D. R. Speth

Cryptic arsenic cycling controls oxygenic photosynthesis in Precambrian-analog microbial mats

The paper shows cyanobacteria in microbial mats switch from oxygenic to arsenite-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis under high light, revealing a cryptic arsenic redox cycle that may have influenced early Earth oxygenation.

Genetic potential for aerobic respiration and denitrification in globally distributed respiratory endosymbionts

The paper identifies four new respiratory endosymbiont genomes, revealing their global distribution and ability to perform both aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Extracellular vesicles of Euryarchaeida: precursor to eukaryotic membrane trafficking

This study identifies RNA-containing extracellular vesicles in Haloferax volcanii, suggesting a potential RNA communication system and linking archaeal EV formation to eukaryotic membrane trafficking origins.

Evolutionary Diversification of Methanotrophic Ca. Methanophagales (ANME-1) and Their Expansive Virome

The paper expands the phylogenetic diversity of ANME-1 archaea and discovers new virus families specific to their virome, revealing evolutionary links and gene displacement mechanisms.

Comparative genomics reveals electron transfer and syntrophic mechanisms differentiating methanotrophic and methanogenic archaea

The paper compares genomes of methanotrophic and methanogenic archaea to identify differences in electron transfer and metabolic pathways.

A novel mesocosm set-up reveals strong methane emission reduction in submerged peat moss Sphagnum cuspidatum by tightly associated methanotrophs.

This study develops a novel mesocosm setup to measure methane emissions from submerged peat mosses and finds that methanotrophs significantly reduce methane emissions.

Metabolic marker gene mining provides insight in global mcrA diversity and, coupled with targeted genome reconstruction, sheds light on metabolic versatility of the Methanomassiliicoccales

The paper uses marker gene mining to assess global mcrA diversity and reconstruct genomes from the Methanomassiliicoccales, showing its effectiveness in identifying novel lineages and reducing computational costs.