Stand Up For Science!
Thanks to Colette Delawalla for a tremendous job with the organizing!
Thousands Rally to Support the Need for Science in a Democracy eos.org/articles/tho...
Sometimes, the only way to build back up is to let everything fall apart. This is certainly true at the cellular level. www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...
Explore how genetics, evolution and ecology intertwine at EMBO Workshop "Evolving together: From genomics to biological interactions" in #Taipei, TW, 24–27 Apr 2026.
Abstract submission/Registration by 20 Jan/28 Feb
https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio-interactions
#EMBOEvoGenBio #EMBOevents 🧪
New method paper out today on FLIM analysis with Flipper-TR.
We discuss fitting strategies, common pitfalls, and quantitative interpretation for measurements.
First corresponding/last authorship for me!
Free link:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1me2hHRzCb...
Thanks to @rouxlab.bsky.social and Tithi Mandal!
A 🆕 #Ichthyosporea story
Led by@margaridaaraujo.bsky.social, in Co. @gautamdey.bsky.social & @hiralshah.bsky.social+🔥team across @embl.org & @sciencesunige.bsky.social
We finally have a look at what #microtubules are doing during #cellularization in #Sphaeroforma
▶️ tinyurl.com/MTSARC
#ProtistsOnSky
Pictured are 3D trajectories of turbulent particles colored by speed, showing two large vortices. Takumi Matsuzawa, Minhui Zhu et al. observed the expansion and decay of a blob of turbulence created in the center of a tank of still water. The results revealed steep fronts separating turbulent and undisturbed regions, the nonlinear transport and decay of the turbulent blob, and a persistent signature of turbulence late into the decay process. According to the authors, the analysis could help provide insight into processes ranging from star formation to fusion reactors. See the article by Matsuzawa, Zhu et al. e2526858123. Image credit: Takumi Matsuzawa.
🧪⚛️ Ever wondered what would happen if you thrashed around in a water tank, creating a blob of turbulence, and then watched it spread and gradually dissipate energy?
So did we. But we did the experiment, now out in PNAS and on the cover! It only took us 7 years ...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Evolution of monoamine reception and its role in cellular contractility.
How do #sponges coordinate their bodies despite lacking neurons and true muscles?
We show that sponges use monoamines to control water flow in their canals — reminiscent of how adrenaline regulates blood vessels.
My PhD story, now on BioRxiv:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
#Evolution
January whale-watching in the Salish Sea? It's a thing! Monika joined @afterthebreach.bsky.social host Jeff and @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social naturalist April to talk about last month's orca encounters around the San Juan Islands for this podcast episode.
Take a listen via the link below!
#whalesky
I've joined the Editorial Board of @plosbiology.org
PLOS Biology is the flagship #PLOS journal in the Life Sciences. I'm looking forward to handling terrific cell biology papers for them.
#CellBiology
Society for Developmental Biology logo Society for Developmental Biology 2026 Award Winners Edwin G. Conklin Medal Headshot of Lee Niswander Lee Niswander, University of Colorado Boulder Society for Developmental Biology Lifetime Achievement Award Headshot of Alexandra Joyner Alexandra Joyner, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Viktor Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize Headshot of Roberto Mayor Roberto Mayor, University College London Elizabeth D. Hay New Investigator Award Headshot of Jeffrey Farrell Jeffrey Farrell, National Institutes of Health Society for Developmental Biology Trainee Science Communication Award Headshot of Nicholas Desnoyer Nicholas Desnoyer, The Sainsbury Laboratory
Congrats to the 2026 SDB Award Winners!
Conklin Medal: Lee Niswander
SDB Lifetime Achievement Award: Alexandra Joyner
Hamburger Outstanding Educator Prize: Roberto Mayor
Hay New Investigator Award: Jeffrey Farrell
SDB Trainee SciComm Award: Nicholas Desnoyer
bit.ly/4afnjiC
Little reminder about this paper out there, it's a great reference for anyone working on Flipper-TR experiments! By @chloeroffay.bsky.social @rouxlab.bsky.social
Love to explore the different stainings in the Human Protein Atlas @proteinatlas.bsky.social 😍
So beatiful cells over there! I strongly recommend you to play with it and find your favourite protein :)
#HumanProteinAtlas
You should also read Juanma’s paper, which visualizes membrane tension gradients in migrating and non-migrating cells! rdcu.be/e2u20
It also shows that flipper truly reports tension, but that response varies with lipid composition.
Next Monday, 9 February at 2:30 pm (UK time), we’re excited to hear from Alex Bisson @archaeon-alex.bsky.social from Indiana University.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to receive the Zoom link!
PhD position in my lab!
Poralia. Fantastic shot under the bell! They're on the way up and at the portion of the dive where they're going to stop for zooms & collections. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 896 #livingbioreactors #MarineLife
This thing always looked so alive to me, the way it seems to jerk as it pulls itself in. Some loooong microtubules mixed with kinesin.
A comb-jellyfish, or Ctenophore, was pushed up against the shore near UCSB by winds one season when all sorts of open-ocean organisms got stranded. This one has small tear near the comb-plates. Ctenophores can coordinate their swimming in ways that jellyfish cannot.
Registration and submissions for poster presentations will remain open for a few more weeks: meetings.embo.org/event/26-hom...
Guillaume Pernollet shows that epithelial cells adjust their shape to locally flatten, forming scutoids for any geometry, changing our view of cell packing. Thanks to all! @clairedessalles.bsky.social @juanmagararc.bsky.social @sciencesunige.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
@marineluciano.bsky.social recreates intestinal Villi geometry by growing epithelial cells on wavy rolling substrates. Unexpected intrication of curvature effects is observed. Thanks to all! @caterinatomba.bsky.social @sgabriele.bsky.social @sciencesunige.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Federal budget cuts: SNSF to adapt its research funding from 2026
Swiss National Bank makes CHF26 billion profit
Two things that pair like Nutella and steamed mussels 🧪
This is the cover proposal I made for our recent paper!
It’s Pyramimonas diskoicola — a very beautiful green flagellate and one of those cells that makes you stop and stare for a while.
I tried to capture its shape, symmetry, and general vibe :)
#FluorescenceFriday
#BioArt #SciArt
#Illustration
Sea anemones and jellyfish don’t have brains, but the way their neurons behave during sleep shows some surprising similarities to humans
Coravos, J. S., Mason, F. M., & Martin, A. C. (2017). Actomyosin Pulsing in Tissue Integrity Maintenance during Morphogenesis. Trends in cell biology #EpithelialMechanicsReview doi.org/10.1016/j.tc...
Interested in the biophysics of organoids? We just published a review in Dev Cell—take a look! dlvr.it/TPyTb8 #Organoids #Biophysics
Improving access to safe abortion care reduces maternal mortality and morbidity, supports gender equality, and contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.
Happy 2026!
May this year be good for your cells,
Discovering all the cool
#EpithelialMechanics as well.
My wish for 2026 is to get more unhinged, to be more shameless about promoting community and fighting back against slop and misinformation. And perfecting cheesecakes.
