“I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire. Because it is.” - Greta Thunberg

New postdoc opportunity in our team! Topic is computational analysis of (meta)genomic data to study evolution of plant-microbiome interactions. Part of the AEGIS consortium (aegisearth.bio/en). Apply here: www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/p... Please RT!

Postdoc on computational (meta)genomic analysis

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges for global food security, requiring new approaches to understand and harness the natural diversity that enables plants and their associated microbiomes...

wur.nl

Habitat-specific patterns of horizontal gene transfer revealed by metagenomics across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #jcampubs

Habitat-specific patterns of horizontal gene transfer revealed by metagenomics across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a major driver of microbial adaptation and evolution, yet how habitat type and anthropogenic pressures shape communi…

sciencedirect.com

New online! Within-host gene transfer drives tobramycin resistance

Within-host gene transfer drives tobramycin resistance

Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-026-01355-2In a recent study, Karash and colleagues provide evidence for a resistance mechanism in which plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes are horizontally transferred from transiently infecting bacteria to antibiotic-sensitive pathogens residing in patients’ lungs.

dlvr.it

⚓🦠 Researchers have shown how #Bacteria build protective #mineral shields on #marine infrastructure, providing insights that could help reduce #biofouling and #corrosion. #Microbiology #Biofilms #Marine #Biomineralization #Engineering #Microsky via @sciencex.bsky.social

Bacteria build a mineral shield that could help marine infrastructure resist rust

Researchers at Reichman University have developed a biological method for protecting marine infrastructure from corrosion caused by prolonged exposure to seawater. The study, published in Cell…

phys.org

Up it goes 🫣 Climate indicator from zacklabe.com/climate-chan...

🌡️🦠 Warmer #temperatures can fuel the growth of #Vibrio and other #bacteria in coastal #waters, making wound protection and safe seafood practices increasingly important during the summer. #Climate #PublicHealth #Bacteria #Ocean #Microsky via @euronews.com

How to avoid infections at the beach, pool or sea this summer

Heat and rising water temperatures increase the risk of infections such as vibriosis, swimmer's ear and gastroenteritis. These are experts' recommendations to prevent them.

euronews.com

Pinch, punch, it's Microbe of the Month 🦠 Introducing Jujubicoccus corallicola! Animals rely on bacteria to synthesise the crucial vitamin B12. In coral, this symbiosis may also involve enhancing heat tolerance. Find out more in New to Science here🔗 https://microb.io/4yNMnIV

Unveiling active microbial processes in Earth’s deepest seawater. Hadal microbes show distinct in situ activity, using refractory substrates & diverse electron acceptors to drive unique deep‑ocean biogeochemistry. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #OpenAccess #microbiome #ecosystem #MicroSky

Biologists pinpoint how common virus triggers multiple sclerosis www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Biologists pinpoint how common virus triggers multiple sclerosis

A connection between Epstein–Barr virus and MS has long been suspected, but the underlying mechanism was unclear until now.

nature.com

Undermining European democracies. In broad daylight.

Anne Applebaum@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 3w ago

The State Department has just put out a tender, offering funding of up to $3 million to European organizations who want to fight against "Supra-national institutions" - presumably the EU - and governments who seek to regulate the internet and end Western Civilization. www.state.gov/drl-nofo-dev...

Effect of cellular nutrient economy on the evolution of genome size in phytoplankton www.science.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs

Effect of cellular nutrient economy on the evolution of genome size in phytoplankton

A nutrient cellular economy model explains how phosphorus and nitrogen limitation shapes the evolution of genome size.

science.org

That should be no surprise. It is important that we think carefully what we want students to learn and how to assess that.

Harmit Singh Malik@harmitmalik.bsky.social · 4w ago

Coming late to this story: Suspecting AI cheating, Ivy League prof ordered an in-person final; scores fell 50% arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/w...

Indeed, and especially marine life that lives fixed to a rock and can't run away from the heat

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4w ago

After sustained hot weather in Europe, sea temperatures around Britain are forecast to reach extreme levels this week, the country’s weather service said, threatening to disrupt and damage sea life.

Ja, wel zin in!

de Volkskrant@volkskrant.nl · 4w ago

Zomer, lekker lui lezen. Maar wat is de ideale luie leeshouding?

We are delighted to invite you to the interdisciplinary workshop of @animalinvention.bsky.social on Agency between Biology and Philosophy. It will take place at UCL and online on 22-23 September. All info and registration details can be found here: www.animalinventiveness.com/post/interna...

An enormous marine heat wave, coupled with a developing El Niño, could increase the risk of coral bleaching, kelp forest stress, harmful algal blooms, food web disruptions, and unprecedented storms. Oceans are sending a clear signal. The question is: are we going to listen? 🌊

The Pacific Ocean is running a fever. Why that’s an ominous sign. — The Washington Post

A marine heat wave covering an area eight times the size of the United States could soon fuel serious storms and extreme heat.

apple.news

In Nederlands grootste en meest afgelegen natuurgebied, de Doggersbank, wordt nog volop met sleepnetten gevist. Wat is er nodig om deze kraamkamer van de Noordzee werkelijk te beschermen? Ik ging een dag mee de Noordzee op. Mijn verhaal nu in @groene.nl: www.groene.nl/artikel/ik-z...

Natuurbeschermers en kunstenaars willen de beschadigde riffen van de Doggersbank herstellen

De Doggersbank, Nederlands grootste en meest afgelegen natuurgebied, is alleen op papier beschermd. Met nieuwe kaarten en verhalen proberen natuurbeschermers en kunstenaars dat te veranderen.

groene.nl

#Polderprikker nummer 32 • 5000/5000 🟦1000 🟦1000 🟦1000 🟦1000 🟦1000 polderprikker.nl/%F0%9F%98%8A

Our paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

AI hóeft niet te leiden tot post truth schrijfsels, als wetenschappers kritisch blijven op AI-gegenereerde tekst en lezen en controleren en nadenken, eigenlijk wat het leuk maakt om wetenschapper te zijn.

Stan van Pelt@stanvanpelt.nl · last mo.

Welkom in het tijdperk van academische post-truth. Knap onderzoek van @groene.nl (o.a. @joostingen-housz.bsky.social), die systematisch wetenschappelijke artikelen scande op nepreferenties. Het resultaat was zorgwekkend. www.groene.nl/artikel/de-w...

De oceaan is warmer dan ooit. En die temperatuurstijging zal zich blijven voortzetten. „Het is een ramp in slow motion.”

De oceaan is warmer dan ooit: ‘Elke seconde neemt het de energie van vijf atoombommen in zich op’

Klimaatwetenschap: Het zeewater wereldwijd wordt warmer en warmer, bevestigt een nieuw Europees rapport. En de temperatuurstijging zal zich blijven voortzetten. „Het is een ramp in slow motion..”

nrc.nl

Very happy and grateful to share that I've been appointed as Professor in Marine Microbiology at @mib-wur.bsky.social of @w-u-r.bsky.social www.wur.nl/en/news/detm...

Detmer Sipkema appointed Personal Professor of Marine Microbiology

Detmer Sipkema has been appointed Personal Professor of Marine Microbiology within the Microbiology Chair Group, with effect from 1 July 2026. In this role, he will focus on the ecology and chemical i...

wur.nl

Out Now! Identification of chemical features for improved outer membrane permeation in mycobacteria using machine learning #MicroSky

Identification of chemical features for improved outer membrane permeation in mycobacteria using machine learning

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 30 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02412-5Screening 1,572 compounds for mycomembrane permeation plus cheminformatic and machine learning analyses reveals features associated with improved permeation in the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and model organism M. smegmatis.

go.nature.com

Very cool paper: multicellularity is linked with expanded specialized metabolite production in microorganisms

Ákos T Kovács@evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · last mo.

Complex multicellularity is linked with expanded specialized metabolite production in microorganisms @natmicrobiol.nature.com by @raufs.bsky.social, @lkalan.bsky.social and Cameron Currie www.nature.com/articles/s41...

this is very cool - Chemical ecology and convergent evolution of natural hallucinogens: From ecological defense to conserved neural targets www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#Polderprikker nummer 29 • 4952/5000 🟩992 🟦1000 🟦1000 🟩960 🟦1000 polderprikker.nl 😊

Dirk-Jan Scheffers 🟥@dirkscheffers.bsky.social · last mo.

#Polderprikker nummer 29 • 4930/5000 🟦1000 🟩957 🟦1000 🟩973 🟦1000 polderprikker.nl

En dat niet alleen.... Ook de dieren die daar leven, velen vastgeklonken aan een steen moeten hun borst maar nat maken...

Helga van Leur ☀️@helgavanleur.bsky.social · last mo.

Holy shit… de oceanen zijn echt van het padje af qua temperatuur! 😱 Dat opgewarmde water is een enorme batterij met energie voor het laden van weersystemen. Maak de borst maar nat… Via prof. Eliot Jacobson op X

On average, global ocean temperatures right now are the hottest in our historical records for this time of year! Follow along at zacklabe.com/climate-chan... 🌊

I often wondered why some bacteria encode so many different biosynthetic gene clusters, but the answer may be partly in this:

BejaLabTechnion@bejalab.bsky.social · last mo.

A Streptomyces megacluster encodes synergistic biotin-targeting antibiotics www.nature.com/articles/s41...