Phd Position alert 🚨 Join our project ASTRAfun (Adaptation and Starship Traffic in Root-Associated fungi), in which we will use computational models to unveil the hidden dynamics of fungal evolution. It’s not going to be just regular fun. It’s going to ASTRAfun. 🤓 www.uu.nl/en/organisat...

New preprint! We show that conjugation accelerates the segregation of #plasmid alleles -> horizontal transfer is a route for allele segregation in MGE evolution. Led by Lisa Hartmann, with @mariosanter.bsky.social &Nils Hülter. Naturally, reviewed by @qedscience.bsky.social! doi.org/10.64898/202...

Microbes grow in spatially structured communities. Bäcker et al. comprehensively synthesize evidence that spatial organization drives microbial ecological and evolutionary processes across scales. #FEMSMicrobiolRev buff.ly/wceLoPr @bramvandijk.bsky.social

Computational modelling at it’s finest, with videos 💜

In case you missed it: our review titled "Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities" is out! 🚨 Let me hit you with some highlights on why spatial structure matters. (and why you should care!) Sharing is appreciated 🙏 🧵👇 doi.org/10.1093/fems...

Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs

Phage–host interactions are a key driver of microbial ecology, but observing them in nature is hard! With metaHi-C, we detect freshwater phage–host pairs and link their infection dynamics to evolution. Together with @nadal-molero.bsky.social & Ana Martin-Cuadrado www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Last year, we proposed a model of plasmid evolution via fusion and fragmentation (via mge mediated recombination) generating mosaics, by studying historical isolates. Excited to see a MASSIVE paper from @jrpenades.bsky.social , @epcrocha.bsky.social expanding on this www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Please check out our review on the impact of spatial structure in microbial ecosystems! In it, we discuss how spatial patterns impact microbial ecology and evolution, eventually impacting everything we see around us! See @marcelbaecker.bsky.social's amazing summary below :) 🦠 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙲𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 ! 🦠

Everyone knows that space and spatial structure is super important in shaping the Microverse 🌎🌍🌏 Check out this amazing review where @marcelbaecker.bsky.social and @bramvandijk.bsky.social et al bring together a huge body of knowledge @microverse.bsky.social @binfutrecht.bsky.social

...not in shaking flasks, not in microtiter plates either 😉

Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇

@bramvandijk.bsky.social (and many other)'s new paper covered insights in microbial ecology, evolution and theoretical biology.

Wrapping up a productive week: very glad to have contributed to this review on how spatial structure shapes microbial ecology and evolution, led by @marcelbaecker.bsky.social, @bedutilh.bsky.social, @bramvandijk.bsky.social and many others. doi.org/10.1093/fems...

Spatial structure: Shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities @femsjournals.bsky.social Microbiology Review by @marcelbaecker.bsky.social et al from @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social academic.oup.com/femsre/advan...

This is fine. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

"The changing roles of Escherichia coli" -- a short essay by yours truly. rdcu.be/eVtXT

Less than two 2 weeks to apply for this PhD position in my group. Please do not miss the opportunity to apply if the topic is of interest to you 👇

Very happy to see this piece out in @plosbiology.org, on the bacterial immune systems and microbial communities. It was a great team effort with Rafael Custodio, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social , @brownlab.bsky.social, and Edze Westra! 🦠🧫 #phagesky #mevosky journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Great work by @prczhaoyansong.bsky.social, once again elucidating how much flow of information there is in complex microbial ecosystems.

Getting old means going to your own Google Scholar and seeing "if you wrote a paper about something"

I must admit, PerplexityAI is really blowing my mind when it comes to literature searching. I've been avoiding it but I got stuck and decided to take a swing at it. It gave great papers, got my out of my bubble, and really gave me a fresh perspective. :)

Does anyone know a gene in E. coli that duplicated "fairly recently", as to compare and contrast it's sequence divergence with that found in mobile elements? #sciencesky #microsky

This picture is too low-res to include in a presentation in 2025, so I went full CSI 😂 I wonder though: even though it copies the copyright statement... this does count as a copyright violation? Thoughts?

Willing to join us @pasteur.fr for a PhD for a project on how interactions between mobile genetic elements shape bacterial adaptation? Subject to be tailored to candidates with keen interest in evolution, genomics, computational biology, microbiology. Check www.pasteur.fr/en/education...

A bachelor student gifted me this beautiful artwork she made based on my first year course, and I am sp excited I wanna share it with “the internet” ❤️

We are also hiring a 4-year postdoc to study the dynamics and evolution of mobile genetic elements in the C-fixing Icelandic host-spring microbiomes Join our exciting multidisciplinary team funded by @ukri.org BBSRC sLoLa www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

A new 4 year PostDoc position in our lab! Modeling + experiments to explore dynamics of carbon fixing hot-spring microbiomes. Part of an exciting multidisciplinary team with Sophie Nixon, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social & others Please share & get in touch if interested! tinyurl.com/e7j7bha3

This is very cool. @sanmillan.bsky.social I wonder to what extend these non-random IS-dynamics are naturally selected for. Could it be the result of a long co-evolutionary history of ISs and bacteria? Are there differences in natural/non-natural antimicrobials? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New paper out! 🔈🔈📣📣 Plasmids promote antimicrobial resistance through Insertion Sequence-mediated gene inactivation. Combining experimental and computational approaches, we unveil how two of the most prevalent bacterial MGE accelerate the evolution of AMR. 🧵👇🏻 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

If I were me a few years ago, I would immediately apply. Wonderful environment to work in and Osnabrück is a (suprisingly 😝) fun city.

Highly recommend this great opportunity to develop #theory together with @kostchristian.bsky.social and group who are simply a wonderful bunch!!

I am excited to announce that the position of a senior postdoc (3 +3 years) in the field of theoretical biology is available in my group. The position provides the opportunity to closely interact with experimentalists and develop own research projects. Please RT. Details 👇: shorturl.at/iiiOv

We’re #hiring! 2 #post-doc positions for an interdisciplinary project funded by the @hfspo.bsky.social in #axolotl and #Drosophila #wound healing at @sickkidsto.bsky.social #Canada and @umontpellier.bsky.social #France @laghalab.bsky.social. Share and apply here: www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Delighted to have started my tenure as an editor for mBio journals.asm.org/journal/mbio handling papers on Streptomyces, natural product evolution and biosynthesis, experimental evolution, bacteriophage resistance, Corynebacterium and engineering biology

💃 Let's to to the beach-each, let's go get away! 💃 bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Amazing stuff by one of the most hard working lab rats I’ve ever met. In a good way ;p www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

❤️ www.uu.nl/en/news/paul...

ISME congratulates @ilafores.bsky.social from @usherbrooke.bsky.social as the winner of the Alma Dal Co Award, recognizing her as an exceptional early-career scholar who has made important contributions to microbial ecology. isme-microbes.org/winner-of-th... #MicrobialEcology #microbes #isme20

Come join us at TBB in simulating the sh*t out of everything related to biology! :) (in this case, evo-devo/ animal development in general!)

🧬🌽 Happy Transposon Day! 🌽🧬 Today we celebrate the birthday of Barbara McClintock - scientist extraordinaire and discoverer of jumping genes. Still the only woman to have an unshared Nobel Prize in the biomedical sciences #TransposonDay2025

We should call failed sceptics what they are: cynical. Nobody should take pride in being a cynic.

Symbiosis stories keep giving intrigue and importance. Very interesting.

Happy pride, folks! <3

This is still open for another week or so! Please apply :)

My brain wouldnt science this morning so I wrote a pretentious blog (as one does). I think biology-first modelling deserves more attention. It’s not the only way, but it’s one of the few that can capture the unruly, generative, and surprising nature of life. thevirtuallaboratory.com/blog/biology...