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
How does messenger RNA (mRNA) get out of the nucleus to become a protein? Eukaryotic mRNA is packaged, exported, and then translated in the cytoplasm. But how do these steps work? And what are open questions? Check out our new review for our take: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... (1/3)
November 21, 2025 at 5:37 PM
How does messenger RNA (mRNA) get out of the nucleus to become a protein? Eukaryotic mRNA is packaged, exported, and then translated in the cytoplasm. But how do these steps work? And what are open questions? Check out our new review for our take: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... (1/3)
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
One week to go until #CellBio2025! From 6–10 December, the American Society for Cell Biology and EMBO will bring together the global #CellBiology community in #Philadelphia for a meeting dedicated to cutting-edge #research, meaningful discussion and collaborative exchange. See you soon! #conference
November 29, 2025 at 9:10 AM
One week to go until #CellBio2025! From 6–10 December, the American Society for Cell Biology and EMBO will bring together the global #CellBiology community in #Philadelphia for a meeting dedicated to cutting-edge #research, meaningful discussion and collaborative exchange. See you soon! #conference
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Instead of simply empowering disadvantaged scientists, advanced AI models are creating an environment of mistrust where we will rely even more on poor proxies of reputation, favoring established scientists, privileged institutions and entrenching us into the system of tiered scientific journals.
November 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Instead of simply empowering disadvantaged scientists, advanced AI models are creating an environment of mistrust where we will rely even more on poor proxies of reputation, favoring established scientists, privileged institutions and entrenching us into the system of tiered scientific journals.
Interesting read -&I am always in favour of a good cat cover!-
Tracing the origins of domestic cats by analysing the genomes of ancient cats from archaeological sites & modern wildcats from different geographical regions ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#genomics #ancientgenomics #domestication
Tracing the origins of domestic cats by analysing the genomes of ancient cats from archaeological sites & modern wildcats from different geographical regions ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#genomics #ancientgenomics #domestication
November 28, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Interesting read -&I am always in favour of a good cat cover!-
Tracing the origins of domestic cats by analysing the genomes of ancient cats from archaeological sites & modern wildcats from different geographical regions ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#genomics #ancientgenomics #domestication
Tracing the origins of domestic cats by analysing the genomes of ancient cats from archaeological sites & modern wildcats from different geographical regions ➡️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#genomics #ancientgenomics #domestication
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
#Postdoc alert! We are looking for motivated individual with experience in computational systems biology to join our NetworkCommons initiative to benchmark and democratise network contextualisation methods across multiple applications. Deadline Dec 17th link here: tinyurl.com/yrrzxa94
Postdoctoral fellow - Petsalaki Group - NetworkCommons
Your group The Petsalaki, Saez-Rodriguez (EMBL-EBI) and Korcsmáros (Imperial College) groups develop cutting-edge computational and AI approaches to unravel cellular signalling and gene regulation fro...
tinyurl.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
#Postdoc alert! We are looking for motivated individual with experience in computational systems biology to join our NetworkCommons initiative to benchmark and democratise network contextualisation methods across multiple applications. Deadline Dec 17th link here: tinyurl.com/yrrzxa94
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
#Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease caused by Leishmania parasites and transmitted through the bite of female sand flies https://www.nature.c...
November 26, 2025 at 7:09 PM
#Leishmaniasis is an endemic disease caused by Leishmania parasites and transmitted through the bite of female sand flies https://www.nature.c...
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
A paper in Nature shows that a 3.4-million-year-old partial foot found in Ethiopia in 2009 belongs to an ancient human relative named Australopithecus deyiremeda, a more primitive species of Australopithecus than the famous ‘Lucy’ (A. afarensis). go.nature.com/49BkCZY 🏺 🧪
November 26, 2025 at 8:47 PM
A paper in Nature shows that a 3.4-million-year-old partial foot found in Ethiopia in 2009 belongs to an ancient human relative named Australopithecus deyiremeda, a more primitive species of Australopithecus than the famous ‘Lucy’ (A. afarensis). go.nature.com/49BkCZY 🏺 🧪
Reposted by Maria Polychronidou
Now online! Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
In vitro-derived insights into features that drive transcription factor binding to DNA, including motif-adjacent sequence, enable prediction of chromatin states and transcription factor occupancy in cells.
dlvr.it
November 26, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Now online! Thermodynamic principles link in vitro transcription factor affinities to single-molecule chromatin states in cells
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