ssolo.bsky.social
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ssolo.bsky.social
ssolo.bsky.social
@ssolo.bsky.social
Physicist turned Evolutionary Biologist, Model-Based Evolutionary Genomics Research Unit @oistedu.bsky.social phylogenomics, HGT, somatic evolution (http://ssolo.bsky.social)
Pinned
Dating Bacteria is hard due to the lack of maxima. Assuming aerobes likely postdated the GOE gave us better resolved ages, but also surprised us, but not Dr Dayhoff, showing O2 use predated its atmospheric rise by 900 Mys and helped oxygenic photosynthesis to evolve. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, scientists crack ambiguities in trees of life by using ‘jumping genes’. The new method can transform the way we evaluate evolutionary relationships in deep time. Learn more www.oist.jp/news-center/...

Or read the full paper doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
'Jumping genes’ help scientists resolve tree of life
Termite study provides researchers with template to solve ancient evolutionary mysteries.
www.oist.jp
December 15, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
The rare, mushroom-like Balanophora plant surprises researchers with their genetic makeup and unconventional role of plastids in biosynthesis, despite being entirely parasitic of a select few trees. New study in @newphyt.bsky.social 👇 www.oist.jp/news-center/...
The evolutionary mysteries of a rare parasitic plant
New study maps the strange genomes of Asia-Pacific Balanophora species, giving new insights into the evolution of parasitic plants and an unconventional role of plastids.
www.oist.jp
December 12, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Why? Because ELM was optimized by ML for use with C60 on a large pan-eukaryotic data set and fits much better than LG. See this paper: academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... /2
GTRpmix: A Linked General Time-Reversible Model for Profile Mixture Models
Abstract. Profile mixture models capture distinct biochemical constraints on the amino acid substitution process at different sites in proteins. These mode
academic.oup.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Those interested in performing maximum likelihood phylogenomic analysis on data sets made up of eukaryotic nuclear genes using site heterogeneous mixture models like C60, I suggest you use the ELM model in IQ-TREE instead of the LG model /1
December 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
New evidence-based model of the evolution stretches out the differentiation of eukaryotes from prokaryotes over billions of years and places development of mitochondria much later than other cell structures. New @nature.com study 👇 @ssolo.bsky.social www.oist.jp/news-center/...
Complex life developed earlier than previously thought
New evidence-based evolutionary model provides access to the beginning of complex life with unprecedented accuracy.
www.oist.jp
December 4, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Our latest, led by the inimitable Chris Kay "Dated gene duplications elucidate the evolutionary assembly of eukaryotes" in which we used gene duplications to test hypotheses of eukaryogenesis. TLDR? They're all wrong. With @tweethinking.bsky.social @anya1.bsky.social @ssolo.bsky.social Davide Pisani
Dated gene duplications elucidate the evolutionary assembly of eukaryotes - Nature
Analysis of eukaryotic gene sequences using a relaxed molecular clock methodology indicate that eukaryotes emerged 3.0–2.25 billion years ago as a result of mitochondrial endosymbiosis with complex ar...
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Eukaryogenesis was a billion year spree, but the acquisition of mitochondria happened when the party was winding down www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dated gene duplications elucidate the evolutionary assembly of eukaryotes - Nature
Analysis of eukaryotic gene sequences using a relaxed molecular clock methodology indicate that eukaryotes emerged 3.0–2.25 billion years ago as a result of mitochondrial endosymbiosis with complex ar...
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Applications are now open for the Buribushi Fellowship 2026!
OIST is offering a unique opportunity for early-career, theory-focused researchers to lead their own projects with full funding support.

Learn more & Apply by November 30th: https://www.oist.jp/research/buribushi
#Fellowship
October 31, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Our latest, led by Edu Ocaña-Pallarès and @ssolo.bsky.social, a timescale for fungal phylogeny that wrangles calibration from the unstructured fossil record of fungi and a history of horizontal gene transfers

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A timetree of Fungi dated with fossils and horizontal gene transfers - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Combining fossil-based and molecular calibrations with data on horizontal gene transfer events, the authors develop a time-calibrated phylogeny of Fungi. This timescale, which integrates analytic uncertainties, suggests an older age of crown Fungi (1,401–896 million years ago), as well as a minimum age for ancient interactions involving fungi and the algal ancestors of embryophytes in terrestrial ecosystems (1,253–797 Ma).
www.nature.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
In @natecoevo.nature.com , our researchers describe a new fungal family tree reaching back over a billion years, and the importance of fungi in setting the stage for ancient life on land. Read more at www.oist.jp/news-center/...
Fungi set the stage for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought
From fossils and rare genetic ‘gene-swap’ clues, researchers reconstruct fungi’s deep timeline and reveal how they helped shape early Earth ecosystems.
www.oist.jp
October 2, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Out now in @science.org, OIST researchers and collaborators find 79% of endemic ant species in Fiji in decline, highlighting the vulnerability of island biodiversity to ecosystem changes: www.oist.jp/news-center/...
Island ant communities show signs of ‘insect apocalypse’
79% of endemic species show signs of decline, highlighting the vulnerability of island biodiversity to ecosystem changes.
www.oist.jp
September 12, 2025 at 5:54 AM
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New @nature.com study: Prof. Oleg Sitsel (OIST) and collaborators uncover how PMCA calcium pumps use PIP2 lipids for ultra-fast transport at cell membranes — a discovery that may pave the way for new therapies. 🧬 dx.doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Molecular mechanism of ultrafast transport by plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases - Nature
Structural insights into ultrafast Ca2+ transport by plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases are provided, highlighting an essential role for PtdIns(4,5)P2 dynamics.
dx.doi.org
September 24, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
“Insects are essential for the environment,” emphasizes Prof. Evan Economo. “As scientists, we need to play our part in their protection, and provide and analyze the relevant data to ensure the long-term integrity of our ecosystems”.

Read the full study @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Genomic signatures indicate biodiversity loss in an endemic island ant fauna
Insect populations have declined worldwide, but the extent and drivers of these declines are debated. Most studies rely on field surveys performed in the past century, leaving gaps in our understandin...
www.science.org
September 12, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
OIST PhD & Research Internship Program - Call for Applications!
🔗Research Internship: shorturl.at/EJMGe (Deadline: 15 October 2025)
🔗 PhD program: shorturl.at/lhheq (Deadline: 15 November 2025)
September 4, 2025 at 8:38 AM
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📢 #FacultyHiring: OIST is hiring! We invite exceptional scientists to apply for faculty positions in:
- Ecology, Environmental Science, Earth Science, and Oceanography
- Physics and Quantum Science (including related fields)
🔗: www.oist.jp/careers/facu...
August 19, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Understanding plant-microbe symbiosis is essential in tackling global challenges like food security and ecosystem restoration. In ISME Journal, OIST researchers describe the unique symbiosis between T. azollae cyanobacteria and Azolla ferns: www.oist.jp/news-center/...
Fern leaf pockets hide secrets of plant-microbe symbiosis
Comparison of symbiotic bacteria to free-living relatives shows the genomic effects of host adaptation.
www.oist.jp
August 18, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
4/ 🧵 This project is with @anja1.bsky.social, @tweethinking.bsky.social, @ssolo.bsky.social , @ettema.bsky.social,@chrisrinke.bsky.social, Zheng-Shuang Hua Maraike Probst and Lenard Szantho.
May 23, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
🚨 I’m looking for two enthusiastic scientists to join our team at Cambridge to explore the molecular mechanisms of lactation, early nutrition, and their long-term impact on health.

Apply here:
👉 RA: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51988/
👉 Postdoc: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51984/

Please share 🔬👩‍🔬
Research Assistant (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge
Research Assistant (Fixed Term) in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge.
www.jobs.cam.ac.uk
July 24, 2025 at 8:34 AM
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New vacancy in my team!

PhD student position on microbial genome evolution, focusing on the evolutionary principles underlying bacterial genome architecture.

Please repost and share with talented MSc students in #evobio, bioinformatics or related :)

www.uu.nl/en/organisat...

#MEvoSky #MicroSky
May 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
Lyft driver picked me up from UNC, turned out he was a medicinal chemistry post-doc in a building near mine, until his grant got cut last month.

Worked on novel antivirals.
June 4, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by ssolo.bsky.social
We have 2-3 group leader positions opening @fimm-uh.bsky.social !!

We are looking for outstanding candidates in human genetics and precision medicine.

This time we have a focus on population health data science. E.g. AI for EHR/health data       

Generous starting package 💰

shorturl.at/FAk6n
FIMM-EMBL Group Leaders in Molecular Medicine
FIMM-EMBL Group Leaders in Molecular Medicine
jobs.helsinki.fi
June 1, 2025 at 3:38 PM