Deepa Agashe
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deepaagashe.bsky.social
Deepa Agashe
@deepaagashe.bsky.social
Curious biologist
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
one of the greatest human triumphs of my lifetime is the relentless, unceasing, heroic effort by DECADES' worth of doctors and scientists to find a cure for a disease much of the world didn't take seriously for years because it predominantly affected a community they thought kinda deserved it
Just because good news is worth celebrating:

There is now a Prep medication that is an *every six month* injection.

HIV has, effectively, a vaccination.
February 7, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Solvitur ambulando is my favourite Latin phrase. It means "it is solved by walking".
February 5, 2026 at 3:32 PM
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#ProtistsOnSky
no 'swimming' by 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢, definitively no 'staying still'. just a relaxed walk towards the lunch...
February 2, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
SMBE is calling for nominations for Best Graduate Student Papers of 2025, recognizing outstanding papers in @molbioevol.bsky.social and @genomebiolevol.bsky.social

🗓️ Deadline Feb 27

Articles published in 2025 are eligible. The nominated student must be first author; anyone can nominate authors.
February 2, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
New paper out in PNAS!!! 🎉

Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?

🧵 Dive into the story

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Plasmid mutation rates scale with copy number | PNAS
Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules that spread by horizontal transfer and shape bacterial evolution. Plasmids are typically present at mul...
www.pnas.org
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Registration now open for @embo.org workshop on the evolution of biological interactions on April 24 - 27, 2026! Come join us in Taipei, Taiwan to see how interactions shaped the genomes of various organisms and meeting people from across the globe. Info: meetings.embo.org/event/26-bio...
January 7, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
August 13, 2025 at 6:06 AM
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A real treat to watch a male Lyrebird perform at the Healesville Sanctuary yesterday. Truly magnificent.
December 19, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
@laasya2.bsky.social @deepaagashe.bsky.social et al. quantified the growth cost of mistranslation rates and exposure to antibiotics in E. coli, finding that altered translation accuracy can shape adaptive outcomes.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf312

🖌️ Nishant Asawadekar

#evobio #molbio
December 19, 2025 at 6:53 PM
How do bacteria deal with double costs? And how costly are unusual levels of mistranslation anyway? In short - antibiotics are more of an issue than less/more mistranslation, but the latter changes how populations deal with antibiotics. For the long story, check out our new paper!
So happy that this work simultaneously measuring the costs of antibiotic exposure and mistranslation is finally out in MBE! Work from @deepaagashe.bsky.social (who was ultra patient!) and my labs. Do see the research highlight here, with Nishant's lovely graphic. academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
How Life's “Mistakes” Impact Adaptation
Even in a colony of genetically identical bacteria, no two individuals are exactly alike. This phenomenon, known as phenotypic “noise,” is a long-standing
academic.oup.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
We have an early New Year present for you:
🎁The new #MVIF program is out🎁

Highlights:
🇳🇵 Bishwash Thapa
🇮🇷 Zahra Nezamivand Chegini

Keynote:
🇨🇭 @saramitri.bsky.social

Talks:
🇺🇸 @liliancaesar.bsky.social
🇮🇹 Haseeb Manzoor
🇦🇹 Laurenz Holcik

Free registration: cassyni.com/s/mvif-45

See you in January!
December 17, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
The Congress Attendance Aid (CAA) Grant is offered by ESEB to promote equal participation, diversity, and accessibility @empseb31.bsky.social June 2025, Oberwiesenthal, Germany

For more information and to apply click here: eseb.org/prizes-fundi...
December 8, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
A great piece below about science and art. And a great anecdote in the comments by @annfinkbeiner.bsky.social. Both ring pretty true to me.
December 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
ARTISTS!
I need your help!

In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.

Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
November 22, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Did you publish part of your PhD work in @journal-evo.bsky.social or @evolletters.bsky.social this year? Submit your paper for the SSE Presidents’ Award! Up to two recipients will each present an award talk during the virtual portion of #Evol2026 in May. Deadline: January 30. shorturl.at/CnVo6
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Today is my birthday! 🎂
If you like my work and want to make my day, I only ask that you share my art and stories with someone who might enjoy them :)
Or trick your gullible friend for a minute. That's also a good one.
November 20, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Please apply for this, and/or encourage your mentees and peers to do so!
Every year #ESEB distinguishes a young evolutionary biologist with the John Maynard Smith Prize! Nominations for the 2026 prize are due by January 15th!

Find out more here: eseb.org/prizes-fundi...
November 19, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
November 19, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
APPLICATIONS welcomed for the ESEB #Outreach Initiative Fund for educational initiatives that promote #evolution, public outreach seminars, public exhibitions, workshops, etc.

Up to €4K available per project.

eseb.org/prizes-fundi...
November 17, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
For a while (many years!) back, @eseb.bsky.social gave us €€€ to form a Special Topic Network. Formally, the network no longer exists, but informally for sure AND we can now pick the fruits of our labours! Here is one and the next post shows another... Thank you ESEB! 🙏
November 14, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Deep in the Sumatran jungle today we found the extraordinary flowers of Rhizanthes pushing their fangs through the forest floor. A sap-sucking, leafless parasite, this is one of the world's weirdest plants.
November 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
I was thrilled to be interviewed by Matt Candeias for his cool podcast In Defense of Plants! Check it out if you want to hear about sagebrush, pitcher plants and leaf microbiomes!
www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2025...
Ep. 551 - Sagebrush, Pitcher Plants, & Leaf Microbiomes — In Defense of Plants
In Defense of Plants' Matt Candeias talks with Microbial Ecologist Dr. Leonora Bittleston about the leaf microbiomes of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentat) and pitcher plants (Sarracenia, Nepenthes, and C...
www.indefenseofplants.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
📣CALL FOR APPLICATIONS!!

The next deadline for the #GodfreyHewitt mobility award is 31st January 2026. Open to ECRS in support of research trips or lab visits.

For more information, eligibility and how to apply: eseb.org/prizes-fundi...
November 13, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
Excited to share our latest paper led by Ph.D. Candidate, Owen Hale, titled Elevated rates and Biased Spectra of Mutations in Anaerobically Cultured Lactic Acid Bacteria out now in mBio!

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Elevated rates and biased spectra of mutations in anaerobically cultured lactic acid bacteria | mBio
Despite Earth’s oxygen-free origins and the abundance of microorganisms that thrive without oxygen, little is known about the rates and patterns of mutations in anaerobic species. This study directly ...
journals.asm.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Deepa Agashe
I wrapped up field work in Siang & Dibang Valleys, Arunachal Pradesh, India, two days ago. At my last rest stop, a stunning visitor landed on the dining table, as if saying, 'don't leave!'. It was Banded Redeye (Gangara lebadea;
www.ifoundbutterflies.org/gangara-leba...).
I'll be back next year!
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 AM