Reposted by Peter Sarkies
My speech from the conference debate on 'Zionism is Racism’ motion
October 4, 2026 at 3:03 PM
My speech from the conference debate on 'Zionism is Racism’ motion
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
The ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion has passed at Green Party conference. While there are many parts of the motion I can agree with, there are some that I could not, so I did not vote for it.
Here is a joint statement from the Green Party leadership team and all of us Green MPs:
Here is a joint statement from the Green Party leadership team and all of us Green MPs:
October 4, 2026 at 3:23 PM
The ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion has passed at Green Party conference. While there are many parts of the motion I can agree with, there are some that I could not, so I did not vote for it.
Here is a joint statement from the Green Party leadership team and all of us Green MPs:
Here is a joint statement from the Green Party leadership team and all of us Green MPs:
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
Great session next week! Not to be missed! @paul-villain.bsky.social from our neighbouring lab has a fantastic story
📢🧬Join us on Wednesday, Oct 7th for the next #FragileNucleosome seminar to hear exciting chromatin stories from Moonmoon and Paul!
If you still haven't registered for our series:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
If you still haven't registered for our series:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
October 2, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Great session next week! Not to be missed! @paul-villain.bsky.social from our neighbouring lab has a fantastic story
CpG islands are fascinating both from molecular mechanism point of view and in terms of evolutionary conservation in the context of elevated mutation rate of CpG dinucleotides in mammalian genomes. Lots of new insights from cool technical and theoretical advances from @robklose.bsky.social + lab.
In the most recent episode we speak with @robklose.bsky.social, Professor of Genetics at the University of Oxford, about how CpG islands help control gene expression and chromatin regulation during development. #podcast #epigenetics
Listen here: activemotif.com/podcasts-rob...
Listen here: activemotif.com/podcasts-rob...
September 28, 2026 at 3:47 PM
CpG islands are fascinating both from molecular mechanism point of view and in terms of evolutionary conservation in the context of elevated mutation rate of CpG dinucleotides in mammalian genomes. Lots of new insights from cool technical and theoretical advances from @robklose.bsky.social + lab.
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
Five years ago, on a walk with @mayavoichek.bsky.social through the third district around the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social we concluded that "every day we do not work on the mysterious Env-independent infectivity of MDG1 retrotransposons is a lost day ... "
The birth of an entire research domain.
The birth of an entire research domain.
Super excited to share my postdoctoral work at @imbavienna.bsky.social @viennabiocenter.bsky.social -
We discovered that some retrotransposons, or "jumping genes" 🧬, are able to spread from cell to cell via a new viral infectivity route.
A short thread: 🧵👇 (1/7)
We discovered that some retrotransposons, or "jumping genes" 🧬, are able to spread from cell to cell via a new viral infectivity route.
A short thread: 🧵👇 (1/7)
September 27, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Five years ago, on a walk with @mayavoichek.bsky.social through the third district around the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social we concluded that "every day we do not work on the mysterious Env-independent infectivity of MDG1 retrotransposons is a lost day ... "
The birth of an entire research domain.
The birth of an entire research domain.
Interesting article on philosophy of biology. a quote: "despite such a capability to describe cells, we lack a fundamental account of how molecular interactions generate cellular identity and function." Sounds very grand... 1/4
elifesciences.org/articles/112...
elifesciences.org/articles/112...
Client Challenge
elifesciences.org
September 26, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Interesting article on philosophy of biology. a quote: "despite such a capability to describe cells, we lack a fundamental account of how molecular interactions generate cellular identity and function." Sounds very grand... 1/4
elifesciences.org/articles/112...
elifesciences.org/articles/112...
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
Happy to share PhD work of @shamithagovind.bsky.social She unraveled how GTSF1, a protein known from the Piwi field, regulates RdRP in nematodes.
Thanks also to @psarkies.bsky.social @sebastianfalk.bsky.social Ralf Sommer, Falk Butter, @migueldvalmeida.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Thanks also to @psarkies.bsky.social @sebastianfalk.bsky.social Ralf Sommer, Falk Butter, @migueldvalmeida.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
An evolutionarily conserved N-terminal domain of RRF-3 governs GTSF-1 binding in nematodes - EMBO Reports
GTSF1 is an essential activating cofactor for PIWI proteins in many metazoans. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, however, GTSF-1 does not bind PIWI, but is associated with the RNA-dependent RNA ...
link.springer.com
September 3, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Happy to share PhD work of @shamithagovind.bsky.social She unraveled how GTSF1, a protein known from the Piwi field, regulates RdRP in nematodes.
Thanks also to @psarkies.bsky.social @sebastianfalk.bsky.social Ralf Sommer, Falk Butter, @migueldvalmeida.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Thanks also to @psarkies.bsky.social @sebastianfalk.bsky.social Ralf Sommer, Falk Butter, @migueldvalmeida.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Interesting article, but I think the more fundamental issue is that science, including science writing, generally rewards conformity both to style and received wisdom. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Bland new world: is AI making us all think the same?
Researchers worry that generative AI is homogenizing culture and cognition.
www.nature.com
September 2, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Interesting article, but I think the more fundamental issue is that science, including science writing, generally rewards conformity both to style and received wisdom. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
We watched piRNAs and transposons across development, saw them dance tightly and wrote a paper about it.
It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)
It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)
A developmental switch in the piRNA pathway ensures stage-specific transposon silencing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747770v1
August 29, 2026 at 5:09 PM
We watched piRNAs and transposons across development, saw them dance tightly and wrote a paper about it.
It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)
It's so cool to see it online and we will make a thread about it all very soon. Stay tuned :-)
Sad news re Dolly. Was hoping she would have survived to 95 at least
August 25, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Sad news re Dolly. Was hoping she would have survived to 95 at least
Super interesting paper on the evolution of parasitism
**1/7**
🔥 New paper out in Evolution!
How predictable is genome evolution?
Over the past decade, my work has explored both directions of evolution: the rise of biological complexity and the genomic simplification that accompanies parasitism.
lnkd.in/dRnuX-we
🧵👇
🔥 New paper out in Evolution!
How predictable is genome evolution?
Over the past decade, my work has explored both directions of evolution: the rise of biological complexity and the genomic simplification that accompanies parasitism.
lnkd.in/dRnuX-we
🧵👇
July 17, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Super interesting paper on the evolution of parasitism
Odyssey: great film- cinematography, acting and storyline all superb. Until the credits: dreadful Travis Scott rap completely ruins the atmosphere. Very strange decision
July 17, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Odyssey: great film- cinematography, acting and storyline all superb. Until the credits: dreadful Travis Scott rap completely ruins the atmosphere. Very strange decision
Two factor authentication needed for Biorender now??
July 16, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Two factor authentication needed for Biorender now??
This is a very interesting discussion. Like many scientists I got inspired by many post hoc narratives of discovery eg Galileo, Darwin and the Beagle, that turn out to be much more complicated, and also falsely representing how science works. Perhaps the truer stories would be just as inspiring?
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
Today’s bad idea is a way of doing history: David talks to historian Alec Ryrie about the seductions and pitfalls of narrative history. Why do we need more Herodotus and less Thucydides? And how can podcasts do it better?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
Today’s bad idea is a way of doing history: David talks to historian Alec Ryrie about the seductions and pitfalls of narrative history. Why do we need more Herodotus and less Thucydides? And how can podcasts do it better?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
July 13, 2026 at 7:58 PM
This is a very interesting discussion. Like many scientists I got inspired by many post hoc narratives of discovery eg Galileo, Darwin and the Beagle, that turn out to be much more complicated, and also falsely representing how science works. Perhaps the truer stories would be just as inspiring?
So many hopes pinned to a Bin.
July 9, 2026 at 7:26 PM
So many hopes pinned to a Bin.
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
0/ 💡💡💡Had one of those slightly weird moments reading something today. Two seemingly very different research traditions—starting from opposite directions—appear to be converging on almost the same conclusion about one of biology’s biggest questions:
How do genomes generate phenotypes?
👇🧵
How do genomes generate phenotypes?
👇🧵
May 23, 2026 at 7:35 PM
0/ 💡💡💡Had one of those slightly weird moments reading something today. Two seemingly very different research traditions—starting from opposite directions—appear to be converging on almost the same conclusion about one of biology’s biggest questions:
How do genomes generate phenotypes?
👇🧵
How do genomes generate phenotypes?
👇🧵
Possibly the best novel by one of the greatest 20thC writers. And as this podcast episode explains it is a very realistic idea of a truly free society. Perhaps Le Guin drew on her anthropology knowledge (her father was a professor of anthropology I believe)
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
Today a path-breaking work of science fiction: David explores Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed (1974), which imagines a world without the need for government or coercive authority. What makes this the most realistic of all utopias?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
Today a path-breaking work of science fiction: David explores Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed (1974), which imagines a world without the need for government or coercive authority. What makes this the most realistic of all utopias?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
June 7, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Possibly the best novel by one of the greatest 20thC writers. And as this podcast episode explains it is a very realistic idea of a truly free society. Perhaps Le Guin drew on her anthropology knowledge (her father was a professor of anthropology I believe)
A different kind of publication for me- a poem, published on Spillwords! Please read and comment here: spillwords.com/ammonite/
Ammonite, a poem by Peter Sarkies at Spillwords.com
Spillwords.com presents: Ammonite, a poem written by Peter Sarkies, a Biochemist based at the University of Oxford, UK.
spillwords.com
May 5, 2026 at 1:45 PM
A different kind of publication for me- a poem, published on Spillwords! Please read and comment here: spillwords.com/ammonite/
To me it is not to be celebrated that Trump respects an unelected monarch more than the UK government. It’s typical of his approach.
May 2, 2026 at 10:56 AM
To me it is not to be celebrated that Trump respects an unelected monarch more than the UK government. It’s typical of his approach.
now just waiting for the survey that says that 50% of men think they could win in a fight against this creature. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Earliest octopuses were giant top predators in Cretaceous oceans
Top predators drive changes in ecosystem structure. For the last ~370 million years, large-sized vertebrates have dominated the apex of the marine food chain, while invertebrates have served as smalle...
www.science.org
April 24, 2026 at 8:52 AM
now just waiting for the survey that says that 50% of men think they could win in a fight against this creature. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Orwell on Hitler is a real WTF moment
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
Today’s episode in our series about how George Orwell tried to make sense of WW2 as it was happening looks at 1940 and 1941, from the collapse of France to Hitler’s invasion of Russia. How close did Britain get to revolution in the summer of 1940?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
Today’s episode in our series about how George Orwell tried to make sense of WW2 as it was happening looks at 1940 and 1941, from the collapse of France to Hitler’s invasion of Russia. How close did Britain get to revolution in the summer of 1940?
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
April 16, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Orwell on Hitler is a real WTF moment
This is a really great article and fun to read! Strongly recommend!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
Also thanks to Lyndall & @psarkies.bsky.social, @ahocher.bsky.social, and members of the lab for their comments and Francis Barr @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social for encouraging me to write down my thoughts.
Also thanks to Lyndall & @psarkies.bsky.social, @ahocher.bsky.social, and members of the lab for their comments and Francis Barr @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social for encouraging me to write down my thoughts.
Actually, what is a gain-of-function mutation?
Abstract. For more than a century, scientists have worked to characterize, understand, and predict the consequences of mutations. For almost as long, scien
academic.oup.com
April 9, 2026 at 9:08 AM
This is a really great article and fun to read! Strongly recommend!
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
I wrote an essay. It’s about gain-of-function mutations. And penguins. Also ion channels, chihuahuas, the film Alien, recycled cardboard, and the Apollonian mind. Oh, and muffins.
Thanks to the editors of #GENETICS @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for letting me take some stylistic liberties. 1/2
Thanks to the editors of #GENETICS @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for letting me take some stylistic liberties. 1/2
April 8, 2026 at 12:54 PM
I wrote an essay. It’s about gain-of-function mutations. And penguins. Also ion channels, chihuahuas, the film Alien, recycled cardboard, and the Apollonian mind. Oh, and muffins.
Thanks to the editors of #GENETICS @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for letting me take some stylistic liberties. 1/2
Thanks to the editors of #GENETICS @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for letting me take some stylistic liberties. 1/2
Thought the idea of neo conservativism derived from Trotsky was an April fool’s joke but seems not! Intriguing.
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!
In part 3 of our series about political conversions David talks to @dmk1793.bsky.social about the people who left Trotskyism behind – and where they ended up. Stories of one-time revolutionaries who found themselves in a very different place.
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
In part 3 of our series about political conversions David talks to @dmk1793.bsky.social about the people who left Trotskyism behind – and where they ended up. Stories of one-time revolutionaries who found themselves in a very different place.
Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
April 1, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Thought the idea of neo conservativism derived from Trotsky was an April fool’s joke but seems not! Intriguing.
Reposted by Peter Sarkies
We are excited to be recruiting into 3 Associate Professorship's in @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social. Come join us as a colleague and benefit from our vibrant and multidisciplinary environment. Reach out to me if you have any questions. Please repost! (tinyurl.com/48deybuu) (tinyurl.com/4pdvjaft).
March 13, 2026 at 5:40 PM
We are excited to be recruiting into 3 Associate Professorship's in @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social. Come join us as a colleague and benefit from our vibrant and multidisciplinary environment. Reach out to me if you have any questions. Please repost! (tinyurl.com/48deybuu) (tinyurl.com/4pdvjaft).