Evolutionary landscape of endomembrane systems. On top are two possible endomembrane systems, represented as directed graphs (pER: proto-endoplasmic reticulum; PM: plasma membrane; IC: intracellular compartment). In the layer below, endomembrane graphs are represented as nodes (white dots) connected by evolutionarily viable transitions (red lines). Collectively these dots and lines define an evolutionary landscape. The landscape breaks up into less functional (left) and more functional (right) endomembrane systems, introducing a selective bias.

How did eukaryotic cells get their Golgi, endosomes, lysosomes and other endomembrane compartments? We show that endomembrane evolution depends on long periods of neutral molecular exploration, punctuated by sudden leaps.

New preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The "it" in the last sentence presumably refers to the "deplorable verdicts" and not the "intelligence of an individual." :-)

"Some philosophers seem to have given their moral approval to these deplorable verdicts that affirm that the intelligence of an individual is a fixed quantity.... We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism; we will try to demonstrate that it is founded on nothing." - Alfred Binet 1909

Professor Goriely's lecture "The Shape of Shells" inspires abstract art Pr

It is a wonderful feeling when a math lecture resonates beyond its confine to inspire artists
www.gresham.ac.uk/about-us/new...

@alaingoriely.bsky.social : this is as it should be with a beautifully crafted lecture!

In Memoriam: Chen Ning Yang 杨振宁 (1922–2025) Chen Ning Yang (杨振宁), Faculty (1955–66) and Member (1949–54) in the Institute for Advanced Study’s School of Mathematics/Natural Sciences, passed away on October 18, 2025 at the age of 103.

C. N. Yang was simply amazing. Incredibly deep and creative. He seemed to remember everything, including all the papers he wrote. So, my story is kinda funny
www.ias.edu/news/in-memo...

an insect, a bird, and an elephant visualized with unit height scaling. insect is landscape shaped and the elephant is portrait shaped

Why is it that small animals like insects have a landspace body plan when viewed head-on, but larger animals like elephants are taller than wide?

With @m-v.bsky.social, we find out in our new preprint titled 'Size and shape of terrestrial animals' - arxiv.org/html/2602.00...

You assume honesty and certain comprehension abilities on part of all those who take that oath. Clearly, that is a misplaced assumption here.

That’s their model indeed; hence the “building upon” in my question. 🙂

For example, if the eLife editorial layer is removed, does peer review remain sustainable?

What are your thoughts on building upon eLife's reviewed preprint model, which fits many of the boundary conditions that you have stated?

Session information text - Light Years in Lines: How Science Speaks. Annapurni Subramaniam, Anil Ananthaswamy, Simon Singh, Venki Ramakrishnan, with Mukund Thattai. Sunday 15 December 4:45 PM. Waterfront, Lalit Ashok. Free Entry. blrlitfest.org.

Technology shouts for itself; science is more abstract and subtle. We cannot assume that the value of science is self-evident to the public.

In "How Science Speaks", we will hear how scientists and science writers communicate complex ideas about the history and practice of science to non-experts.

Our work on solute-mediated colloidal vortices and focusing is now out in PRL. doi.org/10.1103/Phys...

Dr Henry Bennet-Clark (1934–2025) - St Catherine's College Dr Henry Bennet-Clark (1934–2025) St Catherine’s College is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Dr Henry Bennet-Clark, Emeritus Reader...

The incredible Henry Bennet-Clark passed away recently, but his wonderful science will continue to inspire.

www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/dr-henry-ben...

He wrote numerous amazing papers, including on how fleas jump so high:

scholar.google.com/scholar?q=au...

#biomechanics #obituary #stcatz

A paper that adds a crucial piece to our understanding of how biological joints came to be.

@Predrag: I fear for our colleagues in the humanities, perhaps a tad more than for those in the sciences. Art History seems to have faced headwinds even before the current state of affairs.

It took more than a century to hire the first woman professor in Cornell history department?
as.cornell.edu/news/history...

The 12th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines and 2nd LokoAssist Symposium
TU Darmstadt, Darmstadt, July 8th-11th, 2025
www.tu-darmstadt.de/lokoassist/h...

Signature size seems to be the core issue here!

I wrote an invited commentary on the soil plastisphere for the InterPore Journal. The nexus of bacteria, biofilms, and microplastics has significant environmental implications with LOTS of unknowns and opportunities. ipjournal.interpore.org/index.php/in...

circa

Circle brings to mind neighborhood?

What a week, huh?

PI is irrational and I try not to be.