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Pranas Grigaitis

@pranasag.bsky.social
220 followers 423 following 49 posts

helping cells spend their molecular cash wisely | ants, microbes, and combinations of both | biochemist behind a computer @kit.edu | ex @vuamsterdam.bsky.social, @uniheidelberg.bsky.social & U Vilnius | rookie bassist, saxophonist | pranasag.github.io

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Reposted by Pranas Grigaitis
Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Philosophy of Biology: The power of theory in the life sciences" elifesciences.org/articles/112... @zdblount.bsky.social shared this thought-provoking paper with the lab group.
elifesciences.org
Philosophy of Biology: The power of theory in the life sciences
Theory can help address cell and molecular biology’s major challenges, particularly those arising from large omics datasets.
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
What kcat predictor is best for systems biology? We predicted yeast growth w/ 6 tools. Benchmark scores failed to predict model performance. One key error can mess up everything Accuracy is global—impact is local Let’s test AI tools beyond benchmarks tinyurl.com/bdznxy8y @univie.ac.at #PROHITS
biorxiv.org
Beyond benchmark accuracy: machine-learning turnover-number predictors require system-level validation
Enzyme turnover numbers ( k cat) are essential for kinetic models and enzyme-constrained genome-scale metabolic models (ecGEMs), but measured values are sparse and therefore increasingly estimated usi...
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ECMTB'26 @ecmtb2026.org · 13/07/2026
From early morning to late evening; from registration to reception: it's a wrap for the first day of #ECMTB26! Looking forward to more exciting talks, discussions, and the first round of poster presentations tomorrow!
Early morning: fully staffed registration desks. Organisers and student helpers waiting for participants to pick up their nametagsBusy gathering next to the conference office after a plenary talkWelcome Reception: musical performance of Timber (Michael Gordon) by STUDIO PERCUSSION GrazLate evening, welcome reception: social gathering in the main building courtyard
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
"Sleep is for the weak" seems to be a part of the official policy handbook at @ecmtb2026.org -- woke up at 04.35am to somebody rehearsing their talk with an open window 😁
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Now that the dust has settled. As someone who is not exactly the master of the technique, talking before the audience at the International Metaproteomics Symposium was... an interesting experience, let's put it this way. I have discovered an amazing community
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
🔥 Published today, and just in time for summer conferences, here are your guidelines for presenting badly www.nature.com/articles/s41... rdcu.be/fqa92
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Melissah Rowe @melissahrowe.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
🐦 Interested in avian reproduction, microbiomes, or reproductive microbiomes? I'm looking for outstanding early-career researchers interested in applying for an NWO Veni grant to join my group at NIOO. Pre-proposals are due after the summer. Email me to discuss ideas. #EarlyCareerResearcher #Postdoc
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
The NWO Life conference was a blast! Great keynotes, very valuable input on our current research, and the cherry on the top was the focus session on socially transferred materials. There I gave a talk on my post-doc shenanigans regarding microbial up-cycling of social fluids in ant colonies...
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
This Friday: microbial superheroes in socially transferred materials! Those who know me can easily guess I will be mostly talking about the feeders, but one just has to appreciate _all_ the microbial goods that circulate in STMs.
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Joris M. Koene @joriskoene.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
With Bart Pollux and @anikokorosi.bsky.social , I will chair the Focus session “Socially Transferred Materials" at NWO Life (28-29 May 2026) 🐜🐸🐌🐄🥚 Invites speakers are @sanjahakala.bsky.social , @pranasag.bsky.social, Peter Kwant and @melissahrowe.bsky.social @socialtransfernet.bsky.social
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Why to choose between ants and microbes when you can have both? @khadlily.bsky.social, @adriatica.bsky.social and co. have been diving into what's happening in the honeypot ant repletes for years, and the first papers are coming out 🎉 (photo copyright: Smithsonian Institution-NMNH-Insect Zoo)
Honeypot ant replete (an ant with a massive, inflated belly, full of storage compounds)
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georghochberg.bsky.social @georghochberg.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
I will probably be hiring either a PhD or a Postdoc in the near future. If you are interested in deep biochemical history or molecular mechanisms of evolution please get in touch.
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Economic Principles in Cell Biology @economic-cell.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Spring is here and Piglette is getting ready to swim in Liebig's barrel while reading about it in the brand new chapter on Microeconomics of cell metabolism by Jumpei Yamagishi and Tetsuhiro Hatakeyama. Find it here in the new edition of our textbook principlescellphysiology.org/book-economi...
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Late spring 🌼 is an excellent time to be back in the Lowlands, especially as a part of a great line-up at the STM focus session! Thanks @joriskoene.bsky.social @anikokorosi.bsky.social and Bart for the invitation - looking forward
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Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) @kit.edu · 11/03/2026
KIT Successfully Defends Its Title as University of Excellence! “We are overjoyed,” says Professor Jan S. Hesthaven, President of KIT. www.kit.edu/kit/english/... #KITKarlsruhe #UniversityOfExcellence #ScienceForImpact #ExcellenceStrategy
Das Präsidium des KIT feiert den Erfolg in der Exzellenzstrategie.
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VAAM e.V. @vaam-microbes.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
🚀 VAAM Annual Conference 2026, Berlin, 23–25 March Don’t miss out — register now & meet the microbiology community for talks, poster sessions, Research and PhD Awards, and special events for Young Scientists. Connect, learn, and exchange ideas! 👉 Join us & register here: t1p.de/b2vf8 #VAAM2026
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
PhD position: AI-driven bioprocess modelling for circular bioproduction @univie.ac.at | Cluster of Excellence: Circular Bioengineering Focus: Simulation. Optimization. Data-driven biotech Apply here careers.univie.ac.at/en/praedoc/s...
careers.univie.ac.at
Chemistry
Live and study in the heart of Vienna- a top-ranked city for quality of life!
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Universiteit Leiden @unileiden.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Renske Gilissen is gespecialiseerd in #suïcidepreventie Met haar onderzoek en onderwijs richt zij zich op preventiemaatregelen.
universiteitleiden.nl
Leidse hoogleraar in nieuwe podcast over zelfdodingsgedachten
Wist je dat ongeveer 25% van de mensen ooit aan zelfdoding heeft gedacht? In een nieuwe podcast van de Universiteit van Nederland vertelt hoogleraar Renske Gilissen over inzichten en praktische handva...
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I might be biased about whether they are *the* best, but they are truly amazing.
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
The book chapter (1st as the last author 😎) is finally "officially" out: doi.org/10.1007/978-... Thanks to the team! (DM for the pdf if you need one)
doi.org
From Genome to Function: Metabolism-Wide Models of Lifecycle Stages of Parasites
Metabolism is a complex network of biochemical reactions that cells use to obtain free energy transduced from nutrients and synthesize new cellular components. Understanding the wiring of metabolism c...
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bioRxiv SysBio @biorxiv-sysbio.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Mitochondrial ribosome content as a proxy for respiration www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Upon their kind invitation from my lovely colleagues from Uni Verona, I am delighted to join the speakers' list of the online symposium: 📌 Mining Non-Conventional Yeasts (NCY) Biodiversity 📅 February 17, 2026 Details and registration: www.dbt.univr.it?ent=seminari...
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Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
This is such hard news to process. Such an amazing scientist and inspiration for so many of us. www.embl.org/news/embl-an...
embl.org
In remembrance of Peer Bork  | EMBL
EMBL and its community are deeply saddened by the death of Peer Bork, the organisation’s Interim Director General.
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Jenny Stynoski @stynoski.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
🧃☕️ BYOF Seminar | Fri Oct 24 @ 10 am EDT🥛🍹 Bring-Your-Own-Fluid + enjoy 7 min talks about social fluids: 🦈 Viviparity & matrotrophy • Daniel Hughes 🐦 Crop milk • Victoria Farrar 🦂 Sexual stings • Yuqi Reitsema-Wang Email hello@socialtransfer.net for the Zoom link! 🔗 @socialtransfernet.bsky.social
Logo and QR of the Bring Your Own Fluid seminar series, presented by the Social Transfer Network
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Another round of selfish self-promotion: please join us for the best bridging event to your Halloween party if you are nearby Amsterdam on that day (mandatory music reference: youtu.be/vFwYJYl5GUQ?...)
youtu.be
Type O Negative - Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare -All) [HD Remaster] [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
YouTube video by Roadrunner Records
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Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Metabolic interplay drives population cycles in a cross-feeding microbial community @natcomms.nature.com from @oventurelli2.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Metabolic interplay drives population cycles in a cross-feeding microbial community - Nature Communications
Here the authors leverage a crossfeeding, engineered microbial community to demonstrate that strain abundance cycles are robust across environmental conditions. They pair this with a nonlinear dynamic model to elucidate population cycles.
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Alex Fedorec @ajfedorec.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
I'm going to be advertising for a few positions in my group in the next couple of months for a big project on synthetic microbial communities. I would love to hear from you if you are interested and I'd also appreciate if everyone could share this far and wide!
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Metabolic modeling aficionados in the Netherlands (and close to border), attention please! (promo thread)
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Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
There’s a leak - and a conceptual artist - at the Max Planck 👌
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
It's a common wisdom that the whole genome is not expressed at the same time. Is trying to make a map of the 'entirety' of the metabolic potential (aka genome-scale model) useless, and potentially reckless? It's only an intermediate stop. Especially for unicellular parasites. doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
doi.org
From genome to function: metabolism-wide models of lifecycle stages of parasites
Abstract Metabolism is a complex network of biochemical reactions that cells use to obtain free energy transduced from nutrients and synthesize new cellular components. Understanding the wiring of met...
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Good ideas come from having lots of experience. And experience comes from having lots of bad ideas.
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Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
@berasymbionts.bsky.social speaking about socially transferred materials and her amazing beetles and fungal symbiont transfer opening the @socialtransfernet.bsky.social symposium at #ESEB2025
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Melissah Rowe @melissahrowe.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
3.5-year #Postdoc position on avian microbiomes and reproduction @animalecol-nioo.bsky.social @niooknaw.bsky.social on a fully-funded ERC project focused on understanding the significance of reproductive microbiomes for host biology and fitness. Reach out for more info! nioo.knaw.nl/en/vacancies...
nioo.knaw.nl
Postdoctoral researcher: avian microbiomes and reproduction
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join our team working on avian reproductive microbiomes at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) in the group of Dr. Melissah Rowe. The postd...
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BejaLabTechnion @bejalab.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Scientific bedlam at the world’s weirdest and wildest research conference www.nature.com/articles/d41... @odedrechavi.bsky.social @sheilaroitman.bsky.social @alinapi.bsky.social @barakrotblat.bsky.social
nature.com
Scientific bedlam at the world’s weirdest and wildest research conference
Woodstock Bio2 + Night Science aimed to encourage collaborations through creativity. The walk-on music for presentations was fun, too.
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
🎬 Straight from the red carpet to the green screen 🎥 The Glorious Four, @diana-sz.bsky.social #EladNoor #FelipeScott #MarceloRivas close out our summer school saga in style 🎞️ Fall release coming to a thread near you, don’t miss it @economic-cell.bsky.social @univie.ac.at @cecamevents.bsky.social
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Diana Széliová @diana-sz.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Today wrapped up our 4th summer school on Economic Principles in Cell Biology organized by @economic-cell.bsky.social at the beautiful @univie.ac.at 🤩 Huge thanks to all the students, teachers and @cecamevents.bsky.social for the support! ✨️ See you next year!
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miki92.bsky.social @miki92.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Last day of our summer school! 🥹 So happy to have seen you all here in Vienna! 🇦🇹 @economic-cell.bsky.social
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
The cast keeps growing faster than E. coli in rich medium #SteffenWaldherr’s in, slate’s up, the signal is strong: Hasta la vista, baby. 🎥 @economic-cell.bsky.social @univie.ac.at 📚🌱
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
🎬 Hollywood called, but @meikewortel.bsky.social said: “I’m booked – starring in Economic Principles in Cell Biology: The Sequel.” Catch her and the rest of the cast at the @univie.ac.at summer school 👉 @economic-cell.bsky.social 🎥🌱📚
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
🎥 @pranasag.bsky.social understood the assignment: “Put your head in the game.” 🎬 The @univie.ac.at summer school Economic Principles in Cell Biology is in full swing! Catch us before we all lose our heads 👉 @economic-cell.bsky.social 🌱📚 supported by @cecamevents.bsky.social
@pranasag.bsky.social sticks his head through a film slate
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Jürgen Zanghellini @juergenzanghellini.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
📸 #MarkusKöbis. Green screen. Slate snap. Filming is underway for "Economic Principles in Cell Biology" at our summer school @univie.ac.at 🌱📚 Check us out at @economic-cell.bsky.social before #Netflix grabs exclusive rights 🎬 Supported by @cecamevents.bsky.social
Markus Köbis in front of a green screen, snapping a slate before he records his video on Economic Principle in Cell Biology
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Social Transfer Network @socialtransfernet.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
🌐 Welcome to the Social Transfer Network (STN) on Bluesky! We’re an interdisciplinary community exploring how materials/signals (from molecules to microbes) transfer between individuals and shape health, behavior, and evolution. #STM
doi.org
Redirecting
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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Dear early career scientists! Why not join us in September in Lithuania’s beautiful capital city for the EMBO Young Scientists’ Forum? We will have have a full Night Science workshop & exciting research sessions. Abstract submission: August 1 meetings.embo.org/event/25-eysf @evogytis.bsky.social
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Economic Principles in Cell Biology @economic-cell.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
There is still time to join us for engaging lectures and provoking discussions at our Summer School on Economic Principles of Cell Biology - at least online! Mark your calendars, July 23-26, and register here: univienna.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
univienna.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: univie: summer school Economic Principles in Cell Biology. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
You can find the lecture schedule at: https://principlescellphysiology.org/summer-school-2025/schedule.html
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Helena Klara Jambor @helenajambor.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
... and a few minutes ago our Chart-Checklist came out in @natcellbio.nature.com 🥳🎉 Gift link for #TCTeAC: rdcu.be/eqPpi www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A checklist for designing and improving the visualization of scientific data - Nature Cell Biology
Creating clear and engaging scientific figures is crucial to communicate complex data. In this Comment, I condense principles from design, visual perception and data visualization research in a checkl...
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Ben Hartl @bhartl.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Let's not be #TCTeAC "The Conference To END All Conferences", but a new format of many more such events. Depating science outside of our typical nutshell (scientifically and mentally) has great potential - we could have come up with 50+ project proposals together. Let's bring fun back to science :)
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Pranas Grigaitis @pranasag.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Oscar-grade acting!
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Neta Felsenthal @netafelsenthal.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
#TCTeAC This is exactly what it looks like (fluid exchanging behaviors in ants🐜)
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Jakub Zeman @jakub-zeman.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely. Corrupted PowerPoint slides support creativity. #TCTeAC
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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
You’re probably why it takes so long for your paper to get reviewed and your excuses are bad dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/y... 🧪
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
You’re probably why it takes so long for your paper to get reviewed and your excuses are bad
A weird thing happened in scientific publishing during COVID. And it hasn’t gone away. Publications went up 30-50%. And responses to requests to review went down 30-50%. I know the actual statistic…
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