December 9, 2023 - Current quotation #48: "I suppose I am proud of what has gone on, after all I only ever wanted to play the guitar for a living, and that is what I am still doing" (Bernie Marsden, English musician).

December 7, 2023 - Faithful to their annual rendezvous with the School of Medicine, the storks start to populate the roofs of the main building. But, as always, these little things that make some people happy also annoy others....

November 29, 2023 - "The detective of cholesterol and triglycerides." Journalists always unleashing their creativity.

November 28, 2023 - As the time for conversation is long over, we are just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round. We really love to watch them roll.

November 23, 2023 - Yesterday, Alvaro Garrido defended his doctoral dissertation, titled "Lipidomic Studies in Macrophages. Role of Lipins in Regulating Phospholipid Levels and Inflammatory Processes." Congrats to him for an excellent performance.

November 20, 2023 - Back from the Annual CIBERDEM meeting. Not much novelty under the Catalan sun this year, except for interesting data on lipin-2 and the mitochondria.

November 14, 2023 - Good things always come in pairs. Another collaborative paper with our CIBERDEM colleagues at the University of Barcelona (Manuel Vázquez Carrera's group) has just appeared in Cell Communication and Signaling.

November 10, 2023 - Lipin-2 is really becoming a master regulator of so many innate immune reactions that... well, it is always fun to talk about it.

November 9, 2023 - Interested in the distribution of docosahexaenoic acid in macrophage phospholipids? Check this out.

November 6, 2023 - The Stanford list of top scientists is here again. Other than  pissing the hell off an old friend of us, we fail to see the purpose of this kind of lists.

November 2, 2023 - Our friends and colleagues at the IMIB in Murcia, bringing again a bit of humor to everyday scientist's life: Dance the Barbie night! Special eye on the wigs.

October 30, 2023 - Our latest collaborative effort with the group of CIBERDEM fellow Manuel Vazquez-Carrera at the University of Barcelona has just been published in the journal Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy: Elafibranor upregulates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition inducer S100A4 via PPARβ/δ.

October 28, 2023 - One more milestone in lipid research has been achieved. Another elusive enzyme of lipid metabolism, the synthase that generates the minor glycerophospholipid bis(monoacyl-glycero)phosphate (BMP; also known as lyso bis-phosphatidic acid), is described in a recent study published in Science. This work clarifies BMP biosynthesis, although the unusual stereochemistry of this phospholipid still remains to be understood in enzymic terms.

October 27, 2023 - In an interesting repeat with the previous post, one has to do what is right, even if it hurts, no matter what the consequences are. We have gotten sturdy raincoats and resistant umbrellas, we are ready for the storms coming.

October 26, 2023 - Madam Mim, the adorable old witch in Disney's The Sword and the Stone, used to brag about how magnificent, marvelous and mad she was. She was not renowned for telling the truth though. However, we know of a Madam Mean who is notorious for speaking the truth, even if it hurts.

October 20, 2023 - It was a long and bumpy ride, but in the end, the intricacies of lipin-2 regulation of interferon responses reached the bookshelves of the Eicosanoid library.

October 17, 2023 - After a long time, we finally found a moment for the Eicosanoid Group Picture 2023. Unfortunately again, not everyone was around when the photo was taken.

October 7, 2023 - Back from the 63rd edition of the International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids (ICBL), held in Palma. As always in this conference, outstanding science, great atmosphere, friendly people and a wonderful venue.

September 28, 2023 - In an unexpected cross-talk, a recent paper published in Cell Chemical Biology suggests that cannabinoids stimulate lipid class-switching in macrophages for producing pro-resolutory mediators of the inflammation.

September 22, 2023 - Yesterday, a not-that-young man who was passing by the IBGM with his mother, stopped in front of the entrance and, pointing at the building, asked: Hey Mom, what is that they do in there? What an intriguing question indeed.

September 12, 2023 - "If there is a way into the wood, there is also a way out of it" (Irish proverb). Fall 2023 group meeting schedule here.

September 9, 2023 - We were not born in a little tent by the river, but we sure know that a change is gonna come.

August 21, 2023 - The Eicosanoid Research Division has two openings, one for a postdoctoral researcher and the other for a graduate student. They have been advertised in many places, he, he. These are excellent opportunities to learn about lipid science.

August 17, 2023 - Some logos that come, some logos that go... Life goes on bra, la-la how the life goes on.

August 11, 2023 - It may be that, in addition to or independently of their role as free fatty acid providers for eicosanoid regulation, the reason why ethanolamine plasmalogens accumulate so much arachidonate (or polyunsaturates in general) is to endow the cells with a powerful and efficient means to die gracefully.

August 3, 2023 - Current quotation #47: "My son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee" (Philip II of Macedon to his son Alexander the Great, as told by Plutarch and Iron Maiden).

July 26, 2023 - It is unfortunately frequent to receive e-mail messages from predatory journals using names similar to those of well established journals to try to deceive the unwary. Today we have received one which surely ranks among the most imaginative and original ever: "Nature Cell and Science."

July 18, 2023 - At the risk of repeating ourselves we must recall again the immortal words of Col. Hannibal Smith: "We love it when a plan comes together." Pleased to have been able to write a proposal that was judged to be: "very solid, high-risk/high-gain research. Overall, a top-notch proposal, excelling particularly in formal presentation, scientific relevance and originality."

July 17, 2023 - Despite the frightening accumulation of black clouds and stormy waters that were to be expected ahead, the eicosanoid brigantine came out triumphant once more. The valley of plenty was reached again.

July 6, 2023 - Lipin-2, cardiolipins, calcium-independent phospholipase A2s, and tafazzin, all making a nice macrophage mix.

July 5, 2023 - Most of the times you got to see the things for yourself to realize that what at first seemed like an interesting option, in the real life it is not. You got to try though.

June 19, 2023 - "A dead man in Spain is more alive than a dead man anywhere in the world" (Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet). Spring 2023 group meeting schedule here.

June 16, 2023 - Definition of scientific excellence according to any excellent Spanish scientist: "me and my friends." That is how it goes, we have no remedy.

June 6, 2023 - Still in love with science, baby! Our colleagues at the IMIB demonstrating that lab coats and good humor go hand in hand. Also putting MJ's Thriller to shame, we agree.

June 3, 2023 - Back from visiting the Murcian Institute for Biohealth Research (IMIB) and the University of Murcia, while re-charging our inflammasomic and lipidomic batteries for the exciting times lying ahead.

May 30, 2023 - Honestly speaking, the change that predictably will come today should be of little consequence to us. However, as it is not easy to predict how the other side will react to the unfavorable outcome, we cannot be sure what to expect in the end.

May 20, 2023 - We have been told about the abundance of recent reviews on the subject of ferroptosis. None like ours, of course! Still, this is a topic that has shaken the world of phospholipid fatty acid metabolism and, as such, it deserves all the exposure it can receive.

May 12, 2023 - The plasmalogen biosynthesis pathway is thought to have evolved first in anaerobic bacteria. Later, an oxygen-dependent biosynthesis of plasmalogens appeared in some aerobic bacteria and animal cells, but not in yeast or plant cells. The anaerobic plasmalogen biosynthesis route starts with glycerol-3-phosphate, while the oxygen-dependent  route commences with dihydroxyacetone phosphate.

April 17, 2023 - Current quotation #46: "if you want grain, Aitor, I'll lend you my tractor" (former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, visionary extraordinaire).

April 14, 2023 - Current quotation #45: "We have nothing to fear but the sky falling on our heads... but this will not happen tomorrow" (Abraracourcix, wise and thoughtful Gaulish chieftain)

April 4, 2023 - In the latest issue of Nature Metabolism there is this paper, which constitutes and excellent example on how to combine click chemistry with lipid mass analysis to great effect.

March 27, 2023 - "Every country and society is different, but Spain is a bit more different" (Julian Pitt-Rivers, British anthropologist). Spring 2023 group meeting schedule here.

March 23, 2023 - It may happen once in a blue moon, yes, but sometimes things fix themselves. No need to do anything, just wait.

March 8, 2023 - We all get preposterous e-mails from time to time, but this one tops the list. Perhaps a scam or a bait, but in any case it speaks volumes about the current state of science.

February 15, 2023 - Even in those moments where everything seems to be heading to the definitive disaster, a glimmer of light gets in through a crack to let you know that there is still a lot of things to do.

February 7, 2023 - Soccer, science, and passion... Replace Racing Club with Real Madrid in this essay, and we fully subscribe to it.   .

January 27, 2023 - Life would be so much happier if people spent on the essential only half the time they spent on the accessory. The new CIBERDEM logo here.  .

January 25, 2023 - Narcissism, arrogance, selfishness, seeking attention, putting the blame on others, poor management of conflicts, defensive behavior... these are all defining traits of an immature person. How can power be given to people of that profile? Fascinating mysteries of the IBGM.   .

January 10, 2023 - "It does not matter who you are, or how smart you are, or what title you have, if your prediction is wrong then your hypothesis is wrong. Period" (Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics 1965). Winter 2023 group meeting schedule here.  

January 9, 2023 - Cryptic but highly educational message to begin the year: Bribery (cohecho in Spanish) is the solicitation by an authority or public official of value in exchange for performing an act inherent to their position. The trap was set but the vermin did not fall into it. New opportunities may present themselves.

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