Thanks to this grant we will be hiring!! Our grad position ad is already live with more opportunities forthcoming. But if you’re interested in postdoc or technician positions, please reach out! fuesslab.wp.txstate.edu/opportunities/

Dr. Lauren E. Fuess@laurenfuess.bsky.social · last wk.

Alright now that I’m home I guess it’s time to officially announce some really good news: I have received an NIH R35 MIRA!! This award will fund five years of research in my group using Aiptasia to study context dependency and GxGxE interactions in animal-microbe symbioses!

New publication! Together with the Dekas Lab at Stanford, we explored microbial N₂O reduction in sulfidic waters across varying copper and what this reveal about ancient oceans. Microbial N₂O Reduction in Sulfidic Waters: Implications for Proterozoic Oceans onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Microbiology professors/PIs, would you like to join the microPI slack? Microbiology is defined broadly. This is an open tent. Professor/PI is inclusive to teaching focused roles, or pure research PI roles like a National lab PI. Reply or DM me and I will send you a link.

Dr. Morgan Sobol, joins the Quality Quorum today to discuss how microbes on early earth began interacting with elements like nitrogen, making life possible here and perhaps elsewhere in the universe! 👽 You will learn about the fundamental and amazing enzyme nitrogenase! @markowenmartin.bsky.social

Matters Microbial #134: Could Alien Life Use Different Chemistry?

YouTube video by MicrobeTV

youtu.be

Every other Tuesday means a new episode of #MattersMicrobial! Dr. Morgan Sobol joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the evolution of nitrogenase and life on other worlds. Please spread the #GoodMicrobialWorld @microbetv.bsky.social @asmicrobiology @univpugetsound youtu.be/UaZ6skeq884?...

Microbial N2O Reduction in Sulfidic Waters: Implications for Proterozoic Oceans onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #jcampubs 🌊

New preprint! How do you engineer one of biology’s most complex enzymes without breaking it? We used evolution as a guide to map a protein interface in nitrogenase, screening >9,000 variants to reveal sequence-function rules for future nitrogen fixation engineering. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Evolution-guided engineering of an ancient nitrogenase interface enhances enzyme activity and stability

Nitrogenase is the only enzyme capable of biological nitrogen fixation and a major target for sustainable agricultural engineering, yet its functional and structural complexity has made it difficult t...

biorxiv.org

It’s out! There are so many fun back stories with this project’s origin story & how it reshaped my career trajectory. For now, plz welcome my lab’s culture collection of #Symbiodiniaceae associated bacteria! & the many siderophores they produce! 🧪 doi.org/10.1093/fems...

Widespread siderophore production among Symbiodiniaceae-associated bacteria

Abstract. Nutritional exchanges fuel the evolutionary and ecological dominance of multi-partner symbioses among reef-building corals and microbial associat

doi.org

Had a blast spending the last week learning a lot, reconnecting with old friends, and making new connections together with Sobol lab members @ulisdsrodriguez.bsky.social, @alphaxidowell.bsky.social at #AbSciCon26🚀

Latest paper out in Nature Communications! We find molecular dating evidence that life was using molybdenum and tungsten as far back as ~3.4 billion years ago, reshaping how we think about trace metals and early microbial evolution. Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Biological use of molybdenum and tungsten stems back to 3.4 billion years ago - Nature Communications

The study shows that life began using molybdenum and tungsten enzymes as early as 3.7–3.1 billion years ago. Study reveals that key metabolic processes arose despite scarce metals and highlighting the...

nature.com

We're recruiting! We're looking for two graduate students to join us at UBC in Vancouver. Fully funded and open to global applicants, with flexible start-date. Topics include theory, bioinformatics, and microbiology. More details: asherleeks.com/apply #socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪

🔬 Postdoctoral Opportunity – 51 Pegasi b Fellowship 📍University of California, Santa Barbara | ELME Lab We invite expressions of interest from candidates applying to the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship to be hosted in the Early Life & Microbial Evolution (ELME) Lab. Info ⬇️

Interested in a teaching faculty position in Bacteriology at UW-Madison? See the attached announcement! @uwbact.bsky.social

🚨New pub is live! It was really fun to write this with my friend @carolinamicro.bsky.social. If you're curious about how phylogenomics has shaped our understanding of early life and want guidance on how to do this kind of work yourself, then this review is for you. Enjoy! 🚀 doi.org/10.1093/jamb...

Tracing ancient life through the genomic record

Abstract. Since its origins, life has been profoundly interconnected with Earth’s history. The genomes that underpin the diversity of modern life forms hav

doi.org

Looking for suggestions for concentrating multiple low concentration, replicate 50 uL DNA and RNA extractions ranging from 0-3 ng/uL. Column or mag bead preference? Or SpeedVac? TIA!! Please share.

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... #jcampubs

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats

Abstract. From its earliest beginnings, life’s expansion into new habitats has been profoundly shaped by its reciprocal interactions with a changing Earth.

academic.oup.com

Latest work! 🧬 We uncover how evolution of translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) extensions links translation to bacterial stress response. We map 7 structural architectures & show how terminal extensions are enriched in intrinsic disorder & phase-separation features. Link: doi.org/10.64898/202...

What happened before the last universal common ancestor? Pre-LUCA evolution is hard to study. In our new Cell Genomics Perspective we spotlight how paralogous proteins open a window onto the deepest chapters of evolution. 🧬🌍 Out today! --> www.cell.com/cell-genomic... @cellpress.bsky.social

Universal paralogs provide a window into evolution before the last universal common ancestor

Universal paralog protein families form due to gene duplications that occurred prior to the last universal common ancestor of life. This perspective describes how these protein families offer valuable...

cell.com

New paper! Why are some Nitrogen fixing microbes more complex? @msobol.bsky.social et al. find that microbes with more N2-fixation genes have larger, more versatile genomes, showing how changing environments shaped this key metabolism! > academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... @isme-microbes.bsky.social

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats

Abstract. From its earliest beginnings, life’s expansion into new habitats has been profoundly shaped by its reciprocal interactions with Earth’s changing

academic.oup.com

Paper alert 🚨 @lbobay.bsky.social and I explored the prevalence and potential drivers of genome rearrangements in bacteria. academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-...

Prevalence and Evolutionary Implications of Genome Rearrangements in Bacteria

Abstract. The genetic material of bacteria and archaea is organized into various structures and set-ups, attesting that genome architecture is dynamic in t

academic.oup.com

If you work on Dark Oxygen --> come to #AbSciCon2026 this year. 17-22 May, Madison Join our session on ""Dark Oxygen" Production: where does it happen, how does it work, and what does it mean for astrobiology?" Submit your abstract until January 14 More info here: agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...

🚀 Planning to attend #AbSciCon2026 and study the role of metals in life evolution and life elsewhere? Then consider submitting an abstract to our session #20- Transition Metals in Habitability and Biological Evolution. Details below and at this link: agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...

🚨 New paper out (cover article!) We introduce #ChemOrigins, a community-curated, searchable database for experimental prebiotic chemistry, helping connect fragmented origins-of-life research across disciplines! Congrats @brunocuevaszuviria.bsky.social! royalsocietypublishing.org/rsfs/article...

ChemOrigins: a community-curated database for origins-of-life chemistry

Abstract. The origin of life is one of the most compelling questions in science. While experimental prebiotic chemistry has produced a wide range of reacti

royalsocietypublishing.org

So happy this is finally out! We reconstructed the 1st large-scale spatiotemporal dataset of 600+ MAGs from San Francisco Bay and show they have functional redundancy in key N and S pathways. These functions may better recover from disturbance in this highly urban estuary 💧

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments

Abstract. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With inte

academic.oup.com

New lab milestone: our 1st aquifer sampling on the books 😎 Can’t wait to learn more about the interesting microbes residing deep below us, so stay tuned! Much thanks to @edwardsaquifer.bsky.social for letting us tag along this week!! Pictured: Amber Busboom and Ulises Rodriguez Cruz

I am recruiting a PhD student in microbial ecology for my lab at the University of Florida at the Ft. Lauderdale REC. My lab investigates the role of soil and plant-associated microorganisms in ecosystem functions, with an emphasis on biogeochemical cycles.

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a...

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments

Abstract. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With inte

academic.oup.com

I had a great time being interviewed for this!

Kaçar Lab at UW-Madison@kacarlab.bsky.social · 10mo ago

NASA may have just brought us closer to answering one of humanity’s biggest questions: What is life? Our amazing student Holly Rucker @hollyrucker.bsky.social breaks down what Mars’ potential biomarkers mean for the search for life 🌌🚀 @uwmadscience.bsky.social 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6mQ...

The 1st annual Southern Geobiology Symposium will be hosted at UTMSI in fall 2026 Please fill out this interest form (forms.gle/znTuXQuxh9D2...) Questions may be directed to co-chairs, Penny Demetriades (pdemetriades@disl.org) and John Hinkle (john.hinkle@utexas.edu)

Southern Geobiology Symposium Interest Form

Please fill out this form to indicate interest in attending the Southern Geobiology Symposium, to be held at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (Port Aransas, TX) in October/November of ...

forms.gle