Sam Mugford
@samtmugford.bsky.social
Pinned
Sam Mugford
@samtmugford.bsky.social
· Nov 18
The conserved aphid saliva chemosensory protein effector Mp10 targets plant AMSH deubiquitinases at cellular membranes to suppress pattern-triggered immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.15.622802v1
The conserved aphid saliva chemosensory protein effector Mp10 targets plant AMSH deubiquitinases at cellular membranes to suppress pattern-triggered immunity https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.15.622802v1
Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are a conserved family present in insects and other arthropods, recogni
www.biorxiv.org
We’re delighted to share our latest preprint from the Hogenhout lab (@saskiahogenhout.bsky.social) on the molecular mechanisms on plant-aphid interactions. Here we show how the aphid Mp10 effector protein acts as a local anaesthetic to suppress the plant perception of aphid attack
Reposted by Sam Mugford
Hey bsky! I’d like to share some cool work I recently coauthored that integrates entomology, paleontology, and German cultural history. 🔶🐜⚡️ We discovered a fossil ant in the amber collection of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe! Read on for a delightful story of #museomics and #collectomics. >> 1/
February 5, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Hey bsky! I’d like to share some cool work I recently coauthored that integrates entomology, paleontology, and German cultural history. 🔶🐜⚡️ We discovered a fossil ant in the amber collection of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe! Read on for a delightful story of #museomics and #collectomics. >> 1/
Reposted by Sam Mugford
When you build an unprecedented amount of renewable energy but it gets used to meet new data centre demand instead of replacing fossil fuels
February 3, 2026 at 1:10 PM
When you build an unprecedented amount of renewable energy but it gets used to meet new data centre demand instead of replacing fossil fuels
Reposted by Sam Mugford
Can plant pathogens boost vector fitness?
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Plant Pathogens Moonlighting as Beneficial Insect Symbionts
Herbivorous insects can shape the epidemiology of disease in plants by vectoring numerous phytopathogens. While the consequences of infection are often well-characterized in the host plant, the extent...
www.annualreviews.org
February 2, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Can plant pathogens boost vector fitness?
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Sam Mugford
One of the great British tragedies of recent decades is the collapse of its university system. Wrecked by disastrous Govt policy experimentation followed by neglect, and a totally incompetent, vindictive executive class. Utterly fucked now. Well done pricks.
January 28, 2026 at 8:55 PM
One of the great British tragedies of recent decades is the collapse of its university system. Wrecked by disastrous Govt policy experimentation followed by neglect, and a totally incompetent, vindictive executive class. Utterly fucked now. Well done pricks.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
January 31, 2026 at 6:57 AM
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Sam Mugford
Reposted by Sam Mugford
WHAT DID JACK DO TO WALDORF?!
January 22, 2026 at 5:31 PM
WHAT DID JACK DO TO WALDORF?!
Reposted by Sam Mugford
Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below!
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
January 21, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below!
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
Reposted by Sam Mugford
21 / 23 This means that the first giant organisms on the Earth’s surface were not closely related to anything alive today. But despite its strangeness, in its time Prototaxites would have had an important role, being eaten by arthropods and having impacts on the ecosystem that we don’t yet know.
January 21, 2026 at 7:39 PM
21 / 23 This means that the first giant organisms on the Earth’s surface were not closely related to anything alive today. But despite its strangeness, in its time Prototaxites would have had an important role, being eaten by arthropods and having impacts on the ecosystem that we don’t yet know.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
That is an AMAZING ad. Standing ovation.
I’ll never get tired of this ad at our local indie theater 😂
January 19, 2026 at 3:17 AM
That is an AMAZING ad. Standing ovation.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
This is the fucking limit. I had no idea that Amazon drivers AREN'T ALLOWED TO SING
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
January 18, 2026 at 4:56 PM
This is the fucking limit. I had no idea that Amazon drivers AREN'T ALLOWED TO SING
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by Sam Mugford
THEY'RE CALLED ICE COOP. BUNCH OF COCKAMAMIE BOOTLICKERS WHO THINK THEY SAVE THE REPUBLIC BY TERRORISING PEOPLE, INSTEAD OF BY SHOWING LOVE AND RESPECT TO THEIR FELLOW HUMANS. TO MY MIND THEY'RE NOTHING LESS THAN THE REINCARNATION OF A-DOLF HITLERS BROWN SHIRTS AND AS WELCOME AS DOG DIRT ON MY BOOT.
January 17, 2026 at 6:27 AM
THEY'RE CALLED ICE COOP. BUNCH OF COCKAMAMIE BOOTLICKERS WHO THINK THEY SAVE THE REPUBLIC BY TERRORISING PEOPLE, INSTEAD OF BY SHOWING LOVE AND RESPECT TO THEIR FELLOW HUMANS. TO MY MIND THEY'RE NOTHING LESS THAN THE REINCARNATION OF A-DOLF HITLERS BROWN SHIRTS AND AS WELCOME AS DOG DIRT ON MY BOOT.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
0/10
🥳 our #exocyst paper out in @cp-cell.bsky.social, led by Marta, Sebas & @sasmeek.bsky.social in collab with @jonasries.bsky.social, @cmanzo.bsky.social & Castaño-Díez labs #Quantitative_Cell_Biology
Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
🥳 our #exocyst paper out in @cp-cell.bsky.social, led by Marta, Sebas & @sasmeek.bsky.social in collab with @jonasries.bsky.social, @cmanzo.bsky.social & Castaño-Díez labs #Quantitative_Cell_Biology
Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
Data from complementary imaging techniques were integrated into a model that resolves
the dynamic exocyst ensemble and membrane architecture during exocytosis, an essential
cellular pathway. Sec18 med...
www.cell.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:28 PM
0/10
🥳 our #exocyst paper out in @cp-cell.bsky.social, led by Marta, Sebas & @sasmeek.bsky.social in collab with @jonasries.bsky.social, @cmanzo.bsky.social & Castaño-Díez labs #Quantitative_Cell_Biology
Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
🥳 our #exocyst paper out in @cp-cell.bsky.social, led by Marta, Sebas & @sasmeek.bsky.social in collab with @jonasries.bsky.social, @cmanzo.bsky.social & Castaño-Díez labs #Quantitative_Cell_Biology
Continuum architecture dynamics of vesicle tethering in exocytosis
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by Sam Mugford
ECRs in plant–microbe interactions:
Join us in Norwich for an intensive, interactive 1.5-week Summer Conference at TSL (20–31 July). Lots of opportunities for networking and deep discussions.
(We also plan to offer hands-on practical sessions using our technologies 🔬🧬)
Join us in Norwich for an intensive, interactive 1.5-week Summer Conference at TSL (20–31 July). Lots of opportunities for networking and deep discussions.
(We also plan to offer hands-on practical sessions using our technologies 🔬🧬)
Join us in Norwich this July for the TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions! ☀️🌱🧬
Discuss the latest approaches & discoveries in plant health with international keynote and local speakers.
APPLY by 30 March '26 ⬇️ Click link for more info
www.tsl.ac.uk/tsl-summer-c...
Discuss the latest approaches & discoveries in plant health with international keynote and local speakers.
APPLY by 30 March '26 ⬇️ Click link for more info
www.tsl.ac.uk/tsl-summer-c...
TSL Summer Conference in Plant-Microbe Interactions, 20th – 31st July…
Inviting Early Career Researchers to join international experts in discussing the latest approaches and discoveries in Plant-Microbe Interactions …
www.tsl.ac.uk
January 15, 2026 at 9:03 AM
ECRs in plant–microbe interactions:
Join us in Norwich for an intensive, interactive 1.5-week Summer Conference at TSL (20–31 July). Lots of opportunities for networking and deep discussions.
(We also plan to offer hands-on practical sessions using our technologies 🔬🧬)
Join us in Norwich for an intensive, interactive 1.5-week Summer Conference at TSL (20–31 July). Lots of opportunities for networking and deep discussions.
(We also plan to offer hands-on practical sessions using our technologies 🔬🧬)
Reposted by Sam Mugford
Reposted by Sam Mugford
[sombrely, with tears in eyes] "truly the people of Iran embody the great spirit of Flumpo The Fart Wizard" - author of Flumpo The Fart Wizard
January 11, 2026 at 11:53 AM
[sombrely, with tears in eyes] "truly the people of Iran embody the great spirit of Flumpo The Fart Wizard" - author of Flumpo The Fart Wizard
Reposted by Sam Mugford
With the new year, is my time to say bye to @gmivienna.bsky.social as I move to @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social in Tuebingen. I will start my solo Group Leader career as a Emmy Norther fellow. Thanks to everyone that helped on the way. I will be advertising PhD and Postdoc positions soon, stay tuned!
January 11, 2026 at 1:04 PM
With the new year, is my time to say bye to @gmivienna.bsky.social as I move to @zmbp-tuebingen.bsky.social in Tuebingen. I will start my solo Group Leader career as a Emmy Norther fellow. Thanks to everyone that helped on the way. I will be advertising PhD and Postdoc positions soon, stay tuned!
Reposted by Sam Mugford
"Conflates answers [or outcomes] with learning" - this a is perfect distillation of the shift in how higher ed's value is perceived, and something we need to keep fighting against, particularly in the age of AI.
In case anyone needs it for their syllabi, my statement in gen-Ai from the minicomic I made as a syllabus for class last semester. All online and printable here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
January 6, 2026 at 9:26 PM
"Conflates answers [or outcomes] with learning" - this a is perfect distillation of the shift in how higher ed's value is perceived, and something we need to keep fighting against, particularly in the age of AI.
This is my favourite shot of a starling #photobombus
January 5, 2026 at 8:02 PM
This is my favourite shot of a starling #photobombus
Reposted by Sam Mugford
A THREAD, which I am calling 'Some Of The Many Reasons Lichen And Moss Are Fucking Brilliant'.
1. They make public seating super comfy.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
1. They make public seating super comfy.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
There are over 18,000 types of lichen in existence. My personal favourite is ‘village bench lichen’, which devotes its entire existence selflessly to gradually making communal public seating more furry and comfortable.
January 4, 2026 at 8:44 PM
A THREAD, which I am calling 'Some Of The Many Reasons Lichen And Moss Are Fucking Brilliant'.
1. They make public seating super comfy.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
1. They make public seating super comfy.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
Reposted by Sam Mugford
If something is legally required, like car insurance, then the industry should be nationalised. Why should the law force me to make profit for their shareholders rather than taxpayers?
January 4, 2026 at 5:55 PM
If something is legally required, like car insurance, then the industry should be nationalised. Why should the law force me to make profit for their shareholders rather than taxpayers?
Reposted by Sam Mugford
I, for one, am not feeling any cringe as the Make-a-Wish President pathetically tries to recreate the "Obama watching the Bin Laden raid" photo in his pillow fort full of spraypainted chairs with cartoons on the TV.
January 3, 2026 at 9:56 PM
I, for one, am not feeling any cringe as the Make-a-Wish President pathetically tries to recreate the "Obama watching the Bin Laden raid" photo in his pillow fort full of spraypainted chairs with cartoons on the TV.
Reposted by Sam Mugford
reading a lot of history really hammers home the point that there very rarely is a plan but this is ✨fancy✨ levels of "no plan"
There is no plan, gang
January 3, 2026 at 5:22 PM
reading a lot of history really hammers home the point that there very rarely is a plan but this is ✨fancy✨ levels of "no plan"
Reposted by Sam Mugford
The Slopsand Effect
January 3, 2026 at 1:18 PM
The Slopsand Effect