We have had an amazing response to #APSPM2026 and only a few in person spots are still available. Abstract submissions and travel grant applications close tomorrow November 28. 👉 biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/reg... Join the community that is transforming protein evolution research.

SMBE Australasian Protein Structural Phylogenetics Meeting 📄 Abstract submission deadline: Nov 28 Please submit your abstracts by Friday! Registration is free, but limited to 50 in-person attendees. ✈️ Travel grant applications deadline: Nov 28 🔗 biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/str...

Only a few spots left for #APSPM2026! Join the community transforming protein evolution research. biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26

Happy to see our work featured by @aucklanduni.bsky.social Constant molecular motion is essential to life. We’re unravelling the story of how life first got moving. @phatmattbaker.bsky.social @nicholasmatzke.bsky.social @kacarlab.bsky.social www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025...

It's been a great opportunity to organise a SMBE regional meeting. Hoping we get more in the Asia/Oceania region!

Meet the plenary speakers for #APSPM2026. Joanna Masel @joannamasel.bsky.social Nicholas Matzke @nicholasmatzke.bsky.social Join us to discuss how protein structure is changing evolutionary theory, phylogenetics and molecular evolution. biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe...

From AI to ancestral proteins, the #APSPM2026 speaker lineup brings protein evolution research together in one place. Check out the list of confirmed speakers here: biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe... Brisbane + online Feb 2026 Free registration @official-smbe.bsky.social

Protein evolution underpins the principles that govern molecular function. Investigating how protein structure and function evolve will enable protein design to genuinely transform medicine.

UniProt is changing its reference proteomes resource. Reference proteomes will remain in UniProtKB, while others will move to UniParc. Read more about these changes: www.ebi.ac.uk/about/news/u... 🧬 🖥️ Uniprot is a collaboration between EMBL-EBI, @sib.swiss & the Protein Information Resource.

Looking forward to seeing David Moi's talk about Foldtree and the upcoming Foldtree II at #APSPM2026 in sunny Brisbane. biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe... @official-smbe.bsky.social

Registration is now open for SMBE 2026! Head over to the registration page to find all the details and secure your spot 🏃‍♀️ 📝 smbe2026.org/registration 🐦 Early-bird deadline: March 31, 2026 If you are an active member of the SMBE you can register for the meeting with discounts. #SMBE2026

I’m so excited and impressed with the abstracts we have received so far. Looking forward to the talks!

February 2026 is shaping up to be the month for protein science down under! Lorne (Feb 8–12) @lorneproteins.bsky.social APSPM 2026, Brisbane (Feb 15–18) biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/str... Two meetings and a summer of great science! @strphy.bsky.social @official-smbe.bsky.social

You can become an expert after the meeting! @official-smbe.bsky.social

We can’t wait to welcome you to sunny Brisbane. Home to world-class research and a vibrant scientific community. Join us at the University of Queensland for #APSPM2026 to discuss how protein structure and evolution come together #StrPhy26

It's #NationalPumpkinDay! 🎃 Why are pumpkins orange, and what do pumpkins have to do with pumpkin spice? Here are the chemical answers in @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/articles/93/... #ChemSky 🧪

Abstract submissions are open for #APSPM2026! 🗓️ Deadline: Nov 28, 2026 📍 Brisbane + online 🎓 Travel grants for students & ECRs Join us to explore how protein structures and AI are reshaping evolutionary biology. @official-smbe.bsky.social #StrPhy26 #StrPhy

The conference will be held on the beautiful St Lucia campus of The University of Queensland. Plenary speakers are @joannamasel.bsky.social (University of Arizona, USA) and Nicholas Matzke (University of Auckland, NZ). Registration is free, but spaces are limited to 50 in-person attendees.

Structural phylogenetics is poised to reshape our understanding of molecular evolution. While the availability of structural data has exploded, its integration into evolutionary analysis has yet to reach its full potential. This meeting provides a timely forum to explore this frontier.

We are excited to announce APSPM 2026 - the SMBE Australasian Protein Structural Phylogenetics Meeting! 🗓️ 15-18 Feb. 2026 🌏 Brisbane, Australia 🔗 biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/ 📄 Abstract submission: 28.11.2025 ✈️ Travel grant application: 28.11.2025 ✏️ Registration: 15.01.2026 #StrPhy26

Registration is now open! Limited spots so register fast. We also have generous travel grants. We’d love to see attendees from all career stages and backgrounds. #StrPhy26 @official-smbe.bsky.social

New in the #StructuralPhylogenetics special section: Dixson et al. show that structural and physicochemical features of proteins uncover remote evolutionary relationships and provide a new toolset to revisit mitochondrial enzyme evolution. @genomebiolevol.bsky.social

Follow this account for updates on the upcoming SMBE Australasian Protein Structural Phylogenetics Meeting #APSPM

The case for useless knowledge by Betül Kaçar. In this 3 minute video she explains why the simple act of being curious and asking questions (without needing a reason) is one of the most powerful things a human can do. www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2k3...

The next NZ Phylogenomics Meeting will be in Waiheke Island (a short ferry trip away from Auckland City) on February 10 - 13, 2026. It combines maths, computer science, statistics, and biology for phylogenetics, genome analysis and molecular evolution. compevol.github.io/Waiheke2026/

Save the date! the SMBE Australasian Protein Structural Phylogenetics Meeting #APSPM will take place on 15 - 18 February, 2026 at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. More details coming up soon. Registration will be free thanks to the generous support of @official-smbe.bsky.social

The protein structure era!

The earliest animals may have been sea sponges. MIT team found chemical fossils (>541M yrs old steranes) pointing to ancient demosponges.

LAST CHANCE FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION! SMBE IDEA 2026 Supporting intiatives tackling inequities in evolutionary biology We have funding in: 💡 Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access ($25k) 🪂 Non-Parachute Science ($10k) 🗣️ Outreach ($10k) 📅 Deadline: Oct 10, 2025 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Open-source GPU-accelerated MMseqs2 makes protein homology search & structure prediction a lot faster. It will redefine the way we handle large-scale sequence & structure analyses.

A wikipedia page on structural phylogenetics! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein...

Already looking forward to SMBE2026 in Copenhagen! @official-smbe.bsky.social

🌍✨ SMBE IDEA 2026 – Call for Proposals! We support initiatives that tackle inequities in evolutionary biology. Funding available: 💡 IDEA ($25k) 🪂 Non-Parachute Science ($10k) 🗣️ Outreach ($10k) 📅 Deadline: Oct 10, 2025 🔗 docs.google.com/forms/d/1we2...

Fluorescently tagging the flagellar stator without disrupting its function will enable real-time observation of these molecular motors in action and provide unique and novel insights into bacterial motility. @phatmattbaker.bsky.social @unswbabs.bsky.social

This is such a fun competition!

Getting ready to submit my abstract on protein structure evolution. Looking forward to attending to this meeting! @lorneproteins.bsky.social

This review highlights how structural phylogenetics and time-dependent rate Bayesian models provide new tools to uncover deep viral evolution beyond outbreak timescales.

Thank you @claudiaalcar.bsky.social for contributing to the special section in structural phylogenetics @genomebiolevol.bsky.social conserved motifs across different protein folds reveal deep evolutionary relationships. Folds don’t just mutate, they swap domains, permute, lose/gain motifs.

In a new GBE Review, @cpuentelelievre.bsky.social @proteinmechanic.bsky.social & J. Douglas give an overview on protein structural phylogenetics, how to obtain evolutionary insights from structural data, and key applications and future directions. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf139 #genome #evolution

Our new paper shows the power of combining phylogenetics + protein structure to uncover the evolution and diversification of bacterial motility. Thanks to all the authors and HFSP for funding this work. @phatmattbaker.bsky.social @hfspo.bsky.social

Asgard archaea were first found in mud at the bottom of the North Sea. Today, cellular biologists Martin Pilhofer and Christa Schleper are exploring one of their more elusive structural elements: a totally tubular system that looks a lot like our own. www.quantamagazine.org/tiny-tubes-r...

Special Section in GBE: Structural Phylogenetics Here we showcase novel work on how 3D protein structures can reshape evolutionary biology, from methods to applications. More papers coming out soon! @genomebiolevol.bsky.social @proteinmechanic.bsky.social academic.oup.com/gbe/search-r...

Our results indicate that the COMMD family of proteins evolved from a single prokaryotic ancestral protein-coding gene sharing key structural features, consistent with the early presence of endomembrane components during eukaryogenesis. 10/n

However, both structure-based and sequences-based phylogenies suggest the closest ancestor is found in the Myxococotta bacterial clade, species that have apparently contributed other membrane associated genes to the nascent eukaryotic lineage. 9/n

#structuralphylogenetics #strphylo #proteins #evolution Great example of what protein 3D structures can tell us about evolution and the origin of eukaryotes

#structuralphylogenetics #strphy #3di