Balance of the Microverse
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microverse.bsky.social
Balance of the Microverse
@microverse.bsky.social
Understanding principles and dynamics of #microbialbalance
#ClusterOfExcellence @uni-jena.de
Funded by @dfgpublic.bsky.social
Pinned
Zoom in, look closer! Our Microverse Wimmelbild hides the faces, ideas & discoveries that made 2025 unforgettable. Can you spot them all? Season’s greetings & here’s to a curious, collaborative 2026! Illustration: Hannes Naumann
Invisible Actors: Over 257,000 viruses found in groundwater—99% of them previously unknown! 🦠
Our team discovered that these viruses act as "metabolic hackers," shaping essential ecosystem cycles deep underground.

Read the feature via The Microbiologist ⤵️ www.the-microbiologist.com/news/previou...
Previously unknown viruses discovered in groundwater
Researchers have created a comprehensive picture of viral diversity and function in a groundwater system. They identified over 257,000 viral operational taxonomic units, i.e. viruses at species level,...
www.the-microbiologist.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Great Microbiology Colloquium at CMFI today!
Kirsten Küsel (@kuesellab.bsky.social @microverse.bsky.social) shared insights on the groundwater microbiome, plus Kyle Mason-Jones (@unituebingen.bsky.social) on soil bacteriophages. Thanks to all for great talks and discussions!
February 5, 2026 at 12:44 PM
February 5, 2026 at 6:06 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Until now, the role of viruses in the groundwater ecosystem was largely unknown, but an international research team including scientists from our @microverse.bsky.social has now provided the first comprehensive analysis of viral diversity and function.

➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/387310/in...
February 4, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Rocks beneath us are teeming with life! 🪨 Microbes attached to rock are 1,000x more abundant than in water & vital for carbon storage. A true hidden majority. 🌍 👇 www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news/the-...
🤝@uni-jena.de & @kuesellab.bsky.social
The invisible worlds beneath our feet
Deep beneath the Earth’s surface, in the pores and crevices of rock, live huge communities of microorganisms. Th…
www.microverse-cluster.de
February 2, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
🧪Bacterial DL-peptidases are key in coordindated predetor defenses AND powerful tools for natural product structure elucidation! 🦠✂️
New JACS paper with @pstallforth.bsky.social
@mlakemeyer.bsky.social @en-hxnu-enment.bsky.social & Hertweck labs
@microverse.bsky.social
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Microbial dl-Peptidases Enable Predator Defense and Facilitate Structure Elucidation of Complex Natural Products
Peptidases are indispensable tools in biotechnology and chemical biology. However, the enzyme repertoire for the selective hydrolysis of dl-amide bonds in peptides is small. Here, we describe novel dl...
pubs.acs.org
January 31, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
We have an open position for a bioinformatics/theoretical microbial ecology PhD student to study viral strategies in the global Microverse! Join us at the @microverse.bsky.social at @uni-jena.de, please apply through this link:
jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/9...
PhD student bioinformatics: Viral strategies in the global Microverse
jobs.uni-jena.de
January 29, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Don' t miss the LIFE Talent Award Call 2026!
Calling early-career life science researchers! 🎉

LIFE Talent Award @uni-jena.de! 🏆 Celebrate innovation, excellence, and impact with a prize of €5,000!

📅 Apply by January 31, 2026
kurzlinks.de/LIFETalent
Showcase your research at the LIFE Symposium & beyond!
(picture: AI generated)
January 17, 2026 at 10:24 AM
TV feature alert! 📺 Great to see our PIs @hellmichgroup.bsky.social & Michael Bauer on MDR. They explain why understanding microbial balance is crucial for our future. 🦠

Catch the full clip here: www.mdr.de/video/mdr-vi...

🤝 @lifeprofile.bsky.social & @uni-jena.de
Forschung zu resistenten Keimen macht Fortschritte | MDR.DE
Seit 100 Jahren können Bakterien mit Antibiotika gut behandelt werden. Doch inzwischen sind auch multiresistente Keime im Umlauf, die immun gegen die Medikamente sind. An der Uni Jena forscht man an e...
www.mdr.de
January 26, 2026 at 1:40 PM
🦠 Event Alert: The Battle for Health

Join Prof. Axel Brakhage this Wednesday for a deep dive into infections, antibiotics, and the microbiome. How do microbes shape our health?

📅 Jan 28, 16:00 📍 Uni Jena, Aula 🗣️ German | Free admission

🔗 www.uni-jena.de/124553/infek...
Infektionen, Antibiotika und unser Mikrobiom: Kampf um die Kontrolle der menschlichen Gesundheit
Seniorenkolleg
www.uni-jena.de
January 26, 2026 at 10:42 AM
📚 Yesterday (Feb 24) was the International Day of Education. Microbes may be tiny, but their impact on health, ecosystems & our future is huge. At our #ClusterOfExcellence, we believe microbiology deserves a central place in education. #InternationalDayOfEducation #Microbiology #STEM
January 25, 2026 at 4:01 PM
I cannot wait to see the result!
January 22, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Spying on ABC multidrug transporters in action, gently nudged by our Victor! 😍

ZDF Mittagsmagazin visited us & co-LIFE speaker Michael Bauer to discuss antibiotic resistance: mechanisms, why basic research matters, & clinical challenges
@microverse.bsky.social @uni-jena.de @lifeprofile.bsky.social
January 22, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
🧪If you love lipids,cell biology & chemical bioloy and wonder about the fundamental mechanisms of life, you'll be in for a treat! 🤩🥳

Don't miss the next @gbmev.bsky.social Lunch Seminar by @nadlerlab.bsky.social & Kristin Böhlig!

#ChemBio #LipidLove

Preregister for free
@gfg-chembio.bsky.social
Join us for the GBM Lunch on January 28 at 12:30 PM (CET)!
André Nadler & Kristin Böhlig @nadlerlab.bsky.social (@mpi-cbg.de) will speak on “Quantifying Intracellular Lipid Transport.”
Chair: Oliver Thorn-Seshold (TU Dresden)
Organizer: Joint Study Group "Chemical Biology"
#GBMLunch #ChemicalBiology
January 22, 2026 at 5:19 AM
Researchers in our cluster (@hellmichgroup.bsky.social) have discovered a mechanism that bacteria use to defend themselves against antibiotics, making it the #GoodNewsOfTheDay at @kathakritzelt.bsky.social!
Forschende der Uni Jena haben einen Mechanismus entdeckt, wie Bakterien sich gegen Antibiotika wehren. Diese Entdeckung soll im Kampf gegen Resistenzen helfen.
💊💊💊
Es gibt zu viele negative News, deswegen poste ich jeden Tag eine #guteNewsdesTages.
January 18, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Frei nach dem Goethezitat
"Nicht vorbei - es muss erst frommen!"
ging der Austausch Light, Life & Liberty mit Sebastian Seiffert heute mit Studierenden im Goethe-Laboratorium Jena weiter!
January 15, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Erster interdisziplinärer Austausch im botanischen Garten
Light, Life & Liberty mit unserem Gast Prof. Sebastian Seiffert aus Mainz
ist gestartet!

Wir freuen uns auf seinen Vortrag heute Abend 17:15 Uhr.
January 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM
🔬 Guest Lecture at Matthias Schleiden Institute
Alexej Kedrov (@hhu.de) will speak on
“At the roots of biofilm: structure & dynamics of the exopolysaccharide secretion machinery from Pseudomonas aeruginosa”
📅 27 Jan 2025 | 🕓 4:00 pm (c.t.)
📍 Planetarium 1, Jena
🔗 www.bio.uni-jena.de/11484/instit...
Institutskolloquium
Das Institutskolloquium des Matthias-Schleiden-Instituts ist eine gemeinsame Veranstaltung aller Institutsteilbereiche (Molekulare Botanik, Genetik, Bioinformatik). Alle Interessenten sind herzlich ei...
www.bio.uni-jena.de
January 12, 2026 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Researchers of @hellmichgroup.bsky.social at #UniJena Cluster of Excellence @microverse.bsky.social have deciphered a key mechanism of antibiotic resistance. They showed how the bacterium applies the energy required to transport the drug out of its cell.

➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/381040/sp...
Specific activation instead of continuous operation: How bacteria save energy and what this means for antibiotic resistances
Researchers in the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse” at the University of Jena decipher a key mechanism of antibiotic resistance pumps
www.uni-jena.de
January 9, 2026 at 11:24 AM
January 9, 2026 at 9:44 AM
𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘁: 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴
Join the Student Slot linked to the lecture “Chemistry Professor and Climate-Acceptist: Acting Instead of Hoping” on 15 Jan 2026. Students discuss climate action, science, and society.
🔗 More & registration: www.uni-jena.de/380666/lll-c...
Chemieprofessor und Klima-Akzeptist: Handeln statt Hoffen
Öffentlicher Vortrag der LIGHT. LIFE. LIBERTY. Reihe
www.uni-jena.de
January 9, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Happy New Year from us!
We’re heading into an exciting year of new research, collaborations, and insights into the microbial world. Want to stay up to date? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow our journey through the Microverse: www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news-even...
Newsletter - Balance of the Microverse
www.microverse-cluster.de
January 9, 2026 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
New video of talk by @christinawarinner.bsky.social given at Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny posted by @ucsandiego.bsky.social explaining how advances in #aDNA and #proteomics can investigate the complex and diverse microbial communities from dental calculus
CARTA: Human Microbiome Evolution with Christina Warinner
YouTube video by University of California Television (UCTV)
www.youtube.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Balance of the Microverse
Consider joining us and many others at the German Peptide Symposium in Essen! Exciting talks in synthetic biology, natural products, antimicrobials, method development, chemical biology... 🧪🥽

POV: you don't need an entire protein to be happy 😜

www.uni-due.de/17gps/
17th German Peptide Symposium
17th German Peptide Symposium, University of Duisburg-Essen, 04.-06.03.2026, Group Professor Markus Kaiser
www.uni-due.de
January 5, 2026 at 4:22 PM
📽️ 3 Questions for Pierre Stallforth

A cluster perspective on chemistry, microbiomes, and the distant past. From microbial interactions to natural products reconstructed from ancient DNA, including Neanderthal dental calculus.

▶️ Watch the clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ei0...
THREE QUESTIONS FOR: Pierre Stallforth
YouTube video by Universität Jena
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:38 AM