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/...

#microsky #mevosky The UNC Chapel Hill Biology Department is hiring 2 Teaching Assistant/Associate Professors with expertise from any area of biology. Individuals with expertise in microbiology are particularly encouraged to apply. Read more and apply at unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

I read today that 95% of humans are naturally immune to leprosy. I was surprised by this given the historical reference to the disease—it suggests that it’s not just improvements in sanitation, etc that have lead to the decline of the disease. Apparently, psoriasis is rarely observed with leprosy.

@baym.lol, @vscooper.micropopbio.org, and @surtlab.bsky.social I’m especially interested in your thoughts!

Several years ago I performed a meta-analysis. I (mostly) found the papers using a Boolean statement in Web of Science. I’m interested in doing a similar search. How do folks recommend that I do this now? What are your favorite tools to do targeted and systematic literature searches these days?

Spotted on campus: a wasp bringing a stunned cricket to her nest to feed her larvae.

1/35 New paper out! @jamesTstroud and I dive into why long-term studies are crucial for understanding evolution. They reveal processes impossible to detect in short timescales and capture rare events that transform our understanding of evolutionary dynamics.

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

Very pleased to have our review on social evolution in viruses out in JEB last week. The best part of this review was that JEB solicited six commentaries from others in the field. A quick thread on these... (1/n)

#SocialViruses #ViroSky #EvoSky

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

WATCH: Green fire rises up from manhole at Lubbock's Texas Tech Campus; evacuations underway.

Learning about Valley Fever from Dr. Abinash Bhattachan at Science by the Glass sponsored by TTU Climate Center. Thanks to Nashwell Cafe for hosting us and the delicious food.