Kirsty Wan
@micromotility.bsky.social
Cilia and cell motility enthusiast, basal cognition, weird organisms esp protists and larvae, how do living systems compute?
Professor of Cellular & Biophysical Dynamics, Living Systems Institute, Exeter (past: DAMTP, Cambridge)
www.micromotility.com
Professor of Cellular & Biophysical Dynamics, Living Systems Institute, Exeter (past: DAMTP, Cambridge)
www.micromotility.com
Pinned
Kirsty Wan
@micromotility.bsky.social
· Jul 14
Multi-million project to ‘crack the code’ of cilia – tiny structures with big impact on human health
An international team of researchers, led by the University of Exeter, have been awarded a Wellcome Discovery Award grant of almost £5 million to investigate one of the body’s most fascinating microsc...
news.exeter.ac.uk
Excited to share that we have received significant funding from the @wellcometrust.bsky.social for a new interdisciplinary consortium project on #cilia coordination and function across scales and organisms! 🎉🥂@lsiexeter.bsky.social
news.exeter.ac.uk/living-syste...
news.exeter.ac.uk/living-syste...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Got some sweet cilial action on this Stentor.
February 10, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Got some sweet cilial action on this Stentor.
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Proud and excited to share our work with the community! Helen @helenfoster.bsky.social Foster et al. study how #cilia axonemes are built. 👀 Don't miss the gorgeous and insightful movies by @margotriggi.bsky.social, they really show our discoveries in full action!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 9, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Proud and excited to share our work with the community! Helen @helenfoster.bsky.social Foster et al. study how #cilia axonemes are built. 👀 Don't miss the gorgeous and insightful movies by @margotriggi.bsky.social, they really show our discoveries in full action!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Yes well said!! "Behaviourally complex"!!
Time we finally recognised that you don't need to be a "higher" animal to exhibit behavioural complexity...
Time we finally recognised that you don't need to be a "higher" animal to exhibit behavioural complexity...
🦠 Neither plant, animal, nor fungi: protists are beautiful, bizarre, and behaviourally complex.
For @sallywarring.bsky.social and @santa-walker.bsky.social at Earlham Institute, they're creating some fascinating scientific challenges.
Learn more ➡️ buff.ly/8lRrX8b
For @sallywarring.bsky.social and @santa-walker.bsky.social at Earlham Institute, they're creating some fascinating scientific challenges.
Learn more ➡️ buff.ly/8lRrX8b
February 10, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Yes well said!! "Behaviourally complex"!!
Time we finally recognised that you don't need to be a "higher" animal to exhibit behavioural complexity...
Time we finally recognised that you don't need to be a "higher" animal to exhibit behavioural complexity...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
This is a beautiful case of how real science happens & serious scientists work. Kudos to both set of authors: “This has been a humbling experience, but one that speaks to the self-correcting nature of the scientific endeavor.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
RETRACTED: Integrative phylogenomics positions sponges at the root of the animal tree
Determining whether sponges or ctenophores root the animal tree has important implications for understanding early animal evolution. Here, we examined support for these competing hypotheses by constru...
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 7:35 PM
This is a beautiful case of how real science happens & serious scientists work. Kudos to both set of authors: “This has been a humbling experience, but one that speaks to the self-correcting nature of the scientific endeavor.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Final reminder 📢 We are looking for a #philbio or #philphysics postdoc for an interdisciplinary project exploring the boundary between living and nonliving systems through the lens of self-organization & active matter 👇 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... #philjobs #philsky #HPS #devbio Please share!
February 5, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Final reminder 📢 We are looking for a #philbio or #philphysics postdoc for an interdisciplinary project exploring the boundary between living and nonliving systems through the lens of self-organization & active matter 👇 www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... #philjobs #philsky #HPS #devbio Please share!
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Here is a myxomycete plasmodium that I isolated off a wet leaf onto the bottom of a vented flask. Realtime phase microscopy.
#ProtistsOnSky
#ProtistsOnSky
February 5, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Here is a myxomycete plasmodium that I isolated off a wet leaf onto the bottom of a vented flask. Realtime phase microscopy.
#ProtistsOnSky
#ProtistsOnSky
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Thank you @mollyherring.bsky.social for the stunning showcase 😍
Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠
#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍
@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org
Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠
#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍
@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org
February 4, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Thank you @mollyherring.bsky.social for the stunning showcase 😍
Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠
#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍
@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org
Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠
#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍
@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org
"but he said overall, the money available to researchers was set to increase with "more emphasis on commercialisation".
How many times... FUND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE...
Then impact and commercialisation will come...
🙄😬😱
How many times... FUND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE...
Then impact and commercialisation will come...
🙄😬😱
Helpful update into UKRI and research council funding changes from Zoe Kleinman @zsk.bsky.social
But please more focus on 2 things...
1) Immediate effects (eg funding decisions expected in March)
2) Likely disproportionate effects on early career scientists
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
But please more focus on 2 things...
1) Immediate effects (eg funding decisions expected in March)
2) Likely disproportionate effects on early career scientists
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK’s £8bn research fund faces “hard decisions” as it pauses new grants
UKRI boss Ian Chapman said it had been told by the government to
www.bbc.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 7:37 PM
"but he said overall, the money available to researchers was set to increase with "more emphasis on commercialisation".
How many times... FUND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE...
Then impact and commercialisation will come...
🙄😬😱
How many times... FUND CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE...
Then impact and commercialisation will come...
🙄😬😱
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
The most beautiful #snail ever to exist!
Many #marine snails go through an early life stage called #veliger, wherein they drift along with the #plankton before settling onto the sea floor as an adult. We call this, #sparkles
#blackwater #blackwaterdiving #mollusk #gug
Many #marine snails go through an early life stage called #veliger, wherein they drift along with the #plankton before settling onto the sea floor as an adult. We call this, #sparkles
#blackwater #blackwaterdiving #mollusk #gug
January 30, 2026 at 12:33 PM
The most beautiful #snail ever to exist!
Many #marine snails go through an early life stage called #veliger, wherein they drift along with the #plankton before settling onto the sea floor as an adult. We call this, #sparkles
#blackwater #blackwaterdiving #mollusk #gug
Many #marine snails go through an early life stage called #veliger, wherein they drift along with the #plankton before settling onto the sea floor as an adult. We call this, #sparkles
#blackwater #blackwaterdiving #mollusk #gug
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
The last word on Ctenophores versus Sponges (not).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What were the first animals? The fierce sponge–jelly battle that just won’t end
For almost two decades, scientists have debated whether sponges or comb jellies are the first animal lineage. Now some are calling for a more harmonious approach.
www.nature.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
The last word on Ctenophores versus Sponges (not).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
If you are interested in electron microscopy, registration is still open for the
"Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples"
at Stazione Zoologica in Naples.
WIth great teachers from Naples […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples"
at Stazione Zoologica in Naples.
WIth great teachers from Naples […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
January 13, 2026 at 7:08 AM
If you are interested in electron microscopy, registration is still open for the
"Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples"
at Stazione Zoologica in Naples.
WIth great teachers from Naples […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
"Electron Microscopy Hands-On Course: sample preparation and imaging of marine environmental samples"
at Stazione Zoologica in Naples.
WIth great teachers from Naples […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Amazing to hold @lottepedersen.bsky.social & my @jcellsci.bsky.social Special Issue on #Cilia and #Flagella in all its glossy glory & muscle-engaging brain-boosting weight! So much fabulous content from the community! Fab cover @centriolelab.bsky.social 🥰🥰 journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/ci...
January 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Amazing to hold @lottepedersen.bsky.social & my @jcellsci.bsky.social Special Issue on #Cilia and #Flagella in all its glossy glory & muscle-engaging brain-boosting weight! So much fabulous content from the community! Fab cover @centriolelab.bsky.social 🥰🥰 journals.biologists.com/jcs/pages/ci...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
⏰ Deadline extension for #EESBioOsc ⏰
You now have until 14 January to submit your abstract for the EMBO | EMBL Symposium 'Biological oscillators: rhythms and synchronisation across scales'! 👉 s.embl.org/ees26-04-bl
You now have until 14 January to submit your abstract for the EMBO | EMBL Symposium 'Biological oscillators: rhythms and synchronisation across scales'! 👉 s.embl.org/ees26-04-bl
January 9, 2026 at 2:56 PM
⏰ Deadline extension for #EESBioOsc ⏰
You now have until 14 January to submit your abstract for the EMBO | EMBL Symposium 'Biological oscillators: rhythms and synchronisation across scales'! 👉 s.embl.org/ees26-04-bl
You now have until 14 January to submit your abstract for the EMBO | EMBL Symposium 'Biological oscillators: rhythms and synchronisation across scales'! 👉 s.embl.org/ees26-04-bl
A rare opportunity to experience the grandeur of the Alte Aula of Universität Heidelberg, on the occasion of the award of the Lautenschläger prize to Jan Lohmann of @cosheidelberg.bsky.social Thanks @ulrichschwarz.bsky.social @jekely.biologists.social.ap.brid.gy for letting me tag along!
December 6, 2025 at 9:42 AM
A rare opportunity to experience the grandeur of the Alte Aula of Universität Heidelberg, on the occasion of the award of the Lautenschläger prize to Jan Lohmann of @cosheidelberg.bsky.social Thanks @ulrichschwarz.bsky.social @jekely.biologists.social.ap.brid.gy for letting me tag along!
wow... crawling motility in Asgard #archaea!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
look at these crazy moves!! Let's face it, what these cells want for Christmas is #cilia... the best type of motility appendage...
look at these crazy moves!! Let's face it, what these cells want for Christmas is #cilia... the best type of motility appendage...
December 2, 2025 at 10:30 PM
wow... crawling motility in Asgard #archaea!! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
look at these crazy moves!! Let's face it, what these cells want for Christmas is #cilia... the best type of motility appendage...
look at these crazy moves!! Let's face it, what these cells want for Christmas is #cilia... the best type of motility appendage...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
New preprint! Do you like ocean waves? We found similar waves on bacterial colonies! We found that this collective behavior, known as rippling, is nothing but surface waves on an active nematic. @princeton.edu @mpipks.bsky.social @ub.edu @icreacommunity.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
New preprint! Do you like ocean waves? We found similar waves on bacterial colonies! We found that this collective behavior, known as rippling, is nothing but surface waves on an active nematic. @princeton.edu @mpipks.bsky.social @ub.edu @icreacommunity.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Congrats again Alexander! (Not on bluesky) You can read about some of his work here in our preprint doi.org/10.1101/2025... , with more to come! 🎉😏 #protistsonsky
November 25, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Congrats again Alexander! (Not on bluesky) You can read about some of his work here in our preprint doi.org/10.1101/2025... , with more to come! 🎉😏 #protistsonsky
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
📢 Paper alert 📢
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
📢 Paper alert 📢
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 PM
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
#protistsonsky 🧵
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
In a new study, @yale.edu's Shane Elliott, Paul Ready, and the
@davidbreslowlab.bsky.social identified 2 genes🧬that control how cells assemble & dismantle cilia—pointing to new strategies for treating diseases linked to ciliary breakdown!
Read More Here👇
news.yale.edu/2025/10/29/n...
@davidbreslowlab.bsky.social identified 2 genes🧬that control how cells assemble & dismantle cilia—pointing to new strategies for treating diseases linked to ciliary breakdown!
Read More Here👇
news.yale.edu/2025/10/29/n...
New insight into how cilia on cell surfaces break down
In a new study, Yale researchers identified a pathway that allows cells to “disassemble” their cilia before division — and found a possible connection to a neurological disorder.
news.yale.edu
November 17, 2025 at 5:48 PM
In a new study, @yale.edu's Shane Elliott, Paul Ready, and the
@davidbreslowlab.bsky.social identified 2 genes🧬that control how cells assemble & dismantle cilia—pointing to new strategies for treating diseases linked to ciliary breakdown!
Read More Here👇
news.yale.edu/2025/10/29/n...
@davidbreslowlab.bsky.social identified 2 genes🧬that control how cells assemble & dismantle cilia—pointing to new strategies for treating diseases linked to ciliary breakdown!
Read More Here👇
news.yale.edu/2025/10/29/n...
now i've seen everything... 😱
don't care what anybody says but #protists are cognitive
don't care what anybody says but #protists are cognitive
Cellular structure self-organizes through an interplay between internal mechanisms and external cues. The single-celled suctorian P. collini builds a trap structure to capture large prey using microtubule feeding tentacles, creating feedback between cell morphology and prey availability.
November 19, 2025 at 1:46 PM
now i've seen everything... 😱
don't care what anybody says but #protists are cognitive
don't care what anybody says but #protists are cognitive
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
SWBio PhD studentships available- join my lab to investigate phage structure with @btemperton.bsky.social tinyurl.com/ytdft9bj
tinyurl.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:58 AM
SWBio PhD studentships available- join my lab to investigate phage structure with @btemperton.bsky.social tinyurl.com/ytdft9bj
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Kirsty Wan
Very excited to share this one! Our comprehensive structure, genetics and biophysics dissection of which flagellar dyneins and other proteins are needed for flagella to beat and drive cells swimming behaviours: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Very excited to share this one! Our comprehensive structure, genetics and biophysics dissection of which flagellar dyneins and other proteins are needed for flagella to beat and drive cells swimming behaviours: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
interested in mechanobiology and physics of living systems? this is the conference for you! Join us 9-12 June in Heidelberg! with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @xaviertrepat.bsky.social Enrique Rojas & Alba Diz-Munoz
Registration OPEN
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Registration OPEN
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
November 6, 2025 at 11:50 AM
interested in mechanobiology and physics of living systems? this is the conference for you! Join us 9-12 June in Heidelberg! with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @xaviertrepat.bsky.social Enrique Rojas & Alba Diz-Munoz
Registration OPEN
www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Registration OPEN
www.embl.org/about/info/c...