Peter Sarkies
@psarkies.bsky.social
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Epigenetics and Evolution
reposted by
Peter Sarkies
The Fromm Lab
about 1 month ago
0/ š”š”š”Had one of those slightly weird moments reading something today. Two seemingly very different research traditionsāstarting from opposite directionsāappear to be converging on almost the same conclusion about one of biologyās biggest questions: How do genomes generate phenotypes? šš§µ
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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)
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28 days ago
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A different kind of publication for me- a poem, published on Spillwords! Please read and comment here:
spillwords.com/ammonite/
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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.
https://spillwords.com/ammonite/
2 months ago
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To me it is not to be celebrated that Trump respects an unelected monarch more than the UK government. Itās typical of his approach.
2 months ago
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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/...
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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...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6285
2 months ago
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Orwell on Hitler is a real WTF moment
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3 months ago
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This is a really great article and fun to read! Strongly recommend!
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3 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Tobias Warnecke
3 months ago
I wrote an essay. Itās 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
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Thought the idea of neo conservativism derived from Trotsky was an April foolās joke but seems not! Intriguing.
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3 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Rob Klose
4 months ago
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
).
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Happy pi (RNA) day everyone! And what better way to enjoy than to revisit the unusual features of nematode piRNAs:
www.cell.com/developmenta...
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Comparative Epigenomics Reveals that RNA Polymerase II Pausing and Chromatin Domain Organization Control Nematode piRNA Biogenesis
piRNAs are an important genome regulatory mechanism conserved across metazoans. In the nematode C.Ā elegans, piRNA biogenesis evolved several differences from other metazoans. Beltran etĀ al. study the ...
https://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/fulltext/S1534-5807(18)31126-2
4 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
League Against Cruel Sports
4 months ago
Another horse has died at this yearās Cheltenham Festival. HMS Seahorseās death follows that of Hansard, bringing the total number of horses who have died at the festival since 2000 to 80*. This is unacceptable. If this happened in any other sport, there would be a huge outcry. *Animal Aid
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Matt Higgins
4 months ago
Introducing our new blood-stage malaria vaccine immunogen based on the essential invasion protein PfCyRPA. By understanding where on PfCyRPA the best antibodies bind, we used structure guided design to generate PfCyRPA-EM, which contains only the epitopes of the best antibodies.
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Most nematodes don't have piRNAs?!!
5 months ago
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This is really interesting. Tony Blair condemned Saddam Hussein's execution publicly. Was this genuine or was he perhaps happy with it behind the scenes? If he was genuinely opposed, what would he have preferred? UN trial might not have gone the way he would have wanted.
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5 months ago
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the current Greenland thing shows that fawning to Trump like Starmer has been doing is totally pointless as well as degrading.
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6 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Matt Higgins
6 months ago
Check out our latest study on the PfRIPR protein, essential for the malaria parasite to get inside our blood cells. We show how antibodies block the function of PfRIPR by preventing its flexible hinges from bending, or by stopping it from compacting as part of its mechanism.
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
The EMBO Journal
6 months ago
Epimutations: raw material for evolution? Nabeel Ganem &
@psarkies.bsky.social
explore how epimutations mediating transgenerational epigenetic inheritance compare to DNA sequence mutations w.r.t. influence on drift and natural selection
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Epimutations: raw material for evolution? - The EMBO Journal
Epigenetics is fundamental to cell differentiation as it enables cells with identical genomes to adopt distinct fates. Some epigenetic information can also be transmitted between generations, in a pro...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-025-00682-z
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Incredibly cool- a must read!
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6 months ago
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don't miss this! will be very interesting
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6 months ago
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Need a bit of escapism? Not exactly Lord of the Rings, but in similar vein:
doi.org/10.1038/s443...
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Epimutations: raw material for evolution? - The EMBO Journal
Epigenetics is fundamental to cell differentiation as it enables cells with identical genomes to adopt distinct fates. Some epigenetic information can also be transmitted between generations, in a pro...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-025-00682-z?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20260106&utm_content=10.1038/s44318-025-00682-z
6 months ago
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Worth a read. In my opinion possibly the only thing worse than humans recklessly driving a species to extinction is for us to attempt to bring it back- likely to be a vanity project with huge potential for cruelty and harm.
www.cell.com/trends/genet...
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If we could turn back time
De-extinction critiques focus on animal welfare, ecosystem disruption, threats to traditional conservation, and anxiety about human hubris. Respondents argue that humanity is obligated to reverse dama...
https://www.cell.com/trends/genetics/fulltext/S0168-9525(25)00240-9
6 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Zack Polanski
6 months ago
On BBC News today: striking that itās the two old establishment parties - Labour and the Conservatives - refusing to condemn the US breaking international law and doing what it wants. Feels like politics stuck in the past, while the public has clearly moved on.
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Zack Polanski
6 months ago
Starmer and Farage both drape themselves in flags but once again it's really clear where their loyalty really is. It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime. This is not patriotism. It's subservience.
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
George Monbiot
6 months ago
Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.
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Great to contribute in a small way to this study on the evolution of piRNA biogenesis in nematodes from
@reneketting.bsky.social
lab. GTSF-1 is preserved in many nematodes despite absence of piRNAs- it has evolved an alternative function in RNAi through RdRP interaction.
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6 months ago
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RIP international law.
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6 months ago
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6 months ago
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Nibbler or Trimmer?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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Wigan pie-eating champion polishes off pie in 64 seconds
Tom O'Neil is crowned pie-eating champion after the annual contest in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdd5p7q273mo
7 months ago
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Very exciting to see this published- opens lots of real interesting possibilities about how memory works!
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7 months ago
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Truly a great meeting with so many highlights- thanks to
@embo.org
and all organisers for inspiring science program!
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7 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Elliott Lab
7 months ago
Excited to share our work into ubiquitin E1-E2 specificity mechanisms. CryoEM visualising
#ubiquitin
transfer,biochemistry,evolution
@labhofmann.bsky.social
& tissue expression analyses
@psarkies.bsky.social
Big thanks to the team,reviewers & handling editor
@dimitristypas.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eTRdR
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UBA6 specificity for ubiquitin E2 conjugating enzymes reveals a priority mechanism of BIRC6
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - Riechmann et al. uncover structural features governing ubiquitin transfer from ubiquitin-activating E1 enzymes UBA1 and UBA6 to specific E2...
https://rdcu.be/eTRdR
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I had heard of the trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover but had no idea of the details. The whole case is so strange it's amazing it took place during my parents' lifetime- today DH Lawrence would not be considered even edgy let alone obscene. Fascinating episode.
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7 months ago
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RIP Tom Stoppard. Forever with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern now.
7 months ago
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Great seminar in
@oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social
today from Laura Landweber on the awesome world of ciliate DNA elimination- so many different gene regulation/repair pathways come together to achieve this remarkable feat
7 months ago
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baffled that Black Friday deals seem to have spread to companies selling PCR reagents.
7 months ago
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Iām fairly sure we donāt have to go back to Farageās schooldays to find evidence of racism.
7 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Dorian Lynskey
8 months ago
Climate change affects EVERYTHING. Itās mad that the issue has become left-coded when it should be just reality-coded
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All you other swim shadies are just imitating
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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Eminem sues Australian beach brand 'Swim Shady'
The rapper alleges the beachwear brand created a
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgkr13lnp1o
8 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
The Green Party of England & Wales
8 months ago
The Greens donāt believe providing safe refuge for endangered asylum seekers is an āout-of-controlā policy. Nor do we believe making life more difficult for those in need is the way to unify British society. Refugees are welcome.
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Genetics Society UK
8 months ago
Today we have our fantastic Autumn Meeting on Ancient Genomes
@royalsociety.org
!
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Reading this super biography of Crick right now. It's almost as fun to read as Crick's life seems to have been!
@matthewcobb.bsky.social
highlights and explains all the good, bad, and eccentric characteristics of Crick. So many contributions at the dawn of molecular biology.
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8 months ago
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students, take note please. Your teachers also know how to use chatgpt even if we think TikTok is some kind of antelope.
9 months ago
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This is a great tool for evaluating papers using AI, developed by Oded Rechavi- I've used the demo version and it has been really useful, spot on with its comments. Highly recommended!
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9 months ago
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A super opportunity!
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9 months ago
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Bringing back an extinct hominid is a horrific suggestion; I would go further than this article and suggest that it is banned outright.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
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Should scientists be allowed to bring distant human ancestors back to life?
Recently, several attempts have been made to modify modern species with ancient DNA in the name of āde-extinctionā. This Perspective argues that independent ethical oversight needs to be put in place ...
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003384
9 months ago
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reposted by
Peter Sarkies
Itai Yanai
9 months ago
Rest in peace Jane Goodall, a true giant among scientists. Your breakthroughs into the secret lives of chimpanzees viewed through an anthropomorphic lens ā without yet knowing that science had forbidden it ā changed science forever, and with it how we see ourselves.
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Just listened to George Church on The Life Scientific. very brilliant guy but the idea that Mammothising elephants is going to save the environment is total fiction. Itās a cruel vanity project with no conceivable justification.
9 months ago
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oh the joy of the hassle that accompanies trying to submit an article. Password forgotten, orcid linked to a different account, metadata collection, all for it to be most likely rejected editorially. Everything takes an age on a clunky system designed in the 2000s. Basically 'Der Process.'
9 months ago
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Talk about stating the bleeding obvious
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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Keir Starmer calls Reform migrant policy 'racist' and 'immoral'
The prime minister told the BBC he needed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6xdw1dg4zo
9 months ago
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