Alek Erickson
@AlekErickson
evolutionary/developmental biology, abstract games, and music
Are you interested in a postdoc studying the genetics of skeletal shaping in my lab at Stockholm University? Let's apply for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoc fellowship (deadline: September 2025). Reach out!
How do cells clean up misfolded proteins when they divide? This study finds that the cleanup crew includes the ER chaperone BiP and the proteasome, and kicks in right as cells finish dividing. Surprisingly, one major cell cycle regulator isn’t involved. elifesciences.org/articles/96675…
Proudly presenting Simon’s paper on asymmetric apportioning of old mitochondria biasing intestinal stem cells for the Paneth cell linage through aKG-dependent metabolism @NatMetabolism nature.com/articles/s4225… @helsinkiuni @HiLIFE_helsinki @SuomenAkatemia @MetaStem_Center
Mind the pores: studying morphogen gradients Read this Research Highlight showcasing work from Justina Stark, Rohit Krishnan Harish, Ivo Sbalzarini @MOSAICgroup1 and Michael Brand @CRTDpress: journals.biologists.com/dev/article/15…
Feroze, R., Shawky, J. H., von Dassow, M., & Davidson, L. A. (2015). Mechanics of blastopore closure during amphibian gastrulation. Developmental biology, #EpithelialMechanics doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbi…
Fantastic work by @_Pulzar! See below the updated & published version of our paper on the mechanical dynamics of cells during Drosophila gastrulation - out now in @NatureComms! Congrats to the whole team - wonderful collaboration with the labs of @mleptin & Julio Belmonte 🥳🥂🙌
🥁 New article 📢: My #research on #Mechanobiology of #development in @NatureComms. We studied the mechanical dynamics of embryonic cell populations during #Drosophila #gastrulation using #Brillouin microscopy: rdcu.be/ev6ZX @Prevedel_Lab @embl. Highlights in thread⬇️
A simple flow of gas over water may have helped kickstart life on early Earth. Research shows how evaporation and fluid flow in a narrow channel can drive isothermal DNA replication, offering a plausible, low-temp setting for early molecular evolution. elifesciences.org/articles/10015…
Warmest congratulations & thanks to brilliant member of our team @Caltech Wenqi Hu, collaborator @Roser Vento (not on X) & HDBR for a fantastic journey in bringing this unique resource. We hope it will be valuable as a reference point to build more powerful stem cell models
Atlas of amnion development during the first trimester of human pregnancy @NatureCellBio @ZernickaGoetz nature.com/articles/s4155…
A wholesome thread on Simple Ideas can have big Impacts.🧵 1. Great idea 💡
"Generate the same photo 5 seconds into the future." ran multiple times.
AI is getting out of hand 😂 "Create the exact replica of this image, don't change a thing" x101
US President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 calls for unprecedented cuts to scientific agencies that, if enacted, would deal a devastating blow to US science, policy specialists say. go.nature.com/3GPf95e
A rare carnivorous caterpillar, previously unknown to biologists, stalks spiderwebs for food whilst dressed in the remains of its prey, researchers report in Science. This unique new species, dubbed the “bone collector,” is found only on a single mountainside on the Hawai’ian…
New amazing work in the cartilage biology field
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
Star Wars Day falls on #ZebrafishZunday and we are doing our best to celebrate the day with this Naboo N-1 Starfighter-themed #zebrafish larva! Credit to @iam_AhmedJ of @yaksi_emre Lab. #MayTheFourthBeWithYou
Norm Macdonald's unforgettable moment on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
🥳 Happy #DNADay! 🧬 What better way to celebrate than with cycleHCR: one of our newest tools, developed by the Liu Lab, that uses a novel DNA barcode system to track hundreds of RNA & protein molecules in single cells within thick biological samples ➡️ janelia.org/news/new-metho…