"The real threat is a slow, comfortable drift toward not understanding what you're doing. Not a dramatic collapse. Not Skynet. Just a generation of researchers who can produce results but can't produce understanding."

🥳 Excited to share our #diatom work out in @pnas.org. In a great collaboration with @nic-poulsen.bsky.social and @ulrichschwarz.bsky.social we show that diatoms modulate the curvature of their paths by dynamic switching of their cell–substrate contact sites. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2506122123

📣Huge preprint 🔔 Today we share something our group has been working toward for a long time, led by @lucasmoriniere.bsky.social We asked can we predict which receptor a phage targets from its genome sequence alone? For most phages, we couldn’t. So Lucas set out to do something I had only dreamed of.

Now available as a Version of Record. Thanks a lot again to everyone involved in this project! doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

I'm hiring! I have 2 open positions: 🔬 Postdoc 🧪 Research associate We study how animal multicellularity evolved by exploring the molecular logic of cell adhesion using cell biology, 'omics, and tool-building in non-model organisms. Come join us! Details and application links 👇 Please repost

How common is multicellularity in bacteria? And archaea? And how does it evolve? We wrote a short review "On the architecture and evolution of prokaryotic multicellularity". Preprint link: bit.ly/4ta06Gq Sharing and comments are much appreciated. 1/4

I am pleased to share my lab’s latest publication - Acinetobacter species lack canonical DNA repair pathway activation mechanisms, and we discovered a conserved transcriptional activator that fills this role: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

I've written a review on what I think is an extremely exciting direction in cryo-EM: Cryo-EM of endogenous membrane proteins in their native lipid bilayer Open access in Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics: doi.org/10.1017/S003...

In the context of carboxysome positioning, @azaldegui.bsky.social found that the aggregation of a bacterial microcompartment is prevented by a self-organizing DNA-binding ATPase! #SingleMolecule #SuperResolution #Microscopy with @cellforganized.bsky.social and JianLiu doi.org/10.64898/202...

Pleased to finally share this fun collab that began at #Ento23 @cedricaumont.bsky.social presented & I had seen NCBI annotated some cockroach genomes as "contaminated." Turns out NCBI & I were wrong (much more fun). Horizontal transfer of an #AntimicrobialPeptide across insects bit.ly/DrsHGT 1/🧵

If you check out my lab's recent work, you'll notice how much biofilm structure is destroyed by dehydration & vacuum during standard scanning electron microscopy. These are both images of P. aeruginosa PA14 #biofilm on pig lung tissue at 48h p.i: using cryoSEM retains the biofilm matrix. #MicroSky

Structural basis for curvature generation and functional specialization in spirochete flagella #MicroSky

New post-doctoral research position in my phage-host interactions (Phi) laboratory in @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social at @universityofotago.bsky.social New Zealand. The project is focused on defences against jumbo phages. Please share and if interested apply using the link in the comments.

Really fantastic piece of work from @christianlandry.bsky.social et al., -elegant set of experiments to uncover mechanisms that contribute to understanding of duplicate retention & redundancy- Paralog interference contributes to the preservation of genetic redundancy www.cell.com/current-biol...

➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔 🧵👇

Faculty position in Plant Molecular Biology (Associate Professor or Tenure-Track Assistant Professor) at Aarhus University, Denmark mbg.au.dk/aktuelt/ledi...

New preprint from my lab‼️ We describe how cations in the media remodel the Geobacter envelope for reciprocal control of cytochrome-loaded vesicles and conductive pili. Important phenomenon to understand discrepancies in the literature about the true nature of nanowires. doi.org/10.21203/rs....

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...

Explore how genetics, evolution and ecology intertwine at EMBO Workshop "Evolving together: From genomics to biological interactions" in #Taipei, TW, 24–27 Apr 2026. Abstract submission/Registration by 20 Jan/28 Feb https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio-interactions#Taipei#EMBOEvoGenBio #EMBOevents 🧪

Happy to share a new review proposing a unified nomenclature for T4SSs. Great collaboration with Peter J Christie, Gabriel Waksman, Ronnie Per-Arne Berntsson and our team. academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... #T4SS#Microbiology

Giant multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes in marine sediments academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc... #jcampubs

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...

"Are there any technologies the left is excited about?" This seemed like an old-school prompt for blogging (complimentary,) so I blogged about some ocean conservation technology that I'm excited about. www.southernfriedscience.com/here-are-som... 🧪🦑🌍

To kickstart this new Bluesky account: We're hiring! The Bertolin Lab @dundee.ac.uk is looking for a postdoc to work on DNA-end homeostasis & genome stability, funded by Wellcome Trust Award. Exciting science, fantastic environment, founding role in the lab. Details in the flyer — get in touch! 👇

Bacillus thuringiensis and insects: a century of intimate history #JBacteriol #Minireview from Leyla Slamti and Didier Lereclus journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

In doing this research, we worked with CryoSEM wizards Chris Parmenter & Saskia Bakker to image #biofilm in our ex vivo lung model. I‘m in love with the gorgeous images they got of near native-state, hydrated biofilms. Compare panels A-D with standard SEM in E-F 😯💜 #MicroSky

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru... Two Postdoctoral Research Associates in the Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Outer Membrane Protein Biogenesis BEN BERKS lab 🤩

Koonin's lab in NIH is looking for postdocs. If you know someone who is interested, please spread the word. The details about the position are below: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdf-ecb...

The giant viruses surprised us at almost every turn of this project, but ultimately led us down a very rewarding path. Happy to share this work is now available online 🧪

Max Fels @mfels.bsky.social from our lab discovers giant DNA viruses that infect amoeba encode eIF4E and the entire suite of 4F complex proteins to control mRNA translation, including beautiful crystal structures of viral 4E bound to modified mRNA 5' caps: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

If you are interested in investigating horizontal gene transfer by phages and virus-like particles using computational approaches, this postdoc position in the Callahan Lab could be for you jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/226...

I am excited to share our latest preprint - An evolutionarily divergent herpesvirus with a giant tail. Featuring symmetry breaking and genome annotation from structure using ModelAngelo. doi.org/10.64898/202...

Here’s a sneak preview of the Microbe Zoo coming to Norwich Science Festival soon 👀 📅14 - 21 February 2026 📍The Gallery, the Forum Norwich ➡️ buff.ly/gtZX6Us @norwichmicro.bsky.social @johninnescentre.bsky.social @thesainsburylab.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social

Latest work! 🧬 We uncover how evolution of translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) extensions links translation to bacterial stress response. We map 7 structural architectures & show how terminal extensions are enriched in intrinsic disorder & phase-separation features. Link: doi.org/10.64898/202...

Check out our latest preprint from @jnvmartinson.bsky.social and @leosong.bsky.social! 🌟🦠 We found that conjugative plasmids can actively eliminate recipient bacteria that resist plasmid acquisition. 🧵

These undergraduate journalists at Duke appear to have more courage than institutional officials in calling out the current NIH Leadership™. www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke... 1/5

New paper out in @pnas.org, and it made the cover! 👁️ We represent plasmids as circles and mutations as dots, resembling an eye, because in this paper we literally 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ plasmids evolve. ‼️Check Paula’s 🧵 and the paper👇 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

This @events.embl.org Symposium will will bring together scientists using cellular, molecular, ecological, physiological, and theory-based approaches to explore the evolution of intimate species-species interactions. Learn more and register your place: plos.io/4qNliks #EESSymbiosis

Seeking scientist volunteers for the 2026 spring semester! Want to practice science communication and help author a 🌟comic🌟 about your research? Apply by 1/25. Please share widely. bit.ly/comicscollabspring2026

Summer REU in biofilms! Pls share. www.binghamton.edu/centers/biof...

This is 😮 Structural insights into the assembly and evolution of a complex bacterial flagellar motor #microsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Fabian was quicker :) But yes, we have an open postdoc position in bacterial bioenergetics and membrane biology, using on B. subtilis as the model. Come join us! @cbcb-newcastle.bsky.social is a great place to work, and we are a friendly, international lab. Visa+IHS fees covered. #microsky

This is really cool and important.

Absolutely stoked to have this published in @plosbiology.org We looked at the metabolism of #Klebsiella pneumoniae 🦠🧫. We not only demonstrated lineage-specific #metabolism, but that lineages can cross-feed and support each other. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... #MicroSky #microbiology 🧬 🧪 💊

Just got word that we are a go for the Bacterial Cell Biology and Development GRS and GRC at Southern New Hampshire University! GRS will be on June 5-6, 2027 GRC will be from June 6-11, 2027 Block off your calendars Prokaryotic Cell Biologists! More details to come! Please repost!

Check out our latest paper on mirusviruses, one of the most remarkable new groups of protist viruses - extremely diverse, carry lots of spliceosomal introns (including new homing introns) and are at the evolutionary crossroads between tailed phages and herpesviruses! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Induced endosymbiosis between a fungus and bacterium reveals a shift from antagonism to commensalism @natcomms.nature.com by Thomas Gassler et al from Julia Vorholt www.nature.com/articles/s41... Ralstonia pickettii in the fungus Rhizopus microsporus #Endofungal

So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth! #protistsonsky 🧵

I have an amazing Graduate Teaching Assistant who made this. Happy Microbial Holidays from a lab elf on the shelf: www.instagram.com/reel/DRPzuxS...