New paper by ISTA Professor Herbert Edelsbrunner and colleagues on the maximum persistent Betti numbers of Čech complexes, now published in the Journal of Applied and Computational Topology. 👉 https://doi.org/10.1007/s41468-026-00233-3 @springer.springernature.com​

Article in TIME, featuring ISTA postdoc @eliamascolo.bsky.social​. After 4 years in the US, he moved to Austria with the APART-USA fellowship, a program that supports outstanding researchers in relocating their work to Austria. 🔗 https://time.com/7379376/scientist-migration-us-to-europe/

Scientists from the Goodrich group explore the simultaneous optimization of assembly time and yield in programmable self-assembly. Now published in The Journal of Chemical Physics (@aip-publishing.bsky.social​): https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0304731

Hey @jorryt.bsky.social, did you find out what these little red dots are?

New preprint, a technical paper showing how 19F #NMR of proteins in solids can be accelerated, lead by Lea Becker at @istaresearch.bsky.social. mr.copernicus.org/preprints/mr... Magnetic Resonance has an open interactive public peer reviewing system, where anyone can contribute to the discussion.

The Robinson group has published a new paper in the journal Genetics. Check it out 👉 https://academic.oup.com/genetics/advance-article/doi/10.1093/genetics/iyag042/8475302

Synthetic chemist @reisenbauerlab.bsky.social​ joins ISTA as an assistant professor. Her group will repurpose enzyme reactivity to discover new chemical pathways, with potential applications in medicine, agriculture, materials science, and sustainable processes. 🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/3MPrxpf

Congrats to @zdunajova.bsky.social​​ on defending her PhD thesis! Her research bridges physics and biology, showing how cells and proteins organize themselves and form patterns. This may lead to new ways to control biological processes like wound healing and inspire smart medical materials.

The ISTA campus turned into a winter wonderland overnight! ❄️ ☃️ #ISTAresearch #snow #winter #winterwonderland

New bioRxiv preprint by the Sweeney group about the lineage origin of spinal cord cell type diversity. 👉 https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.12.705305

New Perspectives article in @science.org​: ISTA Assistant Professor @jorryt.bsky.social​ discusses recent findings on the origin of ‘little red dots,’ the mysterious objects that have been found in abundance in the distant Universe since the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Extracting and analyzing relevant medical information from large-scale databases such as biobanks poses considerable challenges. Now, ISTA scientists have achieved algorithmic innovation in the genetic analysis of complex traits. Learn more: bit.ly/46clIJf

Mathematician Matthew Kwan promoted to professor at ISTA. His research explores combinatorics, especially its interplay with probability. His work has resolved longstanding conjectures like Erdős-McKay, Erdős-Faudree-Sós on Ramsey graphs, and Erdős' on Steiner triple systems. Congrats, Matthew!

In the past 15 years, lead-halide perovskites have emerged as promising materials for next-generation solar cells, rivaling the industry-standard silicon cells. ISTA scientists now explain their exceptional energy-harvesting efficiency. Learn more: bit.ly/4aN8kO5

Share your love with science! You can never say enough how much you appreciate those with whom you share a special chemistry. So, this Valentine's Day, why not spice it up with some science? ✨ Tag someone or share to spread the love. 💖 #ISTAresearch #ValentinesDay #Love

With their flowing tendrils, they seem like deep-sea jellyfish at first glance. But in reality, these are the unsung heroes living within us—immune cells tirelessly working to keep us safe and healthy. Captured using Superresolution Microscopy, 3D-SIM (Zeiss ELYRA system).

Is "faster-X" adaptation due to large-effect mutations? Find out in the recent bioRxiv preprint from the Vicoso group: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Looking for a unique Valentine's Day experience? How about a date for the heart and mind at the VISTA Science Experience Center? 🩷 What's included? 💟 Exclusive exhibition tour 💟 Free coffee & delicious cake 💟 A surprise gift Free tickets: https://bit.ly/46mRanV

Have you ever wondered how sensitive data can be kept private in today's data-driven world? Rewatch the ISTA Lecture by Cynthia Dwork from Harvard University to learn how differential privacy works, but also why it's a game-changer in safeguarding information. 👉 https://bit.ly/3OlBICk

Join us in celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with an inspiring tribute to Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Lise Meitner, and Hedy Lamarr. Experience their stories come to life with an immersive theater play by portraittheater. Free tickets: https://ista.ac.at/theater

Check out this recent publication from ISTA scientists Sofia Agafonova, Onur Hosten, and colleagues. "One-milligram torsional pendulum toward experiments at the quantum-gravity interface" 👉 https://www.nature.com/articles/s42005-026-02514-w

LICONN, an optical imaging technique for brain tissue developed by ISTA scientists in collaboration with Google Research, has been recognized by @nature.com​ as one of the seven technologies to make a splash in 2026! Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00188-6

Celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with us! Enjoy a theater experience that brings to life the inspiring journeys of Curie, Meitner, and Lamarr, followed by a panel discussion on STEM inclusivity. 🎟️ Free tickets: https://ista.ac.at/theater

Join us in welcoming Xujia Chen to ISTA as a new assistant professor! Specializing in the geometric topology of manifolds, Chen (she/they) focuses on examining their structures to offer insights that bridge theoretical mathematics and the physical sciences. Read more: Read more: bit.ly/3NH1ssM

Keeping personal data private without compromising on functionality when using LLMs is the goal of ISTA Prof Dan Alistarh's "PersonalAI" project. To help move the technology towards commercialization, the researchers have been awarded an #ERCPoC grant by @erc.europa.eu​​. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3LPMakS#ERCPoC

ISTA at the 11th Vienna Ball of Sciences Vienna’s ball season is iconic, but for us, at ISTA, nothing tops the #SciBall26! Ideas danced, and innovation waltzed—what a night in the grand setting of the Vienna City Hall. A big thank you to the organizers. 💖

ISTA has received €5 million for AI research from Uber co-founder Garrett Camp, marking his first contribution to a European institution and highlighting ISTA’s global appeal. Read more: https://bit.ly/3YS3mZZ #AIresearch #ArtificialIntelligence

Kicking off the ball season with the first ISTA miniBall! Now that we have refreshed our dance moves, we're excited to hit Vienna’s grand ballrooms—especially the @sciball.bsky.social​ this weekend! #ISTAresearch #VienneseBallSeason #SciBall26

Most of us are familiar with the nightingale's song, but did you know there's more to it than just a melody? Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... @danielavallentin.bsky.social @tpvogels.bsky.social @mpiforbi.bsky.social ​

📢 New preprint alert! How do proteins enter mitochondria? We uncovered a surprising mechanism at the mitochondrial entry gate—using #NMR, in vivo single-particle tracking, yeast experiments, and MD simulations to crack the code. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #StructuralBiology #Mitochondria 🧵 1/8

New publication by ISTA scientists @aliciakmichael.bsky.social, @paloha.bsky.social, and collaborators made it to @cp-molcell.bsky.social's cover. The study demonstrates the potential of modern cryo-ET techniques and open data sharing to empower visual proteomics. More: bit.ly/49wzHdr

Inspiration often arrives when we least expect it. For ISTA scientist @reenak.bsky.social​, it sparked while she and her colleagues captured actin filaments under the microscope. The result is not only a beautiful art piece but also a glimpse into the cellular architecture that shapes life.

How does a uniform zygote reliably break symmetry? How do initially identical cells diverge in cell-cycle timing and transcriptional state? In our new paper in Nature Physics, we show that embryo geometry itself is sufficient to pattern early development. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A recent article in Current Biology by ISTA Prof @amdouglass.bsky.social​ and @hagank.bsky.social​ comments on the findings of a new study about psilocybin. It reports about a mechanism by which this drug causes the acute release of stress hormones. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.056ß

Check out this recent preprint from the Shigemoto group! "Asymmetrical modulation of fear expression via GABAB receptors in the mouse medial habenula" 👉 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.02.691389v1

Check out this recent preprint from the Saric group! "Design and self-assembly of cytomotive filaments" 👉 https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.07.698144

Life is the ultimate nanotechnologist. Physicists at ISTA and @brandeisuniversity.bsky.social have uncovered a hidden geometric rule behind how molecules self-assemble — and built a tool to tell which structures can actually be designed. Big implications for nanotech. Now in @natphys.nature.com

🔬 New paper in Developmental Biology 🐟 Our researchers have now tested a largely ignored hypothesis—that the geometry of an embryo drives its development. Read more in the 🧵below. 📷 Zebrafish in ISTA’s Aquatic Facility.

Recent #paper by ISTA professor Mario de Bono and colleagues published in @natcomms.nature.com​. 🔗 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66409-0

Discovery is often hidden in plain sight. Sometimes, a deeper look reveals the next hint. Look at the first comment. 😉 #ISTAresearch #SeasonsGreetings #HappyHolidays

Having you @giorgiag-sciwriter.bsky.social with us as one of our Journalists in Residence was definitely among the highlights of 2025 for us.

Rewatch the ÖAW-ISTA Lecture with Lisa Kaltenegger from @cornelluniversity.bsky.social​ on exoplanets and our quest for life beyond Earth. Watch here: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/oaw-ista-lecture-with-lisa-kaltenegger/ @oeaw.bsky.social​ #lecture #exoplanets

Is privacy in the digital age possible? Cynthia Dwork from Harvard University​ addressed this topic at the ISTA Lecture earlier this week. Her talk on #DifferentialPrivacy demonstrated how it safeguards personal data in industry and government. Thanks to everyone who attended this event.

Congratulations to @ehannezo.bsky.social​ and Maksym Serbyn! Both win an @erc.europa.eu​ Consolidator Grant of € 2 Mio. With it, they develop new theories – in biophysics to understand embryonic development and in quantum physics to advance quantum simulators. 👉 https://bit.ly/4rICmco #ERCCoG

New publication by @frimllab.bsky.social and colleagues! Read more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Der #FWF fördert 3 neue #Spezialforschungsbereiche für mehr Grundlagenwissen in der Medizin, Quantenforschung und Kosmologie. Die neuen Netzwerke werden von Forscher:innen der @uniinnsbruck.bsky.social, der @unisalzburg.bsky.social und der @tuwien.at koordiniert. 📚 www.fwf.ac.at/aktuelles/de...

In many social animals, group members try to hide their sickness to prevent social exclusion. Ants flip that script. Adult ants, approaching death, for example, leave the nest, opting for a solo exit to keep their colony safe.

ISTA Assistant Professor Lora Sweeney becomes an @embo.org​ Young Investigator! Using Xenopus frog as a model organism, her research focuses on molecular, cellular, and neural circuit components that cause differences in motor behavior. Congratulations, Lora!👏

Who hasn't dreamed of overcoming gravity and getting objects to hover above ground? Physicists from the groups of Scott Waitukaitis and Carl Goodrich have developed a method to acoustically levitate objects while keeping them physically separated using charge. Read more: ista.ac.at/en/news/scie...

What a view to end a week of research at ISTA. 🌅 #ISTAresearch #VanillaSky #Sky #Sunset