Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Annie Hatmaker, Ph.D. @annemakerofhats.bsky.social · 1d

If you saw my talk on the population structure of #Aspergillus flavus at Fungal Genetics in 2024, you might have heard someone ask "how does Aspergillus oryzae fit into the picture?"
If so, you heard my answer was "wait and see--we're working on this exact topic"
Well, the wait is over! Preprint ⬇️

bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 4d

Population-Specific Transcriptomic Shifts Underlie Secondary Metabolic Diversification in Aspergillus flavus and the Domestication of Aspergillus oryzae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.02.680074v1

1 8 16

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Thibaut Brunet @thibautbrunet.bsky.social · 3d

Latest from ours: www.cell.com/cell-reports...

This is two stories in one: a case study/cautionary tale on developing genetic tools in new organisms, and the first hint at a gene regulatory network for choanoflagellate multicellular development (which turn out to involve a Hippo/YAP/ECM loop!) A 🧵

9 89 220

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Clement Tsui PhD 🇭🇰 🇨🇦 @clementsui.bsky.social · 5d

sounds scary!
mGem: Submarine #mycology—an analog to astromycology | mBio journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

mGem: Submarine mycology—an analog to astromycology | mBio

Astromycology, the study of fungi in space environments, has emerged as a critical field for understanding both their risks and potential applications (1). Among the most pressing concerns is the prot...

journals.asm.org

1 1

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Josef Uyeda @pseudacris.bsky.social · 6d

Master's degree position at Towson University with Daniel Caetano on macroevolutionary and phylogenetic comparative methods! Daniel is an awesome human and a great mentor, share with your students!
caetanods.weebly.com/join-the-lab...

Join the lab

The Caetano lab at Towson University (Maryland, USA) is seeking a Master's degree student to start in Fall 2026. A Research Assistant (RA) position is available to the student during part (or all) of....

caetanods.weebly.com

33 29

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Erica D. Pratt @pratted.bsky.social · 12d

Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.

This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:

Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed
First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar)
Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
Not be a current NSF employee.

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.

7 77 160

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Tiffany Lowe-Power 🌱🦠 @tlowepower.bsky.social · 16d

Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist

Applications due Dec 1

Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text)

he Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is seeking applications for a fulltime, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Mycology, with a focus on plant pathogenic, symbiotic,
or mycotoxigenic fungi and fungal-like organisms (e.g., oomycetes). We are looking for a highly
motivated and creative scientist with a strong background in mycology and/or the biology of fungi and
fungal-like organisms that interact with plants. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a
world-class, externally funded research program that integrates both fundamental and applied aspects
of fungal biology within the context of plant pathology. We welcome applicants pursuing a wide range
of research topics related to plant-associated fungi, including but not limited to mechanisms of fungal
pathogenesis or symbiosis with plants, population genomics and evolution of fungal plant pathogens,
plant-associated fungal microbiomes and plant-microbe interactions, and/or one health approaches to
fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. Applicants working in other relevant research areas involving
pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi or fungal-like organisms that affect plant health are also
encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have significant opportunities for collaboration with
faculty in plant pathology, microbiology, genomics, and agricultural sciences, and to contribute to
addressing issues of importance to California’s agricultural and natural ecosystems.
The appointee primary teaching responsibilities will be teaching Introductory Mycology, an upperdivision lab class, and SAS 30, Mushroom, Molds & Society, a general education class for non-majors.
Additional graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities may be assigned based on
departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise. The department offers modern instructional
facilities, including a newly renovated teaching laboratory.

2 88 44

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 15d

#Fungi in the gut #microbiome ( #mycobiome) are somewhat neglected. This study of gut fungal profiles across natural populations of humans & non-human primates, by @symbionticism.bsky.social &co, reveals significant fungal cospeciation patterns in #hominids @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/46LX4zD

Phylosymbiosis between primates and their gut mycobiomes. Top left: Sample-wise mycobiome composition for each host species. The most abundant fungal genera and classes (Sordariomycetes, Saccharomycetes, and Dothiomycetes) are shown in colored bars, where the lightest color in the gradient designates the sum of all other genera in that fungal class. Light gray shows all other less abundant fungal genera. Top right: Primate phylogeny (left; scale bar shows MYA) and fungal Bray–Curtis beta diversity relationships based on 99% OTUs and aggregated by host species (right; shown with bootstrap support for branch placement and scale bar for relative branch lengths). Bottom: Cophylogenetic fungi with time-calibrated sequence divergences match hominid divergence times. Nucleotide sequence divergence of cophylogenetic fungi was calibrated to the Homo-Pan split (6 Ma), which was then used to estimate the Homo/Pan-G. gorilla split (7.1–9.2 Ma), shown with fungal icons. Estimated speciation times fall within the expected 7.1–9.2 Ma (dark orange) or 6–10 Ma (light orange)

1 4 20

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Josh Currie @joshcurrie.bsky.social · 20d

💥OUR LAB IS HIRING!!💥

We are hiring a research assistant/lab manager to assist with managing our axolotl colony and enabling some kick-ass science! Looking for high levels of organization, collaboration, problem solving and curiosity.

Application link: tinyurl.com/3tpvphpm
#SciJob #JobAlert

One of your future coworkers in the Currie Lab, an adorable axolotl.

2 38 100

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

HittingerLab @hittingerlab.bsky.social · 21d

Checkout our new preprint with the @rokaslab.bsky.social!:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Discovery of additional ancient genome duplications in yeasts

Whole genome duplication (WGD) has had profound macroevolutionary impacts on diverse lineages[1][1],[2][2], preceding adaptive radiations in vertebrates[3][3]–[5][4], teleost fish[6][5],[7][6], and an...

www.biorxiv.org

1 5 18

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Morgan Carter @morgancarterphd.bsky.social · 22d

Please check out our updated version of this preprint - now with even more transposable elements! 🧬🦠

No really, we added in a few more analyses about TEs and further compared Mycetohabitans to related bacteria, plus other treats. @bhuwanabbot.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

2 8 14

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Hiten Madhani @hitenmadhani.bsky.social · 24d

An apt comment from Harold Varmus in this piece:

‘Running a lab is not like running a clothing store, where if your sales are down you can bounce back. You are dealing with highly trained people and projects which, when stopped for a short time, are ruined.’

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 24d

A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr

nyti.ms

1 71 150

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Jason Stajich @hyphaltip.bsky.social · 27d

Dept of Plant Biology at UIUC hiring in any subdiscipline of Mycology and/or Plant-Fungal Interactions tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level.
Apply by Oct 31, 2025. For complete details including salary and benefit information, visit go.illinois.edu/PlantBiolfac...

Assistant Professor- Department of Plant Biology

Duties & Responsibilities

go.illinois.edu

34 20

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Thibaut Brunet @thibautbrunet.bsky.social · 29d

New short paper from our lab @currentbiology.bsky.social, in which we discover of a new mode of cell motility for choanoflagellates: flagellar gliding. www.cell.com/current-biol... - A 🧵

Flagellar gliding in choanoflagellates

Freire-Delgado and Brunet discover a new mode of cell motility in choanoflagellates, the closest relatives of animals. Under mild confinement, choanoflagellate move over surfaces without cell deformat...

www.cell.com

7 86 210

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Angus Bucknell @angusb.bsky.social · Sep 6

Delighted that our work on the Sanctuary Starship #transposon is now published! A big thanks to all co-authors, especially to the ever-amazing @mcdonaldmeganc.bsky.social for her mentorship!

doi.org/10.1128/mbio...

Sanctuary: a Starship transposon facilitating the movement of the virulence factor ToxA in fungal wheat pathogens | mBio

The work presented here expands our understanding of a novel group of mobile genetic elements called Starships that facilitate the horizontal exchange of numerous genes between fungal pathogens. Our a...

doi.org

14 27

José Vargas-Muñiz @mycorican.bsky.social · Sep 5

It will always amaze me how we can visualize the location of our protein of interest inside a cell. This is possible thanks to fundamental science, as scientists studied how a species of jellyfish generates light.

🍄: Aspergillus fumigatus

Micrograph of a fungal cell showing a protein tagged with green fluorescent protein localizing in the nuclei.

1 3 23

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Neta Shlezinger @shlezingerlab.bsky.social · Aug 24

Our study on a mycovirus that boosts fungal virulence is now out — and beautifully covered in this Behind the Paper piece by Amariliz Rivera

Huge thanks for capturing the heart of the story so thoughtfully. @natmicrobiol.nature.com rdcu.be/eB9yg

Mycoviruses steer fungal fitness

Nature Microbiology - A mycovirus drives the fitness of the lung-infecting fungus Aspergillus fumigatus under stress, helping it to survive within immune cells, and thus shaping its pathogenesis.

rdcu.be

4 25 80

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Ksenia Krasileva @kseniakrasileva.bsky.social · Sep 3

Spread the word 😃
Our department has an open position at the Assitant Professor level 🌱

Lotus Lofgren @lotuslofgren.bsky.social · Sep 2

Our department (Berkeley PMB) is hiring an asst. prof. in Plant Resilience to Climate Change! aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05049

Assistant Professor - Plant Resilience to Climate Change - Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!

aprecruit.berkeley.edu

29 26

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · Sep 2

Prices are up just in time for back to school.

Thanks, Donald Trump.

Graphic that reads:
BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE TRUMP ADMIN

School supplies cost 7.3% more this year
* Index cards are up 42.6%
* One subject notebooks are up 17%
* Binder prices are UP nearly 13%

Packed lunches cost $163 more this year
* A pack of juice boxes is up 22.6%
* A bag of mini pretzels is up 8%
* Green grapes are up 34.8%

21 240 780

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Aug 29

👀

💅🏽

Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · Aug 29

You think we didn’t notice how it wasn’t until they came for IDC and an entire University that you got your collective ass into the game? And how comparatively muted you were when the DEI attacks kicked off?

1 2 11

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

The MRC Centre for Medical Mycology @mrccmm.bsky.social · Aug 29

🔬 #imageoftheweek: Aspergillus fumigatus is a common mould found in soil, compost & indoors. Most people breathe it in daily & for those with weakened immune systems, it can cause serious illness. Drug-resistant strains are an emerging threat.

📸 Kevin Mackenzie, Mark Stappers, Tina Bedekovic

3 11

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Slavica Janevska @slavi-jan.bsky.social · Aug 27

A little more than 2 weeks to apply for a Postdoc position in our lab @leibniz-hki.de 👇🏻

Slavica Janevska @slavi-jan.bsky.social · Jul 17

📣 I’m recruiting a #Postdoc to help us further our understanding on the infection strategies of our human fungal pathogen. If you’re enthusiastic about research, our interdisciplinary group @leibniz-hki.de will be a good fit for you! Please share!
jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Postdoc...

Job opportunity Postdoctoral Researcher (m/w/div) in “Microbial Infection Strategies” at Leibniz HKI Jobportal

Wissenschaft/Forschung in Jena

jobs.hki-jena.de

10 6

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · Aug 27

Just a few more days to apply! ⏰

Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social · Jul 29

My group at is hiring a PhD student to explore how fungal pathogens that live in the environment will adapt their genomes, acquire new phenotypes, and perhaps even increased infectivity as a result of climate change. Please share!

More info and applications at @ jobs.uni-jena.de/vrbup

AI-generated drawing of a woman looking through a microscope with DNA and fungi drawn in the background. The text contains the same content as the bsky post.

15 16

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Anthony Vecchiarelli @cellforganized.bsky.social · Aug 26

My MCDB dept is accepting applications for a faculty position at the Assistant Professor level!

Applications Due by October 15, 2025

We welcome applications from all areas of physiology and neuroscience, spanning molecular, cellular, systems, and organismal levels.

lsa.umich.edu/mcdb/news-ev...

MCDB Opens Search for Faculty | U-M LSA Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)

MCDB welcomes applications at the Assistant Professor level from outstanding biological scientists in all areas of physiology and neuroscience, spanning molecular, cellular, systems, and organismal le...

lsa.umich.edu

54 48

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Cassandra Hayne @cassandrahayne.bsky.social · Aug 23

I’ve had a lab for less than 3yrs. In that time the costs of many science reagents have grown faster than inflation. I ordered an antibody today that I paid $383 for in 2023- today with a good promotion, I paid $467. Tariffs on top of that.
Other easy examples:
Grids are up about 30%
Gloves up 25%

1 12 33

Reposted by José Vargas-Muñiz

Anton Suvorov @antonsuvorov.bsky.social · Aug 23

My very first post on here.
I am stoked to share lab's latest paper led by @ethantolman.bsky.social. Ethan developed a highly scalable pipeline to differentiate between various gene flow models, including ghost introgression in phylogenomic datasets. Check it out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

GhostParser: A highly scalable phylogenomic approach for the identification of ghost introgression

A growing body of empirical research shows that interspecific gene flow is a widespread biological force that shapes evolutionary histories across the Tree of Life. Computational approaches designed t...

www.biorxiv.org

1 27 59