Vito Latorre, PhD
@vlatorre.bsky.social
Doctoral researcher at the @University of East Anglia| Environmental Extreme Microbiologist 🌋 | Geobiology, #Astrobiology ☄️ | lnkd: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/vito-latorre
Pinned
Vito Latorre, PhD
@vlatorre.bsky.social
· May 15
About a week ago I got back from my fieldwork exploring the microbial life that thrives in extreme environments.
A sincere thank you to my supervisor at the @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social, the team at the University of Palermo, and @ingvvulcani.bsky.social for their guidance.
A sincere thank you to my supervisor at the @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social, the team at the University of Palermo, and @ingvvulcani.bsky.social for their guidance.
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Venus has lava tubes! That's so cool!
Or hot. Venus is a sucky place to live, but is super amazing for science.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/venus-has-...
🔭 🧪
Or hot. Venus is a sucky place to live, but is super amazing for science.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/venus-has-...
🔭 🧪
Venus has lava tubes!
A long undersurface tunnel discovered in old NASA data
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Venus has lava tubes! That's so cool!
Or hot. Venus is a sucky place to live, but is super amazing for science.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/venus-has-...
🔭 🧪
Or hot. Venus is a sucky place to live, but is super amazing for science.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/venus-has-...
🔭 🧪
Big news! I'll be co-chairing a session and presenting a poster at the @norwichmicro.bsky.social Annual Conference this March.
Deadline for abstract submission coming up soon.
#CMI2026 #Microbiology #Astrobiology #NRP #Extremophiles
share.google/wFUzmSQdayFR...
Deadline for abstract submission coming up soon.
#CMI2026 #Microbiology #Astrobiology #NRP #Extremophiles
share.google/wFUzmSQdayFR...
Centre for Microbial Interactions – Conference 2026
Centre for Microbial Interactions – Annual Conference 2026. Registration is free and the deadline to sign up is Wednesday 25th February 2026.
share.google
February 16, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Big news! I'll be co-chairing a session and presenting a poster at the @norwichmicro.bsky.social Annual Conference this March.
Deadline for abstract submission coming up soon.
#CMI2026 #Microbiology #Astrobiology #NRP #Extremophiles
share.google/wFUzmSQdayFR...
Deadline for abstract submission coming up soon.
#CMI2026 #Microbiology #Astrobiology #NRP #Extremophiles
share.google/wFUzmSQdayFR...
I've been confirmed for the @egu.eu General Assembly 2026 in Vienna.
It will be an honour to participate in one of the world's largest gatherings of geoscientists.
If any of you are heading to the Austria for the conference, it would be good to catch up.
#EGU26#Astrobiology#ResearchCommunity
It will be an honour to participate in one of the world's largest gatherings of geoscientists.
If any of you are heading to the Austria for the conference, it would be good to catch up.
#EGU26#Astrobiology#ResearchCommunity
Don't miss out on all the exciting science and community next year - mark your calendar today for #EGU26!
To be held in Vienna and online between 3-8 May 2026!
More information available soon: www.egu26.eu
To be held in Vienna and online between 3-8 May 2026!
More information available soon: www.egu26.eu
February 11, 2026 at 8:17 AM
I've been confirmed for the @egu.eu General Assembly 2026 in Vienna.
It will be an honour to participate in one of the world's largest gatherings of geoscientists.
If any of you are heading to the Austria for the conference, it would be good to catch up.
#EGU26#Astrobiology#ResearchCommunity
It will be an honour to participate in one of the world's largest gatherings of geoscientists.
If any of you are heading to the Austria for the conference, it would be good to catch up.
#EGU26#Astrobiology#ResearchCommunity
Last Friday I attended the UK Planetary Forum at @ucl-bbk-cps.bsky.social. I presented my recently revised paper on CODH-utilising microbes in volcanic analogues. Thanks to the organisers and speakers for a rewarding experience.
The paper is now under review. Stay tuned! 🪐🔬 #Astrobiology
The paper is now under review. Stay tuned! 🪐🔬 #Astrobiology
January 12, 2026 at 11:14 AM
Last Friday I attended the UK Planetary Forum at @ucl-bbk-cps.bsky.social. I presented my recently revised paper on CODH-utilising microbes in volcanic analogues. Thanks to the organisers and speakers for a rewarding experience.
The paper is now under review. Stay tuned! 🪐🔬 #Astrobiology
The paper is now under review. Stay tuned! 🪐🔬 #Astrobiology
It was nice to present my PhD work, at my department seminar on the "Characterisation of trace gas oxidisers at Mount Etna volcano".
Next up, I'm taking the findings from my first publication to the UK Planetary Forum.
#PhDresearch #ScienceCommunication #Geomicrobiology #Astrobiology
Next up, I'm taking the findings from my first publication to the UK Planetary Forum.
#PhDresearch #ScienceCommunication #Geomicrobiology #Astrobiology
December 1, 2025 at 7:13 PM
It was nice to present my PhD work, at my department seminar on the "Characterisation of trace gas oxidisers at Mount Etna volcano".
Next up, I'm taking the findings from my first publication to the UK Planetary Forum.
#PhDresearch #ScienceCommunication #Geomicrobiology #Astrobiology
Next up, I'm taking the findings from my first publication to the UK Planetary Forum.
#PhDresearch #ScienceCommunication #Geomicrobiology #Astrobiology
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Mount #Semeru erupted violently today, sending a massive ash plume nearly 2 km into the sky. Explosive pyroclastic flows of hot rock, gas, and ash raced 7 km down its slopes, enveloping the surrounding area in a scorching, swirling volcanic cloud.🌋⚡️
November 19, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Mount #Semeru erupted violently today, sending a massive ash plume nearly 2 km into the sky. Explosive pyroclastic flows of hot rock, gas, and ash raced 7 km down its slopes, enveloping the surrounding area in a scorching, swirling volcanic cloud.🌋⚡️
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Our new biosignatures paper is out in @pnas.org! This time we're using machine learning trained on organic chemical data to identify signs of life—including photosynthetic life—in ancient rocks.
Organic geochemical evidence for life in Archean rocks identified by pyrolysis–GC–MS and supervised machine learning | PNAS
Throughout Earth’s history, organic molecules from both abiogenic and biogenic sources
have been buried in sedimentary rocks. Most of these organic...
www.pnas.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Our new biosignatures paper is out in @pnas.org! This time we're using machine learning trained on organic chemical data to identify signs of life—including photosynthetic life—in ancient rocks.
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past life
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
www.newscientist.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Hydrology Paper of the Day @eos.org on changes in microbial diversity in the Arctic and and possibility of soils acting as a carbon sink in a warming world: microbiome shifts and biogeochemical cycles in the pan-Arctic; samples from intact permafrost sites; and the mediating role of hydrology.
Is there a “methane bomb” lying in Arctic permafrost? New research suggests the answer is complicated—warming Arctic soils might help or hurt the climate, depending on other factors like hydrology. eos.org/articles/in-...
In Arctic Soils, Methane-Eating Microbes Just Might Win Out over Methane Makers - Eos
Methanotrophs, including those that capture methane from the air, seem to outcompete methanogens in dry environments, a new study shows.
eos.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Hydrology Paper of the Day @eos.org on changes in microbial diversity in the Arctic and and possibility of soils acting as a carbon sink in a warming world: microbiome shifts and biogeochemical cycles in the pan-Arctic; samples from intact permafrost sites; and the mediating role of hydrology.
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Microbial biosignatures associated with iron sulfides are among the prime targets in early life studies, but their formation and preservation are not yet understood
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Experimental diagenesis reveals preservation of biosignatures in filamentous sulfur mats under hydrothermal conditions - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Experimental diagenesis reveals preservation of biosignatures in filamentous sulfur mats under hydrothermal conditions
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Microbial biosignatures associated with iron sulfides are among the prime targets in early life studies, but their formation and preservation are not yet understood
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
As the ice cap forms, it traps air bubbles, which then remain isolated. It has allowed us to reconstruct our past climate of 800,000 years ago. This was the date of the oldest Antarctic ice sampling thanks to a ice core drilled near the base of the Antarctic ice sheet.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Miocene and Pliocene ice and air from the Allan Hills blue ice area, East Antarctica | PNAS
Antarctic ice cores provide a unique archive of Earth’s atmosphere and its largest
extant ice sheet. The oldest continuous ice core extends back 80...
www.pnas.org
November 6, 2025 at 8:44 AM
As the ice cap forms, it traps air bubbles, which then remain isolated. It has allowed us to reconstruct our past climate of 800,000 years ago. This was the date of the oldest Antarctic ice sampling thanks to a ice core drilled near the base of the Antarctic ice sheet.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Although Sistema Sac Aktun has been surpassed by Sistema Ox Bel Ha as the world’s longest underwater cave, it remains one of the most scientifically fascinating and culturally rich submerged cave systems on Earth.
🧪
sites.northwestern.edu/monroyrios/s...
#Karst #Yucatán #CaveDiving
🧪
sites.northwestern.edu/monroyrios/s...
#Karst #Yucatán #CaveDiving
Sistema Sac Aktun – longest underwater cave
Image: Archivo Gran Acuífero Maya (GAM)/INAH. Leer en Español Follow @mantarayo Sistema Sac Aktun (white cave) is one of the cave systems that discharge fresh water into the Caribbean Sea. Differen…
sites.northwestern.edu
November 6, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Although Sistema Sac Aktun has been surpassed by Sistema Ox Bel Ha as the world’s longest underwater cave, it remains one of the most scientifically fascinating and culturally rich submerged cave systems on Earth.
🧪
sites.northwestern.edu/monroyrios/s...
#Karst #Yucatán #CaveDiving
🧪
sites.northwestern.edu/monroyrios/s...
#Karst #Yucatán #CaveDiving
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
A Super-Earth Candidate Less Than 20 Light-Years Away
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate, named GJ 251c, less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
.
.
#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
EVENT - Centre for Microbial Interactions Annual Conference 2026
Register now to attend in-person or virtually @norwichmicro.bsky.social
🗓️ 4-5 March 2026
📍John Innes Conference Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline for registration - 25 February 2026: okt.to/16MLmH
Full programme: okt.to/YF8TVe
Register now to attend in-person or virtually @norwichmicro.bsky.social
🗓️ 4-5 March 2026
📍John Innes Conference Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline for registration - 25 February 2026: okt.to/16MLmH
Full programme: okt.to/YF8TVe
October 28, 2025 at 9:36 AM
EVENT - Centre for Microbial Interactions Annual Conference 2026
Register now to attend in-person or virtually @norwichmicro.bsky.social
🗓️ 4-5 March 2026
📍John Innes Conference Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline for registration - 25 February 2026: okt.to/16MLmH
Full programme: okt.to/YF8TVe
Register now to attend in-person or virtually @norwichmicro.bsky.social
🗓️ 4-5 March 2026
📍John Innes Conference Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline for registration - 25 February 2026: okt.to/16MLmH
Full programme: okt.to/YF8TVe
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Microbes At Red Sea Vents Show How Life And Geology Shape Each Other
astrobiology.com/2025/10/micr... #astrobiology #oceanography
astrobiology.com/2025/10/micr... #astrobiology #oceanography
Microbes At Red Sea Vents Show How Life And Geology Shape Each Other - Astrobiology
n unusual microbial world in the Hatiba Mons hydrothermal vent fields of the central Red Sea
astrobiology.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Microbes At Red Sea Vents Show How Life And Geology Shape Each Other
astrobiology.com/2025/10/micr... #astrobiology #oceanography
astrobiology.com/2025/10/micr... #astrobiology #oceanography
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Genomic Characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., A Novel Bacterium Isolated From The International Space Station
astrobiology.com/2025/10/geno... #astrobiology #microbiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/geno... #astrobiology #microbiology
Genomic Characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., A Novel Bacterium Isolated From The International Space Station - Astrobiology
During the microbial surveillance of the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2018, four Gram-stain positive bacterial strains
astrobiology.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Genomic Characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., A Novel Bacterium Isolated From The International Space Station
astrobiology.com/2025/10/geno... #astrobiology #microbiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/geno... #astrobiology #microbiology
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Growth, Physiology, And Metabolism Of Halomonas Meridiana In Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate With Implications For Icy Moon Astrobiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/grow... #astrobiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/grow... #astrobiology
Growth, Physiology, And Metabolism Of Halomonas Meridiana In Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate With Implications For Icy Moon Astrobiology - Astrobiology
The discovery of extraterrestrial reservoirs of liquid water has motivated missions to icy moons Europa and Titan.
astrobiology.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Growth, Physiology, And Metabolism Of Halomonas Meridiana In Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate With Implications For Icy Moon Astrobiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/grow... #astrobiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/grow... #astrobiology
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Registration and abstract submission open! Calling all UK-based Early-Career Planetary Scientists 🪐 🌒 ☄️ 🚀
Please join us for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London.
www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...
Please join us for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London.
www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...
UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting 2026 - Registration open!
The 19th UKPF Early Careers Meeting will take place on Friday 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck. Registration is now open. Abstract deadline: 31st October.
www.ucl.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Registration and abstract submission open! Calling all UK-based Early-Career Planetary Scientists 🪐 🌒 ☄️ 🚀
Please join us for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London.
www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...
Please join us for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting on 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, in London.
www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs
Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Phylogenetic and biochemical analyses show a diversity of components of the DNA replication machinery in different Asgard archaea that contributed to the eukaryotic DNA replication machinery.
www.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Have research, results, or ideas to share with the microbial ecology community? Don’t miss your chance to present it at #MMEG2025 - abstract submissions close 2 November!
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
October 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Have research, results, or ideas to share with the microbial ecology community? Don’t miss your chance to present it at #MMEG2025 - abstract submissions close 2 November!
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
📨 Submit your abstract: appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-ca...
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Technology developed at MSSL heading for space to search for life on Mars. #astrobiology #planetsci 🔭
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Surrey-made technology heading for space to search for life on Mars
Founded in 1966, the laboratory sits in a Victorian mansion in 30 acres in the Surrey Hills.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 19, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Technology developed at MSSL heading for space to search for life on Mars. #astrobiology #planetsci 🔭
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Vito Latorre, PhD
Submit your abstract for the UK’s largest annual gathering of microbiologists, Annual Conference 2026. Held in Belfast, UK, this year’s conference now features two-day attendance tickets.
October 20, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Submit your abstract for the UK’s largest annual gathering of microbiologists, Annual Conference 2026. Held in Belfast, UK, this year’s conference now features two-day attendance tickets.