Roland Hatzenpichler
@environmicrobio.bsky.social
archaea, methane, microbial ecophysiology, single cell activity, next generation physiology / for evidence-based decision-making / I hold strong opinions / I don’t mince words / posts reflect personal views / www.environmental-microbiology.com
Pinned
Physiology, the functioning of a cell at a given time and in a given set of physiochemical conditions, is an emergent property that cannot be reliably predicted from genomic data or metabolic reconstructions alone. #testthy(metagenomic)hypotheses
Thanks Stavros will apply for them. Currently Asgard work in my lab is not directly funded.
February 8, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Thanks Stavros will apply for them. Currently Asgard work in my lab is not directly funded.
I mean look at Musk. For a long time, he warned about the risk of AI. Until he realized he would loose (i.e. not earn) a lot of money so he jumped onto the wagon and now says "Only I can build a good/safe general AI, so I have to beat all others to it". It's such a stupid argument.
February 6, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I mean look at Musk. For a long time, he warned about the risk of AI. Until he realized he would loose (i.e. not earn) a lot of money so he jumped onto the wagon and now says "Only I can build a good/safe general AI, so I have to beat all others to it". It's such a stupid argument.
Well i see where the fire analogy comes from ;) For those who don't: www.amazon.com/New-Fire-War...
The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI
The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI - Kindle edition by Buchanan, Ben, Imbrie, Andrew. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI.
www.amazon.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Well i see where the fire analogy comes from ;) For those who don't: www.amazon.com/New-Fire-War...
Reposted by Roland Hatzenpichler
New from Matters Microbial— episode 123: What Whooping Cough Can Teach Us
Dr. Seema Mattoo joins @markowenmartin.bsky.social to discuss the fascinating molecular genetics of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which can cause the human disease whooping cough. 🔗⬇️
Dr. Seema Mattoo joins @markowenmartin.bsky.social to discuss the fascinating molecular genetics of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which can cause the human disease whooping cough. 🔗⬇️
Matters Microbial #123: What Whooping Cough Can Teach US
YouTube video by MicrobeTV
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 2:47 PM
New from Matters Microbial— episode 123: What Whooping Cough Can Teach Us
Dr. Seema Mattoo joins @markowenmartin.bsky.social to discuss the fascinating molecular genetics of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which can cause the human disease whooping cough. 🔗⬇️
Dr. Seema Mattoo joins @markowenmartin.bsky.social to discuss the fascinating molecular genetics of the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which can cause the human disease whooping cough. 🔗⬇️
Reposted by Roland Hatzenpichler
Why methane surged in the atmosphere during the early 2020s www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #jcampubs
Why methane surged in the atmosphere during the early 2020s
The atmospheric methane (CH4) growth rate surged after 2019, peaking at 16.2 parts per billion per year (ppb year−1) in 2020 before declining to 8.6 ppb year−1 in 2023. Using multiple atmospheric inve...
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Why methane surged in the atmosphere during the early 2020s www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #jcampubs
But I think as a society we are, once again, asking us the wrong question: we ask “how can we best use it” while we should ask “should we”?
February 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
But I think as a society we are, once again, asking us the wrong question: we ask “how can we best use it” while we should ask “should we”?
But I agree. It’s a systemic and - mostly - moral issue that scientists cannot solve by themselves. The chance people will not use it is virtually zero despite the risks, snake oil salesmanship, and moral gray areas.
February 6, 2026 at 3:29 PM
But I agree. It’s a systemic and - mostly - moral issue that scientists cannot solve by themselves. The chance people will not use it is virtually zero despite the risks, snake oil salesmanship, and moral gray areas.
Sure but you essentially describe the same dilemma as about nuclear weapons after ww2. Well, the other side invests billions of dollars in WMDs, we must too. This time it’s AI and it’s more of an economy argument but without the AI firms delivering anything of substance. It’s a gigantic bubble.
February 6, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Sure but you essentially describe the same dilemma as about nuclear weapons after ww2. Well, the other side invests billions of dollars in WMDs, we must too. This time it’s AI and it’s more of an economy argument but without the AI firms delivering anything of substance. It’s a gigantic bubble.
The reason national lab push AI is because they are being told by people in the federal government, many of which have received millions of dollars donations by AI firms, and who decided to hand out hundreds of millions to push AI to generate demand for AI.
February 6, 2026 at 3:23 PM
The reason national lab push AI is because they are being told by people in the federal government, many of which have received millions of dollars donations by AI firms, and who decided to hand out hundreds of millions to push AI to generate demand for AI.
My mind is not made up yet, but I lean towards yes, it is research misconduct.
February 6, 2026 at 1:35 AM
My mind is not made up yet, but I lean towards yes, it is research misconduct.
Is it research misconduct to use chatbots because the training used stolen data? You cannot avoid it! The question is just if you are ok with it. Please argue pro or con misconduct.
February 6, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Is it research misconduct to use chatbots because the training used stolen data? You cannot avoid it! The question is just if you are ok with it. Please argue pro or con misconduct.
Thanks for providing a virtual option!
February 5, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Thanks for providing a virtual option!
Can we just agree to call generative AI tools “plagiarism robots” from now on?
I get to review journal articles sometimes. Can confirm, it’s getting pretty sloppy.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
Welcome, piles of slop filling up the journals with clouds of useless wordy garbage. Case in point:
February 5, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Can we just agree to call generative AI tools “plagiarism robots” from now on?
Btw my lab’s Asgard culture is called Skadiarchaeum cthulhuensis.
February 4, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Btw my lab’s Asgard culture is called Skadiarchaeum cthulhuensis.
So, in contrast to all your previous paintings, this is fictional though. Odinarchaeum has never been imaged or cultured.
February 4, 2026 at 2:28 PM
So, in contrast to all your previous paintings, this is fictional though. Odinarchaeum has never been imaged or cultured.
Reposted by Roland Hatzenpichler
Come work with us on #darkoxygen as part of the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. It is an amazing opportunity to get up to 3 years of funding. Deadlines are March 1. and November 1. Happy to discuss your ideas! Details here: zintellect.com/Opportunity/...
@mblscience.bsky.social #astrobiology
@mblscience.bsky.social #astrobiology
Zintellect - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - ICAR - OxyMoRon: Understanding dioxygen production and consumption in apparently anoxic environments - 0042-NPP-MAR26-ABProg-Astrobi...
About the NASA Postdoctoral Program The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ong
zintellect.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Come work with us on #darkoxygen as part of the NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. It is an amazing opportunity to get up to 3 years of funding. Deadlines are March 1. and November 1. Happy to discuss your ideas! Details here: zintellect.com/Opportunity/...
@mblscience.bsky.social #astrobiology
@mblscience.bsky.social #astrobiology
Our research was funded by the NASA Exobiology (to Tim McDermott) and DOE BER (me) programs.
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Our research was funded by the NASA Exobiology (to Tim McDermott) and DOE BER (me) programs.
attenuated two influenza pandemics in the 20th century, and his cumulative contributions are credited with saving 10s of millions of lives worldwide. See hillemanfilm.com/dr-hilleman for more information.
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
attenuated two influenza pandemics in the 20th century, and his cumulative contributions are credited with saving 10s of millions of lives worldwide. See hillemanfilm.com/dr-hilleman for more information.
We named this archaeon in honor of Maurice Hilleman (1919-2005), a microbiologist and vaccinologist who graduated from Montana State University. Over the course of his career, he developed over 40 vaccines, including 8 that are recommended for children in the USA. His vaccines
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
We named this archaeon in honor of Maurice Hilleman (1919-2005), a microbiologist and vaccinologist who graduated from Montana State University. Over the course of his career, he developed over 40 vaccines, including 8 that are recommended for children in the USA. His vaccines
and in situ methane flux measurements revealed extremely high and variable methane flux. Our results show that the novel methanogen, Ca. M. hillemani, is active when challenged with environmentally relevant stressors and contributes to the methane flux emanating from the GSL.
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
and in situ methane flux measurements revealed extremely high and variable methane flux. Our results show that the novel methanogen, Ca. M. hillemani, is active when challenged with environmentally relevant stressors and contributes to the methane flux emanating from the GSL.
In contrast, Ca. M. hillemani prioritizes trace metal uptake and immune functions in response to the presence of the co-enriched sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovermiculus. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of GSL shore soils demonstrated the presence of Ca. M. hillemani, along other methanogens,
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
In contrast, Ca. M. hillemani prioritizes trace metal uptake and immune functions in response to the presence of the co-enriched sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovermiculus. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of GSL shore soils demonstrated the presence of Ca. M. hillemani, along other methanogens,
when exposed to environmental stressors: low salt, high salt, and the presence of oxygen, a gas toxic to most methanogens. We demonstrate that Ca. M. hillemani does not increase expression of energy-conservation or osmo-tolerance proteins when challenged with salinity or oxygen.
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
when exposed to environmental stressors: low salt, high salt, and the presence of oxygen, a gas toxic to most methanogens. We demonstrate that Ca. M. hillemani does not increase expression of energy-conservation or osmo-tolerance proteins when challenged with salinity or oxygen.
In this study, we cultured a novel methanogen, for which we propose the name Candidatus Methanohalophilus hillemani, from the GSL at a time when its salinity reached a historical high. We obtained a complete, circular genome from this archaeon and study how it changes protein expression
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
In this study, we cultured a novel methanogen, for which we propose the name Candidatus Methanohalophilus hillemani, from the GSL at a time when its salinity reached a historical high. We obtained a complete, circular genome from this archaeon and study how it changes protein expression
The Great Salt Lake (GSL, Utah, USA) is an environment that has been heavily impacted by human activity and is an important local source of methane emissions. It has more than doubled its salt concentration since the last methanogenic archaeon was cultured from it in 1985.
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
The Great Salt Lake (GSL, Utah, USA) is an environment that has been heavily impacted by human activity and is an important local source of methane emissions. It has more than doubled its salt concentration since the last methanogenic archaeon was cultured from it in 1985.
New preprint: “Proteomic stress response by a novel methanogen enriched from the Great Salt Lake”, first author William Christian. TLDR: we enriched a novel, euryarchaeotal, methyl-dismutating methanogen that grows at 16% salinity. biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.29.702513v2 🧵 🦠 #microsky
February 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
New preprint: “Proteomic stress response by a novel methanogen enriched from the Great Salt Lake”, first author William Christian. TLDR: we enriched a novel, euryarchaeotal, methyl-dismutating methanogen that grows at 16% salinity. biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.29.702513v2 🧵 🦠 #microsky