Troy Kervin
@meowmuir.bsky.social
Logician-scientist: membrane protein cryo-EM, proteolipid code, category theory, philosophy of science
proteolipid.org
proteolipid.org
I agree that a more thorough compilation is needed and am working on that now. For the time being, please see these two focused on lipid rafts:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
No phases? No phase separation
ARISING FROM S.A. Shelby et al. Nature Chemical Biology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-023-01268-8 (2023)
doi.org
November 30, 2025 at 8:57 AM
I agree that a more thorough compilation is needed and am working on that now. For the time being, please see these two focused on lipid rafts:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
They are connected.
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
No phases? No phase separation
ARISING FROM S.A. Shelby et al. Nature Chemical Biology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-023-01268-8 (2023)
doi.org
November 30, 2025 at 8:53 AM
They are connected.
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Here are some additional phase separation concerns for the lipid raft sect:
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
No phases? No phase separation
ARISING FROM S.A. Shelby et al. Nature Chemical Biology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-023-01268-8 (2023)
doi.org
November 30, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Here are some additional phase separation concerns for the lipid raft sect:
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Kervin, T.A. No phases? No phase separation. Zenodo (2025). doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Kervin, T.A., Mangalam, M. Lessons from pseudoscience in biology. (2025). www.researchgate.net/publication/...
That's an interesting perspective: I would not have suspected that posting an image on this platform was part of your research.
November 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
That's an interesting perspective: I would not have suspected that posting an image on this platform was part of your research.
Specifically, I think more evidence is not needed because the phase separation framework is internally flawed. This is what makes it pseudoscience: it is not a matter of doing more experiments; philosophical analysis alone can identify the problems.
November 29, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Specifically, I think more evidence is not needed because the phase separation framework is internally flawed. This is what makes it pseudoscience: it is not a matter of doing more experiments; philosophical analysis alone can identify the problems.
I disagree that membrane and cytosolic "phase separation" are tangentially related. They are part of the same overall framework that we are criticizing, and practically all my arguments apply to both. If you think more evidence is needed, that is enough for me to want to debate you.
November 29, 2025 at 7:27 PM
I disagree that membrane and cytosolic "phase separation" are tangentially related. They are part of the same overall framework that we are criticizing, and practically all my arguments apply to both. If you think more evidence is needed, that is enough for me to want to debate you.
That's rather surprising. I recall you posting some lipid raft propaganda not long ago. Specifically, about six months ago, in response to Itay Budin or Levental's post on this paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
but perhaps it was just a joke?
but perhaps it was just a joke?
Structural dissection of ergosterol metabolism reveals a pathway optimized for membrane phase separation
The metabolism of ergosterol shapes this lipid to allow the formation of fluid membrane domains in yeast cells.
www.science.org
November 29, 2025 at 7:21 PM
That's rather surprising. I recall you posting some lipid raft propaganda not long ago. Specifically, about six months ago, in response to Itay Budin or Levental's post on this paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
but perhaps it was just a joke?
but perhaps it was just a joke?
In your rebuttal, I expect you to address the critiques we have thoughtfully compiled in these three articles:
doi.org/10.1186/s129...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
doi.org/10.1186/s129...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
No phases? No phase separation
ARISING FROM S.A. Shelby et al. Nature Chemical Biology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-023-01268-8 (2023)
doi.org
November 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
In your rebuttal, I expect you to address the critiques we have thoughtfully compiled in these three articles:
doi.org/10.1186/s129...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
doi.org/10.1186/s129...
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Ok. I eagerly await your rebuttal to Andrea Musacchio's criticisms. I have already waited nearly two years for a meaningful rebuttal to my critique of lipid rafts and nothing yet. Hopefully I don't need to wait another two years because the issue is current.
November 29, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Ok. I eagerly await your rebuttal to Andrea Musacchio's criticisms. I have already waited nearly two years for a meaningful rebuttal to my critique of lipid rafts and nothing yet. Hopefully I don't need to wait another two years because the issue is current.
But surely there is a way of debating that does not involve scenarios like this?
November 29, 2025 at 5:21 PM
But surely there is a way of debating that does not involve scenarios like this?
I think scientists should do both.
November 29, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I think scientists should do both.
Why not do both? False dichotomy
November 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Why not do both? False dichotomy
I disagree; it can't be worse than ignoring my critiques, leaving me to exchange only with others who already share my beliefs. Are you really implying that scientists should not debate each other?
November 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I disagree; it can't be worse than ignoring my critiques, leaving me to exchange only with others who already share my beliefs. Are you really implying that scientists should not debate each other?
November 29, 2025 at 3:56 PM
you should defend phase separation here @leventallab.bsky.social @kaytrue.bsky.social @zwickergroup.bsky.social @kraftlabfr.bsky.social @ibudin.bsky.social @physfoley.bsky.social. If you fail to respond to critiques, that makes the pseudoscience claim even stronger.
November 29, 2025 at 3:53 PM
you should defend phase separation here @leventallab.bsky.social @kaytrue.bsky.social @zwickergroup.bsky.social @kraftlabfr.bsky.social @ibudin.bsky.social @physfoley.bsky.social. If you fail to respond to critiques, that makes the pseudoscience claim even stronger.
I will include some of these details you point out, so will acknowledge you unless you do not want to. I usually ask just in case.
November 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I will include some of these details you point out, so will acknowledge you unless you do not want to. I usually ask just in case.
Thanks for this; very useful for my paper. May I acknowledge you?
November 29, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Thanks for this; very useful for my paper. May I acknowledge you?
Sounds good, I will likely do this solo then, unless there are any other skeptics who know the field well, particularly the history, that you would recommend I talk to
November 29, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Sounds good, I will likely do this solo then, unless there are any other skeptics who know the field well, particularly the history, that you would recommend I talk to
Reposted by Troy Kervin
2/ Too few people have been willing to spend time thinking why LLPS in biology is self-evidently and fundamentally incorrect. I have posted and written on this and I invite people, including editors and science journalists, to urgently ask questions for the house-of-cards LLPS field to answer.
November 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
2/ Too few people have been willing to spend time thinking why LLPS in biology is self-evidently and fundamentally incorrect. I have posted and written on this and I invite people, including editors and science journalists, to urgently ask questions for the house-of-cards LLPS field to answer.
I am planning to write a deconstruction of the phase separation narrative. Are you interested in contributing?
November 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
I am planning to write a deconstruction of the phase separation narrative. Are you interested in contributing?
Thanks for clarification; I mixed up the institutions. His wiki profile says "He is the co-founder and co-organizer of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory" but I guess not DG?
November 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Thanks for clarification; I mixed up the institutions. His wiki profile says "He is the co-founder and co-organizer of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory" but I guess not DG?