Meg Clapperton

#membrane seminars are back this week wirh Manu @deriverylab.bsky.social and Andela Šarić! Join us on Thursday at 5 pm CET spread the word!

Antibodies don't work.

NLRP3 is by far the most studied inflammasome — yet <30% of commercial antibodies were specific.

Only 4 of 14 tested antibodies detected NLRP3 specifically.

Antibodies must be validated before use.

Full report by @ycharos.bsky.social : zenodo.org/records/1162...

🚨🚨🚨Check out this new preprint from the Löwe lab proposing that microtubule architecture and dynamics evolved in Asgard archaea prior to eukaryogenesis! Happy to have had a little contribution by showing that Asgard tubulin displays a key hallmark of eukaryotic tubulins: dynamic instability! 🚨🚨🚨

Through the doors of discovery - an introduction to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology YouTube video by MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

To complement the launch of our new LMB website, we’ve shared a new introductory video on our YouTube channel.

Meet some of our scientists and support staff, take a look around our wonderful building and see how we come together to unravel how life works.

youtu.be/JmC17_4bEMA?...

Dear Sir Paul, Re: Royal Society Code of Conduct I am sure that many scientists have written to you about the specific question of Elon Musk’s Fellowship and whether, under the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct, his retaining that Fellowship is appropriate. I will not rehash these issues. Instead, as a female scientist with extensive experience of activities aiming to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the engineering and physical sciences sector, I am writing to you (in a personal capacity) to ask you to reconsider the statements you have recently made in this context to the UK press about the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct and how it is applied. A 2018 report from the joint National Academies of the United States of America, concluded that “sexual harassment is common in academic science, engineering, and medicine” and that “greater than 50 percent of women faculty and staff and 20–50 percent of women students encounter or experience sexually harassing conduct in academia”. This report described codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated as a “powerful incentive for change”. The authors also noted that sexual harassment can have significant and damaging effects on the integrity of research. In my own praxis, I have found that clear and consistently-implemented codes of conduct that address these issues make female scientists and engineers safer, and allow them to focus more effectively on their research. For codes of conduct to have such a positive effect, it is vital that sanctions for actions which transgress the code are meaningful and substantial.

I was hence aghast to realise that in an interview with the Financial Times published on 9/1/26, you appear to have suggested that the Royal Society “should only expel fellows if their science proved “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective””. Moreover, in a further interview with the Guardian on 11/1/26 you suggested that the code “may need to be looked at again”, with the implication that your aim would be to remove the option of sanctions on Fellows for reasons not strictly related to faults or defects in their research. I suggest that changing the Royal Society’s code of conduct so that the likelihood of serious sanctions for sexual harassment is reduced, would directly endanger women who interact with the Royal Society at events or otherwise, and would provide a licence to harass to the already powerful people on whom the Society bestows fellowship. The implications of your words - that under your leadership the only infringements of the code which are likely to receive the sanction of the Fellowship being removed are those related to research misconduct - already risk empowering harassers. You stated, in the Financial Times interview, that “there’s many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances”. Given this awareness of the possibility of bad actors in our scientific community, it is wholly irresponsible to suggest that the Royal Society would not act to sanction these people if they harass more vulnerable scientists. I am hence writing to request that you retract any suggestion that the Society’s Code of Conduct should be changed so that the only reason a Fellow might be sanctioned by the removal of their Fellowship is “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective” research. This action is necessary to safeguard female scientists, a requirement placed on the Society by safeguarding legislation and UK statutory guidance. Yours sincerely, Professor Rachel A. Oliver.

Following coverage over the weekend of Sir Paul Nurse's comments that suggested that the only reason that a Fellow should be expelled from @royalsociety.org is scientific misconduct, I have written to him to explain the risks such an attitude poses of increasing sexual harassment in STEM.

Now published with peer-review-induced improvements in Biomedical Optics Express: doi.org/10.1364/BOE.579043

We continue to recommend the use of Sarstedt lumox dishes for ease of use and high-quality imaging performance: bsky.app/profile/jame...

A calculation of the energy released by four-fold swelling of a 5 mm expansion microscopy hydrogel, containing 1 mmol of sodium acrylate. The calculation assumes a sphere of uniform charge density, in water, and gives an energy of 9.4E13 Joules, or approximately 22.5 kilotons of TNT.

For an internal talk, I wanted an easy way to disprove the prevailing myth that expansion microscopy gels expand due to repulsion between charged polymer strands. I did a quick calculation of the supposed energy released during a standard experiment and it's equivalent to a small nuclear bomb...

Slop graphics in academic journals Use this form to share graphics (e.g., figures, covers, graphical abstracts) made using generative A.I. that have appeared in academic journals. The plan is to compile these slop graphics in an ope...

If you run across a gen A.I. slop 🤖💩 diagram in an academic journal, I’d love to know about it! Please fill out this form:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Slop in journals is illuminating about journals’ quality control. And journals would like you to forget their mistakes.

#AcademicChatter

Join the LMB's PhD programme! Applications now open for October 2026 Deadline 2nd December 2025

There’s just ONE WEEK left to apply to join our amazing PhD programme next year!
Visit our website for more information: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/students/int...
Applications close on 2nd DEC 2025

Join the LMB's PhD programme! Applications now open for October 2026 Deadline 2nd December 2025

Considering the LMB for your PhD?
We’ve got over 25 projects available, covering a wide array of topics. Check them out here: www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/students/int...
Apply by 2nd DEC for Autumn 2026 admission.

What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.

Getting Rosalind Franklin’s story right is crucial, because she has become a role model for women going into science

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

We are delighted to announce the Strathclyde Optical Microscopy Course 2026 (SOMC26), taking place in Glasgow from 21st July – 30th July 2026!

Please find more details at shorturl.at/xmUiZ and apply at shorturl.at/MxTlI. Deadline 16 January 2026.

Next Generation Biophysics Symposium 2025 - YouTube The Next Generation Biophysics Symposium is an annual event, organised by MRC LMB, AstraZeneca, Imperial College London and MRC LMS examining the application...

Missed the 2025 Next Generation Biophysics Symposium?
Great news – you can now watch the fantastic talks on our YouTube channel!
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Don't miss these great discussions on how new and emerging technologies may be able to address challenging biological questions.

📣 We are hiring! An education-focused Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Biomedical or Biophysical sciences. It’s a chance to be a part of a team of single molecule /cellular biophysicists building a brand new undergraduate curriculum, here at UNSW in sunny Sydney. Happy to answer queries.

Using super-resolution microscopy to investigate the mechanistic principles of bacterial cell wall remodelling at University of Warwick on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Using super-resolution microscopy to investigate the mechanistic principles of bacterial cell wall remodelling at University of Warwick, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD project available in my lab. Email me with CV if interested
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
#microsky #bioimaging

Biological Laboratory | LEGO® Ideas This is a two-floor realistic Biological Laboratory building. In this design, I try to tell stories about biologists, introduce biology concepts to general publ…

I just made an account and voted for this biology laboratory made of LEGO to "promote biological research and inspire more people into the world of biology". They need 10K votes. Reposting and/or voting below would be helpful. 🤗
beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...

Oh how sad

Really a towering figure, whose work laid the ground for stem cells, regenerative biology etc

I go to know him well over many years and he was definitely one-of a-kind...

Join the LMB's PhD programme! Applications now open for October 2026 Deadline 2nd December 2025

Considering a PhD in molecular biology?
Make sure to check out the projects on offer at the LMB!
www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/students/int...
General applications by 2nd DEC.
US Gates Scholarship applications by 15th OCT.
#PhD

So good to see this out there! Congratulations to all of you!

We present a simple method to easily increase the imageable depth of an expansion microscopy gel on a typical inverted microscope ten-fold, using some carefully placed FEP film and a water dipping objective lens:

Black, long haired kitten sitting on top of a light wood dining table. Her tail is curled around her legs and her big green eyes are staring directly into the camera. The background has a window facing out to green leafy trees.

Bluesky, meet Goose! Pudge is a big sister and she is not happy about it!

Workshop Macro to Micro: Quantitative Plant Images Across Scales. Organisers: Mark Fricker, Alexander Johnson, Joseph McKenna and Markéta Šámalová. Early-career researchers apply for funded places. 22-25 February 2026, Buxted Park, East Sussex, UK. The Company of Biologists logo.

Early-career researchers, apply for a funded place at our Macro to Micro: Quantitative Plant Imaging Across Scales Workshop.

Find out more: www.biologists.com/workshops/fe...

#Workshop #Plants #Cells #Imaging #Microscopy #Microscope #Research #PlantPhysiology #PlantCells

This is such cool news! I love Kurzgesagt videos! :D

Interview: How a Hearing-Loss Grant Got Cut in the Fight Over DEI “It felt like the floor dropped out,” researcher Uri Manor said after the sudden suspension of his lab’s award.

undark.org/2025/07/11/i...

AstraZeneca, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Imperial College London, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences Next Generation Biophysics Symposium 2025 Wednesday 3rd September 2025 Hybrid Symposium (Zoom & MRC LMB, Cambridge) Keynote Speaker: Professor Cees Dekker Registration open

Want to hear from experts about how new and emerging technologies can be harnessed to answer complex biological questions?
Don’t mis the 2025 Next Generation Biophysics Symposium on Wednesday 3rd September!
Find out more details and register here: www3.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/sites/nextgen/

Blue/tortoiseshell British shorthair cat called Pudge, laying inside a cat carry case looking fairly grumpy (her resting grump face), next to a vibrant red stuffed toy shaped like a cartoon cat.

Pudge is thrilled about her new pal, Hamma-cat-su, picked up at #MMC2025 ! @hamamatsucorp.bsky.social

Meg at the front of a lecture room, introducing a talk entitled "multispectral TIRF -IRM microscopy for high resolution imaging of motor protein dynamics.

It was an absolute pleasure to speak at #MMC2025 this week! The first time talking about my postdoc work from the past year or so! Thanks to everyone for their interest in LIVE multispectral TIRF imaging!
Great to hang out with my old lab too!

Great opportunity for a Research Support Officer to join @cellbiol-mrclmb.bsky.social, supporting @deriverylab.bsky.social in their studies of the molecular mechanisms behind receptor sorting in endosomes.
More info: www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Apply by 10 JUL
#ScienceJobs

Please share with anyone who has experience in protein expression / purification and cloning - no PhD needed! We are super friendly and don't bite :D LMB is a cracking place to work and Cambridge is lovely 😍

Frozen cat tubes going down well in this heat 🫠 🔥 🐈