Evolutionary landscape of endomembrane systems. On top are two possible endomembrane systems, represented as directed graphs (pER: proto-endoplasmic reticulum; PM: plasma membrane; IC: intracellular compartment). In the layer below, endomembrane graphs are represented as nodes (white dots) connected by evolutionarily viable transitions (red lines). Collectively these dots and lines define an evolutionary landscape. The landscape breaks up into less functional (left) and more functional (right) endomembrane systems, introducing a selective bias.

How did eukaryotic cells get their Golgi, endosomes, lysosomes and other endomembrane compartments? We show that endomembrane evolution depends on long periods of neutral molecular exploration, punctuated by sudden leaps.

New preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

New preprint out! Using ~75k environmental OTUs + 77 fossil calibrations, we reconstructed a Proterozoic timeline of eukaryote evolution. Our results show crown eukaryotes were already diversifying >1.6 Ga, long before the first undisputed fossils (~1.05 Ga).
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

OBITUARY: Frank John Rupert “Max” Taylor (July 17, 1939–February 18, 2026) Click on the article title to read more.

A nice tribute to Frank John Rupert “Max” Taylor by Juan F. Saldarriaga and Rowan Haigh.

Feel free to share your own remembrances in the comments.

#protistsonsky @dackslabecb.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#protistsonsky

@isepprotists.bsky.social @jeukmicro.bsky.social

OBITUARY: Frank John Rupert “Max” Taylor (July 17, 1939–February 18, 2026) Click on the article title to read more.

I have such fond memories of Max from my time as an MSc student at UBC. Hours of thought-provoking discussion were passed in his office, particularly when I was actually supposed to be writing my thesis ;)

Thank you Max for your gifts to protistology.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Attending Protistology Open? Check out @nicolecoots.bsky.social & I's ISOP-sponsored symposium "The Symbiotic Continuum across the Tree of Life" (April 20th @ 11 AM)! We have an amazing lineup of speakers including Ondřej Pomahač, @mixotrophe.bsky.social, & Gillian Gile #ProtistsOnSky #Symbiosis

evolutionary tree of a group of microbes

New #ISEPpapers! Single‐Cell Transcriptomes and Phylogenomic Analysis of Uncultivated #Oxymonads: Morelia Trznadel et al. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Protists #Microbes #Evolution #TreeOfLife #Phylogeny

#Ichthyosporea are not just the 5–6 species we and others have helped establish as models. Our recent synthesis suggests that ~95% of their species-level diversity remains uncultivated. In other words, we still know only a fraction of the map! #protistsonSky @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social @prbb.org

What a nice surprise to get your invitation Ramon. Hope that you are well!

Congratulations Fabien! Well deserved :)

I have to say, I expected more engagement with myPi day post. It was an all 'round disappointment.

Happy Holidays to those who celebrate!

New Study Traces how Cells Learned to Live Without Oxygen - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

In a study led by @choannaflagellate.bsky.social and @evocellbio.bsky.social using samples from a local mudflat in Maine, we found evidence of a new lineage of #protistsonsky that helps fill in gaps in our understanding of breviate (+Obozoa) mitochondrial evolution.

www.bigelow.org/news/article...

We did. Amazing what a weekend without email and twice daily visits to the beach to check out tidepools will do for one's mental health:)

Hope you guys are doing well!

It was a cold long weekend in Edmonton and we had airline points, so we snuck off to Bowen Island for some rest and recharging.

An unexpected encounter with a former Editor in Chief of JEM while hiking with my son. I insisted on taking the extra detour and told him stories of one of my great mentors and role models.

Thank you @mollyherring.bsky.social for the stunning showcase 😍

Like what you see? Come ExM with us! Let’s flood the internet with microbial marvels 🦠

#ProtistsOnSky #MicroEvoSky 🧪🔬🌍

@dudinlab.bsky.social @centriolelab.bsky.social @moorefound.bsky.social @embl.org @erc.europa.eu @embo.org

The Microbiome Within a Microbe: Rethinking Blastocystis Biology onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #protists #microbiome

A Practical Approach to Study Uncultivated Protists Using Single‐Cell Techniques for Electron Microscopy Protists represent a significant portion of eukaryotic diversity with a wide range of ecological roles, lifestyles, and diverse morphological traits. Despite their widespread importance in ecological....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#protistsonsky

The Romantic Discovery of Radiolaria in the Ocean
#microbiology #Radiolaria #protists #MicroSky
doi.org/10.1111/jeu....

My first bluesky post of 2026. I was away in the UK, for meetings with colleagues but also got to sneak in a few visits with more friends, old and new alike. In what has been a turbulent and disquieting year across the world already, personal connections and support are more important than ever.

"They're more like guidelines than actual rules"! *channeling my best Capn Barboa voice*.

Endogenized polinton-like viruses in the dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina uncover novel PolB fusion Marine viruses are ubiquitous entities that impact the biology of a large fraction of prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity. Dinoflagellates are heterotrophic, mixotrophic and photosynthetic eukaryotes...

🎄 Just published 🎉! Our ongoing genome sequencing of the basal dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina uncovered a new lineage of endogenized Polinton-like viruses, OmPLV. Notably, OmPLV encodes ... [cont]
#VirEvol #MicroSky #Mevosky #SymbioSky #ProtistsOnSky

What a great way to end the year! This work, with a superb team, gave us the chance to put out some ideas about the evolution of meiosis (and other organellar systems) during eukaryogenesis. Congratulations especially to our undergrad Lisa Matsuo on her first ever paper:)
@cloeucl.bsky.social

Wow! Super exciting science:)

The first candle of Channukah; the lights on a Christmas tree; the solstice as the time when the days get brighter; they are about finding a light in the darkest of times.
Intentionally looking for, and appreciating something positive, when things seem dire can be a powerful act.
Now and always.

A wrong Grok post making up a white guy who stopped the Australian mass shooting.

BBC 'Hero' who wrestled gun from Bondi shooter named as Ahmed al Ahmed Emily Atkinson Sun, December 14, 2025 at 1:06 p.m. CST 2 min read A "hero" bystander who was filmed wrestling a gun from one of the Bondi Beach attackers has been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed. Video verified by the BBC showed Mr Ahmed run at the gunman and seize his weapon, before turning the gun round on him, forcing his retreat. Mr Ahmed, a fruit shop owner and father of two, remains in hospital, where he has undergone surgery for bullet wounds to his arm and hand, his family told 7News Australia.

This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.

The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.

Dynamic protrusions mediate unique crawling motility in Asgard Archaea (Promethearchaeota) Crawling motility is a hallmark of eukaryotic cells and requires a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, regulated adhesion, and spatially organized signalling pathways. Asgard archaea (phylum Promethearchaeota...

And another Asgard paper. Cells in motion! Wow! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Haven't posted here in a bit. But the public school teachers' strike is over, my program grant is submitted, and our household is now COVID-free.

Heard a great seminar today, had a catch up with a long-time collaborator, and taught a grad class to a very talented set of students. Happy Friday!

We are looking for a PhD student to work on an exciting plastid endosymbiosis in microbial eukaryotes. This position involves sampling, exciting microscopy such as CARDFISH, ExM and FIBSEM, single-cell transcriptomics and more. #protistsonsky 1/2