Sean Leonard
@spleonard1.bsky.social
Research scientist at a national lab. OIF / OEF veteran. Stutterer. Microbiome engineering, evolution, bees, bread, and data. He/him
Reposted by Sean Leonard
#microsky #phagesky #phage plasmids & other #MGE in the bee #microbiome
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Nested Connections: Local Phage and Broad Plasmid Sharing in the Honey Bee Mobilome
Honey bees rely on bacterial symbionts for their nutritional needs and for protection against invading pathogens. Genetic diversity among strains within the colony has the potential to impact symbiont...
www.biorxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 6:52 AM
#microsky #phagesky #phage plasmids & other #MGE in the bee #microbiome
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Rewiring holobiont systems with synthetic biology
www.cell.com/trends/biote...
www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Rewiring holobiont systems with synthetic biology
Holobionts are complex communities comprising a host and its diverse microbiota. Their
intricate relationships are crucial for biological processes like nutrient uptake,
immune function, and environme...
www.cell.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Rewiring holobiont systems with synthetic biology
www.cell.com/trends/biote...
www.cell.com/trends/biote...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Please share this with anyone who may be interested in a post-doc in Germany:
jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/20...
This is quite an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of what is known regarding the molecular basis of the formation and demise of photosymbiotic relationships in marine habitats.
jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/20...
This is quite an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of what is known regarding the molecular basis of the formation and demise of photosymbiotic relationships in marine habitats.
October 22, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Please share this with anyone who may be interested in a post-doc in Germany:
jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/20...
This is quite an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of what is known regarding the molecular basis of the formation and demise of photosymbiotic relationships in marine habitats.
jobs.awi.de/Vacancies/20...
This is quite an exciting opportunity to push the boundaries of what is known regarding the molecular basis of the formation and demise of photosymbiotic relationships in marine habitats.
Reposted by Sean Leonard
For population genetics and evolutionary biology folks in the Bay Area: the next BAPG will be hosted by Stanford CEHG and the Petrov lab at Stanford on 12/6.
Registration is free but required. The deadline for talk submission is Nov. 16. Hope to see you soon! Pls RT!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Registration is free but required. The deadline for talk submission is Nov. 16. Hope to see you soon! Pls RT!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:42 PM
For population genetics and evolutionary biology folks in the Bay Area: the next BAPG will be hosted by Stanford CEHG and the Petrov lab at Stanford on 12/6.
Registration is free but required. The deadline for talk submission is Nov. 16. Hope to see you soon! Pls RT!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Registration is free but required. The deadline for talk submission is Nov. 16. Hope to see you soon! Pls RT!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
AI still ain’t got it
September 19, 2025 at 9:44 PM
AI still ain’t got it
Reposted by Sean Leonard
With Jeff Barrick's return to #MSU, the #LTEE was restarted today after a short pause (frozen) for the move.
Today was daily transfer 12,301. With ~6.6 generations per day, they are now at ~82,007 generations.
100,000 generations is fast approaching! Are you ready, #Spartans?
@msumgi.bsky.social
Today was daily transfer 12,301. With ~6.6 generations per day, they are now at ~82,007 generations.
100,000 generations is fast approaching! Are you ready, #Spartans?
@msumgi.bsky.social
September 10, 2025 at 8:54 PM
With Jeff Barrick's return to #MSU, the #LTEE was restarted today after a short pause (frozen) for the move.
Today was daily transfer 12,301. With ~6.6 generations per day, they are now at ~82,007 generations.
100,000 generations is fast approaching! Are you ready, #Spartans?
@msumgi.bsky.social
Today was daily transfer 12,301. With ~6.6 generations per day, they are now at ~82,007 generations.
100,000 generations is fast approaching! Are you ready, #Spartans?
@msumgi.bsky.social
Reposted by Sean Leonard
The ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems'.
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Preface: the ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Can't sign in? Forgot your password?
royalsocietypublishing.org
September 8, 2025 at 6:29 AM
The ecology and evolution of bacterial immune systems'.
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#phage #phagesky
A bunch of interesting reviews
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Many bacteria use #QuorumSensing to control genes based on population density. @jrchandler.bsky.social &co explore a @plosbiology.org study showing that in P. aeruginosa, 2 QS circuits activate each other, enhancing robustness & explaining redundancy 🧪 Paper: plos.io/3I7DhRG Primer: plos.io/4niSZZd
September 8, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Many bacteria use #QuorumSensing to control genes based on population density. @jrchandler.bsky.social &co explore a @plosbiology.org study showing that in P. aeruginosa, 2 QS circuits activate each other, enhancing robustness & explaining redundancy 🧪 Paper: plos.io/3I7DhRG Primer: plos.io/4niSZZd
Reposted by Sean Leonard
TINY FUNGUS. Absolutely magical. Specifically, Cannonball Fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus).
📷 ezatars on iNaturalist
📍 Latvia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay
📷 ezatars on iNaturalist
📍 Latvia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay
September 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
TINY FUNGUS. Absolutely magical. Specifically, Cannonball Fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus).
📷 ezatars on iNaturalist
📍 Latvia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay
📷 ezatars on iNaturalist
📍 Latvia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay
Reposted by Sean Leonard
A new theme issue of #PhilTransB examines the evolutionary history of bacterial immune systems, their modes of action, and the patterns how different bacterial immune systems are distributed across different ecosystems. Read: buff.ly/Z4qdxY1
September 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
A new theme issue of #PhilTransB examines the evolutionary history of bacterial immune systems, their modes of action, and the patterns how different bacterial immune systems are distributed across different ecosystems. Read: buff.ly/Z4qdxY1
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Drs @minealtinli.bsky.social @spleonard1.bsky.social @alainkohlvirology.bsky.social & @mosquitomicrobe.bsky.social review #bacteria-mediated #dsRNA delivery for #mosquito-borne #virus control. #RNAi #vectorcontrol #symbiont #engineering #mosquito #arbovirus
www.cell.com/trends/paras...
www.cell.com/trends/paras...
August 22, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Sean Leonard
The original circos plot? From the 1947-1948 Carnegie Yearbook, the page prior to McClintock's Mutable Loci in Maize paper.
August 16, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The original circos plot? From the 1947-1948 Carnegie Yearbook, the page prior to McClintock's Mutable Loci in Maize paper.
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Homeward Bound! Yes, the #LTEE is homeward bound. After a few thousand generations in Texas, the lines are coming back to #MSU, along with Jeff Barrick, and his team. telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/h...
Homeword Bound
With apologies to Rhymin’ Simon
telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com
July 28, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Homeward Bound! Yes, the #LTEE is homeward bound. After a few thousand generations in Texas, the lines are coming back to #MSU, along with Jeff Barrick, and his team. telliamedrevisited.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/h...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
#phage #phagesky
Phage-based delivery of CRISPR-associated transposases for targeted bacterial editing | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Phage-based delivery of CRISPR-associated transposases for targeted bacterial editing | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
July 29, 2025 at 4:47 AM
#phage #phagesky
Phage-based delivery of CRISPR-associated transposases for targeted bacterial editing | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Phage-based delivery of CRISPR-associated transposases for targeted bacterial editing | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
In case you’re wondering, the “caterpillars are hybrid worms” paper at PNAS remains alive (and guessing won’t be retracted ever)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
July 25, 2025 at 12:15 PM
In case you’re wondering, the “caterpillars are hybrid worms” paper at PNAS remains alive (and guessing won’t be retracted ever)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
If you're not taking the time to draw your own horny baseball art, man, what are we doing here. What is the point of being alive if not to draw your own horny baseball fan art?!?!?!
July 23, 2025 at 3:49 AM
If you're not taking the time to draw your own horny baseball art, man, what are we doing here. What is the point of being alive if not to draw your own horny baseball fan art?!?!?!
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Excited to share our new call for papers at @asm.org's MRA journal. Do you have a database, software, or web-based tool that would be a great resource for the micro community? Consider submitting it to MRA! journals.asm.org/journal/mra/...
Microbial Databases, Software Tools, and Web Services
Publish your microbial database or software tool in MRA to gain recognition, citations, and community trust.
journals.asm.org
July 23, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Excited to share our new call for papers at @asm.org's MRA journal. Do you have a database, software, or web-based tool that would be a great resource for the micro community? Consider submitting it to MRA! journals.asm.org/journal/mra/...
Reposted by Sean Leonard
How likely are SNP-based phenotypic reversions during human infection/coloniziation?
Our latest paper on the rare CF pathogen B. dolosa -- a great collaboration with folks I've worked with since my PhD and led by Alex Poret -- adds to the evidence that reversions are likely in large populations.
Our latest paper on the rare CF pathogen B. dolosa -- a great collaboration with folks I've worked with since my PhD and led by Alex Poret -- adds to the evidence that reversions are likely in large populations.
De novo mutations mediate phenotypic switching in an opportunistic human lung pathogen - Nature Communications
Bacteria evolving within humans employ strategies to overcome trade-offs. Here, the authors report that the cystic fibrosis-associated pathogen Burkholderia dolosa alternates phenotypes in vivo by acc...
www.nature.com
July 23, 2025 at 4:35 PM
How likely are SNP-based phenotypic reversions during human infection/coloniziation?
Our latest paper on the rare CF pathogen B. dolosa -- a great collaboration with folks I've worked with since my PhD and led by Alex Poret -- adds to the evidence that reversions are likely in large populations.
Our latest paper on the rare CF pathogen B. dolosa -- a great collaboration with folks I've worked with since my PhD and led by Alex Poret -- adds to the evidence that reversions are likely in large populations.
Reposted by Sean Leonard
We are on the lookout for postdocs for two different projects at the intersection of ecology, evolution, and the human microbiome.
See thread for more information and reach out!
See thread for more information and reach out!
July 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
We are on the lookout for postdocs for two different projects at the intersection of ecology, evolution, and the human microbiome.
See thread for more information and reach out!
See thread for more information and reach out!
Reposted by Sean Leonard
I hope these two purslane sawflies weren't looking for privacy.
July 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
I hope these two purslane sawflies weren't looking for privacy.
Reposted by Sean Leonard
Good morning bright eyes.
Paracantha genera, a tephritid fruit fly. The larvae live inside sunflowers and adults hang around. From the Pollinator Garden just now.
🌿
Paracantha genera, a tephritid fruit fly. The larvae live inside sunflowers and adults hang around. From the Pollinator Garden just now.
🌿
July 14, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Good morning bright eyes.
Paracantha genera, a tephritid fruit fly. The larvae live inside sunflowers and adults hang around. From the Pollinator Garden just now.
🌿
Paracantha genera, a tephritid fruit fly. The larvae live inside sunflowers and adults hang around. From the Pollinator Garden just now.
🌿
Reposted by Sean Leonard
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 Sean Leonard
And also gonna re-read this: The Hologenome Concept: Helpful or Hollow? journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
The Hologenome Concept: Helpful or Hollow?
It is accepted that microbial symbionts are important to the biology of their hosts, but this essay asks what evidence is needed to determine whether symbionts and hosts have coevolved and whether the...
journals.plos.org
July 14, 2025 at 4:18 AM
And also gonna re-read this: The Hologenome Concept: Helpful or Hollow? journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...