Jennifer DeBruyn
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jdebruyn.bsky.social
Jennifer DeBruyn
@jdebruyn.bsky.social
Educator and explorer of microbes' mighty work on our planet. Prof @ University of Tennessee, opinions my own.
It's a symphony of microbial processes that break down a human body after death. Expression of heat shock proteins shows the decomposers experiencing stress. It also seems that fungi, not bacteria, may be breaking down our fat tissues. Read more in our latest pub: doi.org/10.1093/fems...
January 16, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Jennifer DeBruyn
Such a great team that included @sullivan-lab.bsky.social , @ab-knox.bsky.social, @jdebruyn.bsky.social, Debbie Lindell and so many amazing staff and students. And yes - still more to come from this project.

artsci.utk.edu/ut-research-...
UT Research Shows Viral Impact on Ocean Oxygen - College of Arts and Sciences
An international research team unveils how viral lysis of blue-green algae in the Sargasso Sea enhances ecosystem-scale productivity. Newly published interdisciplinary research led by the University o...
artsci.utk.edu
January 12, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by Jennifer DeBruyn
Paper jointly first-authored by two outstanding early career scientists:

Naomi Gilbert
scholar.google.com/citations?us...
&
Daniel Muratore
scholar.google.com/citations?us...

and a collaborative group spanning UT-Knoxville, UMD, Georgia Tech, Ohio State & Technion.

Welcome any/all feedback!

/🧵
January 12, 2026 at 7:58 PM
How long do the effects of a decomposing animal last? Nine years after decomposing a colony of beavers, aka beaverhenge, we revisit the scene to find out.
August 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM
A rainbow of soil profiles at the "Know Soil, Know Life" educator workshop, hosted by U of Minnesota
August 5, 2025 at 3:10 PM
An awesome example of collaboration between citizen scientists and academic researchers here in our local community!
July 23, 2025 at 7:27 PM