Reposted by Amelia BarberMwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This is it. This is what everyone is enabling by humoring genAI: you spend months writing something that took you years to get at, for an opaque algorithm that a few control to spit a number and cut you off right there and then. This is what we're up against 🧪 14410171
Reposted by Amelia BarberTeam Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · 08/09/2026📣...and now for something completely different: no plant pathogens, no Verticillium, but lichens! Driven by our lichen king🤴@ciarankelly.bsky.social with help of a.o. @hroevenich.bsky.social @usadellab.bsky.social @vivienrosenthal.bsky.social Watch for more in future! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.orgDecoupled evolution of antimicrobial repertoires in lichen-forming fungiLichens are stable multipartite symbioses in which a fungal mycobiont associates with one or more photosynthetic partners while hosting complex microbiomes. Secreted antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) have... 04024
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026If I was eligibile, I would love to do a second PhD with @danielcroll.bsky.social! 194
Reposted by Amelia BarberLeibniz-Gemeinschaft @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de · 02/09/2026🍄🟫Morchel, Pfifferling, Steinpilz; nicht nur in unseren Wäldern sprießt es jetzt. Pilze sind überall, in Luft, Wasser, auf und in unserem Körper. Am @leibniz-hki.de werden sie genau unter die Lupe genommen. Warum Pilze für uns gefährlich und unverzichtbar sind?👉 www.leibniz-magazin.de/alle-artikel... 052
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Congrats!! Hoping you continue to investigate these questions in fungi! 🍄 020
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Open science should be rewarded, not taken advantage of by bad actors!! 040
Reposted by Amelia BarberJosie Bryant @josiebryant.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Very proud of this preprint out of my lab, our first (of hopefully many) host-microbe spatial transcriptomics paper. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Amazing insights into P. aeruginosa biology and chronic airway disease @cysticfibrosis.org.uk @sangerinstitute.bsky.social @asthmaandlung.org.uk 36131
Reposted by Amelia BarberForschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum @fzborstel.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Neue Forschungsgruppe stärkt die funktionelle Mikrobiomforschung am @fzborstel.bsky.social: Prof. Dr. Amelia Barber übernimmt die W3-Professur für „Funktionelle Mikrobiomforschung chronischer Lungenerkrankungen“ und baut am FZB eine neue Forschungsgruppe auf: fz-borstel.de/de/aktuelles... 034
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Thanks Remco! Happy that I get to move to a place with a strong fungal community 🍄 010
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026I'm told there is still hiking (and biking) in the North, just that you need to find a lookout tower to appreciate the view 😅 And thanks for the well wishes! 110
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Thanks Sandra! Hope to catch you at a conference in the coming year! 000
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Thanks Daniel!! Excited to be tenured and for the opportunity to keep unraveling the mysteries of fungal genomes! 🍄 010
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Thanks Nicole! Looking forward to the next adventure 😃 010
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Finally, I am recruiting a bioinformatic engineer/technician, a lab technician, and a postdoc to help establish the group at @fzborstel.bsky.social (~20km outside Hamburg). More info at: fz-borstel.de/en/education....fz-borstel.deJobs - Forschungszentrum Borstel, Leibniz Lungenzentrum 039
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Thanks to @microverse.bsky.social for the support of my junior group and to all those that made my time in Jena so enjoyable and successful. Looking forward to forging new connections in Northern Germany's vibrant infection and eco/evo communities! 130
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Exciting news! After a wonderful four years at @uni-jena.de, I'm excited to announce the next chapter as a group leader at @fzborstel.bsky.social and professor at @uni-kiel.de. 104711
Reposted by Amelia BarberTeam Thomma @teamthomma.bsky.social · 30/05/2026📣Last week another @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social dropped: "A fungal pathogen effector that shapes host plant microbiota kills bacteria through lipoteichoic acid binding and membrane disruption" a joint effort by @nicksnelders.bsky.social & @gabriellapetti.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.org 15331
Reposted by Amelia BarberLaura Fabre @laurafabre.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Especially happy to be finishing this project, it taught me so much. doi.org/10.64898/202... Thanks for the journey, @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social and @kellerlab.bsky.social!doi.org 162
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Additional shoutout to our great collaborators in the @kellerlab.bsky.social for characterizing the novel modulator of aflatoxin biosynthesis. 020
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026I am so proud of first author @laurafabre.bsky.social. Laura was the first postdoc to join my group and I'm so proud of what she's done over the last three years. ❤️ 110
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Together, these findings establish lncRNAs as integral components of fungal biology with broad implications for controlling fungal threats to food safety and human health. 100
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026When we deleted this species-specific lncRNA ("aflalinc"), aflatoxin B1 production dropped dramatically, making it a promising target for interventions reducing aflatoxin contamination of food crops! 100
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Using co-expression networks, we identified a previously unknown lncRNA in Aspergillus flavus tightly associated with the aflatoxin biosynthetic gene cluster. 110
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026We found that transposable elements and subtelomeric regions are major hotspots for lncRNA innovation in Aspergillus, linking genome evolution to the emergence of new regulatory RNAs. 200
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Most lncRNAs were species-specific, in line with roles in adaptation to new environments, but conserved ones are more strongly expressed and implicated in central fungal biology. 100
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 31/05/2026New preprint day!! @laurafabre.bsky.social took 1k RNAseq samples and built an atlas of lncRNAs across four Aspergillus species, expanding the gene content of each by up to 20% and discovering a novel modulator of aflatoxin production. w/ @kellerlab.bsky.social.doi.org 1165
Reposted by Amelia BarberTeresa O'Meara @teresaomeara.bsky.social · 14/05/2026New preprint alert! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... from my lab and Evan Snitkin's lab Defining the Candidozyma auris pan-genome and essentialitybiorxiv.org 1166
Reposted by Amelia BarberToby Baril @tobybarilbio.bsky.social · 09/04/2026🎉 EarlGrey ParTEA v0.1.6 is here! Huge thanks to everyone who's tried the pipeline and shared feedback — your suggestions directly shaped these new features. 🍵 #TEworldwide #transposableelements #bioinformatics #genomics 1158
Reposted by Amelia BarberMarie-Claire Harrison @marie-clairehar.bsky.social · 08/04/2026The long-awaited FLASH manuscript is finally out--check out some interesting results on predicting drug resistance in C. tropicalis, C. auris and other yeasts using a unique k-mer based model! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 085
Reposted by Amelia BarberIlan Schwartz @germhuntermd.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Exciting session at #fungal26 in Asilomar on Emerging and are-emerging Fungal Pathogens First talk is from award winning scientist, @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social on Candida parapsilosis #MedMycoSky 2387
Reposted by Amelia BarberNeil Gow @neil-gow.bsky.social · 02/03/2026Do consider coming to this premium fungal AMR conference in Bangkok in November. @youngecmm.bsky.social @youngisham.bsky.social @ishamycology.bsky.social @mrccmm.bsky.social @bsmm-meeting.bsky.social 057
Reposted by Amelia BarberAspGRPC @aspgrpc.bsky.social · 02/03/2026With just two weeks to go until the 33rd Fungal Genetics Conference at Asilomar starts, we're happy to reveal the programme for Asperfest, running 16th-17th March: aspgrpc.com/asperfest/ Will we see you at Asperfest and/or FGC?aspgrpc.comAsperfestNext event Asperfest 22 22nd International Aspergillus Meeting March 2026 Asilomar, California, USA 22nd International Aspergillus Meeting Merrill Hall Monday 16th March 19:00 – 22:00 Poster … 044
Reposted by Amelia BarberBas E. Dutilh @bedutilh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026The VEO Group at @uni-jena.de @microverse.bsky.social has an open position for a Bioinformatics Technician until the end of 2032! Join us to unlock the secrets of the Microverse from big datasets: jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/0...jobs.uni-jena.deBioinformatics technician 054
Reposted by Amelia BarberGrant Nickles @grantnickles.bsky.social · 12/11/2025Do you work with the Aspergillus fumigatus model isolates Af293 or CEA10? If so, we want to collaborate with you! In return for your lab's participation we will sequence your strain for free and provide co-authorship on the final paper. Learn more here: asp-fumi-seq-project-2025.vercel.app 098
Reposted by Amelia BarberEva Stukenbrock @estukenbrock.bsky.social · 27/01/2026What enables a fungus to invade a mammal host? @marco-guerreiro.bsky.social unravels signatures of translation adaptation among pathogenic and non-pathogenic species of Trichosporonales. See more: www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comGenomic and physiological signatures of adaptation in pathogenic fungi - Nature CommunicationsEmerging fungal pathogens have detrimental impacts on crops, animals, and humans, however little is known about their transition to a pathogenic lifestyle. This study demonstrates that the transition ... 03522
Reposted by Amelia BarberJohn Lovell @jotlovell.bsky.social · 30/01/2026This article is now published! academic.oup.com/nargab/artic... We’ve added a few new analyses. First off, we show that, while gene presence absence variation (PAV) scales with evolutionary distance in both plants and animals, the base level and rate of accrual are both twice as high in plants.academic.oup.comEvolutionary and methodological considerations when interpreting gene presence–absence variation in pangenomesAbstract. While graph-based pangenomes have become a standard and interoperable foundation for comparisons across multiple reference genomes, integrating p 22417
Reposted by Amelia BarberAsiya Gusa @asiya-gusa.bsky.social · 17/01/2026Sharing our lab’s first publication! Probing clinical isolates of Cryptococcus, a disease-causing fungus of the lungs and brain, we found multiple heat-mobile elements that ‘jump’ in the genome at body temperature (!) with the ability to drive adaptive changes. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics... 13115
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 14/01/2026Looking forward to bringing the 🍄 perspective to this exciting meeting on AMR and microbial genomics! 040
Reposted by Amelia BarberMark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 13/01/2026We've got ISSUES. Literally. We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do? arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563 A 🧵 1/n 17514314
Reposted by Amelia BarberGulnara Tagirdzhanova @metalichen.bsky.social · 12/01/2026⚡️Fully funded #PhD position in my lab at Stockholm University / SciLifeLab! If you’re interested in #lichens, #symbiosis, fungal biology, or meta-omics, please apply. Deadline Feb 1. Read more here: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/... 16359
Reposted by Amelia BarberBalance of the Microverse @microverse.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Zoom in, look closer! Our Microverse Wimmelbild hides the faces, ideas & discoveries that made 2025 unforgettable. Can you spot them all? Season’s greetings & here’s to a curious, collaborative 2026! Illustration: Hannes Naumann 131
Reposted by Amelia BarberMarion Perrier @marionperrier.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Anyone looking for roommates for #Fungal26 in Asilomar? I will participate and I am looking for someone to share a room for the week! I'm a female PhD student, looking to share a room with another female. Please DM me if you'd like to team up with me 😄 Reposts appreciated! 1610
Reposted by Amelia BarberAmelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Third lab retreat in the books! We once again headed to the city of Eisenach for two days of project presentations, soft skills workshops, and science discussions. We also played the beautiful Mycology board game! 1112
Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Third lab retreat in the books! We once again headed to the city of Eisenach for two days of project presentations, soft skills workshops, and science discussions. We also played the beautiful Mycology board game! 1112
Reposted by Amelia BarberAaron Vogan @fungage-lab.bsky.social · 19/11/2025We're looking for a PhD student! If you're interested in #fungal #genomics & #TEs, meiotic drive, or pathogens, please consider applying. The project is about toxin/antidote genes in the human fungal pathogen A. fumigatus. uu.varbi.com/en/what:job/... 12130
Reposted by Amelia BarberToby Baril @tobybarilbio.bsky.social · 12/11/2025TEs aren’t just genomic parasites, they’re also engines of genomic novelty. Our new study with ~2,000 Z. tritici genomes shows repeated TE mobilization waves during global expansion. With @danielcroll.bsky.social & @guidopuccetti.bsky.social 🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #TEworldwidenature.comHistoric transposon mobilisation waves create distinct pools of adaptive variants in a major crop pathogen - Nature CommunicationsIn this study, the authors analysed a large genomic dataset to trace how jumping genes shaped the global spread of a major wheat pathogen and reveal bursts of activity over decades that drove adaptati... 07338
Reposted by Amelia BarberDaniel Croll @danielcroll.bsky.social · 29/10/2025@tobybarilbio.bsky.social and I are very excited to release MycoMobilome! A very extensive effort to discover, QC and annotate TEs across the fungal kingdom. 👉 Ready-to-use for your own genome with a simple tutorial! 👉 Metadata about TEs discovered in your genome! 👉 Contribute and get recognition! 04315
Reposted by Amelia BarberToby Baril @tobybarilbio.bsky.social · 29/10/20251/ Ever needed to annotate TEs in a fungal genome, but didn't know where to start? We have released #MycoMobilome, a community-focused non-redundant database of transposable element consensus sequences for the fungal kingdom, constructed from >4,000 fungal genomes! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 16738
Reposted by Amelia BarberBalance of the Microverse @microverse.bsky.social · 29/10/2025A great turnout for our latest Microverse Seminar! 🍕🔬 @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social, Junior Group Leader #FungalInformatics, shared fascinating insights in her talk “From Ecology to Genomes: Unraveling Fungal Pathogenicity Across Scales.” Lively discussions and great connections followed! 0152