Vito Latorre, PhD

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

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.🌋⚡️

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...

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.

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

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

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.

Deep‐branching eukaryotes and early events in protist evolution The first eukaryotes evolved from their archaean ancestors in the early Proterozoic, likely ca. 2000–1800 million years ago (Mya). Their macroscopic multicellular descendants, such as plants, heterok...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#protistsonsky

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

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...

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...

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/...

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…

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

Microbial Ecology of Subsurface Granitic Bedrock: A Humid–Arid Site Comparison in Chile Abstract. Subsurface microorganisms face extreme challenges such as anoxic, xeric, and oligotrophic conditions. In igneous systems, nutrient limitation is

academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a...

Nitrogen fixation under declining Arctic sea ice - Communications Earth & Environment Nitrogen fixation occurs under Arctic sea ice and is positively correlated with primary production, according to analyses of transects across the marginal ice zone and in the Central Arctic Ocean.

www.nature.com/articles/s43...

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.

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

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

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

Microbes At Red Sea Vents Show How Life And Geology Shape Each Other
astrobiology.com/2025/10/micr... #astrobiology #oceanography

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

Genomic Characterization of Microbacterium meiriae sp. nov., A Novel Bacterium Isolated From The International Space Station
astrobiology.com/2025/10/geno... #astrobiology #microbiology

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.

Growth, Physiology, And Metabolism Of Halomonas Meridiana In Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate With Implications For Icy Moon Astrobiology
astrobiology.com/2025/10/grow... #astrobiology

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.

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...

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.

Serial innovations by Asgard archaea shaped the DNA replication machinery of the early eukaryotic ancestor www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs

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...

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.

Technology developed at MSSL heading for space to search for life on Mars. #astrobiology #planetsci 🔭
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Night view of Belfast City Hall illuminated with colourful lights, promoting abstract submission closing for Annual Conference 2026 at ICC Belfast from April 13-16.

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.

Breathing alien air: the search for biosignatures on exoplanets Among the most promising indicators of biogenic elements are volatile organic compounds produced by life forms. The detection of specific metabolites such as dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and related compou...

In a time where it is hard to celebrate something, I just published my first news article in #TheMicrobiologist about how gases, made by microbes on Earth, help us detect alien life.

Thanks @amiposts.bsky.social !

#astrobiology#biosignarure#microbes

www.the-microbiologist.com/features/bre...

I'll join In sharing this incredible news. While the paper points to a biogenic origin for these minerals, a crucial part of the scientific process is to test alternatives. What plausible abiotic process could explain these low-temperature redox reactions on Mars?

Thanks!

A good soaking in the Fanghi would be the perfect addition especially after a fieldtrip there

@timholtwilson.bsky.social it looks amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the fumaroli on Vulcano this trip but definitely on the list for a future visit.

We are setting up for our annual BIO Research Colloquium taking place tomorrow, 8 July. There will be talks by some of our amazing academics, researchers and PhD students, as well as a poster competition, and a chance to catch up with colleagues across the Norwich Research Park.
#UEAScience

Had a great day at the BIO Research Colloquium at the @biouea.bsky.social

I had the chance to present my poster again but I especially had the chance to listen to inspiring speakers and meet more people in the research.
Big thanks to the organizers for the excellent event.

#UEABioResearch

Optimizing photosynthetic light-harvesting under stars: simple and general antenna models - Photosynthesis Research In the next 10–20 years, several observatories will aim to detect the signatures of oxygenic photosynthesis on exoplanets, though targets must be carefully selected. Most known potentially habitable e...

Fascinated to share this new work on how different stars might shape photosynthetic life on exoplanets. This has big implications for where we should look for oxygen biosignature.

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#Astrobiology
#Exoplanets
#Biosignatures

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

(PDF) Experimental vs. Natural Mineral Precipitation in Modern Microbialites: The Case Study of the Alkaline Bagno Dell’acqua Lake (Pantelleria Island, Italy) PDF | Microbial activity has been documented in various lacustrine environments, suggesting its fundamental role in mineral precipitation and,... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Res...

Great work from one of my colleagues on the biominaralisation process from isolates in an alkaline lake from Pantelleria recently get published.

www.researchgate.net/publication/...