Michael Poulsen

Antscan

Thanks to micro-CT and www.antscan.info, you can now explore high resolution, 3D ant images from anywhere in the world. Fantastic work from Julian Katzke, Francisco Hita Garcia, @economo.bsky.social, Thomas van de Kamp and colleagues just dropped: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 05 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-026-01288-wThe Asgard archaea have become a cornerstone of archaeal research, particularly for studies aiming to unravel the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. This Review outlines the current state of the research field focusing on these intriguing microorganisms and discusses future research directions aiming to resolve their diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution.

New online! Diversity, ecology, cell biology and evolution of the Asgard archaea

Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance governance across 193 countries to inform the 2026 Global Action Plan update - Nature Medicine An evaluation across 193 countries for the 2026 Global Action Plan update showed that countries with strong multisectoral governance and early surveillance adoption achieved long-term improvements in ...

Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance governance across 193 countries to inform the 2026 Global Action Plan update | Nature Medicine share.google/lddZahVrY4Fj...

Postdoctoral Researcher - Evolutionary Genomics and Population Genetics Position Title: Postdoctoral Researcher - Evolutionary Genomics and Population Genetics Appointment Type: Post Doc/Trainee Job Description: Summary of Duties and Responsibilities: We are seeking a Pos...

Postdoc in evolutionary genetics with @mbhufford.bsky.social isu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/IowaStateJob...

Phenogenomics reveals the ecology and evolution of Trichoderma fungi for sustainable agriculture Nature Microbiology, Published online: 03 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02260-3Analysis of 37 genomes together with more than 140 phenotypic traits links genomic features to ecological fitness and lifestyle diversity in Trichoderma fungi.

Out Now! Phenogenomics reveals the ecology and evolution of Trichoderma fungi for sustainable agriculture #MicroSky

Regulatory features determine the evolutionary fate of laterally acquired genes in plants Abstract. Lateral gene transfer (LGT) is widespread in eukaryotes, including in animals and plants where it can fuel adaptive evolution and innovation. How

Collins et al. combined expression, methylation, and genomic data to investigate long-term persistence of laterally acquired genes in the grass Alloteropsis, showing that those capable of regulating their own expression are more likely to persist.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag042

#evobio #molbio

Join us as Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Computational Biology at Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) / @leidenscience.bsky.social / @unileiden.bsky.social

Application deadline on 15 March 2026
👇
careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Assistan...

These Hunter-Gatherers Developed A System Of Written Signs Thousands Of Years Before Writing Was Invented The prehistoric script is structurally identical to the earliest proto-cuneiform tablets.

These Hunter-Gatherers Developed A System Of Written Signs Thousands Of Years Before Writing Was Invented

Could targeting viruses be a new hope against neurodegenerative diseases? Current therapies for neurodegenerative diseases largely manage symptoms and only modestly slow progression. This Perspective highlights emerging evidence that vaccines and antivirals may lower dement...

'Viral infections thus may appear to add fuel to the multifactorial fire of neurodegeneration, whether by direct damage or via the immune sys. To us, this insight may also give hope for future preventive strategies, as targeting infections could reduce the risk of getting neurodegenerative diseases'

Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats Traditional vaccines target specific pathogens, limiting their scope against diverse respiratory threats. We describe an intranasal liposomal formulation combining toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and 7/8 l...

#NatMicroPicks

A broad respiratory vaccine! 🦠🫁💉

An intranasal liposomal vaccine combining TLR4 and TLR7/8 ligands with ovalbumin produced broad and durable respiratory protection in mice

#MicroSky

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Deadline approaching - 23rd of Feb!

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Microbes are awesome
Even when they're in poo

#microValentines

Genomic signatures of evolution and domestication in the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus The evolution and domestication of mushrooms remain unclear. Ling et al. show that divergence and gene flow driven by quaternary glacial cycles shape the current mixed origins of A. bisporus populatio...

Excellent work!! #fungi #mushroom Genomic signatures of evolution and domestication in the button mushroom #Agaricus bisporus: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...

Please share!

PhD position at the University of Copenhagen. Start date: 1st of June!
 
The project integrates field work, RNAseq, MALDI-MSI & FISH to explore composition, regulation, and resilience of termite host-gut symbiont metabolism.
 
👉 employment.ku.dk/phd?show=156...
 
⏳ Deadline 23/2/26

Harnessing Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds for Crop Protection: Scientific Discovery, Bridging Ecological Function and On‐Farm Application This opinion article highlights how microbial VOCs can support sustainable crop protection and outlines the ecological, analytical and translational challenges that currently limit their field applic...

Harnessing Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds for Crop Protection: Scientific Discovery, Bridging Ecological Function and On-Farm Application

@microbiotech.bsky.social Opinion by Katharina Belt et al

enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Looking for a place to chill, vent, or hang out with fun queer microbiologists?

Look no further! Join us at one of our virtual Coffee Hour events and make new friends!

🏳️‍🌈 🦠 ☕️

Novel killer yeasts and toxins from the gardens of fungus-growing ants | Applied and Environmental Microbiology Attine ants perform essential ecosystem services through the harvesting of substrates for fungiculture. The cultured fungi are a food source for attine ants. Characterizing antifungal toxin-producing yeasts (killer yeasts) is vital to understanding how they might protect gardens from invasion by unwanted fungal species. This study also describes a new toxin named Ksino from the yeast Candida sinolaborantium, a member of a new group of toxins found across many different species of fungi. This work supports the role of killer yeasts in the ecology of fungicultures and competition between fungi. The observed high prevalence of killer yeasts in fungal gardens also enables the discovery of novel antifungal molecules with the potential to be applied against disease-causing fungi.

journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.... new findings in the ant fungus gardens 🐜🍄

When humans create an artificial island, how do fungi colonize this new habitat?

Using the Danish island Peberholm as an experimental system, a recent Fungal Ecology article examines arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal succession on new land. doi.org/10.1016/j.fu...

📷 Wikipedia

In this review in Fungal Ecology, Håvard Kauserud (@drhyfe.bsky.social) argues that while the ITS region is by far the best DNA (meta)barcoding marker for fungi, we should not use it naively or simplistically doi.org/10.1016/j.fu...

Discovery and cultivation of prokaryotic taxa in the age of metagenomics and artificial intelligence Abstract. Despite advances in sequencing, microbial genomics, and cultivation techniques, the vast majority of prokaryotic species remain uncultured, which

Discovery and cultivation of prokaryotic taxa in the age of metagenomics and artificial intelligence

#ISMEJournal from @alexrosado.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

Indigenous laws of nature, from Hankins et al. 2025 Fire Ecology doi.org/10.1186/s424...

Fungal extracellular vesicles mediate conserved cross-species communication and immunomodulation | mBio Currently, no vaccines exist to prevent fungal infections, underscoring the need for new therapies. As fungal diseases increase globally, understanding fungal biology is essential to identifying treat...

Fungal extracellular vesicles mediate conserved cross-species communication and immunomodulation

-in #mBio

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Predation by soil protists shifts bacterial metabolism from competitive to cooperative interactions Many soil protists are bacterivores, yet how protist predation reshapes bacterial metabolic interactions and functions remains poorly understood. Here…

Predation by soil protists shifts bacterial metabolism from competitive to cooperative interactions

-in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social from Wu Xiong (Qirong Shen)
with Stefan Geisen, Alex Jousset

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Circadian-shaped immune variability predicts infection outcome Basal immune state under circadian control predicts infection outcome, and clock gene perturbation shifts survival patterns.

Circadian-shaped immune variability predicts infection outcome

#ScienceAdvances from Alejandro Aballay [@aaballay.bsky.social]

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#ChronoBiology

Wetlands are crucial for water security.

Less than 1% of Earth’s freshwater is usable and most of that is contained in wetlands, including about a third in rivers and lakes.

www.worldwetlandsday.org

#WWD2026 #WetlandsandCulturalHeritage #WorldWetlandsDay2026

Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution position available in Biology Department at Stanford University. Apply by April 1, 2026. (Photo by Rick Morris)
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31606

Risk of maternal death during pregnancy greatly underestimated, study finds A new study comparing deaths of pregnant people and of those who have an abortion show that risk of death due to pregnancy is three times higher than previously estimated.

"Our new analysis shows that it is far more dangerous to be pregnant than to have an abortion, and this gap in mortality risk is even larger than previously recognized.” - lead study author Maria Steenland.
In fact, the mortality risk of pregnancy is 44 to 70 times higher than from abortion.

Global functional shifts in trees driven by alien naturalization and native extinction - Nature Plants This study finds that native tree extinctions and alien naturalizations are pushing forests towards fast-growing, resource-demanding species. This global shift could affect carbon storage and ecosyste...

Fast-growing trees are set to dominate the #forests of the #future — but at a cost🌳
Our Nature Plants (@natplants.nature.com) study shows a global shift toward "sprinter" tree species, while slow-growing, functionally critical #trees face elevated #extinction risk. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Call for applications to the Postdoctoral Positions in the Tri-Institutional Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program (Tri-I MMPTP) at Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University mmptp.mgm.duke.edu