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Lewis MacKenzie

@lemackz.bsky.social
3.1K followers 2.5K following 605 posts

Upconversion nanoparticles, optical biosensors, chiral spectroscopy, scicomm, blood oxygen | bass player | uranium glass collector Group website: www.mackenzie-lab.org he/him | Glasgow | Expect typos

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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
21,627 applications for the Marie Curie early career fellowships.
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Attention Ecologists! We are going to need *a lot* of ecologists. The First Lego League Teams need to speak with a scientist about their projects every year. Every year it's a different type of scientist. Last year was archaeologists. This year, ecologists! Sign up: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
A fish is a teacher, wearing a button-up shirt with a collar. He says "Volunteer to speak with classrooms in front of a chalkboard that says "Skype a scientist needs YOU!". A snail on his desk says Help! And a shrimp says "Lego league is coming!" and a nervous seahorse says "this year's theme is ecosystems"
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Managed to steal a day for a solo trip to the Edinburgh Fringe - I can confirm that these three comedy shows are excellent and you should go see them! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 @tpneenan.bsky.social @gracejarvisohno.bsky.social @alicefraser.bsky.social
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
@alicefraser.bsky.social I had just listened to the recent Realms Unknown, where you were talking about fantasy currency exchange rates, when this relevant comic by @checrawford.bsky.social popped up!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Blinking upconversion nanoparticles enable < 1 nm super-resolution imaging #upconversion #optics #chemsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Spontaneous and indefinite blinking in upconverting nanoparticles for ångström-precision multicolour super-resolution imaging - Nature Nanotechnology
Compositionally engineered, spontaneously blinking upconverting nanoparticles enable multicolour super-resolution imaging with a single excitation source and achieve localization precision down to 0.6...
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Kirsty Grainger @kirstygrainger.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Earlier this year UKRI launched a funding call to invest £40M in ONE AI lab. www.ukri.org/opportunity/... For some unknown reason they decided to fund TWO AI labs at the cost of £60M. An extra £20M. Just found. That's the equivalent of 7 more years of Jodrell Bank. www.ukri.org/news/ukri-la...
ukri.org
UKRI launches two AI research labs to stay ahead in global race
Two new labs will back British researchers to develop next generation artificial intelligence (AI) systems, helping secure the UK’s position as a global leader.
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
@alicefraser.bsky.social a fun coincidence in my podcast feed
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
@alicefraser.bsky.social perhaps a science story for The Gargle? The latest in synthetic cells. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
This Cell Feeds, Grows and Reproduces. And It’s Manmade. (Gift Article)
From chemical building blocks, scientists have created synthetic cells that have most of the hallmarks of life.
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The latest impressive work on artificial cells, from the group of Prof Kate Adama, who led the big report on Mirror Life risks in Science in 2024.
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Today in science diagrams that go hard - this paper on where they fire an air gun at a mechanoluminescent material!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This may be in my latest seminar talk, specifically relating to quantum superfluorescence
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 23/06/2026
Side Effect xkcd.com/3261/
5-panel comic. (1) Two people standing, one with a ponytail and the second with white beret] PERSON 2: This new topical medication makes me extra sensitive to sun exposure and gravitational waves. (2) PERSON 1: Oh yeah, that’s a common... wait, what was that last part? PERSON 2: Here comes one now! (3) [Person 2 stretched taller] (4) [Person 2 squished shorter] (5) [Person 2 stretched taller again] PERSON 2: *Wheee!*
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Alice Fraser @alicefraser.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
@realmsunknown.bsky.social deep dive for this week is First Contact (With a New Species / civilisation). Tell me your favourite examples of first contact done interestingly in sci fi and fantasy!
Alice on a dragon
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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Think this week is hot in the UK? In 30 years' time this could look mild, according to a new @metoffice.gov.uk forecast of a 1976-style heatwave in 2056. The forecast suggested a peak of 45C and nine consecutive days at more than 40C. Story soon.
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CityEd @cityedyt.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
My latest video on Newcastle. Take a trip through the city's architecture, famous bridges, urbanism, and history - from its founding as a Roman fort 2,000 years ago to its Georgian city planning, right up to its modern day regeneration. www.youtube.com/watch?v=inf8...
youtube.com
Why I like Newcastle
YouTube video by CityEd.
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
#Upconverison nanoparticles are good because they don't "blink", unlike conventional dyes. But every rule has an exception - here's a new paper about blinking #UCNPs for super-res microscopy! #optics #photonics #chemsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Spontaneous photoblinking upconversion microscopy - Nature Photonics
Spontaneous photoblinking in Yb3+/Ho3+-codoped upconversion nanoparticles enables super-resolution imaging of biological cells with a spatial resolution down to 30 nm at excitation power densities of ...
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
New #preprint from my group - using a different polymer molecular weight made our #upconversion nanoparticles ~5X brighter, but the trade-off is FRET efficiency! A nice showcase of our new spectrometer capabilities & a big thanks to excellent collaborators! chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.... #Chemsky
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Reese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Thermo Fisher now has a page up in response to our observations. They flatly deny that images were manipulated or fabricated while repeating that images were "optimized for presentation and clarity on the website", no lie, six times. www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/l...
thermofisher.com
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Pretty much the last place in the universe I'd expect to find planets is in the incredibly violent and radiation-laden accretion disks around supermassive black holes. And yet… maybe? ⚫ 🌎 www.scientificamerican.com/article/plan... [thanks to @saavikford.bsky.social for a convo about this] 🧪 🔭
scientificamerican.com
Planets may swarm around supermassive black holes. Could any be habitable?
Planets might exist in the least likely place you’d imagine—around the outskirts of supermassive black holes
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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 03/06/2026
somebody’s dream job just dropped
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
A topical paper - #upconversion nanoparticles enable trans-tissue non-invasive release of GLP-1 upon NIR light stimulus, providing extended glycemic control #chemsky #BioNanoTech www.cell.com/cell-biomate...
cell.com
Upconversion nanoparticles-loaded injectable supramolecular hydrogels for on-demand glycemic regulation by optogenetic GLP-1 release
Kim et al. develop an injectable supramolecular hydrogel platform integrating upconversion nanoparticles and optogenetically engineered cells for on-demand GLP-1 secretion. Administered via a single s...
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
#upconversion nanoparticles turbo-charge micro-algae by converting NIR light to visible light - interesting! #BioNanoTech #nanotechnology #chemsky pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
pubs.acs.org
Upconversion Nanoparticles Expand the Photosynthetically Active Spectrum of Microalgae into the Near-Infrared for CO2 Biofixation
The process of photosynthetic carbon fixation by microalgae represents a significant pathway for achieving green and sustainable carbon capture. However, the mismatch between the microalgal pigments’ ...
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Alexander Kasprzyk @amkasprzyk.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
“On 20 May the university’s UCU branch said it will take 61 days of strike action from Monday 1 June to Friday 31 July, on top of a pre-scheduled strike day in May.” Two months of strikes confirmed at #Nottingham University. Difficult times for everyone involved. @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
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University of Nottingham UCU branch @uonucu.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
If you wish to support our efforts, you can do so here. Any funds donated here will be used to off set any loss income suffered by those of us mabbing. www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding... You can also donate here: UCU Nottingham LA63 Hardship Fund Account number: 20346359 Sort code: 60-83-01
justgiving.com
Help raise £10000 to support the Nottingham UCU hardship fund – JustGiving Crowdfunding
Iʼm raising money to support the Nottingham UCU hardship fund. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Hello. The moment you gate educational videos behind a paywall, a massive wall of bureaucracy goes up. Teachers have to beg administrators for budgets, companies have to wine-and-dine school boards, millions of students get locked out, and people get forced into using material they don't like.
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Pint of Science is on this week in Glasgow
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
The Christophers is an excellent movie and I recommend you go see it!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Crazy news from Nottingham Uni. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
University of Nottingham puts 2,700 staff at risk of redundancy
The University of Nottingham says it is facing
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Picked up a copy of Focus magazine. The article on #mirrorlife is good. The 2 page editorial spread did give me a chuckle though! Our mirror life detection preprint is still making it's way through the peer review system... hope it'll get some press attention when it does!
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Reposted by Lewis MacKenzie
Lauren Sumner-Rooney @laurensr.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Beautiful new preprint from Antonio and Andres on the evolution of eye loss in spiders! Find the full thread below for details on unequal losses across parallel visual systems, possible regains of eyes, 1000s of surveyed species, ecological and developmental clues, and a gratuitous dinosaur emoji 🦕
Ancestral state estimations showing the evolutionary history of eye losses in spiders. Only the principal eyes are lost deep in the phylogeny, with a peak in the Triassic and Jurassic. In the clade Synspermiata, we also see some evolutionary regains!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The Davidson glass works in England really took fluorescence to the next level #uraniumglass
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Our placement student just got some exciting lab results today! 😁 Wish I could share them, but it is ultra-early stage and so has to remain secret for now 😉 It'll be a fun paper later in the year!
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Roberta Kwok @robertakwok.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I'm thrilled to announce that my book LOST IN CURIOSITY: Field Notes from Scientists' Adventures into the Unknown is available to pre-order now and has been chosen for Indies Introduce, the American Booksellers Association's list of best summer/fall debuts! www.instagram.com/p/DYCj597DTp... (1/N)
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Good video by Prof Dave Explains about Hantavirus and what we know, and why not to panic. Worth a watch and a share! #hantavirus #science www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZWx...
youtube.com
Hantavirus: What You Need to Know (Featuring Marion Koopmans)
YouTube video by Professor Dave Explains
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Another interesting #upconversion paper - latest developments for transparent volumetric RGB displays using sophisticated UCNPs. #nanotech #photonics #chemsky
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Interesting paper - very well engineered inert-core #upconversion nanoparticles improve CdTe solar cell power conversion efficiency by ~6% #UCNPs #nanotech www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Multishell NaYF4@NaYF4: Yb, Er@NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles for enhanced photovoltaic performance of CdTe solar cells
Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are extensively used in spectral conversion layers of photovoltaic (PV) devices to capture near-in…
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Updated #preprint on how CPL could be used as an assay for #mirrorlife biohazards chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10....
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
#MirrorLife has made it to the Doomsday Clock 2026! Here's my pre-print discussing how we could detect it before it becomes a big problem, and to underpin future biosecurity legislation! chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.... #chemrxiv #chemsky #bioscience
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Here's a YouTube webinar where I enthuse about all the cool bioscience things that can be done with upconversion nanoparticles, and what my research group has been up to #chemistry #chemsky #physics #optics #UCNPs www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghmG...
youtube.com
Spectroscopy in Action | Photonic Upconversion Nanoparticles for Biological applications
YouTube video by Edinburgh Instruments
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
@robbotron.bsky.social thank you for shining the light on the Butterfly Effect special edition on Realms Unknown! It also traumatised me when a (now ex) put it on as a "cute" movie for valentines day 2018! @alicefraser.bsky.social
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
The Mendel Museum in Brno was very cool!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Spotted some Mendel merch in Brno!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Super anti-stoked to be at #UPCON 2026 in Brno, Czechia! An entire week of upconversion at the interface of physics, chemistry, and biology! #ucnps #Upconversion #nanotech
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Lucien Heurtier @lucienheurtier.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Inflation is hitting STFC quite badly, but the wider research community is warning that STFC cutting its programmes is going to hit the “substantial portion of the UK research community that relies on STFC facilities but is funded through other UKRI research councils”, another open letter says. 🧪🔭
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Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Fascinating! A 20 yr study into cloning has revealed a fundamental flaw. Repeated duplication leads to an accumulation of fatal genetic mutations. Researchers in Japan generated 1,206 cloned mice from a single female donor between 2005 & 2025. 🧪 www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
independent.co.uk
Scientists tried to clone mice indefinitely – and made a grave discovery
Scientists cloned 1,206 mice from one female donor over 20 years to test the limits of cloning
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Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
March 22 is #WorldWaterDay & an apt birthday for Japanese #geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi (1920-2007) who created tools that allowed her to make 1st measurements of CO2 in seawater, raised the alarm about nuclear fallout, tracing it in oceans & researched peaceful uses of nuclear power. 🧪🐡👩🏻‍🔬 #histsci
Printed in a gradient of dark blue-green at the bottom through dark blue to light blue at the top, this is my 9.25” x 12.5” portrait of Japanese geochemist in the lab adjusting a round bottomed flask with other posts and an array of chemical glassware in the foreground. In the background are carved ocean waves so the top looks like sky over wavy ocean
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Project Hail Mary is really good. Only one laboratory goof. Brilliant movie!
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Lewis MacKenzie @lemackz.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
A uranium glass shoe ornament - really rare to find one in the UK! #fluoresencefriday
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
This is *very* cool... www.space.com/astronomy/as...
space.com
Ryugu asteroid sample contains all five key components of DNA, scientists find
A sample collected by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft from the spinning top-like asteroid contained the nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil.
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