Andrew Plested
@andrewplested.bsky.social
Glutamate
ORCID: 0000-0001-6062-0832
ORCID: 0000-0001-6062-0832
Pinned
iGlu3Fast and iGlu3Slow, improved fluorescent reporters for detection of spontaneous glutamate activity in the brain
The genetically-encoded fluorescent glutamate sensor, iGluSnFR3, characterised by a high dynamic range and rapid on-kinetics, is an attractive sensor for glutamate imaging in the central nervous syste...
www.biorxiv.org
The latest version of our collaboration with Katalin Torok and her lab is up. We report some new glutamate sensors. Great work from Sara Bertelli in Berlin and the whole team in London (Holly & Oanh particularly).
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/6
1/6
Reposted by Andrew Plested
I recently wrote a 1page "Highlight" article for the Swiss Journal @chimiajournal.bsky.social about the #single-molecule perspective on biomolecular dynamics and experiments:
Beyond 3D Structures: New Ways to Study Biomolecular Gymnastics
www.chimia.ch/chimia/artic...
Beyond 3D Structures: New Ways to Study Biomolecular Gymnastics
www.chimia.ch/chimia/artic...
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I recently wrote a 1page "Highlight" article for the Swiss Journal @chimiajournal.bsky.social about the #single-molecule perspective on biomolecular dynamics and experiments:
Beyond 3D Structures: New Ways to Study Biomolecular Gymnastics
www.chimia.ch/chimia/artic...
Beyond 3D Structures: New Ways to Study Biomolecular Gymnastics
www.chimia.ch/chimia/artic...
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe!
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe!
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
We are uniting two research powerhouses.
For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more.
Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
🚀 Exciting news for the imaging community!
The EMBO Practical Course – Hack Your Microscope is coming to ITQB NOVA (Oeiras, Portugal) on April 20–25, 2026 🧠🔬
👉 Course details & registration: meetings.embo.org/event/26-mic...
#Microscopy #OpenScience #Bioimaging #EMBOmicroscope
The EMBO Practical Course – Hack Your Microscope is coming to ITQB NOVA (Oeiras, Portugal) on April 20–25, 2026 🧠🔬
👉 Course details & registration: meetings.embo.org/event/26-mic...
#Microscopy #OpenScience #Bioimaging #EMBOmicroscope
November 10, 2025 at 9:10 AM
🚀 Exciting news for the imaging community!
The EMBO Practical Course – Hack Your Microscope is coming to ITQB NOVA (Oeiras, Portugal) on April 20–25, 2026 🧠🔬
👉 Course details & registration: meetings.embo.org/event/26-mic...
#Microscopy #OpenScience #Bioimaging #EMBOmicroscope
The EMBO Practical Course – Hack Your Microscope is coming to ITQB NOVA (Oeiras, Portugal) on April 20–25, 2026 🧠🔬
👉 Course details & registration: meetings.embo.org/event/26-mic...
#Microscopy #OpenScience #Bioimaging #EMBOmicroscope
Moon just before it rolled down this mountain into the Tagliamento valley.
November 10, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Moon just before it rolled down this mountain into the Tagliamento valley.
That’s one way to do it, I guess.
Never went chasing after journal editors myself. At conferences, I try to meet interesting people, and exchange ideas and learn. Isn’t this what drives science forward?
Man, do I have fun when I go to meetings and meet my interesting colleagues.
Never went chasing after journal editors myself. At conferences, I try to meet interesting people, and exchange ideas and learn. Isn’t this what drives science forward?
Man, do I have fun when I go to meetings and meet my interesting colleagues.
November 9, 2025 at 10:34 PM
That’s one way to do it, I guess.
Never went chasing after journal editors myself. At conferences, I try to meet interesting people, and exchange ideas and learn. Isn’t this what drives science forward?
Man, do I have fun when I go to meetings and meet my interesting colleagues.
Never went chasing after journal editors myself. At conferences, I try to meet interesting people, and exchange ideas and learn. Isn’t this what drives science forward?
Man, do I have fun when I go to meetings and meet my interesting colleagues.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Super-proud of my amazing wife @ksusztak.bsky.social, a real trailblazer scientist, a newly-elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and the recipient of the Homer W Smith award from the American Society of Nephrology. It was great celebrating with you in Houston at #KidneyWk.
November 9, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Super-proud of my amazing wife @ksusztak.bsky.social, a real trailblazer scientist, a newly-elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and the recipient of the Homer W Smith award from the American Society of Nephrology. It was great celebrating with you in Houston at #KidneyWk.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
An amazing day, I was 17 and lived about 5 min away from Checkpoint Charlie!
The Berlin Wall, which divided Berlin and Europe for 28 years, fell on 9 November 1989.
November 9, 2025 at 12:31 PM
An amazing day, I was 17 and lived about 5 min away from Checkpoint Charlie!
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Yes, some people's legacies are complicated. For example, Watson. After all, though he was racist, don't forget his other traits. For example, he was also sexist. And also anti-semitic. And a data / idea thief. So let's not forget all the different facets.
November 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Yes, some people's legacies are complicated. For example, Watson. After all, though he was racist, don't forget his other traits. For example, he was also sexist. And also anti-semitic. And a data / idea thief. So let's not forget all the different facets.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
I wrote a review of a recent paper on false discovery and multiple testing correction. liorpachter.wordpress.com/2025/06/16/r...
Reply to: Reply to: False positives in the study of memory-related gene expression
In the Nature paper “Spatial transcriptomics reveal neuron–astrocyte synergy in long-term memory” published on March 14th, 2024, authors Sun et al. claimed to identify cell-type specifi…
liorpachter.wordpress.com
June 16, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I wrote a review of a recent paper on false discovery and multiple testing correction. liorpachter.wordpress.com/2025/06/16/r...
Calcium and magnesium in the pore of NMDA receptors!
Lipids play an unexpected role. The hydration shells of Ca2+ and Mg2+ could be the difference between permeation and block. So much physiology in the energetics of H2O.
Very stimulating work! Congrats @lab-furukawa.bsky.social
#iglurs
Lipids play an unexpected role. The hydration shells of Ca2+ and Mg2+ could be the difference between permeation and block. So much physiology in the energetics of H2O.
Very stimulating work! Congrats @lab-furukawa.bsky.social
#iglurs
November 8, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Calcium and magnesium in the pore of NMDA receptors!
Lipids play an unexpected role. The hydration shells of Ca2+ and Mg2+ could be the difference between permeation and block. So much physiology in the energetics of H2O.
Very stimulating work! Congrats @lab-furukawa.bsky.social
#iglurs
Lipids play an unexpected role. The hydration shells of Ca2+ and Mg2+ could be the difference between permeation and block. So much physiology in the energetics of H2O.
Very stimulating work! Congrats @lab-furukawa.bsky.social
#iglurs
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Scientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
James Watson in his own words
“Some anti-Semitism is justified” “Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you’re not going to hire them” “Japan should be bombed for d…
liorpachter.wordpress.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Scientific breakthroughs are rarely unique; someone else would’ve made them soon enough. But when prominent scientists cause harm, that harm isn’t inevitable; the world might simply have been better had the harm not been inflicted.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
Reposted by Andrew Plested
This is a glimpse of the cytoskeletal structures we found doing U-ExM in more than 200 species, now in Cell🤩: shorturl.at/6oHvi
Amazing collaboration between @centriolelab.bsky.social , @dudinlab.bsky.social and @gautamdey.bsky.social labs.
I believe last one is a 🕷️
#FluorescenceFriday
#Microscopy
Amazing collaboration between @centriolelab.bsky.social , @dudinlab.bsky.social and @gautamdey.bsky.social labs.
I believe last one is a 🕷️
#FluorescenceFriday
#Microscopy
November 7, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This is a glimpse of the cytoskeletal structures we found doing U-ExM in more than 200 species, now in Cell🤩: shorturl.at/6oHvi
Amazing collaboration between @centriolelab.bsky.social , @dudinlab.bsky.social and @gautamdey.bsky.social labs.
I believe last one is a 🕷️
#FluorescenceFriday
#Microscopy
Amazing collaboration between @centriolelab.bsky.social , @dudinlab.bsky.social and @gautamdey.bsky.social labs.
I believe last one is a 🕷️
#FluorescenceFriday
#Microscopy
Reposted by Andrew Plested
I think about this post every day 🧪
November 7, 2025 at 12:15 PM
I think about this post every day 🧪
Reposted by Andrew Plested
My prediction is that LLM peer review will slow down science. It will do this for precisely the same reasons that contemporary peer review does and some extra ones. Start by reading @hansonmark.bsky.social thread below, then read on. 🧵
Just tried q.e.d. by @odedrechavi.bsky.social et al. with a few papers including by myself & others where I knew a claim within was flawed based on a misunderstanding of the signal.
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
q.e.d Science
Critical Thinking AI for constructive criticism and science evaluation
www.qedscience.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
My prediction is that LLM peer review will slow down science. It will do this for precisely the same reasons that contemporary peer review does and some extra ones. Start by reading @hansonmark.bsky.social thread below, then read on. 🧵
Reposted by Andrew Plested
“Stands out … for its contribution to the society in the field to finance”???? Maybe the most bizarre spam email I ever received…
November 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
“Stands out … for its contribution to the society in the field to finance”???? Maybe the most bizarre spam email I ever received…
Reposted by Andrew Plested
BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.
November 6, 2025 at 12:47 AM
BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Was up until 5:30 am writing a grant, then up again at 730 for another full day to finish it today. Now done! 🎉
As academics know, it's not one job. It might be 4. With funding rates at 5%, grant-writing is 1 full-time job. Then there's letters, reviews, committee work, teaching — endless deadlines
As academics know, it's not one job. It might be 4. With funding rates at 5%, grant-writing is 1 full-time job. Then there's letters, reviews, committee work, teaching — endless deadlines
November 6, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Was up until 5:30 am writing a grant, then up again at 730 for another full day to finish it today. Now done! 🎉
As academics know, it's not one job. It might be 4. With funding rates at 5%, grant-writing is 1 full-time job. Then there's letters, reviews, committee work, teaching — endless deadlines
As academics know, it's not one job. It might be 4. With funding rates at 5%, grant-writing is 1 full-time job. Then there's letters, reviews, committee work, teaching — endless deadlines
Intriguing. I find it hard to judge how much is evidence and how much is speculation, but I feel that this is an exciting and important area of research.
Harnessing energy out of random thermal motion? Biology will always find a way to exploit physics for its advantage.
#Biophysics #CellBiology
Harnessing energy out of random thermal motion? Biology will always find a way to exploit physics for its advantage.
#Biophysics #CellBiology
The Demon Hidden Behind Life's Ultra-Energy-Efficient Information Processing -- Demonstrated by Biological Molecular Motors
Toshio Yanagida, Keisuke Fujita, Mitsuhiro Iwaki
arxiv.org/abs/2510.27212
Toshio Yanagida, Keisuke Fujita, Mitsuhiro Iwaki
arxiv.org/abs/2510.27212
The Demon Hidden Behind Life's Ultra-Energy-Efficient Information Processing -- Demonstrated by Biological Molecular Motors
The remarkable progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has revealed the enormous energy demands of modern digital architectures, raising deep concerns about sustainability. In stark contrast, the hum...
arxiv.org
November 5, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Intriguing. I find it hard to judge how much is evidence and how much is speculation, but I feel that this is an exciting and important area of research.
Harnessing energy out of random thermal motion? Biology will always find a way to exploit physics for its advantage.
#Biophysics #CellBiology
Harnessing energy out of random thermal motion? Biology will always find a way to exploit physics for its advantage.
#Biophysics #CellBiology
Speaking German at the doctors, I am asked if I am from Switzerland.
Either the person is mad or my mistakes in German are waning.
Or both.
(To a Berliner, Swiss German is borderline incomprehensible, so it isn’t quite a compliment).
Either the person is mad or my mistakes in German are waning.
Or both.
(To a Berliner, Swiss German is borderline incomprehensible, so it isn’t quite a compliment).
November 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Speaking German at the doctors, I am asked if I am from Switzerland.
Either the person is mad or my mistakes in German are waning.
Or both.
(To a Berliner, Swiss German is borderline incomprehensible, so it isn’t quite a compliment).
Either the person is mad or my mistakes in German are waning.
Or both.
(To a Berliner, Swiss German is borderline incomprehensible, so it isn’t quite a compliment).
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Europe's MSCA postdoctoral fellowships are now attracting many researchers who would have gone to the US. So the payline has dropped below 10% (~1,600 fellowships to 17k applicants). Super tough situation. One more reason to double the next Horizon budget, as proposed by the EU Commission.
Applications for MCSA are up 64%! 50% now come from outside the EU. Trump effect?
The European Research market just got a hell of a lot more crowded.
EU should turn on the tap
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/news/msca-po...
The European Research market just got a hell of a lot more crowded.
EU should turn on the tap
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/news/msca-po...
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 receives record number of 17,058 proposals
This year’s annual MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call has attracted considerable interest from the research community with 17,058 proposals submitted.
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
November 3, 2025 at 8:24 AM
Europe's MSCA postdoctoral fellowships are now attracting many researchers who would have gone to the US. So the payline has dropped below 10% (~1,600 fellowships to 17k applicants). Super tough situation. One more reason to double the next Horizon budget, as proposed by the EU Commission.
Reposted by Andrew Plested
I’ve spent many years explaining/defending biorxiv’s “no reviews” policy.
The logic was always that opening Word and opining is a far lower barrier than doing actual research, so noise’d be >> signal and we didn’t want to make subjective quality judgements.
LLMs mean it makes even more sense 1/2
The logic was always that opening Word and opining is a far lower barrier than doing actual research, so noise’d be >> signal and we didn’t want to make subjective quality judgements.
LLMs mean it makes even more sense 1/2
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
I’ve spent many years explaining/defending biorxiv’s “no reviews” policy.
The logic was always that opening Word and opining is a far lower barrier than doing actual research, so noise’d be >> signal and we didn’t want to make subjective quality judgements.
LLMs mean it makes even more sense 1/2
The logic was always that opening Word and opining is a far lower barrier than doing actual research, so noise’d be >> signal and we didn’t want to make subjective quality judgements.
LLMs mean it makes even more sense 1/2
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Ce sentiment que notre temps ne compte pas et qu’on nous en demande toujours plus, à budget constat voire décroissant :
- on doit être ecolo mais les postes de laverie ne sont pas renouvelés
- on ajoute des nouvelles fonctions (ex référent.e égalité) mais on n’embauche pas de nouveaux personnels 1/
- on doit être ecolo mais les postes de laverie ne sont pas renouvelés
- on ajoute des nouvelles fonctions (ex référent.e égalité) mais on n’embauche pas de nouveaux personnels 1/
Quels sont d'après-vous les principaux problèmes rencontrés par les enseignants-chercheurs et les chercheurs en France aujourd'hui ?
November 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Ce sentiment que notre temps ne compte pas et qu’on nous en demande toujours plus, à budget constat voire décroissant :
- on doit être ecolo mais les postes de laverie ne sont pas renouvelés
- on ajoute des nouvelles fonctions (ex référent.e égalité) mais on n’embauche pas de nouveaux personnels 1/
- on doit être ecolo mais les postes de laverie ne sont pas renouvelés
- on ajoute des nouvelles fonctions (ex référent.e égalité) mais on n’embauche pas de nouveaux personnels 1/
Reposted by Andrew Plested
Single-molecule friends!
The prelim. program of next year's sm- #Gordon conference in Switzerland is online: www.grc.org/single-molec...
It'll be 3x fantastic: science, people, place in the alps ⛰️. Kevin & I hope to see you all next June:
Have a look, tell your friends, and register!
The prelim. program of next year's sm- #Gordon conference in Switzerland is online: www.grc.org/single-molec...
It'll be 3x fantastic: science, people, place in the alps ⛰️. Kevin & I hope to see you all next June:
Have a look, tell your friends, and register!
2026 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Single Molecule Approaches to Biology will be held in Les Diablerets, Vaud (fr) Switzerland. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
November 2, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Single-molecule friends!
The prelim. program of next year's sm- #Gordon conference in Switzerland is online: www.grc.org/single-molec...
It'll be 3x fantastic: science, people, place in the alps ⛰️. Kevin & I hope to see you all next June:
Have a look, tell your friends, and register!
The prelim. program of next year's sm- #Gordon conference in Switzerland is online: www.grc.org/single-molec...
It'll be 3x fantastic: science, people, place in the alps ⛰️. Kevin & I hope to see you all next June:
Have a look, tell your friends, and register!
Reposted by Andrew Plested
The Next Dimension: Digital Holography for 3D Interferometric Scattering | ACS Nano pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
The Next Dimension: Digital Holography for 3D Interferometric Scattering
We provide detailed experimental guidelines for implementing digital holography in the context of high-sensitivity interferometric scattering (iSCAT)-based nanosizing applications. Our approach relies on interferometry via the highly versatile off-axis implementation of digital holography, which offers key advantages over more traditional strategies. After a brief theoretical discussion of off-axis holography and its differences and similarities with iSCAT, typical experimental implementations and digital data-processing steps are presented. Key experimental parameters and strategies to achieve optimal performance are also highlighted. Following these experimental aspects, we focus on digital postprocessing routines that enable digital refocusing and 3D particle tracking as well as pupil function aberration correction. We then conclude with a few examples highlighting the broad applicability of digital holography for nanosizing and particle characterization applications, as well as an outlook for future applications.
pubs.acs.org
October 31, 2025 at 12:35 PM
The Next Dimension: Digital Holography for 3D Interferometric Scattering | ACS Nano pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
100% hard agree.
Strangely, Pages still isn’t great, Numbers is quite rubbish and seems irredeemable but Keynote is incredible and makes PowerPoint (its progenitor) look quite amateurish. This was true for nearly 20 years.
Always a shock to see a Mac user open a PowerPoint.
Strangely, Pages still isn’t great, Numbers is quite rubbish and seems irredeemable but Keynote is incredible and makes PowerPoint (its progenitor) look quite amateurish. This was true for nearly 20 years.
Always a shock to see a Mac user open a PowerPoint.
Infinitely better solution - if you have a Mac use Keynote. If you possibly can. There is almost no area in which it's not superior.
Except compatibility - both directions - it won't accept old movie codecs, and rigid organisers sometimes look at you and say "we need your PowerPoint on a stick".
Except compatibility - both directions - it won't accept old movie codecs, and rigid organisers sometimes look at you and say "we need your PowerPoint on a stick".
October 31, 2025 at 12:09 PM
100% hard agree.
Strangely, Pages still isn’t great, Numbers is quite rubbish and seems irredeemable but Keynote is incredible and makes PowerPoint (its progenitor) look quite amateurish. This was true for nearly 20 years.
Always a shock to see a Mac user open a PowerPoint.
Strangely, Pages still isn’t great, Numbers is quite rubbish and seems irredeemable but Keynote is incredible and makes PowerPoint (its progenitor) look quite amateurish. This was true for nearly 20 years.
Always a shock to see a Mac user open a PowerPoint.