Alfonso Martinez Arias
@AMartinezArias
Followers
9,385
Following
907
Media
1,043
Statuses
13,476
Born and bred in Madrid, brewed in Chicago and Cambridge. Curious about how cells build embryos #NotIntheGenes #InNumbersWeTrust
Cambridge, Barcelona
Joined April 2013
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
YouTube,YouTube
• 3044756 Tweets
#ยกน้ําหนัก
• 272768 Tweets
#เทควันโด
• 259859 Tweets
#8YearsWithBLACKPINK
• 203649 Tweets
Kursk
• 140788 Tweets
#HappySeungcherryDay
• 134619 Tweets
#띵동띵동_승철이_생일이다_문열어
• 133040 Tweets
CENTURY OF LOVE EP9
• 106109 Tweets
GIVE VINESH SILVER
• 95491 Tweets
#推しの子
• 56151 Tweets
#gangłysego
• 46122 Tweets
RED OUT
• 44630 Tweets
Japinha
• 43427 Tweets
Happy 8th
• 38981 Tweets
cheol
• 38726 Tweets
Augusto Akio
• 35506 Tweets
#湊あくあ生放送
• 34233 Tweets
8 YEARS WITH JENNIE
• 31635 Tweets
岐阜城北
• 30192 Tweets
END OF DREAM
• 28565 Tweets
Stefano Peschiera
• 28532 Tweets
#JO1ANNX
• 26156 Tweets
HAPPY BIRTHDAY XIAOJUN
• 22749 Tweets
Pedro Barros
• 22513 Tweets
ABOUTZU CONCEPT PHOTO 1
• 16514 Tweets
EIGHT YEARS WITH ROSÉ
• 14208 Tweets
せつ菜ちゃん
• 12656 Tweets
Ana Patrícia
• 10982 Tweets
引き分け
• 10541 Tweets
ポーランド
• 10128 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
An argument on the relationship between
#genes
,
#cells
and
#embryos
, the role of genes in the construction of animals and the creative tension between genes and cells, twins, human nature
#TheMasterBuilder
#CellsRUs
#NotInTheGenes
3
18
77
Darwin’s unsolicited response to reviewer’s comments in last edition of “On the origin of species’. How many times we wished we were able to start our rebuttals like this...
#PeerReview
16
296
1K
Today sees the publication
@BasicBooks
of an argument for the central role
#cells
play in organism building: From the first eukaryotic cell, through the emergence of
#animals
, the Burgess Shale and
#gastrulation
to the construction of a human
#embryo
#CellsRUs
#NotInTheGenes
.
38
103
466
After a loooong time
@Cambridge_Uni
I'm moving. From Feb 2021 my lab will be in DCEXS
@UPFBarcelona
within
#PRBB
environment in BCN. Look forward to Science/ collaborations w/ the rich and extensive Biomedical community in Barcelona
#Brexit
#Europe
#ScienceMatters
#PeopleMatter
68
34
428
The work heralded
@Nature
as ‘On the genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans’ has a number of issues that question the headline and make the conclusion misleading 1/n
11
61
277
It is difficult to understand why
@Nature
publishes papers like this whose title promises much but which in the end is, simply, a data set with little insight & a number of misleading statements.
18
29
275
Proud to have received an
@ERC_Research
award in the UK, which makes the most grantees in this year’s awards, thus showing how much the UK & Europe have to lose from a bad resolution of the current situation
#IAmEuropean
#NoBrexit
26
25
228
Day 1 of the
@AMA_lab
in
@UPFBarcelona
@UPFbiomed
. Miquel Sas,
@SusannevdBrink
, Sara Bonavia and Ulla-Maj Fiuza. Looking forward to the future, exploring what cells can do and how they do it with curiosity and optimism
#InNumbersWeTrust
#WeWearMasks
28
13
227
Two Bioinformatics positions in our lab in Barcelona to participate in the unraveling of the mechanisms of early mammalian development using data from embryos and embryo models
0
124
205
Remarkable
@bioRxiv
study of early human embryos spatial transcriptomics . One can quibble whether CS12 is PCW3 , it is really more like week 4 but extremely important work nonetheless. So much to look at and to think @!
#HumanEmbryos
coming into focus
1
56
200
You may not have heard of Antonio Garcia Bellido BUT he is at the root of the link between genes with cell lineage and activity through mosaic analysis in
#Drosophila
; a classic, a pioneer of modern
#DevBio
, someone who saw the value/need of reconstructing to learn.
13
45
200
A tour de force that represents and highlights the coming of age of a central area of biological research
#DevelopmentalBiology
#DevBio
Thank you
@priscaliberali
@schierlab
2
48
198
#LewisWolpert
, scientist/thinker extraordinaire, belongs to that breed of scientists who leave an imprint on the field and in the minds and souls of those fortunate enough to interact with them. He had visions and metaphors that still inspire and will inspire many.
5
43
187
The recent reports on the generation of embryo-like structures from mouse pluripotent stem cells by the
@jacob_hanna
and
@MZG_Lab
groups are an important landmark in developmental and reproductive biology. Thread
2
37
176
"It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover. To know how to criticize is good, to know how to create is better"
H. Poincare
1
24
172
Recently I was reminded of Max Planck’s statement “Science progresses one funeral at a time” ‘cause it seems to me that
#DevBio
is slowly dying one scRNAseq data set at a time 1/4
3
18
152
Labs are not sweatshops, supervisors are there to supervise not to impose. If you are in an uncomfortable position with a supervisor, speak up. Zero tolerance
6
124
149
It is indeed a surprisingly little known fact
Just learned that Menten (of Michaelis-Menten kinetics) was a female scientist!
#WomensHistoryMonth
31
316
1K
11
35
149
Spent the last two weeks thinking about (mammalian)
#gastrulation
(again). How little we know about such a central process, how many misconceptions. Thank you to Val Wilson (who actually knows something about the process) for guiding my ignorance and questions.
4
14
144
In which the relationship between
#genes
,
#cells
and
#embryos
is discussed with a focus on what the activities of cells tell us about how we are built and what we are
@BasicBooks
#NotInTheGenes
#InNumbersWeTrust
#CellRUs
7
34
137
We can now see
@ZernickaGoetz
work . The reported structures are weakly organized masses of cells of different kinds, induced by overexpression of transgenes or heavy exposure to signals that need to be interpreted.
3
40
133
0
52
133
If I read this correctly, the first three months of
@eLife
new model reveal a 73% desk rejection rate. am I misreading? This is 'as good as'
@Nature
(80%). I thought this was doing away w/ the journal culture. Are there really so many
#preprints
not eLife worthy?
9
22
128
Juan Modolell has passed away. Great scientist/human being, teacher of much and many, introduced molecular biology to Spain in the 80s & used it to unravel the mysteries of Drosophila AS-C w/ first examples of rlnshp enhancers/positional information. Will be sorely missed. RIP
19
30
127
Now,
this is SOMETHING
Our cells, most probably all animal’s, are DNA-barcoded, we are the experiment and those barcodes reveal our development. A
#hallmark
in an ongoing quest from C Walsh’s group
#InNumbersWeTrust
#FromNumbersWeLearn
0
31
122
This is an instance when embryo models are v useful . The intriguing disconnect morphogenesis/transcrptmcs in
#gastruloids
is revealed here as an interplay between mechanics and GRNs; an emerging theme in
#DevBio
1
47
120
If you want a succinct, opinionated and stimulating history/comment on the last 150 years of
#DevBio
I suggest Jane Maienschein's “Embryos under the microscope; the diverging meanings of life’. From Aristotle to human ESCs with such clarity of thought!
5
13
117
Having been asked to record lectures, which is fine, this means that to be a PI in biosciences it’s not enough to be writer, teacher, researcher, mentor, psychologist, administrator, accountant, editor, manager….now we have to, also, become film editors/producers………
11
15
115
In
#London
with my agent Jaime Marshall on the day of the UK publicacion of the
#MasterBuilder
3
7
113
Thank you for your comment. I was perhaps strong on the term ‘ignorance’ but I do not know what other term to use on a piece of work with a title like the one you use which ignores relevant literature and facts. Here is a response 1/n
A notable scientist accused my team yesterday of being ignorant in biology or not actually believing what we are proposing in the tail manuscript. They make interesting points but starting with insults is distracting and not constructive. A few points..
19
71
766
5
7
114
#Gastrulation
as a process +
#PrimitiveStreak
as a mechanically induced manifestation of an underlying/ universal midline that emerged > once in
#Evolution
. Together with Guojun Sheng and Ann Sutherland. Exposition, discussion and implications
#14DayRule
2
34
109
1/5 Fantastic resource for
#gastruloid
curious and enthusiasts from
@priscaliberali
This is a treasure trove exploiting the reproducibility of the system
#multiomics
,
#morphogenesis
,
#drugscreening
#CellBiology
. Much to plough through and think about.
1
23
105
On the day of the
#Nobel
award for Physiology and Medicine let us remember that the real prize is in seeing something for the first time and understand what it is (not an easy feat). The most important thing about Science is SEEING and understanding and not being seen.
0
19
105
Did you ever wonder where the term and notion of ‘stem cell’ comes from? It was coined by the controversial but briliiant Ernst Haeckel and, as many things, had a long history until the hype it receives today. For an excellent account of this journey
2
19
102
A.Turing presciently suggested that embryos had two components a chemical and a mechanical. For years we have focused on the chemical, two new
#preprints
start to think about
#mechanics
through chicken gastrulation: and
4
16
98
This notion that genomes BUILD cells, tissues, bodies…. I understand that by repeating this mantra we get to believe it w/o questions but...... it jars with the reality of a developing
#embryo
#cells
use genes and are not directed by genes.
Shape, structure are
#NotInTheGenes
11
8
99
Together w/
@NRivron
@nmoris
@martinperaJAX
@HafezIsmaili
some considerations on what should we call a
#HumanEmbryo
(a more difficult Q than it seems) & how can be use its definition to decide what exactly are the emerging
#EmbryoModels
#definitions
1
38
96
The day that we shall not need to justify our research in terms of the way it impinges on human health we shall show that we understand and appreciate Biology (and only then we might -as we have in the past- have an impact on human biology.
2
35
94
A proof of concept study on the potential of
#gastruloids
as a test of
#teratogenicity
#preprint
@nmoris
@VeronikaMantzi1
@PeterBeej
#InNumbersWeTrust
3
26
94
Amazing work (and not the first) from Paluh &
@zacholmsted
: human cardiac
#gastruloids
“Here we….describe interconnected neuro-cardiac lineages in a single gastruloid model”. Indeed, the integration of different cell types is the power of the gastruloids
2
21
91
This from a classic piece of thought
There is a logic to biological systems but it is not the same as the one we have built for physical systems
#MustRead
0
24
92
As Feynman said, if you understand something, you should be able to build it. Two remarkable reports make the point;
#Signalling
&
#Patterning
gradients: and
#SynDevBio
#PatternFomation
W. Lim
@OphirKlein
@jpvincentlab
0
32
91
There is an important difference between
#epigenesis
and
#epigenetics
. Same root, very different concepts. See Sui Huang classic discussion
#preprints
Very focused on
#epigenetics
.
Do we need to talk about
#epigenesis
?
3
26
89
There are some truly hidden gems in the literature
This from R. Keller & D. Shook (who have many) is one If interested in the rlntshp between genes & shape, transcription and morphogenesis, u need to learn @ morphogenic machines. Definitely
#NotInTheGenes
1
17
90
Important study addressing the origin of the
#endoderm
in mammals
@LickertHeiko
& cols
Separate origin from mesoderm
FoxA2 as an “EMT gatekeeper” regulating Wnt signalling Elegant experimental design and informative use of scRNAseq
#Gastrulation
2
27
88
Some thoughts on what
#ESC
models of embryogenesis can teach us @ early development, in particular
#gastrulation
w/
@BenSteventon2
and
@Larabeeee
#SelfOrganization
#DevHourglass
#Devplasticity
#Stembryo
#gastruloids
#HarmoniousEquipotentialSystem
2
28
87
Rare/excellent sc-RNAseq study
@ZornLab
and coll. deciphering cell interactions in vivo and using results to improve differentiation protocols in vitro. Questions, rigour, interface between data sets from different sources. Previously
@biorxivpreprint
0
25
85
#ISDB2021
in their reproducible differences from the natural structures,
#gastruloids
and
#organoids
show us that Biology is less intuitive than we are taught and…..
1
7
84
The labs of
@JgrosL
and F. Corson use data from quail embryos to derive “an analog of Turing's molecular reaction-diffusion model, with contractility locally self-activating and the ensuing tension acting as a long-range inhibitor”
#gastrulation
0
18
83
Next week, September 13-14, a meeting in memory of Lewis Wolpert
An opportunity to look at his contributions, influence and legacy. It is a hybrid event and FREE but you need to register
#PositionalInformation
#Gastrulation
2
55
83
Much talk about mammalian embryos these days, here is the real thing in this small classic (for those of us interested in
#reality
) from
@rrbehringer
, exploring the amazing variety of implantation and gastrulation strategies
5
13
83
Monsters might have a logic and we can learn from it. A meeting to celebrate the ideas and impact of Pere Alberch () at the interface of
#Development
and
#Evolution
; November Barcelona. Attendance is free but you need to register
3
39
80
Progress in understanding the very difficult issue of how fate scaling considers the global size of a multicellular system
Important work from
@smunozdescalzo
on a classic in spatial pattern formation: the Epi-PrEnd decision in the mouse epiblast.
3
16
81
We know about GRNs but….maybe we also need to think about CRNs (Cell Regulatory Networks)
See also the little known and important from D Shook and the legendary R Keller
2
15
80
Thread 1.
#Gastruloids
are one of a collection of
#Stembryo
models that have emerged over the last few years & are transforming the way we do mammalian
#DevBio
through a combination of genetics, experimental embryology and cell biology
1
20
78
Wonderful, amazing. Nature never stops reminding us of our place in the general context of things
Diver persuades an octopus to exchange its nasty plastic shelter for an all-natural one.
72
2K
7K
1
12
75
How do
#cells
and
#genes
build
#embryos
? Is our identity in our genomes or is it created by our cells? From the birth of the cell to how we use
#StemCells
to answer these questions. The beginning of an argument
@nextbigideaclub
#NotInTheGenes
#CellsRus
1
24
77
Somitogenesis clock and wavefront model? Naahhh…. Google trends: football (blue), Covid (red).
2
6
74
Excellent account of the evolution of models of human embryos for the last 150 years. N. Hopwood
Journey through the landmarks of human embryology and its representations. Yes,
#EmbryoModels
is not something we have just run into
#MustRead
#HistoryMatters
1
33
87
Impressive piece of work
@zacholmsted
and Janet Paluh on integration of PNS, mesoderm & endoderm derivatives; demonstrating the ability of
#gastruloids
to generate integrated
#organoid
systems for the study of structure and function
#InVivoid
2
15
73
On
#CellsvGenes
@ngorfinkiel
has reminded me of this interview between two grandees of
#DevelopmentalBiology
: Lewis Wolpert & Antonio Garcia Bellido The excerpt below echoes a different era: less data, more questions. Also typical of their interactions
4
14
72
Remarkable reproducibility of
#gastruloids
,
@gregorscience
; not only surprising precision but also scaling . OK in a system w/ fixed boundary conditions (Bcd
#Drosophila
) but in a system that creates its own boundary conditions like
#gastruloids
?
#BigQs
1
19
73
Yes I agree that Developmental Biology is an important branch of Biology but.....to say that Genetics has is origin in embryology........is misguided and misleading. It does not. Genetics has its roots in plant breeding.
Developmental biology, the stem cell of biological disciplines
@PLOSBiology
by Scott Gilbert. Worth reading!
0
14
26
2
17
72
Very good thread for young PIs and aspiring scientists. The one thing that's difficult to keep today (as opposed to 30 yrs ago) is a focus on Science v career, discovery v publication. If one understands this, maybe u can enjoy Science for a long(er) time
1. One thing that I think about more as I get older is how to sustain the curiosity, focus, & drive that is required from a successful scientist over a very long career. The problem is that we train earlier on in our careers to be sprinters but we need to become marathon runners.
13
102
491
1
18
71
This study from
@Jacob_hanna
& coll
is an significant contribution to the fledgling field of human developmental biology (
#hDEvBio
)
#Thread
1
21
70
Very good & comforting to get
@AMA_lab
together in 3D after 4 months of 1 and 2D;
@nmoris
Chris Cooke
@MeaganjHennessy
@VeronikaMantzi1
@SabitriGhimire2
&
@PeterBeej
camera; we made sure we kept our distance. Background Darwin College. We need human contact
#1234
#Cambridge
1
5
71
Rigorous work provides
#FirstEvidence
for gold standard of pluripotency in primates
However. Not all naïve primate ESCs are the same from the perspective of the embryo and even the ones that yield chimeras, do so at a low freq.
Much to think @
#MustRead
0
22
71
#LiveModelling
. A most interesting effort to create a modelling framework integrating GRNs with morphogenesis data during the development of the presomitic mesoderm in the zebrafish from
@SteventonLab
2
19
71
Final comment: When I see the adjective ‘thought provoking’ associated with , it is clear that we as biologists are close to hitting intellectual rock bottom. Very interesting that stating part of the obvious has had such an impact. The times we live in.
3
8
69
Genes don't make tissue and organs, genes are very abstract instructions to make proteins in spatiotemporal schedules. Cells maje tracheae and oesophagi
#NotInTheGenes
Genes that make both the trachea and oesophagus from a single group of cells are revealed
1
4
23
0
10
71
In
#Paris
, thinking about
#DevBio
#Evolution
#History
. How not to go and walk through the Jardin des Plantes visit the Museum of Natural History and let one’s mind ponder over the collection.
See for a sensitive account of what it means
6
6
69
We need to reinvent
#peerreview
. Remember, peerreview is a continuum. It did not exist in Darwin’s time and when people commented, they signed! (most of the time). It is time to change, again. There are some ongoing experiments, let’s hope they work.
4
7
69
We appreciate the interest in human gastruloids but, it's early days; the proof of the pudding is in the eating.They are teaching us surprising things e.g the relationship between morphogenetic/genetic blueprints; let’s see how much we can learn from them
3
18
68
1/3 The cross road of Metabolism and Development are an important interface which has seen some inroads, particularly in the context of
#somitogenesis
. Two preprints complenting embryos and their models. Sweet times
#WayForward
2
15
68
1/2 Something is happening when many seasoned scientists move into commercial enterprises and entrepreneurs investing in Bioscience. Is the search for knowledge moving away from academia which is increasingly becoming a mere exercise in paper publishing?
3
5
67
Elegant, wonderful demonstration of how geometry and mechanics control cell fate and morphogenesis from
@TheLutolfLab
Control over self organization in intestinal organoids
#YAP
#Notch
#Wntofcourse
#mechanotransduction
#NotInheGenes
0
20
67
Another
#gastruloid
ms
@ReikLab
exploring inter gastruloid variability in germ layer composition revealing patterns which tell us @ principles of cell fate choices in early
#embryos
. Excellent work. Robust models teach us. Much to think
#InNumbersWeTrust
.
2
11
67
Great story involving Muller, a cryptic message and the US office of censorship in war time
“Aristaless dead wants aristaless and aristapedia badly Luv”
A letter
#Drosophila
#spies
Read the story
@GeneticsGSA
2
11
65
Good effort in the comparative analysis of gastrulation from
@AlberioRamiro
and L Simpson. Integration of data from
#embryos
and
#gastruloids
. Hints not all might be cell automous and that Developmental
#Time
is fluid and malleable externally
#Questions
1
19
67
1/n Glad to see this out w/an origin in a memorable
@Equipe_lenne
sabbatical in Cambridge. The work mirrors and extends
@IftachN
and, most significantly, Stefano Vianello and
@TheLutolfLab
on
#gastruloids
.
1
13
66
"The problem of development and heredity are therefore inseparable from the more specific phenomena of cell structure and cell activity" EB Wilson 1937
#NotInTheGenes
#CellsRUs
3
5
65
TADs/ fate decisions (again) . How much correlation -sometimes that's it-, how much causation -sometimes there's some. Something missing in this field. Contradictions (in Science) a sign that something interesting lurks within them
2
17
65
There are now seven different mss on human stem cell embryo models
#hSEM
, so you may ask, what have we learnt? 1/n
2
26
65
Jacob and Monod represent a most powerful influence in biology. Crick provided logic to DNA, what it meant, how the information flows but J&M revealed its meaning through an enduring and mesmerizing interpretation of mutations and phenotypes and the metaphor of gene regulation.
1
15
64
I have posted some comments on
reporting on postimplantation embryo like structures from hESCs…..
#thread
1
8
63
Great and fun collaboration w/
@Duboule
& M. Lutolf's labs We are intrigued by what
#gastruloids
show and what they can teach us
#3Rs
#InNumbersWeTrust
#ReproducibleOrganoids
Image from
@da40cambs
1
18
62
On the back of and to underpin our recent work on a model of early human development some thoughts on what we know of human embryos and why we should know more
2
15
63
Of how Newton’s laws shapes tooth morphogenesis “stresses generated by cell proliferation are resisted by the surrounding tissue’
Fantastic work from
@OphirKlein
and
@CampasLab
w/ Jeremy Green
#MustRead
#Morphogenesis
#CellsRUs
#NotIntheGenes
1
7
62
Something strange is happening in certain realms of biology. Let me tell you a story
2
23
60
Heard it
@VGZT2020_21
now we can see
#preprint
@Ohnolog
#killifish
Beautiful work. Insights that lead to good questions.
#gastruloids
in Nature? Cellular self organization. See also
1
13
61
and if your want to learn more and FAQs @
#HumanGastruloids
Breakthrough in modelling earliest stages of human embryonic development holds huge potential to understand causes of birth defects and diseases:
@GeneticsCam
@AMartinezArias
@nmoris
#stemcells
#gastruloids
2
63
161
6
21
61
Disease modelling
#gastruloids
. Led by C. Pina () we show that
#hemogenic
#gastruloids
generate HSC niche-like structures and can be used to model aspects of infant acute myeloid leukemia (infAML)
@biorxivpreprint
#preprint
0
9
60