A study by @tastrobiologist.bsky.social and Charles Cockell uses high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry to show that bacterial cells in subzero high-pressure environments can remain liquidous, and potentially metabolically active, and not merely vitrified and preserved.

plos.io/3Y3QGP6

Happy to share my latest paper in @plosone.org, we looked at how high presssures affect the intracellular vitrification (Tg') of microbial cells and how this informs our understanding of the habitability of multi-extreme environments.

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

#astrobiology #cryobiology

Thermodynamics shapes the in vivo enzyme burden of glycolytic pathways journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs

I wrote some thoughts on NASA's most recent announcement about 'potential biosignatures' on Mars in the Irish Independent today:

www.independent.ie/irish-news/d...

@protosignslab.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @researchireland.ie @dcu-lsi.bsky.social @dcuresearch.bsky.social

World Space Week 2025 is nearly here
We’ve got talks, videos & more exploring careers, ethics & planetary protection.

Join us all week to celebrate space! 4 - 10 October

Full details and registration info coming soon.
#WorldSpaceWeek #SpaceForEveryone

The multiple extremes of temperature, salt and pH define narrower limits to microbial growth in Halomonas hydrothermalis than individual extremes | International Journal of Astrobiology | Cambridge Core - www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Interested in moving/establishing your research group in Ireland?

www.researchireland.ie/funding/glob...

I'd love to see more #originoflife #astrobiology researchers join us here!

Feel free to contact me directly to discuss!

@abgradcon.bsky.social @oolen.bsky.social @dcuresearch.bsky.social

Excited to share my latest preprint just in time for #FEMS2025 ! This preprint is the start of a series of work I've been doing trying to understand the biophysical limits to life in extreme environments. So come have a chat at FEMS if you're interested in extremophile biophysics.

Abandoning everything you stood for, just to not make fascist billionaires and anti-science crusaders uncomfortable - well done, @royalsociety.org - it takes talent to be SO utterly pathetic and cowardly.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

🚨PhD Opportunity🚨

We have a UKSA funded PhD - "To the Lifeboats: Fluid inclusions as the last habitable environments on Mars" open for applications now!

Closing date 10 April 2025 - 12.00 (midday)

university.open.ac.uk/employment/n...

An absolute blight, the @royalsociety.org should be ashamed.

I’ve unfortunately needed to add more material to my post from yesterday. The re-election of Donald Trump is looking like the biggest act of American self-destruction since the Civil War.

Same link, new title and some updates.

Mice lacking microglia (Csf1r∆FIRE/∆FIRE) have normal
-synapse number and maturation
-seizure susceptibility and hippocampal-prefrontal cortex coherence
-segregation of inputs into the lateral geniculate nucleus
-neuronal and astrocytic gene expression

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

First Bluesky post to share my partner's first first-author paper!

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