Cryptic sponge with bizarre, GC-rich mitogenome (missing cox2) found in a Haliclona–Plakortis symbiosis. Resembles H. plakophila, but genetic + morphological data reveal a new Haplosclerida lineage, highlighting hidden diversity 🧽🧬 @makhaki.bsky.social @dlavrov.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

"In 2025, Eddy received a letter from the National Institutes of Health, informing him that his work "had been determined to be of absolutely no value to the US taxpayer, and therefore it was being specifically terminated..." This is HMMER, Infernal, PFAM!

New paper published on symbiosis between sponges: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... #Porifera #Mitochondria

“The message, very clearly, they’re sending is, do not speak out on behalf of Chinese postdocs. If you do, you’re going to pay a penalty...It seems pretty obvious that this is an attempt by the current administration to silence people that question their activities." — Roger Innes, IU AAUP member

🌱 We’re hiring in Plant Biology at Penn State! The Department of Biology at Penn State University Park is searching for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor in any area of plant biology.

Workday next?

The U.S House of Representatives voted to permanently undo protections for the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. Now it's up to the Senate who will likely vote within the next two weeks. Please speak up for this important wilderness area. ⬇️

Where do you find an animal mitochondrial genome that is several Mbp in size and contains thousands of linear chromosomes? In a tiny #sponge Sycon ciliatum: doi.org/10.1098/rstb... #Porifera #Mitochondria

With Eugene Koonin, we propose a concept of “the selfish ribosome”, under which evolution of life is viewed as a ribosomal takeover, where the ribosome evolved to consume most of the cell’s resources, while other cellular componentry ensures the propagation of the ribosome. arxiv.org/abs/2602.23268

SponBIODIV @biodiversa.eu participates in a new population genomics study of the beautiful Mediterranean🧽 Axinella polypoides. Findings emphasize the importance of protecting mesophotic habitats! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

CORAL REEF NEWS: 2026 May Be The Year Coral Reefs Around The World Finally Collapse Read full story here: www.sciencealert.com/2026-may-be-... #coralreefs #tippingpoint #climatenews #coralnews #climatechange #coralbleaching #coralreefecology #marinescience #marinebiology

More goings on in eukaryotic ancestors, this time from @phil-donoghue.bsky.social and friends. The data is coming thick and fast! #actin #nucleus #LECA #asgard #mitochondria #phylogeny

Was reading this earlier today - such an important advance!

Mitochondrial origins of the pressure to sleep

Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website. sites.google.com/site/danielb...

Yep- the bogus summer reading list from the Chicago Sun Times is real. Here I am with it from a few minutes ago. (Support your local library!!)

Congress is considering opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling in their latest government funding bill. We can’t let this happen – demand that Congress rejects Arctic drilling in this bill. 👉 act.350.org/letter/may-2...

TOMORROW! Stand Up for Higher Education! Join an action in your area! @actioninhighered.bsky.social @higheredlabor.bsky.social

Nature reports on how researchers are studying why mitochondria are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases. 🧪

“I never expected to face such a distressing experience after escaping persecution from the CCP in China, only to encounter a somewhat similar situation” at New College in the United States. Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...

Ames protest next Saturday: www.mobilize.us/handsoff/eve...

This is the text of the email just sent to hundreds of international students telling them that their visas have been revoked due to activism or social media posts.

🧪 Scientists have created the first map of mitochondria throughout the entire brain https://go.nature.com/42j9YCV

Calling all faculty across campuses nationwide: sign our petition to condemn ICE and DHS activity on campuses as well as the arrest and detention of Palestinian activists Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Korda, Read and sign onto the rest of our statement: link here and in bio bit.ly/3XUwsHM

Our article on unusual mtDNA evolution in a group of sponges has been published in GBE. Please let me know if you have any comments or notice any errors. #mitochondria #Porifera #tRNA

Genome architecture and speciation in plants and animals. I learned a lot writing this with @dortizba.bsky.social, Silu Wang and Loren Rieseberg! doi.org/10.22541/au....

Elated to share the PhyKIT protocols manuscript appeared on the cover of Current Protocols🥳🥳🥳 bsky.app/profile/jlst...

#mitochondria ... and you still call us powerhouses!

Also, they are hermaphroditic. If two tripodfish happen to meet, they mate. But if there is no partner, no problem: one fish can produce both sperms and eggs and reproduce by itself.

Not sure how this sponge feels being out of the water! #Porifera

Cool #mitochondria (the rest is not bad either!)

¡eso!

In case somebody else is freaking out :) #SMBE2025

😮 Amazing deep-sea glass #sponge spotted at 2000 m in the Caribbean! Possibly Tretopleura sp.?

At least they have a sponge among the otherwise dismal top stories :) #Porifera

Looking forward to reading this review!

Weaponizing #mitochondria.

4-year timelapse of a sneezing sponge? Great way to start #porifera in #ZOO2700! Belinda the sea #sponge & fantastic work by #UVIC grad student Dominica Harrison. Listen to the #CBC As It Happens #AIH interview too! www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha... doi.org/10.3354/meps... youtu.be/78-PI6pSsvs?...

Save the date: GIGA V Conference will be in the Philippines in July 2026. For more info visit: www.gigacos.org/index.php/20... #genome #invertebrate #academicsky 🧬

DataViz protocols - An introduction to data visualization protocols for wet lab scientists by @joachimgoedhart.bsky.social: joachimgoedhart.github.io/DataViz-prot...

This image shows individual mitochondria in different colours. Each cluster of mitochondria represents a cell, in this case a type of white blood cell known as a macrophage 🧪🔬

*** Notification: New class in Evolutionary Cell Biology open to the public during Spring 2025 semester The class is taught by Dr. Michael Lynch every Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00-10:15 am (MST), starting on 16 January 2025 Join the class on asu.zoom.us/j/86824596554 Details [email protected]

Not entirely sure what a species is, but here are four new ones :) doi.org/10.11646/zoo...

REVIEW: Expansion of the MutS gene family in plants (Daniel B Sloan, Amanda K Broz, Shady A Kuster, Viraj Muthye, Alejandro Peñafiel-Ayala, Jennifer R Marron, Dennis V Lavrov, Luis G Brieba) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae277