Andrew Alverson
@sinkingdiatom.bsky.social
diatoms - evolution - phylogenetics; he/his
Pinned
Phylogenomics reveals the slow-burning fuse of diatom evolution | PNAS
Evolution is often uneven in its pace and outcomes, with long periods of stasis interrupted
by abrupt increases in morphological and ecological dis...
www.pnas.org
New paper on diatom phylogenomics from our lab. Ten years in the making, but it always took a backseat to student and postdoc papers.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
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.
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
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.
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.
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Conserved genetic markers reveal widespread diatom sexual reproduction in the global ocean www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
Conserved genetic markers reveal widespread diatom sexual reproduction in the global ocean - Nature Communications
Diatoms dominate the oceans, yet sexual reproduction - key to bloom dynamics and species evolvability - is rarely observed. Using a lab-to-field approach, this study presents conserved markers applica...
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Conserved genetic markers reveal widespread diatom sexual reproduction in the global ocean www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs 🌊
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
The amoeba Difflugia bacillifera builds its shell from things that contain silica, and it is not particular about the source. These ones have incorporated whole shells from another testate amoeba (Euglypha), along with diatoms, algal cysts and chunks of rock. #Amoebae #ProtistsOnSky #peatlands
November 6, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The amoeba Difflugia bacillifera builds its shell from things that contain silica, and it is not particular about the source. These ones have incorporated whole shells from another testate amoeba (Euglypha), along with diatoms, algal cysts and chunks of rock. #Amoebae #ProtistsOnSky #peatlands
oh, what I'd give to see one of these . . . www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Radiohead review – bards of the apocalypse return for a brutal bacchanal
Powered by a pounding rhythm section, the crowd dance to even the tricksiest drum patterns at Radiohead’s first gig in seven years – one that demonstrates the pure joy this band can bring
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:25 AM
oh, what I'd give to see one of these . . . www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
New results from our lab: Polyploidization in diatoms accelerates adaptation to warming. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Polyploidization in diatoms accelerates adaptation to warming - Nature Climate Change
The authors obtained large-volume individuals of diatom cultures under thermal stress. These polyploids (having more than two sets of chromosomes) are shown to rapidly adapt to high temperatures, high...
doi.org
October 26, 2025 at 8:28 AM
New results from our lab: Polyploidization in diatoms accelerates adaptation to warming. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Recent MDPI paper including diagram of a bacterial cell with a mitochondrion 🤦♀️ The authors propose a mechanism for the toxicity of silver nanoparticles: "Ag+ ions in AgNPs bombard the bacterial mitochondria’s electron transport chain, resulting in cell death".
October 5, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Recent MDPI paper including diagram of a bacterial cell with a mitochondrion 🤦♀️ The authors propose a mechanism for the toxicity of silver nanoparticles: "Ag+ ions in AgNPs bombard the bacterial mitochondria’s electron transport chain, resulting in cell death".
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage.
When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig.
Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?
When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig.
Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?
September 17, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage.
When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig.
Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?
When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig.
Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
"Useless" and/or "silly" federally-funded research has turned the United States into the world’s leader in science and technology over the past 75 years. Such science is under attack throughout the federally-funded agencies in the United States. More at: www.americanscientist.org/article/%E2%...
July 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"Useless" and/or "silly" federally-funded research has turned the United States into the world’s leader in science and technology over the past 75 years. Such science is under attack throughout the federally-funded agencies in the United States. More at: www.americanscientist.org/article/%E2%...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
How do microbes become permanent partners? 🌊🔬🦠 Check out our new study published in Current Biology showing how cyanobacterial genomes evolve step-by-step into endosymbionts of diatoms. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social @mehrshmali.bsky.social
@currentbiology.bsky.social @mehrshmali.bsky.social
August 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
How do microbes become permanent partners? 🌊🔬🦠 Check out our new study published in Current Biology showing how cyanobacterial genomes evolve step-by-step into endosymbionts of diatoms. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social @mehrshmali.bsky.social
@currentbiology.bsky.social @mehrshmali.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
August 13, 2025 at 6:06 AM
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
🚨🚨 New tenure track position in #ConservationBiology @oberlincollege.bsky.social in the #Biology department--come join us, and contribute to our brand new Environmental Science major too! #biologyjobs #ecologyjobs
jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
Assistant Professor of Biology
The Biology Department at Oberlin College invites applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences in conservation ecology. Initial appointment to this po...
jobs.oberlin.edu
August 5, 2025 at 4:24 PM
🚨🚨 New tenure track position in #ConservationBiology @oberlincollege.bsky.social in the #Biology department--come join us, and contribute to our brand new Environmental Science major too! #biologyjobs #ecologyjobs
jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
Sloan Lab
Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...
sites.google.com
July 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Are you interested in how diatoms communicate with each other? Exciting post-doc position available in my lab to study the signalling mechanisms of cell-cell communication in diatoms. Deadline 14th July. @kehelliwell.bsky.social @thembauk.bsky.social www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNO210/p...
July 4, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Are you interested in how diatoms communicate with each other? Exciting post-doc position available in my lab to study the signalling mechanisms of cell-cell communication in diatoms. Deadline 14th July. @kehelliwell.bsky.social @thembauk.bsky.social www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNO210/p...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
📜 A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis
🧑🔬 Corey A.H. Allard, Amy S.Y. Lee, @nbellono.bsky.social, et al.
📔 @cellpress.bsky.social
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
#️⃣ #PlantScience #Kleptosomes #Sacoglossan #SeaSlug #Photosynthesis
🧑🔬 Corey A.H. Allard, Amy S.Y. Lee, @nbellono.bsky.social, et al.
📔 @cellpress.bsky.social
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
#️⃣ #PlantScience #Kleptosomes #Sacoglossan #SeaSlug #Photosynthesis
A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis
Sea slugs steal foreign chloroplasts and store them in specialized organelles that
facilitate photosynthesis and eventual digestion to mediate starvation resistance.
www.cell.com
July 2, 2025 at 6:31 AM
📜 A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis
🧑🔬 Corey A.H. Allard, Amy S.Y. Lee, @nbellono.bsky.social, et al.
📔 @cellpress.bsky.social
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
#️⃣ #PlantScience #Kleptosomes #Sacoglossan #SeaSlug #Photosynthesis
🧑🔬 Corey A.H. Allard, Amy S.Y. Lee, @nbellono.bsky.social, et al.
📔 @cellpress.bsky.social
🔗 www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
#️⃣ #PlantScience #Kleptosomes #Sacoglossan #SeaSlug #Photosynthesis
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Looking back on last week's Molecular Life of Diatoms conference 🌊. Honored to be hosting this tight-knit, creative and collaborative community in Ghent! Topics ranged from single-cell approaches, imaging breakthroughs, new insights into photosynthesis and symbioses etc. #protistsOnSky #MLD8
July 1, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Looking back on last week's Molecular Life of Diatoms conference 🌊. Honored to be hosting this tight-knit, creative and collaborative community in Ghent! Topics ranged from single-cell approaches, imaging breakthroughs, new insights into photosynthesis and symbioses etc. #protistsOnSky #MLD8
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Many amoebae incorporate diatoms in their shells, but Cylindrifflugia bacillariarum is the master. Third and fourth pics are close views of the glue that holds it all together. #ProtistsonSky #Amoebae #Peatlands
June 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Many amoebae incorporate diatoms in their shells, but Cylindrifflugia bacillariarum is the master. Third and fourth pics are close views of the glue that holds it all together. #ProtistsonSky #Amoebae #Peatlands
New paper on diatom phylogenomics from our lab. Ten years in the making, but it always took a backseat to student and postdoc papers.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Phylogenomics reveals the slow-burning fuse of diatom evolution | PNAS
Evolution is often uneven in its pace and outcomes, with long periods of stasis interrupted
by abrupt increases in morphological and ecological dis...
www.pnas.org
June 4, 2025 at 7:34 PM
New paper on diatom phylogenomics from our lab. Ten years in the making, but it always took a backseat to student and postdoc papers.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
I had a chance to talk about the importance of #NSF on our local public radio station.
www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-...
www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-...
Ozarks at Large
Ozarks at Large is a daily news magazine highlighting the people, places and events of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley.
www.kuaf.com
May 21, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I had a chance to talk about the importance of #NSF on our local public radio station.
www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-...
www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-...
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Dear @bsky.app, please let @atrupar.com keep posting so we don't have to go to the bad place to see his much needed videos.
lol Bluesky still has a daily video upload limit? Well, I guess I'm done here for the evening. Any help on this @pfrazee.com? Trump is currently being interviewed on ABC but I'll have to take my coverage elsewhere.
April 30, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Dear @bsky.app, please let @atrupar.com keep posting so we don't have to go to the bad place to see his much needed videos.
April 11, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
Delighted to see our work on #diatom motility published in @pnas.org !🎉
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
These abundant single-celled algae are responsible for a significant portion of the air we breathe yet often overlooked. Here we show how how diatom (raphe) shape impacts their gliding function... 1/3
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
These abundant single-celled algae are responsible for a significant portion of the air we breathe yet often overlooked. Here we show how how diatom (raphe) shape impacts their gliding function... 1/3
March 19, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Delighted to see our work on #diatom motility published in @pnas.org !🎉
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
These abundant single-celled algae are responsible for a significant portion of the air we breathe yet often overlooked. Here we show how how diatom (raphe) shape impacts their gliding function... 1/3
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
These abundant single-celled algae are responsible for a significant portion of the air we breathe yet often overlooked. Here we show how how diatom (raphe) shape impacts their gliding function... 1/3
Reposted by Andrew Alverson
I lost my job at the National Science Foundation yesterday, along with 167 of my colleagues, including some dear friends. This was the best job I've ever had, and I thought it would be my last. The PI community has been sympathetic and supportive, without exception. I will miss working for you.
February 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
I lost my job at the National Science Foundation yesterday, along with 167 of my colleagues, including some dear friends. This was the best job I've ever had, and I thought it would be my last. The PI community has been sympathetic and supportive, without exception. I will miss working for you.
