Now #published @physreve.bsky.social: "Elasticity and plasticity of epithelial gap closure"
doi.org/10.1103/qtcv-gk3y
#PhD work of Maryam Setoudeh, a model of cell intercalations during epiboly as elastoplastic deformations of a surface.
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @csbdresden.bsky.social
One of the founding directors of @mpi-cbg.de, Anthony Hyman @hymanlab.bsky.social, starts as Director General @embl.org today! All the best, Tony!
Of course, I had to forget something. Here's the link to the #published paper @prxlife.bsky.social:
doi.org/10.1103/2y72-hnp2
Now #published @prxlife.bsky.social: a great Dresden collaboration on lumen mechanics with @chandraniva.bsky.social @markusmukenhirn.bsky.social, Alf Honigmann @biotec-tud.bsky.social @poldresden.bsky.social!
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @csbdresden.bsky.social
Congratulations, Jesse!
The German Society of Developmental Biology (GfE) awarded this year's Klaus Sander Award to Elisabeth Knust, Director Emerita at @mpi-cbg.de, for her lifetime achievements in developmental biology. Congratulations! 🥳 www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...
Thanks a lot!
Our work thus indicates that the cell number gap at 256 cells in Volvocaceae and the morphogenetic innovations of Volvox are an evolutionary necessity resulting from this bifurcation.
Finally, we show that the inversion programme of P. californica can be extrapolated to 128 cells (in agreement with observations of inverting algae with 128 cells), but fails by 256, 512, or 1024 cells.
The cytoplasmic bridges connecting the cells impose a combinatorial constraint: the number N₁ of cells surrounding the rim of the cell sheet cannot increase during rounds of cleavage, as N increases. Our classification of cell packings shows that this forces L to increase as N increases.
To extrapolate L, we classified regular packings of N cells onto a spherical cap.
To test this hypothesis, we needed to extrapolate the cell sheet thickness h and the extent of the cell sheet L from Pleodorina californica to hypothetical species with N = 256 cells or more.
We could extrapolate h by discovering an allometric scaling,
h⁴ ∝ N⁻¹.
All algae in the family Volvocaceae invert, but a curious gap separates the "small" genera like Pleodorina from the "large" genus Volvox and its more complex inversion programme: no species with individuals of 256 cells has been reported.
Could this gap result from this mechanical bifurcation?
Our quantitative mechanical model recapitulates this bifurcation, and parameter estimates for P. californica fall into the regime in which the model allows inversion.
It is clear that this peeling mechanism features a mechanical bifurcation: inversion can only happen if the intrinsic curvature -k imparted to the cell sheet is sufficiently negative.
The embryos of Pleodorina californica are bowl-shaped cell sheets of N = 64 cells that turn themselves inside out by a wave of cell wedging from the rim to the posterior pole.
New #preprint: "A mechanical bifurcation constrains the evolution of cell sheet folding in the family Volvocaceae"
arxiv.org/abs/2603.15171
The next chapter in the #Volvox saga: work done by Valens Tribet during his internship in my group.
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @csbdresden.bsky.social
#proudPI moment: this afternoon, my first student, Maryam Setoudeh, successfully defended her #PhD thesis @tudresden.bsky.social.
Picture of happy student and inanely grinning PI provided by @zhaoshh.bsky.social.
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @csbdresden.bsky.social
This is a fantastic #biophysics job opportunity to join us in Dresden @mpipks.bsky.social! Apply by the 3rd of April!
2026 marks the 25th Anniversary of @mpi-cbg.de in Dresden. We invite all Alumni to reconnect and celebrate 25 years of science together August 24-25. Sign up, if you would like to receive further updates, formal registration will follow: www.mpi-cbg.de/25th-anniver...
On my way to Basel, where I'll talk about "Mechanics of lumina" @biozentrum.unibas.ch tomorrow. Surprisingly, my 6-minute train connection at Fulda worked out.
The ELBE #postdoc #fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to join us in Dresden @mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de. Apply now!
You have a background in math/physics/computer science/ML and are looking for an interdisciplinary postdoc fellowship in life sciences with free choice of host groups? Then join us at the CSBD as an ELBE postdoc! The application deadline is the 13 of March
Job alert🚨I am advertising a 2-year postdoctoral position to work on the mathematics of plant morphogenesis @mpipz.bsky.social. Candidates with interests in mathematical modelling, mechanics, or biophysics are strongly encouraged to apply. 🌱Reposts are appreciated!
jobs.mpipz.mpg.de/jobposting/4...
Fantastic and snowy two-hour “evening constitutional” at the @mpipks.bsky.social Biological Physics retreat in Oberwiesenthal! Great chatting with Pierre @lepuslapis.bsky.social and Christina Kurzthaler
Just got back from the traditional post-prandial constitutional at the @mpipks.bsky.social #biophysics retreat. Photo illustrates visibility on the slopes of the Fichtelberg and @larshubatsch.bsky.social trying to figure out whether we were still on a path...
I still made it to @mpi-cbg.de by bike. Looking forward to the ride home...
A mechanical puzzle solved: @lepuslapis.bsky.social and @zhaoshh.bsky.social lay the foundations for mechanical instabilities on curved surfaces. @mpi-cbg.de @mpipks.bsky.social @csbdresden.bsky.social, publication in @physrevlett.bsky.social: www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...
Congratulations!
I purchased it myself ("Dresdner Backhaus")...