🧪 After 14 years in a research lab, today I hung up my lab coat for the final time 🥼. I started as a freelance science communicator 10 months ago, and will now be working exclusively towards this goal. I'll need your support more than ever to make this a viable career 🙏!!! linktr.ee/mol_bio

🧪 The podcast episode for "God didn't create life- Life built itself" is now available for those who like to listen to science, maybe while going for a run or doing the dishes? #science #philsky substack.com/@drchrisearl...

🧪We have reached 200 subscribers on Substack! If you love #science, the origins of life, the history/philosophy of science, and/or interested in what science tells us about our place in the cosmos, you could be prestigious subscriber number 201 😉. drchrisearl.substack.com?utm_campaign... #philsky

We're in this week's Nature! We propose a model of how a cell learns by running an evolutionary algorithm: exploring different gene-regulatory combinations and using feedback responses to stabilize those combinations that reduce stress levels. Full text: nature.com/articles/s41...

Meet the ultimate gatekeeper of the nucleus. This molecular machine determines what compounds are welcome in and out and which shall not pass. The mechanism behind its selectivity has long been a mystery. Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...

🧪 Carl Sagan “our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe...Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark...in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” #science #philsky

🧪 Life as a Self-Constructor An approach that might finally allow us to determine what makes life so special. Check out the free article at Substack: open.substack.com/pub/drchrise... #science #philosophy #biology #philsky

🧪 For those who prefer to listen to science rather than reading it, you might like these article podcasts. This new one is about The Constructor Theory of Life. It's free. #science open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

🧪 Reading Principles of Biological Autonomy (updated 2025). It is FREE (Open Access) to all on the @mitpress.bsky.social website. Varela's insights are mind-blowing, esp. given it's almost 50 years ago. In 2026 it's still ground breaking. I'll share insights in thread 👇. #systemsbiology #science

You might be surprised to hear that tooth enamel, the strongest material in our body, and eggshells, which must be fragile enough for baby birds to hatch, are both roughly 95% composed of mineral crystals.

🧪 My last post/and article was inspired the words of #CarlSagan. His "Pale Blue Dot" narration is one of THE most beautiful science pieces ever written. So it makes sense that I should also share the Artemis II image "Hello, World" from NASA. #cosmos #NASA #space

🧪 #CarlSagan said "we are star-stuff". The atoms needed for life were made by stars. He told us: "the beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it but the way those atoms are put together.” I explore how life achieves the (im)possible 👇 #science #biology medium.com/@molbioandth...

April's Molecule of the Month: Insect Odorant Receptors These protein complexes allow insects to detect a wide variety of volatile compounds, from clove oil to DEET

🧪 “God is the name of the blanket we throw over mystery to give it shape.” In this new article on Medium I discuss why life 🧬 is the most interesting thing that can exist in the universe. The link below 👇 gives you free access. #science #biology #theology #chemistry medium.com/@molbioandth...

Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race Of Skeleton People https://theonion.com/archaeological-dig-uncovers-ancient-race-of-skeleton-pe-1819565415/

🧪 God didn’t create life. Life constructed itself. Organisms are examples of ‘self-constructors’ THE most interesting thing that can exist in our Universe (as far as we know). This has implications for biology, which I share in the free article: #science #philsky open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

Fellow writers. I’m in advanced (for me) stages with an academic publisher about a book (all confidential so I won’t be able to give any specifics at all). It’d be my first book. I don’t have an agent. What should I know going into any negotiations? #WIP #writer #writingcommunity #booksky

1/3 🧪Debates between proponents of intelligent design (ID) and atheists tend to go as follows: Life is too complex to have arisen by chance it must be the result of a creator God. Evolution cannot explain the origin of the genetic code 🧬 it must be designed by a supernatural intelligence #theology

🧪 1/3 Reading “The Master Builders” by Alfonzo Arias. He shares a radical idea:“Understanding how animal (and plant and fungal) life emerged demands that we see genes not as the instructions or blueprint for an organism but rather as the instructions or blueprints that cells use to build organisms”

🧪In this article I offer a framework for describing life as an energetic, informational, and physical system. Many theories of life focus on one principle to the exclusion of the others. 🧬 It’s now on SubStack and free #science #philsky #biology #astrobiology open.substack.com/pub/drchrise...

“We are in a world of living creatures that construct themselves. Yet we lack the concepts to say it...We see it and do not yet know what to say.” Stuart Kaufmann A World Beyond Physics My article attempts to provide the language for describing life as a self-constructor medium.com/science-spec...

🧪The Constructor Theory of Life- Why Intelligent Design is wrong and how life builds itself. Constructor theory, developed by physicists, offers an exciting new way to look at life. Full article, free to access using link: medium.com/science-spec... #science #philsky #biology #chemistry #physics

🧪 Please check out my new article titled- The Constructor Theory of Life- Why Intelligent Design is wrong and how life builds itself. It's on Medium, access using the link below: medium.com/science-spec... #science #philsky #philosophy #biology

Richard Dawkins' Selfish Gene had an unexpected impact on nihilistic/pessimistic/anti-natalist philosophy in the 21st century. For this and more check out the full-length video on YouTube (we're up to 41 views now!): www.youtube.com/watch?v=p12e... #philsky #philosophy #science #existentialism

Is Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene unnecessarily nihilistic? I discuss some of the existential crises readers experience in the video below. Please check out the full-length video on YouTube (we're up to 23 views now!): youtu.be/p12eWPBxCL4?... #philsky #philosophy #science #existentialism

I have started a YouTube channel, and my latest video has 10 views! It is about how Richard Dawkins Selfish Gene influenced pessimistic philosophy in the 21st century. If you are interested, then please check it out/subscribe to the channel: youtu.be/p12eWPBxCL4?... #philsky #philosophy #science

🧪 Today is #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience 👩‍🔬🔬 Barbara McClintock was first to demonstrate that gene expression (that genes are switched ON or OFF) is a controlled process. She was met with scepticism/rejection. But in 1983 was vindicated with a Nobel Prize. #womeninstem #womeninscience

🧪The scientific discovery of radioactivity in 1896 was a complete accident which altered the course of human history. It led to nuclear medicine (important for cancer), radiotherapy, nuclear power, and, of course, the atomic bomb. It's all in the video. #science #physics #medicine #philsky #history

Anyone in the Dundee area? I highly recommend this event at Waterstones, Dundee. Marc Mierowsky will give a talk about his new book. He's an entertaining speaker (and stand-up comedian!). 6 pm tomorrow night, Wed 11th Feb. #history #politics #scotland #dundee www.waterstones.com/book/a-spy-a...

🧪Is this the most disgusting medical mystery of all time? It takes us back to 1977 and a dodgy batch of berries traced to Dundee, Scotland. #Dundee #Scotland #microbiology #science #medicine

🧪Histones are the PDB Molecule of the Month for Feb. These beautiful schematics show how an incredible 2 meters of DNA inside our cells can fit into a nucleus just 6 micrometres across (a micrometre is 1 million times smaller than a meter!) #science #biology #genetics pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/314

🧪Can you name the Most Successful Family in Nobel History? (T&Cs: All Nobel prizes are non-transferable) 4 Nobel prizes in the fields of chemistry, physics, and peace. I give clues throughout the video. Let me know in the comments if you got it #science #NobelPeacePrize #Nobel #Norway #Sweden

I loved this quote from author Haruki Murakami so much, I had to write a Substack article about it, called “Impermanence”. It examines the transience of life from both scientific and Buddhist perspectives. drchrisearl.substack.com/p/impermanence #science #buddhism #cosmology #booksky #writing

🧪“Living Matter” a new #Biophysics book by Alex J. Levine. Sadly, Prof. Levine passed away before the book was ready. This quote of his, beautifully captures the way a physicist views living systems. It is particularly poignant in how it captures the transience of human life. For us all. #science

🧪I've reviewed Living Matter: Seeking New Physics in the Biological World by Alex J. Levine. Sadly, Prof. Levine passed away in 2022 before the book was finished, but it is now complete and out from @princetonupress.bsky.social #science #biophysics drchrisearl.substack.com/p/book-revie...

The 1951 Defence of Greenland agreement means that the U.S. has widespread military access to the island including the Pituffik military base. What the current U.S. regime is looking to obtain is access to Greenland's oil and gas reserves. #climate #environment #geopolitics #imperialism

Celebration 🎉 My #BookRecommendations video won 3rd place in the TikTok Creator Awards. This is alongside a 3rd-place award for my #Astronomy video from before, which was also part of the #LearnOnTikTok campaign. It's nice to have the formal recognition for them. Links to the videos below

I enjoyed this conversation with Natalie Fraser immensely! Check it out if you like science and existential philosophy. It is really cool that the interview with Todd May is in the same session as his book "A Significant Life: Human Meaning in a Silent Universe" has been a source of inspiration.

🧪Danger of Machine Metaphors in Science I share a personal story of my first formal confrontation with an apparently meaningless, mechanical Universe. I go on to examine how machine metaphors influence nihilism Article free on Substack substack.com/home/post/p-... #philsky #science #existentialism

My 2026 Bookanuary self-improvement books recommendations: Molecular Storms- Liam Graham Being Mortal- Atul Gawande Drystone Kristie- De Garis Buddhism Pain and Simple- Steve Hagen #booksky #writing #bookanuary

🧪In 2025, I started my career as a science writer. Something I had intended for about 15 years. Thanks to everyone who has supported this dream. If there is anything I can do in 2026 to help your own science writing let me know. Keep writing, keep turning up. Good luck. #writing #science #philsky

🧪Free audio article “Toward a Biological Theory of Everything” is out. If anyone is out there listening, please let me know. I may be reading into the void, and I’ll keep doing it, but it would be awesome to know if there's anyone out there. substack.com/home/post/p-... #science #philsky #writing

🧪My new article explores the nature of life, an existential crisis, and the dangers of comparing life to machines. The Selfish Gene and the Problem with Machine Metaphors in Biology: How language can obscure understanding and reinforce nihilism medium.com/@molbioandth... #writing #booksky #science

🧪I entered a TikTok #astronomy competition, part of their learn on TikTok campaign, with a video about how different types of stars forge the various chemical elements needed for life. I am pleased to say the video received a Third Place prize! Video link: www.tiktok.com/@molbio7/vid... #science

🧪I'm really excited to be reviewing: Living Matter- New Physics in the Biological World by Alex Levine + Earth and Life- A 4 billion year conversation by Andrew Knoll, both from @princetonupress.bsky.social #science #biology #geology #physics

🧪I started using social media because it became apparent that to pitch a non-fiction book to a publisher successfully, you need a substantial online presence. It seemed unfair. But I have now had more engagement with my work than I might ever have had by traditional publishing. #writing #booksky

🧪If you like science, philosophy, and existential exploration into the meaning of life, you may like these articles of mine, something for everyone! Join me (a real human, not an AI!) on Substack, it's all free (audio narration too): drchrisearl.substack.com #science #philsky #philosophy #biology

🧪I’ve just posted my new article on Substack (free, but subscribe/like). Can we ever have a biological theory of everything? Information theory might explain our purpose (to propagate our genes). Simultaneously, an energetic vision of life has emerged. #philsky #science substack.com/home/post/p-...

I wouldn't normally post this, but I'd like to proudly say that I am the proud recipient of the inaugural FIFA Science Communication Prize. For the haters that say, "What does FIFA have to do with Science communication?" That's not my problem. #FIFA #philsky #science #WorldCup

🧪If you're on Medium, please check out my new article: Toward a Biological Theory of Everything If you aren't a Medium member it is genuinely worth the $5 per month, one of the few good deals left in the world! medium.com/@molbioandth... #philsky #science #physics #biology #chemistry #information