Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity - Nature Reconstructing microbial genomes from 820 reef-building corals collected at 99 reefs across 32 islands throughout the Pacific Ocean highlights the importance of conserving coral reefs as vital reservo...

We are thrilled to announce the newest study from our lab (and great collaborators) is out now in @nature.com

We show that #coral #microbes are untapped "biosynthetic reservoirs", full of unique
natural products.

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels | PNAS Apusomonads are sediment-dwelling bacterivorous protists that are sister to all Opisthokonta. They have been found to show a negative phototactic r...

Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

In the largest study of its kind, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL have found that a small subset of microbes can carry and transfer genes across disparate habitats, creating a planet-wide, interconnected network of microbiomes 🌍 🦠

🔗 Read more here: www.embl.org/news/science...

Excited to co-chair with @clareostle.bsky.social our #WCMB2026 session Plankton Biodiversity Observation for Ocean Health in Bruges (17–20 Nov 2026).
We invite abstracts on all approaches to monitoring marine plankton.
Deadline: 17 March 2026 (23:59 CET).
🌊🔬💙 @thembauk.bsky.social

Ecological Processes Shaping Marine Microbial Assemblages Diverge Between Equatorial and Temperate Time-Series onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #jcampubs 🌊

We're excited to release metaTraits.embl.de! 🦠 Interactively explore 140+ 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀, harmonized & integrated from culture-derived collections 🔬 & genome-based predictions 🧬 for >2M MAGs & genomes.

Publication at NAR: doi.org/10.1093/nar/... @narjournal.bsky.social #microsky 🧵 1/8

Cell cycle dysregulation of globally important SAR11 bacteria resulting from environmental perturbation - Nature Microbiology Without key cell cycle control genes, SAR11 cells experience aneuploidy and growth inhibition when exposed to changes in nutrients, carbon sources or temperature stress, a vulnerability that may repre...

Our latest. Led by the very talented @ahoiching.bsky.social

Cell cycle dysregulation of globally important SAR11 bacteria resulting from environmental perturbation www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊

Four researchers on a boat look at an “Ecosystem Intelligence through Oceanomics” poster with a circular marine biodiversity chart in a marina.

🌊 Calling marine sites worldwide!
Join eDNA Expeditions (2026-2028), a project using #eDNA to support local marine biodiversity monitoring & boost global ocean knowledge.
✅Apply by 15 Feb
☑️ Kits, training & support
👉 emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/contribut...
@vliz.be @emodnet.bsky.social @obis.org

Shameful decision

Thank you for your contribution @carlotargazulla.bsky.social! I was lucky to share the office with you while in the ICM :)

We just released #anvio v9, "eunice" 🎉

This version represents over 2,000 changes in the codebase since v8, increasing the total number of programs in the anvi'o ecosystem to 176.

Read the release notes:

github.com/merenlab/anv...

Visit our up-to-date web page:

anvio.org

Closely related microbes tend to live in similar communities across Earth’s environments.
We call this pattern community conservatism - extending established ecological patterns to the microbial world.
🧬🌍 #MicrobialEcology #Evolution

Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Many thanks to all people and institutions involved throughout this journey! @hugosarmento.bsky.social @paula-huber.bsky.social @ramalok.bsky.social @carlotargazulla.bsky.social @iferrera.bsky.social et al.

@agenciafapesp.bsky.social @ufscar.bsky.social @cnpq-oficial.bsky.social

Conceptually, we show how ecological process frameworks, usually applied in spatial studies, can be adapted to time-series data.

We reinforce the need for microbial observatories at underrepresented latitudes to better track ocean change. 🌍⏳📈

Key results:

🔹 Communities differ not only in composition, but in ecological assembly processes

🔹 Equatorial communities are more stable, shaped by stochastic processes & biotic interactions

🔹 Temperate communities show strong seasonality & deterministic selection

I'm thrilled to share that this work has just been published:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

We compared to contrasting observatories:

🌴 ☀️ Equatorial Atlantic (EAMO, 6°S), one of the first in low-latitudes

🍂 🌸 A well-studied temperate site (BBMO, 41°N) in the Mediterranean Sea

🧵⬇️

Constructing a “periodic table” of bacteria to map diversity in trait space Abstract. Despite an ever-expanding number of bacterial taxa being discovered, many of these taxa remain uncharacterized with unknown traits and environmen

New paper up - inspired by the periodic table of the elements, we attempted to organize bacterial diversity in genome-inferred trait space academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

Now published in Nature Biotechnology:
go.nature.com/44P7nSm
If you missed it, the TL;DR is in my April thread below

Microbial rhodopsins are everywhere in the surface ocean, but were assumed to play a role mainly when nutrients are scarce. Our new study reveals unexpected rhodopsin dynamics tightly linked to phytoplankton blooms.

"By 2030, our goal is for microbial metrics to stand alongside those of charismatic megafauna in every major habitat monitoring and restoration plan, signalling a profound shift in how biodiversity is measured, valued and protected"

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@noc.ac.uk

A high-resolution diel survey of surface ocean metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, and transfer RNA transcripts - Scientific Data Scientific Data - A high-resolution diel survey of surface ocean metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, and transfer RNA transcripts

I am happy to share that our data descriptor on the Hawaiʻi Diel Sampling is now published! 🌊🦠https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-06166-3

Every 1.5 hours for 48 hours, we collected ocean microbes from within and adjacent to Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and produced a multi-omics dataset.

🔊 APPLY NOW for our #MarMic #MSc/#PhD program!

Come to #Bremen and take an interdisciplinary approach to #marine #microbiology, #molecularbiology, #biochemistry, #evolution and more.

⏳ Open until Feb 28 2026
➡ marmic.mpg.de

#graduatestudents #marinescience #sciencecareer #IMPRS @maxplanck.de

@pcjungers.bsky.social démarre en présentant la diversité des algues arctiques pendant les étapes précoces de formation de la banquise #JSPF2025. Les groupes taxonomiques dominants varient pendant les différentes étapes de la formation de la banquise!

Line graph time series of 2025's daily global sea ice extent anomalies in red shading compared to each year from 1979 to 2023 using shades of purple to white for each line. The year 2024 is also highlighted in yellow, which is the current absolute magnitude record low. Anomalies are computed relative to a 1981-2010 baseline. There is substantial interannual and daily variability. Data from the NSIDC.

The extent of global sea ice cover is more than 3 million square kilometers below the 1981-2010 average. This is the 2nd lowest on record for this date over the satellite-era.

Data from nsidc.org/data/seaice_...

Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup - Nature The discovery of an unusual protist named Solarion arienae, which has a mitochondrial genome with some intriguing features, provides insight into the early radiation of eukaryotic groups.

#NatMicroPicks

A new protist with remnants of ancient mitochondrial DNA 🧬🦠

The eukaryotic tree of life grows with the addition Solarion arienae - a unique and peculiar protist species

#MicroSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I attended the Anvi'o workshop last March, and I highly recommend it. Registration for the 2026 edition is now open:

📢 Save the Date: Biodiversity Monitoring Week is coming! #BioMonWeek2026

📅4-8 May

📍Montpellier (FR)

The new European forum for cooperation and innovation in biodiversity monitoring, gathering researchers, practitioners, policymakers, private sector & students. Don't miss out!

#BiodiversityData

Just gonna put this here for now
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
bsky.app/profile/jlst...

ECR connection: Meet Meren when you need to A means for ECRs to get advice from a senior scientist outside of their support network

Starting this week, I set aside one hour each week to meet ECRs outside my group who want to discuss career development, mentorship, or any non-technical professional questions.

Here is a blog that explains my motivation for this and how to schedule a meeting:

merenlab.org/2025/11/16/E...