hi #abscicon26! I’m looking forward to talking about Incendiamoeba and friends (“Microbial eukaryotic interactions in geothermal springs”) in tomorrow’s 2-3:30 Symbioses session

Undergraduate researcher extraordinaire @melpaige05.bsky.social presented some of her recent findings on the role of temperature for the three life stages of a Heterolobosean protist (Fumarolamoeba sp.) today! Melanie's passion for pink posters and characterizing this amoeba is inspiring 💓🦠

I have a new review out in TiG titled, “The ecology of horizontal gene transfer”! I’ve been thinking about these ideas for years and this field is growing so fast it’s becoming impossible to review it. I hope this paper sparks discussion on different ways we can look at DNA transfer!

The ecology of horizontal gene transfer

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) generates genetic variation in populations across all domains of life; however, most studies focus on individual transf…

sciencedirect.com

Hot off the press! If you’ve ever wondered how ecosystem-engineering gopher tortoises shape soil microbial and nematode communities, this paper is for you! 🐢💚 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Gopher tortoise influence on soil biodiversity is constrained by historical land use - Biodiversity and Conservation

Keystone species and ecosystem engineers play critical roles in maintaining and enhancing biodiversity by modifying their environment and creating ecological niches that support a wide range of organi...

link.springer.com

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 ago

Even 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...

Some like it hot… by Christoph — ...and feel right at home in a tributary of Hot Springs Creek in LVNP (California, USA), where temperatures range between 49 °C and 65 °C You are now going to learn a little bit about the amoeba, which was sampled at these "hot spots" by Rappaport et al.….

Some like it hot…

by Christoph — ...and feel right at home in a tributary of Hot Springs Creek in LVNP (California, USA), where temperatures range between 49 °C and 65 °C You are now going to learn a little bit about the amoeba, which was sampled at these "hot spots" by Rappaport et al.….

smallthingsconsidered.blog

Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of: A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids. A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202... #ProtistsOnSky

"A newly identified amoeba can survive at the temperature of a medium-well done steak" lol @scifri.bsky.social an apt comparison a hadn't previously considered... A pleasure chatting about our research led by @hbrappap.bsky.social & with a wonderful team of colleagues.

Science Friday@scifri.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A newly described amoeba came out of a somewhat boring stream. That doesn’t mean it’s not hardcore. 🔥 Plus, does this wet lava ball of an exoplanet, recently observed by #NASAWebb, have an atmosphere?

Sometimes life finds a way… like this newly discovered “fire amoeba,” thriving at 145 °F deep in the hot springs of Lassen Volcanic National Park 🌋 Even in the harshest places, life endures. That kind of resilience gives us hope. ✨ #OceanHoptimism #NatureFindsAWay #Extremophiles #Resilience

Scientists find a startling discovery in a national park's hot waters

Scientists found a new organism that thrives in a national park's hot waters.

sfgate.com

Delighted to share some coverage of our new preprint (doi.org/10.1101/2025...) from Scientific American and thank you @sciam.bsky.social @andreatweather.bsky.social for taking the time to chat with @hbrappap.bsky.social and I about why we are so excited about the geothermal 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘢

Andrea Thompson@andreatweather.bsky.social · 8mo ago

It's been thought since the early 70s that eukaryotes (basically any life with a cell nucleus) wouldn't survive above 62C and no complex life had been shown living above 60C. Until the "fire amoeba"... 🧪 (These are some of my favorite stories to write, just weird neat stuff we're learning.)

Thanks nature news for featuring our recent preprint on 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘢 led by @hbrappap.bsky.social (check out preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...) #protistsonsky

Nature@nature.com · 8mo ago

This single-celled amoeba can thrive at temperatures that kill all other known eukaryotic life go.nature.com/4452LXP

So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth! #protistsonsky 🧵

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.24.690213v1

Accepted version of our article "Half of microbial eukaryote literature focuses on only twelve human parasites" now out in ISMEJ! Awesome effort led by undergrad Joanna Lepper and with @hbrappap.bsky.social.

Ákos T Kovács@evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Half of microbial eukaryote literature focuses on only twelve human parasites -in #ISMEJournal by Joanna Lepper, @hbrappap.bsky.social and @oliverio.bsky.social academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

New lab pre-print up! "Twelve species of human parasites make up half the literature on microbial eukaryotes" doi.org/10.1101/2025... We (led by UG Joanna Lepper and with @hbrappap.bsky.social) quantified all mentions of protist species in the scientific literature 🧵 #protistsonsky #microsky

Twelve species of human parasites make up half of the literature on microbial eukaryotes

Although microbial eukaryotes comprise the majority of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity and inhabit nearly all ecosystems globally, most research focuses on only a few species of human parasites. Her...

doi.org

🍾Our small #UExM adventure is only starting! #ProtistsOnSky We are happy to announce that the Moore Foundation will be funding our efforts in creating an Expansion Microscopy atlas of #Microbial #Eukaryotes with @gautamdey.bsky.social @UNIGE @embl.org LINK: www.unige.ch/sciences/chi... 1/4

Happy to share our effort to understand the role of acetic acid bacteria in sourdough starter microbiomes using genomics + synthetic experiments! Led by @hbrappap.bsky.social and w/ @benwolfe.bsky.social @nimshika.bsky.social and @saerobe.bsky.social journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #microsky

Genomics and synthetic community experiments uncover the key metabolic roles of acetic acid bacteria in sourdough starter microbiomes | mSystems

This study is a comprehensive genomic and ecological survey of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) isolated from sourdough starters. By combining comparative genomics with manipulative experiments using synthe...

journals.asm.org

Super cool update!! @rmshepherd.bsky.social was able to culture some thermophilic amoebae from our built environment steam vent samples on campus that can happily grow at at least 50C! They are most closely related to Fumarolamoeba (isolated from... yep... fumaroles!) #protistsOnSky #MicroSky

Paper led by lab member Beryl Rappaport was just published in @genomebiolevol.bsky.social - we synthesized adaptations and genomic innovations across microbial and macrobial eukaryotic lineages that are often in very separate research silos #MicroSky🦠🧫🧪 #MicrobiomeSky doi.org/10.1093/gbe/...

Lessons from Extremophiles: Functional Adaptations and Genomic Innovations across the Eukaryotic Tree of Life

Abstract. From hydrothermal vents, to glaciers, to deserts, research in extreme environments has reshaped our understanding of how and where life can persi

doi.org

Thermophilic amoebae from Lassen Volcanic NP are happy and active today at 57C 😱😍😍 This is quite hot for euks and the current known limit for amoeboid lineages - and we suspect they may be able to withstand even higher temps... stay tuned! Awesome image is from lab member Hannah Rappaport.

Thanks SU A&S for the nice feature on our lab's research on #protists in #extremeenvironments - artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/news-all/new...

Exploring the Existence of Life at 125°F

A&S biologists study the mechanisms that have allowed microbial eukaryotes to thrive in the extreme conditions of a geothermal lake.

artsandsciences.syracuse.edu