foaylward - Network

Any idea what this algae or plant is? It forms green films on top if a nearby pond. Under the scope it forms largish clumps or sacks of...

Any idea what this algae or plant is? It forms green films on top if a nearby pond. Under the scope it forms largish clumps or sacks of cells- maybe 50-100 um or so across. Seems too large for most algae and too small for plants like duckweed. I've never come across it before, and I'd be curious to get an ID if anyone knew!

#algae #ponds #microscopy

Giant viruses integrate into the genomes of money protists. Our latest study adds the model protist Euglena to the list"Giant...

Giant viruses integrate into the genomes of money protists. Our latest study adds the model protist Euglena to the list

"Giant endogenous viral elements in the genome of the model protist Euglena gracilis reveal past interactions with giant viruses"

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.23.650285v1

#viruses #protists #microbiology #genomics

Exciting work from the Hsu lab at Virginia Tech! They developed a cool way too knock down phage abundances to examine their role in the gut....

Exciting work from the Hsu lab at Virginia Tech! They developed a cool way too knock down phage abundances to examine their role in the gut.

"A bacteriophage-conditional mouse model reveals the impact of phages within a conventionally colonized gut microbiota"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931312825001350?dgcid=coauthor

#microbiome #microbiology #phages

Azalea #Bloomscrolling #silentsunday

Azalea #Bloomscrolling #silentsunday

Video and article from our lab about our latest giant virus paper "Researchers discover large dormant virus can be reactivated in model...

Video and article from our lab about our latest giant virus paper

"Researchers discover large dormant virus can be reactivated in model green alga"

https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/04/researchers-discover-large-dormant-virus-can-be-reactivated-in-m.html

And link to original paper
https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-2552/full

#viruses #science #virology #microbes

Hyacinth #SilentSunday #bloomscrolling

Hyacinth #SilentSunday #bloomscrolling

What I’ve learned after 40 years as the Observer’s science editor"Anti-science movements have always been with us, of course –...

What I’ve learned after 40 years as the Observer’s science editor

"Anti-science movements have always been with us, of course – from the rise of the flat Earthers to the early establishment of groups opposed to evolution. However, the present trajectory is now ­becoming extremely ­worrying, with the US providing the most ­worrying examples."

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/apr/13/what-ive-learned-after-40-years-as-the-observers-science-editor?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

#science

Species Richness and Speciation Rates for all Terrestrial Animals Emerge from a Synthesis of Ecological...

Species Richness and Speciation Rates for all Terrestrial Animals Emerge from a Synthesis of Ecological Theories

https://academic.oup.com/sysbio/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/sysbio/syaf006/8098740?login=false

#ecology #evolution

We found a really cool giant virus inside the genome of a green alga, and it has a very strange infection cycle that is hard to detect....

We found a really cool giant virus inside the genome of a green alga, and it has a very strange infection cycle that is hard to detect.

There are reports going back decades of viral particles spontaneously appearing in pure cultures of green algae, so this phenomenon seems quite common but mostly overlooked.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads6303

#viruses #microbiology #algae

The Trump Administration Is Turning Science Against ItselfIn addition to firing researchers and pulling funds, the Trump administration is...

The Trump Administration Is Turning Science Against Itself

In addition to firing researchers and pulling funds, the Trump administration is also inverting science.

https://www.wired.com/story/trump-administration-science/

#science #uspol #deExtinction

Eastern redbuds are blooming all across the forests of #Appalachia #Bloomscrolling

Eastern redbuds are blooming all across the forests of #Appalachia
#Bloomscrolling

Tulips! #silentSunday #Bloomscrolling

Tulips! #silentSunday #Bloomscrolling

Would you like a vacuum that can participate in someone's DDoS attack?The wait is over...

Would you like a vacuum that can participate in someone's DDoS attack?

The wait is over

https://www.theverge.com/news/639078/samsung-bespoke-ai-jet-ultra-vacuum-text-messages

Signs of #spring in #appalachia #Bloomscrolling

Signs of #spring in #appalachia #Bloomscrolling

Interesting article on #arXiv - I wasn't aware of the early history. Quite a story! "Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative...

Interesting article on #arXiv - I wasn't aware of the early history. Quite a story!

"Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative Platform in All of Science"

https://www.wired.com/story/inside-arxiv-most-transformative-code-science/

#science #preprints #AcademicPublishing

Recommendations for textbooks on #genomics and #evolution? I have been using Molecular and Genome Evolution (Graur) or the Origins of Genome...

Recommendations for textbooks on #genomics and #evolution?

I have been using Molecular and Genome Evolution (Graur) or the Origins of Genome Architecture (Lynch). Both very good, but I'm curious what others use.

My at-home algal cultivation hobby is going well. I am surprised thst soil samples are the best for growing new green algae - more so than...

My at-home algal cultivation hobby is going well. I am surprised thst soil samples are the best for growing new green algae - more so than pond water.

#algae #protists #microbiology

This seems cartoonishly fake, but I guess it's real? Newsom sends prepaid phones, aka ‘burners’, to tech...

This seems cartoonishly fake, but I guess it's real?

Newsom sends prepaid phones, aka ‘burners’, to tech CEOs

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/18/newsom-ceos-burner-phones-00235044

It doesn't get any better than this, folksCanada goose fights off bald eagle in rare, symbolism-laden battle on...

It doesn't get any better than this, folks

Canada goose fights off bald eagle in rare, symbolism-laden battle on ice

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/05/canada-goose-bald-eagle-political-symbolism?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Widespread protests across the US this weekend, even in some very conservative...

Widespread protests across the US this weekend, even in some very conservative areas

https://www.wdbj7.com/2025/02/22/we-are-not-going-silently-dozens-protesters-chant-downtown-christiansburg/

#uspol #protests