Asher Leeks

Asher Leeks

@asherleeks.bsky.social

We study social evolution in viruses. Assistant Professor @zoology.ubc.ca & @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social asherleeks.com

3K followers1.3K following70 posts

Asher Leeks reposted

Thomas Höfler
@hoeflet.bsky.social

I am enjoying #SocialViruses2026 in Vancouver, organized by @asherleeks.bsky.social and @sociovirology.bsky.social. Also, we finally got our #GeneticConflict in #Herpesviruses review published in #VirusEvolution, first conceived at the 2024 #SocialViruses meeting in Puerto Rico!

academic.oup.comAntagonistic Co-Evolution Throughout the Herpesvirus Life CycleAbstract. Herpesviruses are a widespread and diverse family of large double stranded DNA viruses. Narrow host ranges maintained over long evolutionary time
Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

For those not able to make it to #socialviruses this year, Sam is live-tweeting all three days of talks, touching on all aspects of social evolution in viruses! #evosky #virosky 🧪 🦠 🔬

Sam Díaz-Muñoz (they / ella)@sociovirology.bsky.social

Hi Everyone! I will be broadcasting live from the Social Lives of Viruses 2026 conference @zoology.ubc.ca @ubcbiodiversity.bsky.social in beautiful Vancouver BC, organized by @asherleeks.bsky.social and myself with the support of Canadian Institutes of Health Research and @moorefound.bsky.social.

Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

Congratulations to @spyroslytras.bsky.social on launching his lab at the Pasteur in Paris! Looks like there will be some exciting openings at this lab soon... 🧪 #evosky #virosky

Antigen Evolution & Design Lab@antigenevo.bsky.social

Inaugural post! We are a brand new lab @pasteur.fr studying how pathogen antigens evolve and how we can exploit these proteins' evolution to make better vaccines! Read a few words from the currently sole member of the lab @spyroslytras.bsky.social below! 😁 www.pasteur.fr/en/research-...

pasteur.frPredicting viral evolution with AISpyros Lytras is one of four young scientists selected in 2025 to lead new research groups at the Institut Pasteur. He has headed the “Antigen Evolution & Design laboratory” 5-year Group (G5) since Ju...

Asher Leeks reposted

Antigen Evolution & Design Lab
@antigenevo.bsky.social

Inaugural post! We are a brand new lab @pasteur.fr studying how pathogen antigens evolve and how we can exploit these proteins' evolution to make better vaccines! Read a few words from the currently sole member of the lab @spyroslytras.bsky.social below! 😁 www.pasteur.fr/en/research-...

pasteur.frPredicting viral evolution with AISpyros Lytras is one of four young scientists selected in 2025 to lead new research groups at the Institut Pasteur. He has headed the “Antigen Evolution & Design laboratory” 5-year Group (G5) since Ju...

Asher Leeks reposted

Jeremy Yoder says no war
@jbyoder.org

It's as official as it can be: The Yoder Lab has been very lucky to receive NSF funding to develop our TARDIS method of modeling plants' flowering activity in varying environments. Watch for grad (MSci) opportunities in Fall 2027, and a postdoc position sooner than that 🌿 buff.ly/OHpbfB0

lab.jbyoder.orgThe Yoder Lab is building the TARDIS, with new support from NSFChaparral whitethorn, Ceanothus leucodermis, bearing flowers and fruits near the Red Box Picnic Area along the Angeles Crest Highway in early May, 2026. (Flickr, jby) Why do Joshua trees grow only …

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Rowan Green
@rowancallumg.bsky.social

Where are mutations most likely to happen in the genome? @mattjago.bsky.social has answers! This paper is also a masterclass in simple visualizations of complicated ideas. I really enjoyed getting deep into these results as a middle author 🧬

Matt Jago@mattjago.bsky.social

Our work characterizing how mutational bias is influenced by the local sequence context beyond trinucleotides is out now @pnas.org! We also showed which motifs are most prone to mutations caused by strand misalignment, revealing several new hotspots! 🧬 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Asher Leeks reposted

Charles Mullon
@charlesmullon.bsky.social

1 week left to apply for scholarships ! If you are based at an institution in an ODA recipient country (e.g. Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico; full list: tinyurl.com/5dv7vvs8), you can get all expenses covered to attend the summer school in Lausanne for a week.

Charles Mullon@charlesmullon.bsky.social

Applications now open for the UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evolutionary Biology (31 Aug–5 Sep 2026, Lausanne)! For PhD & postdocs interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology (incl. social evo, life-history, species interactions). Scholarships available, Pls RP! shorturl.at/fo1GA

Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

Want to join us for Social Viruses in Vancouver this summer? One week to go until we start looking at applications (May 7th). To apply: socialviruses.zoology.ubc.ca #socialviruses #evosky #lovevirology #virosky

Asher Leeks@asherleeks.bsky.social

The Social Lives of Viruses is coming to Vancouver, Canada, from 4th-8th August 2026! This is a free meeting dedicated to all aspects of virus-virus interactions & evolution. To apply: socialviruses.zoology.ubc.ca @sociovirology.bsky.social #socialviruses #evosky #lovevirology #virosky

Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

We're recruiting! We're looking for two graduate students to join us at UBC in Vancouver. Fully funded and open to global applicants, with flexible start-date. Topics include theory, bioinformatics, and microbiology. More details: asherleeks.com/apply #socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪

Asher Leeks reposted

Shreyas Pai
@theshreyaspai.bsky.social

Thrilled to have my first PhD paper with @mmdesai.bsky.social out! @science.org Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Thread below: #mevosky #evosky #evobio #popgen #evolsky #ecoevo #molevol

science.orgSex decreases the pleiotropic costs of local adaptation by purging hitchhiking loadUnderstanding the evolutionary mechanisms that maintain sex despite its direct costs is a long-standing challenge. Previous work has shown that sexual recombination can accelerate adaptation, in part ...
Shreyas Pai@theshreyaspai.bsky.social

Why is sex so common if it's so costly? Super excited to share our new preprint “Sex decreases the pleiotropic costs of local adaptation”, where we bring a new angle to this age-old evolutionary question. Co-led by Parris Humphrey, in Michael Desai's lab. Short thread here: (1/n)

Asher Leeks reposted

Ruthvik Pallagatti
@ruthvikpsi.bsky.social

Apply now for the EEB Scholars Program offered by Princeton's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The EEB Scholars program equips aspiring academics in Ecology and Evolution with the tools they need to successfully apply to grad school programs. Applications open until May 15th!

Asher Leeks reposted

Tami Lieberman
@contaminatedsci.bsky.social

Interested in a *staff computational scientist* position? We are looking for an experienced computational biologist (ideally with microbiology experience) to support published packages while also driving new research. Pay range $73k-$111k w excellent benefits. careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/cl...

careers.peopleclick.comComputational Biology Program ScientistMIT - Computational Biology Program Scientist - Cambridge MA 02139

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Jesse Shapiro
@bjesseshapiro.bsky.social

In the lab, antibiotics can make integrated viruses (prophages) pop out of bacterial genomes. In this (short!) preprint, we asked a simple question: how much does this happen outside the lab, in the human gut? TLDR: Not much overall, in specific bacterial species. 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgSpecies-specific prophage induction by ciprofloxacin in human gut metagenomesAntibiotics are known to trigger prophage induction in controlled laboratory settings, but it remains unclear whether this also occurs within microbiomes in nature. Current methods investigating the link between antibiotics and prophage induction within the human gut rely on in vitro culturing of human gut bacterial isolates. Using a metagenomic approach, we aimed to measure prophage induction and whether it is associated with antibiotic exposure. Across two independent human cohorts, we compared prophage to bacterial host read depth ratios (P:H) across known or measured antibiotic exposures. We found that induction is not broadly associated with antibiotic exposures at the level of the overall microbiome, but that ciprofloxacin increases P:H ratios in specific bacterial species. We documented heterogeneous trajectories of P:H ratios over the course of antibiotic exposure, sometimes increasing and remaining high, or returning to baseline. This study complements experimental models by providing in vivo evidence of induction in the human gut. Importance Bacteriophages are viruses that infect a bacterial host. The lytic and lysogenic cycles are the two classic outcomes of phage infection. In the lytic cycle, the phage immediately replicates and lyses its host to release new viral particles. In the lysogenic cycle, the phage, now called a prophage, integrates its genome into that of its host without killing it. Prophages can switch to the lytic cycle in a process called induction, in which the viral genome is replicated, the host cell is lysed, and viral particles are released. The most immediate consequence of induction is host cell death which can impact bacterial populations and communities. Since prophages are mobile genetic elements that can move between bacteria, they are also an important vehicle for horizontal gene transfer. While induction has been well studied in vitro , whether and how induction occurs within the complex microbial ecosystem in humans is less well characterized. Understanding prophage induction in vivo is therefore critical in corroborating in vitro observations. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. NIH Common Fund, https://ror.org/001d55x84 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

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Eduardo Rocha
@epcrocha.bsky.social

Fantastic collaboration w/ @dbikard.bsky.social @audeber.bsky.social @rayanchikhi.bsky.social labs led by @jmouradesousa.bsky.social : We assessed the rates of variation of anti-phage systems in P4-like satellites and P2 helper phages. Quick conclusion: Huge variation! We focus on 4 key questions/5

Jorge Moura de Sousa@jmouradesousa.bsky.social

➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔 🧵👇

biorxiv.orgbiorxiv.org

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Charles Mullon
@charlesmullon.bsky.social

Many organisms, including humans, reshape their environments in ways that influence the conditions faced by future generations. We ask whether this can favour biological variation with @irisprigent.bsky.social in our new paper. Thanks to @dee-unil.bsky.social @snsf.ch www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

pnas.orgPNASProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Kayla King, Ph.D.
@kayla-king.bsky.social

A nice collaboration from post-docs in my lab 😊 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... @jingdi.bsky.social @luismsilva.bsky.social @paradyseb.bsky.social @molecularecolup.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.comIntegrating the Microbiome Into Infection Ecology and Evolution in Wild AnimalsParasites are a ubiquitous force in nature threatening wildlife populations and ecosystems. Interactions between hosts and their parasites are impacted by host-associated microbiomes, which are essen...

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Carl T. Bergstrom
@carlbergstrom.com

1. Kevin Gross and I have a new paper out today PLOS Biology. We used economic models based around screening games and the market for unpaid labor to highlight a meltdown cycle threatening peer review.

journals.plos.orgScreening, sorting, and the feedback cycles that imperil peer reviewThe process of peer review is vital to contemporary science, but is also under enormous strain. This study uses mathematical models to dissect the threats to the long-term viability of peer review, su...

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Santa Fe Institute
@sfiscience.bsky.social

SFI’s Santiago Elena has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He joins 62 fellows in the 2026 class. His work explores how RNA viruses adapt to hosts and manipulate cellular resources. Since joining SFI in 2008, he has organized several working groups on virus evolution.

santafe.eduSFI External Professor Santiago Elena elected to the American Academy of MicrobiologySFI External Professor Santiago Elena has been elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, joining 62 other fellows in the class of 2026, each selected for their contributions in the ...

Asher Leeks reposted

Jesse Shapiro
@bjesseshapiro.bsky.social

Now out & nicely formatted in @isme-microbes.bsky.social A big analysis of ocean genomes & metagenomes co-led by former postdocs, now PIs, @gmdouglas.bsky.social & @cyanophage.bsky.social along with co-PIs @lbobay.bsky.social & Samuel Chaffron. A few highlights... 🧵 (1/n) doi.org/10.1093/isme...

doi.orgCo-occurrence is associated with horizontal gene transfer across marine bacteria independent of phylogenyAbstract. Understanding the drivers and consequences of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a key goal of microbial evolution research. Although co-occurring

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Paul Turner Lab
@paulturnerlab.bsky.social

How does population density affect evolutionary trajectory? Microbes construct their own niche which in turn reshapes their evolution. Preprint drop from grad student @noahhoupt.bsky.social whose evolution experiments featured blue/white colonies, 1000 generations, a lab move, and much more!

Noah Houpt@noahhoupt.bsky.social

Interested in eco-evolutionary feedbacks? Microbial experimental evolution? Pleiotropy? Filamentous phages?? Check out our latest preprint, now up on BioRxiv! biorxiv.org/content/10.6... For a quick summary, peep the thread below...🧵 (1/10)

biorxiv.orgbiorxiv.org

Asher Leeks reposted

Arvid Ågren
@arvidagren.bsky.social

If you can only visit one place at Harvard, make it the glass flower exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. 4000 models, 847 species. Commissioned by the university for teaching botany and created by the Czech father and son Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka 1887 through 1936.

Philip Ball@philipcball.bsky.social

Glassblowing is amazing. I had to learn it (a little) at the start of my (theoretical) physics PhD, and am so glad, even if I got a lot of burnt fingers. (The glass isn't necessarily cool when it has stopped glowing.)

Asher Leeks reposted

Nathan Grubaugh
@nathangrubaugh.bsky.social

Check out our new print that combines dense sequencing and phylodynamics to uncover a bunch of 😎 things about an understudied virus. - Doesn't evolve for 10 months a year ✅ - Uses some mossies for maintenance, others for spread ✅ - Established in Northeast for ~300 years ✅

Ellie Bourgikos@ebourgikos.bsky.social

🦟📄 New preprint! Our first large-scale phylodynamic study of Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) reveals how mosquito ecology shapes the evolution, persistence, and spread of this understudied arbovirus in North America. Read it here! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgEvolutionary history of Jamestown Canyon virus disentangles complex multi-vector ecologyJamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus of increasing concern in North America. It has been historically understudied, leading to significant gaps in our understanding of it...

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Sweta Agrawal
@hokuba.bsky.social

The Agrawal lab is moving! This January we will be setting up shop at #UBC in Vancouver, in the department of #Zoology! We are actively recruiting at all levels, especially masters and PhD students. These position are #funded! Please send anyone interested my way!

Asher Leeks reposted

Will Shoemaker
@shoestrapped.bsky.social

An incredible ICTP initiative is our Postgraduate Diploma Programme. Rigorous one-year pre-PhD training for students from the Global South. I have personally seen this program transform the lives of those in the quant life sciences. Due Feb. 28 2026. Please share widely. www.ictp.it/news/2025/11...

ictp.itCall for Applications, Postgraduate Diploma Programme | ICTPAre you a student who dreams of earning a PhD in physics or mathematics, but who lives in a country lacking such opportunities? ICTP could be your first step on the path to attaining a PhD.
Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

Congratulations to @alexrob.bsky.social , @alisonfeder.bsky.social , and Ben Kerr on this beautiful study, using evolutionary theory to study antiviral resistance dynamics when resistance is social... #socialviruses #evosky 🧪

Alison Feder@alisonfeder.bsky.social

So excited to share this work led by @alexrob.bsky.social with Ben Kerr! We investigated a poliovirus capsid inhibitor that exploits a breakdown in the genotype-phenotype map to prevent drug resistance evolution. Or does it? See Alex's thread, but a few extras: #socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪

Asher Leeks reposted

Nanami Kubota
@nanamikubota.bsky.social

Replying to @asherleeks.bsky.social

I want to selfishly plug that there's more to this story that we hope to share soon! (Wildtype phage has a way to "fight back" cheater miniphage invasion.) We're currently working on the paper so stay tuned 😎

Asher Leeks
@asherleeks.bsky.social

It was great to write a brief commentary with @sociovirology.bsky.social on @nanamikubota.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org's recent discovery of cheat-driven cycles in Pseudomonas (www.cell.com/current-biol... - amazing example of the tragedy of the commons! 🧪 #socialviruses #evosky

cell.comPhage–bacteria dynamics: The tragedy of the commons at hyperspeedA recent study found that apparently stable coexistence between a clinically important pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and its integrated prophages can break down, setting off an evolutionary cycle ...

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Luís M. Silva
@luismsilva.bsky.social

Thrilled to share my first preprint in my 2nd evo-passion: senescence and aging. Here, we used experimental evolution to test the #redox theory of #aging under #parasitism. Guess what: it is considerably different from what is expected 🤓 a thread 1/5 👇 #EvoSky #MicroSky #Aedes

biorxiv.orgTesting the redox theory of aging under parasitismThe redox theory of aging proposes that an oxidative imbalance, possibly amplified by infection, drives senescence. We experimentally evolved mosquitoes under early or late reproduction with or withou...

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Charles Mullon
@charlesmullon.bsky.social

Great opportunity for those interested in fundamental questions in evolutionary biology and mathematical models: postdoc opening in Laurent Lehmann’s group @unil.bsky.social. We have a lively community of theorists here in Lausanne with good interactions across groups. Join us ! Please RP

EvolDir@evoldir.bsky.social

Open postdoc position in Theoretical Evolutionary Biology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, focusing on mathematical models of social traits. Details: https://tinyurl.com/37uhtbne #postdoc

Asher Leeks reposted

Michael Baym
@baym.lol

Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.orgIntracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamicsFrom populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...