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Michael Gerth

@mgerth.bsky.social
802 followers 697 following 12 posts

Insects, microbes, symbiosis, bioinformatics, molecular approaches in evolution & ecology. Emmy Noether Research Group Leader & Jun.-Prof. @iDiv & MLU Halle. he/him

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Reposted by Michael Gerth
Mariana Schuster @marischuster.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Still one week to apply!
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Lauren Sumner-Rooney @laurensr.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Just SIX DAYS left to apply for our postdoc unravelling the secrets of trilobite eyes! Come and join @multipleye-lab.bsky.social in @bristolbiosci.bsky.social if you're interested in vision, functional morphology, and 3D models 👀 📆Deadline 23.59 BST, 26th Aug 📢Contact me with any questions!
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Kayla King, Ph.D. @kayla-king.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
New King lab paper @currentbiology.bsky.social led by the brilliant @luismsilva.bsky.social on parasite shedders and spreaders: www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
Transmission heterogeneity emerges from uncoupled parasite shedding and spreading
Silva et al. show that disease transmission emerges from multiple ecological bottlenecks rather than a single host trait. Separating parasite shedding from downstream infection success reveals why hos...
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Lee Henry @henrylabsymbio.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
⭐Postdoc position available⭐ How do symbionts evolve new beneficial functions? Join the Henry Lab to investigate how horizontal gene transfer drives host–microbe symbioses. 🦠 Apply below Enquiries: l.henry@qmul.ac.uk Please share! #Postdoc #EvolutionaryBiology #Symbiosis henry-lab.co.uk
qmul-jobs.tal.net
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Evolution of Host–Microbe Symbioses - QMUL Jobs
ID: 10612. Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Evolution of Host–Microbe Symbioses. Application Deadline:
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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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Arnaud Martin @evolvwing.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
NO NO NO NO NO NO Ranking science with AI-based metrics is a slippery slope. Everyone should reject it right now.
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Michael Gerth @mgerth.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
New preprint from the lab, led by PhD student Leopold Preuß, with @marta-tischer.bsky.social, @cblei.bsky.social, and others. We show genomic evidence for #Wolbachia being an overlooked nutritional symbiont in solitary #bees. #SymbioSky tinyurl.com/3wzt27hy Short thread: (1/8)
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Michael Gerth @mgerth.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
New preprint from PhD student Emily Dovydaitis with @chloology.bsky.social: We need to better account for symbionts in #biodiversity studies. Happy to hear feedback! #SymbioSky
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MultiplEye Lab @multipleye-lab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
📢 New pre-print alert! Most spiders have eight eyes, but not all - PhD researcher Antonio Galán Sánchez and Dr Andres Rivera Quiroz @naturalis.bsky.social led an exciting new analysis of the evolution of eye number and losses in spiders on a truly incredible scale! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Marten Winter @smartenwinter.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Fantastic funding opportunities for biodiversity related research projects👇 1. Synthesis Working Groups 2. Senior Fellows Please spread the words & apply :)
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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/...
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Tobias Lenz @biotobi.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
We are extending the deadline to Feb 27, since we still have a few slots. 👉 A semi-informal event to interact with your peers, learn about cutting-edge research, and hear from two leaders in the field (Sophie Armitage & Dieter Ebert). And it's free! 🎉 PIs, please recommend to your grad students!
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Iker Irisarri @ikeririsarri.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
A new combtooth blenny genome just dropped! Assembled from recycled ONT data + HiC + RNAseq. Thanks, Nikita Kulikov, Kim Joffroy, @ambonacolta.bsky.social @delcampolab.bsky.social for your hard work
academic.oup.com
The chromosome-scale genome assembly of the redlip blenny, Ophioblennius macclurei (Blenniidae)
Abstract. Here, we present a high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly for the redlip blenny Ophioblennius macclurei (family Blennidae). The assembly
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Julian Schrader @julianschrader.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Evolution can create species that look similar — or completely different. Here’s how convergent and divergent #evolution explain these patterns. At #EcolClips we take a look at classic examples to show how species adapt to their environments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnoB...
youtube.com
How Can Different Species Evolve the Same Traits? | EcolClips
YouTube video by EcolClips
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Elin Videvall @elinvidevall.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
📢 We have an open position for a postdoc to join my lab. It's a great position @animecol-uu.bsky.social, fully salaried for 2.5 years with all benefits. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/... The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
uu.se
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology - Uppsala University
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
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MultiplEye Lab @multipleye-lab.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
🎉 Big news! 🎉 We will be moving to @bristolbiosci.bsky.social @bristoluni.bsky.social in 2026!! We're so excited to be joining such a dynamic and thriving department, university, and city - thank you to everyone who has already been so welcoming! 📢 But that's not all - come and join us! 👇
Atmospheric evening view of Bristol and the Clifton suspension bridge. Adobe Stock c Stephen Davies
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Trends in Genetics @cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
"The untapped potential of short-read sequencing in biodiversity research" by Christoph Bleidorn (@cblei.bsky.social) et al "Genomic resources have the potential to transform our understanding of the vast, still largely unknown diversity of species..." More at: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
Figure 1. Graphic summary of short-read applications discussed in this review.
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Schulenburg Lab Kiel @schulenburglab.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We are welcoming applications for a full professorship on Molecular and Evolutionary Zoology at Kiel Univerdity, Northern Germany, with fantastic facilities and infrastructure! @uni-kiel.de @crc1182.bsky.social @transevo.bsky.social www.nature.com/naturecareer...
nature.com
W 3 professorship in Molecular and Evolutionary Zoology - Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein (DE) job with Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel | 12844416
Kiel University aims to attract more qualified women to professorship positions. The Institute of Zoology at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural...
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Michael Gerth @mgerth.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Two fully funded #PhD positions on insect #Symbiosis available in our lab: Spiroplasma in Neotropical Arthropods (tinyurl.com/spiroplasma) & Psyllid symbionts (tinyurl.com/psyllids). Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
tinyurl.com
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Joey Bernhardt @joeybernhardt.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
✨ The Bernhardt Lab at the University of Guelph is recruiting graduate students for 2026! Join us! We have several fully funded grad positions available ✨ Please spread the word! www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us #CSEE2025
A blue poster describing opportunities to join the Bernhardt Lab -- for more information please see https://www.bernhardtlab.org/join-us
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Oliver Bossdorf @bossdorf.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Awsome job opportunity for a plant ecologist at University of Halle, with many amazing colleagues nearby at @unihalle.bsky.social, @ufz.de and @idiv-research.bsky.social. Halle is a very cool city. Go for it! www.nature.com/naturecareer...
nature.com
Tenured Professorship „Plant Ecology“ (W2 salary) - Halle (Saale) job with Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg | 12841002
The professorship (successor of Prof. Dr. Isabell Hensen) will play a central role in advancing collaborative research in the field of biodiversity
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Em Stevens @emstevens93.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
I'm very pleased to share the latest paper from my post doc with @kayla-king.bsky.social. We looked at how host microbiota can influence pathogen virulence evolution in a C. elegans model of infection: academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...
academic.oup.com
Within-host competition causes pathogen molecular evolution and perpetual microbiota dysbiosis
Abstract. Pathogens newly invading a host must compete with resident microbiota. This within-host microbial warfare could lead to more severe disease outco
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STCmicrobeblog @stcmicrobeblog.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 or maybe not. a 🧵 roland @environmicrobio.bsky.social‬ ‪and Krzysztof @ktjurdzinski.bsky.social‬ already commented, please also read their posts. www.science.org/content/arti... #MicroSky #SymbioSky #ProtistsOnSky
science.org
Microbe with bizarrely tiny genome may be evolving into a virus
With DNA focused almost entirely on replication, newly discovered organism blurs the line between cells and viruses
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Dr Klara Wanelik @klarawanelik.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Our new paper, just out “Superspreaders have lower gut microbial alpha-diversity and distinct gut microbial composition in a natural rodent population”. Highlights gut microbial signatures for those individuals that have the potential to spread the most infectious disease. doi.org/10.1186/s425...
doi.org
Superspreaders have lower gut microbial alpha-diversity and distinct gut microbial composition in a natural rodent population - Animal Microbiome
The microbiome is well known to drive variation in host states (e.g. behaviour, immunity) that would be expected to modulate the spread of infectious disease—but the role of microbiotal interactions i...
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Saad Arif @saadarif.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
We have fully funded PhD studentship available for a genomic analysis of the demise of the Mazarine Blue & Large Copper 🦋 in the UK. Interested in conservation genomics, extinction, 🦋, bioinformatics? If so, this might be the PhD for you! Full details: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DML401/n...
jobs.ac.uk
Nigel Groome Studentship: Using Museomics to Investigate the Disappearance of the Mazarine Blue and Large Copper Butterflies in the UK at Oxford Brookes University
Explore a Nigel Groome Studentship: Using Museomics to Investigate the Disappearance of the Mazarine Blue and Large Copper Butterflies in the UK on jobs.ac.uk. Discover more PhD opportunities and appl...
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Chloé Schmidt @chloology.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
I’m recruiting a PhD student in macrogenetics at Dalhousie University 🇨🇦! Focus will be on the biogeography of vertebrate genetic diversity or urban evolutionary ecology. Full ad: www.schmidt-biodiversity-lab.org/macrogenetic... If the ad is up, applications are still open. Please share widely! 🧬🧬
schmidt-biodiversity-lab.org
Macrogenetics PhD position | schmidt-biodiversity-lab
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Daniela Hoss @danielahoss.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Our article is out. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Improving gender equity in academia depends on the workplace environment. www.idiv.de/striving-for... The Female Scientists initiative at iDiv is connecting women in science. We learned so much from each other and our community along the way.
idiv.de
Striving for Gender Equity in Academia
Insights from the iDiv Female Scientists Initiative
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Greg Hurst @greghurst.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others
sciencedirect.com
Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species
Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecolog…
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iDiv Biodiversity Research @idiv-research.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
The sky’s the limit for biodiversity research! 🌳☀️ Join iDiv on Bluesky and stay informed about new research, upcoming events, and #iDiv initiatives, including sDiv, the #InsideBiodiversity podcast, and the yDiv Graduate School.
Blue sky over the iDiv core centre in Leipzig. Photo: S. Bernhardt
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nuneslab.bsky.social @nuneslab.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
PhD Opportunity: Last few days to apply to join my lab to explore the co-evolution of male and female genitalia in Drosophila. Feel free to DM me for more details! 🧬🐝 #PhDposition #EvolutionBiology #Genetics tinyurl.com/PhD-Drosophila
tinyurl.com
Nigel Groome Studentship: Gene Regulatory Networks Driving Male-Female Genital Co-evolution at Oxford Brookes University
Explore a Nigel Groome Studentship: Gene Regulatory Networks Driving Male-Female Genital Co-evolution. Apply today and discover more PhD opportunities at jobs.ac.uk.
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Anna Dewar @annadewar.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Our review is out in Nature Reviews Genetics! rdcu.be/d5AY2 We show how phylogeny-based methods can resolve the problem of non-independence in genomic datasets. These methods must be considered an essential part of the comparative genomics toolkit. @lauriebelch.bsky.social @stuwest.bsky.social
rdcu.be
A phylogenetic approach to comparative genomics
Nature Reviews Genetics - Controlling for phylogeny is essential in comparative genomics studies, because species, genomes and genes are not independent data points within statistical tests. The...
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Hannes Schuler @schulhans.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Two #postdoc positions available in my lab. Position 1 focusses on #phytoplasma transmission via #insects. Position 2 aims to investigate the dynamics of #symbiont #evolution in #psyllids in collaboration with @mgerth.bsky.social, Martin Kaltenpoth and Liliya Serbina. Please share.
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Greg Hurst @greghurst.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
BBSRC funded PhD - evolution in the early stages of symbiosis, using Arsenophonus as model. tinyurl.com/Edgeofsymbio.... Apply by 30/01/2025. Available for UK and International students. With @brockhurstlab.bsky.social and @acdarby.bsky.social. #symbiosky
tinyurl.com
BBSRC NWD: On the edges of symbiosis: how insect symbionts evolve in newly established interactions at University of Liverpool on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - BBSRC NWD: On the edges of symbiosis: how insect symbionts evolve in newly established interactions at University of Liverpool, listed on FindAPhD.com
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McGregor Lab @mcgregorlab.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
New review on the evolution of insect male terminalia I wrote with Daniela Nunes: www.cell.com/trends/genet...
cell.com
Developmental evolution in fast-forward: insect male genital diversification
Insect male genitalia are among the fastest evolving structures of animals. Studying these changes among closely related species represents a powerful approach to dissect developmental processes and g...
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Alejandro Manzano Marín @amanzanom.bsky.social · 10/11/2024
I made ,some time ago, a starter pack for Microbial #Symbiosis. I'm 100% sure it's incomplete, but short on time lately... You can reply and suggest prople/feeds/etc to add! #MicroSky #SymbioSky go.bsky.app/T8VUWCz
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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
What happens to the #genome of #bacteria as their association with the host becomes ever more intimate?🧪🦠 A lot: Expansion, pseudogenization and shrinkage, driven by reduction of phage pressure New by Stefanos Siozios, Greg Hurst &co #evolution #genomics #microbiology www.cell.com/current-biol...
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Oleksandr Maistrenko @omaistrenko.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
In our new study “Wolbachia in Antarctic terrestrial invertebrates: Absent or undiscovered?” doi.org/10.1111/1758... we summarise the diversity of terrestrial #invertebrates and discuss why #Wolbachia - the common #endosymbiont of invertebrates was not found in #Antarctica.
doi.org
Wolbachia in Antarctic terrestrial invertebrates: Absent or undiscovered?
Endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia are recognized for their role in influencing host survival and stress resistance, particularly in cold environmental conditions across various species. However, our a....
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Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 23/07/2024
Congratulations to our Dobzhansky Prize recipient, Chloé Schmidt! Dr. Schmidt will give the joint Dobzhansky Prize/ASN Early Career Investigator Award talk at #Evol2024 on Sunday at 2:30 PM EDT. shorturl.at/D6P1C @chloology.bsky.social
Text: Chloé Schmidt, 2024 Society for the Study of Evolution Dobzhansky Prize. Headshot of Chloé Schmidt.
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Sebastian Kittelmann @sebkittelmann.bsky.social · 21/12/2023
Several positions opening in my lab and the Centre for Functional Genomics at Oxford Brookes: - 2 PhD positions via the Oxford Bioscience DTP - a fully funded PhD in my lab, co-supervised by Darren Williams, KCL - a research tech position (0.5 FTE) to help tagging Drosophila transcription factors
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Chloé Schmidt @chloology.bsky.social · 11/10/2023
Excited to have done a cover illustration for the November issue of Trends in Genetics, related to our article about conservation macrogenetics! Made in inkscape.
Journal cover depicting a nighttime forest scene
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