Simon Michaeli

#Lightsheet fluorescence microscopy of an Arabidopsis #root. Six stitched segments enable 3D visualization of a relatively large portion of the root with proper resolution.

Amazing letter by @Cornell President rejecting the resolution. Should be read by all: Dear Zora, Thank you for conveying SA Resolution 61: Calling for the Termination of Cornell University’s Partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology While Preserving Cornell Tech. I reject this resolution, which fundamentally conflicts with Cornell’s principles of academic collaboration and our core commitment to academic freedom. Cornell Tech is not a political entity. It is an academic partnership, created through shared investment by Cornell University, the Technion, and the City of New York for the benefit of the city and the state, according to a negotiated set of conditions that govern its development and the terms of its 99-year ground lease on Roosevelt Island. As one of Cornell University’s many international partnerships and collaborations, Cornell Tech deepens, enriches, and strengthens the ability of our students, faculty, and staff to pursue knowledge and advance the university’s academic mission. The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, the core international partnership upon which Cornell Tech is based, is an extraordinarily valuable collaboration focusing on education and research in health tech, media tech, and urban tech, and supporting the development of new startup companies. Severing our relationship with the Technion—or with any entity affiliated with governments, institutions, or enterprises with which some of our community members disagree—as a statement of political protest, would not only hinder our research, teaching, and public engagement; it would imperil our academic principles. Our university, like all of our peer institutions, regularly faces pressure—from across the political spectrum, from within and beyond our own community—to make academic decisions according to political priorities. The phenomenon is not a new one: universities have grappled with such pressures from governments and societies for as long as the institution of the university has existed. When we yield to these pressures and proscribe specific collaborations or collaborators on grounds other than merit, we compromise our principles of academic freedom, undermine our own institutional excellence, and damage public trust in our work.   Moreover, this resolution inaccurately asserts that “the continued operation of Cornell Tech as a Cornell University campus does not require an ongoing partnership with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.” Cornell Tech, while part of Cornell, is a joint effort of the university, the Technion, and the City of New York. It is no more possible for Cornell to unilaterally terminate that effort and claim full control of the campus than it would be for the Technion or the City of New York to do the same. Finally, I am deeply troubled by the selective manner in which this resolution singles out the Technion, alone of Cornell’s many international partners, for censure. Cornell currently maintains 159 active agreements with institutions in 59 nations and regions; all of these institutions have some government affiliation, and many conduct research with military and security applications. Cornell itself has military research contracts, conducts research with potential military applications, and has relationships with companies whose products are used in military contexts. Cornell also has relationships with institutions in countries whose governments have been accused of human rights violations—as our own has been.  None of these publicly available facts are mentioned in the resolution; only our partnership with an Israeli institution is targeted for erasure. The political bias evident in this selective approach is deeply disturbing, and the resolution is incompatible with both the Student Assembly’s purpose and Cornell University’s core values. I reject it fully and forcefully. Sincerely,   Michael Kotlikoff President and Professor of Molecular Physiology Cornell University

Now published @NatureCellBio! Kinase KEY1 controls pyrenoid condensate size throughout the cell cycle by disrupting phase separation interactions nature.com/articles/s4155…

This is the clearest example of a dictatorship that we will ever see in our time: “I have shut off the internet for 90 million people because I am the only voice of Iran.”

In a new study from Prof. @SorekLab, led by Dr. Nitzan Tal and published in @ScienceMagazine, researchers have identified three new families of proteins that viruses use to disrupt bacterial immune signaling >> bit.ly/sponge-eng

We reached the point where anti-Jewish tropes are being reused against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims if they step out of line from the radical jihadist anti-Western narratives!

Petunia hybrida has been bred into an incredible diversity of colors and patterns. Most arise from mutations in the anthocyanin pathway or post-transcriptional gene silencing that turns pigment genes on and off 🧬🎨

Membrane atg8ylation and autophagy in protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis  The Journal of Immunology, Volume 215, Issue 2, February 2026, vkaf359, doi.org/10.1093/jimmun…

Israelis singing “I will survive” as they party it up in a bomb shelter, and the lead singer is dressed up as Maduro for Purim. Too good.

One of the hardest realizations for me after Oct. 7, as an Israeli feminist, was the sense of betrayal by many Western women’s organizations. 1/6>>

🔆 is rising over the bay of Eilat and the 2nd day of ILANIT 2026 is coming up.

We had a fab lab trip last week 🌻

Please RT‼️@meo0205 & us are looking for a #postdoc to explore #regeneration & #autophagy across kingdoms of life.Please spread the word & get in touch if interested. health-life-sciences.de/opportunities/…

We are looking for a post doc to work on a new and exciting project on plant N6-methyladenosine-binding proteins. Please spread the word! lnkd.in/eyfc-QGB

I am pleased to share our comprehensive review article on F-box proteins titled "Hundreds of plant F-box proteins in search of function" academic.oup.com/jxb/article-ab… @cnrs_ibmp @JXBot

Our own @Doro_ekari presented her research impressively and earned her M.Sc. title! 🎉🍾 Soon Dorothy will meet the @WeizmannScience Ph.D. committee to (hopefully) approve her joining the lab of @MichalSharon3. All the best Dorothy!

🔬MSc/PhD/postdoc position available - An exciting and innovative research opportunity!🌱

Beautiful

Friends and colleagues! A microscopy image created by me and Romana Hejatkova has made it to the finals of this year’s CELLIM contest. Please vote and support us (and of course, the other finalists as well). Thank you! :) cellim.ceitec.cz/cs/contest-202…

Plants "talk" internally — and now we can watch it happen. MAPPI lets us track shoot-to-root Ca²⁺ signals in real time 🌱⚡ @ScienceAdvances! science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

We made it to the cover!🤩🌱⏳️ Really proud of this work and of our PhD candidate Asif @greenbot23 ! 🥹 The first manuscript of the first PhD candidate, featured in the cover of the December 2025 issue of @ThePlantCell ! Yay!🎉💪🏾✨️🙌🏾 #seedresearch #evolution