Hernán A. Burbano
@hernanaburbano.bsky.social
Professor of Ancient Genomics and Evolution, GEE, University College London.
www.burbanolab.org
www.burbanolab.org
Pinned
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Thank you, Daniel!
November 25, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Thank you, Daniel!
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
We (Nordborg & Weigel labs) need input on the next generation of genome browsers & data download modes for the #Arabidopsis #1001GenomesPlus project. We have now a curated collection of over 500 long read genomes.
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Next generation of 1001 Genomes Plus browser and data download
Please indicate all features you would like to see in a browser that displays features of completely sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana genomes
docs.google.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:49 PM
We (Nordborg & Weigel labs) need input on the next generation of genome browsers & data download modes for the #Arabidopsis #1001GenomesPlus project. We have now a curated collection of over 500 long read genomes.
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please help us by filling out this questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
And now we have Arabidopsis plants with 8 chromosomes instead of 10 and no obvious phenotypic differences, this week in @science.org
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
CRISPR-Cas–mediated heritable chromosome fusions in Arabidopsis
The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana consists of 10 chromosomes. By inducing CRISPR-Cas–mediated breaks at subcentromeric and subtelomeric sequences, we fused entire chromosome arms, obtaining two eight...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:20 AM
And now we have Arabidopsis plants with 8 chromosomes instead of 10 and no obvious phenotypic differences, this week in @science.org
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Fascinating study! A pathogen locked in an evolutionary trade-off with strain antagonism for centuries and HGT has not caused escaping it 🤔
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
November 21, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Fascinating study! A pathogen locked in an evolutionary trade-off with strain antagonism for centuries and HGT has not caused escaping it 🤔
Thank you, Zamin! Safe travels.
November 21, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Thank you, Zamin! Safe travels.
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
#PhageSky A bacterial long-term evolutionary tradeoff, dating as far as 200 years in the past.
Very proud to have a small contribution in this great work from Karasov & Burbano Labs led by @taliamycota.bsky.social & Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau. Please read the thread by @hernanaburbano.bsky.social:
Very proud to have a small contribution in this great work from Karasov & Burbano Labs led by @taliamycota.bsky.social & Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau. Please read the thread by @hernanaburbano.bsky.social:
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
November 19, 2025 at 5:09 PM
#PhageSky A bacterial long-term evolutionary tradeoff, dating as far as 200 years in the past.
Very proud to have a small contribution in this great work from Karasov & Burbano Labs led by @taliamycota.bsky.social & Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau. Please read the thread by @hernanaburbano.bsky.social:
Very proud to have a small contribution in this great work from Karasov & Burbano Labs led by @taliamycota.bsky.social & Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau. Please read the thread by @hernanaburbano.bsky.social:
Our findings suggest that tailocin resistance may come with predictable fitness costs. That means tailocins could be a promising therapeutic avenue: even if resistance evolves, it may weaken pathogens in natural or clinical settings.
(8/n)
(8/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Our findings suggest that tailocin resistance may come with predictable fitness costs. That means tailocins could be a promising therapeutic avenue: even if resistance evolves, it may weaken pathogens in natural or clinical settings.
(8/n)
(8/n)
This challenges the idea that evolution always finds a workaround. Sometimes, molecular constraints lock lineages into long-term evolutionary compromises.
(7/n)
(7/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
This challenges the idea that evolution always finds a workaround. Sometimes, molecular constraints lock lineages into long-term evolutionary compromises.
(7/n)
(7/n)
Why does the trade-off persist?
Because both competition and colonization hinge on the same surface molecule. The O-antigen is a case of antagonistic pleiotropy – you can’t optimize one function without hurting the other.
(6/n)
Because both competition and colonization hinge on the same surface molecule. The O-antigen is a case of antagonistic pleiotropy – you can’t optimize one function without hurting the other.
(6/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Why does the trade-off persist?
Because both competition and colonization hinge on the same surface molecule. The O-antigen is a case of antagonistic pleiotropy – you can’t optimize one function without hurting the other.
(6/n)
Because both competition and colonization hinge on the same surface molecule. The O-antigen is a case of antagonistic pleiotropy – you can’t optimize one function without hurting the other.
(6/n)
What surprised us: this trade-off isn’t transient.
Using herbarium samples up to 200 years old, we show that the same genetic variants have persisted across 10⁵–10⁶ generations, with no evidence of widespread escape via recombination.
Natural selection keeps circling the same solutions.
(5/n)
Using herbarium samples up to 200 years old, we show that the same genetic variants have persisted across 10⁵–10⁶ generations, with no evidence of widespread escape via recombination.
Natural selection keeps circling the same solutions.
(5/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
What surprised us: this trade-off isn’t transient.
Using herbarium samples up to 200 years old, we show that the same genetic variants have persisted across 10⁵–10⁶ generations, with no evidence of widespread escape via recombination.
Natural selection keeps circling the same solutions.
(5/n)
Using herbarium samples up to 200 years old, we show that the same genetic variants have persisted across 10⁵–10⁶ generations, with no evidence of widespread escape via recombination.
Natural selection keeps circling the same solutions.
(5/n)
We found that in Pseudomonas viridiflava (a natural pathogen of Arabidopsis thaliana), strains that resist tailocins lose efficiency at colonizing host plants. And those that colonize well remain vulnerable to tailocin attack.
A classic evolutionary trade-off.
(4/n)
A classic evolutionary trade-off.
(4/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
We found that in Pseudomonas viridiflava (a natural pathogen of Arabidopsis thaliana), strains that resist tailocins lose efficiency at colonizing host plants. And those that colonize well remain vulnerable to tailocin attack.
A classic evolutionary trade-off.
(4/n)
A classic evolutionary trade-off.
(4/n)
Many Gram negative bacteria fight using tailocins – phage-derived molecular weapons that kill close relatives by binding to specific O-antigen receptors on the cell surface.
Powerful in warfare… but costly.
(3/n)
Powerful in warfare… but costly.
(3/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Many Gram negative bacteria fight using tailocins – phage-derived molecular weapons that kill close relatives by binding to specific O-antigen receptors on the cell surface.
Powerful in warfare… but costly.
(3/n)
Powerful in warfare… but costly.
(3/n)
We found that a bacterial trade-off between microbial competition and host colonization has persisted in nature for over ~10^5 generations (200 years), despite massive evolutionary opportunities to escape it.
(2/n)
(2/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
We found that a bacterial trade-off between microbial competition and host colonization has persisted in nature for over ~10^5 generations (200 years), despite massive evolutionary opportunities to escape it.
(2/n)
(2/n)
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
A PhD project on historical genomics in the declining red squirrel in Britain is available in my group, through the @aries-dtp.bsky.social. Use historical genomes to track the effects of decline and genetic rescue in this charismatic species. aries-dtp.ac.uk/studentships...
Historical genomics of the declining red squirrel in Britain | Aries
Dr Anders Bergström, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia Professor Cock van Oosterhout, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Dr Selina Brace…
aries-dtp.ac.uk
November 17, 2025 at 1:12 PM
A PhD project on historical genomics in the declining red squirrel in Britain is available in my group, through the @aries-dtp.bsky.social. Use historical genomes to track the effects of decline and genetic rescue in this charismatic species. aries-dtp.ac.uk/studentships...
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
A fantastic day of talks and discussions. Thanks to the organisers and @gensocuk.bsky.social
Wonderful and engaging talk by
@lucyvandorp.bsky.social
who was invited to speak on the drivers of pathogen evolution using ancient DNA at the Ancient Genomes: Perspectives on Human Biology and Medicine meeting
@gensocuk.bsky.social
🧬🦠
@lucyvandorp.bsky.social
who was invited to speak on the drivers of pathogen evolution using ancient DNA at the Ancient Genomes: Perspectives on Human Biology and Medicine meeting
@gensocuk.bsky.social
🧬🦠
November 17, 2025 at 10:06 AM
A fantastic day of talks and discussions. Thanks to the organisers and @gensocuk.bsky.social
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
It's been a busy few months for our group so wanted to highlight a few other recent preprints we’ve posted that I haven’t had the chance to share yet... (1/n)
Excited to share some new work led by grad student Sophie Walton (w/ @petrovadmitri.bsky.social). We used in vitro gut communities to study how natural selection acts on strains of the same species as they compete within larger communities. Check out Sophie's thread below for details!
Super excited that the bulk of my PhD work is now preprinted! Here we used whole-community competition, or coalescence, experiments to quantify selection acting on genetically diverged strains within larger communities. (1/n)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 16, 2025 at 3:26 PM
It's been a busy few months for our group so wanted to highlight a few other recent preprints we’ve posted that I haven’t had the chance to share yet... (1/n)
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
🚨 New paper alert 🚨
Our research, published today in Science, reveals remarkable concordance between human and dog genomes through time, highlighting how deeply intertwined our evolutionary histories have been over the past 11,000 years.
🔗 Read the full paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Our research, published today in Science, reveals remarkable concordance between human and dog genomes through time, highlighting how deeply intertwined our evolutionary histories have been over the past 11,000 years.
🔗 Read the full paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Genomic evidence for the Holocene codispersal of dogs and humans across Eastern Eurasia
As the first domestic species, dogs likely dispersed with different cultural groups during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed 73 ancient dog genomes, including 17 ...
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
🚨 New paper alert 🚨
Our research, published today in Science, reveals remarkable concordance between human and dog genomes through time, highlighting how deeply intertwined our evolutionary histories have been over the past 11,000 years.
🔗 Read the full paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Our research, published today in Science, reveals remarkable concordance between human and dog genomes through time, highlighting how deeply intertwined our evolutionary histories have been over the past 11,000 years.
🔗 Read the full paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
What a great week at Nanjing Agricultural University! Huge thanks to Prof. Souomeng Dong for the invitation to share my research and to his entire team for being such generous hosts. I learned so much from hearing about their work and am thrilled about our future plans together
November 14, 2025 at 11:15 AM
What a great week at Nanjing Agricultural University! Huge thanks to Prof. Souomeng Dong for the invitation to share my research and to his entire team for being such generous hosts. I learned so much from hearing about their work and am thrilled about our future plans together
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Pleased to share our review on S-layers with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen, and @tbharat-lab.bsky.social, where we explore recent advances and argue that deeper insight into S-layers is key to deciphering microbial interactions and community organization. @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
Assembly, architecture and functional roles of microbial surface layers
Review article published in @natrevmicro.nature.com with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen and @vikramalva.bsky.social.
S-layers are everywhere!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Review article published in @natrevmicro.nature.com with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen and @vikramalva.bsky.social.
S-layers are everywhere!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Assembly, architecture and functional roles of microbial surface layers - Nature Reviews Microbiology
Surface layers (S-layers) are ubiquitous protein assemblies that coat prokaryotic cells, with their functional roles increasingly coming into focus. In this Review, Isbilir and colleagues discuss rece...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Pleased to share our review on S-layers with @bupbuse.bsky.social, Andriko von Kügelgen, and @tbharat-lab.bsky.social, where we explore recent advances and argue that deeper insight into S-layers is key to deciphering microbial interactions and community organization. @mpi-bio-fml.bsky.social
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Great to have Priya Moorjani visit UGI and give a talk on inferring Neanderthal ancestry in ancient individuals, and to share a bit about her work on Indian genetics, including insights into the evolution of lactase persistence.
November 12, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Great to have Priya Moorjani visit UGI and give a talk on inferring Neanderthal ancestry in ancient individuals, and to share a bit about her work on Indian genetics, including insights into the evolution of lactase persistence.
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
🌱 Postdoc position in Plant Genomics/Bioinformatics!
Love genome plasticity, computational methods, and solving big questions in plant biology? Join our newly established Institute for Crop Biology at HHU Düsseldorf.
More info on schneebergerlab.org/career/
Apply by Nov. 30 | 3-year position
Love genome plasticity, computational methods, and solving big questions in plant biology? Join our newly established Institute for Crop Biology at HHU Düsseldorf.
More info on schneebergerlab.org/career/
Apply by Nov. 30 | 3-year position
Career – Schneeberger Lab
schneebergerlab.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM
🌱 Postdoc position in Plant Genomics/Bioinformatics!
Love genome plasticity, computational methods, and solving big questions in plant biology? Join our newly established Institute for Crop Biology at HHU Düsseldorf.
More info on schneebergerlab.org/career/
Apply by Nov. 30 | 3-year position
Love genome plasticity, computational methods, and solving big questions in plant biology? Join our newly established Institute for Crop Biology at HHU Düsseldorf.
More info on schneebergerlab.org/career/
Apply by Nov. 30 | 3-year position
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Applications due by Dec. 1
I recently moved my lab to Purdue University and am looking for graduate students. We are working at the interface of population genomics, quantitative genetics and functional genomics to understand how plants adapt to extreme environments. Reach out if you would like to discuss potential projects.
November 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Applications due by Dec. 1
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Looking forward to seeing David Moi's talk about Foldtree and the upcoming Foldtree II at #APSPM2026 in sunny Brisbane.
biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe...
@official-smbe.bsky.social
biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe...
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Viral protein sequences are highly variable, but structures are much more conserved.
In this paper, David Moi et al. present a highly accurate method to infer phylogenetic trees from 3D protein structures — opening new ways to explore viral evolution and protein function.
In this paper, David Moi et al. present a highly accurate method to infer phylogenetic trees from 3D protein structures — opening new ways to explore viral evolution and protein function.
Structural phylogenetics unravels the evolutionary diversification of communication systems in gram-positive bacteria and their viruses - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Using a new method called FoldTree, the authors compare proteins on the basis of their shape to construct more accurate family trees over long evolutionary timescales and capture distant relationships...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Looking forward to seeing David Moi's talk about Foldtree and the upcoming Foldtree II at #APSPM2026 in sunny Brisbane.
biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe...
@official-smbe.bsky.social
biosig.lab.uq.edu.au/strphy26/spe...
@official-smbe.bsky.social
Reposted by Hernán A. Burbano
Plz RP. Come join us at @slcuplants.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk to study effector-targeted plant processes impacting plant cell biology and development.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/post-do...
www.schornacklab.net
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/post-do...
www.schornacklab.net
November 6, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Plz RP. Come join us at @slcuplants.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk to study effector-targeted plant processes impacting plant cell biology and development.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/post-do...
www.schornacklab.net
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/post-do...
www.schornacklab.net