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Levental Lab

@leventallab.bsky.social
2.1K followers 673 following 259 posts

laboratory on structure and functions of living membranes lab at University of Virginia ; also posts occasional nonsense - views our own, not UVA www.levental-lab.com

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Reposted by Levental Lab
Mathilda Lennartz @mathilda95.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
UPDATE!: I am absolutely stoked that the second paper of my PhD is now out in @natcellbio.nature.com :D. We combined lipid imaging, STED microscopy, and mathematical modelling in a super cool team effort to quantify lipid partitioning inside clathrin-coated pits. www.nature.com/articles/s41....
nature.com
Quantification of lipid sorting during clathrin-mediated endocytosis - Nature Cell Biology
Lennartz et al. evaluate lipid enrichment in clathrin-coated pits and observe that the differential lipid partitioning into clathrin-coated pits is largely driven by the lipid asymmetry of the plasma ...
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Check out below, a great opportunity for a funded trip to what looks like a very interesting Workshop in UK next summer
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Lupus Londonwolf @lupuslondonwolf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I was making potato and leek soup and the recipe asked for five potatoes cubed. Even for potato soup, 125 potatoes seems a little excessive.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Some random thoughts: Good science doesn't always need disruptors. Often, it needs load-bearing walls. You can't pivot away from a failed multi-year experiment or "iterate" your way out of a mentee's PhD. Science needs stable foundations, not churn. Don't break the people building on top of it.
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Ask both what your country can do for your and what you can do for your country. If you can lead a lab, you can lead a community. Vote blue in November to rescue democracy and consider running for local offices. The best way to change the system is to be the system. - Veteran and scientist.
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The Company of Biologists @biologists.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Speakers include: @buzzbaum.bsky.social @emmanuellebayer.bsky.social @ibudin.bsky.social @leventallab.bsky.social @jamessaenz.bsky.social @cstairs.bsky.social @teislab.bsky.social @veatchlab.bsky.social @jcellsci.bsky.social
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Kevin A. Scott, PhD @sculpturatus.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
found at ucsf
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Erdinc Sezgin @sciezgin.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New paper out: Plasma membrane order maps functional diversity in immune cells We showed how biophysical state of the membranes correlates with the activity of immune cells such as migration and killing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Plasma membrane order maps functional diversity in immune cells - Nature Chemical Biology
Cells undergo membrane remodeling in response to the environment to perform specific functions. Now, a cytometry-based method with immune cell biomarker analysis captures variations in plasma membrane...
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pmamtraveller.bsky.social @pmamtraveller.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"snow angel" or the "angel of death," is the rare imprint left by an owl as it swooped down to catch prey
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Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 16/09/2026
Dysfunction of #caveolae in muscle disease: a cell biological perspective. From Harriet P. Lo, Robert G. Parton and colleagues (The University of Queensland) rupress.org/jcb/article/... #Organelles #Development #Membrane #lipid #Disease #SkeletalMuscle
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So (if I understand this correctly), the way AI (companies) will "solve" all the major problems in maths, biology, and medicine in the next 5 years will be by stealing and building on the ideas of researchers naive enough to think their chats with AI companies would be private.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Many arguments for jettisoning PhD thesis requirements because it serves no utilitarian value and is a waste of time have also been used to argue against liberal arts. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s the value of a liberal arts education. Everything isn’t about utility.
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Sorcery!!
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Simon Hammann @simonhammann.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
What's the worst chemical structure you can generate using gen AI? Can you do better than this? I would like to know how far you can push them. ChatGPT had no hesitation to provide me with this #chemchat
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Tony Lastname @rivernewstc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
😎🪴🌵 food science
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Elias Spiliotis @septinlab.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
We're launching a search for two open-rank positions with preference for Assistant/Associate Professors in the Department of Cell Biology at University of Virginia. If you're a card-carrying cell biologist, consider applying here now: apply.interfolio.com/191024
static.klipy.com
Bill Belichick Looking For A New Job Meme
ALT: Bill Belichick Looking For A New Job Meme
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Anthony Vecchiarelli @cellforganized.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
My MCDB Dept is hiring, again! Assistant Professor Faculty Search. Please Repost! Applications Due Oct 1st We welcome applications from all areas of cellular/molecular biology in prokaryotes, plants, and animals. More information can be found HERE: jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/679540/a...
jobs.sciencecareers.org
Assistant Professor - Ann Arbor, Michigan job with University of Michigan - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology | 679540
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FACULTY POSITION IN CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS   The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental B...
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André Nadler @nadlerlab.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Oh my. Not great. Not great at all.
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Justin Taraska @taraska.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Biophysical Society Membrane Fusion, Fission, and Traffic Subgroup is hosting an exciting set of 4 virtual talks on Wednesday September 16th starting at 1 pm Eastern Time on clathrin structure and dynamics. Please join! www.biophysics.org/outreach/sub...
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 20/08/2026
Journal Club: Probes show lipids are far more selective for proteins than once thought. In PNAS Front Matter: ow.ly/aeRW50ZBWL8
Recent findings suggest that lipids do not simply diffuse randomly around the lipid bilayer (shown here) but have specific proteins they preferentially pair with. 
Image credit: Science Source/KATERYNA KON.
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"likely whacked" "confirmed trebuchet death" Something seems contradictory 🤔 Precise #language is so important. Especially in todays political climate. This is of course not a particularly relevant story which is why I'm using it. But, it should always matter. Public trust is fragile in #science.
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I vote for the normalization of the term "in vitreo" for cryoEM structures to sooth the brains of cell biologists that insist the cryoEM structure is not the native structure. (It is as close as we can get). This should both satisfy their thirst and aggravate them bc it looks like "in vitro"
static.klipy.com
Archer's Iconic 'Uh, Phrasing?' Moment
ALT: Archer's Iconic 'Uh, Phrasing?' Moment
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Mike Piacentino @mikepiacentino.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Come join us! 🔬🐣 The Piacentino Lab at Johns Hopkins @hopkinsmedicine.bsky.social is recruiting a postdoc to study membrane lipids, cell migration, and invasion in neural crest and embryonic models! @socdevbio.bsky.social @ascbiology.bsky.social #devbiol #cellbio #lipids
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Kresten Lindorff-Larsen @lindorfflarsen.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
It’s time for the World Cup final with one of the greatest footballers that may be playing his last cup So time for a short thread on a link between Messi and an intrinsically disordered protein. 1/n
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Jeremy Yoder says no war @jbyoder.org · 13/07/2026
Holy COW. Text analysis of comments on the OMB rule: overwhelming opposition, overwhelmingly not form letters. (But 9 in 10 comments supporting the rule ARE form responses, LOL) Whatever happens next, folks have stepped up.
Screenshot text: Between May 29 and July 9, roughly 51,000 comments were posted to regulations.gov (and over 200,000 more had been received but not yet published). The verdict on public sentiment is clear and lopsided: about 94 percent oppose the proposed rule and only 6 percent support it, with fewer than one percent marked as unclear. The opposition is overwhelmingly grassroots rather than orchestrated. Form letters make up only about 16 percent of all comments (roughly 8,400 comments across 210 distinct campaigns), and only about one in eight opposing comments came from a form-letter campaign. Support for the rule, by contrast, was almost entirely organized: nearly nine in ten supportive comments (about 2,500) came from a single form-letter campaign. Opponents mostly wrote their own comments; supporters mostly signed the same form-letter.
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Biophysics used to be the field of applying mathematical principles of physics to biology, but biology has largely fallen in line with this. Biophysics today is more about bridging fields and scrutinizing methods across disciplines. Bio(Ph)ysics it's what's for breakfast!
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Andrew Plested @andrewplested.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Wow. I love papers like this where you start off thinking “what? Sounds fishy” and then the data are so convincing and the paper so well written that is all so clear that you are blown away. Cells have a little aerial to allow them to move toward the anode!!! Galvanin! #PureScience #biophysics
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Physics of Life Dresden @poldresden.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
🏆 Introducing the inaugural Suzanne Eaton Awards for Physics of Life! We're thrilled to announce the 2026 recipients: L. Mahadevan @harvard.edu and Anna Erzberger @embl.org. 👨‍🔬Both scientists will give award lectures on 20. November, more info to follow ➡️Read our announcement here: tud.link/cjm8t2
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Kresten Lindorff-Larsen @lindorfflarsen.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Come join the new Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Design as a group leader Cool science in a great scientific environment in wonderful and very family friendly Copenhagen There are two positions that can either be at TT assistant or associate prof level employment.ku.dk/tenure-track...
employment.ku.dk
Tenure-track Assistant Professor or Associate Professor of De novo Protein Design
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Design at the University of Copenhagen seeks to appoint two new group leaders in de novo protein design from 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. These positions will be at the Assistant or Associate Professor level and associated with the Department of Biology (Faculty of Science) or the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences).
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Markus Deserno @markusdeserno.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
📣 Hear! Hear! 🦋 Behold this Bluetorial on a cool paper written with my PhD student Nathaniel Wesnak 🧪 If you want to dive into the rabbit hole of lipid flop-flop and its description as a stochastic process—here’s your TEASER TRAILER on some flippin’ awesome work: doi.org/10.1063/5.03... 1/26
doi.org
Stochastic process description of lipid flip-flop
Since lipid bilayers are self-assembled macroscopic aggregates, their constituent lipid molecules can spontaneously transition between the two leaflets. This so
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Weizmann Institute of Science @weizmann.ac.il · 21/06/2026
Welcome to the official Bluesky account of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Here we share scientific discoveries, research news, and stories from our scientists.
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Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 17/06/2026
Any1 is a #phospholipid scramblase involved in #endosome biogenesis. From Jieqiong Gao, Christian Ungermann and colleagues: rupress.org/jcb/article/... 📕 Part of #Lysosomes 2026: rupress.org/jcb/collecti...
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Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 16/06/2026
Sorting nexin 10 regulates lysosomal ionic homeostasis via ClC-7 by controlling PI(3,5)P2. From Jing Ze Wu, Sergio Grinstein, Spencer Freeman @spencerfreeman.bsky.social and colleagues: rupress.org/jcb/article/... 📕 Part of #Lysosomes 2026: rupress.org/jcb/collecti...
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
What a trove! Brief, factual one paragraph summaries of science news and one-liners for actual articles with links. No opinions, or 'discussion' just quick snippets of news, article links and general happenings in science, all with sources and direct links. #science #nature #academics #world
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Markus Deserno @markusdeserno.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
This looks like a very useful tool for everyone who regularly simulates complex Martini membranes! Thanks to @fabiololicato.com and his team for spearheading this effort!
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Sam Foley @samuelfoley.com · 11/06/2026
🧪⚛️ Our paper is finally published in Phys Rev Research! doi.org/10.1103/cnfz... Can cells make decisions using equilibrium physical principles, without resorting to irreversible, energy-consuming signaling cascades? We say yes, with the help of self-assembling membrane proteins! 🧵(1/7)
Plot of fractional response vs receptor concentration, comparing three different "passive sensing mechanisms": direct binding from solution, membrane-assisted binding, and membrane self-assembly.
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Michael Okun @michael-okun.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I’ve officially resigned as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. It used to be a reputable journal, but became a case study in how forced automation destroys academic integrity. 👇
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Dollie LaJoie @dolliemae.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Seeking a post-doc for the LaJoie lab at the Human Technopole, Milan, Italy! We are looking for candidates from the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, and proteomics, who are interested in studying protein interactions of the nucleus 🤓 lnkd.in/dTG2CgXF
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Carsten Schulte @carstenschulte4.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
New PhD opportunity in my lab📣! The PhD studentship* will be embedded in a broader project looking at glioblastoma from a mechanobiological angle, funded by a recently granted Springboard award from the @acmedsci.bsky.social 🙏. *only home student fees covered 👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
findaphd.com
Leveraging mechanobiology for the dissection of stem-like properties and therapeutic resistance potential in glioblastoma cells at University of Strathclyde on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Leveraging mechanobiology for the dissection of stem-like properties and therapeutic resistance potential in glioblastoma cells at University of Strathclyde, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Paul J. Dauenhauer @pauldauenhauer.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The struggle is real
Scientific literacy
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Pretty cool!! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... Last year, we showed that membranes can be asymmetric in an unexpected way: more phospholipids on one side than the other, balanced by cholesterol asymmetry. Here, Bogdanov et al show similar in EColi, with DAG doing cholesterol's flippy-buffering job
pubs.acs.org
Dark Side of Escherichia coli Biogenic Inner Membrane: Overabundance of Three Main Phospholipids on Cytoplasmic Leaflet
Transmembrane (TM) asymmetry of glycerophospholipids in the plasma membrane is well established, yet still a complex and evolving area of study regarding the exact mechanisms, magnitude, and compositi...
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Malcolm D. @mdpb53.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Scientifically, a raven has 17 primary wing feathers, the big ones at the end of the wing. They are called pinion feathers. A crow has 16. So, the difference between a raven and a crow is only a matter of a pinion.
static.klipy.com
Black Bird's Flowing Walk
ALT: Black Bird's Flowing Walk
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Agree with this long thread on (mostly) strengths and (very few) weaknesses of present NIH grant peer review process
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
#Academia #PostdocLife #Science #HPS #BioSky How do you deal with complete lack of motivation and writers block?
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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Doing a linear stretch on these images shows how dramatic the "edits" were, revealing the deception in clear terms. This should be a complete scandal for Thermo Fisher and more people in the biosciences should be talking about it.
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Wow. I always suspected those blots (and the antibodies behind them) were crap, but this is far beyond the pail
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Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Scientific Streisand Effect
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Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I just learned that OMB is required to respond to every comment on the anti-peer-review rule. So that means our comments really matter, at the very least by gumming up the gears. Send your comment today.
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Schiracha (Schirra) @schiracha.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Literally, life giving you lemons. Its free fruit! So much lemonade and great pasta dishes to be made!
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Levental Lab @leventallab.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Soooo annoying!! Did they do this on purpose?!?
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