Noah Fierer
@noahfierer.bsky.social
Microbial ecologist
https://www.fiererlab.org/
https://www.fiererlab.org/
New paper out demonstrating how we can use strain-level analyses of soil metagenomes to investigate the biogeographical patterns exhibited by a dominant group of soil bacteria (Bradyrhizobium)
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
October 10, 2025 at 3:56 PM
New paper out demonstrating how we can use strain-level analyses of soil metagenomes to investigate the biogeographical patterns exhibited by a dominant group of soil bacteria (Bradyrhizobium)
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
New preprint led by Matt Gebert focused on the environmental reservoirs of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pathogens. NTM disease is environmentally acquired, but routes of exposure unclear. Our work implicates premise plumbing as the main culprit! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A cross-environment comparison of nontuberculous mycobacterial diversity
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of environmental bacteria that encompass nearly 200 described species, some of which can cause chronic pulmonary infection in humans. What makes these inf...
www.biorxiv.org
August 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
New preprint led by Matt Gebert focused on the environmental reservoirs of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pathogens. NTM disease is environmentally acquired, but routes of exposure unclear. Our work implicates premise plumbing as the main culprit! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
After 15 years, the authors of the infamous 'arsenic life' paper are still trying to argue that their findings are legit and not just a product of 'major errors'? Unbelievable. The authors' response to the retraction is infuriating. Time to let it go. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
July 28, 2025 at 6:32 PM
After 15 years, the authors of the infamous 'arsenic life' paper are still trying to argue that their findings are legit and not just a product of 'major errors'? Unbelievable. The authors' response to the retraction is infuriating. Time to let it go. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
New pre-print from my group - project led by PhD student Michael Hoffert. We set out on a daunting mission to generate a 'periodic table' of bacterial diversity (1/6) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A periodic table of bacteria?: Mapping bacterial diversity in trait space
Bacterial diversity can be overwhelming. There is an ever-expanding number of bacterial taxa being discovered, but many of these taxa remain uncharacterized with unknown traits and environmental prefe...
www.biorxiv.org
July 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
New pre-print from my group - project led by PhD student Michael Hoffert. We set out on a daunting mission to generate a 'periodic table' of bacterial diversity (1/6) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Hope this is useful - consensus statement "Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies" rdcu.be/er3Io
Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies
Nature Microbiology - In this Consensus Statement, the authors outline strategies for processing, analysing and interpreting low-biomass microbiome samples, and provide recommendations to minimize...
rdcu.be
June 21, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Hope this is useful - consensus statement "Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies" rdcu.be/er3Io
New study out - we developed a pipeline for targeted assembly of genomes from (complex) soil metagenomes to examine the strain-level diversity and ecology of a dominant soil bacterial genus (Bradyrhizobium). Feedback appreciated. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Continent-wide assessment of the strain-level diversity of Bradyrhizobium, a dominant soil bacterial genus
Global surveys of soil bacteria have identified several taxa that are nearly ubiquitous and often the most abundant members of soil bacterial communities. However, it remains unclear why these taxa ar...
www.biorxiv.org
May 30, 2025 at 5:59 PM
New study out - we developed a pipeline for targeted assembly of genomes from (complex) soil metagenomes to examine the strain-level diversity and ecology of a dominant soil bacterial genus (Bradyrhizobium). Feedback appreciated. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
This is cool - bacteria wrap their flagella to propel themselves through narrow passages www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Bacteria break through one-micrometer-square passages by flagellar wrapping
Confined spaces are omnipresent in the micro-environments, including soil aggregates and intestinal crypts, yet little is known about how bacteria behave under such conditions where movement is challe...
www.biorxiv.org
May 21, 2025 at 8:36 PM
This is cool - bacteria wrap their flagella to propel themselves through narrow passages www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Just your regular reminder that 'sterile' doesn't mean 'DNA-free'! (this rant brought to you by yet another published DNA-based study conducted in a low biomass system where appropriate controls do not appear to have been included)
May 8, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Just your regular reminder that 'sterile' doesn't mean 'DNA-free'! (this rant brought to you by yet another published DNA-based study conducted in a low biomass system where appropriate controls do not appear to have been included)
Dear fellow olds - recognize that the term 'next generation sequencing' is confusing to those that never had experience with the first generation. Also - what 'generation' are we on anyways?
May 7, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Dear fellow olds - recognize that the term 'next generation sequencing' is confusing to those that never had experience with the first generation. Also - what 'generation' are we on anyways?
So happy it is still winter here in Colorado
April 20, 2025 at 2:38 AM
So happy it is still winter here in Colorado
Reposted by Noah Fierer
Excited to share PhD student Claire Winfrey’s (w/ @noahfierer.bsky.social & me) new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecology! She examines how edge effects in habitat fragments shape soil microbial communities. Check it out 🦠 🧪 🌎 esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
April 3, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Excited to share PhD student Claire Winfrey’s (w/ @noahfierer.bsky.social & me) new paper in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecology! She examines how edge effects in habitat fragments shape soil microbial communities. Check it out 🦠 🧪 🌎 esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
New study out from my group showing how the volatile geosmin (the wonderful 'smell of dirt') serves as a cue to influence the behavior of soil protists rdcu.be/edCJj
Effects of Geosmin on the Behavior of Soil Protists
rdcu.be
March 17, 2025 at 7:56 PM
New study out from my group showing how the volatile geosmin (the wonderful 'smell of dirt') serves as a cue to influence the behavior of soil protists rdcu.be/edCJj
New paper out that (we hope) will be useful to anyone with an interest in Antarctic soil microbial communities: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A comprehensive survey of soil microbial diversity across the Antarctic continent - Polar Biology
Antarctic soils are unique from those found nearly anywhere else on Earth yet can still harbor a broad diversity of microorganisms able to tolerate the challenging conditions typical of the continent....
link.springer.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:53 AM
New paper out that (we hope) will be useful to anyone with an interest in Antarctic soil microbial communities: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We are trying to recruit folks from across the US that might be willing to be involved in a beta test of a new project to quantify airborne allergen loads in their homes. If interested (no cost), sign up here: boulderblue.com
Air Quality Testing Services – Allergen Detection with Boulder Blue
Ensure a healthier space with cutting-edge air quality testing services from Boulder Blue. Our genomic tests help detect indoor allergens.
boulderblue.com
February 20, 2025 at 6:55 PM
We are trying to recruit folks from across the US that might be willing to be involved in a beta test of a new project to quantify airborne allergen loads in their homes. If interested (no cost), sign up here: boulderblue.com
Both the porcupine and I enjoyed the powder today
January 26, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Both the porcupine and I enjoyed the powder today
For years I've heard it said by univ admins that 'research is a net cost to the univ'. I guess we are about to find out if that is really true....
January 24, 2025 at 8:49 PM
For years I've heard it said by univ admins that 'research is a net cost to the univ'. I guess we are about to find out if that is really true....
Reposted by Noah Fierer
Lovely day to get out and XC ski in North Boulder Park. I recognized three Olympians out there during my 1 hour ski…one gold medalist, and one other medalist.
There were probably other Olympians out there I didn’t recognize.
Thanks to Boulder Nordic Club for grooming!
bouldernordic.org
#Boulder
There were probably other Olympians out there I didn’t recognize.
Thanks to Boulder Nordic Club for grooming!
bouldernordic.org
#Boulder
January 20, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Lovely day to get out and XC ski in North Boulder Park. I recognized three Olympians out there during my 1 hour ski…one gold medalist, and one other medalist.
There were probably other Olympians out there I didn’t recognize.
Thanks to Boulder Nordic Club for grooming!
bouldernordic.org
#Boulder
There were probably other Olympians out there I didn’t recognize.
Thanks to Boulder Nordic Club for grooming!
bouldernordic.org
#Boulder
Yet another reminder that RNA levels are not necessarily predictive of growth rate in mixed microbial communities (from this paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...)
January 15, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Yet another reminder that RNA levels are not necessarily predictive of growth rate in mixed microbial communities (from this paper: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...)
Lucky to be able to spend the morning skiing in Rocky Mt Natl Park
January 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Lucky to be able to spend the morning skiing in Rocky Mt Natl Park
Another day with a SciEnCV-induced headache. Who thought just preparing a biosketch should be turned into a major time sink and source of frustration?
January 10, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Another day with a SciEnCV-induced headache. Who thought just preparing a biosketch should be turned into a major time sink and source of frustration?
Cool work by @mattolm.bsky.social identifying the specific bacteria targeted by gut antibodies www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Metagenomic immunoglobulin sequencing reveals IgA coating of microbial strains in the healthy human gut - Nature Microbiology
Metagenomic immunoglobulin sequencing (MIg-seq) uncovered patterns of IgA antibody binding of bacterial strains in the healthy human gut microbiome.
www.nature.com
January 4, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Cool work by @mattolm.bsky.social identifying the specific bacteria targeted by gut antibodies www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Damn - these cookies slap cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023...
Gochujang Caramel Cookies Recipe
Gochujang, the fermented Korean chile paste, offers intrigue in this otherwise classic chewy sugar cookie A gentle amount of ground cinnamon lends snickerdoodle vibes, and the dough is raked through w...
cooking.nytimes.com
December 24, 2024 at 11:36 PM
Damn - these cookies slap cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023...
Yikes - large earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Wonderful people and beautiful place (spent 2 weeks there in 2023). Hoping for the best...
December 18, 2024 at 2:40 AM
Yikes - large earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Wonderful people and beautiful place (spent 2 weeks there in 2023). Hoping for the best...
Basically every ecology paper: "We found a strong link between X and Y at this site, so this is how the world works." The plot.
December 18, 2024 at 12:57 AM
Basically every ecology paper: "We found a strong link between X and Y at this site, so this is how the world works." The plot.
Why are Punnett squares still a thing? (asks the guy currently helping his daughter with 9th grade biology homework)
December 16, 2024 at 11:40 PM
Why are Punnett squares still a thing? (asks the guy currently helping his daughter with 9th grade biology homework)