Thanks Tim well spotted. Must’ve posted it before it loaded or something.

🧪 After 14 years in a research lab, today I hung up my lab coat for the final time 🥼. I started as a freelance science communicator 10 months ago, and will now be working exclusively towards this goal. I'll need your support more than ever to make this a viable career 🙏!!!
linktr.ee/mol_bio

God Didn’t Create Life — Life Built Itself Why seeing life as a self-constructor changes everything about our place in the Universe.

🧪 The podcast episode for "God didn't create life- Life built itself" is now available for those who like to listen to science, maybe while going for a run or doing the dishes?

#science #philsky

substack.com/@drchrisearl...

🧪We have reached 200 subscribers on Substack!
If you love #science, the origins of life, the history/philosophy of science, and/or interested in what science tells us about our place in the cosmos, you could be prestigious subscriber number 201 😉.
drchrisearl.substack.com?utm_campaign...
#philsky

Thanks, I will check that out

We're in this week's Nature! We propose a model of how a cell learns by running an evolutionary algorithm: exploring different gene-regulatory combinations and using feedback responses to stabilize those combinations that reduce stress levels.
Full text: nature.com/articles/s41...

this looks very interesting. will be having a very close read of this one.

Thanks I'll take a look at this.

Thanks for that info very interesting, I haven't explored the cognitive side of the theory yet.

Thanks, that is a very concise and accurate summary!

Not sure if this is helpful, but I received the newsletter 13 minutes ago.

One of Nature’s Most Complex Molecular Machines Podcast Episode · The Quanta Podcast · April 14 · 23m

Meet the ultimate gatekeeper of the nucleus. This molecular machine determines what compounds are welcome in and out and which shall not pass. The mechanism behind its selectivity has long been a mystery. Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...

Music track called Dramatic ambient cinematic piano is from Alex MakeMusic used with full permissions as part of Canva Pro subscription.

#NASA #ArtemisII #cosmology

Images
ArtemisII/Voyager images from NASA and used unedited.
Donald Trump image is from wikicommons CC BY-SA 2.0 (creativecommons.org/lic…) Vladimir Putin image is from wikicommons CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/lic���)
Carl Sagan image wikicommons CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/lic…)

🧪 Carl Sagan
“our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe...Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark...in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
#science #philsky

Thanks for the reference I will check this out. Planning on doing a biographical article about Barbara McClintock at some point!

Yeah Margulis took the endosymbiotic theory of the origins of cellular structures past a reasonable point. Margulis started to see lots of things as having symbiotic origins that likely don't originate in that way.

Hi there I read society of genes years ago. And have enjoyed your insights on creativity, and how to do better science.

🧪 Life as a Self-Constructor
An approach that might finally allow us to determine what makes life so special.

Check out the free article at Substack:
open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

#science #philosophy #biology #philsky

Surely Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana (originators of autopoiesis) are national heroes in #Chile ?

Does anyone know?

The Constructor Theory of Life Why Intelligent Design is wrong and how life constructs itself

🧪 For those who prefer to listen to science rather than reading it, you might like these article podcasts. This new one is about The Constructor Theory of Life. It's free.

#science

open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

Is Richard Dawkins wrong about the nature of life? Is it time to abandon the metaphor of "The Selfish Gene"?

I've a footnote in this article 👇 on what we even mean by gene (in 2026).

I think it would be good to do a deeper dive (article), on how the way DNA is viewed has transformed. Not a static code but an interactive (with proteins), as you say, "breathing" molecule.

open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

Totally correct! Those are crucial aspects of biology that I have not integrated, yet, into this model (for simplicity) but the model must be able to adopt those processes for it to be relevant. This non-genetic biological information is often overshadowed by DNA in theoretical discussion of life.

Hi Steve, that's the heart of it. DNA accessibility varies, some sequences are binding sites for trans. regulators .etc. We can now observe the molecular interface of DNA and environment (influencing chromatin struct., TFs, AT-rich seq. at promoters). It's not simply gene=phenotype. Lots of mystery!

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot YouTube video by carlsagandotcom

The Pale Blue Dot: The best 3 min 30 seconds of your day, the piano is so emotional!
youtu.be/wupToqz1e2g?...

On genetic-reductionism:
"the great developments in molecular biology have led to an overemphasis on isolated components [such as DNA or genes], and to a disregard of questions pertaining to what makes the living system a whole"

Principles of Biological Autonomy A new, updated edition of the 1979 classic from one of the foremost authors in cognitive science and theoretical biology, with the original text as well as

🧪 Reading Principles of Biological Autonomy (updated 2025). It is FREE (Open Access) to all on the @mitpress.bsky.social website.

Varela's insights are mind-blowing, esp. given it's almost 50 years ago. In 2026 it's still ground breaking. I'll share insights in thread 👇.

#systemsbiology #science

PDB101: Molecule of the Month: Proteins and Biominerals Small biomineral crystals are used to build bone, eggshells and even tiny compasses.

You might be surprised to hear that tooth enamel, the strongest material in our body, and eggshells, which must be fragile enough for baby birds to hatch, are both roughly 95% composed of mineral crystals.

Symphony of Science - 'We Are All Connected' (ft. Sagan, Feynman, deGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye) YouTube video by melodysheep

Oh and a good time to revisit this auto-tuned (turned up to 11), absolute banger from a few years back.
youtu.be/XGK84Poeynk?...

Heard a popular podcaster ask why do this? NASA says:
"The Artemis II test flight will confirm the systems necessary to support astronauts in deep space exploration and prepare to establish a sustained presence on the Moon. The primary goal of Artemis II is a crewed test flight in lunar space."