Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jesse Shapiro

@bjesseshapiro.bsky.social

1.7K followers 710 following 400 posts

Macrobe qui aime les microbes http://www.shapirolab.ca/

Jesse M. Shapiro is an American economist who has served as the George Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration at Harvard University since 2022. He was previously the George S. and Nancy B. Parker Professor of Economics at Brown University from 2015 to 2019, and the Eastman Professor of Political Economy at Brown from 2019 to 2021. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2021. .. more

Economics 40%

Political science 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · Jul 1

One of my favourite serendipitous results from the lab came about because we were long-read sequencing bacterial:

Vibrio cholerae, which is "supposed to" have TWO circular chromosomes (3 + 1 million base pairs) often has just ONE fused chromosome (4 Mbp).

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

(1/n)

Prevalent chromosome fusion in Vibrio cholerae O1 - Nature Communications

The pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae typically has two circular chromosomes. Here, Cuénod et al. analyse 467 clinical isolates and identify several independent chromosome fusion events that are li...

www.nature.com

4 53 140

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Simon Roux

Professor Lesley Hoyles @bugsinyourguts.bsky.social · 4h

Very cool phage study from @jeremyjbarr.bsky.social's lab.

Isolation, engineering and ecology of temperate phages from the human gut
#microbiomesky #phagesky

Isolation, engineering and ecology of temperate phages from the human gut - Nature

Human host-associated cellular products may act as induction agents for bacteriophages.

www.nature.com

5 4

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 1d

Montreal scene

A mural of road cycling racers and the inclined tower of the Olympic stadium are illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun. In the foreground, orange cones casually delimit an intersection under construction.

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Smith

Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · 1d

We are recruiting new faculty in IMES at MIT!

IMES (Institute for Medical Engineering and Science) is the MIT home of the famous HST program. As faculty are also appointed in a department at MIT, we have diverse research programs, all focused on human health.

faculty-searches.mit.edu/imes-search/

MIT Faculty Searches MIT INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE FACULTY SEARCH

faculty-searches.mit.edu

18 9

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Simon Roux, Mart Krupovìč

Frédérique Le Roux @fredoleroux.bsky.social · 3d

Phages evolve fast, or do they?
In oysters, some stay identical for years.
With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements.
Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Ecological constraints foster both extreme viral-host lineage stability and mobile element diversity in a marine community

Phages are typically viewed as very rapidly evolving biological entities. Little is known, however, about whether and how phages can establish long-term genetic stability. We addressed this eco-evolut...

www.biorxiv.org

1 48 81

Reposted by Ben C. Sheldon, Jesse M. Shapiro, Elena Litchman , and 1 more Ben C. Sheldon, Jesse M. Shapiro, Elena Litchman, Alan McNally

Michael Brockhurst @brockhurstlab.bsky.social · 6d

Three Bicentenary research fellowships on offer at @officialuom.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social for exceptional ECRs with <3y postdoc experience

3yrs salary + £30k pa research expenses

Do you have a great idea & want to join @mermanchester.bsky.social?

www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/sup...

Bicentenary Early Career Research Fellowships | Biology, Medicine and Health | University of Manchester

Find out about and apply for a Bicentenary Early Career Research Fellowship.

www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk

39 21

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 6d

Reading the acknowledgments section of my student's PhD thesis...

a man in a blue jacket is crying and says " are you crying "

ALT: a man in a blue jacket is crying and says " are you crying "

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 6d

Meanwhile in Canada, there have been more reported measles cases in Alberta (cases: 1,923; population: ~5M) than reported in all of the US this year (cases: 1,563, population: ~340M).

Consequence: "The Americas region is at risk of losing its measles-free status..."

globalnews.ca/news/1146683...

Measles, Canada... 1,923 cases total

https://www.alberta.ca/measles

1 3 6

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Craig MacLean @craigmaclean.bsky.social · 6d

New pre-print www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Plasmid-dependent phage (PDPs) are ubiquitous, but the selective pressures that they impose on plasmids are not well understood. Project led by Daniel Cazares in collaboration with @brockhurstlab.bsky.social!
#phagesky#microsky

Trade-offs between phage resistance and conjugative ability shape the ecological and evolutionary response of a multidrug resistance plasmid to plasmid-dependent phage

Phage therapy is a promising alternative to antibiotics to treat multidrug resistant infections. Plasmid dependent phages (PDPs) are particularly attractive as therapeutics because they can both kill ...

www.biorxiv.org

1 28 50

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 7d

Bon conseil ;)

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 7d

Would love to. Let’s keep in touch.

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 8d

Around Montpellier! Exact location TBA, depends on the quality of local bike routes ;)

1 1

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 8d

Fall 2026 to summer 2027! Want to come visit? Will you be nearby?

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 8d

Sabbatical planning: step 1.

A photo of a cycling map of France on a table beside a glass of beer on a table in a bar.

3 38

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

John Dennehy @drjdennehy.bsky.social · 8d

www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

New entry into the Disability in Ecology and Evolution series in TREE featuring me :)

Disability in ecology and evolution

In this TrendsTalk series 'Disability in ecology and evolution' in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, we will be hearing from people about their experiences being disabled in ecology and evolution. We a...

www.cell.com

6 18

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Danny Dorling, Juan Rocha

Julie Talbot @julietalbot.bsky.social · 9d

My department @geographieudem.bsky.social is looking for a professor in human geography specializing in the study of social-ecological transformations, political ecology, climate change, environmental justice and/or the geography of risks and infrastructures. Deadline November 10, share widely!

Glass buildings with a paved path in between (gray, with blue lines)

2 9 9

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Dave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · 9d

Here’s published version of our manuscript using GWAS to investigate tailocin sensitivity in Pseudomonas syringae. TL:DR pretty clear LPS is tailocin receptor but also that P.syringae often completely swaps out its entire O antigen biosynth pathway w/ recombination

academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...

Genomic correlates of tailocin sensitivity in Pseudomonas syringae

Abstract. Phage-derived bacteriocins, also referred to as tailocins, are structures encoded by bacterial genomes and deployed into the extracellular enviro

academic.oup.com

1 11 35

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Simon Roux, José R. Penadés , and 1 more Jesse M. Shapiro, Simon Roux, José R. Penadés, Alan McNally

Michael Brockhurst @brockhurstlab.bsky.social · 9d

New preprint!

Ever wondered why only a fraction of genomes encode CRISPR immunity? 🧬 🦠

Turns out CRISPR is rarely beneficial against virulent phages, being most beneficial against those for which resistance mutations are rare!

An epic effort by Rosanna Wright

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Resistance mutation supply modulates the benefit of CRISPR immunity against virulent phages

Only a fraction of bacterial genomes encode CRISPR-Cas systems but the selective causes of this variation are unexplained. How naturally virulent bacteriophages (phages) select for CRISPR immunity has...

www.biorxiv.org

3 46 92

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 12d

Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness

Pseudomonas aeruginosa VS Pf phage

@currentbiology.bsky.social by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, @shellyscrib.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org

www.cell.com/current-biol...

#PhageSky

Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness

Kubota et al. show that bacteria can use their filamentous phage to outcompete other bacteria, but increased phage production enables the evolution of cheater miniphages with truncated genomes. Miniph...

www.cell.com

9 27

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 14d

Sad news: Jane Goodall has died. She did more than any other human for our understanding and appreciation of our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.

That chimpanzees are Endangered tells you everything about our species and about what made her so exceptional.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91

www.nytimes.com

1 21 90

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 15d

Hello October!

A corner grocery store with a plethora of pumpkins spilling out on the sidewalk, draped with fake cobwebs and other Halloween decorations.

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

McGill Centre for Microbiome Research @mcgill-microbiome.bsky.social · 15d

The McGill Centre for Microbiome Research is hosting a mini-symposium Oct 21! Microbiome and Pain: Unraveling the Gut-Brain connection. Sign up for a great morning of student talks, networking and a keynote from Dr. David Bulmer! www.eventbrite.ca/e/microbiome...

Microbiome and Pain: Unraveling the Gut-Brain connection

Join us for this co-hosted half-day seminar with the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain. Keynote speaker: Dr David Bulmer.

www.eventbrite.ca

3 2

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, José R. Penadés

Craig MacLean @craigmaclean.bsky.social · 15d

New pre-print
Competition between phage constrains adaptation to thermal fluctuating temperatures.
More work led by Sam Greenrod in collaboration with @kayla-king.bsky.social lab.
#Phagesky#Microsky

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

www.biorxiv.org

1 11 14

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

Fabrice Jean-Pierre @fabricejpierre.bsky.social · 15d

Plus que 10 jours avant la fin des soumissions des résumés pour le BiSP qui aura lieu le 5-6 novembre 2025 à l'Université de Sherbrooke. Nous aurons aussi la chance de recevoir @lalouxlab.bsky.social et @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social

Partagez! @micrhub.bsky.social

event.fourwaves.com/bispmicrhubs...

BiSP - MicrHub

Fourwaves - BiSP - MicrHub

event.fourwaves.com

4 4

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 19d

I can send photos next week. And DNA extracts if you want.

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 19d

Yep. Evidence for kin selection in action.

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 19d

How did you get into our shared office kitchen without card access Willem?!

1 1 4

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 20d

Leaky pipes, happy trees!

www.montrealgazette.com/news/article...

Jesse Shapiro @bjesseshapiro.bsky.social · 20d

Wow, superb thread Zam! I think we have our journal club paper for next week =)

1 3

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Simon Roux, José R. Penadés

Zamin Iqbal @zaminiqbal.bsky.social · 20d

Delighted to see our paper studying the evolution of plasmids over the last 100 years, now out! Years of work by Adrian Cazares, also Nick Thomson @sangerinstitute.bsky.social - this version much improved over the preprint. Final version should be open access, apols.
Thread 1/n

14 150 300

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro

The Carlson Lab @ Yale @carlsonlab.bsky.social · 20d

🚨 We're about to start reviewing applications, but there's still time to reach out for our postdoc position on climate change impact attribution! If you have experience with attribution science or climate epidemiology, and want to help us launch the Global Burden of Climate Change Study, reach out!

13 10