Zombie cells in the ocean, a perfect topic for Halloween here at RD3 of GEOMAR. Great talk by @janbruewer.bsky.social it was great to have you here.

And here comes ASG Sponges genome note #15 for Corticium candelabrum, only the second genome for the class Homoscleromorpha, led by Manuel Maldonado, @lpita.bsky.social et al. lnkd.in/e-huUn3i Learn more: lnkd.in/ehRap3CW @moorefound.bsky.social @sangerinstitute.bsky.social

This promises to be interesting!

Interesting work on understudied sponge symbionts from the Arctic.

Genome note #14 on a sponge with a difficult name, Diacarnus erythraeanus, by Laura Steindler and team. A total of 9,758 sponge species have formally been described (WoRMS, as of Sept 2025) and the true diversity is still much higher. lnkd.in/eaGnwXFA lnkd.in/ehRap3CW

Genome note #13 on the Maltese sponge Agelas oroides,led by M Maldonado and L Pita. This massive sponge is threatened by climate change. wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... Learn more about the absorbing world of sponges: lnkd.in/ehRap3CW #GordonandBettyMooreFoundation #WellcomeSangerInstitute

Genome note # 12 on the bath sponge, Spongia lamella, led by #RodrigoCosta, Thierry Perez & teams. Bath sponges boast over 5000 years of cultural heritage and were already used by the ancient Roman soldiers for personal hygiene. lnkd.in/egRNPKMJ #GordonBettyMooreFoundation, #WellcomeSanger

Genome Note #11 on Petrosia ficiformis, one of the few sponges with intracellular symbionts, by Laura Steindler & team. lnkd.in/eVFW_sMH Learn more about the absorbing world of sponges: lnkd.in/ehRap3CW #GordonBettyMooreFoundation, #WellcomeSanger

Soaking up lots of love for sponges! We’re proud to be sponsoring the World Sponge Conference in Portugal, kicking off five weeks from today. Click here to see the programme: worldspongecommunity.com/program/ #WSC2025 📸 Sponges of the SE Pacific. Schmidt Ocean Institute @wscommunity.bsky.social

This week we’re at the World Sponge Conference in Portugal! Stay tuned for plenty of sponge-inspired content as we celebrate these ancient and vital ocean architects. If you are attending this week, come and visit our booth, located at the theatre hall entrance. @wscommunity.bsky.social

🚨 Abstract Deadline Extended to 28 July 🚨 🌱 Don’t miss your chance to join leading researchers and explore the cutting edge of biodiversity genomics. Join today and help shape the future of biodiversity science! 🔬 Genome Evolution 🧬 Symbiosis Genomics 🌿 Genomics of Speciation 🌎 Ecological Genomics

🌍🧽 The Aquatic Symbiosis Project, @utehentschel.bsky.social and @sangerinstitute.bsky.social are cranking out high-quality genome assemblies at record speed—setting the stage to answer remarkable questions about marine symbioses. 🌊🧬 👉 Blog: bit.ly/3INcrOA 📸 2 Elephant ear sponge: B. Mueller

🏆 Research integrity consultant and image forensics expert @elisabethbik.bsky.social has uncovered fraudulent data in over 7,600 scientific papers and exposed the practices of ‘paper mills’ that produce counterfeit scientific articles. She is honoured with the €200K Individual Award. Congrats!

ASG Sponges Genome Note #10 led by Jasper De Goeij and Ben Mueller. The scaffold-level genome sequence of an encrusting sponge, <i>Halisarca caerulea </i>Vacelet &amp; Donadey, 1987, and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... (image by Ben Mueller)

ASG Sponges Genome Note #9 led by Emma Marangon & Australian team. The chromosomal genome sequence of the sponge <i>Cliona cf. orientalis </i>Thiele (1900) and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/03/e...

ASG Sponges Genome Note #8 by @anariesgo.bsky.social and Spanish, French, German teams. The chromosomal genome sequence of the sponge, <i>Oscarella lobularis </i>(Schmidt, 1862) (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha) and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-...

ASG Sponges Genome Note #7 led by Joe Lopez. The chromosomal genome sequence of the giant barrel sponge, <i>Xestospongia muta</i> Schmidt 1870 and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... sangerinstitute.blog/2025/07/03/e... (image by Brian K. Walker)

I went on a wild ride learning all things sponge symbioses 🎢 Funded by @moorefound.bsky.social, the collaborative researchers doing this work are so impressive 🌎 Thank you to @geomarkiel.bsky.social Prof. @utehentschel.bsky.social who gave time and intros to colleagues. What a great community!

Yes, marine sponges will be really unhappy. They can't run away and are just [quoting Townes van Zandt] waiting around to die

🌊 Sponge genomes are helping unlock the secrets of aquatic symbioses — and thanks to @sangerinstitute.bsky.social, researchers now have access to 50+ genomes. Excited to see how these new samples help advance understanding of #AquaticSymbiosis. 🧬

Marine sponges dont reveal their secrets easily. Curious? Read the blog below by @sangerinstitute.bsky.social

Very special seminar with coverage on the Human Virome Program, One Health Microbiome studies (humans and companion animals), & the microbiome Center that Curtis Huttenhower co-directs. Q&A session was quite rich with @psumbiome.bsky.social @dna-heligrace.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wK8...

ASG Sponges Genome Note #6. The chromosomal genome sequence of the kidney sponge, <i>Chondrosia reniformis </i>Nardo, 1847, and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... (image credit to Manuel Maldonado) @ebpgenome.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social

ASG Sponges Genome Note # 5. The chromosomal genome sequence of the glass sponge <i>Aphrocallistes beatrix</i> Gray, 1858 and its associated microbial metagenome sequences, wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... Image credits to J. Cristobo. @moorefound.bsky.social @sangerinstitute.bsky.social

And here comes the genome of the Mediterranean sponge Crambe crambe... (image of the original specimen that went into sequencing by Manuel Maldonado) wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... www.moore.org/initiative-s...

The genome of the freshwater sponge Eunapius fragilis and its microbial symbionts is done. The image shows a wild specimen of Eunapius fragilis, surrounded by an Ephydatia sponge (credit to Sally Leys). wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... www.moore.org/initiative-s...

The genome of Aplysina aerophoba, the "golden sponge" is done. This sponge has a unique chemistry that makes it turn blue upon contact with air. wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... www.moore.org/initiative-s...

The chromosome-level genome sequences of the freshwater sponge, Spongilla lacustris (Linnaeus, 1759) and the chlorophyte cobiont Choricystis sp., and the associated microbial metagenome sequences (image by Sally Leys). wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-... www.moore.org/initiative-s...

Our next #SpeciesDiscoveryWorkshop begins today at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, in South Africa. A team of scientists are analysing suspected new species of sponges and octocorals, collected during the Nekton First Descent Seychelles (2018) and Maldives (2022) expeditions.

Something special is happening in a beautiful coastal setting this September! The global sponge community is coming together for the 12th World Sponge Conference in Vila do Conde (Portugal). Join us in shaping the future of sponge research and conservation 🤗 #WSC2025 #Science #Art #SpongeCommunity

The #CRC1182 metaorganism symposium on cellular #host-microbe crosstalk has just come to an end @geomarkiel.bsky.social Thanks to all for participating and special thanks to @utehentschel.bsky.social for organizing this wonderful event! www.metaorganism-research.com/news/cellula...

Looking forward to an exciting CRC 1182 Metaorganism symposium on host-microbe crosstalk. @crc1182.bsky.social @cpogoreutz.bsky.social @spencernyholm.bsky.social @manuelliebeke.bsky.social oliviaroth.bsky.social @tylerjcarrier.bsky.social @geomarkiel.bsky.social @daganlab.bsky.social

Attention long read metagenomists! This feels like an important read. Misassemblies stitching together bacteria, archaea, and euks all into the same contigs, yikes! Reports of circularisation isn’t robust. There’s a lot in here to ponder.

#JobOpportunity at University of Tasmania… 👋🐟🌿 🚨Deadline: Wed 9 April 🚨 🎣 #Postdoc in Seagrass Restoration, to aid recovery of red #handfish 🗓️ Fixed, full time – to June 2026 💰 $121,737 👀 careers.utas.edu.au/en/job/50094...

Looking for a PhD position and interested in evolution? Kiel, Germany, is a great place for this.

Permanent job in lovely Aarhus, Denmark, as a special consultant in biodiversity and nature conservation. www.au.dk/om/stillinge... 🧪 🌍 🦊 #WomenInSTEM #ScienceJobs

Good to know.

Here is the mollusc tree. (We fixed it, you're welcome.) 😇 @sgn.one @oceanspecies.bsky.social @kmkocot.bsky.social @squamiferum.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The MarMic PhD and Masters student program of the MPI Bremen has an excellent reputation.

Hi world. Plenty of science opportunities, here the Symbnet host-microbe symbioses PhD summer school in Portugal.

Fantastic PhD programme in Northern Germany, integrating groundbreaking evolutionary research and societal relevance

and another 5-yr (!) postdoctoral position at GEOMAR Kiel on advancing seagrass assisted evolution, see details and link to apply www.geomar.de/en/karriere/.... Omics and pop genetics knowledge required, seagrass and coastal ecology desirable. @geomarkiel.bsky.social DM me for inquiries

The GEOMAR seagrass team is hiring. Time to make coastal restoration long-term sustainable. A fully funded 4-yr PhD position on eelgrass seascape genomics in the Baltic Sea, further details see here www.geomar.de/en/karriere/... @geomarkiel.bsky.social DM me for inquiries

🤿 HIRING POSTDOC 🤿 🌊 We are hiring a full time postdoc in ecological oceanography (2 yr) at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Seeking excellent candidates w/ experience in coral reef ecology & oceanography to develop research projects in Hawai'i & Okinawa, Japan. ID# 225109 www.rcuh.com/work/careers/

As a longtime @asm.org dues-paying member & American Academy of Microbiology fellow… WTF? Do not undo years of society efforts to improve inclusivity and properly highlight the contributions of diverse microbiologists on an EO whim. Do not contribute to the erasure of scientists and individuals!

Manuel Liebeke @manuelliebeke.bsky.social gave an inspiring seminar at #GEOMAR about seagras meadows and how spatial metabolomics reveals sweet spots with bitter taste...in marine sediments.

Oh wow! E.coli expressing biosilica from sponges.

My first post! Starting with a new publication together with @scottnichols.bsky.social. Sponges, proteomics, protein models and self-recognition at the dawn of animals. 🧽