iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Ben Larson @blarson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Had a lot of fun writing this dispatch article for @currentbiology.bsky.social with PhD student Caitlin Doyle www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti..., highlighting cell morphogenesis and recent work on suctorian growth control principles. 1/3

sciencedirect.com

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Nicholas Bellono @nbellono.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

How did octopuses evolve novel traits? Rishav Mitra, Richard Han, Trey Scott, et al serendipitously discover a unique ribosome adaptation that increases the accuracy of protein synthesis and evolved alongside their elaborate nervous systems vs deep sea relatives. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Sternberg Lab @sternberglab.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

1/11 New preprint from the Sternberg lab in collaboration with the Fernández lab! We are excited to share our structure-function study of DRT10, a bacterial defense-associated reverse transcriptase that synthesizes long tandem-repeat DNA.🧵 Read the full story here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

Mechanism of tandem-repeat DNA synthesis by an antiviral reverse transcriptase

Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ DNA synthesis to protect bacteria against phage infection[1][1],[2][2]. We previously showed that DRT10, a tripartite system comprising an RT, a...

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Scott Coyle @cellraiser.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Had a blast putting this video abstract together with colleagues for @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social story in @currentbiology.bsky.social on how the "vampire cell" P. collini builds the perfect feeding trap 👀. Be sure to check out the full paper: www.cell.com/current-biol... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikzm...

youtube.com

A cellular vampire builds the perfect feeding trap / Curr. Biol., June 24, 2026 (Vol. 36, Issue 14)

YouTube video by Cell Press

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Ben Larson @blarson.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I had a ton of fun the other day talking with @nonresidentdesi.bsky.social and @scifri.bsky.social 's Flora Lichtman and Rasha Aridi about murderous microbes and the things that we are trying to learn from them. Happy for the opportunity to bring some new awareness to the world of protists!

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matthew capek @matthewcapek.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

i am honored and grateful to be selected as a 2026 Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow !! much exciting research to come

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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Folks, mind the suctorian trap!

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Rohith Rajasekaran @born2raisecell.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I am honored and grateful to be selected as a 2026 Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow! I hope to continue doing exciting research!

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Zhejing (Maggie) Xu @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Our updated full story on suctorian trap structure adaptation now online in @currentbiology.bsky.social! Huge thanks to Scott and all the co-authors for all the wow moments along the way! Also, if you’d like some new #protist #suctorian, let’s know! (They are surprisingly easy roommates/predators) 🤠

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edenchang.bsky.social @edenchang.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Excited to share our new bioRxiv preprint! We introduce RIPPLE, a synthetic platform that couples reaction–diffusion signaling with protein condensation to generate tunable intracellular architectures. Grateful to @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social and @cellraiser.bsky.social. It’s been a rewarding journey.

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Zhejing (Maggie) Xu @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Watching reaction-diffusion signaling couple to protein condensations feels like opening a new world of exotic subcellular spatial patterning 🌌 huge thanks to the evolving idea started from @edenchang.bsky.social and @cellraiser.bsky.social that make this journey possible and incredibly fun!

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Nicholas Bellono @nbellono.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

How did animal senses evolve? Max Coyle et al. used choanoflagellates to uncover TRPW, ancient ion channels predating animal somatosensory receptors. TRPW links microbial prey ecology to evolution of receptor structure, sensory organelles, & multicellular processing. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry @uwbiochem.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Join us for Rohith Rajasekaran's (@born2raisecell.bsky.social) PhD thesis defense on Friday, Nov. 21! Rajasekaran's research was completed in the Coyle Lab (@cellraiser.bsky.social). More info: today.wisc.edu/events/view/...

today.wisc.edu

IPiB Thesis Review: Rohith Rajasekaran | UW–Madison Events Calendar

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Zhejing (Maggie) Xu @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Still get goosebumps thinking about @dudinlab.bsky.social’s presentation on the “microbial art gallery” at the GRC conference 🎇. So grateful for you and Marine 🪄 for helping us grow the suctorian corner of #ProtistsOnSky 💪

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Zhejing (Maggie) Xu @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Thrilled to share our work on the 🔥 single-celled predator Podophrya collini, which rewires its cell morphology to hunt more efficiently. Huge thanks to our amazing team—Amy, Lauren, Omaya, Marine, Mari, and especially Scott—for making this shine! ✨

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Scott Coyle @cellraiser.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Excited to share a new preprint! Wireless devices use FM modulation to transmit multiplexed noise-resistant data. Led by @born2raisecell.bsky.social, we create a biochemical analogue of this paradigm using genetically encoded oscillators (GEOs) for single-cell FM streaming tinyurl.com/nbs8rw42 🧵

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