Reposted by Zachary D. BlountIra Zibbu @coolscootre.bsky.social · 24/09/2026www.asimov.press/p/theory-bio...asimov.pressOn the Role of Theory in BiologyBiology is often seen as an experimental science, with theory serving to generalize patterns from empirical data. But history reveals that theory plays a more generative role in discovery itself. 0105
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 22/09/2026"Philosophy of Biology: The power of theory in the life sciences" elifesciences.org/articles/112... @zdblount.bsky.social shared this thought-provoking paper with the lab group.elifesciences.orgPhilosophy of Biology: The power of theory in the life sciencesTheory can help address cell and molecular biology’s major challenges, particularly those arising from large omics datasets. 110346
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountProf Jenny Rohn @jennyrohn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026“Bacterial growth is straightforward to measure, complex in origin and exquisitely sensitive to environmental and genetic perturbations.” Fantastic opening sentence to a deeply interesting topic. Never thought about bacterial growth like this before. #MicroSky #Bacteria 23414
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Next up in our Micro Biography series is Grace Semaan, an MGI graduate student in Jim Moran's lab. Read more about Grace and her research here: tinyurl.com/3zcc6225 021
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountHiten Madhani @hitenmadhani.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Most basic science departments at UCSF are having faculty searches this year. Biochemistry & Biophysics, Microbiology & Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and more. We're looking for new and exciting science and nice people. You'll find them all at aprecruit.ucsf.eduaprecruit.ucsf.eduWelcome - AP RecruitUniversity of California, San Francisco Online Faculty Recruitment 311696
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 19/08/2026If Zachary Blount had one dollar for every cell he plated in his dissertation looking for new Cit+ mutations, he could single handedly pay off the US debt of $40,000,000,000,000. www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n... 419031
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 07/08/2026MGI grad student Aram Khoshnaw has been appointed to a position in the Integrative Pharmacology Science Training Program, supported by the IPSTP T32. These positions are highly competitive and selective and will provide a full year of support. Read more: tinyurl.com/bdzdtfkc 211
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountPeter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 22/06/2026Thanks to @hodgman.bsky.social, I read this novel over the past month or so... really haunting and beautiful, and not quite like anything else I can remember reading. It's essentially the story of one man from birth to death, and nothing extraordinary happens. 2318818
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMark O. Martin @markowenmartin.bsky.social · 18/06/2026New episode of #MattersMicrobial! This time, Dr. Jeff Barrick joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the LTEE and microbial evolution. I had such fun and learned so much. Please spread the #GoodMicrobialWord? @asmicrobiology @univpugetsound @microbe.tv @relenski.bsky.social youtu.be/z1tysDEzJLA?... 1217
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 17/06/2026Next up in our Micro Biography series is Dr. Ned Walker, a University Distinguished Professor in MGI and Entomology who studies mosquito and tick-borne diseases. Read about his journey and research here: tinyurl.com/mrxthcxx 001
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Grace Semaan, an MGI graduate student working in Dr. Jim Moran's lab, has won the Alpha Lambda Delta Maria Leonard Graduate Fellowship. This $7000 award will support her graduate studies & professional development. 121
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 12/05/2026I was just informed that you can receive a 20% discount using the code AMCLF20 at the publisher's website. 1309
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 01/05/2026The Barrick & Lenski Labs in Dept of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology at Michigan State Univ seek a Research Assistant II to manage their research operations and participate in projects related to microbial evolution and synthetic biology. See details below. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...careers.msu.eduResearch Assistant II - East Lansing, Michigan, United StatesPosition Summary The Barrick and Lenski Labs in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology at Michigan State University are seeking a Research Assistant II to manage their research ope... 03555
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountHarry Turtledove @hntdove.bsky.social · 25/04/2026I found L. Sprague de Camp's Lest Darkness Fall in a secondhand bookstore when I was 14 or 15. Started trying to find out how was real and how much he was making up. Wound up with a Byzantine history PhD. Changed my whole life. 615213
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 20/04/2026MGI graduate student Emily Perez, of the Crosson Lab, is studying how bacteria sense and respond to the world around them because these attributes can be used to control their growth. It is especially important for animal and human pathogens such as the one she studies, Brucella. 221
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountDBMiller @dbmiller65.bsky.social · 12/04/2026@hntdove.bsky.social robbed this from Facebook. Right up a history buff's alley. 19332
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 09/04/2026I'm heartbroken to report a devastating loss of a great friend and young scientist. telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2026/04/09/a...telliamedrevisited.wordpress.comA profound loss in the LTEE familyI am heartbroken to report that Devin Lake passed away suddenly a few days ago at the age of 30. Devin was a good friend to all who knew him, always eager to help in any way that he could, and an o… 118113
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 12/03/2026This week's Work in Progress seminars were given by MGI graduate students Kathleen Sotelo of the Barrick Lab and Jessica Hodgkins of the Milbrath Lab. 131
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 12/02/2026MGI Asst Prof Zachary Blount @zdblount.bsky.social is giving a talk in celebration of Darwin Day TONIGHT at 7 pm called "Today’s Junk, Tomorrow’s Triumph: Lessons on Evolutionary Contingency, Inertia, and Innovation from the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with E. coli."tinyurl.comToday’s Junk, Tomorrow’s Triumph: Lessons on Evolutionary Contingency, Inertia, and Innovation from the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with E. coli 021
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 22/01/2026Vaughn Cooper’s new Scientific American article offers a clear look at the potential threats posed by mirror‑life. He trained with MGI's Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social, whose contributions to the field are referenced in the piece. Important context for a complex topic. 065
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 12/01/2026Today we kicked off our Work in Progress Seminars for the spring semester with an excellent talk by Dr. Zack D. Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social). He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can. 011
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 08/12/2025As part of his class, MGI 991 - Intro to Science, Asst. Prof. Zachary Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) gives out homemade gifts to his students: Anti-critic shields and hypothesis-killing swords (foam, of course). They are a rite of passage for their experiences in the Practice of Science module. 022
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 05/12/2025Why are coral reefs bleaching, and what can we do to stop it? Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question. 132
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 02/12/2025Some bacteria can't be grown in a lab. So how do we study it? MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life. Published in @mSphereJ. 221
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 10/11/2025The Long-Term Evolution Experiment has returned home. Led by Professors Richard Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Jeffrey Barrick, this groundbreaking work continues to reveal how bacteria evolve in real time. 12 flasks. 1 legacy. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/f6vjyjvr 17018
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMegan Behringer @megbehri.bsky.social · 29/09/2025Our lab is hiring!! We are looking for a research assistant who will be involved with our experimental evolution studies on how stress affects population dynamics in E. coli. Great opportunity for recent grads! E-mail for more info and apply here: ecsr.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid... 0814
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 08/09/2025Today, Dr. Zack Blount kicked off this semester's Works in Progress Seminar series with a talk about Jacques Monod entitled "The Paragon - Jacques Monod as Scientist, Hero, and Philosopher." Join us each Mon., 12 - 1 pm in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students discuss their work. 121
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountRichard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 12/08/2025Excited to share new #program, STEPS, which can simulate #dynamics of the E. coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (#LTEE) or other microbes in serial transfer regime. telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/08/12/s... STEPS developed by @devinmlake.bsky.social, Zachary Matson, Minako Izutsu, and me.telliamedrevisited.wordpress.comSTEPS To ItAnnouncing a new program, called STEPS, to simulate the dynamics of evolving microbial populations. 418367
Reposted by Zachary D. BlountMSU MGI @msumgi.bsky.social · 31/07/2025If you went back 500 million years and re-ran evolution, would life be totally different today? MGI's Rich Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Zack Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) weigh in via this @vox.com podcast 12 tiny worlds: megaphone.link/VMP6403302711megaphone.link12 tiny worlds by UnexplainableIf you went back 500 million years and re-ran evolution, would life be totally different today? 011
