Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
@vdlorenzo.bsky.social
Synthetic Biology with a Southern European flavour for a new partnership with the Living World https://vdl-lab.com/ http://seva-plasmids.com/
Mediterranean food has long been an amazing broker of scientific interactions. I’ve lost count of how many int collaborations I’ve initiated or strengthened —and conflicts resolved— over a paella or a cocido. No wonder it also helps to ease political tensions 👉🏻 www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
Frontiers | Power for dinner. Culinary diplomacy and geopolitical aspects in Portuguese diplomatic tables (1910-2023)
IntroductionThis paper examines how diplomatic meals in Portugal (1910–2023) have been shaped by Portuguese foreign policy and geopolitical contexts, and con...
www.frontiersin.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Mediterranean food has long been an amazing broker of scientific interactions. I’ve lost count of how many int collaborations I’ve initiated or strengthened —and conflicts resolved— over a paella or a cocido. No wonder it also helps to ease political tensions 👉🏻 www.frontiersin.org/journals/pol...
😱!
November 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
😱!
Jesús Vázquez-Cobos es un crack. Coincidimos en el mismo colegio de pequeños y desde entonces no ha hecho sino crecer mi admiración por el y por cómo ha llegado a lo más alto a pesar de los retos que seguro que contará en su charla en el @icmm-csic.bsky.social 👇
November 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Jesús Vázquez-Cobos es un crack. Coincidimos en el mismo colegio de pequeños y desde entonces no ha hecho sino crecer mi admiración por el y por cómo ha llegado a lo más alto a pesar de los retos que seguro que contará en su charla en el @icmm-csic.bsky.social 👇
Frankly depressing. One more historical example of the 5 steps of *The March of Folly* (Barbara Tuchman) ie: 1. A disaster is coming, 2. Everybody knows it will happen, 3. It can be avoided, 4. No one does anything, 5. It finally happens www.cnn.com/2025/11/22/c...
World strikes climate deal but fails to agree to a roadmap away from fossil fuels after contentious, chaotic summit | CNN
The COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, came to an agreement Saturday, but the final document makes no mention of fossil fuels, the primary cause of global climate change.
www.cnn.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Frankly depressing. One more historical example of the 5 steps of *The March of Folly* (Barbara Tuchman) ie: 1. A disaster is coming, 2. Everybody knows it will happen, 3. It can be avoided, 4. No one does anything, 5. It finally happens www.cnn.com/2025/11/22/c...
What do you think of the exotic—if not ludicrous—names that taxonomists seem to delight in assigning not only to new species but also to long-established ones, much to the amusement (and often irritation) of the community? How can a bacterium be called Elizabethkingia meningoseptica? No standards?
November 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
What do you think of the exotic—if not ludicrous—names that taxonomists seem to delight in assigning not only to new species but also to long-established ones, much to the amusement (and often irritation) of the community? How can a bacterium be called Elizabethkingia meningoseptica? No standards?
Time to rethink prevailing views re regulations on GE & SynBio microbes for env bioremediation in an era of climate change. We must move from a mindset of control & domination to one of stewardship & negotiation. Indigenous perspectives can help in bridging the artificial–natural divide. Stay tuned!
November 21, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Time to rethink prevailing views re regulations on GE & SynBio microbes for env bioremediation in an era of climate change. We must move from a mindset of control & domination to one of stewardship & negotiation. Indigenous perspectives can help in bridging the artificial–natural divide. Stay tuned!
Names matter! I find the growinly popular term *evolutionary engineering* a blatant oxímoron. One can either ran ALE of a wt strain à la Lenski or evolve an engineered strain for multi-objective optimization. But I would call the last *synthetically-primed evolution* not evolutionary engineering 😱!
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Names matter! I find the growinly popular term *evolutionary engineering* a blatant oxímoron. One can either ran ALE of a wt strain à la Lenski or evolve an engineered strain for multi-objective optimization. But I would call the last *synthetically-primed evolution* not evolutionary engineering 😱!
Despite the tidy maps found in textbooks, metabolism is still full of unresolved mysteries. Few people are better at uncovering these overlooked but essential puzzles than Antoine Danchin. Here here an analysis of the intriguing guanidine enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Metabolic Origin, Role and Fate of the Denaturant Guanidine
The origin of metabolic guanidine is largely a mystery. We suggest it is created when guanine-containing nucleotides are oxidised by molecular oxygen instead of being broken down into urea as purines....
enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Despite the tidy maps found in textbooks, metabolism is still full of unresolved mysteries. Few people are better at uncovering these overlooked but essential puzzles than Antoine Danchin. Here here an analysis of the intriguing guanidine enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
The NoticiaSEM: an excellent monthly newsletter for Spanish-speaking microbiologists, now celebrating its 200th edition. It also publishes Portraits from the IMiLI. On the occasion of its 200th "birthday", it published an IMiLI "MicroChat" on......birthdays.
www.semicrobiologia.org/revista-noti...
www.semicrobiologia.org/revista-noti...
November 17, 2025 at 10:55 AM
The NoticiaSEM: an excellent monthly newsletter for Spanish-speaking microbiologists, now celebrating its 200th edition. It also publishes Portraits from the IMiLI. On the occasion of its 200th "birthday", it published an IMiLI "MicroChat" on......birthdays.
www.semicrobiologia.org/revista-noti...
www.semicrobiologia.org/revista-noti...
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
In Wikipedia, the German entry for DNA computer mentions the cellular supremacy de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA-Com...
DNA-Computer – Wikipedia
de.wikipedia.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:50 AM
In Wikipedia, the German entry for DNA computer mentions the cellular supremacy de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA-Com...
If you wanna know everything you ever wished to learn re HGT in bacteria—but were afraid to ask—don’t go to ChatGPT. Just spend an hour listening to Eduardo Rocha’s seminar @cnb-csic.bsky.social. Great talk today on the open-ended complexity of DNA trafficking & the full splendour of selfish DNA 😱
November 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
If you wanna know everything you ever wished to learn re HGT in bacteria—but were afraid to ask—don’t go to ChatGPT. Just spend an hour listening to Eduardo Rocha’s seminar @cnb-csic.bsky.social. Great talk today on the open-ended complexity of DNA trafficking & the full splendour of selfish DNA 😱
Grabbing an early train for a sortie to Zaragoza to catch up with @paulbrainey.bsky.social, quite a few things to discuss!
November 12, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Grabbing an early train for a sortie to Zaragoza to catch up with @paulbrainey.bsky.social, quite a few things to discuss!
What a fantastic & inspiring visit! Thanks for taking a break from your sabbatical to drop by Madrid and letting us pick your brain. Your talk at @cnb-csic.bsky.social on pushing the limits of standard biochemistry for the sake of containment was spectacular, so many new avenues 👏
I had an amazing time yesterday visiting @vdlorenzo.bsky.social and hearing about the many exciting projects underway in his lab. Our evening stroll through the heart of Madrid and dinner of tapas made for an unforgettable experience
November 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
What a fantastic & inspiring visit! Thanks for taking a break from your sabbatical to drop by Madrid and letting us pick your brain. Your talk at @cnb-csic.bsky.social on pushing the limits of standard biochemistry for the sake of containment was spectacular, so many new avenues 👏
Glad to welcome @kunjapur.bsky.social to the @cnb-csic.bsky.social to enjoy his seminar on his latest research in Synthetic Biology!
November 4, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Glad to welcome @kunjapur.bsky.social to the @cnb-csic.bsky.social to enjoy his seminar on his latest research in Synthetic Biology!
Es algo trágico que las historias de éxito de la Biología Sintética más publicitadas no sean la solución de grandes problemas como la energía, la agricultura o el medio ambiente como prometía en su día, sino las petunias luminiscentes y la desextinción de especies perdidas elpais.com/ciencia/2025...
Beth Shapiro, jefa científica de la desextinción del mamut: “Es la última oportunidad para muchas especies a punto de desaparecer”
La zoóloga de Colossal, empresa creadora de ratones lanudos y lobos gigantes, explica el reto de resucitar una genética extinta usando elefantes asiáticos actuales
elpais.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Es algo trágico que las historias de éxito de la Biología Sintética más publicitadas no sean la solución de grandes problemas como la energía, la agricultura o el medio ambiente como prometía en su día, sino las petunias luminiscentes y la desextinción de especies perdidas elpais.com/ciencia/2025...
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
Our Framing Talks from the Biotech Beyond Conventional Containment workshop, part of the #CaltechBioPolicyInitiative, held at @caltech.edu earlier this month are all posted here (in addition to the @caltechlcssp.bsky.social 's YouTube channel: www.biotech-beyond-containment-caltech2025.org/videos
October 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Our Framing Talks from the Biotech Beyond Conventional Containment workshop, part of the #CaltechBioPolicyInitiative, held at @caltech.edu earlier this month are all posted here (in addition to the @caltechlcssp.bsky.social 's YouTube channel: www.biotech-beyond-containment-caltech2025.org/videos
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
At our #BioPolicyInitiative's "Biotech Beyond Conventional Containment: A Workshop on Policy & Governance," @vdlorenzo.bsky.social, @cnb-csic.bsky.social in Madrid intro'ed environmental galenics—adapting principles of pharma delivery to ensure precise & purposeful deployment of engineered microbes
October 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
At our #BioPolicyInitiative's "Biotech Beyond Conventional Containment: A Workshop on Policy & Governance," @vdlorenzo.bsky.social, @cnb-csic.bsky.social in Madrid intro'ed environmental galenics—adapting principles of pharma delivery to ensure precise & purposeful deployment of engineered microbes
One added value of a quick sortie to Valencia to discuss science with my colleagues of the @i2sysbio.es 👇
October 28, 2025 at 5:07 PM
One added value of a quick sortie to Valencia to discuss science with my colleagues of the @i2sysbio.es 👇
The scientific & ethical legacy of the late Ioannis Economidis—a champion of Env Biotech & SynBio at the @ec.europa.eu
—is captured in this article, based on his last lecture. A testament to an exceptional mind & a remarkable human being enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
—is captured in this article, based on his last lecture. A testament to an exceptional mind & a remarkable human being enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
October 28, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The scientific & ethical legacy of the late Ioannis Economidis—a champion of Env Biotech & SynBio at the @ec.europa.eu
—is captured in this article, based on his last lecture. A testament to an exceptional mind & a remarkable human being enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
—is captured in this article, based on his last lecture. A testament to an exceptional mind & a remarkable human being enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
Pls share:
A postdoctoral research position is available in the group of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany focusing on SRBs (www.bio.lmu.de/en/research/...)
A postdoctoral research position is available in the group of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany focusing on SRBs (www.bio.lmu.de/en/research/...)
Molecular Microbiology Group
Information about research topics and publications about the group around Kirsten Jung
www.bio.lmu.de
October 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Pls share:
A postdoctoral research position is available in the group of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany focusing on SRBs (www.bio.lmu.de/en/research/...)
A postdoctoral research position is available in the group of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Jung at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany focusing on SRBs (www.bio.lmu.de/en/research/...)
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
IMILI regional Center in Latin America is led by Max Chavarria. (www.chavarrialab.com/imilicac). Visit the website to discover the microbial world in Spanish.
October 24, 2025 at 1:33 PM
IMILI regional Center in Latin America is led by Max Chavarria. (www.chavarrialab.com/imilicac). Visit the website to discover the microbial world in Spanish.
Reposted by Victor de Lorenzo (CNB, Madrid)
Víctor de Lorenzo inaugura el Ciclo Iberoamericano de Conferencias FlavoGreen–Talks 🌱
Un espacio que reúne a referentes iberoamericanos para promover el intercambio y la colaboración en torno a la biología sintética y la biotecnología aplicada a la sostenibilidad.
Más info ⬇️⬇️
Un espacio que reúne a referentes iberoamericanos para promover el intercambio y la colaboración en torno a la biología sintética y la biotecnología aplicada a la sostenibilidad.
Más info ⬇️⬇️
October 23, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Víctor de Lorenzo inaugura el Ciclo Iberoamericano de Conferencias FlavoGreen–Talks 🌱
Un espacio que reúne a referentes iberoamericanos para promover el intercambio y la colaboración en torno a la biología sintética y la biotecnología aplicada a la sostenibilidad.
Más info ⬇️⬇️
Un espacio que reúne a referentes iberoamericanos para promover el intercambio y la colaboración en torno a la biología sintética y la biotecnología aplicada a la sostenibilidad.
Más info ⬇️⬇️
Customs & Homeland Protection officers have become v picky lately with shipments of @sevaplasmids.bsky.social to US labs, demanding lots of documents for materials we provide free of charge. This takes working time than we cannot afford. If this persists, we may have to suspend shipments to US ☹️
October 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Customs & Homeland Protection officers have become v picky lately with shipments of @sevaplasmids.bsky.social to US labs, demanding lots of documents for materials we provide free of charge. This takes working time than we cannot afford. If this persists, we may have to suspend shipments to US ☹️
Here some ideas on releasing Lab-trained microorganisms to the environment as bioremediation agents—my talk at the recent Workshop in Caltech on *Biotech beyond containment* @caltechlcssp.bsky.social youtu.be/PXIv0GIM2zE?... More videos in www.biotech-beyond-containment-caltech2025.org/videos
Victor de Lorenzo, "Environmental Galenics:How to Deliver Lab-Trained Microbes to Target Ecosystems"
YouTube video by Linde Center for Science, Society, and Policy
youtu.be
October 22, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Here some ideas on releasing Lab-trained microorganisms to the environment as bioremediation agents—my talk at the recent Workshop in Caltech on *Biotech beyond containment* @caltechlcssp.bsky.social youtu.be/PXIv0GIM2zE?... More videos in www.biotech-beyond-containment-caltech2025.org/videos
1/2 POV re GMO debate & risks of their release. What truly separates natural from non-natural engineered constructs is not genetics per se (i.e., whether DNA is recombinant or not), but biochemistry — the use of alternative amino acids, xeno-DNA, NTN reactions, mirror metabolisms and the like.
October 20, 2025 at 5:02 AM
1/2 POV re GMO debate & risks of their release. What truly separates natural from non-natural engineered constructs is not genetics per se (i.e., whether DNA is recombinant or not), but biochemistry — the use of alternative amino acids, xeno-DNA, NTN reactions, mirror metabolisms and the like.