Somerset Wu

A global survey of taxa-metabolic associations across mouse microbiome communities Yilmaz et al. provide a global atlas of murine microbiota and their species variants across many vivaria and wild colonies. By integrating strain-resolved metagenomics, metabolomics, and structural an...

Weekend read:
Global survey of mouse microbiomes—a path to strengthening collaborative science

Searchable resource of microbiome composition variability across numerous murine vivaria & wild mouse colonies w/ insights on taxa-metabolic associations.
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

The paradox of immune systems conservation between prokaryotes and eukaryotes Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 05 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-026-01284-0The widespread prokaryotic immune systems, in particular restriction–modification, CRISPR–Cas and defensive toxin–antitoxin systems, are absent in eukaryotes, whereas relatively rare ones, such as Argonautes and antiviral STAND NTPases, became central to eukaryotic innate immunity. In this Comment, we hypothesize that the cause of this paradox is the drastic reduction of horizontal gene transfer rate in eukaryotes.

New online! The paradox of immune systems conservation between prokaryotes and eukaryotes

Adsorption–microbial integration pioneers sustainable phosphorus cycle - Nature Water Escalating phosphorus pollution and depleting reserves necessitate sustainable control and recovery strategies. Here the authors develop a microbially enhanced La–Zr-loaded basalt system that achieves...

A new Article in Nature Water by Tianming Wu and colleagues introduces a microbially enhanced La–Zr-loaded basalt system, achieving over 90% phosphorus removal and recovery. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Modeling human embryo implantation in vitro Building an in vitro model of receptive endometrium allows investigation of human embryo implantation and early post-implantation development and recapitulates the earliest stages in establishing the ...

An in vitro platform for studying human embryo implantation. This looks like it could be a pretty big deal, if indeed it's a good model.
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...?

Walz: "Do you have no decency? We have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever. I don't want to be right about this, but I said if they do this they're gonna create a chaotic situation where someone innocent is gonna get killed. And they did it."

I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.

She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.

A CLOCK-targeting lncRNA induces trained immunity against tuberculosis Yu et al. discover that TRCR1, a tuberculosis resister-derived exosomal lncRNA, induces trained immunity via CLOCK-mediated epigenetic reprogramming. They show that mycobacterial protein MPT53 prompts...

lncRNA induces trained immunity against TB:

Exosomal lncRNA TRCR1 derived from Mtb resisters induces trained immunity via CLOCK-mediated epigenetic reprogramming. Mycobacterial MPT53 induces release of TRCR1+ exosomes. TRCR1 boosts immunity & BCG efficacy
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

Online now: Cooperative boron-copper catalysis unlocks alkyl radicals from amines

Atmospheric-pressure ammonia synthesis on AuRu catalysts enabled by plasmon-controlled hydrogenation and nitrogen-species desorption - Nature Energy Conventional ammonia synthesis is energy intensive. Here the authors explore the mechanism of light-driven ammonia synthesis through in situ spectroscopy and modelling, and demonstrate that certain AuRu plasmonic alloys are promising catalysts for this potentially more sustainable process.

New research explores the mechanism of light-driven ammonia synthesis and demonstrates Au-Ru plasmonic alloys as promising catalysts.

Trump orders oil tankers blockade in Venezuela, labels Maduro regime a "terrorist" group The escalation exerts unprecedented pressure on the Maduro regime, threatening to bankrupt Venezuela's already struggling economy.

The blockade of Venezuela is a disgusting echo of U.S. imperialism in Latin America. We were lied to about Iraq and WMDs, and an entire generation paid the price.

Here we are again.

We cannot let a wannabe dictator drag us into another forever war.

www.axios.com/2025/12/17/t...

I’ll block everyone on LinkedIn who works in Palantir. Don’t connect with me.

MacKenzie Scott: *donates $50M every 10 hours°

Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir: "I want to see people hang"

@seisydney.bsky.social @aseh.bsky.social @aussts.bsky.social @aehhub.bsky.social

Pleased to see (thanks to Heekyong Burge) my latest book There Is No Such Thing as Western Science: The Challenge from Postcolonial Science and Technology Studies, collected and translated by Jongsik Yi (Wonju: Eum, 2025) - available in good Korean bookstores. Not in English!
#STS #histstm #histsci

Get Primed on #Leishmaniasis with our NEW PrimeView! FREE to download this week! https://www.nature.c...

How to fix genetic ‘nonsense’: versatile gene-editing tool could tackle a host of diseases Synthetic RNA molecules can program cells to ignore DNA mutations that interfere with protein production.

The method might one day overcome a key stumbling block faced by gene-editing therapies: the need to design a bespoke treatment for each disease

go.nature.com/4a0QoQ6

Yikes yikes yikes 😟

RFK Jr.’s Miasma Theory of Health Is Spreading The NIH is picking up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s argument that a healthy immune system can keep even pandemic germs at bay.

“Miasma theory” stages a comeback in the United States

Deep sigh 😮‍💨

www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/...

Bro I got off from the waitlist to the Marine Geochemistry class

Celebrating 🥳🎉

Really wish I had gotten a better shot of this but holding a phone that says “who else was just ‘following orders’?” up to a riot cop is hard as hell

Global dust impacts on biogeochemical cycles and climate Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Published online: 11 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s43017-025-00734-2Aeolian dust deposition can deliver nutrients that fuel primary production in remote ocean regions. This Review considers how dust sources and nutrient composition, in addition to dust flux, have potentially impacted ocean productivity, carbon burial and climate over the past 7 Myr.

New online! Global dust impacts on biogeochemical cycles and climate

I’m in the front row🗣️🗣️🗣️

The weathiest country in the world doesn't mean a thing if it won’t feed its own people.

He said that the agents would throw food at them to eat. The agents threatened to withhold food for a week and to beat him up if he didn't sign deportation papers. He said he saw others refuse and get beaten/receive no food. He signed because he was afraid.

book on shelf: „making kin with trees“ by solvejg nitzke. black and white image shows trees behind a large wall (are they tying to say hello? can we know what they are saying?)

look what i got in the mail! congrats to @nitzkesolvejg.bsky.social

DNA reference reagents isolate biases in microbiome profiling: a global multi-lab study | mSystems This benchmark paper highlights the true level of variability in microbiome data across the world and across sectors, underscoring the critical need for the use of WHO International DNA Gut Reference ...

🚨Paper alert! DNA reference reagents isolate biases in microbiome profiling: a global multi-lab study | mSystems journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

If it’s not okay to be anti-fascism anymore, is it still okay to be pro-democracy? 🤔

Roberta Perkins: Sex Work, Feminism, and the Dawn of Transgender Activism in 1980s Australia In the 1980s, Australia witnessed the rise of its first transgender advocacy organisations. The most radical and pathbreaking of these was the Sydney-based Australian Transsexual Association (ATA)....

I am so happy to announce that my first peer-reviewed research paper is finally out! It is open access, so please have a read and let me know your thoughts!

Thank you so much to the lovely people at Australian Feminist Studies.

doi.org/10.1080/0816...

#AcademicSky #FeministSky #queeracademia