Brian D. Wade
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astrobrian.bsky.social
Brian D. Wade
@astrobrian.bsky.social
1.2K followers 920 following 550 posts
Father, husband, and scientist. Interested in astrobiology, evolution, microbes, and all things space exploration. he/him/his
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astrobrian.bsky.social
Biomedical and life science articles by female researchers spend longer under review
#academicSky #scienceSky

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Biomedical and life science articles by female researchers spend longer under review
Women are underrepresented in academia, especially in STEMM fields, at top institutions, and in senior positions. This study analyzes millions of biomedical and life science articles, revealing that f...
journals.plos.org
February 15, 2026 at 12:36 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Of course they are...

www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/w...
Trump admin is pulling supercomputers out of key weather research center | CNN
A leading American research lab is slated to lose its critical supercomputing facility, according to a letter released Thursday by the National Science Foundation.
www.cnn.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:39 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now? An anthropologist explains that humans actually are still evolving.
#evolution #HumanEvolution #evoSky

theconversation.com/if-evolution...
If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now? An anthropologist explains that humans actually are still evolving
We are indeed still evolving, though it can be hard to tell because it happens over generations and often involves things you can’t see, such as what foods different people are able to digest.
theconversation.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:39 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Prebiotic Gels as the Cradle of Life
#OriginsOfLife

chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Prebiotic Gels as the Cradle of Life
The figure illustrates a prebiotic gel on the early Earth's surface, serving as a platform where chemical evolution toward life is presumed to occur.
chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:22 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
#OriginsOfLife #RNAworld

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
plos.org
PLOS Ecosystems is open for submissions 🌱

A selective, open access journal for impactful research across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

🔗 Shape the future of ecosystems research: plos.io/4tu6qJD
February 13, 2026 at 5:15 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Happy birthday to two giants of history: Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln!
They were even born in the same year, 1809.
#OTD #history
February 12, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
kacarlab.bsky.social
Latest work! 🧬

We uncover how evolution of translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) extensions links translation to bacterial stress response. We map 7 structural architectures & show how terminal extensions are enriched in intrinsic disorder & phase-separation features.

Link: doi.org/10.64898/202...
February 11, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
adamgrant.bsky.social
The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.
August 29, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
ricardsole.bsky.social
Why did consciousness evolve at all? A superb special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org brings together experts across disciplines to explore the functions of consciousness and why it emerged in some species but not others. @tecumsehfitch.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
February 8, 2026 at 12:47 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Aerobic metabolism might have evolved before the Great Oxidation Event.
#AncientEarth #scienceSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Molecular clock evidence for an Archean diversification of heme-copper oxygen reductase enzymes
Age estimates for the emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis derived from molecular clock analyses reach back to the Archean, substantially predating ge…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:22 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
I know science can’t fix the world — here’s why I do it anyway
#scienceSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I know science can’t fix the world — here’s why I do it anyway
The world faces energy shortages as fossil fuels are phased out. Research can’t go on as normal.
www.nature.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:08 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Synthesizing scientific literature with retrieval-augmented language models
#academicSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Synthesizing scientific literature with retrieval-augmented language models - Nature
A specialized, open-source, retrieval-augmented language model is introduced for answering scientific queries and synthesizing literature, the responses of which are shown to be preferred by human eva...
www.nature.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:05 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Does the Measured Abundance Suggest a Biological Origin for the Ancient Alkanes Preserved in a Martian Mudstone?
#Mars #astrobiology

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Does the Measured Abundance Suggest a Biological Origin for the Ancient Alkanes Preserved in a Martian Mudstone? - Alexander A. Pavlov, Caroline Freissinet, Daniel P. Glavin, Christopher H. House, Jen...
The measured abundance (30–50 ppb) of long-chain (C10–C12) alkanes and their possible carboxylic acid precursors found in the ancient Cumberland mudstone in Gal...
journals.sagepub.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
kacarlab.bsky.social
New collaborative paper! ⚡

Hannah Feinsibler et al. show that synthetic FeS, FeNiS, and NiS compounds catalyze H+ and nitrate reduction under hydrothermal-vent–like conditions, supporting mineral precursors to enzymes like hydrogenases and nitrogenases! #astrobiology

chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10....
Nitrate and Proton Reduction Catalyzed by Iron-and Nickel-Sulfides under Conditions Simulating Hydrothermal Vents | ChemRxiv
The reduction of small molecules, such as protons (H +), nitrate (NO3-), and nitrite (NO2-) to dihydrogen (H2) and ammonium (NH4 +) are essential reactions for life. Extant enzymes such as hydrogenase, nitrogenase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase ...
chemrxiv.org
February 6, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
kacarlab.bsky.social
New paper! Why are some Nitrogen fixing microbes more complex?

@msobol.bsky.social et al. find that microbes with more N2-fixation genes have larger, more versatile genomes, showing how changing environments shaped this key metabolism!

> academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... @isme-microbes.bsky.social
Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats
Abstract. From its earliest beginnings, life’s expansion into new habitats has been profoundly shaped by its reciprocal interactions with Earth’s changing
academic.oup.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
kacarlab.bsky.social
What happened before the last universal common ancestor? Pre-LUCA evolution is hard to study. In our new Cell Genomics Perspective we spotlight how paralogous proteins open a window onto the deepest chapters of evolution. 🧬🌍

Out today!

--> www.cell.com/cell-genomic... @cellpress.bsky.social
Universal paralogs provide a window into evolution before the last universal common ancestor
Universal paralog protein families form due to gene duplications that occurred prior to the last universal common ancestor of life. This perspective describes how these protein families offer valuable...
www.cell.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:39 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Intercalated bacterial #biofilms are intrinsic internal components of calcium-based kidney stones
#microbes #microbiology #scienceSky

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Intercalated bacterial biofilms are intrinsic internal components of calcium-based kidney stones | PNAS
Calcium oxalate stones comprise greater than 70% of all kidney stones. In the current conceptual framework, the initial stone nidus is thought to i...
www.pnas.org
February 4, 2026 at 11:08 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Chemical inhibition of a bacterial immune system
#bacteria #bacteriophage #microbiology #scienceSky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Chemical inhibition of a bacterial immune system
The rise of antibiotic resistance motivates a revived interest in phage therapy. However, bacteria possess dozens of anti-phage immune systems that co…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
kacarlab.bsky.social
Our latest paper on ancient microbes and nitrogen is featured on the NASA website today! 🚀🔬Way to go, @hollyrucker.bsky.social!

Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth
www.nasa.gov

Paper link: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #astrobiology @uwmadscience.bsky.social
NASA
NASA.gov brings you the latest news, images and videos from America's space agency, pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
www.nasa.gov
February 2, 2026 at 4:02 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Academic publishers defeat lawsuit over ‘peer review’ pay, other restrictions
#academicSky

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Academic publishers defeat lawsuit over ‘peer review’ pay, other restrictions
A group of major academic publishers convinced a judge in New York to dismiss a lawsuit accusing them of thwarting competition by barring scholars from submitting papers to multiple journals simultane...
www.reuters.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:32 PM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Adaptive transcriptional remodeling of Streptococcus mutans under simulated microgravity and silver stress reveals evolutionary innovation in artificial environments
#evolution #ExperimentalEvolution #mevoSky #microSky

www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Adaptive transcriptional remodeling of Streptococcus mutans under simulated microgravity and silver stress reveals evolutionary innovation in artificial environments - npj Complexity
npj Complexity - Adaptive transcriptional remodeling of Streptococcus mutans under simulated microgravity and silver stress reveals evolutionary innovation in artificial environments
www.nature.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:24 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
Microgravity reshapes bacteriophage–host coevolution aboard the International Space Station
#evolution #mevoSky #microSky #spaceflight

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Microgravity reshapes bacteriophage–host coevolution aboard the International Space Station
Phage-host interactions have a role shaping microbial ecosystems, but their behavior in microgravity remains largely unexplored. In this study, experiments aboard the ISS reveal distinct evolutionary ...
journals.plos.org
February 1, 2026 at 12:10 AM
astrobrian.bsky.social
What I learned applying for tenure-track positions
#academicSky

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
What I learned applying for tenure-track positions - Nature Human Behaviour
Navigating the academic job market is never easy. I-An ‘Amy’ Su reflects on her experience searching for a faculty position during the Trump-era hiring freeze and the lessons she learned on her path t...
www.nature.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Brian D. Wade
hollyrucker.bsky.social
Happy to share that a fantastic article about my latest research was just published on NASA’s website! Very grateful to have such a spotlight on my PhD research and recent Nature Communications paper.
Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth - NASA Science
NASA-supported scientists have resurrected an enzyme first used by organisms on Earth 3.2-billion years ago and, in the process, have validated a chemical
science.nasa.gov
January 30, 2026 at 6:28 PM