Unfortunately, most people who are not biologists (journalists include) never heard about ribosomes and don’t know what they are!! In a recent talk in front of a « general public » I asked « do you know what is a ribosome ? » No one knows.
05.03.2026 13:12
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With Eugene Koonin, we propose a concept of “the selfish ribosome”, under which evolution of life is viewed as a ribosomal takeover, where the ribosome evolved to consume most of the cell’s resources, while other cellular componentry ensures the propagation of the ribosome. arxiv.org/abs/2602.23268
03.03.2026 08:58
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Happy by a recent biorxiv pre-print about DARNA (PD-T7-3) anti-phage defense system. This system is activated by binding to ssDNA, presented by phage SSB, to cleave tRNA in the anti-codon loop.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
24.02.2026 08:08
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Giant DNA viruses encode a hallmark translation initiation complex of eukaryotic life
#microbiology #virology #virus #eukaryotes #MicroSky
@cellpress.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
20.02.2026 13:35
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"La circoncision est un geste chirurgical qui doit être réalisé par un professionnel formé"
Le Dr Quentin Bonnet, urologue et chef de clinique au CHU de Liège, rappelle que la circoncision est un acte chirurgical qui doit être réalisé dans de...
La question n'est pas seulement de savoir qui peut réaliser la circoncision, mais pour quel motif. La circoncision d'un mineur ne devrait être autorisée que pour une raison médicale. Sinon, elle s'apparente à une mutilation génitale pratiquée sur un enfant.
www.lavenir.net/actu/2026/02...
19.02.2026 08:25
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Nice phylogeny (Figure 1) showing that the rare Asgard tubulin (present in 1% of genome) branch within the diversity of Eukaryotic tubulin, indicating HGT from Proto-eukaryotes to Asgard, as we already suggested in Da Cunha et al. (mlife. 2022) and Forterre (mlife 2025) (not cited in this preprint.
19.02.2026 16:53
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Interestingly, the phylogeny also suggests HGT from Asgard (Hodar) to bacteria, Odin to Loki, Loki to Hodar, possibly pro to-eukaryotes to Bathy.
19.02.2026 16:53
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Nice phylogeny (Figure 1) showing that the rare Asgard tubulin (present in 1% of genome) branch within the diversity of Eukaryotic tubulin, indicating HGT from Proto-eukaryotes to Asgard, as we already suggested in Da Cunha et al. (mlife. 2022) and Forterre (mlife 2025) (not cited in this preprint.
19.02.2026 16:53
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Cryo-EM SPA of the ushikuvirus particle. (a) Surface representation of the ushikuvirus particle at 9.3 Å resolution by imposing icosahedral symmetry, showing that the capsid is composed of T = 309 icosahedron (h = 7, k = 13). The radius distribution is shown
Giant Virus Discovered in Japanese Pond May Hint at Multicellular Life's Origins
A newly isolated giant virus, ushikuvirus, is closely related to clandestinovirus and shows a unique capsid surface structure and host cell interactions 🧪
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
18.02.2026 16:33
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✨ Hier au Bar des Sciences : cap sur LUCA, le Last Universal Common Ancestor, ancêtre commun de toutes les formes de vie. Une plongée dans les origines du vivant et les débats actuels.
Merci à Patrick Forterre, prof de #biologie à @univparissaclay.bsky.social pour ses éclairages sur LUCA. #science
12.02.2026 16:50
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Le public pose des questions sur l'origine et l'évolution de Luca dans ce Bar des Sciences avec Patrick Forterre, professeur de biologie et ancien directeur de l' @institutpasteur.bsky.social à l' @univparissaclay.bsky.social #biologie #science #Paris
11.02.2026 20:10
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ribosomologists take note 👇
#CryoEM #CryoET #teamtomo
10.02.2026 10:15
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~50 kb genomes, 4× smaller than the genomes of 𝘕𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 sp. 👀 and ~3× smaller than the 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 genome 👀. Elio called 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 ...👇
#SymbioSky
11.02.2026 13:38
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Prevalence and Evolutionary Implications of Genome Rearrangements in Bacteria
Abstract. The genetic material of bacteria and archaea is organized into various structures and setups, attesting that genome architecture is dynamic in th
@carolinamicro.bsky.social Huang & @lbobay.bsky.social investigated genomic rearrangements across 121 microbial species, showing that rearrangements occur at a variable pace across bacteria and archaea, pointing to different selective constraints.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag002
#genome #evolution
11.02.2026 15:57
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Rare, dangerous side effects of some COVID-19 vaccines explained
“Groundbreaking” study uncovers why adenovirus-based shots caused life-threatening blood clots and bleeding in some people
Five years after the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines started, it seems the mystery of why the Astra-Zeneca and J&J vaccines led to a rare but deadly side effect of unusual blood clots and bleeding has finally been solved.
It's a fascinating case of molecular mimicry that may help make vaccine safer.🧪
11.02.2026 22:10
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Check out our latest preprint from @jnvmartinson.bsky.social and @leosong.bsky.social! 🌟🦠
We found that conjugative plasmids can actively eliminate recipient bacteria that resist plasmid acquisition. 🧵
12.02.2026 00:41
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a daring approach: looking at LUCA's ancestors, i.e. pre-darwinian evolution. but not surprising it's coming from @kacarlab.bsky.social 👏
glad to see Iwabe et al. (1989) among the references (blew my mind when it came out >30 y ago)
06.02.2026 22:42
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Note for those interested in Asgard archaea - please join us on the morning of July 10th for a ‘building a community’ discussion!
05.02.2026 16:00
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HORBEC are found in most prokaryotes, and are particularly diverse in Archaea. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a complex evolutionary history. However, we show that respiratory complex I (Nuo/Fpo) was likely present in the LUCA, challenging current hypotheses on the ancestral energetic metabolism.
03.02.2026 10:52
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𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 chromosome replicationists take note 👇
tsutomu katayama's lab tackles one of the last remaining puzzles of DnaB loading by DnaA to 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘊 after opening. for bi-directional replication, 𝘁𝘄𝗼 DnaB helicases have to be loaded (in case you forgot).
thx for pointing this out, wiep 🙏
#MicroSky
31.01.2026 21:08
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