Extremely proud of my student Will Hamilton and the work we've done to characterize Wolbachia ankyrin repeat proteins. TLDR: they do interact with specific Drosophila proteins! journals.asm.org/eprint/KXVNI...

Wolbachia uses ankyrin repeats to target specific fly proteins | mBio

Molecular interactions drive co-evolutionary arms races between hosts and pathogens. These interactions shape the structure and function of both host and parasite proteins, enabling immunity or virule...

journals.asm.org

Excited to share our new call for papers at @asm.org's MRA journal. Do you have a database, software, or web-based tool that would be a great resource for the micro community? Consider submitting it to MRA! journals.asm.org/journal/mra/...

Microbial Databases, Software Tools, and Web Services

Publish your microbial database or software tool in MRA to gain recognition, citations, and community trust.

journals.asm.org

Anyone know how to view the recorded talks from ASMicrobe2025?

#ASMicrobe in LA was just what I needed - I leave feeling energized and excited about the future of microbial sciences - see you in DC next year!

New collaborative work from our group and friends in our NSF Biology Integration Institute,Evolutionary trends in Bombella apis CRISPR-Cas systems journals.asm.org/eprint/DXFSP...

Evolutionary trends in Bombella apis CRISPR-Cas systems | mSystems

Honey bee worker gut microbes have been implicated in everything from protection from pathogens to breakdown of complex polysaccharides in the diet. However, there are multiple niches within a honey bee colony that host different groups of microbes, ...

journals.asm.org

Hello science fam! We have had a last-minute cancellation for our GRC on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics and are looking for someone who studies EEG in the context of microbes who would be available to come to beautiful Tuscany in July! Message me!

So excited to present work from my lab on characterizing which host proteins are targetted by Wolbachia wMel ankyrin repeats - (1/3) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Wolbachia uses ankyrin repeats to target specific fly proteins

Arthropods, the most diverse phylum on Earth, are hosts to a plethora of bacterial parasites that secrete various toxins of unknown function during infection. The most prevalent of these is the intrac...

biorxiv.org

Yesterday, the NIH R35 “Outstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

This is the beauty and wonder that we are being told has no value—or is even antithetical to American values. Well they're wrong, as anyone can see if they simply take a moment to imagine, truly imagine, what superpowers science gives us to see into worlds where we could otherwise never tread.

Andrew D Thaler@drandrewthaler.bsky.social · last yr.

Some of you have never sat at the bottom of the Cayman Trench watching a species whom no human has ever seen before or since swimming by and it shows. youtu.be/UEdfrar1dLU?...

Happy Mother’s Day! youtu.be/osWuWjbeO-Y?...

A Biologist's Mother's Day Song

YouTube video by cadamole

youtu.be

Weather and climate research funds are being “chainsawed” from NOAA's budget. Last I checked, Louisiana & Florida, which are maximally susceptible to Hurricanes, voted Red in the last General Election. Wondering if residents there knew in advance this would happen.

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science

Huge reductions, if enacted, could have ‘catastrophic’ effects on US competitiveness and the scientific pipeline, critics say.

nature.com

Why are they trying to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? #WithoutNSF the US would not be at the forefront of science innovation in the world. #SaveNSF #StandUpForScience www.nsf.gov/policies/doc...

Policy Notice: Implementation of Standard 15% Indirect Cost Rate

nsf.gov

Is this the end of US science? When will congress grow a backbone? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones

US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

nature.com

Further grant terminations from NSF. I don't yet have a list of what has been cut. It's been hard to concentrate today when every email ping could a notice from NSF that another of our grants is being terminated.

Very cool recent preprint from @chicascientifica.bsky.social and team. #phages in bee poop, what's not to like? #microbiome #bees

Phase Genomics@phasegenomics.bsky.social · last yr.

🦠🐝 New preprint reveals that Mobile Genetic Elements in the honeybee gut microbiome show diverse host range patterns, influencing microbial evolution and ecology. ProxiMeta linked MGEs to their microbial hosts. #Microbiome #Bee @chicascientifica.bsky.social biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our final version of eLife paper (VOR) is now out! (doi.org/10.7554/eLif...). I investigated functions of wmk and Oscar homologs in a native host (moth) with @daisukekageyama.bsky.social and others:))

Prophage-encoded Hm-oscar gene recapitulates Wolbachia-induced male-killing in the tea tortrix moth Homona magnanima

Oscar homologs play a conserved role in Wolbachia-induced male-killing in Lepidoptera but not in other insects, highlighting the evolution of diverse male-killing mechanisms induced by Wolbachia.

doi.org

@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others

Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species

Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecolog…

sciencedirect.com

If they are flagella… then they are bloody enormous - what do you think they are?

A federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing NIH payments for research overhead

Judge issues preliminary injunction blocking Trump cuts to NIH research overhead payments

A federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing NIH payments for research overhead

buff.ly

Happy hump day to all who celebrate

One of the more interesting sculptures on campus

Lemon drop at Tony’s steakhouse in Indy. Great start to a weekend that’s been a wonderful combination of adventure and connection

This summer's GRC on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics: unique opportunity to compare and contrast methods, paradigms, and datasets 4 microbial and eukaryotic systems. I am thrilled to be co-chairing this with @samyeaman.bsky.social and welcome you to join us! www.grc.org/ecological-a...

Not a cocktail but it’ll do

Very nice location for discussing evolution!

Irene Newton@chicascientifica.bsky.social · 2y ago

This summer's GRC on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics: unique opportunity to compare and contrast methods, paradigms, and datasets 4 microbial and eukaryotic systems. I am thrilled to be co-chairing this with @samyeaman.bsky.social and welcome you to join us! www.grc.org/ecological-a...

Hey everyone! I’m a functional microbial genomics researcher who loves symbiosis and cocktails :) follow if interested in either!

This summer's GRC on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics: unique opportunity to compare and contrast methods, paradigms, and datasets 4 microbial and eukaryotic systems. I am thrilled to be co-chairing this with @samyeaman.bsky.social and welcome you to join us! www.grc.org/ecological-a...

Looking forward to the 2025 Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Gordon Conference in Italy this summer! This meeting was fantastic in 2023 and promises to be outstanding again! Get more info and register here: www.grc.org/ecological-a... @samyeaman.bsky.social @chicascientifica.bsky.social

Thoughtful questions. We microbiologists ARE ASM. @asm.org @vscooper.micropopbio.org @microgem.bsky.social @gilbertjacka.bsky.social @romneyintn.bsky.social @abaumler.bsky.social @blugenes.bsky.social @chicascientifica.bsky.social @ssclabquips.bsky.social @goodrumviruslab.bsky.social

Nagissa Mahmoudi@nagissa.bsky.social · 2y ago

I've grown increasingly upset about ASM's actions and the way this situation may have unfolded. Whose idea was this? Was there a meeting with ASM leadership and they flagged webpages to be taken down? Did they vote on this? Was this done unilaterally by a single person? #MicroSky