A genetic platform for a biocementation bacterium https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.05.692644v1

Very happy to share our recent work @cultivarium.bsky.social on genetic tools for Ideonella sakaiensis, a (Betaproteo-)bacterium that degrades PET plastic. We identified a plasmid vector for the strain and generated a large RB-TnSeq library, screening for genes impacting plastic degradation.

The dimorphic, yeast-like, extremophilic genus Aureobasidium is revised, and show to include ca 40 species, of which nine are newly described here. Species cause opportunistic diseases in humans, but several have also shown to be well-established plant pathogens.

My dept in London at Imperial (Bioengineering) is recruiting a group leader at Professor level 🧑‍🎓 Please RT. It's a great place with world-class expertise in all sorts of biomedical & biological engineering topics like synthetic biology. It's also not in the USA. www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Quick Read! Read the News and Views piece describing the physiological importance of an extended bacterial androgen production pathway #MicroSky 🦠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We're gearing up to tackle new kingdoms of life, thanks to generous support from @wellcometrust.bsky.social. Get in touch! Read more on our blog: cultivarium.substack.com/p/fungi-and-...

"There are bottlenecks choking progress in virtually every scientific field, and you can identify these with a good roadmap." - @adammarblestone.bsky.social Out now on our new Substack, Essential Technology: convergentresearch.substack.com/p/scientific...

The insertion of the inverted repeat of an insertion sequence (IS) element from Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus changes the host range and stability of pGK12, a shuttle vector for lactic acid bacteria | Applied and Environmental Microbiology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Elon Musk says that no one has died because he slashed humanitarian aid. I went to South Sudan to check if that's true. It's not. Meet Peter, Achol and Evan, ages 10, 8 and 5. The reckless actions of the world's richest men are killing the world's poorest kids www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

This #WomensHistoryMonth, ASM celebrates the achievements and contributions of women scientists to the field of microbiology. Explore our curated resources: asm.social/2jz

This review of fungal fairy rings explores their history, ecology, and engineering impact on ecosystems. @pensoft.net blog post: blog.pensoft.net/2025/03/06/f... Review article: doi.org/10.3897/imaf...

Made a feed for phage papers/discussions/friends! Please feel free to pin this feed to your bluesky profile and if you wish to add to the feed, simply add the #phage hashtag (NOT case sensitive) and the feed will aggregate the posts. See you there! Please repost🙏🏽

So THAT'S what my washing machine plays when it's finished a cycle!

ASM encourages our members to advocate for their research and for the microbial sciences. On Friday, March 7, there will be a rally to #standupforscience2025 in Washington, D.C. and more than 30 other locations nationwide. For information and updates, visit: standupforscience2025.org?trk=feed-det...

A call for healing and unity | Applied and Environmental Microbiology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Oh this sounds fun!

mSphere of Influence: The maternal gut–mammary axis and its role in shaping neonatal health | mSphere journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Deployment of a Vibrio cholerae ordered transposon mutant library in a quorum-competent genetic background | mBio journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Our PhD student Adrian Gadar López and the Black Yeast Natural Products team made fungal PKS Heterologous Expression easy! Check out the preprint. www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6... #wemakemolecules #blackyeast #NNF_BRIGHT

Teaching the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi lab next week at @universityofkansas.bsky.social! I’ve prepped spores from ten different species to showcase the diversity in color, shape, and size. Fungal diversity is truly beautiful! 🍄🧪🦠🌏 Huge thanks to @invam.bsky.social for donating the materials!

Missing the fungal forays of Autumn? Winter and Spring offer a myriad of wonderful fungal species in their prime! Frequently overlooked are the ascomycetes, commonly called cup fungi as they form cup-like fruiting bodies named apothecia. Here are some of our favourite species to look out for ✨🍄🧵

We had an inspiring talk by @delafuentelab.bsky.social on antibiotic discovery using AI, as part of the Microbiology Journal Club. Feel free to email me if you want to be included in the mailing list and get exposure to amazing science.

Although I was not given funding to publish this OA, if anyone (or any one that you know) would like a pdf of the book, shoot me a message. I'd be more than happy to send it your way. www.cambridge.org/core/element...

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Bind Research, the UK’s first not-for-profit Focused Research Organisation, with long-term support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Research Ventures Catalyst Programme, industry, and charities.

🧵📣On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re shining a light on some of the amazing female scientists carrying out research at the intersection of food, microbes and health here at the Quadram Institute⤵️ #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience #WomenInScience

🧪⚛️ Holy cow. Threats to layoff 25-50% of NSF (!!!). This would be a complete disaster. Anyone who thinks cutting the workforce at a $9B/yr agency by this much will lead to greater efficiency is just out of their mind. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

🔒 How can we make AI not just smarter, but safer? 💡Share your boldest FRO ideas & tag someone shaping the future of safe AI!

When life gives you lemons! journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Nice idea! Looking forward to more of these: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

ICYMI We are recruiting a new Associate Professor in cell and molecular biology, with a preference for immunology, inflammation and/or infection - all defined broadly Come and be our colleague! Deadline 28 Feb, please spread the word! www.path.ox.ac.uk/vacancy/asso...

January's Molecule of the Month by @jiwasa.bsky.social includes an animation of polyketide synthesis in action Watch at PDB-101: pdb101.rcsb.org/motm... Video created in collaboration with Georgios Skiniotis

Are British <> American word differences concentrated in the world of baby stuff? Dummy, nappy, pram and cot!

👄👄👄 #地衣類 #lichen #fungifriends

🚀 Calling all visionary scientists and engineers! Announcing our call for Focused Research Organization proposals in the UK. 🔬Submit your concept paper by Feb 7 & full proposal by March 28. More here: www.convergentresearch.org/frost-uk ⤵️

Seedless berries, avocados that don't go brown, cows with a genetic haircut, and more – learn about how CRISPR 🧬 is being used in plant 🌾 & animal 🐮 agriculture in our reader-friendly review, written by IGI's Tonio Chaparro! Read here: ow.ly/KLMJ50UpjA7

🧪 E11 Bio is excited to share a major step towards brain mapping at 100x lower cost, making whole-brain connectomics at human & mouse scale feasible (🧠→🔬→💻). Critical for curing brain disorders, building human-like AI systems, and even simulating human brains. Read more: e11.bio/news/roadmap