Congrats to my student mentee, Ananthu, for this terrific publication in @jacs.acspublications.org on synthetic modeling of Mo-dependent C–H hydroxylases! It is also a landmark for my lab, as it marks our 100th paper since we started @uic-chemistry.bsky.social in 2012! pubs.acs.org/jacsat/artic...

The Role of Terminal Heavy Chalcogenide Ligands in Enabling Hydride Transfer Reactivity of W═E (E = S, Se) Models for Molybdenum Hydroxylases

Abstract. Whereas molybdenum-dependent hydroxylases in the xanthine oxidase family catalyze site-selective C–H hydroxylation reactions using terminal molyb

pubs.acs.org

“If the government hadn’t funded research into desert lizard venom, we wouldn’t know about semaglutide…If research scientists hadn’t studied how bees optimize nectar foraging within a colony, we wouldn’t have the algorithm that assigns internet traffic” www.publicnotice.co/p/michael-kr...

The new "science golden age" looks suspiciously like a grift

Trump wants to run scientific research like his family business.

publicnotice.co

“The report assiduously ignores that a symbiotic, profitable relationship between the federal government, universities, and private companies already exists. Each federal research dollar generates about $1.50 to $3.00 in long-term economic benefits.“ 🧪

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 7d ago

New in PN: The new "science golden age" looks suspiciously like a grift "It’s impossible not to wonder whether part of Trump’s loathing for universities is that there's no way for him to corrupt the process and make money off it in the same way he can by giving billions to Silicon Valley types."

Given all the cuts and general reductions in the number of funded projects at NSF, NIH, DOE, etc, I looked u how many NSF-MRI grants have been issued (just looking up on the NSF award search). Normally each FY there are ~100-130 or so awards issued, from May 2024 to present there are 47 (1/3)

Not popular enough to gain direct funding from Congress so instead we see the pillaging of NIH, NSF, DOE, and others. Good thing those other agencies are well funded... oh wait.... www.nature.com/articles/d41...

White House rolls out AI funding — and signals a new era for US science

Chief US science adviser calls for a shakeup in funding while handing out grants to accelerate research with AI.

nature.com

“NSF has now pulled back $300 million from two of its divisions: mathematics and physical sciences, and computer and information science and engineering. Programme officers…at the NSF, have pulled back 150 proposals that have already passed peer review to free up the money”

Dan Garisto@dangaristo.bsky.social · 2w ago

White House science policy captured headlines this week, with the announcement of awards for its flagship AI program, Congressional hearings, and a Vannevar Bush-esque report "Science: A New Golden Age." We fashioned the news into one big story—incl. key updates at NSF. Reported w/ Kaia Glickman:

Hey #chemsky just dropping it here that next year I go up for tenure! (I cannot believe it either lol remember the pinkyprincess college days? lol) So if your department is thinking about speakers next yr & you are interested on hearing on amazing chem education research keep me in mind please :)

Anyway, please make sure to get your comments in on the proposed OMB rules changes. I want our system for doing science and training people to continue to be there for little nerds as they grow up.

fwiw, this admin isn’t even focused on making pizzas. More like a Ford Pinto, which they have confused for a food product. Or magic beans.

Benjamin Pope@benjaminpope.bsky.social · last mo.

cutting pure science to prioritize applications is fundamentally like asking farmers not to waste time producing grain, cheese, and tomatoes and focus on making pizzas

🔥 New and HOT in Chemical Science !🔥 "Excited-state orbital angular momentum enables all-optical molecular spin coherence" by Ryan G. Hadt et al. from the California Institute of Technology. Read it for free here: doi.org/10.1039/d6sc...

New: The National Science Foundation is preparing to claw back some $500 million in funds from some of its core science programs in physics, math, computer science, and engineering in order to fund a project from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative

A proposed clawback of already distributed research funds comes as the US agency’s budget is already squeezed and it struggling to clear a backlog of grant applications.

nature.com

@andy-i-nguyen.bsky.social @metallacycle.bsky.social and @joktawiec.bsky.social are organizing the 7th Chicago Regional Inorganic Colloquium, #CRIC2026 on Oct 3rd at @uic-chemistry.bsky.social !! It's a great event for anyone that can make the trip! Details here: chicagoinorganic.wordpress.com

Chicago Regional Inorganic Colloquium

Visit the post for more.

chicagoinorganic.wordpress.com

We are recruiting postdoctoral scholars to join our laboratories. Come be part of our team in sunny Southern California! faculty.sites.uci.edu/mribbe/avail...

Brutal grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0...

The NSF is on Track for its Worst Year in Generations – Grant Witness

Throttling of science funding is utterly unprecedented and radical when compared to the past 50 years.

grant-witness.us

A [Cu-4Fe-4S] cluster? Yep, you read that right! We report a new bioinorganic motif in an acetol dehydrogenase and characterized it with our wonderful collaborators from @ribesresearch.bsky.social @lmu.de @cutsail-lab.bsky.social @ksgchem.bsky.social @mpi-mr.bsky.social @hhu.de 🧪 #chemsky

bioRxiv Biochemistry@biorxiv-biochem.bsky.social · 2mo ago

An Unprecedented [Cu 4Fe 4S] Cluster in a Methanotroph Acetol Dehydrogenase https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.11.731722v1

With today’s vote by the Univ. of Wisc. Regents I guess it’s time to update…

I wrote a quick post on my much neglected Substack about how attending seminars is hard when also having to manage school pickups. open.substack.com/pub/nealmank...

Departmental seminars could be more family friendly

Today I want to reflect on departmental seminars, which are getting harder for me to attend for work/life balance reasons I’ll explain below.

open.substack.com

when it comes to procuring digital systems, university managements frequently act as willing marks for the tech confidence trickster... just because this one has "AI" on the label is merely coincidental tbh

May-lee Chai (she/her)@mayleechai.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Subhed from the NYT article on CSU adoption of ChatGPT: “California’s public universities spent $16.9 million on A.I. during a financial crisis, and the result has been chaos.” Gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...

Our ChemBioChem paper just got published today! Take a look when you have a chance. @ribbehulab.bsky.social @ucibiosci.bsky.social chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Mutagenic Survey of Key Residues of NifB Involved in Radical SAM‐Dependent Nitrogenase Cofactor Assembly

NifB uses an RS–K1–K2 triad to assemble the L-cluster, a [Fe8S9C] precursor of the nitrogenase cofactor. The RS module cleaves SAM to form the 5′-dA radical, K1 serves structural/SAM-sensing roles, a...

chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

#chemsky 🧪⚗️ #chemchat

Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P@clairezagorski.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Tag yourself I’m figmailm

👀 Out now in @chemicalscience.rsc.org! With @shafaatlab.bsky.social, we study electronic structure and magnetic coupling in a protein model of CODH, revealing covalency changes across states of the Ni–Fe–S cluster: 👉 doi.org/10.1039/D6SC00023A #compchem #chemsky #compchemsky @uclacb.bsky.social

A protein-based model of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase exhibits tunable covalency across cluster oxidation and ligand-bound states

The nickel-containing carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) uses a unique heterometallic [NiFe4S4] cluster active site, called the C-cluster, to catalyze the reversible reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2...

doi.org

Part of the CSU’s justification for this renewal is that 85% of students use it regularly. No digging into whether that use supports or hinders learning-as an instructor I can tell you a lot of use is short circuiting actual learning. Or hurts their mental health (sycophantic chat bots).

San Francisco Chronicle@sfchronicle.com · 2mo ago

CSU officials have renewed their contract with OpenAI for $13 million a year despite faculty opposition and millions of dollars in budget cuts across the system.

A thread of some teaching tech that people actually like! Let's think happy thoughts for a little change.

Marie van Staveren@chemdrv.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Would it be useful to brainstorm ways digital tech is *useful* in teaching? I end up finding so many things that run counter to my pedagogy sometimes it feels like it's all rotten.

when people tell me AI is inevitable so I better get on board

The Democratic leadership does talk like robots created by the world's most milquetoast focus group. That has nothing to do with what happens in a college seminar. Here's how professors talk: Kick rocks. Blaming us for everything is lazy and disingenuous. I am disappointed that Obama is doing it.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3mo ago

Obama: "What I'm more interested in for Democrats is, do you know how to just talk to regular people like we're not in a college seminar? Can you talk in plain English to folks? And not have a bunch of gobbledygook around it. Just talk like normal people talk. 'The rent is too high.'"

Kind of surprised that this hasn't been bigger news. It's finals week for a whole lot of universities, and yet, Canvas (a learning/grading platform used by ~9,000 schools globally) is currently inaccessible because of a pay-or-have-your-data-leaked hack. www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

“PAY OR LEAK”: Hackers Target Big Higher Ed Vendor

The criminal extortion group ShinyHunters breached Instructure last week. The hackers, who have also attacked individual universities, demanded the ed-tech giant pay up or face a data leak.

insidehighered.com

We were just informed about the shutdown with very little information...

This skeet will self destruct@pardoguerra.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Quite amazing that the @uofcalifornia.bsky.social forced faculty and staff to install super-invasive cybersecurity software as a preventive measure but has had zero interest in dealing with the massive risks that they assumed with, for example, Canvas. Bravo... www.dailycal.org/news/campus/...

The helium shortage is now unavoidable. Another wonderful follow-on to the Iran War, and if you think helium doesn’t matter much, think again:

Helium and the Strait of Hormuz

science.org

Conducting undergraduate chemistry research in SoCal this summer? Please join us on Aug 6, 2026, for the annual UC Irvine SoCal Undergraduate Chemistry Symposium, where you can discuss and hear the latest about chemistry and graduate programs with your peers. sites.uci.edu/ugradchem/

Hey y’all - I need a big favour! If you’ve been hired into a biochem faculty role in the last ~3-5 years, could you send me a message? #ChemSky