Ronnie Berntsson
@rberntsson.bsky.social
Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine @UmeaUniversity, Professor. Type 4 Secretion Systems #T4SS. Chair of SFBBM (www.sfbbm.se). Science policy. Views my own. https://www.biostruct.umu.se/principal-investigators/ronnie-berntsson/
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Martin Peterson doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
![Dr. Sweet,
As you may have noticed, I believe it is important to document that philosophy professors at Texas A&M University are not permitted to teach Plato at their own discretion.
To comply with the new censorship requirements, I have replaced the affected module with lectures on free speech and academic freedom. The censored material is marked in red in the attached document. The required text for the new module is:
Texas A&M, Under New Curriculum Limits, Warns Professor Not to Teach Plato”, The New York Times, January 8, 2026.
[Link: Texas A&M Warns Professor Not to Teach Plato Because of Gender Rules - The New York Times]
Respectfully,
Martin Peterson
Sue G. and Harry E. Bovay Jr. Chair
Department of Philosophy
Texas A&M University
www.martinpeterson.org](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ivz4dlj35jrmwdygkogqibrx/bafkreicxdw45ycxworajb4ml5zr5u4maguysujpg4bcmnsyfl5rxye2cgm@jpeg)
January 8, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Martin Peterson doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
Ending the year with a new preprint out from our lab. We show that Type 4 Secretion Systems in Gram-positive bacteria use pili in conjugation. For a full recap, check out the thread from the lead author @josyterbeek.bsky.social here below ⬇️
Hope y’all get a nice end to 2025!
Hope y’all get a nice end to 2025!
📣New preprint with @rberntsson.bsky.social👇We overturn the long-standing view that Gram-positive bacteria lack conjugative pili! We identify pili-forming proteins in a wide range of bacteria and show they're essential for the spread of #antibioticresistance #AMR 🧵1/6
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Pili are essential for conjugation also in many Gram-positive bacteria
Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) enable the spread of antibiotic resistance and other virulence factors. In Gram-positive bacteria, T4SSs have long been thought to lack VirB2-like proteins that form c...
www.biorxiv.org
December 30, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Ending the year with a new preprint out from our lab. We show that Type 4 Secretion Systems in Gram-positive bacteria use pili in conjugation. For a full recap, check out the thread from the lead author @josyterbeek.bsky.social here below ⬇️
Hope y’all get a nice end to 2025!
Hope y’all get a nice end to 2025!
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
It burns. It burns. My eyes.
December 15, 2025 at 8:28 PM
It burns. It burns. My eyes.
Any climate researchers I know that can corroborate this article? Is this really where we’re going right now?
worldcrunch.com/focus/green-...
worldcrunch.com/focus/green-...
Global Warming At 3 °C By 2050? What's Behind The New German Climate Warning
German scientists warn global warming is accelerating faster than expected, raising the risk of a 3 °C rise by 2050 and forcing Europe to confront unthinkable adaptation plans. German scientists warn ...
worldcrunch.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Any climate researchers I know that can corroborate this article? Is this really where we’re going right now?
worldcrunch.com/focus/green-...
worldcrunch.com/focus/green-...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Seems the Nordic region is doing quite good...
Did I mention we will announce a new postdoc position within a
month or two? :)
Did I mention we will announce a new postdoc position within a
month or two? :)
Afghans report the lowest life satisfaction in the world—
Measuring happiness is difficult, but one way to understand how satisfied people are with their lives is to simply ask them.
Measuring happiness is difficult, but one way to understand how satisfied people are with their lives is to simply ask them.
November 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Seems the Nordic region is doing quite good...
Did I mention we will announce a new postdoc position within a
month or two? :)
Did I mention we will announce a new postdoc position within a
month or two? :)
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Vaccines do not cause autism. We know that the predominant cause of autism is genetics. It is deeply concerning that the CDC is promoting an idea that has been debunked countless times.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
CDC in turmoil after agency backpedals on debunking vaccines-autism link
The CDC’s website now says health authorities ignored evidence of a potential connection between vaccines and autism, despite dozens of studies showing no link.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Vaccines do not cause autism. We know that the predominant cause of autism is genetics. It is deeply concerning that the CDC is promoting an idea that has been debunked countless times.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
A special thanks goes out to @josyterbeek.bsky.social, who’s been an amazing companion, both in science and general life 🙂, for almost 2 decades now
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
A special thanks goes out to @josyterbeek.bsky.social, who’s been an amazing companion, both in science and general life 🙂, for almost 2 decades now
Today I’m starting a new position as Professor in Molecular Medicine at Umeå University
I’m happy and proud, but also extremely thankful to all people in the group, both current and past members!
I’m happy and proud, but also extremely thankful to all people in the group, both current and past members!
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Today I’m starting a new position as Professor in Molecular Medicine at Umeå University
I’m happy and proud, but also extremely thankful to all people in the group, both current and past members!
I’m happy and proud, but also extremely thankful to all people in the group, both current and past members!
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Skrattade högt.
November 7, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Skrattade högt.
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Please RT. Post-doc opportunity alert! 💥 closing 10th December.. Come join our team (www.thelowlab.org) at Imperial, London, working on the structure and mechanism of bacterial secretion systems.
For more details and to apply please see
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
For more details and to apply please see
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
November 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Please RT. Post-doc opportunity alert! 💥 closing 10th December.. Come join our team (www.thelowlab.org) at Imperial, London, working on the structure and mechanism of bacterial secretion systems.
For more details and to apply please see
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
For more details and to apply please see
www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
I love AlphaFold—but please include PAE (Predicted Aligned Error) plots for every “interaction.” Pretty PDBs ≠ proof. If the PAE doesn’t show an interface, it ain’t one. Show the plots. Structural biology's reputation is on the line.
October 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I love AlphaFold—but please include PAE (Predicted Aligned Error) plots for every “interaction.” Pretty PDBs ≠ proof. If the PAE doesn’t show an interface, it ain’t one. Show the plots. Structural biology's reputation is on the line.
This is really cool! If you want to get a card game that explains microorganisms - now's your chance!
www.umu.se/en/news/rese...
www.umu.se/en/news/rese...
Researchers' card game teaches children about microorganisms
Hope to spark curiosity about life beneath the water’s surface – with playful game cards.
www.umu.se
October 10, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This is really cool! If you want to get a card game that explains microorganisms - now's your chance!
www.umu.se/en/news/rese...
www.umu.se/en/news/rese...
Seems like a very handy tool!
New week, new tool: Find our Protein Domain Designer tool to generate publication-ready protein domain diagrams here: domaindesigner.farnunglab.com
September 30, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Seems like a very handy tool!
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Visit PDB-101 to learn more about Antimicrobial Resistance
PDB101: Global Health: Antimicrobial Resistance: About: Bacteria and Antibiotics
PDB-101: Training, Outreach, and Education portal of RCSB PDB
pdb101.rcsb.org
August 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Visit PDB-101 to learn more about Antimicrobial Resistance
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Exciting to see our protein binder design pipeline BindCraft published in its final form in @Nature ! This has been an amazing collaborative effort with Lennart, Christian, @sokrypton.org, Bruno and many other amazing lab members and collaborators.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 27, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Exciting to see our protein binder design pipeline BindCraft published in its final form in @Nature ! This has been an amazing collaborative effort with Lennart, Christian, @sokrypton.org, Bruno and many other amazing lab members and collaborators.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ok, då köper jag det! 😀
August 16, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Ok, då köper jag det! 😀
Det låter ju iofs väldigt gott, men att kvalificera som middag är väl att ta i lite.. 😂
August 15, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Det låter ju iofs väldigt gott, men att kvalificera som middag är väl att ta i lite.. 😂
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Archaea are often surrounded by bacteria. But is there ever active conflict between the two? Can archaea kill bacteria? If so, how do they do it?
Work by @romainstrock.bsky.social shows that some archaea can kill bacteria by secreting peptidoglycan hydrolases. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Work by @romainstrock.bsky.social shows that some archaea can kill bacteria by secreting peptidoglycan hydrolases. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Archaea produce peptidoglycan hydrolases that kill bacteria
Archaea regularly interact with bacteria but reports of archaea killing bacteria are very rare. This study shows that many archaea encode peptidoglycan hydrolases, which specifically target bacterial ...
journals.plos.org
August 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Archaea are often surrounded by bacteria. But is there ever active conflict between the two? Can archaea kill bacteria? If so, how do they do it?
Work by @romainstrock.bsky.social shows that some archaea can kill bacteria by secreting peptidoglycan hydrolases. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Work by @romainstrock.bsky.social shows that some archaea can kill bacteria by secreting peptidoglycan hydrolases. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Interesting that they could put a number on it. And yes, that's a reindeer seeking shade behind a concrete wall. Not their usual place to hang out...
Climate change made the relentless heatwave in Norway, Sweden and Finland about 2°C hotter and at least ten times more likely. Our latest study was published this morning.
“This event should be taken as another reminder that no country is safe from climate change” - @frediotto.bsky.social
🧵
“This event should be taken as another reminder that no country is safe from climate change” - @frediotto.bsky.social
🧵
August 14, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Interesting that they could put a number on it. And yes, that's a reindeer seeking shade behind a concrete wall. Not their usual place to hang out...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Cryo-EM ligand building using AlphaFold3-like model and molecular dynamics pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40788932/ #cryoem
August 12, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Cryo-EM ligand building using AlphaFold3-like model and molecular dynamics pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40788932/ #cryoem
I've only had 8 molecules (of a 67 kDa protein) in the ASU as the maximum. However, are you sure that you have so many molecules? About 5 years ago we solved a structure that had 81% solvent content...
July 25, 2025 at 7:28 AM
I've only had 8 molecules (of a 67 kDa protein) in the ASU as the maximum. However, are you sure that you have so many molecules? About 5 years ago we solved a structure that had 81% solvent content...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
Here's our new broad review on the extended mobility of plasmids, about all mechanisms driving and limiting their transfer. From conjugation to conduction, phage-plasmids to hitchers, molecular to evolutionary dynamics, ecology to biotech. The state of affairs. 1/9 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
July 23, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Here's our new broad review on the extended mobility of plasmids, about all mechanisms driving and limiting their transfer. From conjugation to conduction, phage-plasmids to hitchers, molecular to evolutionary dynamics, ecology to biotech. The state of affairs. 1/9 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Reposted by Ronnie Berntsson
💥 Excited to introduce Bacformer 🦠 - the first foundation model for bacterial genomics. Bacformer represents genomes as sequences of ordered proteins, learning the “grammar” of how genes are arranged, interact and evolve.
Preprint 📝: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
Preprint 📝: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
July 21, 2025 at 9:56 AM
💥 Excited to introduce Bacformer 🦠 - the first foundation model for bacterial genomics. Bacformer represents genomes as sequences of ordered proteins, learning the “grammar” of how genes are arranged, interact and evolve.
Preprint 📝: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n
Preprint 📝: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵 1/n