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Megan Sorensen

@messorensen.bsky.social
537 followers 356 following 16 posts

Interested in the evolution of endosymbiosis, especially those that photosynthesise. And more broadly in evolutionary microbiology, symbiosis, organelles and protists. Assistant Professor at CeMESS, University of Vienna.

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Reposted by Megan Sorensen
Julia Van Etten @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Spread the word! I’m looking to recruit a PhD student to grow the Paulinella project. Some details can be found here: www.vanettenlab.org/join
vanettenlab.org
Join! — Van Etten lab at UMD
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Javier del Campo @fonamental.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A genomic catalog of Earth’s bacterial and archaeal symbionts #symbiosis www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A genomic catalog of Earth’s bacterial and archaeal symbionts - Nature Biotechnology
Symbiotic relationships of microorganisms are predicted and cataloged with a machine learning tool.
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Marie Walde 🌊🦠🔬 @mariescopy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"The most precious resources of our profession are students and ideas, [...] solving problems is only a tool and proxy for achieving the primary goal of conceptual understanding and insight."
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Diversify Microbiology @diversifymicro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
UNC Greensboro Department of Biology is hiring for three positions this year including one in microbiology! spartantalent.uncg.edu/postings/35918
spartantalent.uncg.edu
Assistant Professor Microbiology
The Department of Biology at UNC Greensboro (UNCG) seeks an individual with a strong record of accomplishment in microbiology broadly defined for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assista...
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Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
@guyleonard.eurosky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social et al. report a T2T genome for Micractinium conductrix, an endosymbiont of Paramecium bursaria, publishing one of the most complete Chlorellaceae algal genome assemblies to date 🔗 academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... #societyjournal #genome #algae
academic.oup.com
De Novo Genome Sequence Assembly of the Algal Endosymbiont Micractinium conductrix Derived From Its Host Paramecium bursaria 186b
Abstract. Endosymbiosis is a major driver of evolutionary innovation and underpins the function of diverse ecosystems. The origins and evolution of endosym
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STCmicrobeblog @stcmicrobeblog.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
#SymbioSky #ProtistsOnSky
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Joe Keating @evopalaeo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
⚠️BIOINFORMATCIS JOB ALERT⚠️ Come and join us @bristolbiosci.bsky.social We are recruiting a Lecturer in Bioinformatics. Details here: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de... Please feel free to get in touch if you are interested!
bristol.ac.uk
Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 07/09/2026
Speaking of plagiarism: www.scientificamerican.com/article/open...
scientificamerican.com
OpenAI’s latest math breakthroughs commit research misconduct, experts say
OpenAI released 10 AI-generated results over the weekend. Some mathematicians are unhappy with their approach
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Julia Van Etten @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Our paper describing two new photosynthetic Paulinella species is out today in JPhycol! This is the kind of work I love to do and even it though took many years to finish, we had a lot of fun stomping around together in the marsh! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #protistsonsky
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Sergio Muñoz-Gómez @sergiophyceae.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
A new preprint from the lab! "Green algal symbionts are stably retained and provisioned in the dark despite a clear physiological cost" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Green algal symbionts are stably retained and provisioned in the dark despite a clear physiological cost
Photosymbioses, or associations between heterotrophs and photoautotrophs, are widespread and indispensable in today's ecosystems. The chloroplasts of algae and land plants, which are at the heart of m...
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Anonymous Potato @anonymouspotato.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost! ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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Holly Bik @hollybik.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
My lab is HIRING - we have an opening for a #postdoc focused on marine invertebrate symbioses & evolution (heavy focus on microbial -Omics and bioinformatics, but lots of fun fieldwork opportunities too!) Full position info here: www.biklab.org/join-the-lab Please help spread the word! #SymbioSky
Neon flyer advertising a postdoc job at UGA
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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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John F. Allen @profjohnallen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Why a Chloroplast Needs Its Own Genome Tethered to the Thylakoid Membrane—Co‐Location for Redox Regulation - Allen - 2026 - BioEssays - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Why a Chloroplast Needs Its Own Genome Tethered to the Thylakoid Membrane—Co‐Location for Redox Regulation
A schematic outline of chloroplast DNA tethered to two stacked thylakoids that contain the components of photosynthetic electron transport. Green shapes represent proteins encoded in chloroplast DNA;...
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Leonie Moyle @speciationlab.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Interested in genetics, diversification, and speciation? We're hiring a Research Associate to help with our projects, including the convergent evolution of fruit color. Come and work with us! Feel free to contact me with questions. (Reposts appreciated!) Link: indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/33973
a matrix of 6 different Solanum (wild tomato) species with six different fruit colors, ranging from white to bright red.
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Noah Whiteman @nkwhiteman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I’m thrilled to share that our search for a tenure-track colleague in my *truly wonderful and collegial* Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development Division in the MCB Department at Berkeley @berkeleymcb.bsky.social is live! Please share this broad search widely: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
Assistant Professor -Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development - Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
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Ben Engel @cellarchlab.com · 07/08/2026
One month left to apply!! 🧪 @biozentrum.unibas.ch seeks a group👩‍🔬 exploring molecular questions relevant to climate 🌍, including biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon, nitrogen) ♻️, bioenergetic energy conversion (e.g., photosynthesis, chemosynthesis) ☀️⚗️, and the adaptation to environmental change 🌊🌡️🦠🌾
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Kirsty Wan @micromotility.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Do #tintinnids dream of electric sheep? 🤯 Here is a single cell capable of building a lorica and living inside it for protection... it also swims, feeds, hunts Can even detect and habituate to mechanical cues! #celllearning #protistsonsky #cilia Read more in our preprint doi.org/10.64898/202...
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Varsha Mathur @varshamathur.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
So happy to share our new paper out now in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! We establish Pirsonia-Coscinodiscus as a model pathosystem and uncover how this tiny parasite infects and kills bloom-forming marine diatoms 🌊🦠 rdcu.be/fuQyF
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CGUE 2026 @cgue2026.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
🎉Good news! Registration for #CGUE26 has been extended until 31 August - no fee increase! Join the international community exploring the diversity & evolution of unicellular eukaryotes. 👉Registration: comparativegenomics2026.com #ProtistsOnSky #ComparativeGenomics #Protists #Genomics #Eukaryotes
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ehehenberger.bsky.social @ehehenberger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Plastid endosymbiosis without gene transfer - dinoflagellates can do it #ProtistsOnSky #Kareniaceae #plastids
academic.oup.com
Recent plastid replacement in Karlodinium ballantinum (Kareniaceae, Dinoflagellata) challenges the paradigms of endosymbiotic gene transfer
Abstract. Plastids, the photosynthetic organelles of eukaryotes, arose via endosymbiosis of cyanobacteria by a eukaryotic host and were subsequently spread
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Ian Marshall @ianpgm.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Four new Associate/Full Professor positions at Aarhus University @au.dk Faculty of Natural Sciences with focus on innovation, i.e. if you have especially strong links to the world outside academia (maybe you've been in industry for some years and are looking to come back?): www.au.dk/om/stillinge...
au.dk
Professor or Associate Professor within the natural sciences, with a focus on Innovation (4 positions) - Ledig stilling på Aarhus Universitet
Ledig stilling ved Natural Sciences, Aarhus Universitet
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Anne Walraven @annewalraven.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Very excited that the preprint of the main paper of my PhD is now out! We show that Meringosphaera is the first centrohelid with permanent plastids: doi.org/10.64898/202... @zlatogursky.bsky.social, @pjkeelinglab.bsky.social, prof. Rachel A. Foster, and @fburki.bsky.social #protistsonsky
doi.org
Single cell genomics and fluorescence microscopy suggest a permanent plastid in a marine centrohelid
Photosynthetic organelles (plastids), which originated via primary endosymbiosis between an Archaeplastida ancestor and cyanobacteria, have shaped the Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere and spread across ...
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ISEP @isepprotists.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
New #ISEPpapers! Evolutionary assembly of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis revealed by expanded ciliate diversity academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc... #Protists #Bacteria #Ciliates #Symbiosis #Evolution #Microbes
photos of microbial cells and their freshwater pond environment
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Caroline Gutjahr @carogutj.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Are you excited about understanding the molecular underpinnings of arbuscular mycorrhiza? Then this PostDoc position may be for you: jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/jobposting/4...
jobs.mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Postdoc (m/f/d) position on molecular mechanisms of nutrient exchange in arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis
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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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Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Just reading: Comment in Nature The uncritical adoption of AI in science is alarming — we urgently need guard rails www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
The uncritical adoption of AI in science is alarming — we urgently need guard rails
Artificial intelligence is rapidly accelerating scientific output, but risks narrowing inquiry, weakening judgement and undermining how scientists are trained.
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Leigh Anne Riedman @fossils.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Excited to say that my new paper with @maxlechte.bsky.social (and others not on bluesky) has come out in @nature.com! Study of sediments, geochemistry and fossils from rocks 1.75 to 1.4 billion years old indicate that the oldest known #eukaryotes were aerobic and benthic! #protists rdcu.be/fjNgL
rdcu.be
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,...
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Bjo:rn Schro:der @mucubacter.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
We are recruiting a #postdoc in #bioinformatics! If you are passionate about #gutmicrobiome analyses, data-driven approaches and #guthealth, please have a look at our offer: umustipendie.varbi.com/en/what:job/... #DataScience #MicrobiomeSky #MicroSky #CSMicrobiome2026
Recruiting Postdoc in Bioinformatics
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Umeå Plant Science Centre @umeaplantsciencecentre.se · 11/05/2026
🧪🧬VACANCY - Senior Staff Scientist in Bioinformatics Are you ready to take a leading role in bioinformatics and support plant science? Join us and lead our bioinformatics support facility that is part of a strong and collaborative bioinformatics environment. Apply👇: www.umu.se/en/work-with...
umu.se
Senior Staff Scientist in Bioinformatics
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Sarah W. Davies Ph.D. @daviesswphd.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Hi folks! @bu-biology.bsky.social is hiring two (!!) lecturers in Cell and Molecular Biology. It is a sweet gig in an awesome department. Come join us! academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32034
academicjobsonline.org
Boston University, Department of Biology
Job #AJO32034, Lecturer, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, US
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Michael Brockhurst @brockhurstlab.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Join us! @wellcometrust.bsky.social postdoc position using experimental evolution to understand real-world resistance dynamics. See preprint for the 🤯 strain collection we will be working with www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Closing 15 May. Apply: www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai... #mevosky
biorxiv.org
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Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
@lfceriotti.bsky.social et al. investigate the rewiring of organellar translation in the holoparasitic Balanophoraceae, revealing extreme changes in the anciently conserved machinery of plant organellar translation. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag077 #evobio #molbio #PlantSky
MBE | Reshaping organellar translation and tRNA metabolism: the consequences of photosynthesis loss and massive horizontal gene transfer

Photo: Tuber and two inflorescences of the holoparasitic plant Lophophytum pyramidale collected from Parque Nacional Calilegua, Argentina
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Tera Levin @teralevin.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Bacterial immune proteins have repeatedly evolved to become parts of eukaryotic immunity. But how? Our new preprint uncovers a recent horizontal transfer event & shows how eukaryotes co-opted a toxic bacterial immune protein 🦠🧪🧵 1/
Microscopy image showing yeast cells expressing a fluorescently tagged version of the amoeba TirC protein. TirC forms filaments that span the yeast cells.
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Michael Brockhurst @brockhurstlab.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Why does antibiotic resistance evolution vary between patients? Come to @officialuom.bsky.social @mermanchester.bsky.social to help us find out! 2.5 year @wellcometrust.bsky.social postdoc position in experimental evolution Closing 15 May. Apply here: www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
jobs.manchester.ac.uk
Research Associate in Microbial Evolution:Oxford Road
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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
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Jillian Petersen @jillianmpetersen.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A hat-trick of papers from the lab, I'm so proud and excited to announce! We have clams, we have sulfur-oxidizing symbionts, we have seagrasses, and we explore how they're all linked @cemess.bsky.social @microbesplanet.bsky.social
Underwater view through seagrass blades
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Laura Eme @lauraeme.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Check out the draft program for the Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes meeting! Want to attend? Are you a speaker? Don't wait! Registration is closes on May 4. comparativegenomics2026.com/program/ w/ @cstairs.bsky.social
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ISEP @isepprotists.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
New #ISEPpapers by @ankarn.bsky.social et al.! Living together: evolutionary and ecological dimensions of #protist endosymbiosis academic.oup.com/microlife/ar... #Protists #Microbes #Symbiosis #Evolution
illustration of five different microbial cells and some of the chemicals they exchange with their environment
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Kenneth Dumack @dumack.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
🌊 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 #Protists #MicrobialEcology #PhD #Ecology
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Nat Clarke @natclarke.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I'm hiring! I have 2 open positions: 🔬 Postdoc 🧪 Research associate We study how animal multicellularity evolved by exploring the molecular logic of cell adhesion using cell biology, 'omics, and tool-building in non-model organisms. Come join us! Details and application links 👇 Please repost
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John Innes Centre @johninnescentre.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
VACANCY - We’re searching for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the newly appointed group of Dr @hassansalem.bsky.social, to explore the developmental biology of host-microbe symbiosis www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po... Deadline - 25 March 2026 Salary - £37,500 - £45,350 Contract - 3 years, full-time
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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
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Hassan Salem @hassansalem.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
How specific are heritable symbioses? And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species? We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com! 1/n www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Courtney Stairs @cstairs.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Check out our latest pre-print of our favourite pets - the breviates. This work was led by Zhezhen Yi in collaboration with @andrewjroger.bsky.social and many others! By studying diverse breviates we were able to see how different metabolic pathways can evolved in response to low-oxygen.
biorxiv.org
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Jonathan Eisen @phylogenomics.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Rereading these two papers: Holes in the hologenome: why host-microbe symbioses are not holobionts. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... The Hologenome Concept: Helpful or Hollow? journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... And I still find myself in general agreement with most of the points in them
journals.asm.org
Holes in the Hologenome: Why Host-Microbe Symbioses Are Not Holobionts | mBio
ABSTRACT The advent of relatively inexpensive tools for characterizing microbial communities has led to an explosion of research exploring the diversity, ecology, and evolution of microbe-host systems...
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Christian Kost @kostchristian.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
New paper by Saskia Wilmsen and me just came out BioEssays: A new classification framework to understand evolutionary transitions in individuality Please find the OA paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
A New Classification Framework to Understand Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality
Classifying biological entities based on whether and how the two fundamental aspects physiological and evolutionary components are represented yields six types of structural organization. The resulti...
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Omaya Dudin 𓂆 ¦🍉¦🦠¦🔬¦ @dudinlab.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
📢 Open faculty position – Origins of Life We have an opening in our section at the University of Geneva! 🧬🚀 SPREAD THE WORD Apply here: jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...
media.tenor.com
a woman says " would you like to join us " with her eyes closed
ALT: a woman says " would you like to join us " with her eyes closed
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Lukas VF Novak @animalculum.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
How a parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last phys.org/news/2026-01... Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Protists #Microbes #Parasites #Giardia #Evolution
electron microscopy picture of a microbial cell with multiple flagella
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Sergio Muñoz-Gómez @sergiophyceae.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
End-of-year preprint dump! A collaboration with @messorensen.bsky.social and German and Korean colleagues: "The phylogenetic context for the origin of a unique purple-green photosymbiosis " doi.org/10.64898/202...
P. tenue, its symbionts, and natural habitat
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