MSU MGI
@msumgi.bsky.social
The official Bluesky account of the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology of Michigan State University.
Today's Work in Progress seminars were given by Maria Guzman of the Reguera Lab (@microgem.bsky.social) and Sarah Gonzalez Henao of the Schrenk Lab.
Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students talk about their research!
Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students talk about their research!
January 26, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Today's Work in Progress seminars were given by Maria Guzman of the Reguera Lab (@microgem.bsky.social) and Sarah Gonzalez Henao of the Schrenk Lab.
Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students talk about their research!
Join us each Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear our grad students talk about their research!
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Bobby Zuniga, MGI's first graduate student working in a lab at @henryfordhealth.bsky.social!
Read about Bobby and his research here: mgi.natsci.msu.edu/people/micro...
Read about Bobby and his research here: mgi.natsci.msu.edu/people/micro...
January 26, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Bobby Zuniga, MGI's first graduate student working in a lab at @henryfordhealth.bsky.social!
Read about Bobby and his research here: mgi.natsci.msu.edu/people/micro...
Read about Bobby and his research here: mgi.natsci.msu.edu/people/micro...
Reposted by MSU MGI
New pre-print from the lab! Lead by Mariia Mikhova and in collaboration with Kefei Yu’s lab @msumgi.bsky.social we dug into the molecular mechanism of class switch recombination in B cells using simultaneous RNA and protein single-molecule imaging. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 23, 2026 at 2:49 PM
New pre-print from the lab! Lead by Mariia Mikhova and in collaboration with Kefei Yu’s lab @msumgi.bsky.social we dug into the molecular mechanism of class switch recombination in B cells using simultaneous RNA and protein single-molecule imaging. 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Join us for our latest "Moment of Science" with MGI undergrad Drew Johnson of the Waters Lab. Here he shows us how to culture cholera in a low-tech lab environment.
January 23, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Join us for our latest "Moment of Science" with MGI undergrad Drew Johnson of the Waters Lab. Here he shows us how to culture cholera in a low-tech lab environment.
Vaughn Cooper’s new Scientific American article offers a clear look at the potential threats posed by mirror‑life. He trained with MGI's Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social, whose contributions to the field are referenced in the piece. Important context for a complex topic.
What could mirror bacteria do in nature if created? A story of these prospects and a plan to prevent them.
Titles aside, I hope you'll read it (the tech is NOT close). Thanks to Tom Freeman for writing help & @jfischman.bsky.social for ace editing! www.scientificamerican.com/article/life...
Titles aside, I hope you'll read it (the tech is NOT close). Thanks to Tom Freeman for writing help & @jfischman.bsky.social for ace editing! www.scientificamerican.com/article/life...
Life’s evil twins, called mirror cells, could wipe us out if scientists don’t stop them
Researchers are close to making “reversed” cells that may wipe us off the planet
www.scientificamerican.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Vaughn Cooper’s new Scientific American article offers a clear look at the potential threats posed by mirror‑life. He trained with MGI's Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social, whose contributions to the field are referenced in the piece. Important context for a complex topic.
This week's MGI Research Seminar by given by our very own Aretha Fiebig. Her talk, entitled "Microbial Physiology in an Ecosystem Context," was delivered to a standing-room-only crowd.
January 21, 2026 at 9:31 PM
This week's MGI Research Seminar by given by our very own Aretha Fiebig. Her talk, entitled "Microbial Physiology in an Ecosystem Context," was delivered to a standing-room-only crowd.
Thank you to Dr. Kevin Theis of Wayne State University for delivering today's MGI Research Seminar. His talk was entitled "The hologenomics of reproduction."
January 13, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Thank you to Dr. Kevin Theis of Wayne State University for delivering today's MGI Research Seminar. His talk was entitled "The hologenomics of reproduction."
Today we kicked off our Work in Progress Seminars for the spring semester with an excellent talk by Dr. Zack D. Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social).
He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can.
He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can.
January 12, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Today we kicked off our Work in Progress Seminars for the spring semester with an excellent talk by Dr. Zack D. Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social).
He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can.
He led a terrific discussion about the morality of science and knowing when you should do something vs. knowing that you can.
Welcome back, students, and happy spring semester! We missed you!
January 12, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Welcome back, students, and happy spring semester! We missed you!
MGI Prof. Chris Contag is a significant contributor to this work: MSU researchers have created the first human heart-like “organoids” that enable the study of atrial fibrillation. The models also enable new ways of evaluating heart development, diseases & drug responses.
In a recent study, O'Hern, @aaguirre1980.bsky.social et al., also from @msu-medicine.bsky.social & @msumgi.bsky.social revealed that TRMPs modulate cardiac signaling, clear dead cells through efferocytosis, & regulate extracellular matrix remodeling and electrical conduction.
December 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
MGI Prof. Chris Contag is a significant contributor to this work: MSU researchers have created the first human heart-like “organoids” that enable the study of atrial fibrillation. The models also enable new ways of evaluating heart development, diseases & drug responses.
New in @mbio.bsky.social : MGI PhD student Heather Murdoch of the @abramovitch.bsky.social Lab explores how TB bacteria adapt their metabolism in acidic conditions and what the changes might mean for treatment.
Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm
Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm
December 18, 2025 at 4:44 PM
New in @mbio.bsky.social : MGI PhD student Heather Murdoch of the @abramovitch.bsky.social Lab explores how TB bacteria adapt their metabolism in acidic conditions and what the changes might mean for treatment.
Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm
Read it here: tinyurl.com/ybsy6hxm
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Adam Kibiloski, an MGI doctoral candidate in the Abramovitch lab (@abramovitch.bsky.social).
Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy
Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy
December 16, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Next up in our Micro Biography series is Adam Kibiloski, an MGI doctoral candidate in the Abramovitch lab (@abramovitch.bsky.social).
Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy
Read more here: tinyurl.com/24cp4pzy
Congratulations to our graduates! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see the great things you will accomplish!
December 15, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Congratulations to our graduates! We are so proud of you and can't wait to see the great things you will accomplish!
For more than 5 decades, MSU faculty have shared microbiology expertise with Can Tho University in Vietnam. In this new article, MGI Assoc. Prof. Emeritus & former Assoc. dept. chair Scott Mulrooney reflects on the impact of this enduring collaboration.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa
🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa
December 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
For more than 5 decades, MSU faculty have shared microbiology expertise with Can Tho University in Vietnam. In this new article, MGI Assoc. Prof. Emeritus & former Assoc. dept. chair Scott Mulrooney reflects on the impact of this enduring collaboration.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa
🔗https://tinyurl.com/36eczjwa
As part of his class, MGI 991 - Intro to Science, Asst. Prof. Zachary Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) gives out homemade gifts to his students: Anti-critic shields and hypothesis-killing swords (foam, of course). They are a rite of passage for their experiences in the Practice of Science module.
December 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
As part of his class, MGI 991 - Intro to Science, Asst. Prof. Zachary Blount (@zdblount.bsky.social) gives out homemade gifts to his students: Anti-critic shields and hypothesis-killing swords (foam, of course). They are a rite of passage for their experiences in the Practice of Science module.
Why are coral reefs bleaching, and what can we do to stop it?
Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.
Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.
December 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Why are coral reefs bleaching, and what can we do to stop it?
Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.
Sarah VanDiepenbos ( @sarahscientist.bsky.social ) is an MGI doctoral student working in Rob Quinn's lab, and she's trying to answer that question.
Thank you to Pei-Chung Lee of Wayne State University for delivering a fantastic MGI research seminar - the last one of the semester.
Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.
Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.
December 4, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Thank you to Pei-Chung Lee of Wayne State University for delivering a fantastic MGI research seminar - the last one of the semester.
Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.
Dr. Lee was hosted by @shames-lab.bsky.social.
How do HPV+ head and neck cancers spread? MGI doctoral student John Garber of the Pyeon lab (@dpyeon.bsky.social) is looking into that question, and he told us about his research at this week's Work in Progress Seminar.
December 2, 2025 at 8:39 PM
How do HPV+ head and neck cancers spread? MGI doctoral student John Garber of the Pyeon lab (@dpyeon.bsky.social) is looking into that question, and he told us about his research at this week's Work in Progress Seminar.
Some bacteria can't be grown in a lab. So how do we study it?
MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life.
Published in @mSphereJ.
MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life.
Published in @mSphereJ.
December 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Some bacteria can't be grown in a lab. So how do we study it?
MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life.
Published in @mSphereJ.
MGI Asst Prof Nina Wale @ninawale.bsky.social and her team have found a way using a new flow cytometry technique involving light signatures instead of labels. This could change how we understand microbial life.
Published in @mSphereJ.
Congratulations to MGI Professors Sean Crosson and Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social for winning awards from the College of Natural Science!
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv
December 2, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Congratulations to MGI Professors Sean Crosson and Rich Lenski @relenski.bsky.social for winning awards from the College of Natural Science!
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mpf2hzfv
Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Alex Wessel!
December 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Congratulations to MGI's newest Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Alex Wessel!
🔬MGI doctoral student Julia Kelliher served as lead author on a global effort involving 248 experts from 28 countries to write guidelines standardizing environmental microbiome research. Published today in Nature Microbiology. @natmicrobiol.nature.com
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72
December 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
🔬MGI doctoral student Julia Kelliher served as lead author on a global effort involving 248 experts from 28 countries to write guidelines standardizing environmental microbiome research. Published today in Nature Microbiology. @natmicrobiol.nature.com
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yh3dzc72
Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by doctoral students Camille Boucaud of the Heath-Heckman Lab (@drheathheckman.bsky.social) and Rosemary Northcote of the Crosson Lab.
Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!
Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!
November 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Today's Work in Progress Seminars were given by doctoral students Camille Boucaud of the Heath-Heckman Lab (@drheathheckman.bsky.social) and Rosemary Northcote of the Crosson Lab.
Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!
Join us next Monday at noon in 1425 BPS to hear from our graduate students!
🌱🔬 Exciting news from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center! MGI assoc prof Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director, leading groundbreaking research into the plant microbiome.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr
🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr
November 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
🌱🔬 Exciting news from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center! MGI assoc prof Sarah Lebeis has been appointed science director, leading groundbreaking research into the plant microbiome.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr
🔗https://tinyurl.com/48eynzvr
Sophia Liberto, an MGI PhD student in the Hulin lab, gave a WiPS seminar about her work studying the genetic makeup of a bacteria that causes a canker disease in trees in the Prunus species. She hand-draws her research illustrations, combining her loves of art & science.
November 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Sophia Liberto, an MGI PhD student in the Hulin lab, gave a WiPS seminar about her work studying the genetic makeup of a bacteria that causes a canker disease in trees in the Prunus species. She hand-draws her research illustrations, combining her loves of art & science.