Ron Parsons
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ronpar.bsky.social
Ron Parsons
@ronpar.bsky.social
170 followers 690 following 280 posts
Itinerant biologist. Most recently working with photosynthetic critters.
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ronpar.bsky.social
@atinygreencell.bsky.social

What happens in the meristem can vary.
ucdavisplants.bsky.social UCDavisPlants @ucdavisplants.bsky.social · 3d
🌱 From PNAS: Meristem layers mutate at different rates, with the germline-forming L2 protected and the L1 evolving faster. (Kirk R. Amundson, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Konsam Sarika, Isabelle J. DeMarco, Angelina Phan, Isabelle M. Henry, and Luca Comai)
▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Spatial variation in the mutation rate within the plant shoot apical meristem | PNAS
The potential impact of new mutations on organismal function and evolution depends on the developmental fate of the affected cells. Stem cells in t...
www.pnas.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
djnicholson.bsky.social
I had SO much fun talking to Paul for almost 2 hours about my new book on Schrödinger & molecular biology. Easily one of the most enjoyable podcasts I've ever done. Check it out!

P.S. CUP has made the PDF of my book free to download for 2 more weeks. Get it here: www.cambridge.org/core/element...
braininspired.bsky.social Paul Middlebrooks @braininspired.bsky.social · 11d
What Is Life? A misleading title for Schrödinger's book.

What is Life? Revisited. A spot-on title for Dan's @djnicholson.bsky.social book, which happens to be a gem.

After reading it and discussing with Dan, I can only picture Schrödinger as a cartoon villain now.

braininspired.co/podcast/224/
November 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
Northern lights were naked-eye visible tonight in town in Northern Colorado tonight. Even better outside the city.
A photo of the Northern lights with green near the horizon and red above. Some vertical banding. A photo of the Northern lights with green near the horizon and red above. Some vertical banding. A photo of the Northern lights with green near the horizon and red above. Some vertical banding.
November 12, 2025 at 3:30 AM
ronpar.bsky.social
@atinygreencell.bsky.social
biorxiv-plants.bsky.social bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 5d
Antirrhinum flower shape: unravelling gene expression across developmental axes and boundaries https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.10.687484v1
November 11, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
nccomfort.bsky.social
OK time for a clarification thread on my discussion of racism in my thread on Watson. Those of you who know my work know that this is a v imp issue to me. I want to get this right.

1/n

@dialecticbio.bsky.social
@erinsopran.bsky.social
@lcdriammdmph.bsky.social
@ayahnerd.bsky.social
November 9, 2025 at 3:29 AM
ronpar.bsky.social
Looking forward to reading his book once it is out. My orbit was on the edges as I worked as a technician for one of Delbruck’s post-docs and my first scientific meeting was at CSHL. I have a lot of respect for a number of scientists of that generation.
nccomfort.bsky.social Nathaniel Comfort @nccomfort.bsky.social · 7d
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
November 9, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
punkrockscience.bsky.social
This obit of Watson is *amazing*.
brittanytrang.com Brittany Trang @brittanytrang.com · 8d
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.

Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."

Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
unburntwitch.com
Just an absolute banger of an animal family
A chart showing animals in the family Musteloidea. Includes raccoons, skunks, otters, badgers, weasels, and ferrets.
June 2, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
jmelville.science
please don't @ me like "actually cerium is unique among the lanthanides for its +4 oxidation state"

⚗️🧪 #chemsky
A simplified, stylized periodic table of elements where large groups of elements are color-coded. Hydrogen (H) is isolated. Group 1 (alkali metals) is labeled "BOOM!". Group 2 (alkaline earth metals) is "rocks & sand & glass & stuff". The transition metals are split into sections: "the foundations of human civilization," "catalysts & superalloys," "ooh, shiny!," "expensive," and "heavy metal poisoning." Technetium (Tc) is boxed separately. The p-block is also grouped: "chips (not tasty kind)," "organic chemistry," and "useful for poisoning your husband." The noble gases are labeled "n o p e." The heaviest elements in the s-block and p-block are labeled "cancer 2" and "cancer alley," with the exception of Bismuth. The transactinides are labeled "more physics than chemistry." The bottom f-block (lanthanides and actinides) is also labeled. The lanthanides are "except for Pm these are all basically the same element," with Promethium (Pm) boxed. The actinides are labeled "rxtors & bombs" and "you probably work at Los Alamos."
November 8, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
artologica.net
My Xylem painting at the Shop Made in DC show #sciart
12 square paintings hung on a wall with an arrow pointing at one of them
November 7, 2025 at 11:37 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
Thanks for pointing this out.
femsmicro.org FEMS @femsmicro.org · 9d
Inducible promoters are everywhere in bacterial biotechnology, but optimizing them isn’t easy. In this #FEMSmicroBlog, Andrés Felipe Carrillo Rincón walks us through how synthetic σ70 promoters and tunable plasmids can unlock stronger expression, tighter control, & portability:
#FEMSmicroBlog Synthetic Upgrades for Modern Expression Systems - FEMS
Inducible promoters are everywhere in bacterial biotechnology but optimizing them remains a challenge. This blog, written by Andrés Felipe Carrillo Rincón, explores how he and co-author Natalie G.…
buff.ly
November 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
cellpress.bsky.social
Scientists cut down time needed to grow #transgenic plants from months to weeks by hijacking plants' natural ability to regenerate. spkl.io/63323Awel7

Gunvant B. Patil & colleagues
@mplantpcom.bsky.social
Schematic diagrams of the constructs and transfection strategies (A) Construct showing a gRNA targeting the tobacco PDS gene driven by Arabidopsis U6-snRNA26 (U6-26) promoter, AtWIND1 driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, an AtESR1 promoter driving different DRs (one DR in each construct), and a visible reporter gene, RUBY driven by the CmYLCV promoter within the T-DNA border. (B) Three different in planta transformation strategies in tobacco. After testing three different transfection strategies, only the third strategy led to de novo shoot formation. Therefore, we employed only the third strategy in tomato (C) and soybean (D). (C) Schematic diagram of the construct and in planta transfection and regeneration strategy in tomato. (D) Schematic diagram of the construct (top) for in planta (resulted in callus formation but unsuccessful shoot regeneration) and (bottom) semi-in planta transfection and regeneration strategy in soybean.
November 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
tinykittens.bsky.social
Our findings show a rare win-win approach to humanely manage cat overpopulation AND protect wildlife - this is a game changer!

Read the full paper: bit.ly/SaveCatsAndW...

@mdpiopenaccess.bsky.social
@iso-topo.bsky.social

#TNR #cats #conservation
November 5, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
botany.one
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology

Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

#Botany #PlantScience
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
knowablemagazine.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:29 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
@atinygreencell.bsky.social

Add it to the pile o’ reading
newphyt.bsky.social New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 13d
A new small subunit of the mitochondrial F‐ATPase, PhDC, determines flower color by acidifying vacuoles

Junwei Yuan, et al.

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/IX5WB8...
Mitochondrial F-ATPase deficiency in Petunia hybrida reduces the ability of P-ATPase to transport H+ into the vacuole.
November 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
jrossibarra.bsky.social
How has this pun never occurred to me?
October 18, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
inestheunicorn.bsky.social
Wood Pigeons are now a permanent species on my shop because I love how fat and round these guys are and I have no idea why I didn't include them in products earlier! ✨️
inestheunicorn.com
October 17, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
davidlowry.bsky.social
Excited by this breakthrough work led by Dr. Lauren Stanley (now Assistant Professor at Central Michigan University). Lauren was able to develop for the first time floral dip/spray transformation methods in the yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus). bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Just add water: A simple floral bud injection method for stable Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation in two ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus
Premise Stable transformation is the biggest barrier to studying gene function in plants. In most species, transformation requires tissue culture and regeneration methods that may be arduous and cau...
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:28 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
This looks fun and informative
October 8, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
globalplantgpc.bsky.social
We’re kicking off a brand-new webinar series with @theplantjournal.bsky.social 🧬🌱

Join us into the latest breakthroughs & challenges in plant engineering research

📅 29 September 2025
⏰ 17:00 CEST

Hosted by @katherinedenby.bsky.social (Editor in Chief)

us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#PlantSci
September 1, 2025 at 5:33 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
In case someone needs some charismatic megafauna to help their Monday.

Video shot near Milner Pass in RMNP Sunday evening at dusk.
September 8, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
matthewcobb.bsky.social
News in the history of molecular biology. The Science History Institute in Philadelphia has acquired a huge archive of correspondence and other scientific material from the pioneers of molecular biology (Franklin, Klug, Perutz, Delbrück etc, with items from Crick and Watson, too). 1/n
History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
www.sciencehistory.org
September 8, 2025 at 12:28 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
A bit of good news for the day.
September 3, 2025 at 11:03 PM
ronpar.bsky.social
This looks interesting
September 3, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Ron Parsons
cyrilpedia.bsky.social
'Early on in her life, Esther defied societal conventions by pursuing biochemistry, against recommendations from her teachers who believed that a career in science was too difficult for women'
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Pioneer of bacterial genetics: the legacy of Esther Miriam Lederberg
Abstract. Esther Miriam Lederberg's brilliant scientific lifework, from the discovery of phage lambda, bacterial conjugation, and replica plating, provided
academic.oup.com
September 1, 2025 at 3:47 AM