Great new paper from Kyle Crocker -- a talented postdoc in the group who is ** on the job market now ** !! @kylecrocker.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/kyle...

Center for Living Systems -- seeking strong post docs at the interface of physics and biology. Consider applying by Oct. 13! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

This important contribution sharpens the ill-defined concept of functional redundancy in microbial communities. It's a term we use a lot, but the exact meaning is elusive, and this paper is the first to sharpen it via proper null models. @ po-yi ho and KC Huang. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Mathematical Frameworks for Stability, Evolution, and Control in Microbial Communities Explore new NITMB-Supported Research from @ssm57.bsky.social (Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and @seppekuehnlab.bsky.social (Associate Professor, University of Chicago)! tinyurl.com/378ua7ws

Our paper benchmarking foundation models for perturbation effect prediction is finally published 🎉🥳🎉 www.nature.com/articles/s41... We show that none of the available* models outperform simple linear baselines. Since the original preprint, we added more methods, metrics, and prettier figures! 🧵

🥂This was the highlight of my year. The "instigators", led by local master of the ceremony @svobodalab.bsky.social will never forget the privilege of organizing it and i think every participant will treasure the experience forever ❤️ @nature.com @josiegz.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

📢 We're seeking a postdoc to work on a project funded by HFSP @hfspo.bsky.social at the intersection of bacterial physiology, ecology and evolution. You can find more details about the project, the position, and how to apply here www.dalbellolab.com/hfsp-project! #bacteria #ecosky #MevoSky #microSky

Excited to report that Joy Bergelson (bergelsonlab.org) and I will be running a brand new GRC conference on the Function of Evolving Systems in the summer of 2026. The 2028 one will be chaired by Mikhail Tikhonov (physics.wustl.edu/people/mikha...) and @asanchezlab.bsky.social! Stay tuned!

I am really happy to share that there will be a @nitmb.bsky.social workshop next year on mathematical and biological features of evolutionary game theory. It was really fun to co-organize this workshop with Olivia Chu, Alex McAvoy, and @jplotkin.bsky.social. www.nitmb.org/evolutionary...

Story from UChicago press office - biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/soil-mi...

The Xue lab at UC Irvine is looking for a staff scientist to support our work investigating how microbes interact and evolve in the gut microbiome! Open to a wide range of previous experience levels, see ad for more. recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09601

Nature research paper: Functional regimes define soil microbiome response to environmental change go.nature.com/3IqdJzd

This work was supported by @nitmb.bsky.social, National Science Foundation, NIH, @cziscience.bsky.social , Simons Foundation, UChicago. bsky.app/profile/sepp...

New paper in @nature.com! With @kiseokmicro.bsky.social , Siqi Liu, Kyle Crocker, Jojo Wang, Mikhail Tikhonov & Madhav Mani — a massive dataset and simple model reveal a few conserved regimes that capture how soil microbiome metabolism responds to perturbations. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

First paper we've found that validates auxotrophy predictions from genomes. in non-host associated communities (e.g. soils) auxotrophy is rare. I believe the assumption of prevalent auxotrophies emerging out of pervasive cross-feeding needs to be reconsidered.. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Regular Registration deadline for the NITMB MathBio Converge Conference is Monday, July 14th Register today to secure your spot at the conference! www.nitmb.org/nitmb-mathbi...

Being rich doesn’t make you smart or ethical. When will science contend with these fools? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/t...

Very much enjoyed yesterday's Physics of Life community event in Utrecht! @seppekuehnlab.bsky.social: microbial communities, #PhilippSavakis: yeast glycolysis, @janniharju.bsky.social: DNA organization in bacteria, #ArthurHernandez: axis formation in hydra, and #LouiseJawerth: protein condensates

Thrilled to share our new paper in @science.org describing our discovery that bacteria can switch from competitors to bonafide predators when resources run dry—arming nanoscale “spears” (T6SS) to stab & consume neighbours. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #MicroSKy #Microbiology

I can't say I agree with everything here, especially as I think it overstates how much evolutionary theory can explain about what we observe in Nature. However, I very much appreciate the perspective and a bit of muckraking. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PhD students interested in ecology and evolution -- consider applying. Reach out to me if you are interested in discussing. www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...

Are you interested in the math-bio interface? Secure your place at the NITMB MathBio Convergence Conference! www.nitmb.org/nitmb-mathbi...

ACTION ITEM-----ACTION ITEM Implementation of Schedule F This is what a lot of us have been worried about. This allows for many civil service positions to replaced with political appointees. This could include NIH institute directors and even POs. BUT THERE IS A COMMENT PERIOD... 1/n

Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025

This is the best tool I've seen for rapidly writing your reps. DO IT! www.aps.org/initiatives/...

It is a great pleasure to listen to @seppekuehnlab.bsky.social His talk is about ´Learning microbiome design principles from natural variation ´. Below, the #liveSketch painting during the seminar and given at the end! #ArtAndScience #MediationScientifique

SaveNSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the NSF. The mission is to support and advocate for the continuation of vital research and innovation. Join: www.savensf.com

Third preprint! – We use community-function landscapes to rationally design communities for bioremediation in soils! Spoiler - it works! Led by Mahmoud Yousef, with @kiseokmicro.bsky.social, J. Tang, V. Charisopoulos, B Willett. @nitmb.bsky.social, NSF, MSTP UChicago. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Another preprint! Microbiomes are often structured in guilds, or groups of taxa that use similar resources - wastewater, fermentation, human gut. How do these guilds respond to environmental fluctuations? Can we learn these guilds from time series in the wild?

It’s increasingly clear that the language of microbial communities is one of resources. Conserved metabolism leads to regular, reliable resource flows across ecosystems—from the gut to wastewater. In complex communities, one serious challenge is: who is eating what?

My lab at NYU is hiring a postdoc in microbial ecology and evolution! We are looking for someone interested in both wet and dry lab techniques, including experimental evolution, genome editing, bioinformatics, and some modeling. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/164683

🚨🧪 Are you a researcher affected by the recent cancellation of federal grants and contracts at Columbia University? I'm working on a story for @Nature.com. If you want to chat, your identity will be kept private. Signal: humbertobasilio.24 Email: [email protected] Repost please!

Deactivated my twitter/X. You should do the same.

Amazing — www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I spent some time with Ben during grad school as a student, TA, and in his group meetings. Ben had a level of scientific clarity that I've not seen before or since. 20th century condensed matter physics/physical chemistry wouldn't have been the same without him chemistry.cornell.edu/news/benjami...

Beginning in some sense with the Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination 8 short years ago the Right refused to play by any rules. Now we're seeing the asymptotic of this mission, and there is little room left for error. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/o...

It's getting ugly, and a historical perspective is always valuable. @philipcball.bsky.social with a sharp perspective on the costs of capitulation www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/scie...

Can anyone recommend protocols for RNA/DNA coextraction from soils?

The list of the Population Dynamics Virtual Seminars is available on sites.google.com/view/popdyn/... Follow our Youtube channel www.youtube.com/channel/UC3d... and subscribe to the newsletter to keep update about the new series!

We've arrived in the Netherlands for a sabbatical and gotten settled in Utrecht. Already had exciting interactions with people at VU, UUtrecht, AMOLF, and Delft. Excited for many European adventures in the coming months! Gratuitous picture of the Dom tower in Utrecht tonight....

a scathing and well reasoned indictment of the state of one particular university in the US.... chicagomaroon.com/44858/viewpo...

The book "Why Machines Learn" by @anilananth.bsky.social promises a technical as well as historical account of machine learning. A thread on where this booked worked and where it fell short anilananthaswamy.com/why-machines...

An end of the year thought ... about a new year possibility. Open rank faculty search in Biology at the U of Maryland, College Park for those exploring fundamental questions in ecology and evolutionary biology using microbial systems: bit.ly/ecoevomicro-... Apply by 1/31/25 for best consideration

It is that time of the year again when @odedrechavi.bsky.social and I do our annual “your favorite paper of the year” thread. Now only on Bluesky! Please link to your favorite paper in the comments and say a few words why you loved it so much. Happy holidays and happy reading!

Save the dates June 2-6 for the second annual meeting of @smtpb.bsky.social on Modeling and Theory in Population Biology, hosted in Chicago by @nitmb.bsky.social. More details coming later. www.nitmb.org/modeling-and...

so much for metazoans being 'special' www.nature.com/articles/s41...

📢A new episode of The Green Light 💚, on this Friday episode we invited @seppekuehnlab.bsky.social, a molecular plant biologist and associate professor at UChicago, to talk about their journey from physics to microbial communities assembly.👇 youtu.be/yi_qFOIyCGk