How a #parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last https://phys.org/news/2026-01-parasite-gave-sex-hosts-victory.html

Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65843-4

"an asexual lineage of #Giardia managed to infect a wider range of hosts than its sexual ancestor... at a cost. Because these #parasites don't exchange genetic material, harmful mutations build up over time, leading to eventual collapse"

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution

How a #parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last https://phys.org/news/2026-01-parasite-gave-sex-hosts-victory.html

Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65843-4

"an asexual lineage of #Giardia managed to infect a wider range of hosts than its sexual ancestor... at a cost. Because these #parasites don't exchange genetic material, harmful mutations build up over time, leading to eventual collapse"

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution

Do Kākāpōs Have Superbugs?

"So far, so good: Aotearoa New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō parrots are not showing signs of antibiotic resistant bacteria — yet."

#SciComm by @grrlscientist

#Kakapo #EndangeredSpecies #AntibioticResistance #Bacteria #Microbes #ecology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/do-k%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8Ds-have-superbugs-d1429d18d9b9

Do Kākāpōs Have Superbugs?

"So far, so good: Aotearoa New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō parrots are not showing signs of antibiotic resistant bacteria — yet."

#SciComm by @grrlscientist

#Kakapo #EndangeredSpecies #AntibioticResistance #Bacteria #Microbes #ecology https://grrlscientist.medium.com/do-k%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8Ds-have-superbugs-d1429d18d9b9