Elinne Becket, PhD
@bielleogy.bsky.social
Assoc Prof @CSUSM | 🦠⇄🦠 MGEs & coastal metagenomes | #BlueSoup 🥣🧬 🧫 | R1→Biotech→PUI | Protective mama bear of students | She/Her
Pinned
Ok I'm outing myself here but there was forgotten beef soup in our fridge we just cleaned it out and it was BLUE?!?!? Wtf contam would make it blue??? Like BRIGHT blue!! 🤢🤮 Even w/ all my years in micro I'm not handling this well.
All important #BlueSoup updates, from me or Sebastian, will be added in line with the original thread here (it's run a little long so you need to click "show replies" at the bottom):
I broke the cardinal restroom rule: I went into the stall right next to someone despite all other stalls being available, because I like the toilet flush better on that one.
December 2, 2025 at 8:49 PM
I broke the cardinal restroom rule: I went into the stall right next to someone despite all other stalls being available, because I like the toilet flush better on that one.
On one hand, I'm annoyed at myself for spending the evening proofing my students' posters. On the other hand, they're SO PRETTYYYYY.
December 2, 2025 at 8:17 AM
On one hand, I'm annoyed at myself for spending the evening proofing my students' posters. On the other hand, they're SO PRETTYYYYY.
A thing I'm seeing pop up on a lot of letter of rec portals this cycle: to have the recommender rank the "English language proficiency (if Non-native speaker)".
Like.......
Like.......
December 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
A thing I'm seeing pop up on a lot of letter of rec portals this cycle: to have the recommender rank the "English language proficiency (if Non-native speaker)".
Like.......
Like.......
I am someone who uses the word "delve" and uses em dashes in my writing - and thanks to the proliferation of AI I have to change my writing style to make it seem like it's my own words.
November 30, 2025 at 7:31 PM
I am someone who uses the word "delve" and uses em dashes in my writing - and thanks to the proliferation of AI I have to change my writing style to make it seem like it's my own words.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
An important lesson I learned during my PhD training was "just because something makes sense, it doesn't mean it's correct", which is so important for a scientist (and for a person in general).
November 29, 2025 at 4:32 AM
An important lesson I learned during my PhD training was "just because something makes sense, it doesn't mean it's correct", which is so important for a scientist (and for a person in general).
Uh ohhhhhh guess what day it is?? 😃🥰
a woman in a santa claus outfit is standing in the snow and says `` it 's time '' .
Alt: Mariah Carey in a santa claus outfit is standing in the snow and says `` it 's time '' .
media.tenor.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Uh ohhhhhh guess what day it is?? 😃🥰
Turkey Trot 2025! Gorgeous and fun start to the holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Especially on years like this one, I'm so grateful to all the kind, generous people on here that bring joy and goodness to our days 🫶
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Especially on years like this one, I'm so grateful to all the kind, generous people on here that bring joy and goodness to our days 🫶
November 27, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Turkey Trot 2025! Gorgeous and fun start to the holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Especially on years like this one, I'm so grateful to all the kind, generous people on here that bring joy and goodness to our days 🫶
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Especially on years like this one, I'm so grateful to all the kind, generous people on here that bring joy and goodness to our days 🫶
In helping my students polish their personal statements, I decided to pull mine up from when I applied to grad school and 🫣🫣🫣 criiinnnnnnnnggggggeeeeeee
November 27, 2025 at 7:16 AM
In helping my students polish their personal statements, I decided to pull mine up from when I applied to grad school and 🫣🫣🫣 criiinnnnnnnnggggggeeeeeee
Current mood on the professor group chat
November 26, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Current mood on the professor group chat
Been trying to read this book loaned to me by @cawatran.bsky.social for months but ironically too distracted to finish it 🤣
November 26, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Been trying to read this book loaned to me by @cawatran.bsky.social for months but ironically too distracted to finish it 🤣
UCI is always my favorite school to submit letters of rec to. Click link, drag file, type name, click submit, DONE!
November 25, 2025 at 5:46 AM
UCI is always my favorite school to submit letters of rec to. Click link, drag file, type name, click submit, DONE!
When you have 5 research students applying for PhD programs in one cycle 😵💫 Soooooo proud of them but 😵💫😵💫
November 25, 2025 at 5:15 AM
When you have 5 research students applying for PhD programs in one cycle 😵💫 Soooooo proud of them but 😵💫😵💫
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
Can we *please* stop rewarding bullying behavior in academic social media?
November 23, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Can we *please* stop rewarding bullying behavior in academic social media?
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
@bielleogy.bsky.social Happy Sunday! @‘ing you in case the spreadsheet below may be of use.
hey everyone! i made a list of some useful starter packs (primarily biology/earth sciences with a few bonus things thrown in) to share with friends who have joined bsky in the last week and thought it may be useful for some people here too! 🌍🧪 #SciSky #BioSky docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Starter packs
BIOLOGY Ecology Macroecology https://go.bsky.app/GBn9pNZ Global ecology https://go.bsky.app/V6tN4cv Trait based ecology and evolution https://go.bsky.app/PThMXeX Invasion biology https://go.b...
docs.google.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
@bielleogy.bsky.social Happy Sunday! @‘ing you in case the spreadsheet below may be of use.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
#microsky #phagesky #phage
Anyone who’s tried deleting prophages in the lab by HR knows the difficulties of the task. Here we have an example of how HR-mediated natural transformation might hit the same hurdle in a more native context.
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Anyone who’s tried deleting prophages in the lab by HR knows the difficulties of the task. Here we have an example of how HR-mediated natural transformation might hit the same hurdle in a more native context.
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Chromosomal Curing Drives an Arms Race Between Bacterial Transformation and Prophage
Abstract. Transformation occurs when bacteria import exogenous DNA via the competence machinery and integrate it into their genome through homologous recom
academic.oup.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:39 PM
#microsky #phagesky #phage
Anyone who’s tried deleting prophages in the lab by HR knows the difficulties of the task. Here we have an example of how HR-mediated natural transformation might hit the same hurdle in a more native context.
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Anyone who’s tried deleting prophages in the lab by HR knows the difficulties of the task. Here we have an example of how HR-mediated natural transformation might hit the same hurdle in a more native context.
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
There are few things that frustrate me more than moving goalposts. Laziness or bad planning (or both) means more work falls on other people.
November 22, 2025 at 12:04 AM
There are few things that frustrate me more than moving goalposts. Laziness or bad planning (or both) means more work falls on other people.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
Calculating fast differential genome coverages among metagenomic sources using micov www.nature.com/articles/s42... #jcampubs
Calculating fast differential genome coverages among metagenomic sources using micov - Communications Biology
micov computes coverage breadth across genomes and samples. Its application in metagenomics highlights strain heterogeneity, uncovers associations linking genetic elements to phenotypic traits, and ai...
www.nature.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Calculating fast differential genome coverages among metagenomic sources using micov www.nature.com/articles/s42... #jcampubs
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
Looking forward to today’s @calstate.bsky.social Bioinformatics Webinar, featuring the awesome @catalicu.bsky.social! Do join us at noon Pacific via Zoom. Deets in the flyer.
November 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Looking forward to today’s @calstate.bsky.social Bioinformatics Webinar, featuring the awesome @catalicu.bsky.social! Do join us at noon Pacific via Zoom. Deets in the flyer.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
proGenomes4: providing 2 million accurately and consistently annotated high-quality prokaryotic genomes academic.oup.com/nar/advance-... #jcampubs
proGenomes4: providing 2 million accurately and consistently annotated high-quality prokaryotic genomes
Abstract. The pervasive availability of publicly available microbial genomes has opened many new avenues for microbiology research, yet it also demands rob
academic.oup.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
proGenomes4: providing 2 million accurately and consistently annotated high-quality prokaryotic genomes academic.oup.com/nar/advance-... #jcampubs
PSA: When you're at a conference, especially one like ABRCMS, and you feel the need to tell a student at their poster that their work is shit, maybe, I dunno, kick rocks???
What is wrong with people.
What is wrong with people.
November 21, 2025 at 5:36 AM
PSA: When you're at a conference, especially one like ABRCMS, and you feel the need to tell a student at their poster that their work is shit, maybe, I dunno, kick rocks???
What is wrong with people.
What is wrong with people.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
What’s the most significant advice you received from a teacher?
I had a Geology prof who always said “have strong opinions, loosely held”
Be passionate, assess alternatives with conviction, take sides. But don’t fall so in love with your opinions that you can’t change them with better data.
I had a Geology prof who always said “have strong opinions, loosely held”
Be passionate, assess alternatives with conviction, take sides. But don’t fall so in love with your opinions that you can’t change them with better data.
November 21, 2025 at 12:54 AM
What’s the most significant advice you received from a teacher?
I had a Geology prof who always said “have strong opinions, loosely held”
Be passionate, assess alternatives with conviction, take sides. But don’t fall so in love with your opinions that you can’t change them with better data.
I had a Geology prof who always said “have strong opinions, loosely held”
Be passionate, assess alternatives with conviction, take sides. But don’t fall so in love with your opinions that you can’t change them with better data.
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
Deep-sea viral diversity and their role in host metabolism of complex organic matter www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
Deep-sea viral diversity and their role in host metabolism of complex organic matter - Nature Communications
Roles of viruses in deep-sea ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, the authors use metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to profile DNA and RNA viruses in deep-sea sediments showing that these viruse...
www.nature.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Deep-sea viral diversity and their role in host metabolism of complex organic matter www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
Reposted by Elinne Becket, PhD
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...