Murat Tugrul

Mathematical Models in Ecology and Evolution | University College Cork Learn, Study and Research in UCC, Ireland's first 5 star university. Our tradition of independent thinking will prepare you for the world and the workplace in a vibrant, modern, green campus.

For the MMEE 2026 in Cork www.ucc.ie/en/matsci/ev... note the updated deadline!

Submission of talks and poster presentations: March 30th, 2026.

Epistasis and co-adaptation in bacterial genome evolution Nature Reviews Genetics - Bacterial genome evolution is shaped by epistasis, which can constrain or promote specific evolutionary paths. The authors review how integrating the effects of epistatic...

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years thinking about genome evolution and how recent research revealing complex gene-gene interactions has complicated traditional ‘gene-centric’ genomic approaches to evolution. So here is a review that consolidates these thoughts!

rdcu.be/e6pHY

DNA replication initiation causally sets the added mass for cell division in Escherichia coli https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.21.703636v1

Mesela Japonya’ya gitseniz, sokakta bile çöp kutusu görmezseniz, orda da sokağa mı atacaksınız? “Sözleşmeler” pek öyle herkesi içeren şeyler değiller çoğunlukla.

Join the symposium "The genetic basis of evolutionary rescue" at SMBE 2026 in Copenhagen (June 28 - July 2). Submit abstracts by Feb 3. More info: https://smbe2026.org. Organizers: Matthew Osmond & Hildegard Uecker. #conference

Predicting drug inactivation by changes in bacterial growth dynamics - npj Antimicrobials and Resistance npj Antimicrobials and Resistance - Predicting drug inactivation by changes in bacterial growth dynamics

Our recent paper in npj Antimicrobials and Resistance is a great example of scientific serendipity: after staring at thousands of bacterial growth curves over many studies, we started wondering whether the curve shapes themselves carry mechanistic information 1/9 🦠🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Join the dialogue on the #evolution of cellular processes at the EMBO Workshop "The rules of the game: Biophysical & molecular principles in cellular evolution" in #Oeiras, PT, 2–5 June 2026.

Deadline: 1 March

https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-cellular-evolution
#EMBORulesOfTheGame #EMBOevents 🧪

This was the very puzzling dish when i was child, i kept asking “but why did the imam faint?!”
A side note: it should be accompanied by rice and yogurt :)

Exactly Solvable Population Model with Square-Root Growth Noise and Cell-Size Regulation #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05190

Tenured US professor fired over pro-Palestinian protests contests dismissal Sang Hea Kil is first tenured faculty member fired from a public university in connection to the protests

This is incredible - even now in the US - this story of a tenured prof losing her job over protests is worse than I have come to expect.
She participated in a peaceful protest against the genocide in Gaza.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Reversible phenotypic resistance to phage infection via capsule downregulation in Klebsiella pneumoniae Molecular biology; Microbiology; Cell biology

My @i2sysbio.es colleagues Lucas Mora, Rafael Sanjuan @rafa-sanjuan.bsky.social and Pilar Domingo Calap @pilardomingoc.bsky.social published a paper about reversible phenotypic resistance to phages in Klebsiella. 👏👏 Congratulations! 🧬🖥🧪🦠🧫 #microsky #viruses #phages
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

Istanbul people, an Astronomer needs your help!

Conserved Master Regulators Orchestrate Cellular Reprogramming-Induced Rejuvenation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.27.690899v1

Great postdoc opportunity in ageing, biophysical modelling, and ML approaches. Javier Buceta is an excellent scientist/mentor, i2sysbio is a fantastic institute, Valencia is an outstanding place to live and work.

If you’re interested, reach out to @javierbuceta.bsky.social before it’s too late!

Exploring the concept of bacterial memory - Nature Microbiology This Perspective discusses the concept, mechanisms and evidence for memory in bacteria at individual and community levels.

#Review

Bacteria can “remember” past environments through genetic & biochemical imprints helping them adapt and thrive! 🦠🧠

#MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Identifying Drift, Diffusion, and Causal Structure from Temporal Snapshots #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️
https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.22729

I'm the incoming SSE president and am behind this idea -- if you're interested in putting together an app and have questions, pls reach out!

Looking forward to it…

Big congrats to my first Master’s student, Metehan, on his successful defence last Friday! He worked on stochastic DNA damage dynamics under radiation, laying the groundwork for a manuscript. Now he’s off to a PhD in Astrobiology. Wishing him success ahead!

Evidence for Neolithic acquisition of the high pathogenic island by Escherichia coli followed by recent selection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.17.676721v1

Origins of life: the molecules that could have unlocked peptide synthesis For life to emerge on Earth, peptides must first have formed without the aid of enzymes — but how? Reactions of sulfur-containing molecules might have been key.

For life to emerge on Earth, peptides must first have formed without the aid of enzymes — but how? Reactions of sulfur-containing molecules might have been key

go.nature.com/4oX04jC

Engineering non-exponential proliferation in Escherichia coli using functionalized protein aggregates Uncurbed exponential proliferation might not always be required for genetically modified microorganisms, and might even cause unpredictable liabilities in their behavior and impact. We therefore const...

E. Coli with linear growth 🦠🤯 #micdosky "linear proliferation for a finite number of generations" where only one daughter cell continues to divide, with split cyaA making cAMP only in one daughter cell. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

We celebrated my PhD advisor Nick Barton’s 70th bday at IST Austria. I was lucky to have been his student: his wisdom, guidance, freedom and support shaped me as a scientist and beyond. Thank you Nick and happy birthday.

Quantum gets into the genes…:)

There's a word for the EU's inaction over Gaza: racism | Shada Islam Europe frames the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis rather than a deliberate political choice. There will be a moral reckoning, says Shada Islam, a commentator on EU affairs

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I could not attend #EEBST2025 this year, but proud to see Metehan Kara (MSc student @TUM) present our upcoming work on stochastic DNA damage and repair dynamics under radiation! He’s now a EkoEvoTurkey society member and on determined track toward a career in astrobiology.

I keep making this mistake: “Istanbul -> Statistical” Physics Days ;)

The Spanish Society of Evolutionary Biology's Biennial Meeting will be in Valencia from Jan 21-23, 2026. Submit abstracts by Sept 15. More info: https://sesbe2026.es/programme/ #conference

Great to reconnect with Turkish physicists at Istanbul Physics Days. I shared my work on damage accumulation in single cells and its population impact. Thanks to the organizers & Kadir Has University, a remarkable corner in old city: Merhaba Cibali, Kalimera Fener, Shalom Balat… unforgettable..

What do you see when you stare at this grid of line segments: a series of rectangles, or a series of circles?

The way you perceive this optical illusion may tie back to the visual environment that surrounds you, a recent preprint suggests. scim.ag/4kTxbmd