Excited to release METAGENE-1, a 7B parameter metagenomic foundation model, built to aid in pathogen detection & pandemic monitoring. Pretrained on 1.5 trillion base pairs of DNA/RNA sequenced from wastewater.
A collab w/ USC, PrimeIntellect, & the Nucleic Acid Observatory.
metagene.ai
Registration is now open for the new EMBL Conference #EMBLGutMicrobeFunction!
Submit your abstract by 15 September: https://s.embl.org/gmd26-01-bl
🧬 Join us to explore how we can harness the vast functional diversity of microbes that shape ecosystems across our planet.
🗓️ 8 – 10 December 2026
🌎Can science help safeguard Earth’s wildlife? From habitat loss to climate change, species worldwide are under threat. At #SXSW2026, experts explore how biobanking & digital tools give wildlife a lifeline.
🗓 Mar 17 | 4 PM
📍 JW Marriott, Room 201-202
schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP116...
I will be speaking at BrisJAMS next week!
We must create safe, supportive environments where women and girls can thrive, and develop strategies to dismantle the structural barriers that hinder gender equality in science. Real change goes beyond inspiration, it requires a transformation
🧵2/2
#InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience
The poster represent two women scientists. It’s a poster from the UNESCO for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, it’s important to acknowledge how far we have progressed. But we should also recognize that empowerment alone is not enough.
🧵1/2
Excited to announce that I am organizing a symposium on "Microbiomes in Conservation" at #ISME20 in Auckland, New Zealand together with Madeleine van Oppen.
Consider submitting an abstract; it will be a fab conference! Deadline Feb 15!
isme-microbes.org/isme20-sessi...
@isme-microbes.bsky.social
Just published: "Planetary microbiome structure and generalist-driven gene flow across disparate habitats" by @podlesny.bsky.social @chanyeong-kim.bsky.social and @jonas-bio.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
See the quoted post below for a thread on the preprint!
A long time ago in a galaxy far away, there was a SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our paper, led by @martibartfast.bsky.social
a) correcting errors in 4.5 million genomes & their phylogeny
b) improving representation of the Global South in public data
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(thread 1/n)
Escuchamos a Renata Sandoval, estudiante de la @lcgej.bsky.social en el lab de @lumoralesr.bsky.social, quien nos contó sobre la dinámica de las frecuencias alelicas en los metagenomas de la fermentación de agave 🇲🇽🌱 #DiasAcademicos2026 @liigh-unam.bsky.social
📣 Call for Speakers!
Are you a woman or non-binary scientist ready to share your research with the public? Then, apply to be a speaker at Soapbox Science Berlin 🧪🌍🔭💻🦊🧠
📍 Holzmarkt | 🗓 June 28
⏰ Applications close Feb 23
👉 Apply now! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
#WomeninSTEM #scicomm #wisskomm
EMBL is deeply saddened by the passing of our Interim Director General Peer Bork, a pioneering scientist who left an indelible imprint on life science research in Europe and beyond.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
www.embl.org/news/people-...
"I think the current publication system is a runaway train that is headed for disaster. Without adequate scrutiny, the overall quality of research seems to be degrading."
go.nature.com/4b8r0Zq
Scientists showed that depression was more common among current and former smokers than among never-smokers over the course of their lifetime. In addition, a dose-response relationship was observed.
👉 nako.de/en/press-rel...
🥁 NEW
Our study on infant gut microbiome and #straintransmission is now published in @nature.com:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
1/10
I'm very happy to share our latest manuscript published today in @nature.com !!
➡️ doi.org/10.1038/s415...
We analyzed data from over 34,000 participants in the US and UK, revealing strong associations between specific gut bacteria and markers of cardiometabolic health and dietary habits.
Photo with text overlay: The image shows the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin photographed from below, with its sandstone columns and the quadriga statue silhouetted against a pale sky. The composition centers the upper section of the monument, with architectural details clearly visible. Overlaid text appears in bold sans-serif fonts within dark teal and teal rectangular boxes. At the top, white all-caps text reads “A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR EARLY DISEASE PREVENTION.” Across the lower half, white all-caps text in teal boxes reads “EINSTEIN CENTER FOR EARLY DISEASE INTERCEPTION RECEIVES €6 MILLION.”
1️⃣2️⃣ top institutions. One goal: advance early disease interception in Berlin.
The Einstein Center for Early Disease Interception brings new technologies together to detect disease long before symptoms occur. We sat down with two of its speakers.
Full interview: 👉 www.mdc-berlin.de/news/news/ne... 👈
🔊 Job Opportunity: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Bacterial Evolution.
Looking to recruit a postdoc to join a UKRI FLF-funded project on antibiotic resistance evolution in the microbiome 🦠
3 years funding, deadline 26th Jan, please share!
hrwebapp.qub.ac.uk/tlive_webrec...
🌍Jan's Monthly Webinar!
🦠Communicating about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – reflecting on challenges, solutions, and social justice concerns
📅19 Jan @ 12pm - Online
🎙 Prof Marina Joubert
+ ECR presentation from Dorottya Nagy, @UniofOxford & @UKHSA
🔗 www.targetamr.org.uk/hdrevents/co...
Pre-holiday preprint! We experimentally manipulated resource availability in a wild rodent population and found pervasive effects on host biology and diverse effects across the parasite community in a naturally co-infected host. Check it out!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🎯 What a year for TARGetAMR!
In 2025 we:
✅ Welcomed 474 new members
✅ Connected 241 organisations across 56 countries
✅ Hosted 10 webinars reaching 719 people
🌍 Building the UK’s national AMR genomics network!
🚀 Ready for an even bigger 2026? Join us!
👉 www.targetamr.org.uk/community/
We highlight the relevance of global diversity in microbiome research and provide deeper insights into context-dependent maturation dynamics of the infant gut microbiome
If you are interested in the details check it out 👀
#MicroSky
#Microbiome
#Diversity
(4/4)
Our model also detects a delay in the microbial maturation of independent cohorts of severely malnourished and preterm infants compared to healthy ones showing the robustness of the model (3/4)
The model captures differences in maturation between lifestyles and shows that models to estimate microbial age based only on industrialised datasets perform poorly when applied to non-industrialised datasets 🏭🛖🧐 (2/4)
📌 New preprint
Super trilled to share the work of our PhD student Rob Bücking.
He did a massive work collecting a large longitudinal globally representative dataset of infant microbiomes to develop a microbiome age index 🌍🍼👶🏻🦠 (1/4)
Interested in how life history may shape the gut microbiome of a wild mammal? Keen on getting to work with an iconic long-term study system in Scotland?
Check out this PhD opportunity with me, Josephine Pemberton and @gfalbery.bsky.social
Reach out to chat more!
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Are you in Berlin this chilly Sunday and looking for something inspiring to do? Join us at Holzmarkt 25 at 15:30 for our event! 6 amazing speakers will share insights on interesting topics in a relaxed atmosphere. Come, meet the scientists, and be part of a great afternoon. See you there! ✨
See you this Sunday for our event “Diverse minds, shared future!” 🌈✨
📅 November 9, 2025
🕞 15:30–17:30
📍 FORUM, Holzmarkt 25
Stay tuned for more inspiring speakers from: “Diverse minds, shared future.” 🌈✨
📅 November 9, 2025
🕞 15:30–17:30
📍 FORUM, Holzmarkt 25
Stay tuned for more inspiring speakers from“Diverse minds, shared future” coming soon! 🌈✨
📅 November 9, 2025
🕞 15:30–17:30
📍 FORUM, Holzmarkt 25
