Martin Sperfeld
@martinsperfeld.bsky.social
PostDoc @SunagawaLab | Bacterial physiology | Phototroph-heterotroph interactions | Coral models
https://micro.biol.ethz.ch/people/person-detail.MzM1Mjk4.TGlzdC8xMDU0LDI3NjU3NTY0MA==.html
https://micro.biol.ethz.ch/people/person-detail.MzM1Mjk4.TGlzdC8xMDU0LDI3NjU3NTY0MA==.html
Pinned
The glycine betaine-cobalamin feedback loop drives cross-feeding between marine bacteria and algae
Heterotrophic bacteria supply cobalt-containing cobalamin (Cbl) to marine microalgae, which in return provide organic substrates. Such metabolic cross-feeding can regulate the species composition of p...
www.biorxiv.org
Methylated compounds are a hallmark of phytoplankton—but how do they fuel bacterial metabolism? Jonathan Hammer & Christian Jogler et al demonstrate a fascinating phototroph-heterotroph feedback loop and how it's regulated. Fun collab! @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Cross feeding between algae and bacteria 👇🏼
The glycine betaine-cobalamin feedback loop drives cross-feeding between marine bacteria and algae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.19.695462v1
December 22, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Cross feeding between algae and bacteria 👇🏼
Methylated compounds are a hallmark of phytoplankton—but how do they fuel bacterial metabolism? Jonathan Hammer & Christian Jogler et al demonstrate a fascinating phototroph-heterotroph feedback loop and how it's regulated. Fun collab! @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The glycine betaine-cobalamin feedback loop drives cross-feeding between marine bacteria and algae
Heterotrophic bacteria supply cobalt-containing cobalamin (Cbl) to marine microalgae, which in return provide organic substrates. Such metabolic cross-feeding can regulate the species composition of p...
www.biorxiv.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Methylated compounds are a hallmark of phytoplankton—but how do they fuel bacterial metabolism? Jonathan Hammer & Christian Jogler et al demonstrate a fascinating phototroph-heterotroph feedback loop and how it's regulated. Fun collab! @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Feeling grateful to end this year by contributing to a commentary on bioengineering the coral holobiont. This is my first manuscript as a professor and a dream come true to team up with leaders in coral probiotics, Raquel Peixoto and @reefgenomics.bsky.social. 🪸🧪🧬🦠
www.cell.com/one-earth/ab...
www.cell.com/one-earth/ab...
Bioengineering the coral holobiont: Evidence, hurdles, and pathways for rebuilding reefs
At the frontline of climate impacts, coral reef ecosystems now increasingly depend
on active intervention for their functional survival. Bioengineering the coral holobiont,
comprising the host, algal ...
www.cell.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Feeling grateful to end this year by contributing to a commentary on bioengineering the coral holobiont. This is my first manuscript as a professor and a dream come true to team up with leaders in coral probiotics, Raquel Peixoto and @reefgenomics.bsky.social. 🪸🧪🧬🦠
www.cell.com/one-earth/ab...
www.cell.com/one-earth/ab...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
the Tara research vessel has left Lorient and is on its way to the coral triangle; official press conference was last week in Paris, see below & here: fondationtaraocean.org/en/expeditio...
December 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM
the Tara research vessel has left Lorient and is on its way to the coral triangle; official press conference was last week in Paris, see below & here: fondationtaraocean.org/en/expeditio...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
The scikit-bio paper in online in Nature Methods! Many thanks to our collaborators, community contributors and reviewers! We couldn’t have done it without you. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Bioinformatics #OpenSource
Scikit-bio: a fundamental Python library for biological omic data analysis - Nature Methods
Nature Methods - Scikit-bio: a fundamental Python library for biological omic data analysis
www.nature.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The scikit-bio paper in online in Nature Methods! Many thanks to our collaborators, community contributors and reviewers! We couldn’t have done it without you. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Bioinformatics #OpenSource
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
People working with #protists and #fungi might be interested to hear that we in this study sequenced 13.4 mio. eukaryotic rRNA operons from 450 representative samples. #ProtistsOnSky #Metabarcoding
Microflora Danica: What can you learn from collecting and sequencing 10,000+ samples from a single country? Check out our new paper in @nature.com to find out. Incredible work led by Caitlin Singleton, Thomas B. N. Jensen, and Mads Albertsen from @aau.dk. 🦠🧫🧬
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Microflora Danica atlas of Danish environmental microbiomes - Nature
Microflora Danica—an atlas of Danish environmental microbiomes—reveals that although human-disturbed habitats have high alpha diversity, species reoccur, revealing hidden homogeneity.
www.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:03 AM
People working with #protists and #fungi might be interested to hear that we in this study sequenced 13.4 mio. eukaryotic rRNA operons from 450 representative samples. #ProtistsOnSky #Metabarcoding
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
I am recruiting graduate students for Fall 2026! The Microbial Ecosystems Lab @hot-mes-asu.bsky.social at ASU studies microbial interactions, spatial ecology, and imaging-driven microbiome science. If you love microbes, microfluidics, or single-cell analysis, let’s talk! www.microbialeco.systems
December 2, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I am recruiting graduate students for Fall 2026! The Microbial Ecosystems Lab @hot-mes-asu.bsky.social at ASU studies microbial interactions, spatial ecology, and imaging-driven microbiome science. If you love microbes, microfluidics, or single-cell analysis, let’s talk! www.microbialeco.systems
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Diel study reveals increased nighttime bacterial activity and its connection to organic compounds in the ocean www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Diel study reveals increased nighttime bacterial activity and its connection to organic compounds in the ocean - Communications Biology
Diel study revealed fine scale coupling between microbial activity and DOM biogeochemistry in the oligotrophic ocean.
www.nature.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Diel study reveals increased nighttime bacterial activity and its connection to organic compounds in the ocean www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Excited to share our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com . We uncover hundreds of inhibitory interactions between common chemical pollutants and human gut bacteria. A thread🧵 (1/10) #microbiomesky #microsky @kiranrpatil.bsky.social lab @mrc-tu.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Industrial and agricultural chemicals exhibit antimicrobial activity against human gut bacteria in vitro - Nature Microbiology
Screening of 1,076 compounds reveals 168 chemical pollutants with inhibitory effects on gut bacteria and genetic screens indicate commonality between pollutant and antibiotic resistance.
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Excited to share our latest research in @natmicrobiol.nature.com . We uncover hundreds of inhibitory interactions between common chemical pollutants and human gut bacteria. A thread🧵 (1/10) #microbiomesky #microsky @kiranrpatil.bsky.social lab @mrc-tu.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Come join us! Soon I will be advertising a postdoc vacancy in my group as part of my @erc.europa.eu AdG project 'DARK ROOTS'. Focus of the project will be on phylo- and metagenomic mining of novel prokaryotic lineages. I will soon post a link here - stay tuned, and please repost! #asgardarchaea
a man walking in a field with an umbrella
ALT: a man walking in a field with an umbrella
media.tenor.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Come join us! Soon I will be advertising a postdoc vacancy in my group as part of my @erc.europa.eu AdG project 'DARK ROOTS'. Focus of the project will be on phylo- and metagenomic mining of novel prokaryotic lineages. I will soon post a link here - stay tuned, and please repost! #asgardarchaea
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Our paper describing the GlobDB is now published in @bioinfoadv.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
GlobDB: a comprehensive species-dereplicated microbial genome resource
AbstractMotivation. Over the past years, substantial numbers of microbial species’ genomes have been deposited outside of conventional INSDC databases.Resu
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Our paper describing the GlobDB is now published in @bioinfoadv.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
📣 Open position: We are looking for a new #ScientificLead for the #SILVA database 🧬🖥️
You will be responsible for guiding the development of this important resource and for curating the SILVA taxonomy🌳and more!
👉 www.dsmz.de/dsmz/career/...
Read and share ‼️
#sciencejobs 🦠🧪 #career #taxonomy
You will be responsible for guiding the development of this important resource and for curating the SILVA taxonomy🌳and more!
👉 www.dsmz.de/dsmz/career/...
Read and share ‼️
#sciencejobs 🦠🧪 #career #taxonomy
November 22, 2025 at 3:36 PM
📣 Open position: We are looking for a new #ScientificLead for the #SILVA database 🧬🖥️
You will be responsible for guiding the development of this important resource and for curating the SILVA taxonomy🌳and more!
👉 www.dsmz.de/dsmz/career/...
Read and share ‼️
#sciencejobs 🦠🧪 #career #taxonomy
You will be responsible for guiding the development of this important resource and for curating the SILVA taxonomy🌳and more!
👉 www.dsmz.de/dsmz/career/...
Read and share ‼️
#sciencejobs 🦠🧪 #career #taxonomy
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Starting this week, I set aside one hour each week to meet ECRs outside my group who want to discuss career development, mentorship, or any non-technical professional questions.
Here is a blog that explains my motivation for this and how to schedule a meeting:
merenlab.org/2025/11/16/E...
Here is a blog that explains my motivation for this and how to schedule a meeting:
merenlab.org/2025/11/16/E...
ECR connection: Meet Meren when you need to
A means for ECRs to get advice from a senior scientist outside of their support network
merenlab.org
November 16, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Starting this week, I set aside one hour each week to meet ECRs outside my group who want to discuss career development, mentorship, or any non-technical professional questions.
Here is a blog that explains my motivation for this and how to schedule a meeting:
merenlab.org/2025/11/16/E...
Here is a blog that explains my motivation for this and how to schedule a meeting:
merenlab.org/2025/11/16/E...
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
how to breathe oxygen at a distance? the cable bacteria apparently know the trick: wired...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Metal scaffolds turn bacteria into live wires
Mud-dwelling cable bacteria construct metal organic frameworks to grow
www.science.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
how to breathe oxygen at a distance? the cable bacteria apparently know the trick: wired...
#MicroSky
#MicroSky
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Chemical richness and diversity of uncultivated ‘Entotheonella’ symbionts in marine sponges
@natchembio.nature.com by Dell et al from Jörn Piel, Haruko Takeyama, Toshiyuki Wakimoto
with @detmersipkema.bsky.social #MARBLES
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natchembio.nature.com by Dell et al from Jörn Piel, Haruko Takeyama, Toshiyuki Wakimoto
with @detmersipkema.bsky.social #MARBLES
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Chemical richness and diversity of uncultivated ‘Entotheonella’ symbionts in marine sponges - Nature Chemical Biology
Marine sponges host bacteria that produce diverse bioactive compounds. Here, the authors conduct a large-scale metagenomic, single-bacterial and biochemical study to reveal the untapped biosynthetic p...
www.nature.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Chemical richness and diversity of uncultivated ‘Entotheonella’ symbionts in marine sponges
@natchembio.nature.com by Dell et al from Jörn Piel, Haruko Takeyama, Toshiyuki Wakimoto
with @detmersipkema.bsky.social #MARBLES
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natchembio.nature.com by Dell et al from Jörn Piel, Haruko Takeyama, Toshiyuki Wakimoto
with @detmersipkema.bsky.social #MARBLES
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Stay curious guys and come to the good side, we need you here! Fun at Swiss National Future Day @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social @eth-microbiology.bsky.social @eth-microbiology.bsky.social. Most legit question of the day: “Wait… you have a pipetting robot, so why do we have to pipette by hand?”
November 15, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Stay curious guys and come to the good side, we need you here! Fun at Swiss National Future Day @microbiomeresearch.bsky.social @eth-microbiology.bsky.social @eth-microbiology.bsky.social. Most legit question of the day: “Wait… you have a pipetting robot, so why do we have to pipette by hand?”
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
D-BIOL joined Switzerland’s national Future Day at ETH Zurich again! Five projects, dozens of curious kids, and loads of inspiration. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm and creativity — who knows, maybe some of them will be our future researchers! #FutureDay #STEM #NextGeneration #Research
November 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
D-BIOL joined Switzerland’s national Future Day at ETH Zurich again! Five projects, dozens of curious kids, and loads of inspiration. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm and creativity — who knows, maybe some of them will be our future researchers! #FutureDay #STEM #NextGeneration #Research
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1... #jcampubs
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases
Although metagenomic sequencing has revealed a rich microbial biodiversity in the mammalian gut, methods to genetically alter specific species in the microbiome are highly limited. Here, we introduce ...
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Metagenomic editing of commensal bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated transposases www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1... #jcampubs
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Last week, the Dodonova lab published a fascinating paper on chromatin structures in Asgard archaea, microbes thought to be the closest relatives of complex life.
Asgard histones can wrap DNA into a “closed” form shared across archaea, and an “open” form similar to eukaryotic cells #sciart #blender
Asgard histones can wrap DNA into a “closed” form shared across archaea, and an “open” form similar to eukaryotic cells #sciart #blender
November 11, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
📢 Postdoc position: Biochemistry & Bacterial cell biology
in our group at Marburg University, Germany, funded by the ERC Advanced Grant "C-SWITCH"
🔗More information at shorturl.at/OlvlL
📅Deadline: Nov 30, 2025
Please repost. #Postdoc
in our group at Marburg University, Germany, funded by the ERC Advanced Grant "C-SWITCH"
🔗More information at shorturl.at/OlvlL
📅Deadline: Nov 30, 2025
Please repost. #Postdoc
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
📢 Postdoc position: Biochemistry & Bacterial cell biology
in our group at Marburg University, Germany, funded by the ERC Advanced Grant "C-SWITCH"
🔗More information at shorturl.at/OlvlL
📅Deadline: Nov 30, 2025
Please repost. #Postdoc
in our group at Marburg University, Germany, funded by the ERC Advanced Grant "C-SWITCH"
🔗More information at shorturl.at/OlvlL
📅Deadline: Nov 30, 2025
Please repost. #Postdoc
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
🚀 New in @natmicrobiol.nature.com
EMCG — droplet-based single-particle genomics method 🧬⚠️Sequencing marine microbes one by one — in nL of seawater!
Ultra-high resolution — no culture, no bulk averaging. A new way to see the invisible 🫥 🌊 rdcu.be/eOsUF #protistsonsky @bigelowlab.bsky.social
EMCG — droplet-based single-particle genomics method 🧬⚠️Sequencing marine microbes one by one — in nL of seawater!
Ultra-high resolution — no culture, no bulk averaging. A new way to see the invisible 🫥 🌊 rdcu.be/eOsUF #protistsonsky @bigelowlab.bsky.social
Single-particle genomics uncovers abundant non-canonical marine viruses from nanolitre volumes
Nature Microbiology - Environmental micro-compartment genomics provides efficient and high-throughput single-particle DNA sequencing that captures overlooked members of microbial communities.
rdcu.be
November 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
🚀 New in @natmicrobiol.nature.com
EMCG — droplet-based single-particle genomics method 🧬⚠️Sequencing marine microbes one by one — in nL of seawater!
Ultra-high resolution — no culture, no bulk averaging. A new way to see the invisible 🫥 🌊 rdcu.be/eOsUF #protistsonsky @bigelowlab.bsky.social
EMCG — droplet-based single-particle genomics method 🧬⚠️Sequencing marine microbes one by one — in nL of seawater!
Ultra-high resolution — no culture, no bulk averaging. A new way to see the invisible 🫥 🌊 rdcu.be/eOsUF #protistsonsky @bigelowlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Interessierst du dich für Korallenriffe und dafür, wie es ihnen im Klimawandel ergeht? Eine Postdoktorandin in unserem Labor, Fabienne Wiederkehr, wurde kürzlich eingeladen, ihre Einblicke diesbezüglich im Radio zu teilen. Höre es dir hier an:
www.srf.ch/play/radio/r...
#corals #coralreef
www.srf.ch/play/radio/r...
#corals #coralreef
Korallen trotzen Hitzestress
In einigen Regionen der Welt sind Korallen hitzeresistenter als anderswo. Was ist das Geheimnis dieser Riffe? Zudem: Wir begleiten einen Mars-Rover im Sinkflug. Und: Die Internationale Raumstation ISS...
www.srf.ch
November 4, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Interessierst du dich für Korallenriffe und dafür, wie es ihnen im Klimawandel ergeht? Eine Postdoktorandin in unserem Labor, Fabienne Wiederkehr, wurde kürzlich eingeladen, ihre Einblicke diesbezüglich im Radio zu teilen. Höre es dir hier an:
www.srf.ch/play/radio/r...
#corals #coralreef
www.srf.ch/play/radio/r...
#corals #coralreef
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
Ocean-M: an integrated global-scale multi-omics database for marine microbial diversity, function and ecological interactions academic.oup.com/nar/advance-... #jcampubs 🌊
Ocean-M: an integrated global-scale multi-omics database for marine microbial diversity, function and ecological interactions
Abstract. Multi-omics analyses have significantly advanced the understanding of complex marine microbial communities and their interactions. Despite notabl
academic.oup.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Ocean-M: an integrated global-scale multi-omics database for marine microbial diversity, function and ecological interactions academic.oup.com/nar/advance-... #jcampubs 🌊
Reposted by Martin Sperfeld
The JEDI marker - a new approach for measuring #biodiversity that captures all domains of life and is applicable across biological and ecological scales. It's time to change the way we perceive biodiversity - www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The JEDI marker as a universal measure of planetary biodiversity
Despite its critical importance in the formation and maintenance of ecosystems and homeostasis on Earth, biodiversity remains a complex and non-unified concept. Consequently, standards for measuring b...
www.biorxiv.org
August 14, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The JEDI marker - a new approach for measuring #biodiversity that captures all domains of life and is applicable across biological and ecological scales. It's time to change the way we perceive biodiversity - www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...