Dacks Lab (Evolutionary Cell Biology)
@dackslabecb.bsky.social
This is the professional account for the Evolutionary Cell Biology lab of Prof. Joel Dacks.
Driving to Elk Island park with my family on Canada Day (sons) for kayaking and discussing aquatic microbes. Some things got misheard and so anyway, I am now duty-bound to call for formalization of the concept of Dinoflattulates (particularly gas-producing members of the myzozoa). #protistsonsky
This was an exciting result to get in this year's IF scores, made possible because of all of you fantastic people who submit your great papers to JEM!! Please send more:)
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology@jeukmicro.bsky.social · last mo.Do you have interesting protist research that you want to publish? Now is a great time to consider The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. But don't just take our word for it, check out some of our latest metrics! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1550... #protistsonsky
New #ISEPpapers! Single-cell transcriptomics reveals lateral transfers of multiple functional genes from prokaryotes to free-living ciliated protists in detrital food webs link.springer.com/article/10.1... #Protists #Ciliates #Microbes #Evolution
New #ISEPpapers! Eukaryovorous Predation in Evolutionarily Significant Excavate‐Like Flagellates pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Protists #Microbes #Evolution
WOW! Congratulations to you both!!
Gautam Dey@gautamdey.bsky.social · 2mo agoScience really takes a village. Thrilled to share this with my friend @dudinlab.bsky.social, and with our brilliant and fearless teams, our collaborators around the world and our mentors - in my case a special shoutout to Buzz Baum, Jan Ellenberg and @monicabettencourt.bsky.social. 1/2
New paper alert! Led by David Montagnes, this one is for scientists and non-scientists alike. The history, benefits, and future of Learned Societies. We need community, fostering of critical thinking, and communication, more than ever! link.springer.com/article/10.1... #protistsonsky
The value of learned societies in the biological sciences: benefits, threats, and futures - BMC Biology
Learned societies play a vital role in fostering interactions that are important in scholarly discourse and the advancement of biological sciences. However, they now face threats from declining fundin...
link.springer.com
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...
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/...
OBITUARY: Frank John Rupert “Max” Taylor (July 17, 1939–February 18, 2026)
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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/...
OBITUARY: Frank John Rupert “Max” Taylor (July 17, 1939–February 18, 2026)
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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
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
Congratulations Fabien! Well deserved :)
Fabien Burki@fburki.bsky.social · 5mo agoHonoured to join this list of high-flying scientists as Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology. I will promote eukaryotes as microbial wonders #protistsonsky A BIG thanks to the reviewers who put fwd my name and many colleagues throughout the years fems-microbiology.org/european-aca...
I have to say, I expected more engagement with myPi day post. It was an all 'round disappointment.
Happy Holidays to those who celebrate!
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...
New Study Traces how Cells Learned to Live Without Oxygen - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
bigelow.org
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
Quanta Magazine@quantamagazine.org · 6mo agoEven with the largest zoom on a classic compound optical system, scientists struggle to make sense of finer details. Microbiologists are turning to an unexpected source to clear things up: a moisture-absorbing material found in diapers. www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
The Microbiome Within a Microbe: Rethinking Blastocystis Biology onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #protists #microbiome
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #protistsonsky
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
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.
🎄 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
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...
doi.org
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
Genome Biology and Evolution@genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 8mo agoMatsuo, @dackslabecb.bsky.social et al. perform comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses of eukaryote paralogous DNA recombinases Rad51 and meiosis-specific DMC1, showing they resolve separately from any archaeal RadA sequences. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf240 #genome #evolution #meiosis
Wow! Super exciting science:)
Fabien Burki@fburki.bsky.social · 8mo agoJust on time for the holidays! Happy to share the published version of the discovery of leptophytes, a new deep-branching and widespread group of microalgae based on plastid MAGs (ptMAGs). Now with additional support from a mitochondrial MAG (mtMAG) of leptophytes. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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.
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.
And another Asgard paper. Cells in motion! Wow! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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...
biorxiv.org