Balance of the Microverse

Thank you to everyone who celebrated the opening of the Microverse Center Jena with us on 5 October! 💙 A special thanks to our team, partners and supporters for making this milestone possible. Relive the celebration & take a peek inside our new research centre in our aftermovie ! 🎬 (@uni-jena.de)

Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence @microverse.bsky.social at #UniJena, @hhu.de, the University of Delaware and @idiv-research.bsky.social analysed the hidden potential in the genomes of peatland bacteria. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/447667/on-…

Small wonders, big curiosity! 🔬🐭 65 young researchers explored our new #MicroverseCenterJena with #VR, microscopes and glowing bacteria at #TürenAufMitDerMaus. Thank you for your questions and enthusiasm! Excellent research opens doors – for curious minds of all ages.

Today, #UniJena has opened the Microverse Center Jena. The new building provides around 5,000 square metres for interdisciplinary microbiome research in the Cluster of Excellence @microverse.bsky.social. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/446468/mic…

Die #UniJena erhält den Status einer Exzellenzuniversität! Die Exzellenzkommission hat den Antrag „Light. Life. Liberty. – Connecting People and Ideas“ am heutigen 2.Oktober positiv entschieden. 🥳

Microbes connect everything—and so do you! 🦠✨ The Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse in Jena is hiring a Scientific Coordinator (75%, TV-L E13, until 2032). PhD + management skills? Join us! ⌛ Deadline: Oct 27, 2026 🔗 jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/8... #ScienceJobs #Jena #JobOpening

𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘢-Bakterien können ein Peptid gezielt verändern und ihm dadurch eine neue Funktion verleihen. doi.org/10.1002/anie... @microverse.bsky.social @uni-jena.de Bild: Elena Herzog, Keishi Ishida, Leibniz-HKI, CC BY 4.0

✨🦠✨ Shine on, you tiny diamond. Meet Flavobacterium IR1, our #MicroverseMicrobeOfTheYear! It creates brilliant, angle-shifting color without pigments, using nanoscale cell structures. Our researchers are exploring what this structural color does in nature. #InternationalMicroorganismDay

We are hiring! 2-year Postdoc in Metagenomics starting October 2026. We are looking for a highly motivated researcher with strong bioinformatics expertise in metagenomic analyses of soil and/or groundwater microbiomes and a strong publication record. 📧 aquat.geomikrobiologie@uni-jena.de

✨ It’s getting real! The new #MicroverseCenterJena is almost ready to open its doors. 🧫🔬 Before the official handover on Oct 5, we’re inviting friends, partners & colleagues for a first look inside! 👉 Further Information: www.microverse-cluster.de/en/events/mi...

Three minutes. One idea. The chance to break down walls. 💡 Join #FallingWallsLab Jena on 10 September and discover bold ideas from students, #EarlyCareerResearchers & #innovators. And yes—you get to vote for your favourite! 🗳️ 📍 Imaginata | 5 pm 🎟️ Free @jenainnovation.de

Bacterial small regulatory RNAs @natrevmicro.nature.com Review by Kai Papenfort (FSU Jena, Germany / @microverse.bsky.social) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Researchers from @microverse.bsky.social at #UniJena have shown how Collodaria plankton survive in nutrient-poor seas: they live with algae that provide sugar, while they absorb certain substances from the water. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/436799/div…

MdB Sascha van Beek recently visited our partner institute @leibniz-hki.de last Thursday. Ute Hellmich @hellmichgroup.bsky.social and Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum, PIs in our Cluster of Excellence, gave insight into their research. Check out the full update from Leibniz-HKI: tinyurl.com/mw82bk3j

For the first time, researchers from #UniJena and @leibniz-hki.de at @microverse.bsky.social have detected tiny membrane tunnels connecting social amoebae, serving as a communication and transport system. ➡️ www.uni-jena.de/en/434214/amo…

Apparently, amoebae have networking skills too! Excited to share our latest publication on tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in lower eukaryotes such as amoebae 🥳 🔗 Article: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... @pnasnexus.org @pnas.org @pstallforth.bsky.social @eswarappalab.bsky.social

What can we learn from microbes? 🦠 A lot. Deep beneath our feet, microorganisms have survived for billions of years with minimal energy by recycling resources & working together. Our spokesperson Prof. Kirsten Küsel (@kuesellab.bsky.social) explains why their hidden world matters. 🤝 @uni-jena.de

How do microbes survive where there's almost no energy? 🦠⚡ A new #NatureMicrobiology review by Kirsten Küsel (@kuesellab.bsky.social @uni-jena.de) and Mark Dopson (Linnaeus University)University introduces microbial frugality—a concept explaining life at the energy limit in #groundwater.

On Sunday 19 July, the Tara Polaris I sets sail. Therein, #UniJena is working with international partners to investigate how microbial communities in the Arctic Ocean are responding to climate change. ➡️ uni-jena.de/en/432993/jen…

Neue Bakteriengattung 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘢 beschrieben: Ein Team des Exzellenzclusters „Balance of the Microverse“ @microverse.bsky.social hat eine neue Bakteriengattung beschrieben und nach Prof. Axel Brakhage benannt, dem wissenschaftlichen Direktor des @leibniz-hki.de. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

🌡️ Small temperature changes, big consequences: Our researchers found that the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii adjusts the activity of around one-third of its protein-coding genes between 18–33°C—revealing how sensitive microbes are to climate change.

As a not-for-profit publisher, everything that we offer our community is supported by the revenue generated by publishing. Submitting to our titles invests in microbiologists, not profits for shareholders. Discover our portfolio: https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/our-portfolio

🥖 Meet the good yeast. A close relative of baker's yeast could help fight persistent fungal infections. 🦠 In a new study, @markgresnigt.bsky.social & colleagues (@leibniz-hki.de, the Microverse Cluster & KU Leuven) show it weakens 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 and boosts immune cells. Good yeast vs. bad yeast. ⚔️

Congratulations to @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social on her next career step! From July 1, she joins @fzborstel.bsky.social & @uni-kiel.de as Group Leader and Professor. We'll miss her interdisciplinary spirit and fungal expertise. Best of luck in Kiel and Borstel, Amelia! 🦠💻

Happy #WorldMicrobiomeDay everyone! 🌍 Microbial networks of cooperation and competition are a key part of our #ClusterOfExcellence on the "Balance of the Microverse". The animation by @mariia-prokopenko.bsky.social shows exactly what happens when this balance shifts. 👇

Which wall will your research break? 🧱💡 The #FallingWallsLab is coming to Jena for the first time ever! We are looking for students, researchers, and recent graduates with breakthrough ideas that address today's societal challenges.

🦠 Love science, strategy & connecting people? We're hiring a Scientific Coordinator for our #ClusterOfExcellence at @uni-jena.de! Help shape research, build networks, and support an international microbiome community. 📅 Apply by 20 July 2026 👉 jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/4...

🇩🇪🤔 Ever been told to put the butter next to the fish or that the barrel is about to overflow? Our new Microverse Kitchen Postcards turn quirky German idioms into hilarious illustrations—and connect international researchers with support resources via QR code. 🧈🐟🛢️

New in Science Advances: A bacteriophage stayed genetically stable for months, then evolved rapidly in a new microbial community. www.evolbio.mpg.de/3884217/viru... @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @paulbrainey.bsky.social @uni-jena.de @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social

🦠 A virus can dominate an ecosystem without evolving—but give it access to a new community, and evolution shifts into fast-forward. Our latest study reveals how migration drives viral adaptation and host switching. 🤝 @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social 🔬 Published in Science Advances Microbiology #Virology:

🦠 Why do antibiotics stop working? Antibiotic resistance evolves faster than many people realize. In the latest MDR podcast microbiologist Kai Papenfort explains how bacteria develop resistance—and why resistance genes often exist from the very beginning. 🤝 @uni-jena.de

🦠 How do bacteria control the viruses hidden in their own genomes? Researchers from @uni-jena.de uncovered a new defense mechanism: the small RNA CisR acts as a molecular brake, limiting replication of the cholera toxin–encoding CTX phage in Vibrio cholerae. Published in @pnas.org.

An intriguing article on "MDR Wissen" picks up on our press release regarding the question of why the #aging immune system increasingly loses control over the #microbiome. Click here (in German only): bit.ly/4edDpwe with: @dvalenzano.bsky.social, @leibnizfli.bsky.social, @microverse.bsky.social

Engineering quorum sensing: new directions for antimicrobial therapy @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social by Elisabeth Urbauer, Alexander Gräwe, Alexandre Chamas, and Kai Papenfort @microverse.bsky.social www.cell.com/trends/micro...

Great science starts with great conversations 🦠✨ Thanks to @michiwagner4.bsky.social (@microbesplanet.bsky.social) for the inspiring visit to our #ClusterOfExcellence in Jena. Great discussions, new perspectives — and proof that the “Microverse effect” is real 😉 🤝 @kuesellab.bsky.social

📺 Jena & its university on TV: The latest episode of 3sat Ländermagazin highlights Jena as a city driven by science, innovation & academic excellence — The documentary includes insights from our speaker Kirsten Küsel and follows students Emily & Samira through everyday life in research and study.

Congrats to @hellmichgroup.bsky.social on her #MaxPlanckFellowship! As a PI at our #ClusterOfExcellence she advances research on signaling in microbial systems. Excited for the new group on Signaling Dynamics and future collaborations!

Bye, bye HKI 👋 On Monday, the Microverse admin office moves to the new Microverse Center Jena. Today: a sunny farewell with colleagues after years at @leibniz-hki.de (since 2016). Thanks for everything! We stay close—just 300 m away. A tiny “microbe friend” comes with us as a reminder 💛

🏅 𝗟𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗻𝗶𝘇 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 2026 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻 This year’s award honors research from our institute & @uni-jena.de, conducted within the #ClusterOfExcellence @microverse.bsky.social. 💡👉 Learn more about their discoveries using an innovative research approach: www.leibniz-hki.de/en/press-rel...

It was a pleasure!

Excellence in microbiome research: Today the Microverse Early Career Scientist Awards honored Beatrix Heinze & @hsuma.bsky.social for outstanding interdisciplinary work on microbial ecosystems. 👏 Congrats to both awardees! 🤝@pstallforth.bsky.social, @kuesellab.bsky.social & @uni-jena.de

🌍🦠 Viruses shape life on Earth — and @Matthew B. Sullivan is at the forefront. As #MicroverseVisitingProfessor & long-term collaborator within our #ClusterOfExcellence, he advances research on viral roles in microbiomes. 🔗 artsandsciences.osu.edu/news/ohio-st...

And another success from the microverse: Congratulations to our spokesperson Kirsten Küsel! @kuesellab.bsky.social

Congratulations to our long-standing colleague Prof. Wilhelm Boland! – You’ve more than earned it.

New paper out with our friends the Nina Morgner Lab on how to quantify homodimer affinities by native MS 💕 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... Never thought it possible, but this concludes our JACS triple - 3 papers in 3 months 😋🥳🧪 @crc1507.bsky.social @microverse.bsky.social @lifeprofile.bsky.social

#ThrowbackThursday to #VAAM2026 in BER! 🧫 “Microverse meets MibiNet” drew 80+ participants—one of our highlights. Chaired by Kirsten Küsel & Julia Frunzke, keynote by Leo Eberl. Thanks to everyone for inspiring exchange! 🤝@vaam-microbes.bsky.social, @mibinet.bsky.social &@kuesellab.bsky.social

𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 🔬 Kai Papenfort, PI in our #ClusterOfExcellence at @uni-jena.de, has been elected Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology. His work on small RNAs reveals how tiny molecules shape microbial life. Congrats! 👏 Read more: www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news/kai-...

What a great talk by our #PhDCandidate Tim at the @jsmc-info.bsky.social seminar today! He presented his work on the evolution of candidalysin, specifically the role of it in non-Candida albicans species and the function of a predicted candidalysin ancestor. @microverse.bsky.social @leibniz-hki.de

🔬 Join Forsche Schüler Tag on April 23, 2026, in Jena! Explore labs, try experiments, and discover microbiology, biotech, and more. Open to students from grade 8. Step into research and experience the Microverse! #ForscheSchüler #STEM #Science #Jena 👉 www.beutenberg.de/veranstaltun...

#ECR, PhDs and postdocs, take note - here is our alternative date for the info session about the DFG's Emmy Noether Programme, its eligibility requirements and your funding opportunities. Full Details:▶️ www.dfg.de/en/research-...