I am so excited to share our new findings with you! We provide the structural evidence for a direct protein-to-DNA information pathway, showing how a bacterial enzyme 'reads' its own structure to 'write' DNA. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
As the astronauts of the Artemis II mission emerged from the other side of the moon, they experienced yet another breathtaking sight: a solar eclipse, from a vantage never witnessed by any human being. See more photos released on Tuesday by NASA. nyti.ms/4tzKL21
Earth and Moon from DSCOVR NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured this unique view of the Moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of Earth last month. This view shows the fully illuminated “dark side” of the moon that is never visible from Earth. Ian Regan processed this version of the image to account for the Moon's motion. NASA / NOAA / Ian Regan
I hadn't seen this before. This is pretty remarkable.
Earth and Moon in one NASA photo.
ht @astrokatie.com
If folks haven't checked out the live feed of Artemis II currently heading for a fly around the moon, it's on YouTube. www.youtube.com/live/z-j1uxB...
Protozoan predation selects for key symbiotic traits in an environmentally transmitted beneficial symbiosis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02...
How specific are heritable symbioses?
And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?
We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!
1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The visualization of two bacterial genomes, of 50 and 52kb, representing independent instances of extreme genomic reduction in ancient heritable endosymbionts of planthoppers.
Our new paper in @natcomms.nature.com is now online-early!
We describe independent evolution of bacterial genomes of only ~50–52 kb — the smallest known outside cellular organelles — revealing striking convergence toward minimal gene sets.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Who wore it better?
What genetic change to Indian wheat led to superior baking in a tandoor?
A naan sense mutation
Fascinating research on a terrifying disease: Turns out boring old albumin, the most abundant protein in our blood, plays a crucial role in protecting us from being eaten alive by “black fungus” mucormycosis
#IDsky 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
Am I officially an aphid biologist?Spotted aphids on my favorite South Indian leafy greens - I never thought I’d feel both joy and annoyance as I’m washing these leaves in preparation for a traditional winter dish!
Phenotypic divergence is driven by mobile genetic elements in a heritable insect symbiont www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12...
Proudly illiterate is the way forward.
New preprint! 🐝 We engineered a bacterial biosensor to reveal micron-scale arabinose gradients in the honeybee gut. Congratulations to Audam and all co-authors. Great collaboration with @pengellab.bsky.social as part of the NCCR Microbiomes at @fbm-unil.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A reverse @wcratcliff.bsky.social !
New #microbiome paper from our lab @ioes-ju.bsky.social! Unexpected host associations for Bartonellaceae - a bacterial family primarily known as mammalian pathogens. Striking #symbiont evolutionary trajectories, exemplified by a highly reduced, 158kb genome with no nutrient biosynthetic capacity!
So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵
The ecological roles of bacterial #immune systems are poorly understood. Rafael Custodio @ellinoralseth.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @brownlab.bsky.social & Edze Westra explore how mobile genetic elements and bacterial defenses shape #microbiome structure and function 🧪
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Look at the super-efficiency on these weaver #ants!
The Ringelmann effect, first described in humans, applies to many cooperative systems, but a recent CB paper showed how weaver ants overcome it.
Just one example where the (hu)manosphere could learn from ants...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Our latest paper is out with @adiop.bsky.social and @gmdouglas.bsky.social. We analyzed the extent of homologous recombination between bacterial species (introgression) and how it affects species borders (it can vary a lot depending on the approach used to classify species!). rdcu.be/eQAMf
Great thread. Can’t wait to read this paper!
Let me use this as an opportunity to talk about Jordi et al's very cool paper, now out in PNAS 🧪:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
You can read our news and views here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
My ask of any science enthusiasts who tell the story of Rosalind Franklin:
Don't make her life be about the DNA debacle. She died far too young, but she was a promising scientist in her own right, a mentor and scientific author.
Not for Watson or Crick, but for her legacy.
A cartoon/ digital drawing summarising the findings of the paper "Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs" by T. Nishino et al published in 2025. On the top left, a female Megymenum gracilicorne bug shows off symbiotic organs on the hind legs where she carries Ascomycota fungi. These were previously assumed to be Tympanal organs in these bugs but only females had them?; that didnt make a whole lot of sense to the authors...To the right of the bug is a row of eggs lying side by side. The paper shows that the bugs deposit the symbiotic fungi on the egg surface after egg-laying. Next on the image, fungal conidia grow on the egg surface. The eggs are pinkish in colour. A few fungi wear sunglasses like they are body guards. The paper shows that they protect the eggs from Trissolcus brevinotaulus, a parasitoid wasp, that likes to lay its eggs inside the developing bug's eggs. There are two wasps in this cartoon "eyeing" the fungi and looking frustrated. Eggs turn from whitish to pinkish within 10-days because they are reflecting the body colour of the nymph within the eggs.
Had to draw a cartoon for this fascinating finding!
Defensive fungal symbiosis on insect hindlegs: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#SymbioSky
Great new postdoc fellowship for foundational plant research.
If you’re into genetics and genomics of plant reproductive evolution or adaptive convergence (incl in the cool and charismatic nightshades!) I’d be happy to talk about possible projects!
www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
Excited to share our new paper out in @isme-microbes.bsky.social. We asked if environmental microbial communities can be adaptively modulated by host species that transiently acquire their symbionts from the environment #SymbioSky #MicrobiomeSky
doi.org/10.1093/isme...
Mosquito cell atlas is now published! Congratulations to @nadavshai.bsky.social and @oliviagoldman.net and the many other collaborators that contributed to this resource. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Acrylic painting featuring a monarch butterfly emerging from their chrysalis.
The Art of Transition Series: Monarch Butterfly (2025). Acrylic on canvas, 16x20".
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Where no crawly is creepy!
LindZeamays Illustration
LindZeamays.com
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🎨🐡🪳🪲🦋
