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Benjamin Vernot

@benvernot.bsky.social
269 followers 408 following 11 posts

Scientist living in Vienna. Two^H^H^H Three loud kids, population genetics, sediment DNA. New Prof. @ Uni Vienna / Group leader @ MPI EVA. ERC CoG UNEARTH.

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Reposted by Benjamin Vernot
Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The problem isn't rogue #AI models, it's *negligent companies*. If a biomedical firm put their product in public water supply because they wanted to test it 'in the real world', they'd be treated as criminal at corporate & individual level. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
OpenAI halts training of latest models as reports mount of AI agents going rogue
Decision follows disclosures that OpenAI agents searching government websites had acted in unexpected ways
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Exciting news: @uwgenome.bsky.social will be hiring for two tenure-track faculty positions this year, one open rank and one assistant professor. Both are “Genome Sciences” interpreted broadly so we welcome applicants working in a variety of fields and methods. Ad will be out shortly.
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Dmitri Petrov @petrovadmitri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We are searching for an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology! Looking for colleagues asking fundamental questions relating to evolutionary processes and drivers of evolutionary patterns. If you think it is you, please do apply! And please repost. facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assista...
facultypositions.stanford.edu
Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology - Stanford University, California, United States
The Department of Biology at Stanford University seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology. A successful candidate will conduct research that asks fundamental que...
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Meriam Guellil PhD @meriamguellil.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I am opening a PhD position at the University of Vienna to work with me on ancient pathogen aDNA 🦠🧬 Please help spread the word to any relevant candidates or contact me if you are interested! Join us here in Vienna!
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Louis L'Hôte @louis-lhote.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Extremely happy to share our new study on Sheeppox virus (SPPV) ! We notably found many genomes in Medieval parchments🦠📖 A short thread about it : share.google/JqVOTB2lvxcO...
share.google
Three thousand five hundred years of sheeppox virus evolution inferred from archaeological and codicological genomes
Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is a major livestock pathogen causing economic hardship through reduced production and death of vulnerable sheep, with written descriptions of sheeppox-like disease recorded sinc...
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Gen Wojcik @genandgenes.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I’ve been thinking a lot in this point and how important it is to push back on the framing that genetics (and biology) has any relevance whatsoever in how we treat each other. It’s pervasive, not only in how we argue with bigots, but also how we frame our own findings.
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Aaron Quinlan (he/him) @aaronquinlan.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I am delighted to announce that The Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah is continuing a multi-year recruiting initiative for multiple tenure-track faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor. Please share and consider applying! utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/208...
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Kate Cavanaugh @katecavanaugh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
And finally—a bit of personal news: 🔬 I’m on the faculty job market this year! I’m looking for tenure-track opportunities where I can build a lab at the intersection of developmental biology, mechanobiology, reproductive biology & aging.
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Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Applications open today! Review starts Oct. 17th. Come join @rachaelabay.bsky.social @katelaskowski.bsky.social @gcbiphobia.bsky.social @croneliz.bsky.social @phylogenomics.bsky.social @dranyabrown.bsky.social @sebastianschreiber.bsky.social @robindecker.bsky.social & more here in EVE at UC Davis!
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Arev P. Sümer @arevsumer.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Our new study with @benmpeter.bsky.social is now on biorxiv! Here we present a new computational tool which makes it possible to conduct population genetic analyses from very contaminated and very low quality archaic human genomes. (1/7)
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Dilek Koptekin @dilekopter.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Check out our new review: Ancient DNA in motion! We examine how the integration of archaeogenomic data with archaeological evidence can help reconstruct past human mobility and interactions, as well as their consequences, while also addressing key terminological and interpretive limitations.
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Kelly Lynne D’Angelo ✨ @kellylynnedang.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Please blow up the public comment (included below): BREAKING NEWS (7/15) — The administration wants to destroy Chaco Canyon without consulting Tribal Nations. It’s an irreplaceable historic & cultural site with 4,700 archeological sites that could be lost to the bulldozers of oil & gas development
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Benjamin Vernot @benvernot.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Not feeling great about our flight to the US tomorrow...
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 14/07/2026
This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.
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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
okay so here's where my head explodes. because if you define biological sex as binary based on gametes, but then concede that organisms can produce either, both, or none, and thus do not fall into two classes, then *what is the point of trying to say it's a binary*??????????????????????????????????
" It is precisely this highly consistent occurrence of two distinct gamete size classes across anisogamous species that renders the definition of biological sex based on gamete size inherently binary. [highlight begins] However, defining biological sex as binary does not imply that individuals necessarily fall into two classes, as they can produce male, female, both, or neither gamete class."
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Dr. Jey McCreight 🏳️‍⚧️🧬 @jeymccreight.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Yesterday I had the honor to speak at Chicago's Trans Liberation March about @beyondxandy.bsky.social I thought I'd share my speech here: Us trans folk often joke that we need to learn the equivalent of a PhD in biology just to defend our existence. Well, I actually went and did it. 🧵 1/X
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Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Reposting in case any #ICP2026 attendee would like to chat!
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Mateja Hajdinjak @matejahajdi.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Our late Neandertal paper is officially out! 💀❤️🧬 www.nature.com/articles/s41... It was years in the making, a tremendous feat spearheaded by our PhD student Alba Bossoms Mesa and co-led by @janetk.bsky.social and @benmpeter.bsky.social
nature.com
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Leo Speidel @leospeidel.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
New preprint! "Joint dog and wolf genealogies reveal the evolution of the canine genome" We build genealogies of dogs and wolves to find two strong mutation-rate pulses, GC-biased gene conversion, selection, and inter-species gene flow shaping the canine genome. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Joint dog and wolf genealogies reveal the evolution of the canine genome
Dogs and their closest extant relative, the grey wolf, diverged around 30k years ago, but have since experienced complex histories of gene flow involving other canids, adaptive pressures due to close ...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, with their taller hoods and larger blind zones, has contributed to a 75% increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths since 2009. Until we design better streets and ban these vehicles, people outside these vehicles will keep dying.
nytimes.com
The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s (Gift Article)
The vehicles on American roads have grown larger — and they are killing thousands more pedestrians, a Times investigation found.
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ICP2026 Stockholm @palaeogenomics.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
We are looking forward to welcoming you all to Stockholm next week for #ICP2026! We have updated our webpage with some important practical info, as well as some hints and tips to get the most out of Stockholm 🇸🇪 Check it out: tinyurl.com/yyyfjh7z
icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
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Kevin Daly @gingerhowley.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
If you're you have experience in working in animal / pathogen #aDNA and are interested in a postdoctoral position as part of my ERC Project HERDPATH, please DM/email me kevin[at]palaeome.org
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Hannah Moots @mootspoints.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Mini but mighty! Exciting new paper from @compevohumang.bsky.social showing that the stapes (the smallest bone in the human skeleton) is one of the best sources of ancient DNA preservation. A promising advance for maximizing DNA recovery while minimizing destructive sampling! doi.org/10.1101/gr.2...
doi.org
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Remember this scene the next time a corporate reporter tries to insist that a rural diner full of white men in their 60s is somehow a more authentically "American" place, somehow more representative of who we are as a nation.
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David Allsopp @doublehelix.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
It needs to be stated over and over - this isn't just a matter of errors: The point is that LLM AI is literally incapable of reviewing or validating research data. It absolutely cannot do that job, at all, ever. But it is very good at generating something that looks like a convincing review.
First, I’d created 2000 free-text responses and labelled them ‘UK’. Then I copied and pasted the exact same 2000 responses but labelled these ‘US’. Finally, I combined them to create a dataset of 4000 total responses, and jumbled them up.

Despite the responses being identical for the UK and US, Copilot produced a rich, detailed summary of how US and UK respondents differed.
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Aylwyn Scally @aylwyn-scally.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Postdoctoral job announcement: come to Cambridge and work on population genetic modelling with environmental and ancient DNA, jointly with @gamzeandgursoy.bsky.social and me. Details at www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/55580/ - applications by June 16th.
jobs.cam.ac.uk
Research Associate in Population Genetics Modelling and Environmental DNA (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge
Research Associate in Population Genetics Modelling and Environmental DNA (Fixed Term) in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.
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Aaron Ragsdale @apragsdale.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
I’m looking to hire one or two postdocs - possible projects include pop gen theory, methods development, and human evolutionary inference. Please share, and email if you are interested. More info: evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...
evoldir.net
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Amy Diehl, Ph.D. @amydiehl.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Reviewers in two groups were given identical resumes for Emily Clarke and James Clarke and told they had used AI. Emily's was 2x as likely to raise doubts about competence. "She can't even write a CV herself." But James "just needed a bit of help." fortune.com/2026/05/10/i...
fortune.com
AI generated identical resumes for a man and a woman: Hers was more likely to be labeled 'weak,' while his got a 97% approval rating | Fortune
“If people believe they will be judged more harshly for using AI, they are less likely to adopt it—regardless of their capability."
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Tim Wollesen @thechitoncorner.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Call for a demonstration, Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 13:00, starting on the Universitätsring in front of the Main Building of the University of Vienna! www.univie.ac.at/en/news/deta... Please join us and support #Science in Austria! @univie.ac.at @vdsee-univie.bsky.social @bokuvienna.bsky.social
univie.ac.at
Budget – Universities call for demonstrations against budget cuts
Rector Sebastian Schütze: "Enormous reputational damage"
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Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias @ceciliapad.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
HAAM Radio webinar next month focusing on bioinformatics methods and with a lot of opportunities for ECRs to ask their questions!
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Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
One reason I hate death penalty cases is that capital punishment is incredibly stupid and irrational. It's cruel, expensive, and serves no deterrent effect. It's rarely imposed, except against a tiny minority of unlucky defendants—and in those cases, racism almost always plays a role. Just end it.
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Graham Coop @gcbias.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Reposting this old thread on the "Pervasive findings of directional selection" from ancient DNA. While the authors extended their results in various ways, I think many of these points still stand.
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AaRC @aarc-community.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Here's the amazing lineup of speakers for our upcoming virtual conference. There’s still time to register and join us online. We look forward to seeing you there! forms.gle/Kse1kPYnpsVg...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Flights of less than 350 miles should be a train ride. 🙃
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Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 05/05/2026
I’m tired of the AI-generated pictures on slides 🥀🥀🥀 Especially slides w/ unclear graphs!! I’m telling you the image you have of an anime-looking group of scientists working together is way less useful than putting together some R-code to make sure you are clearly displaying your findings.
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Mikkel Winther Pedersen @mikkelwp.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Interested in ancient environmental DNA, metagenomics, and bioinformatics? Sign up for our PhD course in Ancient Environmental Genomics at the University of Copenhagen, 20 to 25 Sept 2026. 5 ECTS Sign-up deadline: 1 Aug 2026 Read more and sign up: phdcourses.ku.dk/DetailKursus...
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Fred Guttenberg @fredguttenberg.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
If you were horrified watching elected leaders run & scramble because of gun violence, just imagine how my daughter Jaime felt in school running from an active shooter before she was killed. Now, become a part of the solution & only vote for people determined to address gun violence in America.
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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/04/2026
Well, they've finally struck home. #ICE has detained my former #umich student, Yousif Azizi, a PhD student in public policy at Virginia Tech w/a valid visa. He was arrested while taking his children to school in Maryland. After multiple transfers, he is in a detention center in Arizona.
yousofazizi.com
Free Yousof Azizi
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Leo Speidel @leospeidel.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
New preprint led by Hrushikesh Loya, me, and Simon Myers where we introduce GhostBuster! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... The idea is to find all the different ways a target individual relates to reference groups in genealogies, to "bust the ghosts" in our ancestry.
biorxiv.org
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Hannah Moots @mootspoints.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Great example of genetic data in PCA space mirroring geography - this time in Scandinavian lemmings!
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Ernst Johnson @officialernst.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Very excited to share our study of an ancient environmental genome extracted from lake sediment! It originates from a brown bear that lived around 9,600 years ago close to the last ice-sheet remains in northern Sweden, and has an unexpected mitochondrial haplogroup. 1/7 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Ancient environmental genome reveals a migratory brown bear individual in Early Holocene Scandinavia | PNAS
After the last ice age, species migrated into a newly deglaciated Scandinavia. Brown bear recolonization is thought to have occurred from two direc...
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Tom Booth @boothicus.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
🏺Broad, enticing discussion of recent archaeogenetics papers that have found evidence for matrlineal organisation of cemeteries at various times/places in the past, including Iron Age Britain, in some cases implying matrilocal residence patterns. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Exploring matrilocality in history Insights from ancient DNA | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
Exploring matrilocality in history Insights from ancient DNA
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 11/04/2026
i firmly believe that kennedy wants preventable diseases to rip through american communities since, in his warped mind, those who survive without vaccines will have proven themselves “healthy.”
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Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 29/03/2026
RIP editorial cartooning.
A remarkable AP photo of a protester dressed as Lady Liberty being cuffed by helmeted cops. She is looking straight at the camera with a tired "you seeing this shit?" expression.
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Lachie Scarsbrook @lachiescarsbrook.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Yesterday in @nature.com, we presented the earliest evidence of dogs anywhere in the world — three puppies that were buried by Stone Age hunter-gatherers in Türkiye almost 16,000 years ago. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Moi Expósito-Alonso (MOILAB) @mexpositoalonso.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Our new experimental evolution study across 30+ locations using the plant Arabidopsis thaliana —— we direct "see" adaptation and extinction to different climates at the genetic as it happens! Read it in Science dx.doi.org/10.1126/scie... @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social @hhmi-science.bsky.social
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Ebony Elizabeth Thomas @ebonyteach.blacksky.app · 22/03/2026
I really, really need academic organizations to think more critically about travel (conferences, talks, and meetings) during the Trump administration. Sadly, most are not.
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Harald Ringbauer @hringbauer.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
We just published a brief preprint on aDNA from two Medieval Ottonic emperors. 🧬👑 We confirm via IBD segments that remains attributed to Otto "the Great" and "Saint" Heinrich are third-degree relatives. As historically attested - suggesting that they are authentic. ✅️ doi.org/10.64898/202... (1/3)
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
“It really makes it look like the reason for grants not being awarded was because of the race of the trainee.” 🧪
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
“it’s going to get ugly-it always does in these cases-but if there is one woman in a mathematics (or physics, or economics, or chemistry, or computer science) department out there who feels a little bit more empowered to recognize grooming…to insist on boundaries...well, it will have been worth it”
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