Tim Rhoads
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timwrhoads.bsky.social
Tim Rhoads
@timwrhoads.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, UW-Madison. Metabolism, RNA, and aging. All opinions my own (and not my employers).
Pinned
Trying to find all the metabolism/mito folks on here, so i created a starter pack. Please suggest anyone I missed!
go.bsky.app/C2t7snh
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
What led to the emergence of the first states, thousands of years ago?

People often say agriculture, but the first large-scale societies didn't appear until 4000 years after the advent of agriculture. The answer may be growing grain, specifically. 🧪 #history

www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Easily taxed grains were crucial to the birth of the first states
The cultivation of wheat, barley and maize, which are easily stored and taxed, seems to have led to the emergence of large societies, rather than agriculture generally
www.newscientist.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Here we go. Its ALL #NIHGrant applications. Dec 8 is the new deadline. And a one page prelim data update will be accepted for all May Council submissions. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-OD-26-012: Updated Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities Following the October 1, 2025 - Lapse in Appropriations
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Updated Guidance on Reopening of NIH Extramural Activities Following the October 1, 2025 - Lapse in Appropriations NOT-...
grants.nih.gov
November 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
"essays produced by ChatGPT are soulless, boring abominations. Words, phrases and punctuation rarely used by the average college student are pervasive." www.huffpost.com/entry/histor...
I Set A Trap To Catch My Students Cheating With AI. The Results Were Shocking.
"Students are not just undermining their ability to learn, but to someday lead."
www.huffpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926
November 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
We are hiring a postdoc! 🧪
▶️ Project: nucleotide metabolism (genomics & biochemistry)
▶️ Start date: spring 2026 (flexible)
▶️ More info and application: tinyurl.com/3kjrbb2x
Please share 🌏

@fbm-unil.bsky.social @dib-unil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social @snsf.ch
Career Opportunities: Postdoctoral position in cellular metabolism (22584)
tinyurl.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
🚨I am looking for a POSTDOC, LAB MANAGER/TECH and GRAD STUDENTS to join my new lab in beautiful Madison, WI.
We study how our brains perceive and represent the physical world around us using behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging methods.
paulunlab.psych.wisc.edu
#VisionScience #NeuroSkyence
November 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
November 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
‘Tis our favorite season of giving back to our community! ❤️ If you’d like to contribute a donation for our annual fundraiser to support Toys for Tots and Coats for the Children, check out this feature article to learn more! 😇🧸 chem.unc.edu/news/baker-l...
Baker Lab of UNC Chemistry Calls for Donations for Toys and Coats for Kids
chem.unc.edu
November 16, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
This work is now officially published
@natsmb.nature.com
with some fun new analyses included in the revised version. Congratulations to all the authors! @connyyu.bsky.social @rappsilber.bsky.social @lrsinn.bsky.social @fjoreilly.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 15, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Another new policy from the geniuses in NIH leadership.

Apparently, ~70% of grant applications for most mechanisms will not be "triaged", i.e. not discussed at study section.

This is an increase from the ~50% level that has been in place for many years.

I don't know the rationale for this

1/13
a man with a beard is looking at the camera with the words priorities written on the bottom
ALT: a man with a beard is looking at the camera with the words priorities written on the bottom
media.tenor.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
the only good accent work on earth is old money transatlantic american to make fun of rich people accent
November 13, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Can we please stop using GAPDH as a "loading control", particularly in metabolic studies??
November 6, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Following a recent article about the different layers of conceptualisation in a science project, this is about a pet peeve of mine. I would love to hear your views.

network.febs.org/posts/thinki...
Thinking like a Scientist: The Limits of Genome Editing and Omics
Second part of Thinking like a Scientist, reflecting on how genome editing and multi-omics, while powerful, can introduce conceptual flaws that distort our understanding of gene function and biologica...
network.febs.org
November 4, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
How's your juggling act? Mitochondria also have one, and the MITOtalk this week will be all about it.
See you there?
November 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Higher ed and science journalists - this is the first report I've seen that the UC is thinking about cutting their internal postdoc program, which has been a roaring success. Something to look into?
UC Provost Katherine Newman has announced plans to defund this program, a preemptive capitulation with the feds that has not been ordered and should not occur. Newman has done this with zero consultation with campus-level leadership and none with any faculty — mentors or former fellows included.
November 2, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
November 2, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
October 31, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Our paper in Science is out! @souravagrawal.bsky.social, @rlynn.bsky.social, @susvirkar.bsky.social, and the rest of the team show human RPA is a telomerase processivity factor essential for telomere maintenance. This reshapes our thinking about telomerase regulation. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Human RPA is an essential telomerase processivity factor for maintaining telomeres
Telomerase counteracts telomere shortening by repeatedly adding DNA repeats to chromosome ends. We identified the replication protein A (RPA) heterotrimer as a telomerase processivity factor critical ...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Congratulations @cijilim.bsky.social lab!

Human RPA is an essential telomerase processivity factor for maintaining telomeres | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Human RPA is an essential telomerase processivity factor for maintaining telomeres
Telomerase counteracts telomere shortening by repeatedly adding DNA repeats to chromosome ends. We identified the replication protein A (RPA) heterotrimer as a telomerase processivity factor critical ...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
"It's past time to recognize that university administrators aren't going to lead the way out of this, [setting] the stage for leadership... from faculty, staff, & students, [where] most if not all progress in higher ed over the past 100 yrs has occurred."
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#AcademicSky
Higher education fails at collective action
In the latest development in the ongoing combat between universities in the United States and the Trump administration, the Department of Education has presented them with what it calls a “compact.” I...
www.science.org
October 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
Stop fighting your faculty in court, lady.

“We are committed to being transparent about the challenges facing the university, but we must also evaluate our response to the administration’s settlement proposal that, like all settlement communications, is confidential.
October 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Tim Rhoads
I just learned about this amazing program that matches high schoolers interested in STEM with mentors, including many past and present NIH trainees. These types of programs are even more important in this day and age. If you're able to help support it, they have a gofundme.
Donate to Support PATHS: Mentorship Program for STEM High Schoolers, organized by PATHS Mentorship
The Program for Advancing The Health Sciences (PATHS) is a Vi… PATHS Mentorship needs your support for Support PATHS: Mentorship Program for STEM High Schoolers
gofund.me
October 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM