Sign in

Martin Sperfeld

@martinsperfeld.bsky.social
154 followers 245 following 10 posts

PostDoc @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social | Bacterial physiology | Phototroph-heterotroph interactions | Coral models micro.biol.ethz.ch/people/person-de…

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
MEEhubs @meehubs.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
What, is it over already? MEEHubs2026 concluded just minutes ago. It's been a blast, and here are some stats for you: 711 registrations, 241 posters, 71 talks, 3 days, participants from 32 countries. Bye from all the hubs 🩵🩵🩵 #MEEHubs2026 #MEEHubs26
0299
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
MEEhubs @meehubs.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
MEEHubs doesn't stop when the talks stop: from a mouth-watering spread in Morelia to a bonfire in Irvine to an Apero in Zurich, we've got your social calendar covered during the conference #MEEHubs2026 #MEEHubs26
0135
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
MEEhubs @meehubs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
MEEHubs2026 is underway! We had a great start in the first two sessions with Zurich and Manchester hosting some excellent talks! It's not too late to join us virtually via last-minute registration: meehubs.org #MEEHubs2026
02410
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Anna S. Weiss @annasophieweiss.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
You know it’s @meehubs.bsky.social if one hub has beer while another has breakfast. The Zürich hub is concluding a fantastic first day of #MEEHubs26 - can’t wait to rewatch what we’ll be missing out on tonight and excited for two more days of science and fun across hubs 🙌🏼🚀
1126
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Roland Hatzenpichler @environmicrobio.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Ok, here's the final draft of my Microbe expansion for Terraforming Mars: tinyurl.com/4v4majy4. All thematic and scientifically correct! 44 projects cards, 4 prelude cards, 2 cooperations, 1 file w special tiles (+1 fixed colony card, 1 fixed project card). Will update after play tests. 🦠🔬
8377
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Steven Robbins @stevenjrobbins.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
It's out! Excited to present the Great Barrier Reef Microbial Genomes Database (GBR-MGD), a comprehensive DB of 1000s of high-quality prokaryote, virus, plasmid, and chromosome-level eukaryote MAGs using Nanopore long reads. Subthreads incoming. Please share widely. 🙂 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
The planktonic microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef - Nature
The Great Barrier Reef Microbial Genomes Database compiles prokaryotic, viral and eukaryotic genomes from seawater collected from the Great Barrier Reef, providing a rich resource for the study of mar...
88342
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Osterman Ilya @ostermanilya.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
🚨 We're hiring! My new lab at EMBL Hamburg is looking for a Research Technician. I'm looking for someone excited by phages, metabolism, enzymes, structural biology and bacterial immunity—if you know the right person, please share this post!🧵⬇️ Apply here: embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/j...
embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
Research Technician (Osterman Group – Metabolism-driven immunity)
EMBL Hamburg / CSSB The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is Europe’s flagship life sciences organization, with more than 110 independent research groups across Heidelberg, Hamburg, Grenobl...
32940
Martin Sperfeld @martinsperfeld.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
⏳𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗧𝗛 𝗭𝘂̈𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗯 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟲 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲! Last chance to join us for the very unique #MEEHubs Microbial Ecology and Evolution hybrid conference, featuring fantastic local keynote lectures by Martin Ackermann, Sara Mitri and Alan Pacheco, alongside many more across the globe.
002
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Biozentrum, University of Basel @biozentrum.unibas.ch · 02/07/2026
New Assistant (tenure-track) or Associate Professor position in Climate #Biophysics! Join our international research community to explore fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying climate-relevant biological processes. Apply by 7 Sept 2026! www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/de/open-posi...
biozentrum.unibas.ch
Assistant/Associate Professor in Climate Biophysics
01611
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Phillip Cleves @pcleves.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Our work on the symbiont-containing organelle that supports coral reefs is published today. Also, new genetic tools to study symbiosis in both corals and Aiptasia. Great work by Shumpei Maruyama, Cat Henderson, and the rest of the fantastic team. #SymbioSky www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
cell.com
Co-option of lysosomal machinery shapes the evolution of the intracellular photosymbiosis supporting coral reefs
Corals harbor intracellular algal symbionts in specialized organelles that enable them to build diverse reef ecosystems. Corals and other cnidarians have repeatedly evolved this symbiosis through the ...
66423
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“It’s just a microscopic water droplet surrounded by a fatty membrane and stuffed with chemicals and snippets of DNA encoding a mere 36 genes. But it’s also arguably the closest researchers have come to building a living cell from scratch.”🧪 My story in @science.org on a fascinating preprint:
science.org
Lab-created ‘SpudCell’ marks ‘stunning’ step toward building life from scratch
A synthetic cell can now grow and divide—but it’s still far from alive
612451
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Claude Science - an AI workbench for science. This looks like an interesting attempt at making scientific workflows easier and more reproducible. I'm curious to give it a try. www.anthropic.com/news/claude-...
anthropic.com
Claude Science, an AI workbench for scientists
Claude Science is a customizable app that integrates the tools and packages researchers most often use, produces auditable artifacts, and provides flexible access to computing resources.
1186
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Francisco Rodriguez-Sanchez @frodsan.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Since it's writing season at university, sharing a few nice resources (that I know) about academic writing: 1/ How to write a scientific paper in fifteen steps @jdrakephd.bsky.social @bahanbug.bsky.social doi.org/10.1371/jour...
A structured workflow for drafting a scientific paper in 15 Steps.

Use this figure as a practical map: work through it sequentially to build a manuscript from scratch, or revisit individual steps to diagnose problems and guide revision.
14710
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Oxidative stress reshapes diatom-microbiome interactions by shifting benefits from mutualistic to opportunistic bacteria www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs 🌊
073
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
"The Case for a Validity Layer in Life Science Research" - a very interesting article by Meir Maor, QED's CTO. Meir explains why biology is harder for AI than mathematics. www.qedscience.com/blog/life-sc...
qedscience.com
The case for a validity layer in life science research
When OpenAI recently announced that one of its models had disproved a long-standing conjecture in discrete geometry, the scientific community took notice...
0197
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Microbial Systems Ecology Lab @micsysecolab.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Very excited to share our new preprint, led by Alyssa Henderson! We ask why auxotrophy is so widespread in bacteria, and find that phylogeny is the dominant predictor of autotrophy, as opposed to environmental context. Check it out! 👇
doi.org
Amino acid auxotrophy is a feature of a distinct bacterial lifestyle across environments
Amino acid auxotrophy, the loss of biosynthetic potential for an amino acid, is a highly prevalent feature of microbial life, yet the evolutionary processes driving its distribution in nature remain u...
0158
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Reese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
TL;DR: We've identified more than 100 cases of apparent manipulation in Thermo Fisher Scientific's antibody verification data. @sholtodavid.bsky.social @johanduchene.bsky.social reeserichardson.blog/2026/05/28/h...
reeserichardson.blog
How much of Thermo Fisher’s antibody data has been manipulated?
We’ve documented more than 100 instances of apparent data manipulation in Thermo’s catalog
23591312
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
ISME - International Society for Microbial Ecology @isme-microbes.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
What is the scope of ISME Host Microbe, ISME's newest journal? Effects of antimicrobial agents, human activities, immunity and environment on AND ecological studies, cross-kingdom studies, microbiome studies of host-microbiome/microbe interactions academic.oup.com/ismehm/pages... #MicrobialEcology
097
Martin Sperfeld @martinsperfeld.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Thallusin biosynthesis finally revealed! This compound induces metamorphosis in Ulva algae and, to our surprise, occurs in diverse bacterial phyla from land to sea. Spearheaded by N. Kallscheuer, C. Jogler and T. Wichard #MicroSky @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
000
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Revised 16S rRNA V4 hypervariable region targeting primers enhance detection of Patescibacteria and other lineages across diverse environments academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... #jcampubs
0134
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Alvaro Sanchez @asanchezlab.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
The version of record of our revised preprint is finally out today. In it, we introduce a fast and reliable methdology for the full factorial design of microbial communities, i.e. constructing every monoculture, pair, trio, four-member,... n-member co-culture of N strains. doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
doi.org
Full factorial construction of synthetic microbial communities
A rapid, inexpensive, and easy to implement experimental protocol enables the construction of combinatorially complete sets of microbial consortia.
14916
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Kenneth Dumack @dumack.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Five days left to apply! 🌊 Exciting #PhDPosition in #PlanktonEcology at the University of Koblenz, Germany! Work on #marine #protists with a mix of 🔬 wet lab and 💻 bioinformatics in a 3-year, 60% position. 📅 Apply by 20 May 2026 Please repost/share 🙌 Link: tinyurl.com/yu27knau #ProtistsOnSky
11011
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
“You would hope that German officials would support scientists’ advice, but they have ignored it,” says one marine biologist who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions. Must-read story by @martinenserink.bsky.social in @science.org. Feels like an encapsulation of our times 🧪
science.org
Chaotic whale rescue shocks marine biologists
Timmy, a humpback whale stranded in Germany 6 weeks ago, was ailing and may already be dead
10345138
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Nirodha Weeraratne @nirodhaweeraratne.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
🦠 Can microbes think? 🍄 Can they learn, remember, and react? 🤔 "Cognition without brains? Learning and memory in microorganisms" by @kostchristian.bsky.social lab raises some legit #Points2Ponder. #MicrobeMatters #MicrobialMemory
1154
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Megan Sorensen @messorensen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Interested in working on the evolution of photosynthetic endosymbioses? Come join us! I have 2 open positions in my new group @cemess.bsky.social in Vienna 3yr postdoc info: tinyurl.com/4emkjpn4 4yr PhD info: tinyurl.com/mtxmsjpy Apply by 1st June! Please share/repost #Protists #Symbiosis #PhD
27480
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Pseudoalteromonas is a symbiont of marine invertebrates that exhibits broad patterns of phylosymbiosis #ISMEJournal from @hollybik.bsky.social academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
academic.oup.com
Pseudoalteromonas is a symbiont of marine invertebrates that exhibits broad patterns of phylosymbiosis
Abstract. Despite growing insights into the composition of marine invertebrate microbiomes, our understanding of their ecological and evolutionary patterns
064
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Tyler J. Carrier @tylerjcarrier.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
New paper entitled "Sea urchin eggs contain a plastid-derived structure that contributes to their development" is now out in @plosbiology.org! Here is a summary... journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
13112
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Microbiome Research Lab, ETH Zürich @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
How diverse are E. coli capsules? In collaboration with @mucosalimmunology.bsky.social we mapped this uncharted diversity in >66k genomes with a new tool, kTYPr, paving the way to capsule-targeted therapies and vaccines www.nature.com/articles/s41... @eth-microbiology.bsky.social
nature.com
In silico typing maps the natural diversity of Escherichia coli transporter-dependent capsules - Nature Microbiology
Escherichia coli ABC transporter-dependent capsule gene analysis alongside the development and application of the kTYPr in silico capsule typing tool uncovers E. coli capsule diversity across environm...
065
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Our first collaboration with the Levine lab! Defining metabolic niches for marine microbial heterotrophs www.science.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs 🌊
science.org
Defining metabolic niches for marine microbial heterotrophs
Understanding carbon cycling requires simplifying bacterial diversity into functional groups defined by genetic signatures.
04917
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Amelia Rotaru @ameliarotaru.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
8 more days left to apply for this 3-year postdoc position. Please repost! The position offers a lot of freedom to test new ideas about how archaea and bacteria communicate & sense the extracellular environment.
1920
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Freya Harrison @friendlymicrobe.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
My super department @warwicklifesci.bsky.social is hiring 6 assistant profs in the wake of recent retirements. We're looking for people in microbiology/infection, cellular disease / immunity; environmental biology; and plant/crop science. #MicroSky warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...
warwick-careers.tal.net
Assistant Professor x6 (111522-0426) - University of Warwick
Title: Assistant Professor x6 (111522-0426). Application Deadline: . Position Type: Permanent
25279
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
MEEhubs @meehubs.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Just a few days left‼️ Abstract submission deadline for MEEHubs2026 is April 19! Come present at one of the hubs August 3-5, 2026✨ Links and more info here: meehubs.org
meehubs.org
Home
0710
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Mizrahi Lab @mizrahilab.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Endemic within Endemic🦎 We are happy to share our latest publication in @isme-microbes.bsky.social! This time, we explored the Galápagos marine iguana with a simple question: If these iconic animals are endemic, are their microbes endemic too? The answer is yes! (1/8) doi.org/10.1093/isme...
2104
Martin Sperfeld @martinsperfeld.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Excited to support #MEEHubs2026 as part of the local hub at ETH Zurich! This hybrid conference brings together microbial ecology and evolution researchers through global (free!) online access plus local in-person hubs, making science more inclusive and lower-carbon. August 3–5, 2026 🌍🦠
041
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Heike Zimmermann @heikezimm.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
📣We are recruiting! Postdoc position open in marine #eDNA / #sedaDNA in Copenhagen as part of the Arctic NordForsk #PHATE Research Project. See the link for details 👇 and get in touch if you want to know more. Deadline is on the 6th April 🌊 🧬 Glaciology and Climate - #GEUS #HAB #phycotoxins
candidate.hr-manager.net
Postdoc in marine environmental DNA/ sedimentary ancient DNA
The Department of Glaciology and Climate at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) is looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic postdoctoral resea
11117
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Marnix Medema @marnixmedema.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Are you interested in how to predict functions of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and their products? And/or do you love metallophores and would love to identify their producers in microbiomes? Check out @zachreitz.bsky.social 's new paper! elifesciences.org/articles/109... 1/n
elifesciences.org
Automated genome mining predicts structural diversity and taxonomic distribution of peptide metallophores across bacteria
Automated detection of metallophore biosynthesis reveals that metal-chelating non-ribosomal peptides are widespread, chemically diverse, and deeply rooted in bacterial evolution.
42612
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Clémence Marchal @clemmar.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
There is a week left to apply for two available positions in my lab @ipbhalle.bsky.social - PhD: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/12-phd-posit... - Postdoc: ipb-halle.mhm.jobs/13-postdocto... Earliest start date: 01/05/2026. We are interested in plant immune receptor biochemistry and evolution. Please share!
03639
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Marie Vasse @marievasse.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Interested in microbial predation? Join us in Ticino Switzerland on July 27-31, 2026! More info at microbialpredation.ethz.ch #predation #ecology #evolution #microbes
11212
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Marnix Medema @marnixmedema.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Now out in @natcomms.nature.com : versions 2.0 of both BiG-SCAPE and BiG-SLiCE! With significant speed and accuracy increases, as well as new interactive functionalities. Read the full paper here #openaccess: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
14020
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Join us as Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Computational Biology at Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) / @leidenscience.bsky.social / @unileiden.bsky.social Application deadline on 15 March 2026 👇 careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Assistan...
careers.universiteitleiden.nl
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Computational Biology
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Computational Biology
02122
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Microbiome Research Lab, ETH Zürich @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
We are thrilled to announce the newest study from our lab (and great collaborators) is out now in @nature.com We show that #coral #microbes are untapped "biosynthetic reservoirs", full of unique natural products. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org
Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity - Nature
Reconstructing microbial genomes from 820 reef-building corals collected at 99 reefs across 32 islands throughout the Pacific Ocean highlights the importance of conserving coral reefs as vital reservo...
0116
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
nature.com
Coral microbiomes as reservoirs of unknown genomic and biosynthetic diversity - Nature
Reconstructing microbial genomes from 820 reef-building corals collected at 99 reefs across 32 islands throughout the Pacific Ocean highlights the importance of conserving coral reefs as vital reservo...
0289
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Nils Rädecker @radecker.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧? 🪸 Join us for a 3-year #Postdoc and help us find out! Our ERC-funded project at @hifmb.de offers excellent facilities and an international collaborative work environment. Apply by April 1st: jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/21... #ScienceJobs
jobs.awi.de
Postdoc in "Decoding cellular signaling in Photosymbiosis" (m/f/d/x)
Layout AWI HIFMB extern, englisch
01613
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Amelia Rotaru @ameliarotaru.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Hiring: two 3-year Postdoc positions We’re looking for postdocs who can design and run directed laboratory evolution experiments in microbial communities under electrochemical stimulation, and link adaptations to performance using shotgun meta-omics.
fa-eosd-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
Two postdoctoral positions (3-year) in Experimental Evolution of Methanogenic Microbiomes in Bioelectrochemical Systems
Application deadline: 4 March 2026 at 23:59 hours local Danish time
1810
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Nicole Dubilier @nicoledubilier.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Beyond Mendel. FINALLY. Brilliant, thought-provoking read! This new perspective argues that our obsession with single genes and clean knock-outs is holding us back. Couldn't agree more, and I hope Reviewer #2 reads this. academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
Image from a lecture by Nick Barton, one of the coauthors, from this site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTvFal-zh1M
2208
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
New paper from my team detailing a greatly expanded genomic database of Asgard archaea revealing of high energy metabolism those related to eukaryotes! Led by @katyappler.bsky.social lots of help from @jameslingford.bsky.social @valdeanda.bsky.social @kassipan.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s415...
1015161
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Edoardo Gianni @edogia.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
How could a simple self-replicating system emerge at the origins of life? RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but existing ones are so large that their self-replication seems impossible. Could they be smaller? Excited to share our latest work in @science.org on a new small polymerase. 1/n
science.org
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
10509215
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Michael Kuhn @biocs.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Normally a Cell paper with one's name as corr. author would be a reason to break out the champagne. But today I have rather mixed feelings, as I inherited that spot from Peer Bork upon his untimely death. Still, congrats to all the authors! May we finish all the projects that we started with Peer!
The title page of a recent scientific article, with Michael Kuhn as corresponding author and Peer Bork as last author with a footnote that he is deceased.
1223