iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 17/07/2026

Apparently the "boring billion" was actually exciting! We provide molecular evidence of complex Mesoproterozoic eukaryotic communities. So happy to see this out 🥳 Thanks to @phoebefossil.bsky.social , Hélène Morlon & @fburki.bsky.social for a lovely collab! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 15/12/2025

We find steady diversification during the not-so-boring billion. Archaeplastida diversified early and remained the most diverse group, likely boosted by the first plastid endosymbiosis. Discoba, Amoebozoa and Rhizaria also diversified early, implying complex Proterozoic ecosystems and interactions.

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 15/12/2025

New preprint out! Using ~75k environmental OTUs + 77 fossil calibrations, we reconstructed a Proterozoic timeline of eukaryote evolution. Our results show crown eukaryotes were already diversifying >1.6 Ga, long before the first undisputed fossils (~1.05 Ga). 🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 15/12/2025

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 07/11/2025

Built from and for ecologists, molecular biologists, and bioinformaticians working with high-throughput or environmental sequencing data, this tool will ease the tedious work of designing specific oligonucleotides at all different users expertise.

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 07/11/2025

Oligonucleotide design meets big data: We present oligoN-design, a simple, reproducible and versatile open-source tool to design specific primers and probes directly from large environmental DNA datasets. 🔗 DOI: doi.org/10.1101/2025... 👉 github.com/MiguelMSandi...

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 08/05/2025

A lovely collaboration with @plannapus.bsky.social, Noritoshi & @fabnot.bsky.social, where we merged the extensive groundwork on the Polycystine fossil record with extant molecular diversity to trace the evolutionary history of Radiolaria from their appearance ~760 million years ago

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 08/05/2025

Despite 150+ years of Radiolaria diversity research, we have just scratched the surface. Nearly half of Radiolaria diversity might be naked hiding in plain sight! We unveiled the diversity and evolution of Radiolaria beyond "the stars of the ocean" doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025

Ah! And if you arrived until here and were wondering about the little golden dots, yes, they are photosynthetic symbionts identified as Scrippsiella. A common dinoflagellate found in symbioses with other planktonic groups like Acantharia (also Radiolaria) or the jellyfish Vellela

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025

We hypothesize that such a trait could increase the effective volume to weight ratio favoring prey contact and capture, and provide an advantageous microenvironment for symbionts, enhancing ecological success in nutrient-depleted waters. Pictures credit of @n-llopis-m.bsky.social, by the way!

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025

Despite Phlebarachnium was rarely observed, metabarcoding analyses revealed a strong biogeographic affinity to oligotrophic water masses and co-occurrence with other gelatinous-bearing Radiolaria, reaching relative abundances of more than 13% to the total eukaryotic reads in specific samples

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025

We introduce the first molecular characterization of Phlebarachnium, one of the few Radiolaria known to live within a gelatinous matrix besides Collodaria. Yet these lineages of Nassellaria developed independently the ability to produce the gelatinous matrix ∼150 million years ago

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025

Why do some planktonic protists develop a gelatinous matrix? We suggest that this original adaptation is a strategy to cope with ocean oligotrophy: doi.org/10.1111/1462... Led by @n-llopis-m.bsky.social, and thanks to all co-authors, I'm very happy to finally see it out! #protistsonsky

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 10/01/2025

Next Monday 13 we have the 6th session of The Life of Retaria Seminar Series! Join us at 08h00 (CET) and discover symbiosis in these wonderful protists with Caroline Juery and @filiphusnik.bsky.social Check it out: thelifeofretaria.github.io #radiolaria #foraminifera #theLifeOfRetaria #protistsonsky

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 09/10/2024

Radiolaria are known for their elaborate and gorgeous skeletons, found all over our oceans. But what if I tell you that half of their diversity might be naked!? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 08/07/2024

It’s happening!!🎉 Today our second seminar of the Life of Retaria seminar series! Join us at 14h (CET) to dive deeper into the role of Forams and Rads in marine biogeochemical cycles! 🌊 Our presenters: Nielja Knetch & Manon Laget😍 Learn more and register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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