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Brett Baker

@archaeal.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.3K following 208 posts

Professor of microbial ecology and evolution at Univ of Texas Austin.

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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Two Assistant Professor Positions in Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes - including microbes! faculty.utexas.edu/career/191568
faculty.utexas.edu
Faculty Careers - The University of Texas at Austin
Unleash your intellectual power by joining a world-renowned faculty that is solving the world's most urgent problems. At UT Austin, we provide you the freedom to blaze trails, follow your curiosity, e...
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Roland Hatzenpichler @environmicrobio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“Over two days in June, Emily Aguilar-Pine drove 2,500 kilometres from Bozeman, Montana, to Austin, Texas, with one of microbiology’s most coveted organisms in the back of her mother’s SUV.” Find out what she grabbed from my lab in the article 😂
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
These bizarre, much-coveted microbes are revealing the origins of complex life
Researchers are racing to culture a menagerie of exotic organisms and finding lots of surprises along the way.
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Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 15/09/2026
The Department of Integrative Biology at UT Austin has two open positions for assistant professors, one in evolutionary biology and one in mechanistic processes. Please share. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/193270
Two Assistant Professor Positions in Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes

Description
The Department of Integrative Biology at The University of Texas at Austin seeks to fill two faculty positions in the areas of Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes, broadly defined. We are looking for candidates who are advancing (1) evolutionary biology or (2) the mechanistic understanding of organismal processes. These positions will be filled at the level of Assistant Professor.


Qualifications
Candidates should be using innovative approaches in evolutionary biology and/or the mechanistic understanding of whole-organism processes. Mechanistic processes include, but are not limited to, behavior, biomechanics, cognition, physiology, and development. The phylogenetic scope of the Evolutionary Biology position may include eukaryotes, prokaryotes, viruses, and the scale may include individual molecules to entire ecosystems and beyond. Candidates for either position may employ experimental, theoretical, or computational frameworks, or a combination thereof. Special consideration will be given to applicants with demonstrated potential for integrating across our target disciplines. 

We seek applicants with a strong record of high-quality research, publications, potential for extramural funding, and a commitment to excellence in teaching and mentorship. A PhD or equivalent is required at the time of appointment, and postdoctoral research experience is strongly recommended.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Two Assistant Professor Positions in Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes - including microbes! faculty.utexas.edu/career/191568
faculty.utexas.edu
Faculty Careers - The University of Texas at Austin
Unleash your intellectual power by joining a world-renowned faculty that is solving the world's most urgent problems. At UT Austin, we provide you the freedom to blaze trails, follow your curiosity, e...
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Reposted by Brett Baker
Trends in Microbiology @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The narrowing prokaryote–eukaryote divide reveals a complexity spectrum
dlvr.it
The narrowing prokaryote–eukaryote divide reveals a complexity spectrum
Cellular organisms can be divided into two basic types of cells: the prokaryotic cells of Bacteria and Archaea and the eukaryotic cells. The rapidly expanding knowledge of the diversity and ultrastructure of prokaryotic cells has revealed cellular intricacies that warrant a critical reappraisal of the profundity of the prokaryote–eukaryote divide.
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Curtis Suttle @virosphere.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Professor in Bacteriophage Biology & Evolution at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Closing date 1 October, with an expected start date no earlier than January 1, 2027, and a salary within the range of $200,000 to $270,000 per year. For details: ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfac...
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Daniel Tamarit @danieltamarit.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I'm looking for an enthusiastic student to join my team as a PhD candidate on archaeal genome evolution 🦠💻 Work in beautiful Utrecht, at @binfutrecht.bsky.social, an international group full of caring, amazing scientists, and with frequent cake breaks! www.uu.nl/en/organisat... Please share! 🙏
uu.nl
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Nancy Moran @nancy-moran.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
A step forward in discovering Buchnera's key to the aphid's heart, published today! Thanks to Jerry Maeda and other authors--a great team -- and to the helpful reviewers #SymbioSky doi: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org
A secreted endosymbiont protein essential for colonizing host cells - Nature
SyeA was present in the Buchnera ancestor, is secreted into the host cytoplasm, is homologous to secreted effectors of bacterial pathogens and is essential for Buchnera transmission.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Eukaryotic-like microtubules and dynamic instability of Asgard archaeal tubulins
Asgard archaeal mini microtubules suggest an archaeal origin of eukaryotic microtubules.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Dear Google Scholar, fuck you. Love Brett
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Simon Roux @simrouxvirus.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Last day of #ASMicrobe, with a lot of exciting talks and sessions still to come ! Including one near and dear to my heart: long-term dynamics of environmental microbiomes, where we'll hear all about time-series 'omics datasets across many ecosystems, from rivers to soils to insects (and more) 🎉
Screenshot of the ASM Microbe program showing the session AEM-402 "long-term dynamics of environmental microbiomes" Sunday June 7, at 10:45 in room 147AB
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Early fossil eukaryotes were benthic aerobes - Nature
Integrated palaeontological, sedimentological and geochemical analyses of ancient rocks from Australia show that early eukaryotes were largely restricted to oxygenated benthic habitats, probably posse...
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Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
In 2025, HHS issued stop work order for federal research lab that studies Ebola virus and other deadly pathogens and fired its director. This lab was a world leader in accelerating development therapies and vaccines for Ebola and other viruses. 1/ www.wired.com/story/hhs-ni...
wired.com
RFK Jr.’s HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research
NIAID’s Integrated Research Facility is one of the few federal facilities charged with studying Ebola. Tuesday afternoon, all of its work was put on indefinite pause by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s departm...
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
www.givecampus.com/schools/Univ...
givecampus.com
Jackson - Center for Planetary Systems Habitability
Join me and make your 40 for Forty gift today!
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Reposted by Brett Baker
CPSH Habitability @uthabitability.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Join CPSH on Monday, April the 27th for our #CPSHSeminarSeries with Christopher German from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute! Check out the link in our bio to learn more.
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CPSH Habitability @uthabitability.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Save the date - April 29-30 is #UT40for40! This year, contributions to the Center for Planetary Sciences Habitability will go directly to support students and postdoctoral researchers through fellowships and travel grants. Join us next week to support the next generation of planetary researchers!
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Stephen King @stephenking.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I predicted someone like Trump many years ago, in THE DEAD ZONE. So now I'm saying this--in the next 12-16 months, we're going to find out if the two machines for the removal of a man unable to fulfill his duties actually work. They are impeachment and the 25th amendment. He is deeply unwell .
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Sebastian Schmidt @tsbschm.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Our work on 'hidden diversity' in unbinned contigs is now published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com : www.nature.com/articles/s41... See the linked threads for more details!
nature.com
Unbinned contigs expand known diversity in the global microbiome - Nature Microbiology
Re-analysis of over 92,000 metagenomes reveals hundreds of thousands of previously undescribed Bacterial and Archaeal clades hidden in plain sight.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Our microbial ancestors were probably oxygen-tolerant www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Our microbial ancestors were probably oxygen-tolerant
Modern Asgard archaea in marine sediments have the potential to respire oxygen, genomic analysis suggests.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Having a hard time keeping up with the fast-moving field of origin of eukaryotes/Asgards archaea? Our new perspective article can help, we review the status of research over the last decade and where it's going. The archaeal roots of eukaryotic life www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Asgard archaea on CBC radio. ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premie...
ici.radio-canada.ca
Asgard : Potentiel chaînon manquant de la vie complexe | OHdio | Radio-Canada
Écoutez l’extrait de l’émission Les années lumière : Asgard : Potentiel chaînon manquant de la vie complexe
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CNN @cnn.com · 05/03/2026
Scientists are one step closer to understanding the origins of complex life on Earth after shedding new light on a mystery about our microbial ancestors. cnn.it/4srOEWd
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Fun new paper out today - a collaboration led by @stephkoe.bsky.social and @ettema.bsky.social found lots of new Euk-like proteins in Asgard Archaea www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling - Nature Microbiology
A structural catalogue of the Asgard archaeal pangenome reveals hundreds of eukaryotic-like proteins that suggest a higher degree of cellular complexity in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes.
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Anyone have any new Asgards to read? If not, we have a new one coming on Monday haha.
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Stephan Köstlbacher @stephkoe.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
🧵 1/10 New paper out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com from my postdoc at @mib-wur.bsky.social! 🎉 How eukaryote-like was the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes? Sequence searches alone can't tell us — so we used protein structure prediction to look deeper. 🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling - Nature Microbiology
A structural catalogue of the Asgard archaeal pangenome reveals hundreds of eukaryotic-like proteins that suggest a higher degree of cellular complexity in the archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes.
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Thijs J. G. Ettema 🦠🔬🇳🇱🇸🇪🇪🇺 @ettema.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Finally out in @natmicrobiol.nature.com: Prediction of eukaryotic cellular complexity in Asgard archaea using structural modelling. Great work by @stephkoe.bsky.social @kassipan.bsky.social @jvhooff.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
www.cnn.com/2026/03/04/s...
cnn.com
Mysterious Asgard microbes may point to origins of complex life | CNN
Scientists are trying to understand how complex life emerged on Earth about 2 billion years ago. Our microbial ancestors could be the key.
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Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 22/02/2026
#NatMicroPicks Aerobic archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor? 🦠🫁 The ancestor of eukaryotes may have combined hydrogen metabolism with aerobic respiration, shaping early cellular complexity. #MicroSky www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgar...
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Nature @nature.com · 23/02/2026
Nature research paper: Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor go.nature.com/4rSfRRw
go.nature.com
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgardarchaeota, in conditions that may have given rise to early eukaryotes.
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
By combining the ecological and evolutionary analyses, we present a Heimdallarchaeia-centric model for the origin of eukaryotes, based on our expanded genomic catalogue. #eukaryogenesis 9/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Cytochrome c oxidase subunits in Heimdallarchaeia show sequence homology and structural similarity to eukaryotic Complex IV. Thus, providing a new perspective of the increasing complexity of the electron transport chain in these archaea. 8/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Sequence and structural analysis of [NiFel-hydrogenases and flanking Complex I-like subunits identified 19 novel subgroups (doubling groups 3 and 4). Extensive structural analyses across Asgardarchaeota may further bridge the evolution of group 4 [NiFel-hydrogenases and Complex I. 7/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Our findings show the current closest archaeal order to eukaryotes, Hodarchaeales, has been identified primarily in shallow coastal sediments and encode cytochrome c oxidase, heme biosynthesis, & responses to reactive oxygen species. Hodarchaeales also co-occur with Alphaproteobacteria. 6/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
At long last! Check out the link to our publication in @nature.com to learn more. doi.org/10.1038/s415... 12/12
doi.org
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgar...
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James Lingford @jameslingford.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Cross-post on LinkedIn, since everyone is on LinkedIn these days: www.linkedin.com/posts/jamesl...
linkedin.com
Very excited to share our work published today in Nature: ‘Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor’. This was a huge effort led by the amazing Kathryn Appler from Brett…...
Very excited to share our work published today in Nature: ‘Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor’. This was a huge effort led by the amazing Kathryn Appler from Brett ...
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James Lingford @jameslingford.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
We found [NiFe]-hydrogenase complexes with structural architectures very similar to that of respiratory complex I. It's been known for a long time that [NiFe]-hydrogenase and complex I are evolutionarily related, but prior work showed that the configuration of their subunits differed (e.g., MBH)
Overview of the modular architecture of complex I–like respiratory complexes, from the fantastic review by Yu et al. (2021) JBC: https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(21)00529-9/fulltext
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Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs
nature.com
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgar...
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Obtaining these MAGs involved >10 TB of new sequencing to build the largest known deep-sea genomic database. We also incorporated previous sequencing from the Guaymas Basin and Bohai Sea. This effort to identify Asgard archaea included 44 samples, >13,839 MAGs, and 34.5 billion reads (15 TB). 5/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Here, we nearly double the number of Asgardarchaeota MAGs, including 136 Heimdallarchaeia (49 Hodarchaeales), along with several novel lineages. We also introduce a new class, Ranarchaeia. 4/12
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Our massive genomic expansion of Asgard archaea reveals oxygen tolerance and potential aerobic respiration in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor! #Asgardarchaeota 2/12
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Henry Gee 亨利·纪 @endofthepier.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Hot eukaryogenesis news (is there any other kind?) - hydrogen production and aerobic respiration may have been present in the Asgard-eukaryotic ancestor - paper in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgar...
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Simons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org · 19/02/2026
New research in @nature.com funded by our Life Sciences division: "Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor." www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-…
nature.com
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor - Nature
Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgar...
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Fabai Wu @fabaiwu.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor
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Texas Science @handle.invalid · 18/02/2026
Some of our earliest microbial ancestors, the Asgard archaea, were able to use oxygen, says new study in @nature.com. It may solve a mystery about how complex life first arose. #AsgardArchaea #MicrobialEcology #Eukaryogenesis #TexasScience @utmsi.bsky.social @archaeal.bsky.social
cns.utexas.edu
A Break in a Longstanding Mystery about Origin of Complex Life
Breathe easy. It appears our microbial ancestors used oxygen, too.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 18/02/2026
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
A pilot in a submersible vehicle collecting sediments samples in 30 meters of water looking for Asgards (microbial relatives of eukaryotes)
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Thijs J. G. Ettema 🦠🔬🇳🇱🇸🇪🇪🇺 @ettema.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Finally out in @nature.com: a new piece of the puzzle of how complex life evolved. Lead by @archaeal.bsky.social & @katyappler.bsky.social. Great collab with @greening.bsky.social and @kassipan.bsky.social. More pieces to follow soon! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Carl Zimmer wrote a nice article highlighting our new paper that came out today. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/s...
nytimes.com
How Microbes Got Their Crawl
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Kathryn (Katy) Appler @katyappler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Beyond thrilled to share that our study has been published! This project encompasses years of work, including my thesis research on Asgard archaea in the @archaeal.bsky.social lab at @utmsi.bsky.social and @texasscience.bsky.social!!! #MicroSky #ArchaeaSky 1/12
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