Morgan Sobol (@msobol) — Bluesky Profile

1 week ago

We’re trying to put some together as well!

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1 week ago

Looking for suggestions for concentrating multiple low concentration, replicate 50 uL DNA and RNA extractions ranging from 0-3 ng/uL. Column or mag bead preference? Or SpeedVac? TIA!! Please share.

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3 weeks ago

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats Abstract. From its earliest beginnings, life’s expansion into new habitats has been profoundly shaped by its reciprocal interactions with a changing Earth.

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... #jcampubs

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3 weeks ago

Latest work! 🧬

We uncover how evolution of translation initiation factor 2 (IF2) extensions links translation to bacterial stress response. We map 7 structural architectures & show how terminal extensions are enriched in intrinsic disorder & phase-separation features.

Link: doi.org/10.64898/202...

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1 month ago

Universal paralogs provide a window into evolution before the last universal common ancestor Universal paralog protein families form due to gene duplications that occurred prior to the last universal common ancestor of life. This perspective describes how these protein families offer valuable...

What happened before the last universal common ancestor? Pre-LUCA evolution is hard to study. In our new Cell Genomics Perspective we spotlight how paralogous proteins open a window onto the deepest chapters of evolution. 🧬🌍

Out today!

--> www.cell.com/cell-genomic... @cellpress.bsky.social

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1 month ago

Ecological constraints and evolutionary trade-offs shape nitrogen fixation across habitats Abstract. From its earliest beginnings, life’s expansion into new habitats has been profoundly shaped by its reciprocal interactions with Earth’s changing

New paper! Why are some Nitrogen fixing microbes more complex?

@msobol.bsky.social et al. find that microbes with more N2-fixation genes have larger, more versatile genomes, showing how changing environments shaped this key metabolism!

> academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... @isme-microbes.bsky.social

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1 month ago

Prevalence and Evolutionary Implications of Genome Rearrangements in Bacteria Abstract. The genetic material of bacteria and archaea is organized into various structures and set-ups, attesting that genome architecture is dynamic in t

Paper alert 🚨 @lbobay.bsky.social and I explored the prevalence and potential drivers of genome rearrangements in bacteria.
academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-...

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2 months ago

2026 Astrobiology Science Conference Molecular oxygen (O₂) is often regarded as a strong biosignature in the search for life. Traditionally the production of O2 has been linked to photosynthesis, yet non-photosynthetic (“dark”) pathways ...

If you work on Dark Oxygen --> come to #AbSciCon2026 this year. 17-22 May, Madison

Join our session on ""Dark Oxygen" Production: where does it happen, how does it work, and what does it mean for astrobiology?"

Submit your abstract until January 14

More info here: agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...

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2 months ago

🚀 Planning to attend #AbSciCon2026 and study the role of metals in life evolution and life elsewhere? Then consider submitting an abstract to our session #20- Transition Metals in Habitability and Biological Evolution. Details below and at this link: agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon...

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2 months ago

Congrats Dr. Cordova!! 🥳🍾

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2 months ago

Congrats! Love the cover art 🔥

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2 months ago

ChemOrigins: a community-curated database for origins-of-life chemistry Abstract. The origin of life is one of the most compelling questions in science. While experimental prebiotic chemistry has produced a wide range of reacti

🚨 New paper out (cover article!)

We introduce #ChemOrigins, a community-curated, searchable database for experimental prebiotic chemistry, helping connect fragmented origins-of-life research across disciplines! Congrats @brunocuevaszuviria.bsky.social!

royalsocietypublishing.org/rsfs/article...

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3 months ago

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments Abstract. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With inte

So happy this is finally out! We reconstructed the 1st large-scale spatiotemporal dataset of 600+ MAGs from San Francisco Bay and show they have functional redundancy in key N and S pathways. These functions may better recover from disturbance in this highly urban estuary 💧

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3 months ago

Would love to know more about that water filtering set up! 👀

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3 months ago

This is so cool!

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3 months ago

Safe travels!

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4 months ago

Amber, Morgan, and Ulises take a selfie in front of the Edward Aquifer well to be sampled.

New lab milestone: our 1st aquifer sampling on the books 😎 Can’t wait to learn more about the interesting microbes residing deep below us, so stay tuned! Much thanks to @edwardsaquifer.bsky.social for letting us tag along this week!!

Pictured: Amber Busboom and Ulises Rodriguez Cruz

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4 months ago

I am recruiting a PhD student in microbial ecology for my lab at the University of Florida at the Ft. Lauderdale REC. My lab investigates the role of soil and plant-associated microorganisms in ecosystem functions, with an emphasis on biogeochemical cycles.

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4 months ago

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments Abstract. Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems where microbial communities drive nutrient and carbon cycling, supporting complex food webs. With inte

Metabolic capacity is maintained despite shifts in microbial diversity in estuary sediments academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a...

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5 months ago

I had a great time being interviewed for this!

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5 months ago

Southern Geobiology Symposium Interest Form Please fill out this form to indicate interest in attending the Southern Geobiology Symposium, to be held at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (Port Aransas, TX) in October/November of ...

The 1st annual Southern Geobiology Symposium will be hosted at UTMSI in fall 2026
Please fill out this interest form (forms.gle/znTuXQuxh9D2...)

Questions may be directed to co-chairs, Penny Demetriades (pdemetriades@disl.org) and John Hinkle (john.hinkle@utexas.edu)

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6 months ago

🚨🚨We’re hiring a postdoc!🚨🚨

Min two year contract; start in 2026 (flexible) & contribute to this project focused on understanding the link between bleaching recovery and disease in cnidarians!! Opportunities to work on side projects too!

Deadline Nov 1!

Info here: tinyurl.com/y2abjsem

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7 months ago

HFSP project — dal bello lab

📢 We're seeking a postdoc to work on a project funded by HFSP @hfspo.bsky.social at the intersection of bacterial physiology, ecology and evolution. You can find more details about the project, the position, and how to apply here www.dalbellolab.com/hfsp-project! #bacteria #ecosky #MevoSky #microSky

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7 months ago

My postdoc position is open again! If you’re interested and did not get your application in last time, please send one by end of this week! Start date asap, latest by end of Fall. ‼️

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8 months ago

Microbial N2O reduction in sulfidic waters: Implications for Proterozoic oceans Throughout Earth’s history, shifts in ocean redox influenced the bioavailability of trace metals, shaping the activity of microorganisms. In Proterozoic oceans, the precipitation of copper (Cu) with sulfide was hypothesized to limit the bioavailability of Cu. This limitation may have suppressed microbial reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O), due to the Cu dependency of nitrous oxide reductase (Nos). It is thought that without this critical microbial sink, Proterozoic oceans were a significant net source of N2O. Here, we revisit this paradigm in light of recently derived ∼20-fold lower estimates for sulfide in Proterozoic seawater and an empirical evaluation of the potential for microbial N2O reduction under sulfidic conditions. Leveraging publicly available environmental metatranscriptomes, we infer active N2O reduction from the detection of nosZ transcripts in multiple marine and lacustrine systems in which sulfide and Cu concentrations are analogous to those of the Proterozoic. In controlled culture experiments, we demonstrate that the purple non-sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris can reduce N2O at sulfide concentrations up to 100 µM, well above levels predicted for Proterozoic oceans. Based on trace metal speciation modeling, we suggest that Cu remains bioavailable under Proterozoic-like conditions as a dissolved CuHS complex. Using phylogenetics, we infer that early N2O reducers were probably anoxygenic phototrophs and performed N2O reduction as dark metabolism. Collectively, these observations suggest microbial N2O reduction occurs under euxinic conditions, implying that Proterozoic marine N2O emissions were substantially lower than previously proposed. Our conclusions inform our understanding of the microbial ecology in sulfidic waters, the early climate, and the search for extraterrestrial life. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, https://ror.org/027ka1x80, 80NSSC17K0296

New preprint on ancient oceans!

We challenge the idea of early Earth as major N2O source; reshaping views on climate & biosignatures. Led by S. Buessecker @annedekas.bsky.social lab!

➡️ Microbial N2O reduction in sulfidic waters: Implications for Proterozoic oceans
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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8 months ago

Early Microbial Life: Our Past, Present, and Future The Academy report, funded by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, examines the origins and trajectory of early microbial life to inform and inspire future research.

How did life begin, and why does it matter today? Proud to be one of the organizers of a new @asm.org report supported by the Moore Foundation, exploring the origins of microbes & how understanding it can shape breakthroughs in biotech, climate, and the search for life. ➡️ asm.org/reports/earl...

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8 months ago

Welcome to the department Raúl! 😊

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8 months ago

Meet the survivors of Earth’s worst days | Betül Kaçar YouTube video by The Well

Excited to share a new Big Think + John Templeton Foundation interview featuring work from our lab: “Meet the survivors of Earth’s worst days.” Leading thinkers unpack how life persisted through catastrophe. @bigthink.com

Watch here → bigthink.com/the-well/ear...

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9 months ago

New preprint: eukaryotic origins! 🥁

We propose that iron -not oxygen- may have delayed the rise of complex life. Our model reframes the “oxygen delay” puzzle: the gap between atmospheric O2 and early eukaryotic fossils may reflect iron-mediated stress, not for O2:

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

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9 months ago

Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...

The Simons Graduate Fellowship in Ecology & Evolution is a great opportunity to pursue a PhD in our lab (sobollab.wp.txstate.edu), where we study the ecology and evolution of ancient microbial life. Message me if you’re interested in applying! 🌌🦠

www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...

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