Side note: One often thinks they're not recovering low-abundance taxa because they're low-abundance. But with Illumina, it's also likely because they're low-GC and Illumina has strong GC bias. You can fix this with wetlab intervention like this, or using ONT instead, which doesn't have a GC-bias.🧵

It apPEARs more exPEARiments are needed. The PEARameters are imPEARcise, and it is imPEARative to PEARform PEAR-wise comPEARisons.

A sad but necessary article 😕

Science is coming to a park near you! 🌳 As part of BIOCUE , we’re sampling parks to explore how nature-based urban rewilding affects soil health, compared to traditional grass lawns. Today, we took samples from Grøndalsparken in Copenhagen 🇩🇰 to do some preliminary tests. 🌱 Stay tuned for more! 🌱

Isn't it nice when you're evaluating a difficult sampling site and you find out that someone already made a path that you can use? 😁

Very interesting paper by Uchijima et al. with an innovative way to isolate chemolithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria! Read the full paper here -> doi.org/10.1093/fems...

Figuring out what we need to buy for our experiments this summer to measure carbon use efficiency and much more. Lots of exciting stuff coming soon!

After a lot of paperwork, my bacteria are finally ready to see the world! Destination: DSMZ, Germany.

This week I attended the 1st International Symposium on Volatile Interactions in Ecosystems organised by @voltcenter.bsky.social It was full of interesting talks, posters and people. And I'm happy I was to contribute with a talk of my own!

Increased Growth Temperatures Alter Arctic Plant Responses to Heat Wave and Drought 📄 buff.ly/2NU4KiE @martacontreras.bsky.social @riikkarinnan.bsky.social @lundjing.bsky.social @voltcenter.bsky.social @villumfonden.bsky.social @dg.dk

🍃 Successful BIOCUE kick-off meeting at @wslresearch.bsky.social! We spent two lovely days together and designed our strategy to uncover the influence of #nature based solutions on #carbon use efficiency. This will be of extreme importance in our fight against #climatechange! Stay tuned for more 📻

Cool #science alert! “In this paper, we have compiled our current understanding of MVOCs in extreme environments. I hope that this review can serve as a starting point for anyone interested in this topic.” - @masalgar.bsky.social #FEMSmicroBlog @dg.dk fems-microbiology.org/femsmicroblo...

Scientists who study climate don't automatically attribute all changes to human activity. Rather, we carefully investigate every possible natural factor that could explain the planet's warming. Could these be the real culprits? The evidence is in--and the answer is NO. This thread explains! 🧵

Microorganisms produce a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with diverse functions. @masalgar.bsky.social et al. review microbial VOCSs (#MVOCs) from #extremophiles and their potential applications. buff.ly/D2dRawC #FEMSMicrobiolRev

Check out our newest #research! We quantify the interactions between increased #temperature & #heatwave & #drought in #Arctic #plants, with focus on #VOCs, #photosynthesis & #phenology. doi.org/10.1111/gcb.... @voltcenter.bsky.social @dg.dk @villumfonden.bsky.social @globalchangebio.bsky.social

Just in! 📸 The first images from yesterday’s #HeraMission flyby of Mars and its moon Deimos. 👇 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...

Physical and chemical conditions of the majority of Earth's volume and universe are too extreme for life to exist. @charlescockell questions the limits of microbial life, the use of inhabited spaces for hypothesis testing, and its ethics. #FEMSMicrobiolRev buff.ly/4wH4noG

Fungi made Earth’s land liveable by building networks that released nutrients locked in primordial rock and supplied those nutrients to plant roots https://go.nature.com/41lvtBg

Isolated in just 3 years! (previously, 12 years). We obtained two strains from 'Hodarchaeales', proposed to be closest to our archaeal ancestor. Our analysis suggests the ancestor was an anaerobic, syntrophic, peptidotrophic, archaeon with a simple intracellular structure and possible aerotolerance.

We should avoid this kind of confusing reporting. The situation is dire as it is already, we mustn't confuse policy makers and the public.

A super exciting PhD position available in #peatland #biochemistry. Join @yijiao.bsky.social and me working with cutting edge #VOC cycling in peat. + nice colleagues @voltcenter.bsky.social + Copenhagen + competitive salary + good PhD program employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=16... Please repost!

📢PhD Vacancy📢: Fully funded PhD fellowship in #peatland #VOC #biogeochemistry at Copenhagen University! This position is part of my Villum young investigator grant, co-supervised with @riikkarinnan.bsky.social, and hosted by the @voltcenter.bsky.social. ➡️https://employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=163573⬅️

If you don't know about velvet worms, you're missing out!

New paper out that (we hope) will be useful to anyone with an interest in Antarctic soil microbial communities: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Unlike bacteria (except mycoplasma), archaea don't ubiquitously have a peptidoglycan equivalent at all. However, some lineages have pseudomurein. This study characterises its biosynthesis, contributing genes and evolutionary links with bacterial counterparts 🔗 journals.asm.org/doi/full/10....

Less than a week to go!!! 👋🏾 Hej, just in case you needed a reminder. 📅This deadline is coming soon! Come join us for a week at @voltcenter.bsky.social for this PhD course and the symposium! Hope to see you here!

One more dialect of the #VOC language deciphered! Congrats 🎉

Happy International Women & Girls in Science Day 2025 #WomenInScience #womeninSTEM #IDWGS

Welcome to Copenhagen to the 1st International Symposium on Volatile Interactions in Ecosystems! #biogeochemistry, #chemicalecology #ecosystem-atmosphereinteractions #VOCs #volatilome Deadline for abstracts is Feb 24. eventsignup.ku.dk/voltsymposiu... May 21-23 is a lovely time to visit Copenhagen

🔔 New article alert 🔔 Have you ever wonderered what life in extreme environments smells like? In our latest article (and my first published paper!) we review #VOCs produced by #extremophiles, and we discuss the roles they play in #astrobiology, #biotechnology, and more! doi.org/10.1093/fems...

We will be hosting the 1st International Symposium on Volatile Interactions in Ecosystems in Copenhagen in May 2025. This symposium will bring together scientists working with #Biogeochemistry, #ChemicalEcology and #Ecosystem-atmosphereInteractions related to VOCs, volatile S and N. Welcome! 1/3

Are you curious about life on other planets? Watch the video below to learn about my #research and hear my thoughts on #astrobiology 👽⬇️

@voltcenter.bsky.social is #hiring! What better way to start 2025 than with a new job with a creative, fun and smart bunch? We seek a #student #assistant to help with #admin and #comms, w/ experience in #VideoEditing and #illustration. Check, apply, share this link: employment.ku.dk/all-vacancie...

Everything is winding down for Christmas, but at @voltcenter.bsky.social we are still active! Today we start the day with a talk from our visitor Paolina Garbeva about her group and research in #microbial #volatiles at NIOO-KNAW.

And I couldn't have asked for a better gift 😌

Likewise Riikka, it has been a pleasure being part of VOLT since the beginning! VOLT is full of incredible people with amazing ideas, with a great work environment full of good vibes that that brings the best out of you. Anyone interested in VOCs should keep a close eye on @voltcenter.bsky.social 👀

Yesterday, I defended my PhD in astrobiology at @voltcenter.bsky.social and the Center for Exolife Sciences. It was an amazing experience to share my work with so many of my friends and colleagues! Big thanks to @riikkarinnan.bsky.social and the rest of VOLT for the opportunity to work together!

Last night was one for the books… but I’ll let the pictures do the talking 📸 🎄 Julefrokost vibes with this amazing bunch of nerds @voltcenter.bsky.social

We identified protein domains in LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor). Their distinctive amino acid usage reveals the order amino acids were added to the genetic code, based mostly on size. Older proteins hint at earlier alternative codes. 1/15 @seekingluca.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Dirammox (direct ammonia oxidation) to nitrogen (N2): discovery, current status, and perspectives www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I’ve always wondered this… 🧐 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Check out our new paper about Bacteria and Archaea inhabiting sediments beneath alkaline soda lakes, comparing two potential present-day origin-of-life proxies. link.springer.com/article/10.1.... Nice work, Alex and team!

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 it was great to hear George’s plans for his PhD 🤩 It will be a pleasure to follow your work 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 #isopreneteam