Microbes that have the greatest genomic potential for secondary metabolism tend to be multicellular. Here, we show that signatures of ancestral BGC expansions within 3 bacterial phyla and 2 fungal lineages coincide with origins of complex multicellularity [1/12] 🧵 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Complex multicellularity is linked with expanded specialized metabolite production in microorganisms - Nature Microbiology

The evolutionary emergence of complex multicellularity in bacteria and fungi, such as the ability for mycelial growth, is strongly associated with increased genomic carriage of biosynthetic machinery ...

nature.com

Congratulations to IIDR member @lkalan.bsky.social, who has received a prestigious @hfspo.bsky.social grant. The new funding will power a study that could, for the first time ever, lead to the definitive characterization of a functional human pheromone. brighterworld.mcmaster.ca/articles/two...

Two McMaster researchers awarded prestigious HFSP grants

At a Hamilton-area daycare, Lindsay Kalan and Jonathan Cannon pass each other in the parking lot at dropoff. They smile, nod, and carry on with . . .

brighterworld.mcmaster.ca

Huge thanks to the amazing team at @currentbiology.bsky.social for highlighting fungi in this special issue. Many excellent reviews and perspectives from so many mycological heroes. Lots of great material to use in teaching/outreach. 🍄

Current Biology@currentbiology.bsky.social · last yr.

Our newest special issue is now live! Check it out to discover more about diverse and beautiful Fungi🍄🍄‍🟫🍄 On the cover: the fly agaric, Amanita muscaria, releasing its spores in the early morning light. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Fungi shape genome evolution of bacteria even in the absence of major growth phenotypes #ISMEJournal from @benwolfe.bsky.social Penicillium camemberti and Geotrichum candidum on Pseudomonas carnis evolution academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

Fungi shape genome evolution of bacteria even in the absence of major growth phenotypes

Abstract. Studies of microbial interactions often emphasize interactions with large, easily measurable growth differences and short-term ecological outcome

academic.oup.com

If you're a grad student or an undergrad interested in research I need to you listen to me very carefully. You cannot learn to write good research papers if you do not read good research papers. Stop asking LLMs to summarize papers for you.

This work wouldn’t have been possible without all the incredible co authors, including those on Blue Sky: @lkalan.bsky.social @biobarber.bsky.social @corrigar.bsky.social @jarrods.bsky.social

Delighted to share that @asm.org has met its goal for all of its 'legacy' journals (ie favorites like J. Bact, I&I, AEM) so ALL 2025 articles will be published open access. Thanks to all institutional subscribers, this is the S2O way. Please submit to these great journals! asm.org/Press-Releas...

Rare taxa in the core microbiome @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social Opinion by Ditam Chakraborty, Alex Jousset, Zhong Wei, and Samiran Banerjee @ndsuofficial.bsky.social and Nanjing Agricultural University www.cell.com/trends/micro...

Rare taxa in the core microbiome

Rare taxa are an important constituent of the microbiome and play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. However, little is known about rare taxa within the core microbiome...

cell.com

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

I remember the cystic fibrosis patients I took care of 20 years ago. I also remember the dedicated HIV wards in the hospitals, and that Princess Diana made headlines for shaking hands with AIDS patients. Progress has been incredible. Miracles are where you choose to see them.

In 2024 NIH grant awards supported 407,782 jobs and $94.58 billion in new economic activity nationwide, the largest figure in the history of the report. www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report

National Institutes of Health grants generated almost $95 billion in economic activity nationwide in FY 2024 according to a new report by United for Medical Research.

forbes.com

*At least* $95 billion. The return on investment from NIH dollars is one of the best there is. Also: I personally like the benefits from modern medical technology, dental care, ophthalmological care, and more I am sure as I age.

Sherry Pagoto, PhD@drsherrypagoto.bsky.social · last yr.

New report shows that NIH grants fueled $95 billion in economic activity and 407,782 jobs in 2024. That's not to mention the countless lives that biomedical research has saved. Show me a better investment than that. www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

Context matters: assessing the impacts of genomic background and ecology on microbial biosynthetic gene cluster evolution #mSystems MiniReview by by @raufs.bsky.social & @lkalan.bsky.social journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

If someone thinks the measles outbreak and childhood death in Texas are "not unusual" or "happens all the time", they are deeply misinformed. h/t @adamratnermd.bsky.social for the inspiration. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...

Tragic Childhood Death from Measles Reminds Us That Some Don't Understand Either the Medical Significance or the Human Heart

My ID colleague Dr. Adam Ratner, Chief of Pediatric ID at NYU Medical Center, just published an insightful and remarkably timely book called Booster Shots:  The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncer...

blogs.jwatch.org

The Atlantic story on the situation at NIH is sobering. We are so screwed. www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

Inside the Collapse at NIH

Administration officials pressured NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.

theatlantic.com

The first measles death in the US in a decade -- the tragic, preventable death of a child whose parents chose not to protect them with vaccination -- should spark an immediate nation-wide campaign to ensure all children are protected against preventable diseases. Anything less is unconscionable.

Hello Buffalo friends! It’s rally for science time! March 7, 2-6PM, Niagara Square! Sign up below and please spread the word! www.eventbrite.com/e/stand-up-f...

This would be a great time for Canada to invest heavily in biomedical research to support its own scientists and bring in amazing talent from down south. 🇨🇦🧪

On this day 12 years ago, @kcg.bsky.social posted the “This is Fine” comic.

40 years ago all of Genbank was published in print form by NAR. The same format today would require over 4 light seconds of shelf space. To a year of progress in 2025.

Bifidobacteria are the primary consumers of breast milk and very important in the infant gut. However, current methods for profiling them require custom implementation. @ben-braun.bsky.social tackled this during his rotation in my lab by creating a fast, robust, and user-friendly tool. Check it out!

Ben Braun@ben-braun.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to share Bifidotyper, a tool that quickly takes you from stool sequencing to quantifications of Bifidobacterial species and HMO metabolism genes! It emphasizes speed and ease of use. Just throw in your FastQ files and get results in minutes! github.com/Bennibraun/b...

Can verify.

Jim Coan@jimmycoan.bsky.social · 3y ago

Veronica Coan: “Daddy, do scientists just spend most of their time saying, ‘this is bullshit, this is bullshit, and this is also bullshit?’” Jim Coan: “Yes, my love, that is what scientists spend most of their time doing.”

Conversation with the brilliant contemporary microbiologist and molecular biologist—HHMI and MacArthur Fellow Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University Pioneer in the chemical signaling mechanisms that bacteria use to communicate with each other known as “quorum sensing” www.hhmi.org/news/tapping...

Tapping into Bacterial Conversations | HHMI

Over the course of 30 years, HHMI Investigator Bonnie Bassler has helped usher in a new branch of science centered on quorum sensing, the process by which bacteria communicate with one another and orc...

hhmi.org

Hey #IDSky, #Microsky and #ImmunoSky - I'm so pleased that @mcmasteriidr.bsky.social and @mcmasternexus.bsky.social are now here, as well as microbiologists extraordinaire @gdwantibiotics.bsky.social @dr-lori-burrows.bsky.social and @lkalan.bsky.social - get these folks in some #starterpacks!

Just in time for #WAAW - new collab paper with the Strynadka lab at UBC on structure/function of #peptidoglycan fragment recycling transporter AmpG involved in AmpC-related beta lactam resistance. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @yaegerluke.bsky.social

Cryo-EM characterization of the anydromuropeptide permease AmpG central to bacterial fitness and β-lactam antibiotic resistance - Nature Communications

AmpG is an MFS importer of bacterial cell wall fragments. Here, authors present a cryoEM structure and supporting mutagenesis to illuminate AmpG’s essential role in bacterial fitness and derepression ...

nature.com

re-posting the potentially best meme I've ever made here, before the other place collapses and it's lost to history #MicroSky 🦠

Hi Bluesky! I am excited to see the influx of scientists here! Our lab studies the skin microbiome including microbial biomarkers of wound infections and identifying bioactive molecules produced by skin microbes. We are recruiting to our lab at McMaster University, please connect and share!

Hi new Bluesky users! We are #DSMZDigitalDiversity and we are establishing an integrated suite of scientific databases of fundamental relevance for the life sciences, including BRENDA🧪, SILVA🧬, LPSN and BacDive🦠. Follow this account for updates from the databases and the Digital Diversity Hub🖥️.

🚨🚨🚨 Looking for microbiome editors 🚨🚨🚨 Spectrum is a broad scope, open access ASM journal. We're currently looking for editors with an expertise in microbiome (early career welcome)! If you're interested, please reach out to me or contact the journal directly: journals.asm.org/journal/spec...

Microbiology Spectrum Journal Homepage

Microbiology Spectrum is a a new open access journal that will publish research from all domains of basic, applied and clinical microbial sciences.

journals.asm.org

Wow, Bluesky really took off in the last couple of days! The first microbiome starter pack is full now and I started a second one with non-overlapping profiles. Check out these people below and please let me know if you would like to be included! go.bsky.app/6vPBEty