Why do cultural skills (reading, maths) consistently activate the same brain regions across people? @standehaene.bsky.social and L. Cohen argue that culture doesn’t create new brain circuits: it invades evolutionarily ancient maps of the cortex. check this great paper www.cell.com/action/showP...

📢 New paper in @nature.com Microbes rock 🎸🤘 with sulfide and iron minerals I am very excited to share our recent study, which describes a previously unknown microbial energy metabolism ⚡⚡⚡🦠🧫⚡⚡⚡ 🆕 Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - MISO www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Microbial iron oxide respiration coupled to sulfide oxidation - Nature

Genomic and biochemical analyses of prokaryotic sulfur metabolism identify diverse microorganisms with the capacity to oxidize sulfide using iron(iii).

nature.com

How streptococci bacteria infect the brain to cause meningitis revealed in zebrafish 📹 Sumedha Ravishankar et al, School of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego in @plosbiology.org ➡️ bpod.org.uk/archive/2025... with @antdlewis.bsky.social

What drives the self-organization of life? By linking three major ecological theories, we show that ecosystems maximize power at intermediate efficiency close to bifurcation points. Energy flux meets life's organizing principles. @sfiscience.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

CeMESS is hiring! Join us at the Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (@ter-cemess.bsky.social) as Full Professor of SOIL ECOSYSTEMS AND GLOBAL CHANGE. Collaborate across a leading institution in microbiome science and environmental research. 🔗 Learn more: cemess.univie.ac.at/news/detail-...

We are hiring: Full Professor of Soil Ecosystems and Global Change

Soil ecosystems form the foundation of planetary health and play a critical role in climate feedback mechanisms. However, they are also vulnerable to the impacts of global change.

cemess.univie.ac.at

phys.org/news/2025-06... I recently found this note. This is a good subject for discussion, I wish I knew more.

Using ChatGPT to write essays may be eroding critical thinking skills

A team of neurologists and AI specialists at MIT's Media Lab has led a study looking into the brain impacts of large language model (LLM) use among people who engage with them for study or work. They ...

phys.org

Looking for Master's thesis projects? Join us in Vienna to study : - bacterial ecology - fungal-bacterial interactions - microbial modeling

A new Master in Microbiome Science 🦠🧫🔬👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓🧑‍🎓 @univie.ac.at Apply now! Registration till April 7th, 2025 studieren.univie.ac.at/en/degree-pr... #microbiome #master #uniwien #univienba #vienna #education #research #science #facts

📣 Our paper on the effect of microplastics on decomposition is out in Applied Soil Ecology: "No short-term response of microbial or isopod-driven litter decomposition to microplastics". ​ ⚠️ Spoiler: We do not report any significant effect, and yes it matters. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

No short-term response of microbial or isopod-driven litter decomposition to microplastics

Microplastic pollution is a growing threat to soils, but its effects on plant litter decomposition remains poorly understood. Particularly, it is uncl…

sciencedirect.com

Join us in at #ESEB2025 Barcelona for our symposium on microbial adaptation to changing conditions. Organised by @mtoll8.bsky.social @javierdelafuente.bsky.social and me. Amazing invited speakers @saramitri.bsky.social and Itzik Mizrahi!! @eseb2025.bsky.social

A milestone for @cemess.bsky.social , a milestone for me too. Thank you @univie.ac.at for the support and recognition, thanks to all team members past and present - you’ve been the real reward! cemess.univie.ac.at/news/detail-...

Jillian Petersen appointed Full Professor at CeMESS

We are delighted to announce that Jillian Petersen has been appointed Full Professor (§ 99/4) at the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS). This appointment marks an excit...

cemess.univie.ac.at

Fantastic work by first-author Dr. Julia Wiesenbauer, who also defended her PhD-thesis on Monday. Big congratulations! 😀🥳🎉. 5/6

Not sure if this message is being spread yet but if not here it goes: I want everyone to have an opportunity to be a scientist! It is an amazing place to focus your energy and a wonderful community! I want people to know that they should all want this as an opportunity for their kids.

Are cells like small liquid "brains"? Cells can gather and process complex sets of signals and respond in adaptive ways. How close are they to standard neural networks? Here's the seminal 1995 paper by Dennis Bray on cells as computers nature.com/articles/376...

In 2025, Vienna will celebrate the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II - happy birthday! 🎉 Musicologist Michele Calella & theatre studies scholar Anke Charton discuss the socio-cultural context of Strauss the Younger’s life & work. His musical legacy continues to shape the City of Music to this day!

Vienna celebrates 200 years of Johann Strauss II

In 2025, Vienna will celebrate the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II. University of Vienna musicologist Michele Calella and theatre studies scholar Anke Charton discuss the socio-cultural context of...

rudolphina.univie.ac.at

Can a microbial community become an evolutionary individual? #CurrOpinMicrobiol by @salazarafra.bsky.social and @saramitri.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Can a microbial community become an evolutionary individual?

Microbial communities provide crucial services for human well-being, driving an interest in designing and controlling them towards optimised or novel …

sciencedirect.com

What do conspiracy theorists, incels & Trump supporters have in common?🤔 They are all connected to the concept of resentment - or as philosophers call it, ressentiment. But what exactly is resentment, and is it always a negative force? Leah Ritterfeld, #PhD researcher at the #univie, explains this ⤵

Conspiracy theorists and incels: a deeper look into Resentment 📖

YouTube video by Universität Wien

youtube.com

TER - We had our annual Science Retreat yesterday. Great science, discussions, and fun! #TerrestrialEcosystemResearch @cemess.bsky.social

Congratulations to @kseniaguseva.bsky.social for becoming Senior Scientist at @ter-cemess.bsky.social, @cemess.bsky.social, @univie.ac.at Wonderful to have you on board! ter.univie.ac.at/news-talks/n...

Ksenia Guseva is a new senior scientist at TER

We are thrilled to announce that Ksenia Guseva has joined our team as a senior scientist.

ter.univie.ac.at

Design and regulation of engineered bacteria for environmental release Review in @naturemicrobiol.bsky.social by Yonatan Chemlaet al from Christopher A. Voigt www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Design and regulation of engineered bacteria for environmental release - Nature Microbiology

Chemla et al. review the release of bacteria into the environment and propose engineering strategies to help improve performance and reduce risk.

nature.com

WWTF Grant awarded to CoE Key Researcher @davidberry1.bsky.social from @cemess.bsky.social at @univie.ac.at with Stefanie Widder from MedUni Wien. www.wwtf.at/funding/prog...

Microbial diversity and interactions: Synergistic effects and potential applications of Pseudomonas and Bacillus consortia -in Microbiological Research www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... panel A with reference to [83], while no numerical references in paper, so I assume Sun et al 2022 ISME J

A study in Nature Microbiology suggests that consuming more healthy plant-based foods could increase the proportion of gut microbes that favour human health. The findings are based on an analysis of more than 21,000 vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. https://go.nature.com/40kHGqN 🧪

Ten species comprise half of the bacteriology literature, leaving most species unstudied www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #jcampubs

One of the biggest questions we get is when will our journals be here. We thank you for your patience. You can now follow our journals with this starter pack!

Variability of functional and biodiversity responses to perturbations is predictable and informative - Nature Communications @jamesaorr.bsky.social et al. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Variability of functional and biodiversity responses to perturbations is predictable and informative - Nature Communications

Measures of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning show variable responses to perturbations, complicating the prediction of responses to global change. This study shows that the variability of communi...

nature.com

New paper published in @JournalSpectrum 😍 doi.org/10.1128/spec... co-authors: @pelleohlsson.bsky.social , Saleh Moradi, and @edithhammer.bsky.social We observed that the sole connectivity of a microhabitat can determine the function (substrate degradation) of a soil community. How? (1/5)👇

Every two years, ISME celebrates the achievements of scientists who have substantially advanced the field of microbial ecology. If you know of outstanding members of the community worthy of an ISME Society Award, please fill in the nominations ballot by 31 Jan 2025👇🏼 isme-microbes.org/call-for-ism...

Call for ISME Society Awards nominations - ISME

We encourage our membership to nominate individuals worthy of winning one of our three prestigious awards.

isme-microbes.org

@wmschneider.bsky.social and I are thrilled to invite you to the 7th series of the International *Systems Virology Journal Club*! 🎉 🥂🌟 We are hosting a stellar line-up of speakers working at the intersection of virology and systems biology. Registration (free): forms.gle/edTyLwR8jWkh...