Michael Baym
@baym.lol
Associate Prof @HarvardMed. Microbial evolution, antibiotic resistance, mobile genetic elements, algorithms, phages, molecular biotech, etc. Basic research is the engine of progress.
baymlab.hms.harvard.edu
baymlab.hms.harvard.edu
Reposted by Michael Baym
Which we were able to show experimentally by competing plasmids in a displacement assay. We see plasmids that contain an IS605 have an enormous advantage over those that don’t, despite the IS itself being detrimental to plasmid replication
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Which we were able to show experimentally by competing plasmids in a displacement assay. We see plasmids that contain an IS605 have an enormous advantage over those that don’t, despite the IS itself being detrimental to plasmid replication
Reposted by Michael Baym
They line up perfectly.
November 22, 2025 at 2:32 AM
They line up perfectly.
Reposted by Michael Baym
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!!!
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/...
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
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!!!
A stranger in the airport recognized me from here and told me I’m a good poster so now I’m going for worse.
Best,
Michael
Best,
Michael
November 21, 2025 at 5:49 PM
A stranger in the airport recognized me from here and told me I’m a good poster so now I’m going for worse.
Best,
Michael
Best,
Michael
Reposted by Michael Baym
🤯👨🍳🤌
Just beautiful, ingenious work to elegantly separate out key theoretical parameters
Just beautiful, ingenious work to elegantly separate out key theoretical parameters
To get into this we set up a genetic conflict: making the gene the plasmid didn’t want to express an antibiotic resistance gene that helped the cell. By independently tuning the promoter and ribosomal binding site (RBS) we were able to tune the both scales of selection. 10/
November 21, 2025 at 2:21 PM
🤯👨🍳🤌
Just beautiful, ingenious work to elegantly separate out key theoretical parameters
Just beautiful, ingenious work to elegantly separate out key theoretical parameters
Reposted by Michael Baym
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
November 20, 2025 at 10:20 PM
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
Reposted by Michael Baym
✅ Addresses important fundamental questions
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
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/...
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 11:56 AM
✅ Addresses important fundamental questions
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
Reposted by Michael Baym
One of the vice principals at the kids’ school went to Ohio and has been giving me tons of shit this year, O-Hing at me with his hands in the drop off line and such. Drives me nuts. So, I got him a present in preparation for The Game this year. Go Blue!
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
One of the vice principals at the kids’ school went to Ohio and has been giving me tons of shit this year, O-Hing at me with his hands in the drop off line and such. Drives me nuts. So, I got him a present in preparation for The Game this year. Go Blue!
Reposted by Michael Baym
I almost forgot
November 20, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I almost forgot
Reposted by Michael Baym
This work highlights how interactions between MGEs can produce unique effects where both benefit from their nested existence. Furthermore, we have extended TnpB’s mechanism that sheds light on why TnpB is so successful.
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This work highlights how interactions between MGEs can produce unique effects where both benefit from their nested existence. Furthermore, we have extended TnpB’s mechanism that sheds light on why TnpB is so successful.
Reposted by Michael Baym
OMG--read this thread. Remarkable clever use of a trick to visualize plasmid competition that reveals key insights into evolution!!!! 🧪
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/...
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 12:29 AM
OMG--read this thread. Remarkable clever use of a trick to visualize plasmid competition that reveals key insights into evolution!!!! 🧪
Reposted by Michael Baym
This is it!!! This is the work I never want to stop hearing about. Kepler’s creativity and curiosity really shine through in this paper. Give it a read and enjoy 😎
What is the best strategy to win any contest?
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 10:53 PM
This is it!!! This is the work I never want to stop hearing about. Kepler’s creativity and curiosity really shine through in this paper. Give it a read and enjoy 😎
Reposted by Michael Baym
Baym continues to make freakin' art. Must see thread/paper
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/...
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 11:29 PM
Baym continues to make freakin' art. Must see thread/paper
Reposted by Michael Baym
Now out in @natcomms.nature.com Kudos to @tylim.bsky.social and @jameshay.bsky.social for a huge effort and thanks to all the collaborators for their hard work. See the final version here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 20, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Now out in @natcomms.nature.com Kudos to @tylim.bsky.social and @jameshay.bsky.social for a huge effort and thanks to all the collaborators for their hard work. See the final version here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Michael Baym
Most exciting study have seen for ages, and Fernando the most excited speaker. Much anticipated. Highly recommended, a lot of food for thought (and quite a dense paper - lots to think about)
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/...
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 10:22 PM
Most exciting study have seen for ages, and Fernando the most excited speaker. Much anticipated. Highly recommended, a lot of food for thought (and quite a dense paper - lots to think about)
Reposted by Michael Baym
Kepler serving up some really sweet science
(not sponsored by Crumbl)
(not sponsored by Crumbl)
November 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Kepler serving up some really sweet science
(not sponsored by Crumbl)
(not sponsored by Crumbl)
Brand new preprint from my lab, showing that TnpB, the ancestor of Cas12, acts as a gene drive in plasmids! And it turns out in conjugative plasmids that it acts as a primitive anti-self defense system, providing a potential link between its transposon effect and becoming CRISPR!
What is the best strategy to win any contest?
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Brand new preprint from my lab, showing that TnpB, the ancestor of Cas12, acts as a gene drive in plasmids! And it turns out in conjugative plasmids that it acts as a primitive anti-self defense system, providing a potential link between its transposon effect and becoming CRISPR!
Reposted by Michael Baym
What is the best strategy to win any contest?
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
What is the best strategy to win any contest?
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Eliminate your opponents of course.
Recently, my friend @fernpizza.bsky.social showed how plasmids compete intracellularly (check out his paper published in Science today!). With @baym.lol, we now know they can fight.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Baym
Epic paper!!
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/...
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 9:56 PM
Epic paper!!
Reposted by Michael Baym
Been waiting for this one to come out...really really awesome work!
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/...
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 9:52 PM
Been waiting for this one to come out...really really awesome work!
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/...
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
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/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Michael Baym
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
Reposted by Michael Baym
Faculty search at UAlbany targeting folks broadly applying AI/ML to infectious disease research!! Please RT 🙏
albany.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdeta...
albany.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdeta...
November 18, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Faculty search at UAlbany targeting folks broadly applying AI/ML to infectious disease research!! Please RT 🙏
albany.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdeta...
albany.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdeta...
Reposted by Michael Baym
New preprint: we looked into production of the bacterial toxin colibactin and found that MDR E. coli from the global north have co-evolved with endemic colibactin producers, acquiring colibactin resistance genes before undergoing clonal expansions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Co-evolution between colibactin production and resistance is linked to clonal expansions in Escherichia coli
Specific strains of Escherichia coli employ the polyketide synthase island to produce a metabolite called colibactin that is implicated in colorectal tumorigenesis via its genotoxic effect on human DN...
www.biorxiv.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:41 AM
New preprint: we looked into production of the bacterial toxin colibactin and found that MDR E. coli from the global north have co-evolved with endemic colibactin producers, acquiring colibactin resistance genes before undergoing clonal expansions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Baym
people are actually very susceptible to just-so stories about human origins because listening to bullshit helped us survive on the savanna
November 18, 2025 at 1:48 AM
people are actually very susceptible to just-so stories about human origins because listening to bullshit helped us survive on the savanna