D. A. Cowan

With a pinch of salt: metagenomic insights into Namib Desert salt pan microbial mats and halites reveal functionally adapted and competitive communities

This study uses shotgun metagenomics to characterize microbial communities in Namib Desert salt pans and halites, revealing distinct taxonomic and functional profiles and novel viral and gene transfer elements.

TREM2+ and interstitial macrophages orchestrate airway inflammation in SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques

This study identifies two macrophage populations driving inflammation in the lower airway during SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques and shows baricitinib effectively reduces their influx and cytokine production.

Temporal dynamics of microbial transcription in wetted hyperarid desert soils

The paper examines microbial transcriptional responses in hyperarid desert soils after simulated rainfall, identifying key functional shifts and a dispersal-predation dynamic.

CCR2-dependent monocyte-derived cells restrict SARS-CoV-2 infection

This study identifies a CCR2-dependent monocyte-derived cell mechanism that restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection and inflammation in the lungs of mice.

A genome compendium reveals diverse metabolic adaptations of Antarctic soil microorganisms

This study identifies diverse metabolic adaptations of Antarctic soil microorganisms using metagenomic analysis and experimental validation.

Multi-proxy analyses of a mid-15th century Middle Iron Age Bantu-speaker palaeo-faecal specimen elucidates the configuration of the ancestral sub-Saharan African intestinal microbiome

The paper analyzes a mid-15th century Bantu-speaker faecal specimen to understand the ancestral sub-Saharan African intestinal microbiome and its response to dietary and environmental changes.

Nutrient parsimony shapes diversity and functionality in hyper-oligotrophic Antarctic soils

The paper investigates nutrient balance in Antarctic soils, finding low microbial respiration and C:N:P ratios below optimal levels, with nitrogen fixation limited but nitrate assimilation enriched.

Phages actively challenge niche communities in the Antarctic soils

The paper provides the first evidence of widespread antiphage innate immunity in Antarctic hypolith communities, showing phages actively challenge niche communities through dynamic host-phage interactions.

Trophic Selective Pressures Organize the Composition of Endolithic Microbial Communities from Global Deserts

This study identifies macroclimate as the primary driver of endolithic microbial community composition, with differences between hot and polar deserts, and shows phototrophs and heterotrophs assemble under distinct ecological influences.

Nutrient acquisition, rather than stress response over diel cycles, drives microbial transcription in a dessicated Namib Desert soil

The paper analyzes metatranscriptomic data from a hyperarid desert soil, finding that nutrient acquisition, not diurnal stress responses, drives microbial activity.