Mike Blazanin
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mikeblazanin.bsky.social
Mike Blazanin
@mikeblazanin.bsky.social
3.5K followers 3.1K following 200 posts
Postdoc with @kayla-king.bsky.social and @sarperotto.bsky.social at UBC. Host-pathogen evolution. C. elegans, phages, and bacterial communities. Modeling and experimental evolution. Microbial and computational methods.

https://mikeblazanin.com/
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Reposted by Mike Blazanin
ecoevolab.bsky.social
Please apply to join the Diversity Committee of the American Society of Naturalists!
www.amnat.org/announcement...
Flyer that says American Society of Naturalists Diversity Committee. The DC works to promote diversity, equity, and inclusiveness to enhance the study of evolution, ecology, and behavior and to foster the career of its developing scientists. We pursue initiatives that support marginalized groups, which include helping to create an inclusive, accessible environment at the Evolution conference, the stand-alone ASN meeting, and our field in general. Apply by November 1. Seeking two new members starting Jan 2026. 3 year term
November 19, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
emmseveri.bsky.social
#microsky #phagesky

Transposon mutagenesis of jumbo #phage using an anti-CRISPR factor as selectable marker

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Bacteriophage genome-wide transposon mutagenesis
Bacteriophages have genomes that span a wide size range, are densely packed with coding sequences, and frequently encode genes of unknown function. Classical forward genetics has defined essential gen...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
teppo-h.bsky.social
We are organising an AMR meeting next spring in Helsinki. Meeting includes evolution of AMR and environmental AMR sessions. Please submit your abstract now! Deadline Dec 1st.
November 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
bbolker.bsky.social
👀 Eco/evo tweeps teaching undergraduate courses ...

Can interactive web apps help biology students become better modellers? Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html Contact [email protected] to receive the survey link.
MEEW
peischllab.github.io
November 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
maitreya.bsky.social
Open faculty position (Assistant or Associate) in UW Medical Genetics. As you might expect, faculty often end up also interacting with Genome Sciences, so we're hoping for some great prospects! Note the clinical requirements for the position. apply.interfolio.com/176466
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
fernpizza.bsky.social
This has been an intense, crazy week. My plasmid competition paper is finally out and we have a new preprint on Bioarxiv! Plus I'm leaving the US after 10 years here. See you soon America! Hello Zurich!!!
baym.lol Michael Baym @baym.lol · 4d
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/...
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 21, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
germusthermophilus.bsky.social
🧫🦠🌍🧬
Alexander Harms group just made TnSeq possible for phages, enabling the possibility to infer functions over different hosts and conditions.

This will revolutionise our toolbox to understand not only phage physiology, but also ecological plasticity!

Congrats @aharms485.bsky.social!
aharms485.bsky.social Alexander Harms @aharms485.bsky.social · 4d
🚨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
November 20, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
contaminatedsci.bsky.social
Another great post from Sasha demonstrating what will ring true to many of us-- our environments include our siblings, making it unlikely that siblings have identical environments.
sashagusevposts.bsky.social Sasha Gusev @sashagusevposts.bsky.social · 3d
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
sashagusevposts.bsky.social
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
elliejameson.bsky.social
I have a PhD position available on freshwater phage pollution, in terms of AMR impact and persistance of phage used in food and agriculture. #PhageSky #MicroSky www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
NERC RED-ALERT CDT: Bacteriophages as river pollutants: determining the impact of phage pollution, with focus on antimicrobial resistance. at Bangor University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - NERC RED-ALERT CDT: Bacteriophages as river pollutants: determining the impact of phage pollution, with focus on antimicrobial resistance. at Bangor University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
michiwagner4.bsky.social
Congratulations @daanspeth.bsky.social and the whole team. GlobDB has already been very helpful for several projects at @cemess.bsky.social, and it will no doubt be a useful resource for many microbiologists around the world. Really glad to see it out there.
November 21, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
pihcanada.org
UBC and SFU PIH chapters are partnering with us to host a Global Health Case Competition — built by students, for students. Happening next Sat, Nov 29th.

If of interest @ubcpress.bsky.social @ccj-ubc.bsky.social @ires.ubc.ca @jwmartens.bsky.social @profterrig.bsky.social @lauraknelson.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
wheezenfeld.bsky.social
Kepler serving up some really sweet science
(not sponsored by Crumbl)
November 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
baym.lol
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/...
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
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
emmseveri.bsky.social
#microsky #phagesky #phage
November 20, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
blekhman.bsky.social
I wrote about the recent autism-microbiome paper, why I think it's the most important microbiome paper this year, and what it says about the field

open.substack.com/pub/blekhman...
The Autism-Microbiome Hypothesis Is Falling Apart
Why this new review paper should be required reading for every microbiome researcher
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
sse-evolution.bsky.social
Did you publish part of your PhD work in @journal-evo.bsky.social or @evolletters.bsky.social this year? Submit your paper for the SSE Presidents’ Award! Up to two recipients will each present an award talk during the virtual portion of #Evol2026 in May. Deadline: January 30. shorturl.at/CnVo6
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution SSE Presidents' Award for Outstanding Dissertation Paper, Deadline January 30. Recent covers of Evolution Letters and Evolution.
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
langridgelab.bsky.social
Another PhD!!

Are you, or someone you know, looking for a PhD, starting in Oct 2026?

Do you like phages, genomes & public health impact?🦠🧬🧩

Wanna work in a cutting edge of science, with some awesome people @quadraminstitute.bsky.social?

Please apply or share by 6 Jan🗓️

#PhDposition #academicsky
PhD Carrying a toxic burden: the continuing spread of “Shiga toxin stx2a”-harbouring phage in E. coli (LANGRIDGE_Q26MMB) 2026/27 | UEA
PhD Carrying a toxic burden: the continuing spread of “Shiga toxin stx2a”-harbouring phage in E. coli (LANGRIDGE_Q26MMB) 2026/27 | UEA
www.uea.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
andrew.heiss.phd
I recently discovered Conventional Comments (conventionalcomments.org) for providing a pseudo-standard set of labels for feedback and just tried it for an article review and it was really helpful to specify issues vs. thoughts vs. suggestions, etc. Hopefully it's helpful for the authors too!
We strongly suggest using the following labels: praise: Praises highlight something positive. Try to leave at least one of these comments per review. Do not leave false praise (which can actually be damaging). Do look for something to sincerely praise. nitpick: Nitpicks are trivial preference-based requests. These should be non-blocking by nature. suggestion: Suggestions propose improvements to the current subject. It’s important to be explicit and clear on what is being suggested and why it is an improvement. Consider using patches and the blocking or non-blocking decorations to further communicate your intent. issue: Issues highlight specific problems with the subject under review. These problems can be user-facing or behind the scenes. It is strongly recommended to pair this comment with a suggestion. If you are not sure if a problem exists or not, consider leaving a question. todo: TODO’s are small, trivial, but necessary changes. Distinguishing todo comments from issues: or suggestions: helps direct the reader’s attention to comments requiring more involvement. question: Questions are appropriate if you have a potential concern but are not quite sure if it’s relevant or not. Asking the author for clarification or investigation can lead to a quick resolution. thought: Thoughts represent an idea that popped up from reviewing. These comments are non-blocking by nature, but they are extremely valuable and can lead to more focused initiatives and mentoring opportunities. chore: Chores are simple tasks that must be done before the subject can be “officially” accepted. Usually, these comments reference some common process. Try to leave a link to the process description so that the reader knows how to resolve the chore. note: Notes are always non-blocking and simply highlight something the reader should take note of.
November 17, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
suegenenoh.bsky.social
If you’ll teach about Adaptation this coming spring, would you be interested in testing whether having an explicitly inclusive activity improves student understanding of the concept? We’re recruiting instructors, please consider joining us!
inclusiveevoedu.bsky.social Resources in Inclusive Evolution Education (RIE2) @inclusiveevoedu.bsky.social · 7d
TL;DR We're looking for biology/evolution instructors in the US and Canada to test the impacts of inclusive evolutionary biology educational materials on undergraduate learning (you will be compensated). Pasting the official recruitment info in thread below. sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
ellinoralseth.bsky.social
Very happy to see this piece out in @plosbiology.org, on the bacterial immune systems and microbial communities. It was a great team effort with Rafael Custodio, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social , @brownlab.bsky.social, and Edze Westra! 🦠🧫 #phagesky #mevosky

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Bacterial immune systems as causes and consequences of microbiome structure
Bacterial immune systems have evolved in response to diverse molecular "parasites", yet their ecological roles remain poorly understood. This Essay explores how interactions between mobile genetic ele...
journals.plos.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
yawaguchi.bsky.social
I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/

Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
PhyloWeaver – Interactive phylogenetic tree editor
Edit and visualize phylogenetic trees directly in your browser. PhyloWeaver lets you interactively rearrange tree topologies and export high-quality figures for publications and presentations.
yawak.jp
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
mattansb.msbstats.info
The default prior for the intercept in both {rstanarm} and {brms} are very wide.

Counterintuitively - being on the logit scale, this is actually translates to a **strong** prior that p(y=1) is near 1 or near 0.

Always check your priors!

#rstats
November 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
jcatchen.bsky.social
I am recruiting graduate students to my genomics-focused lab in EEB at Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Please spread the word if you know any students with an interest in a computational focus to genomics research! evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...
https://evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldir/GradStudentPositions//UIllinois.EEB.Genomics
The Catchen Lab (https://catchenlab.life.illinois.edu/), in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is recruiting graduate students to join...
evol.mcmaster.ca
November 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by Mike Blazanin
aliceschwarze.bsky.social
My radical edu take: LLMs devalue knowledge retrieval, so the 3 most important skills to learn in school now are

1. identifying high-qualilty information from the rest,
2. making good decisions in an oversaturated information environment
3. understanding the difference between data and knowledge
November 18, 2025 at 5:44 PM