How a #parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last phys.org/news/2026-01-parasite…

Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet nature.com/articles/s41467-025…

"an asexual lineage of #Giardia managed to infect a wider range of hosts than its sexual ancestor... at a cost. Because these #parasites don't exchange genetic material, harmful mutations build up over time, leading to eventual collapse"

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution

Novel research reveals thriving microbial life in trees phys.org/news/2025-08-reveals-…

A diverse and distinct #microbiome inside living trees nature.com/articles/s41586-025…

"A single tree hosts about one trillion #bacteria in its woody tissue... #microbes are partitioned between heartwood and sapwood with each having its own unique microbiomes with minimal similarity to other tissues... They are actively producing gases and cycling nutrients... these communities may have coevolved with #trees over time"

Video and article from our lab about our latest giant virus paper

"Researchers discover large dormant virus can be reactivated in model green alga"

news.vt.edu/articles/2025/04/r…

And link to original paper
science.org/stoken/author-toke…

#viruses #science #virology #microbes

Advanced genetic techniques and #microscopy offer new insights into anaerobic ciliate and methanogen #symbiosis phys.org/news/2024-10-advanced…

Methanogenic #symbionts of anaerobic #ciliates are host and habitat specific academic.oup.com/ismej/article… #ISEPpapers by @joro

"This study provides a clearer understanding of how anaerobic ciliates have evolved a mix transmission mode to both maintain and replace their symbionts over time"

#microbes #protists #bacteria #archaea #methanogenesis #biology

New #ISEPpapers! Evolutionary origins of the lysosome-related organelle sorting machinery reveal ancient homology in post-endosome trafficking pathways: Kiran More et al. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403…

#protists #microbes #CellBiology #eukaryogenesis #biology #organelles

New #ISEPpapers #preprint! Viral infection to the raphidophycean alga #Heterosigma akashiwo affects both intracellular organic matter composition and dynamics of a coastal prokaryotic community biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20…

#protists #algae #viruses #microbes #biology

New #ISEPpapers! Updated classification of the phylum Parabasalia onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/fu…

"Most are harmless or beneficial gut #symbionts of #animals, but some have turned into #parasites in other body compartments, the most notorious example being #Trichomonas vaginalis in humans."

#protists #microbes #symbiosis #evolution #biology

New #ISEPpapers! Contractile vacuoles: a rapidly expanding (and occasionally diminishing?) understanding sciencedirect.com/science/arti… by Kiran More et al.

#protists #microbes #organelles #biology #evolution #algae #parasites

#Microbes used poison gas in battle for iron in the Earth's early oceans phys.org/news/2024-10-microbes…

Inhibition of phototrophic iron oxidation by nitric oxide in ferruginous environments: Verena Nikeleit et al. nature.com/articles/s41561-024…

"A new study investigates how various #bacteria excrete insoluble iron as part of their metabolic processes. Some—the phototrophic iron oxidizers—gain energy by oxidizing Fe with the help of sunlight, and others by reacting Fe with nitrate as an oxidizing agent."

The Last Universal Common Ancestor of Ribosome-Encoding Organisms: Portrait of LUCA

link.springer.com/article/10.1…

#evolution #microbiology #science #microbes

Sensitive content Reveal/hide

New #ISEPpapers #preprint! Comprehensive analysis of the microbial consortium in the culture of flagellate #Monocercomonoides exilis biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/20… #protists #microbes #mitochondria #bacteria #biorxiv @biorxivpreprint

"Monocercomonoides exilis is the only known amitochondriate eukaryote, making it an excellent model for studying the implications of mitochondrial reduction from a cellular and evolutionary point of view."

Follow the leader: A new study of #flagella in #algae reveals how they coordinate their movements to ensure cells steer efficiently elifesciences.org/digests/8610… #protists #microbes

The younger flagellum sets the beat for #Chlamydomonas reinhardtii elifesciences.org/articles/861…

"To steer, C. reinhardtii adjusts the strength of the strokes made by each flagellum. Despite this asymmetry, the flagella must continue to beat in synchrony to move efficiently."

Mesmerising microbes: bacteria as you’ve never seen it before – in pictures

“As a side hustle he manipulates and photographs the microbial world; his images are collected in a book, Beautiful Bacteria. Taking bacteria from substances such as wastewater, dental plaque or kimchi, Danino lets them multiply in a petri dish, adding dyes. The results are artworks differing from the digital enhancements often made in scientific photography to make images more informative.”

theguardian.com/artanddesign/g…

#News #Photography #Photo #Photos #Image #Images #Microbiology #Biology #Science #STEM #Bacteria #Microbes #Microbes @science @biology @microbiology

#Mutualism on the edge: Understanding the #Paramecium–#Chlorella symbiosis journals.plos.org/plosbiology/…

"Exploring the mechanisms that underpin #symbiosis requires an understanding of how these complex interactions are maintained in diverse model systems. The ciliate #protist, Paramecium bursaria, offers a valuable insight into how emergent endosymbiotic interactions have evolved."

#protists #algae #microbes #ciliates

Minimalist or maximalist? The life of a #microbe a mile underground
phys.org/news/2023-11-minimali… paper: ami-journals.onlinelibrary.wil…

Magdalena Osburn: "The deep subsurface #biosphere is enormous; it's just a vast amount of space... Many of the #microbes we found were either minimalist: ultra-streamlined with one job that it does very well alongside a close consortium of collaborators, or it can do a little bit of everything. These maximalists are ready for every resource that comes along."

New #ISEPpapers! The #protist #Aurantiochytrium has universal subtelomeric rDNAs and is a host for #mirusviruses: Jackie Collier et al. cell.com/current-biology/fullt…

#protists #microbes #protistology #microbiology #viruses #virology #genomics

Endless microbes most beautiful and most wonderful

"To reflect the importance of microbes and to create a home for microbiology research using genetics, PLOS Genetics will be launching a new section on Microbial Genetics. "

journals.plos.org/plosgenetics…

#microbiology #microbes #bacteria #protists #archaea

As we (humans) get to grips with how to scale up #hydrogen as an energy source (and for energy storage) and as part replacement for #fossilfuels, this new research (once again) shows that #microbes have beaten us to it and evolved their own solutions for energy - in this case using hydrogen power.

This new research in Nature Microbiology explores how hydrogen in seawater supports growth of multiple and diverse #bacterial species.

Fof those (like me) in #Melbourne , you may be interested that the research also includes study of this process within #PortPhillipBay sediments.

Learn more on:

nature.com/articles/s41564-023…

#microbiology #bacteria #ecology #MicrobialEcology

Rare opportunity to study short-lived volcanic island reveals sulfur-metabolizing #microbes phys.org/news/2023-01-rare-opp…

The Early Microbial Colonizers of a Short-Lived Volcanic Island in the Kingdom of #Tonga journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/m…

"We didn't see what we were expecting. We thought we'd see organisms you find when a glacier retreats, or #cyanobacteria, more typical early colonizer species—but instead we found a unique group of #bacteria that metabolize sulfur and atmospheric gases."