The heatwave is finally over - just in time for our “Frosty Foci” to finally come online! ❄️🦠 We found that E. coli builds a transient nucleolus-like ribosome biogenesis compartment during cold adaptation, when RNA (mis)folding makes ribosome biogenesis challenging.

The % of scientists who think public engagement makes science better has gone up from 21% in 2006 to 64% now. That's huge.

IQ-TREE 3: Phylogenomic Inference Software using Complex Evolutionary Models academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

IQ-TREE 3: Phylogenomic Inference Software using Complex Evolutionary Models

Abstract. IQ-TREE (https://iqtree.github.io/) is a widely used open-source software tool for efficiently inferring phylogenetic trees under maximum likelih

academic.oup.com

Some predictions are high-confidence. These go to eleven! Huge congrats to the whole team ❤️ Such a privilege to work with you all.

AmirAli Toghani@handle.invalid · 5mo ago

Protein structure prediction changed biology. Protein assembly discovery is next. We present SNI (Structural Novelty Index), a scalable framework for finding new protein complexes. We used it to uncover an unexpected resistosome assembly: 11-mer. 🧵👇🏻 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Protein structure prediction changed biology. Protein assembly discovery is next. We present SNI (Structural Novelty Index), a scalable framework for finding new protein complexes. We used it to uncover an unexpected resistosome assembly: 11-mer. 🧵👇🏻 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Finally, here it is: after 12 years, and driven by the incredible hard work and innovation of two Ph.D. students, Bingyan Hu and Maria Prusicki, with biomathematical support from Katarina Stahlmann (UKE) — "A cytological framework of female meiosis in Arabidopsis". academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

A cytological framework of female meiosis in Arabidopsis

Live-cell imaging reveals characteristic cytological stages of female meiosis in Arabidopsis and allows an assessment of their durations.

academic.oup.com

Saleh et al. (2026-05, Lethaia)（オープンアクセス open access） 「フランス，オルドビス紀前期のCabrières Biotaから得られた高緯度生態系に関する新たなデータ」 New data on high-latitude ecosystems from the Early Ordovician Cabrières Biota, France doi.org/10.18261/let...

🔬💧🍄🌏🌍🌎 Chytrids are everywhere: diatom-parasitic #chytrids dominate pelagic fungal communities across 50 reservoirs. doi.org/10.1007/s113...

Chytrids are everywhere: diatom-parasitic chytrids dominate pelagic fungal communities across 50 reservoirs - Landscape and Ecological Engineering

Aquatic fungi play an important role in the material cycling, yet the factors structuring the spatial distribution of aquatic fungal communities remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated fungal community composition across 50 reservoirs in Japan using DNA metabarcoding. Chytridiomycota (chytrids) dominated fungal communities in many reservoirs and constituted a core component of fungal assemblage. Notably, diatom-parasitic taxa were detected in all reservoirs, indicating their ubiquitous occurrence. In contrast, rare and transient components were mainly composed of Dikarya (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), likely influenced by stochastic processes, such as episodic inputs from terrestrial habitats. Variation partitioning showed that environmental, spatial, and host-related factors each explained only a small proportion of variation in both the total fungal community and chytrids, with spatial effects being slightly stronger for total fungi, whereas environmental and host-related factors contributed relatively more to chytrid communities. Our results indicate reservoir fungal communities are characterized by a ubiquitous chytrid core and substantial unexplained variation reflecting stochastic and within-lake processes.

doi.org

Bacterial immune proteins have repeatedly evolved to become parts of eukaryotic immunity. But how? Our new preprint uncovers a recent horizontal transfer event & shows how eukaryotes co-opted a toxic bacterial immune protein 🦠🧪🧵 1/

Sign up for the Dutch Society for Cell Biology meeting May 21st in Amsterdam dutch-society-cell-biology.nl with speakers: @buzzbaum.bsky.social Lucas Pelkman Geert van den Bogaart @leilaakkari.bsky.social Michiel Pegtel @joachimgoedhart.bsky.social @seemagrewal.bsky.social Martijn Nolte (ZonMW)

Are you planning to join #EMBLPlanktonDiscoveries? We've secured more travel grants and fee waivers for on-site and virtual participants. Find more details on the website under "Practical information": s.embl.org/pgo26-01-bl Submit your abstract by 26 May Date: 1–4 Sep EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual

Had fun writing this with @glyptocrinus.bsky.social! If multicellularity is ancient and so easy to achieve, then what is it exactly that makes few the multicellular clades that dominate ecosystems today -- plants, animals, fungi -- stand out?

Nature Ecology & Evolution@natecoevo.nature.com · 5mo ago

Read the News & Views commentary here 👇 Multicellularity for free www.nature.com/articles/s41... Free to read: rdcu.be/fgdX4

You ever wondered whether your favorite archaeon has a surface structure or even an archaellum? Say no more! We screened for the presence of archaeal TFF machineries in all archaeal phyla and help you with that! Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... (1/n)

Check out the draft program for the Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes meeting! Want to attend? Are you a speaker? Registration is open until May 4, please do this sooner rather than later to help us in the organization of the meeting comparativegenomics2026.com/program/

The University of Copenhagen has decoded various ancient Middle Eastern cuneiform tablets. These artifacts can be over 4,000 years old. The texts include details of anti-witchcraft rituals and suggestions that Gilgamesh may have actually existed. scitechdaily.com/4000-year-ol...

The Tree of Life available as a paperback today. bit.ly/41Mq7jp Breezy, scholarly, whimsical, rigorous + companionable guide to our family history. TLS Erudite, highly informed, frequently amusing.. compelling + memorable. Science Enjoyable + ambitious. An exhilarating cartographic journey. WSJ

Beautiful creative work and a great 🧵 Kudos to all involved in this nice work 🧪

Deepa Rajan, PhD@deeparajan.bsky.social · 5mo ago

How can a single cell learn without a brain? We explore this in my paper with @wallaceucsf.bsky.social! We discovered that single cells may learn using molecules similar to those that animal brains use to learn, like CaMKII. Cells can also propagate memory states to their progeny!

Big news for correlative cryogenic SMLM/ET! With my colleague Soheil, we (Mahamid and @jonasries.bsky.social labs) indicate lamella-specific illumination can allow 500-1500x higher laser intensities, opening massive new possibilities for correlative imaging #teamtomo www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Another excellent talk by @fmikus.bsky.social: an extraordinarily beautifully illustrated pitch for expansion microscopy, improving all the time thanks to Felix & team's efforts with antibodies, etc. #ISOP2026

How can a single cell learn without a brain? We explore this in my paper with @wallaceucsf.bsky.social! We discovered that single cells may learn using molecules similar to those that animal brains use to learn, like CaMKII. Cells can also propagate memory states to their progeny!

A single-stranded DNA virus replicates in the mitochondria of a marine oomycete https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.22.720165v1

"The selfish ribosome" paper is now published in @plosbiology.org . Have a look! Many thanks to the editors and reviewers! doi.org/10.1371/jour...

The selfish ribosome

In this Essay, the evolution of life is construed as a ribosomal takeover, whereby the ribosome evolved to consume most of the cell’s resources, while other cellular componentry ensured the propagatio...

journals.plos.org

Mart Krupovic@mkrupovic.bsky.social · 7mo ago

With Eugene Koonin, we propose a concept of “the selfish ribosome”, under which evolution of life is viewed as a ribosomal takeover, where the ribosome evolved to consume most of the cell’s resources, while other cellular componentry ensures the propagation of the ribosome. arxiv.org/abs/2602.23268

Meet Renato Alves, Senior Bioinformatics Community Manager at EMBL Heidelberg. Renato helps scientists with their computational analysis by providing training & maintaining the research infrastructure. He also enjoys night hikes & stargazing 🔭🌠, a hobby that led to creating EMBL's Astronomy Club.

Day 2 of the EMBO U-ExM Workshop at EMBL Heidelberg #EMBOExM. Gels are ready and expanding nicely! We also had a lively poster session and inspiring talks from @sabsalon.bsky.social and @gautamdey.bsky.social. A very engaged group, great to see such thoughtful discussions around expansion microscopy

🚨Hear, hear, fellow microbial cell biologists!🚨 🦠 Bacterial and Archaeal Cell Biology will be represented again at this year’s CELL BIO (ASCB-EMBO) meeting! The deadline to be considered for a talk in our Minisymposium is June 9. Help us spread the word! www.ascb.org/cellbio2026/

Cell Bio 2023-An ASCB|EMBO Meeting

Network, learn, and collaborate with top cell biologists from around the globe.

ascb.org

Our #UExM efforts with @gautamdey.bsky.social & @moorefound.bsky.social featured in @nature.com this month. Beyond the #science, every image is a thing of beauty. I think a world-tour exhibition has to happen at one point. #Expansion #Microscopy

Felix Mikus@fmikus.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Our ExM Atlas of eukaryotes is moving along with more and more images coming in - some featured in nature last month! Culture we’re provided by @ccapoban.bsky.social & Julius Lukeš during visits last year www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Our ExM Atlas of eukaryotes is moving along with more and more images coming in - some featured in nature last month! Culture we’re provided by @ccapoban.bsky.social & Julius Lukeš during visits last year www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

See the intricate worlds of parasites and algae — March’s best science images

The month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.

nature.com

“Here, we generated a comprehensive transcriptomic atlas of early embryogenesis from 61 animal species, spanning 13 phyla. By applying a unified computational framework, we systematically inferred the timing of ZGA across species.” This is a big one from @mirimiam.bsky.social et al. 🔥🧪

Manuel Irimia@mirimiam.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Thrilled to present our comparative study on the evolution of zygotic genome activation (ZGA)!! 🥚🧬 Amazing PhD work of @campobes.bsky.social together with @fedemantica.bsky.social and many collaborators! @melisupf.bsky.social @crg.eu. Thread below 1/15 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Feels like this paper on protein-templated DNA synthesis by a natural enzyme warrants some comment. So here's a 🧵. /1 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...