Markus Deserno
@markusdeserno.bsky.social
Theoretical and computational biophysicist at Carnegie Mellon University. Loves lipid membranes, music, and art. (he/him) 🇩🇪🇺🇸
Pinned
Markus Deserno
@markusdeserno.bsky.social
· Sep 26
I am super excited to announce that we have a tenure-track faculty position in biophysics open in the Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon! 🧪
Interfolio link: apply.interfolio.com/174360
PLEASE, share widely across the blue skies!
Let me briefly explain what we're looking for:
1/10
Interfolio link: apply.interfolio.com/174360
PLEASE, share widely across the blue skies!
Let me briefly explain what we're looking for:
1/10
Reposted by Markus Deserno
This is genuinely insane, I clicked to see the years expecting the low part to be 70s or maybe 90s but its 2015!!!!! The entire anti trans panic is a decade old
a stat i always cite is the number of anti-trans articles in the press went from 60 in a year, to 7,500
February 12, 2026 at 8:43 PM
This is genuinely insane, I clicked to see the years expecting the low part to be 70s or maybe 90s but its 2015!!!!! The entire anti trans panic is a decade old
Currently absolutely losing my shit while trying to combine 5 pptx presentations into a single one, and no slide master transfers automatically, no “keep source formatting” exists anywhere, background images are untransferable, …
Rot in the hottest of hells, Microsoft. This is a vanilla use case.
Rot in the hottest of hells, Microsoft. This is a vanilla use case.
February 14, 2026 at 2:15 AM
Currently absolutely losing my shit while trying to combine 5 pptx presentations into a single one, and no slide master transfers automatically, no “keep source formatting” exists anywhere, background images are untransferable, …
Rot in the hottest of hells, Microsoft. This is a vanilla use case.
Rot in the hottest of hells, Microsoft. This is a vanilla use case.
Overheard conversation snipped between two undergrads on campus:
A: She’s such an annoying person.
B: Like how?
A: Like she gets mad at me for getting mad at her.
B: OMG!
A: She’s such an annoying person.
B: Like how?
A: Like she gets mad at me for getting mad at her.
B: OMG!
a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
ALT: a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
media.tenor.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Overheard conversation snipped between two undergrads on campus:
A: She’s such an annoying person.
B: Like how?
A: Like she gets mad at me for getting mad at her.
B: OMG!
A: She’s such an annoying person.
B: Like how?
A: Like she gets mad at me for getting mad at her.
B: OMG!
Reposted by Markus Deserno
In terms of what cures are being lost:
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
February 13, 2026 at 5:44 AM
In terms of what cures are being lost:
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
Let’s see whether a trophy worth $250 yields a billion dollar return on investment in the form of new coal subsidies.
"Sir, to show our appreciation, the trophy says 'the undisputed champion of beautiful, clean coal'"
February 12, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Let’s see whether a trophy worth $250 yields a billion dollar return on investment in the form of new coal subsidies.
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Happy 94th Birthday to 🇺🇸American composer, conductor and pianist #JohnWilliams KBE born #OnThisDay in Queens, New York City
February 8, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Happy 94th Birthday to 🇺🇸American composer, conductor and pianist #JohnWilliams KBE born #OnThisDay in Queens, New York City
I have 3 Excel sheets open, none bigger than 30kB. How is it that Excel uses 1,6GB of memory? How, Microsoft??? How have you become SO BAD at efficient programming that I need 20,000 times the memory of the Apollo Guidance Computer, which landed on the moon, to collate student grades? DO BETTER!
February 7, 2026 at 11:58 PM
I have 3 Excel sheets open, none bigger than 30kB. How is it that Excel uses 1,6GB of memory? How, Microsoft??? How have you become SO BAD at efficient programming that I need 20,000 times the memory of the Apollo Guidance Computer, which landed on the moon, to collate student grades? DO BETTER!
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Awesome colleague alert!
One day, @bridgesbio.bsky.social might save your life by disrupting bacterial communication and behavior. No need to kill your enemy—just confuse the heck out of them!
One day, @bridgesbio.bsky.social might save your life by disrupting bacterial communication and behavior. No need to kill your enemy—just confuse the heck out of them!
CMU researchers have uncovered a bacterial vulnerability that could lead to a new class of treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections. Instead of killing bacteria, their approach targets pathways that control behavior. 🧪 #Biology #MolecularBiology
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...
www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-eve...
Researchers Identify New Target To Fight Antibiotic Resistance
Carnegie Mellon University researchers, including Assistant Professor Drew Bridgs and graduate student Emmy Nguyen, have uncovered a vulnerability in bacteria that could pave the way for an entirely n...
www.cmu.edu
January 31, 2026 at 1:25 AM
Awesome colleague alert!
One day, @bridgesbio.bsky.social might save your life by disrupting bacterial communication and behavior. No need to kill your enemy—just confuse the heck out of them!
One day, @bridgesbio.bsky.social might save your life by disrupting bacterial communication and behavior. No need to kill your enemy—just confuse the heck out of them!
Many have already shared this powerful image by MJ.Hiblen, over on Insta under www.instagram.com/mjhiblenart/. It really makes me well up. May Renée and Alex rest in peace. 💔
January 27, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Many have already shared this powerful image by MJ.Hiblen, over on Insta under www.instagram.com/mjhiblenart/. It really makes me well up. May Renée and Alex rest in peace. 💔
Just like I don’t want to go to war zones to bear witness to atrocities first hand, I don’t want to watch snuff videos to confirm that ICE is executing protestors in broad daylight. I want professional journalists to do that. And I don’t want them to both-sides the content. DO YOUR JOB!
January 26, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Just like I don’t want to go to war zones to bear witness to atrocities first hand, I don’t want to watch snuff videos to confirm that ICE is executing protestors in broad daylight. I want professional journalists to do that. And I don’t want them to both-sides the content. DO YOUR JOB!
Martens, Turkowyd, Hohlbein, and Endesfelder would politely disagree! 🧪
January 26, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Martens, Turkowyd, Hohlbein, and Endesfelder would politely disagree! 🧪
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Kudos to the NYT editor who took “Appears to” out of the lead headline (finally)
January 25, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Kudos to the NYT editor who took “Appears to” out of the lead headline (finally)
Oh, apparently just one day.
bsky.app/profile/froo...
bsky.app/profile/froo...
How long until the word “appear” disappears? Not holding my breath.
January 26, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Oh, apparently just one day.
bsky.app/profile/froo...
bsky.app/profile/froo...
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Jane Richardson was born #OTD in 1941
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
January 26, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Jane Richardson was born #OTD in 1941
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
+ Developed the Richardson (ribbon) diagram to represent proteins' 3D structure (becoming a standard representation for protein structures)
+ MacArthur Fellow, 1985
+ Elected, Nat'l Academy of Sciences, 1991
+ President, Biophysical Society, 2012
#WomenInSTEM
How long until the word “appear” disappears? Not holding my breath.
January 25, 2026 at 2:23 PM
How long until the word “appear” disappears? Not holding my breath.
Reposted by Markus Deserno
“Get it all on record now — get the films — get the witnesses — because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, after visiting liberated concentration camps in April 1945
Dwight D. Eisenhower, after visiting liberated concentration camps in April 1945
January 24, 2026 at 9:24 PM
“Get it all on record now — get the films — get the witnesses — because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, after visiting liberated concentration camps in April 1945
Dwight D. Eisenhower, after visiting liberated concentration camps in April 1945
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
January 24, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
Reposted by Markus Deserno
“Freedom is not free. We have to work at it. Nurture it. Protect it. Even sacrifice for it.”
January 25, 2026 at 2:56 AM
“Freedom is not free. We have to work at it. Nurture it. Protect it. Even sacrifice for it.”
Reposted by Markus Deserno
I was a sensitive kid. I loved cats. I had OCD, undiagnosed.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
January 25, 2026 at 4:55 AM
I was a sensitive kid. I loved cats. I had OCD, undiagnosed.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
Reposted by Markus Deserno
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Ursula K. Le Guin died #OTD in 2018.
First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky
First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky
January 22, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Ursula K. Le Guin died #OTD in 2018.
First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky
First female author to win both the Nebula & Hugo awards for Best Novel for 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 (1970). In total, she won 8 Hugo & 6 Nebula awards. Second woman Grand Master of the #ScienceFiction & Fantasy Writers of America. #scifi #literature #booksky
10 years ago today, 1/22/2016, a massive blizzard hit Western Pennsylvania. I measured 2 feet of snow outside my apartment in Pittsburgh on the next day. The city was crippled for a week, Carnegie Mellon was closed for 3 days.
That incoming winter storm is probably history trolling us. 🙄
That incoming winter storm is probably history trolling us. 🙄
January 23, 2026 at 3:46 AM
10 years ago today, 1/22/2016, a massive blizzard hit Western Pennsylvania. I measured 2 feet of snow outside my apartment in Pittsburgh on the next day. The city was crippled for a week, Carnegie Mellon was closed for 3 days.
That incoming winter storm is probably history trolling us. 🙄
That incoming winter storm is probably history trolling us. 🙄
Reposted by Markus Deserno
Felix Klein lectured “On Hilbert’s first note on the foundations of physics" at the Mathematical Society of Göttingen #OTD in 1918. He included excerpts from letters in which he and Hilbert give priority to Emmy Noether’s results on conservation of energy in general relativity. (1/n) 🧪 ⚛️ 👩🔬
January 22, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Felix Klein lectured “On Hilbert’s first note on the foundations of physics" at the Mathematical Society of Göttingen #OTD in 1918. He included excerpts from letters in which he and Hilbert give priority to Emmy Noether’s results on conservation of energy in general relativity. (1/n) 🧪 ⚛️ 👩🔬
One source of my current heartbreak comes from looking at clips like this. How many people—from composition to performance—came together to create this glorious moment in time! Behold the limitless human potential! The beauty! And then realize that some losers just want to burn the whole world down.
Jonas Kaufmann - Turandot, Atto III: "Nessun Dorma"
YouTube video by JonasKaufmannVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:09 PM
One source of my current heartbreak comes from looking at clips like this. How many people—from composition to performance—came together to create this glorious moment in time! Behold the limitless human potential! The beauty! And then realize that some losers just want to burn the whole world down.