STCmicrobeblog
@stcmicrobeblog.bsky.social
A blog that aims to share appreciation for the width & depth of microbial activities.
Posts by Christoph, not necessarily the opinion of all team members of Small Things Considered (STC) https://smallthingsconsidered.blog/
Posts by Christoph, not necessarily the opinion of all team members of Small Things Considered (STC) https://smallthingsconsidered.blog/
mille grazie silvia @sbulgheresi.bsky.social for your permission to "borrow" from your fabulous book 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 for this post 🙏
it took so long because we had to repair our website first. this task is not yet over&done, but all entries down to 2017 are available again now.
#MicroSky
it took so long because we had to repair our website first. this task is not yet over&done, but all entries down to 2017 are available again now.
#MicroSky
Lac operon: Wait… what?! Noise in the basement?
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
Lac operon: Wait… what?! Noise in the basement?
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam here! Just ask yourself what you remember without the help of an AI.
smallthingsconsidered.blog
December 1, 2025 at 9:35 AM
mille grazie silvia @sbulgheresi.bsky.social for your permission to "borrow" from your fabulous book 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 for this post 🙏
it took so long because we had to repair our website first. this task is not yet over&done, but all entries down to 2017 are available again now.
#MicroSky
it took so long because we had to repair our website first. this task is not yet over&done, but all entries down to 2017 are available again now.
#MicroSky
Lac operon: Wait… what?! Noise in the basement?
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
Lac operon: Wait… what?! Noise in the basement?
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam here! Just ask yourself what you remember without the help of an AI.
smallthingsconsidered.blog
December 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Lac operon: Wait… what?! Noise in the basement?
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
by Christoph — If you've ever come across the topic of 'gene regulation in bacteria' in your biology classes at high school, college or university, you've inevitably learned about a classic: the lac operon of E. coli. Well, this it's not an exam…
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
New preprint: 🚀🧬 Starship in the genome of the lichen fungus Xanthoria. Discovery of giant transposons Starships challenged what we thought we knew about fungal genomes. But what about Starships in #lichen fungi? Let us present Tangerine! 🖥️ 🧪 🦠 🧫 #SymbioSky doi.org/10.1101/2025...
November 28, 2025 at 2:20 PM
New preprint: 🚀🧬 Starship in the genome of the lichen fungus Xanthoria. Discovery of giant transposons Starships challenged what we thought we knew about fungal genomes. But what about Starships in #lichen fungi? Let us present Tangerine! 🖥️ 🧪 🦠 🧫 #SymbioSky doi.org/10.1101/2025...
(𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪) chromosome replicationists take note 👇 (paper edited by mike o'donnell, so you know where you are)
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Happy to share our most recent work www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... Here we describe how efficient DNA replication in E. coli is dependent on an interaction between SSB-ssDNA and the DNA polymerase (Pol III). Thanks to all the co-authors for their hard work!
Genome integrity relies on rapid recycling of DNA Pol III in bacteria | PNAS
DNA replication requires precise coordination between DNA unwinding and DNA synthesis.
In all domains of life, protein–protein interactions at the ...
www.pnas.org
November 27, 2025 at 7:13 PM
(𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪) chromosome replicationists take note 👇 (paper edited by mike o'donnell, so you know where you are)
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
Excited to share our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com . We uncover hundreds of inhibitory interactions between common chemical pollutants and human gut bacteria. A thread🧵 (1/10) #microbiomesky #microsky @kiranrpatil.bsky.social lab @mrc-tu.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Industrial and agricultural chemicals exhibit antimicrobial activity against human gut bacteria in vitro - Nature Microbiology
Screening of 1,076 compounds reveals 168 chemical pollutants with inhibitory effects on gut bacteria and genetic screens indicate commonality between pollutant and antibiotic resistance.
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Excited to share our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com . We uncover hundreds of inhibitory interactions between common chemical pollutants and human gut bacteria. A thread🧵 (1/10) #microbiomesky #microsky @kiranrpatil.bsky.social lab @mrc-tu.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The cold water tintinnid ciliate Parafavella elegans & some diatoms from the Chukchi Sea last summer- almost the end of the Arctic samples....
November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
chromosome segregationists (euk dept.) take note 👇
#MicroSky
important ...and it's so, so much fun to read!
#MicroSky
important ...and it's so, so much fun to read!
So proud to watch Jana turn a side quest into an entire research programme. Couldn’t imagine a more well-deserved outcome. 😍
The mighty yeast reveals what we believe are general principles of centromere evolution!
Behind the curtain: communities.springernature.com/posts/counti...
#MEvoSky 🧪🌎
The mighty yeast reveals what we believe are general principles of centromere evolution!
Behind the curtain: communities.springernature.com/posts/counti...
#MEvoSky 🧪🌎
November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
chromosome segregationists (euk dept.) take note 👇
#MicroSky
important ...and it's so, so much fun to read!
#MicroSky
important ...and it's so, so much fun to read!
Commitment to Biofilm Formation
Pseudomonas aeruginosa start biofilm formation using mechanosensitive appendages.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa start biofilm formation using mechanosensitive appendages.
Commitment to Biofilm Formation
Pseudomonas aeruginosa start biofilm formation using mechanosensitive appendages.
smallthingsconsidered.blog
November 27, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Commitment to Biofilm Formation
Pseudomonas aeruginosa start biofilm formation using mechanosensitive appendages.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa start biofilm formation using mechanosensitive appendages.
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
Natural and artificial variations of the standard genetic code
Great new review by Julius Lukes & colleagues 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Great new review by Julius Lukes & colleagues 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
November 26, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Natural and artificial variations of the standard genetic code
Great new review by Julius Lukes & colleagues 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Great new review by Julius Lukes & colleagues 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
...has to go to #RNASky 👍
Exciting new preprint from @amibhatt.bsky.social group
'A conserved sRNA regulates mucin adhesion and gut colonization across the Enterococcaceae'
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
'A conserved sRNA regulates mucin adhesion and gut colonization across the Enterococcaceae'
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A conserved sRNA regulates mucin adhesion and gut colonization across the Enterococcaceae
Enterococci, particularly E. faecalis , can survive in diverse settings within and outside human hosts. The capacity of E. faecalis to colonize these locations relies on its ability to adapt by alteri...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 10:57 PM
...has to go to #RNASky 👍
wohoo! FtsZ aficionadas/os take note 👇
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Happy to share a new preprint from the lab: Marko became interested in whether the disordered linker of FtsZ might influence how the protein organizes into the Z-ring. And this led to some surprising findings!
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Charge segregation in the C-terminal linker of FtsZ enables Z-ring scaling with prokaryotic cell width
Bacterial cytokinesis is orchestrated by the Z-ring, a cytoskeletal structure formed by treadmilling filaments of the tubulin-like GTPase FtsZ. During assembly, filament curvature must match the cell ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 10:09 PM
wohoo! FtsZ aficionadas/os take note 👇
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 at 63°C 🔥 sure enough, wheels on fire... and faaast like the ayrton senna of amoebae
November 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘦𝘣𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 at 63°C 🔥 sure enough, wheels on fire... and faaast like the ayrton senna of amoebae
(bacterial) chromosome segregationists & SMC aficionadas/os take note 👇
(stephan, you can bypass the obstacle of tagging your post with #MicroSky yourself, easily. just do it, unhinged 🙂)
(stephan, you can bypass the obstacle of tagging your post with #MicroSky yourself, easily. just do it, unhinged 🙂)
The hinge bypass gate paper is finally out! doi.org/10.1038/s414...
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
We show how loop-extruding SMC complexes can maintain DNA entrapment while bypassing obstacles on DNA — including transcription machinery & potentially other SMCs.
A lucky convergence of 3 projects lead to the initial discovery!
The SMC Hinge is a Selective Gate for Obstacle Bypass - Nature Communications
SMC complexes are ring-shaped motors that fold DNA by extruding loops, but how they navigate large DNA obstacles is unclear. Here, Liu et al., show that SMC complexes bypass obstacles by threading obs...
doi.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:16 PM
(bacterial) chromosome segregationists & SMC aficionadas/os take note 👇
(stephan, you can bypass the obstacle of tagging your post with #MicroSky yourself, easily. just do it, unhinged 🙂)
(stephan, you can bypass the obstacle of tagging your post with #MicroSky yourself, easily. just do it, unhinged 🙂)
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
Every biologist knows the story of Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin. But is it true?
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
The Penicillin Myth
Competing theories seek to explain inconsistencies surrounding Alexander Fleming’s famed discovery.
press.asimov.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Every biologist knows the story of Fleming's chance discovery of penicillin. But is it true?
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
Here, with @asimovpress.bsky.social, I write about inconsistencies in the canonical story, and explore a few alternative theories about what really happened in that St. Mary's lab in the summer of 1928.
ribosomologists (bacteria dept.) take note 👇
Evolutionary Flexibility of Ribosome Biogenesis in Bacteria | Molecular Biology and Evolution | Oxford Academic https://academic.oup.com/mbe/article/42/11/msaf288/8340222?login=false
Evolutionary Flexibility of Ribosome Biogenesis in Bacteria
Abstract. Ribosomes are essential for protein synthesis and require ribosome biogenesis factors for assembly. To uncover the evolutionary diversity of ribo
dx.doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 PM
ribosomologists (bacteria dept.) take note 👇
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
While waiting for a new episode of #MattersMicrobial...I am #TWiMAdjacent once again! With bonus images of Jenny Quinn and her beloved aurora. It was such a fun session! Thanks to everyone at MicrobeTV: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin.
youtu.be/cweU4Nrxwks?...
youtu.be/cweU4Nrxwks?...
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
While waiting for a new episode of #MattersMicrobial...I am #TWiMAdjacent once again! With bonus images of Jenny Quinn and her beloved aurora. It was such a fun session! Thanks to everyone at MicrobeTV: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin.
youtu.be/cweU4Nrxwks?...
youtu.be/cweU4Nrxwks?...
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
do you enjoy traveling to islands? perhaps even volcanic islands? are you interested in microbiology? Then this old STC post might be of interest to you...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Island Stories and Venus's Hair
by Christoph — El Hierro is the last in a row of islands in the Canary archipelago, Atlantic Ocean: the farthest west and farthest south, the smallest, and youngest. Its geographic coordinates 27°…
smallthingsconsidered.blog
November 24, 2025 at 12:14 PM
do you enjoy traveling to islands? perhaps even volcanic islands? are you interested in microbiology? Then this old STC post might be of interest to you...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
The Cost of Forgetting
by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.
by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.
The Cost of Forgetting
by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.
smallthingsconsidered.blog
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM
The Cost of Forgetting
by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.
by Chelsi — Vaccines have made a world that is safer and healthier. But, vaccines have made us comfortable enough to forget.
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
‼️🚨🗓️ CONTAMCALENDAR 2026 🗓️🚨‼️
Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄
Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄
Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
November 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
‼️🚨🗓️ CONTAMCALENDAR 2026 🗓️🚨‼️
Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄
Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄
Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
Reposted by STCmicrobeblog
For the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be effective, the public needs to trust its recommendations. Confidence that policies are being guided by science—not politics—is at the heart of that trust. Our statement: asm.org/press-releas...
November 21, 2025 at 3:51 PM
For the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be effective, the public needs to trust its recommendations. Confidence that policies are being guided by science—not politics—is at the heart of that trust. Our statement: asm.org/press-releas...
🚨Preprint alert - this is a big one! We transfer the revolutionary power of TnSeq to bacteriophages.
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
Our HIDEN-SEQ links the "dark matter" genes of your favorite phage to any selectable phenotype, guiding the path from fun observations to molecular mechanisms.
A thread 1/8
November 21, 2025 at 5:19 PM
My first #AquaticHyphomycetes sample. Lots of photos, no idea about the species yet 😅.
November 20, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Napoleon’s Retreat
Noteworthy — Ancient DNA reveals the likely cause behind the devastating downfall of Napoleon's army as it retreated from Russia in 1812.
Noteworthy — Ancient DNA reveals the likely cause behind the devastating downfall of Napoleon's army as it retreated from Russia in 1812.
Napoleon’s Retreat
Noteworthy — Ancient DNA reveals the likely cause behind the devastating downfall of Napoleon's army as it retreated from Russia in 1812.
smallthingsconsidered.blog
November 20, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Napoleon’s Retreat
Noteworthy — Ancient DNA reveals the likely cause behind the devastating downfall of Napoleon's army as it retreated from Russia in 1812.
Noteworthy — Ancient DNA reveals the likely cause behind the devastating downfall of Napoleon's army as it retreated from Russia in 1812.
Hey folks, we (the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University) are looking for an Assistant Teaching Professor in microbiology and immunology. Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested, or check it out if you are interested yourself!
apply.interfolio.com/176994
apply.interfolio.com/176994
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM