Maria Polychronidou
@mpolychronidou.bsky.social
Life scientist.
Head of EMBO Membership & Elections and Courses & Workshops @embo.org #EMBOevents
previously: Editor at Molecular Systems Biology, EMBO Press
Views my own
Head of EMBO Membership & Elections and Courses & Workshops @embo.org #EMBOevents
previously: Editor at Molecular Systems Biology, EMBO Press
Views my own
Pinned
www.embo.org
🔊2025/2026 EMBO Courses & Workshops are online!
You can go through the list here ➡️ www.embo.org/conferences-...
Download the poster listing all meetings here ➡️ www.embo.org/documents/co...
We will add more 2026 Courses & Workshops in October, stay tuned!
#EMBOevents #AcademicSky #LifeSciences
You can go through the list here ➡️ www.embo.org/conferences-...
Download the poster listing all meetings here ➡️ www.embo.org/documents/co...
We will add more 2026 Courses & Workshops in October, stay tuned!
#EMBOevents #AcademicSky #LifeSciences
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Whether neural organoids feel pain or should be placed in animals are among the questions swirling around biology’s hot new technology. https://scim.ag/3Kh8tPo
Lab-grown models of human brains are advancing rapidly. Can ethics keep pace?
Whether neural organoids feel pain or should be placed in animals are among the questions swirling around biology’s hot new technology
scim.ag
November 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Whether neural organoids feel pain or should be placed in animals are among the questions swirling around biology’s hot new technology. https://scim.ag/3Kh8tPo
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
👏 The first edition of 'Cell biology of the nucleus' Symposium just ended on Friday.
Researchers from different fields presented the cell biological mechanisms that define the nucleus as an organelle.
Thanks to all participants, speakers, and organisers for such an inspiring meeting✨ #EESNucleus
Researchers from different fields presented the cell biological mechanisms that define the nucleus as an organelle.
Thanks to all participants, speakers, and organisers for such an inspiring meeting✨ #EESNucleus
November 24, 2025 at 9:28 AM
👏 The first edition of 'Cell biology of the nucleus' Symposium just ended on Friday.
Researchers from different fields presented the cell biological mechanisms that define the nucleus as an organelle.
Thanks to all participants, speakers, and organisers for such an inspiring meeting✨ #EESNucleus
Researchers from different fields presented the cell biological mechanisms that define the nucleus as an organelle.
Thanks to all participants, speakers, and organisers for such an inspiring meeting✨ #EESNucleus
Scary/amazing indeed…
I tried an even harder example on Gemini Pro image generation and this is quite scary/amazing. I asked for a microscopy image of around 20 HeLa cells, GFP tagged 20% nuclear, 10% membrane, +1 nuclear staining, + overlap. Image below and prompt in the following post.
November 23, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Scary/amazing indeed…
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Apply now for EMBO Workshop "Evolving together: From #genomics to biological interactions" in Taipei, Taiwan, 24–27 Apr 2026.
Abstract submission/Registration deadline: 20 Jan/28 Feb 2026
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio...
#EMBOEvoGenBio #GeneSky #EvoSky #EcoSky #EMBOevents 🧪
Abstract submission/Registration deadline: 20 Jan/28 Feb 2026
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio...
#EMBOEvoGenBio #GeneSky #EvoSky #EcoSky #EMBOevents 🧪
Evolving together: from genomics to biological interactions
Genomic and evolutionary research has transformed our understanding of how biological interactions shape life’s diversity. From symbiosis and host–pathogen relationships to competition, cooperation, …
meetings.embo.org
November 14, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Apply now for EMBO Workshop "Evolving together: From #genomics to biological interactions" in Taipei, Taiwan, 24–27 Apr 2026.
Abstract submission/Registration deadline: 20 Jan/28 Feb 2026
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio...
#EMBOEvoGenBio #GeneSky #EvoSky #EcoSky #EMBOevents 🧪
Abstract submission/Registration deadline: 20 Jan/28 Feb 2026
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio...
#EMBOEvoGenBio #GeneSky #EvoSky #EcoSky #EMBOevents 🧪
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Gain the #skills you need to lead in #SingleCell #research at the EMBO Practical Course "Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells" in Oeiras/Lisbon, Portugal, 18–23 May 2026.
Deadline: 15 February 2026
https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-scrna
#EMBOPipettescRNAseq #EMBOevents 🧪
Deadline: 15 February 2026
https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-scrna
#EMBOPipettescRNAseq #EMBOevents 🧪
November 20, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Gain the #skills you need to lead in #SingleCell #research at the EMBO Practical Course "Pipetting scRNA-seq data into computational cells" in Oeiras/Lisbon, Portugal, 18–23 May 2026.
Deadline: 15 February 2026
https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-scrna
#EMBOPipettescRNAseq #EMBOevents 🧪
Deadline: 15 February 2026
https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-scrna
#EMBOPipettescRNAseq #EMBOevents 🧪
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
This year our students could not be online during their exam - we did that because last year the results appeared abnormally and uniformly high (hello ChatGPT). Result: brutal. Your average final year undergrad struggles to write a complete sentence let alone a structured paragraph. It’s horrifying.
November 22, 2025 at 12:26 AM
This year our students could not be online during their exam - we did that because last year the results appeared abnormally and uniformly high (hello ChatGPT). Result: brutal. Your average final year undergrad struggles to write a complete sentence let alone a structured paragraph. It’s horrifying.
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
The UKB 1/2 million (of which I am one) are indeed reasonably investigated, but in comparison to the ALSPAC cohort - who were recruited as foetuses and followed up into middle age - what I've had done in UKB is tiny. ALSPAC has 3 generations too. We need both study types! www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/
November 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM
The UKB 1/2 million (of which I am one) are indeed reasonably investigated, but in comparison to the ALSPAC cohort - who were recruited as foetuses and followed up into middle age - what I've had done in UKB is tiny. ALSPAC has 3 generations too. We need both study types! www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
The FlyBoard is happy to announce the call for nominations for the Drosophila Community Service Award. Please submit your nomination by 01/16/2026 by email to: [email protected]. Please repost.
November 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The FlyBoard is happy to announce the call for nominations for the Drosophila Community Service Award. Please submit your nomination by 01/16/2026 by email to: [email protected]. Please repost.
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The Moon-forming impactor Theia originated from the inner Solar System
The Moon formed from a giant impact of a planetary body, called Theia, with proto-Earth. It is unknown whether Theia formed in the inner or outer Solar System. We measured iron isotopes in lunar sampl...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
#AsgardArchaea team, led by @archaeal.bsky.social fr @texasscience.bsky.social — sequencing the DNA collected fr mouth of Rio de la Plata to the continental shelf of Uruguay to detect Asgards, a group of single-celled organisms & our closest microbial relatives on the tree of life. bit.ly/3MdniTH
November 21, 2025 at 12:07 AM
#AsgardArchaea team, led by @archaeal.bsky.social fr @texasscience.bsky.social — sequencing the DNA collected fr mouth of Rio de la Plata to the continental shelf of Uruguay to detect Asgards, a group of single-celled organisms & our closest microbial relatives on the tree of life. bit.ly/3MdniTH
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Highlighting another recent paper from the lab in Science Advances on engineering a gut probiotic to modulate GLP-1 levels and ameliorating colitis. Led by Leonie Brockmann & @carlottaronda.bsky.social . @columbiasysbio.bsky.social @columbiauniversity.bsky.social 🧬🦠💊
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Engineered probiotic restores GLP-1 signaling to ameliorate fiber-deficiency exacerbated colitis
Engineered probiotic delivers bacterial peptide that enhances GLP-1 and restores barrier integrity in diet-modulated colitis.
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Highlighting another recent paper from the lab in Science Advances on engineering a gut probiotic to modulate GLP-1 levels and ameliorating colitis. Led by Leonie Brockmann & @carlottaronda.bsky.social . @columbiasysbio.bsky.social @columbiauniversity.bsky.social 🧬🦠💊
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Messenger RNA is made in the nucleus before it is exported to the cytoplasm for translation. But how are only correctly made mRNAs chosen and remodeled in the nucleus for export?
Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)
Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)
November 21, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Messenger RNA is made in the nucleus before it is exported to the cytoplasm for translation. But how are only correctly made mRNAs chosen and remodeled in the nucleus for export?
Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)
Our new paper investigates the nuclear events leading to human mRNA export. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/4)
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Bacteriologists - save the date for the next BacNet meeting in September 2026 #BacNet26 organised by @lalouxlab.bsky.social
Bacterial networks #BacNet26 in September 2026 will be chaired by @lalouxlab.bsky.social and co-chaired by @s-lab.bsky.social with @coralietesseur.bsky.social
Sneak peak on invited speakers and preliminary program:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bac...
Sneak peak on invited speakers and preliminary program:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-bac...
November 20, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Bacteriologists - save the date for the next BacNet meeting in September 2026 #BacNet26 organised by @lalouxlab.bsky.social
Analysis of the reassignment of TAG from STOP to pyrrolysine among #archaea shows that it is a distinct #geneticcode that emerged multiple independent times in different lineages ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#proteomics
#proteomics
An archaeal genetic code with all TAG codons as pyrrolysine
Multiple genetic codes developed during the evolution of eukaryotes and bacteria, yet no alternative genetic code is known for archaea. We used proteomics to confirm our prediction that certain archae...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Analysis of the reassignment of TAG from STOP to pyrrolysine among #archaea shows that it is a distinct #geneticcode that emerged multiple independent times in different lineages ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#proteomics
#proteomics
Analysis of the 2025 intense seismic swarm near #Santorini ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#earthquake #seismicity #machinelearning
#earthquake #seismicity #machinelearning
The 2025 Santorini unrest unveiled: Rebounding magmatic dike intrusion with triggered seismicity
Magmatic intrusion in Earth’s crust can lead to hazardous volcanic eruptions, but the physical processes involved remain largely hidden from direct observation. We used machine learning–derived seismi...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Analysis of the 2025 intense seismic swarm near #Santorini ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#earthquake #seismicity #machinelearning
#earthquake #seismicity #machinelearning
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
A couple of days left to submit your abstract for the upcoming EMBO/EMBL Symposium on the Molecular Basis of Symbiosis ! Great line up of speakers :)
#ProtistsOnSky #SymbioSky
#ProtistsOnSky #SymbioSky
🧪 Submit your abstract for #EESSymbiosis and get the chance to present your research, receive qualified feedback and help develop our understanding of the complexities of symbiotic function.
You have until 25 Nov: https://s.embl.org/ees26-03-bl
🗓️ 17 – 20 Mar 2026
📍 EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
You have until 25 Nov: https://s.embl.org/ees26-03-bl
🗓️ 17 – 20 Mar 2026
📍 EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
November 19, 2025 at 3:28 PM
A couple of days left to submit your abstract for the upcoming EMBO/EMBL Symposium on the Molecular Basis of Symbiosis ! Great line up of speakers :)
#ProtistsOnSky #SymbioSky
#ProtistsOnSky #SymbioSky
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
The 2026 EMBL symposium 'Reconstructing the human past using ancient and modern genomics' is live with a fantastic invited speaker lineup!
Abstract deadline 9 June. If work is ongoing, plan for Heidelberg in September😉.
Organised by Maanasa Raghavan, @matejahajdi.bsky.social, Choongwon Jeong & me.
Abstract deadline 9 June. If work is ongoing, plan for Heidelberg in September😉.
Organised by Maanasa Raghavan, @matejahajdi.bsky.social, Choongwon Jeong & me.
November 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The 2026 EMBL symposium 'Reconstructing the human past using ancient and modern genomics' is live with a fantastic invited speaker lineup!
Abstract deadline 9 June. If work is ongoing, plan for Heidelberg in September😉.
Organised by Maanasa Raghavan, @matejahajdi.bsky.social, Choongwon Jeong & me.
Abstract deadline 9 June. If work is ongoing, plan for Heidelberg in September😉.
Organised by Maanasa Raghavan, @matejahajdi.bsky.social, Choongwon Jeong & me.
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Quite a busy day on #Bluesky !
Been a while since we have been #preLight -ed !
Discover HAK-Actin if you haven't already ;)
Been a while since we have been #preLight -ed !
Discover HAK-Actin if you haven't already ;)
Reliable actin labelling in expansion #microscopy 🔬
Beautiful #preprint from Olivier Mercey, @lreymond.bsky.social & team @dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social
Read the latest #preLight from @kanishka03.bsky.social ⬇️👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/h...
Beautiful #preprint from Olivier Mercey, @lreymond.bsky.social & team @dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social
Read the latest #preLight from @kanishka03.bsky.social ⬇️👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/h...
HAK-actin, U-ExM-compatible probe to image the actin cytoskeleton - preLights
HAK-actin is a new probe that may help researchers see the actin cytoskeleton in sharper detail using expansion microscopy.
prelights.biologists.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
From single cells to whole organs. Leading edge article in @cp-cell.bsky.social explores “mesoscale modules” as key building blocks of tissue function. Conceptual network motifs for multicellular dynamics. A nice mind model for tackling complexity in biology: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... 🧪
Bridging single cells to organs: Mesoscale modules as fundamental units of tissue function
Recent studies at molecular and genomic scales have enriched our understanding of life’s most fundamental building block: the cell. However, bridging …
doi.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:27 AM
From single cells to whole organs. Leading edge article in @cp-cell.bsky.social explores “mesoscale modules” as key building blocks of tissue function. Conceptual network motifs for multicellular dynamics. A nice mind model for tackling complexity in biology: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... 🧪
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
We are pleased to once again partner with @fusionconf.bsky.social for the 2026 conference season! Looking forward to "Fibroblast Growth Factor Signalling in Development, Health & Disease Conference" in March when @embomolmed.org editor Lise Roth will attend.
Registration until 5 Feb: bit.ly/49nSmKj
Registration until 5 Feb: bit.ly/49nSmKj
Fibroblast Growth Factor Signalling in Development, Health & Disease Conference | Fusion Conferences
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) are cell-surface receptors that, upon ligand binding, regulate cell-to-cell communication during embryonic development and in adult life. Among RTKs, the twenty-two Fi...
bit.ly
November 19, 2025 at 10:43 AM
We are pleased to once again partner with @fusionconf.bsky.social for the 2026 conference season! Looking forward to "Fibroblast Growth Factor Signalling in Development, Health & Disease Conference" in March when @embomolmed.org editor Lise Roth will attend.
Registration until 5 Feb: bit.ly/49nSmKj
Registration until 5 Feb: bit.ly/49nSmKj
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
This looks like a fantastic resource to study human kinase signalling. So much MS instrument time.
Chemical proteomics decrypts the kinases that shape the dynamic human phosphoproteome https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.18.689017v1
November 19, 2025 at 6:18 AM
This looks like a fantastic resource to study human kinase signalling. So much MS instrument time.
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Starting today: @events.embl.org #EESNucleus
Make sure to say Hi to our editor @hvodermaier.bsky.social and discuss your latest work with him!
Make sure to say Hi to our editor @hvodermaier.bsky.social and discuss your latest work with him!
As my conference year draws to a close: still one last highlight coming up #EESNucleus on home turf @events.embl.org!
November 18, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Starting today: @events.embl.org #EESNucleus
Make sure to say Hi to our editor @hvodermaier.bsky.social and discuss your latest work with him!
Make sure to say Hi to our editor @hvodermaier.bsky.social and discuss your latest work with him!
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Thrilled to debate the future of scientific publishing with Alex Freeman, founder of Octopus.ac, moderated by @jlrohmann.bsky.social & hosted @einsteinberlin.bsky.social in a suitably vibrant Berlin setting. Votes elegantly split half way before & after arguments - strikingly, many changed sides : )
November 10, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Thrilled to debate the future of scientific publishing with Alex Freeman, founder of Octopus.ac, moderated by @jlrohmann.bsky.social & hosted @einsteinberlin.bsky.social in a suitably vibrant Berlin setting. Votes elegantly split half way before & after arguments - strikingly, many changed sides : )