https://peiferlab.web.unc.edu
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
“Krish has had a life-long passion for service. His early work included combating the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and helping children with critical illness through the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative and SeriousFun camps.”
Sounds genuine.
One of the best people I know from college, Dr. Krish Subrahmanian, is running to Minnesota Senate. I personally vouch for Krish, so I hope you’ll give him a look and consider giving him your support 🖖🏽

www.krishforsenate.com
Krish for Senate
Krish Subrahmanian is a candidate for Minnesota State Senate in SD-49. He's a doctor, Air Force Flight Surgeon, and former school teacher.
www.krishforsenate.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
"The microtubule GTP-tubulin cap size is modulated during cell division" is now available on @biorxivpreprint! This video by Anna Cassidy shows the tips of growing microtubules (EB1) and DNA (histone 2B) during metaphase. #Cellbiology
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 4, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Interesting news: The Marine Biological Labs at Woods Hole (MBL) is once again becoming an independent institution. University of Chicago will remain a partner, but only one of many. MBL is an amazing place for science and science training and I hope it will thrive in this new status.
February 4, 2026 at 8:34 PM
If you haven't taken sides yet in the war between rich folks who want to run the world and make us their serfs and the rest of us, might be time. PS Rich likely means richer than you think
Remember that midnight raid in Chicago supposedly to arrest Tren del Aragua members? Newly revealed court docs show that the raid was facilitated by the building owners who are now accused of using the raid to evict tenants. DHS never mentions TDA in their filings: www.propublica.org/article/chic...
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Remember that midnight raid in Chicago supposedly to arrest Tren del Aragua members? Newly revealed court docs show that the raid was facilitated by the building owners who are now accused of using the raid to evict tenants. DHS never mentions TDA in their filings: www.propublica.org/article/chic...
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Striking from new Quinnipiac poll:

*Voters prefer path to legalization over deportations for most undocs by 59-34. Among independents it's 61-33

*Majority says Trump on immigration is making America less safe

Again, there's broad rejection of the whole project, not just ICE tactics (see below)
February 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
“Things like this usually don’t come to you,” said Blair. “And if it does, I think you need to make the time and space to participate.”
Imagine All the People
Buddhist monks walking from Texas to Washington, D.C. have become a viral feel-good story. A reporter followed their journey in N.C. to learn why.
indyweek.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
WaPo laid off one of the journalists who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
February 4, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
New: Former Texas A&M lecturer Melissa McCoul is suing the university months after Texas A&M fired her over a gender identity lesson.

McCoul alleges that administrators knowingly violated her free speech and due process rights to appease political critics.
Fired after gender lesson, former professor sues Texas A&M
Melissa McCoul, arguing she was fired to appease political critics, is seeking to get her job back and other restitution.
www.texastribune.org
February 4, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
"This cover depicts The Bridge in the NGS Rain where people are being exposed to torrents of genomic information [...]. The man standing in the middle of the bridge is pictured deep in thought, considering how to utilize this sequence data set of the ALDH2 gene." @mbsj-official.bsky.social
February 4, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
MIM triggers formin to Arp2/3-based actin assembly in membrane remodeling in #Drosophila embryos, say Debasmita Mitra, Georgina K. Goddard, Sanjana S, Aparna K, Richa Rikhy (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune) & colleagues: rupress.org/jcb/article/...

#Cytoskeleton #Development
February 3, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Science isn’t a gut feeling. If you can’t defend your decision with evidence, don’t subject our kids to it.
(3/3 🧵)
February 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
(We already know how this works out: Florida has been rolling back recommended vaccines, and as vaccination rates plummeted, rates of preventable disease rose. )
(2/3 🧵)
February 4, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Bhattacharya cited no studies, no analysis, except his belief that vaccination rates will go up as they paradoxically remove vaccines from the childhood schedule.
(1/3 🧵)
February 4, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Neil H. Shubin has been elected as the next NAS President! A leading evolutionary biologist and science communicator, Shubin will succeed Marcia McNutt on July 1. The Academy also named Cherry Murray as International Secretary and elected new councilors. Read more: www.nasonline.org/news/2026_pr...
February 4, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Andrea L. Ambrosio, Santiago M. Di Pietro et al. discover GRIPAP1 is a component of the cellular machinery that produces the #platelet α-granule, a member of the #lysosome-related organelle family. rupress.org/jcb/article/...

#Biochemistry #Disease #Organelles #Trafficking
February 3, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
When research is halted and scientists are sidelined, people suffer, discoveries are delayed, and public trust is eroded. That is why, on Monday, I brought this complaint to the Office of Special Counsel.
katzbanks.com/news/nih-sci...
NIH Scientist Files Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Retaliation by HHS and NIH for Speaking Out Against Politicization of Science and Unlawful Grant Terminations - Katz Banks Kumin LLP
In Complaint Filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Career NIH Program Director Alleges Unlawful Retaliation for Protected Whistleblowing Activity (Washington, D.C.) – Dr. Jenna Norton, a care...
katzbanks.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
A publisher who lays off a reporter whose pen is freezing because she's covering a frigid war zone while dodging missiles is not an editor you want to work for, in a more perfect world
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
Reuters: U.S. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL MAP INTENDED TO BENEFIT DEMOCRATS
February 4, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
if the whole genocide thing wasn't enough for you, another good reason to get AIPAC money out of democratic politics is that the organization now exists to move republican donor money into democratic races to sow chaos and get the most republican-friendly democrat elected
Punchbowl has AOC quoted saying the same thing that I've been saying for the past few weeks re: AIPAC spending against pro-Israel Tom Malinowski.

“It’s quite shocking how moderate of a stance that they are mobilizing against. We’re not even talking about them targeting the left,” Ocasio-Cortez said
AIPAC’s first 2026 test
A Thursday special primary election will reveal whether Malinowski can survive a spending onslaught in a new era of anti-AIPAC sentiment among Dems.
punchbowl.news
February 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
This is who runs this account
February 4, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
I do appreciate a good quantitative data set.

Let me do some statistical analysis...

Oh wait, no need. It is effing obvious what is going on.
February 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
JK Rowling has not tweeted since openly denying that her team invited the world's most notorious child rapist to a kid's play despite evidence directly disproving her claims
February 3, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Mark Peifer (He, him)
The premiere of our movie, Nourishing Community: The PORCH Story, is right around the corner! Join us for a night of fundraising and celebration Saturday, February 21 from 6:30-8:30PM. Tickets are going fast so make sure to grab yours before they're gone: wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebL...
February 4, 2026 at 6:31 PM