iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Hey folks, let’s go to the gym with a forklift, the weights will be so much easier to lift! We’ll look super strong and productive! 🤦

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Hard to time to stay hopeful lately. But Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot still gets me. Whatever else is true, we are/were here, suspended in a sunbeam. 🥹

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Such a cool study led by @ghadayousif.bsky.social! The Black Queen hypothesis has been thoroughly tested and observed in situ so wonderfully here… I wonder if “hypothesis” is still fair. 😬

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Christian Kost @kostchristian.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Very happy that our paper Obligate cross-feeding of metabolites is common in soil microbial communities just came out in Nature Microbiology. See here 👇 Paywalled version: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Free read-only version: rdcu.be/fBHAb

nature.com

Obligate cross-feeding of metabolites is common in soil microbial communities - Nature Microbiology

Cultivation-dependent techniques, computational analyses and genome-scale metabolic models show widespread amino acid auxotrophies, suggesting that soil microorganisms exist within integrated ecologic...

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Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

HIRING MICROBIOLOGIST: effective start asap! The PDRA/PDRF (per xp) will investigate the interactions of bumblebee antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with the gut microbiota & more. Our work has shown AMPs have striking specificity for ecological microbes. careers.exeter.ac.uk/vacancies/13... 1/2

careers.exeter.ac.uk

Postdoctoral Researcher Associate or Fellow in Cornwall | University of Exeter

View details and apply for this Postdoctoral Researcher Associate or Fellow vacancy in Cornwall. Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow This job is part of an Advanced Research + Inventio...

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Glen Dsouza @nonresidentdesi.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

📣 We’re hiring a postdoc for @hot-mes-asu.bsky.social ! 🦠🔬 We’re looking for someone excited about microbial interactions, ecology & evolution, and using molecular genetics and microfluidics to understand microbial communities. Come do fun science with us! apply.interfolio.com/190859

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Sara Mitri @saramitri.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Open position in the Department of Ecology and Evolution here in Lausanne! Come be our colleague! Topic: behavioral ecology, cultural evolution, or evolutionary psychology

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Sultan Nazir @sultannazir.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

2️⃣ Gene dispersal via vectors such as phage particles increases the ‘mixedness’ of genotypes in an otherwise assorted population, which accelerates the selection acting on beneficial genes.

Although being phage-borne can be an unfavourable strategy for a gene compared to being chromosomal, phage-borne genes can disperse and increase the selection for the gene at a global scale.

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Sultan Nazir @sultannazir.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

🚨 New paper with @bramvandijk.bsky.social, out now in Genome Biology and Evolution! Why do accessory genes so often hitch a ride on temperate phages? We show that spatial structure alone can tip selection toward a prophage locus over a chromosomal one. doi.org/10.1093/gbe/... 🧵 Two mechanisms:

doi.org

Viral Lifecycle Dynamics and Spatial Structure Explain Why Accessory Genes Are Associated With Temperate Phages

Abstract. Genes encoding for virulence factors are frequently found on prophages, yet the evolutionary forces driving this association remain unclear. The

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Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Nazir & @bramvandijk.bsky.social demonstrate how phage lifecycle dynamics and spatial heterogeneity drive mobile genetic element–gene associations, providing new insights into the evolution of phage-encoded virulence. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag181 #societyjournal #virus

doi.org

Viral Lifecycle Dynamics and Spatial Structure Explain Why Accessory Genes Are Associated With Temperate Phages

Abstract. Genes encoding for virulence factors are frequently found on prophages, yet the evolutionary forces driving this association remain unclear. The

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

PS not picky at all, I agree and even if it was: who cares :) We’re sharing opinions on the internet, which like I just said, doesn’t move any needles 😅

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

True, it often reauires far too much access to install stuff that is hard to install, and easy-to-install you don’t need it anyway. That said I once spend 4 weeks installing a tool, and that IS less energy efficient :,)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

It’s not the backlash I worry about, I think a lot of people are generally done sharing opinions on the internet. After two decades it’s perhaps time to realise: it’s not doing anything. Just my opinion, ironically ;)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

It’s yet another tool that could contribute to a brand new start for humanity, but it wont be because of capitalism. Other examples include electric vehicles, the internet, renewable energy. We have a lot of tools to make the world a better place right at our fingertips…

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Bang on. Love it for coding, especially because I am already a good programmer/know what I’m doing. Pretty hesitant/anti AI in other regards. 100% anti-AI when it even so much as winks at capitalism.

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Then that’s the one good thing it does. It makes us realise we’ve been testing students for the wrong thing all along.

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Write* 😂 (Leave it to Bram to accidentally insult people)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Sarah you should read a book. I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to put it down.

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Why do conferences always specify that it's a "social" diner. As apposed to what, exactly?

static.klipy.com

Epic Food Fight Chaos

ALT: Epic Food Fight Chaos

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Sam von der Dunk @derdunk.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Very excited with the online publication of our modeling work on the evolution of sexual reproduction during obligate endosymbiosis: doi.org/10.1098/rstb.... The first publication of Alkmini Zania 🎉; together with Paulien Hogeweg.

doi.org

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

So, for me novelty is most apparent in how people communicate about science. However: although all truly novel things require new words, not all new words guarantee something novel. Sometimes we are unaware of existing frameworks or we’re overselling something. We’re human after all.

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

My personal rule of thumb: when one genuinely needs new words to describe something. When that’s a series of words (e.g. “developmental systems drift”), it’s bringing concepts together in a unique way. In more extreme cases the whole word is new (evolvability early 2000s, prion in the 80s, etc)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Thanks for the kind words and sharing Christian! :)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Phd Position alert 🚨 Join our project ASTRAfun (Adaptation and Starship Traffic in Root-Associated fungi), in which we will use computational models to unveil the hidden dynamics of fungal evolution. It’s not going to be just regular fun. It’s going to ASTRAfun. 🤓 www.uu.nl/en/organisat...

uu.nl

PhD Position in Computational Modelling of Fungal Evolution

How do giant mobile elements called ‘Starships’ reshape fungal plant pathogens? Help us computationally model their spread and impact in nature and agriculture!

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DaganLab @daganlab.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

New preprint! We show that conjugation accelerates the segregation of #plasmid alleles -> horizontal transfer is a route for allele segregation in MGE evolution. Led by Lisa Hartmann, with @mariosanter.bsky.social &Nils Hülter. Naturally, reviewed by @qedscience.bsky.social! doi.org/10.64898/202...

Plasmid conjugation from a heteroplasmic donor

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

@evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social This is the one I know on this topic as well, nothing else comes up

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FEMS Journals @femsjournals.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Microbes grow in spatially structured communities. Bäcker et al. comprehensively synthesize evidence that spatial organization drives microbial ecological and evolutionary processes across scales. #FEMSMicrobiolRev buff.ly/wceLoPr @bramvandijk.bsky.social

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Computational modelling at it’s finest, with videos 💜

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Thanks for sharing Jonathan, glad you like it :)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Of course: thank you to my co-authors: @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social, @simonvanvliet.bsky.social, @bedutilh.bsky.social, @marcelbaecker.bsky.social, Hilje Doekes, Rosalind Allen, Daniel Garza, and Paulien Hogeweg! :)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

These are just some examples of what space does to microbial ecology and evolution. There is so much to discover if we stop thinking about microbes as living in flasks! <3

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

... and finaly, it may help microbes when "exploring" complex fitness landscapes!

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

... it can help us understand collective behaviour when scavenging for resources... @renskevroomans.bsky.social

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

... it helps explain the rediculous diversity of toxins, antibiotics, and antitoxins... @bramvandijk.bsky.social (hey look, I can tag myself! :D)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Some of you may know I simulate a lot of biological systems. And after 15 years of doing this, I can confidently tell you: spatial structure is never irrelevant. It shapes the frequency of mutants... (Fusco et. al, 2016)

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

In case you missed it: our review titled "Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities" is out! 🚨 Let me hit you with some highlights on why spatial structure matters. (and why you should care!) Sharing is appreciated 🙏 🧵👇 doi.org/10.1093/fems...

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Maliheh Mehrshad @mehrshmali.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Phage–host interactions are a key driver of microbial ecology, but observing them in nature is hard! With metaHi-C, we detect freshwater phage–host pairs and link their infection dynamics to evolution. Together with @nadal-molero.bsky.social & Ana Martin-Cuadrado www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Zamin Iqbal @zaminiqbal.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Last year, we proposed a model of plasmid evolution via fusion and fragmentation (via mge mediated recombination) generating mosaics, by studying historical isolates. Excited to see a MASSIVE paper from @jrpenades.bsky.social , @epcrocha.bsky.social expanding on this www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Bram van Dijk 🏳️‍🌈 @bramvandijk.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

100% agree Ed, there's so much more to discover! :)

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