Our paper on the need for field studies to test ocean iron fertilization as a climate solution is out - please read it, share widely, and let me know what you think!

If we turned all the carbon we burn every year into a giant pile of diamonds, it would be as big as 1,100 Great Pyramids of Giza. Every year.

Re-upping this piece by @mrmattsimon.bsky.social in @grist.org back in August about #OIF for #mCDR. Good work @smith8272.bsky.social and @eschwaab.bsky.social for your quotes in the article. @cafethorium.bsky.social

Half of microbial eukaryote literature focuses on only twelve human parasites -in #ISMEJournal by Joanna Lepper, @hbrappap.bsky.social and @oliverio.bsky.social academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

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Study reveals the hidden genomic diversity & global distribution of Phaeocystales — bloom-forming algae with surprising mixotrophic strategies, viral integrations, & adaption to polar vs temperate zones. #protistsonsky Big step forward for marine ecology & biogeochemical models. 🧬🌊 📖 rdcu.be/eI4nv

“It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us.” ― Jane Goodall 💙 RIP to a real one. My childhood hero

"Following a thorough, individualized financial review" DOE is terminating 223 awards worth $7.5 billion.

Excited and honored to be a part of this cohort and work to advance strategies to stabilize the climate. Stay tuned for more

The Northern Pacific Ocean is currently smashing temperature records. And it is reaching these levels far earlier than the current generation of climate models had expected. A short thread 🧵

Of all the stupid things that this regime has done, this is right up near the top. Postdoctoral researchers come to the US on H-1B visas. This will further destroy the US science enterprise. Stupid stupid stupid.

“Phosphorus constrains global photosynthesis more than nitrogen does [*on land*]” - there… fixed it www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This is a nice piece covering how adding iron to the ocean can help stabilize the climate - the time for action is here #oceaniron @exois-oceaniron.bsky.social

🌊 If you plan to attend OSM26, please consider submitting an abstract to our session “Biogeochemical and Ecological Insights for Evaluation of Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR)” agu.confex.com/agu/osm26/pr... OSM: 22-27 February 2026 Glasgow Abstract submission deadline: 20th August 2025

🌊🧪 1/ Job Alert! Are you a world-leading researcher in climate change solutions? UVic’s Canada Excellence Research Chair offers 8 years of support for groundbreaking research. Join our interdisciplinary team @seos-uvic.bsky.social Learn more & apply by Aug 29: www.uvic.ca/faculty-staf...

I can't stress enough how close U.S. science is to the cliff. "Numbers released in May by the National Science Foundation (NSF) indicate that if Congress approves the cuts to the agency proposed by the White House, the number of early-career researchers it supports could fall by 78%" (@science.org)

#ECR input needed! Help SCOR serve early-career scientists better by contributing to the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCOR-ECOP

Losing support to continue this dataset would be absolutely devastating for science and humanity. #carbon #mCDR #climatechange

Terpenoid production can be engineered and optimized in Phaeodactylum tricornutum - a promising chassis for bioproduction. Excellent keynote by @michelefabris.bsky.social @ #MLD8

I’ve assumed that the diatom fossil record was more helpful in resolving early diatom evolution than it actually is. Karolina Brulka sets the record straight at #MLD8, revealing that Lower Jurassic Pyxidicula fossils were most likely calcareous nannofossils www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Day 3 of #MLD8 started with an awesome plenary by @sinkingdiatom.bsky.social - identifying the “slow burning fuse” of diatom evolution, punctuated by three pulses of accelerated evolution. Definitely a seminal and must-read pub if you haven’t come across it yet www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

A new version of ASAFIND (2.0) is out! @asafind.bsky.social. Ansgar Gruber introduced the updated tool at #MLD8 doi.org/10.1111/tpj....

The “big and beautiful” diatom Coscinodiscus granii makes girdle bands with regular pores spaced 285 nm apart. Felicity Ashcroft presents a new set of candidate biomineralization genes from a transcriptome of chemically-synchronized cells. #MLD8

The oil-producing diatom Fistulifera solaris had an interesting evolutionary trajectory. Two species that diverged from the last F. solaris common ancestor millions of years ago, re-hybridized ~0.12MYA which underlies the current allodiploid genome. Hikaru Tago at #MLD8

In Pseudo-nitzschia, only 20% of the cells engage in sexual reproduction, but scRNA-seq shows they are all primed and ready to go. Antonella Ruggiero at #MLD8

Using sexual reproduction markers identified from scRNA data, Arthur Cleyman developed new tools to transform Cylindrotheca closterium and make “pheromone sensing” lines. Cool 😎 #MLD8 @gustbilcke.bsky.social

Continuing the Conference tour 2025 with #MLD8 #diatoms show with cryo-exm 🦠

Single-cell RNA sequencing of two diatom species shows clear patterns of expression during sexual reproduction, shedding light on the mechanisms involved. Great student talk by Nadine Rijsdjik @ #MLD8 @gustbilcke.bsky.social

The design and synthesis of whole synthetic chromosomes (and yes, for diatoms) is now possible. The future is here. (Bogumil Karas @ #MLD8)

#MLD8 is underway in sunny Ghent! Kicked off with exciting breakthroughs in diatom biology and new tools for molecular studies. Great to reconnect and dive into cell biology, ecophysiology, genomics & biotech. Tiny but mighty! 🌊 #DiatomResearch #BlueBiotech Find out more: vibbio.tech/4kRX2L7

Nitrogen limitation and silicon limitation elicit changes in diatom metatranscriptomes, and highlight how little we know about the functional roles of many genes - especially those involved in silica metabolism and biomineralization. Kim Thamatrakoln at #MLD8

pH, carbonate ion, and oxygen probes show major changes in the phycosphere of big centric diatoms, and inhibiting extracellular carbonic anhydrase forces them to switch between using CO2 and bicarb to supply carbon fixation (Glen Wheeler @ #MLD8)

Bernard Lepetit just gave a fantastic plenary on NPQ in diatoms at #MLD8 - turns out that diatoms can use the zeaxanthin/antheroxanthin/violaxanthin cycle for NPQ with Lhcx, when they don’t have diatoxanthin/diadinoxanthin (!)

Predators come along and crunch off the apex/long axial spines of pennate diatoms (!). Sometimes it’s catastrophic for the diatom, but they’re often totally resilient and can divide again after two days. Eventually the shape is restored. Darja Belisová at #MLD8

Diatoms do DNRA and thrive in the dark, anoxic, sulfidic sediments of Lake Fryxell (the Golden Meadows of Lake Fryxell) - amazing metabolic flexibility to occupy so many ecological niches! Great talk by Elisa Mertz at #MLD8

Michiel Perneel describes patterns of diatom abundance and activities in the Belgian part of the North Sea #MLD8

“We should stop using diatoms as this one box” - we need to take light niche adaptation into account when evaluating the succession and ecology of phytoplankton in Arctic as the ocean warms and we lose sea ice. Johann Lavaud at #MLD8

So many audience questions for Isabell Klawonn about her great talk on fungal infection of diatoms and the implications for the ocean carbon cycle at #MLD8 - safe to say that curiosity is piqued!

Stunning views of diverse diatom cell types generated with cryo-em, with a new workflow developed by Serena Flori @serenaflori.bsky.social at EMBL with @floravincent.bsky.social. Being able to see inside these organisms with this resolution is so incredibly cool. #MLD8

Diatoms take up silicic acid, and use it to synthesize their cell wall - But not all of the silica is deposited right away. Some of it remains soluble in a silicon storage pool SSP. Very nice work by Tobias Reichelt on how to determine the properties of this SSP #MLD8

Knocking out certain proteins involved in diatom frustule formation can change the pattern of pores - nice work by Tim Gerloff showing how we are getting closer to being able to bioengineer nanomaterials #MLD8

Diatoms (and other micro algae) have a non-canonical ATP synthase A subunit, called xATPA. Very cool and comprehensive story by Mathias Penot-Raquin at #MLD8

The pyrenoid fun continues with Alexander Schober at #MLD8 describing pyrenoid component proteins in pennate diatoms. Some similarities with centrics, but there are unique features as well.

The origin of the #MLD8 logo explained. We welcome >200 participants (from 26 countries) in the wonderful Bijloke concert hall for an update on diatom biology.

Gorgeous work by Onyou Nam characterizing the diatom pyrenoid is being presented at #MLD8 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... @mldiatoms.bsky.social

Day 1 of #MLD8 - with an amazing talk by @nic-poulsen.bsky.social on diatom adhesion and motility, describing proteins found in diatom glue @mldiatoms.bsky.social

‼️ Check out our recent report on "Principles for responsible and effective marine carbon dioxide removal development and governance" led by @scottdoney.bsky.social. It is a blue paper of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. #mCDR doi.org/10.69902/84b...

San Diego #NoKings

🌊 During #UNOC3, ExOIS convened a panel of experts to discuss the topic of environmental and ecological monitoring, reporting and verification (eMRV) for marine CDR. This discussion is just beginning and needs to be front and centre as the mCDR community moves forward.

Are you concerned about the ecological consequences of storing waste carbon in the ocean? Come join us to discuss how we should consider the ecological impacts of mCDR at an off-site side event at #unoc3