2025 was a year full of great scientific discoveries and breakthroughs. Here, I want to highlight 10 papers that got me really excited. Of course, this is a highly subjective selection and I am sure I am forgetting some papers that I would love to include, but here it goes: (1/12)

last walk of the year in parc Elswout.

New publication: Disentangling the molecular mechanisms of disease suppression by endophytic #Flavobacterium sp. 98, by @xinyapan.bsky.social @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social @raaijmakersjm.bsky.social and others. #plantmicrobiome #plantgrowth doi.org/10.1016/j.mi...

Kudos to #yijunzhu #hannahaugustijn and #victoriapascal for getting this out, and thanks to @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social #dylandodd and #michaelfischbach for the collaboration! Try it out now on gutsmash.bioinformatics.nl

academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc... Endophytic adaptation in Flavobacterium sp. 98 @xinyapan.bsky.social @vcarryon.bsky.social @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social ✌🏽 lysoPE story could be cool

Enrichment of root-associated Streptomyces strains in response to drought is driven by diverse functional traits and does not predict beneficial effects on plant growth journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

GlcNAc build-up acts as a key metabolic signal in #Streptomyces, but how does it triggers developmental responses? @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social &co show that the enzyme NagS dehydrates GlcNAc-6P into a reactive intermediate, triggering a toxicity-based checkpoint @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/44pE08I

thanks @angelahuttner.bsky.social for a very inspiring talk LUMC Leiden. The house in the image you showex was built in 1612, and Rembrandt van Rhijn was 6 years old by then and lived at the bridge in the back, 200 m away. Always when I see the house I think of how Rembrandt will have painted it!

GlcNAc build-up acts as a key metabolic signal in #Streptomyces, but how does it triggers developmental responses? @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social &co show that the enzyme NagS dehydrates GlcNAc-6P into a reactive intermediate, triggering a toxicity-based checkpoint @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/44pE08I

I enjoyed reading this! www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

New publication: #Serotonin modulation of #metabolism and #stress response in Pseudomonas fluorescens, by @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social and others. doi.org/10.1186/s129...

@widdowquinn.bsky.social Sandra and I just booked Marillion in Pompeii on 26 July. are you guys going?

we just booked this next level @marillion.com concert in #Pompeii

Switzerland is joining Horizon Europe! We are uniting two research powerhouses. For cutting-edge innovation that will boost our energy security, digital transformation, health and so much more. Today is a good day for science, and for our EU-Switzerland partnership.

in Cordoba, Spain after the excellent #PMS2025 meeting in Antequera. Used a parking app but with wrong (NL) numberplate. We got a fine but amazingly could pay it off by paying 6 euros att the vending machine. Attached some photos from the beautiful Mezquita.

time for another pint at the Eagle in Cambridge. RIP James Watson and thanks for your inspiration that changed the life of so many scientists.

Changsha in 🇨🇳 is selected for the next Plant-Microbiome symposium in 2027 #PMS2025 ➡️ #PMS2027

Talk and Poster prizes at #PMS2025 Well done all presenters!!! 👏 including @courtneyherms.bsky.social @hueihsuantsai.bsky.social and @dgarrs.bsky.social

What a fun meeting in Malaga! #pms2025 Thanks for organizing Victor et al.!!!

the 7th Plant Microbiome Synposium will be held in Changsha, China in 2027. Looking forward to it!

Jos Raaijmakers thanks @vcarryon.bsky.social and his team for a totally incredible meeting in Antequeran Thanks Vic et al, it was a supermeeting. After ISBA2025 I know how much work it is! Have a well deserved little break.

@vcarryon.bsky.social closes the #PMS2025 meeting in Antequera, thanking the amazing Cruz Ruiz and her Acoeventis team and his fabulous local scientific team in Malaga.

The last talk of #PMS2025 by Adam @adamoss.bsky.social from the lab of @vcarryon.bsky.social. Besides a great scientist Adam also organized a lot of the meeting.

Angela Sessitsch from the Austrian Institute of Technology speaking on harnessing microbiota for the protection of potatoes.

Huge congratulations to @craigmcrews.bsky.social on being awarded the #Havinga medal at the #Reedijk Symposium of the Leiden Institute of Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on induced proximity, including targeted protein degradation, as a new paradigm for #DrugDiscovery. #ChemSky #ChemBio #TPD

now on, an exciting talk by @cornepieterse.bsky.social pitching the concept of the microbiome as the plant's extended immune system.

here is @VivianeCordovez.bsky.social from @niooknaw.bsky.social speaking on the biosynthetic potential of yeasts, including FungiSmash analysis. Part of the work was done by young doctor Linda Gouka (still catching cereal killers 🙂). Lab of Jos Raaijmakers.

Day 3 of #PMS2025 starts with Session 3: Plant Microbiome Interactions (sponsored by Microbioma CSIC)

now on @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social on Bacillus biofilms and their role in the soil community and plant health. Bartje was also there but I missed him.

🚨 Publication alert! We are stoked to report the structural basis for activity of a novel class of antimicrobials targeting Gram positive priority pathogens in @natcomms.nature.com. There is something for everyone on this paper, and I will highlight a few things below 👇 1/9 doi.org/10.1038/s414...

Eiko Kuramae from @niooknaw.bsky.social speaking on the importance and diversity of nitrogen fixing microbes in the rice microbiome.

molecules and streptomycetes at the 6th plant microbiome meeting in Antequera. Excellent story on protection against plant drought stress by Ling Ding from DTU

Streptomyces secondary metabolites into focus from @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social #PMS2025

Paenitracin - NRP discovery from Nataliia Machushynets at @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social laboratory 👇🏼

Hoe zou #antibioticaonderzoek er in de toekomst uit kunnen zien? Hoe kan de ontwikkeling van #antibiotica economisch aantrekkelijker worden gemaakt? Als u geïnteresseerd bent in deze vragen, lees dan het interview met @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social www.sciencelink.net/verdieping/p... #Chemie #ChemBio

Great interview with my @led3hub.bsky.social colleague @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social in C2W mens & molecule. He talks about new developments in #antibiotic #DrugDiscovery, the applications of #AI and opportunities to foster antibiotic development. www.sciencelink.net/verdieping/p... #ChemSky #ChemBio

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a seminar at the Fellows Conference, which will be held on 10 March 2026. Candidates who win Fellowships will be offered a Tenure Track Group Leader position from the outset, initially for 5 years. Find out more: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...

Gilles van Wezel, met twee gebroken enkels 😞🍀, over de ‘stille pandemie van #antibiotica-resistentie’. @gillesvanwezel.bsky.social @leidenscience.bsky.social www.sciencelink.net/verdieping/p...

Come and work with me and @ariannebabina.bsky.social on #Streptomyces evolution and antibiotic production Origins of a tangled bank: Adaptation and evolution in antibiotic-producing Streptomyces www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate... please repost

These 99 'lab hacks' will make your scientific work easier www.nature.com/articles/d41...

terwijl ik in Seoul op een congres sta te praten studeert mijn dochter Sofie af voor haar BSc Life Sciences & Technology (LST) @UniLeiden @tudelft met cijfers waar haar vader ooit alleen van kon dromen. Supertrots op je Sofie!

Our latest review is now live! Check out our thoughts on how the filamentous lifestyle of Actinomycetes and their ability to make a diverse array of natural products may be connected 👇: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

I see a new antiSMASH bugfix is out... #secmet github.com/antismash/an...

following on an idea of @davidroper2.bsky.social. How it started, how it is going #PhDEvolution

🦠💊 Ibuprofen and acetaminophen significantly increased mutation frequency and conferred high-level ciprofloxacin resistance 😮🧐 #AMR #Medsky #Episky #IDsky #Microsky

Happy birthdays @paulhoskisson.bsky.social @drgvank.bsky.social ! 🥁🎂🥂🌻🌷

nog gekeken @dirkscheffers.bsky.social? wat een #TourdeFrance dit jaar.

Dinner outside today and we immediately had a visitor. Seems to be attracted to cheese volatiles.

Kleine waterorganismen genaamd raderdiertjes blijken na hun aanpassing aan stijgende temperaturen ook beter bestand te zijn tegen kopervervuiling. Opvallend genoeg geldt dat andersom niet. Lees meer op onze website: nioo.knaw.nl/nl/nieuws/we... @globalchangebio.bsky.social

NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding. NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.