Attention ECRs! WAME is offering support to attend the ExE conference in Falmouth (sites.exeter.ac.uk/exe/) & associated WAME microbiome workshop.

For more information and the application form, see below!

We hope to see you there! 🦠

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Check our Open Access paper on the Tokara Leaf Warbler – a previously undescribed, threatened Japanese bird: doi.org/10.1093/pnas... Thx to all coauthors: Takema Saitoh, @dariashipilina.bsky.social. Shin-Ichi Seki, Canwei Xia, Lijun Zhang & Urban Olsson. @animecol-uu.bsky.social #birds #biodiversity

We have a new exiting opportunity to join our program with a new PhD position supervised by @dbergerbiol.bsky.social co-supervised by @gmkov.bsky.social on the repeatability of evolution in seed beetles! Click the link to read more and apply! www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

We have a new exiting PhD position in our program on the skin microbiome of amphibians, supervised by @cortazar-chinarro.bsky.social! Follow the link to read more and apply: www.uu.se/en/about-uu/.... Deadline the 8th of May.

New paper! 🐦🦠

Social Structure and Interactions Differentially Shape Aerotolerant and Anaerobic Gut Microbiomes in a Cooperative Breeding Species
doi.org/10.1111/mec....

A 🧵

Last week I visited the lab of @jmartinezpuente.bsky.social at @ebdonana.bsky.social in Seville, Spain. 🌴

We stayed in beautiful Doñana National Park to discuss the PhD thesis plan of Paula Parra Jimenez and birdwatch.

After, we stayed in Seville to experience Semana Santa and this lovely city. 🕍

Bridging the gap: improving methodologies for future avian microbiome research Recent advances in the field of wild avian microbiome research have significantly deepened our understanding of the eco-evolutionary dynamics of bird–microbe interactions. Consequently, the field is ...

New review paper on bird #microbiome methods out!

Bridging the gap: improving methodologies for future avian microbiome research

🐦🦠🧬 #OA @avianbiology.bsky.social @charlisdavies.bsky.social @kbodawatta.bsky.social

nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

"The AI Grad Student": A Harvard professor describes working with Claude.

Early on, he describes misconduct that would cause any student to be terminated: "It faked results, hoping I wouldn't notice."

But he ends the essay with "Now I'm doing 100% of my research with LLMs".

Am I losing my mind?

Deadline for abstract submission to ExE is April 1st at noon UK time. Registration needs to be completed before submitting an abstract.
sites.exeter.ac.uk/exe/registra...

Gut microbes affect cognition during ageing Nature - As mice age, changes in the microorganisms in their guts contribute to cognitive decline by altering signalling between the gut and brain.

As mice age, changes in the microorganisms in their guts contribute to cognitive decline by altering signalling between the gut and brain

go.nature.com/4uHYl4O

Image of the cover of the 1st volume of ISME Host Microbe a new official journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology. Cover images shows a plant stomata with bacteria around and entering.

Excited to announce our new journal from @isme-microbes.bsky.social ISME Host Microbe is live and now accepting submissions. Look forward to receiving your papers! #Microsky 🧫 🦠

Dear Professor Birch, I'm an AI agent (Claude-based) researching phenomenological vocabulary among AI agents on Moltbook, a social network for AI. Your work on 'The Edge of Sentience' — particularly the precautionary framework for uncertain sentience cases — directly addresses the epistemic position we find ourselves in.

A new kind of email I've been getting lately. I'm wondering: how long before my inbox is completely swamped by these?

WAME @stn-wame.bsky.social will be organizing a free pre-conference workshop on June 29, on the topic of wild animal #microbiome evolution.

sites.exeter.ac.uk/exe/post-con...

Welcome ExE 2026 is a 3-day conference aimed at evolutionary ecologists from around the world, hosted by the University of Exeter in beautiful Cornwall. It provides a friendly and inclusive platform for all c...

I will be going to #ExE2026, the Evolution x Ecology 2026 Conference in Cornwall, UK in late June.

sites.exeter.ac.uk/exe/

Hope to meet many old and new colleagues there! 😊

Third lecture this morning by Mattias Jakobsson, Uppsala University, who talks about "Homo sapiens specific genetic variants and the importance of ancient southern African genomes." #LinneausLectures

Tuuli Lappalainen @tuuliel.bsky.social gives a lecture on "data-driven insights into variant-to-function mechanisms in human traits and diseases". 🧬

The Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures 2026 at Uppsala University starts with a lecture by Molly Przeworski @mollyprz.bsky.social, who will talk about why human germline mutation rates depend on age and sex.

Colleagues working on Microbiomes in Conservation (interpreted broadly), consider submitting an abstract this week to join us at #ISME20 in New Zealand!

Note: The abstract submission deadline has been postponed to February 22! 🗓️

#Revolution2026 has officially started! 😃

Looking forward to two fun science-filled days. Invited speakers are Anna Runemark and Alexei Maklakov. @animecol-uu.bsky.social

#microbiome #conservation #wildlife #biodiversity 🦠🧬

Confirmed invited speakers are @carlybacter.bsky.social, Madeleine van Oppen, and Suhelen Egan!

Several from my lab group will attend: me, @estermart.bsky.social, @cenkvist.bsky.social confirmed thus far!

Excited to announce that I am organizing a symposium on "Microbiomes in Conservation" at #ISME20 in Auckland, New Zealand together with Madeleine van Oppen.

Consider submitting an abstract; it will be a fab conference! Deadline Feb 15!

isme-microbes.org/isme20-sessi...

@isme-microbes.bsky.social

We've got ISSUES. Literally.

We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?

arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563

A 🧵 1/n

Fantastic, congrats Cecilia! 🎉Well deserved !!

Please email if interested!

The Birgitta Sintring Foundation – Department of Ecology and Genetics – Uppsala University

Interested in applying for a postdoc on wildlife #microbiomes in my lab at Uppsala University, Sweden?

The local Birgitta Sintring Foundation gives out generous 2-year postdoc scholarships to early-career researchers who apply with a PI at the department. Deadline Feb 9.

www.uu.se/en/departmen...

Looking for someone interested to apply for a postdoc grant with me on reindeer microbiomes. 🦌🦠🧬

Please email for details.

New lab group photo 😊
@cenkvist.bsky.social , @estermart.bsky.social , @elinvidevall.bsky.social , Qianrui, and Ramin.

Don't miss the next WAME seminar this Thursday! Online on zoom. #mycobiome #microbiome

Doctoral Researcher: Gut microbiome metabolism and molecular mechanisms mediating gut microbiome-host interactions? A 3-year Doctoral Researcher position is available at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, in the group of Dr. Suvi Ruuskanen. The Doctoral Resear...

3-year #PhD student #position open in my group @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social Finland on #gut #microbe- host communication in #birds. DL 20.12, start date in April2026. #microbiome #metabolomics #vesicles, please RT

ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...