Raw hot dog 🌭

My day is made. Someone threw a hot dog into my lecture.

Every year I talk about microbes that survive on dissolved organic matter and how it just diffuses to them and how that would be like me living off of the hot dogs that float into my room.

It took 10 years but one finally did!!! 🤣

Singapore launches $60m marine research centre Singapore launches a $60 million marine research centre to advance ocean conservation and inform coastal policy decisions. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

"A/Prof Rebecca Case from SBS, NTU said she hopes that the centre of excellence will encompass the important role that microbes play in the ecosystem.
...
We have the highest diversity per area in the world; we have monsoons rather than seasons, and our equatorial location uniquely places us"

Looking forward to hosting Prof Lisa Stein for a wetlands seminar this Thursday morning

Public service announcement: Please stop with all the adaptationism.

Issue 1: some beneficial traits arise through forces other than natural selection (i.e. they aren't results of adaptation).

Issue 2: many seemingly beneficial traits are not beneficial at all (i.e., they don't increase fitness).

and from the Ministry of National Development:
www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/par...

NParks & NUS to establish new marine science research centre of excellence A S$60 million research programme will be conducted at the centre.

Exciting news announced by MOS Alvin Tan in Singapore's Parliament today! $60 million for Centre of Excellence in Marine Sciences

mothership.sg/2026/03/new-...

Intrigued by how microbes spread, evolve, and shape our world, students at the Science Discovery Camp 2025 got a hands-on glimpse into the unseen. At SCELSE, participants explored the real-world impact of microbial science and how microbial systems influence health and the environment. SCELSE PI and NTU Assoc Prof Rebecca Case, along with her research team, welcomed the students. Dr Clarence Sim and undergrads from the Case Lab—Lionel Ng, Johnson Lim Jin Hui, Isabella Tiaras Cheng Xue En, and Khoh Yek How—led an open forum on starting their microbial journey, followed by a tour of SCELSE’s research labs and facilities. They also played Lockdown!, a card game created by SCELSE PI and NUS Assoc Prof Yann Boucher, which simulates pandemic response and global cooperation. Kudos to NTU College of Science for bringing together curious young scientists and making this event such a success.

Microbes in action! Students at Science Discovery Camp 2025 explored microbial science at SCELSE, toured labs, and played Lockdown!, a pandemic-themed card game. Kudos to NTU College of Science! 📍18–20 Jun 2025 | NTU
🔗 blogs.ntu.edu.sg/science/2025/07/28/science-discovery-camp-2025/

Thank you Prof Doralyn Dalisay (University of San Agustin, Philippines) for delivering a SCELSE Seminar on “Natural Product Discovery from Philippine Biodiversity: Advancing Therapeutic Leads and Biotechnological Applications.” Prof Dalisay shared how her team investigates bioactive compounds from marine sediment-derived actinomycetes and ethnobotanically significant plants such as pigeon peas, turmeric, ginger, tawa-tawa, and Philippine honey. Since 2017, their research has yielded prototype products and early-stage technologies in therapeutics, functional foods, and cosmeceuticals, advancing discoveries from the laboratory to the market. “I was deeply impressed by Prof. Dalisay’s work on discovering new bacteria with antibiotic potential from the Philippine seas, showing how groundbreaking science can emerge from countryside cities like Iloilo. This resonated with me personally, as I also began my scientific journey in a countryside city in Argentina, reminding us that world-class innovation in microbiology is not confined to global hubs, but can thrive wherever curiosity meets dedication.” – Dr Ezequiel Santillan, SCELSE Snr Research Fellow. 📅 Thu, 21 Aug 2025 📍 SBS TR+6 (SBS-01n-26), NTU

Thank you Prof @Doralyn Dalisay for the SCELSE Seminar on “Natural Product Discovery from Philippine Biodiversity”. Her team advances discoveries from lab to market—antibiotics, therapeutics & more—showing innovation can thrive anywhere.

Reusing bioreactor effluent as a circular bioresource strategy for cultivating marine microalgae and producing Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry underscores the need for sustainable alternatives to traditional fishmeal. We investigated the potential …

Our new article on circularised economy is out! Applied research is new for me, but the chance to collaborate with SCELSE's water engineers caught my interest. How little salt do they need to make omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids? A lot less than I thought!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Discoveries with Roseobacteraceae: Bacterial Models for Ocean Heterotrophy www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... #jcampubs 🌊

Don't miss out on the 3rd West Pacific Marine Biology Symposium @ UQ Brisbane, 25–28 Nov.

Reg & abstracts open: tinyurl.com/wpmbs2025
Early-bird regos now extended to 14 Oct, so you can still secure discounted registration rates!

@cnrs.fr
@cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
UQ Centre for Marine Science

A bacterial signal coordinates plant-microbe fitness trade-off to enhance sulfur deficiency tolerance in plants Mukherjee et al. report fitness trade-off between plants and the rhizosphere microbiome under sulfur deficiency, mediated by the tri-peptide signal glutathione. Competition among rhizosphere bacteria ...

Bacteria enhance sulfur deficiency tolerance in plants

Rhizosphere microbiome is remodeled under sulfur (S) deficiency with competition among bacteria increasing their release of glutathione, which benefits the plant at expense of bacterial fitness
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Ten microbiology organizations have come together to develop a global strategy to integrate microbial science into climate solutions. ISME is proud to stand alongside these partners in shaping this roadmap.
Read more: isme-microbes.org/microbes-wit...
#MicrobialEcology #ClimateAction

The role of the microbiome in the successful transplantation of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows Research conducted by scientists at ULiège shows that the method used has a direct influence on plant survival.

The role of the microbiome in the successful transplantation of seagrass meadows - @universitedeliege.bsky.social

www.sciences.uliege.be/cms/c_135245...

Louisiana reports five deaths from flesh-eating bacterium in coastal waters Officials say deaths from Vibrio vulnificus exceeding average amid warning over climate-linked case increase

Louisiana reports five deaths from flesh-eating bacterium in coastal waters - Ramon Antonio VARGAS @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Missed SCELSE Open House 2025? Catch the highlights in this 2-min video below. And look out for next year's Open House in Aug 2026! #SCELSE #SCELSEImpact #OpenHouse2025 #Microbiome #Biofilm

Iron-respiring microbes could have a role in sulfur cycling A species of bacteria grows when both ferrihydrite and sulfide are present, but not when either is absent.

Nice summary from Songcan & Marc 🙏 on our discovery of a new microbial energy metabolism 🦠 🧫 ⚡ 🔌

Microbial Iron oxide respiration coupled to Sulfide Oxidation (MISO)

@nature.com Research Briefing 😍 doi.org/10.1038/d415...

📰 Original paper www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#microsky #microbiomesky

Frontiers | The Bacterial Symbiont Phaeobacter inhibens S... Marine microbes form host-associated biofilm communities ...

The Bacterial Symbiont Phaeobacter inhibens Shapes the Life History of Its Algal Host Emiliania huxleyi - @FrontMarineSci https://ift.tt/2LCV412

📣 Ready to lead your own lab? NTU Singapore's Nanyang Assistant Professorship offers a 100% paid salary & a S$2.75M start-up package. We're visiting the US this Sept to recruit top talent. Meet us in NYC, Boston & more! #FacultyJobs #TenureTrack

Register HERE: lnkd.in/gSy5qpA7

Your research future starts at NTU Singapore! We're recruiting for fully-funded PhDs & prestigious Postdoc fellowships. Join our info sessions across the US this Sept to learn more about launching your career at a world-class university. #PhD #PostdocJobs

Register 👇
forms.office.com/r/HYfKgmcAa0