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Kathleen Kay

@kathleenmkay.bsky.social
853 followers 508 following 105 posts

Scientist, professor, mom, trail runner, plant lover. UC Santa Cruz.

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Reposted by Kathleen Kay
Aide Macias-Muñoz @aidemm.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Please share! My lab is recruiting a postdoctoral scholar in evolutionary development. For more details feel free to email me.
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Reposted by Kathleen Kay
Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 16/09/2026
Authors!🚨 While you scramble for scarce $ 🤔 “Springer Nature reports revenue growth of 6.2%..and adjusted operating profit growth of 7.7%. They reported even more stunning submission growth of 30% and published article growth of 13%.” Publishing in society journals helps YOU not them👇🏻. Pass it on.
static.klipy.com
Man Lying on a Pile of Money
ALT: Man Lying on a Pile of Money
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 14/09/2026
The only person in public service who has consistently made 100% sense on issues of "AI," which is why they hate her so much.
Law enforcers already have authority to charge companies and their CEOs for creating and releasing dangerous, unvetted, or defective products. We shouldn’t let discussions about new legal regimes distract from the fact that there’s no AI exemption from laws already on the books — a point 
@FTC
 emphasized repeatedly during my tenure.

1. There is an extensive set of laws that govern dangerous and defective products. For example, releasing unvetted AI models or agents can violate consumer protection laws. Shipping flawed AI tools without implementing adequate measures to detect and stop rogue or defective AI agents can be an “unfair or deceptive” act or practice under the FTC Act (and analogous state laws). And some state AGs are already exploring holding AI firms and their CEOs criminally liable when their models participate in criminal activity.

2. Existing laws also prohibit “unfair methods of competition.” This covers instances where AI firms appropriate the competitively sensitive information of their customers, including through tracking their use of various tools. It can also cover instances where firms pursue dangerous behavior, aware that doing so may compel rivals to do the same.As the Supreme Court has noted: “A method of competition which casts upon one's competitors the burden of the loss of business unless they will descend to a practice which they are under a powerful moral compulsion not to adopt, even though it is not criminal, was thought to involve the kind of unfairness at which the [unfair methods of competition] statute was aimed."

3. The highly concentrated and interconnected structure of these markets could be creating major risks and conflicts of interest. We had started investigating these partnerships and cross-investments across the stack (and released a preliminarily overview of some findings: https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-issues-staff-report-ai-partnerships-investments-study). 

Both federal and state enforcers should be scrutinizing these opaque relationships and inter-dependencies. We are already seeing how these relationships could undermine accountability. For example, OpenAI could face liability given the Hugging Face incident, but Hugging Face being bought up by Nvidia means that we’re unlikely to see it file a lawsuit over this — given Nvidia’s strong incentive to see OpenAI continue full speed ahead.4. As AI tools dramatically change the landscape of cybersecurity risks and hacks, all businesses should be doubling down on having core security protections in place. Firms that fail to invest in adequate data security measures or fix known vulnerabilities can also be breaking the law. A recent analysis showed that around 1/3 of Fortune 100 companies do not even have a way to notify them about security issues. During my 
@FTC
 tenure, we sued firms for poor data security practices and held CEOs liable when they were personally responsible.

https://this.weekinsecurity.com/dozens-of-americas-largest-companies-have-no-simple-way-to-report-security-flaws/

https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/10/ftc-takes-action-against-drizly-its-ceo-james-cory-rellas-security-failures-exposed-data-25-million

5. As policymakers consider new legal regimes, we should be looking to lessons from prior efforts to govern major sectors, such as banking and other networks, platforms, and utilities. Tools like structural separations, nondiscrimination, and supervision could be key, and there’s a rich history of what works and what doesn’t. But we can and must pursue any new efforts alongside enforcing existing laws.
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is an amazing book and a great way to introduce undergrads to stats and R
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Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Foliar salt spray exclusion & tissue tolerance underlie local adaptation to oceanic salt spray New #AJB research by @madisonplunkert.bsky.social, @pcdurant.bsky.social, @davidlowry.bsky.social & Katherine Egeler doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #monkeyflower #Mimulus
The coastal perennial ecotype of Mimulus guttatus DC. (syn. Erythranthe guttata DC.) growing on a cliff at Montara State Beach, Montara, California, USA, with oceanic salt spray damage on the leaf margin. Coastal M. guttatus has delayed flowering, which contributes to a salt spray escape strategy by reducing the amount of salt spray reaching these plants. Still, some salt spray contacts the plant, so later-acting strategies that keep sodium from entering the leaves and prevent cell damage are also key for local adaptation to coastal habitat. (Credit: David Lowry)
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Hybridization is common among plant taxa, and interspecific hybridization has played a major role in plant evolution, including speciation events, adaptive introgression, and range expansion. The authors investigate reports of hybrid oaks to further assess their relationships.
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ybrandvain.bsky.social @ybrandvain.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Introducing my 1st R package. I built this to address common misunderstandings of linear models i often see in intro biostats students. this is strongly paternalistic and aims to improve students' understanding of intro stats comments welcome yanivjb.github.io/honestlm/ #Rstats #ggplot2 #biostats
yanivjb.github.io
Guardrails for Teaching Linear Models
Provides small, opinionated wrappers around familiar linear model workflows. The package keeps base R and ggplot2 interfaces recognizable while adding guardrails around common interpretation traps, in...
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Maria Clara Castellanos @calacastellanos.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
We work really hard at the Journal of Pollination Ecology @jpollecol.bsky.social but this was still a (very pleasant) surprise - JPE's 2025 impact factor is 1.8. Keep supporting Society-published, independent open access journals! #OpenAccess #Pollination
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 18/06/2026
One of my favorite moments of the day. If you missed it, take a moment… 🤎 John Legend and Common performing “Glory.”
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Will you be at Botany 2026? Andy will be taking photos / recording social media content for the California Botanical Society at Botany 2026. If you are presenting a poster or talk about Cali or Western American Botany at the conference #Botany2026
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Annals of Botany @annbot.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
🌿 Join us at #Botany2026 for the Annals of Botany Special Lecture by Casper van der Kooi. 🌼Evolutionary ecology of floral visual signals Discover how floral colours and visual signals evolve and shape plant–pollinator interactions. #PlantScience #Botany #Pollination
Promotional slide for the Annals of Botany Special Lecture at Botany 2026. The graphic features a green background with a portrait of Casper van der Kooi from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, on the right. The lecture title, “Evolutionary ecology of floral visual signals,” is displayed prominently in the center. The event is scheduled for August 4th at 1:30 pm. The Annals of Botany logo appears at the top left, and the slide concludes with the invitation “Join us at Botany 2026!” accompanied by a leaf icon.
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Karolina Heyduk @kheyduk.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Lab paper exploring integrated -omics in closely related C3 and CAM species of Yucca. I lured @wickellomics.bsky.social to the lab with this data set as "low hanging fruit" and it was anything but, hah. Thanks to David and all co-authors for getting this published! doi.org/10.1093/jxb/... 1/2
doi.org
Integrative analysis of CAM photosynthesis reveals its impact on primary metabolism in Yucca
Integrated transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses reveal extensive reorganization of primary metabolism, and highlight the importance of post-
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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Sad to hear of the passing of Robert Ricklefs - a giant of Ecology who simultaneously pushed forward big ideas at multiple biological levels yet took time for detailed natural history .. McGill does a nice job summarizing his impressive contributions 🌐🧪 dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r...
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
Robert Ricklefs – in memoriam
Robert Ricklefs, a giant of ecology, passed away on Sunday. It is hard to overstate the extensive impact Bob had on the field. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the US,…
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John Stinchcombe @johnstinchcombe.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
How do you turn a purple flower white? Another from lab, led by @damianmicroeco.bsky.social and Emily Glasgow, with big contributions from Martin Henry, Margaret Li, and Amanda Peake. Mendelian Polymorphisms for the Win! #evolbio #plantscience
White-flowered Ipomoea hederacea, lacking anthocyanins in the flowers and throughout the plant
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Seema Sheth @seemasheth.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
It was fun to work on this meta-analysis of resurrection studies involving plants with Lillie Pennington, Steven Franks, Jill Anderson, and @elenahamann.bsky.social! doi.org/10.1002/ajb2...
doi.org
Two decades of resurrection studies: What have we learned about contemporary evolution of plant species?
Premise Global climate change has altered the eco-evolutionary trajectories of plant species, leading to observed shifts in phenotypes, such as earlier flowering. However, disentangling the contribu...
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
In my lab's latest, we experimentally test the decades-old idea that plants switch from bee to hummingbird pollinators in tropical mountains because bee activity declines in cool cloud forest conditions nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Pollinator efficiency, rather than bee decline, explains a shift to hummingbird pollination in tropical montane forests
Hummingbird pollination is a hallmark of American plant diversity and has long been thought to evolve in tropical mountains due to declining bee activity. Using sister species of Costus specialized o...
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
What is Plant tissue culture, and how will it potentially be useful for conservation? Plant tissue culture is the application of advanced horticultural techniques in a sterile, in vitro environment to propagate new plants.
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Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬 @smwadgymar.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
HUGE kudos to SSE leadership for spearheading collective action against OMB's proposed rule. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🧪 Societies matter!! Support them with your engagement, conference attendance, and choice of journals. SSE members: please consider signing these letters! SSE non-members: please consider joining ☺️
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Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
🚨SSE members: check your inbox!🚨 SSE has sent an important email regarding the OMB's proposed overhaul of federal grant regulations--changes that could affect peer review, publishing, conferences, professional societies, international collaborations, and more. @sse-evolution.bsky.social
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It’s time for our next upcoming Botany Speaker!!!! Next Thursday, June 11th, from 7 to 8 pm PT, Sarah Jacobs, the Assistant Curator and Howell Chair of Western North American Botany at the California Academy of Sciences, will be talking to us about the notoriously difficult taxonomy of Castilleja.
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闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD @minyaaa.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Here's the article from the Siebel Center for Design: designcenter.illinois.edu/stories/IB-1... Very proud of my awesome students!
designcenter.illinois.edu
IB-103 Turns Plant Biologists into Makers
IB-103 Turns Plant Biologists into Makers
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Kaz Ohashi @kazohashilab.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Our new paper out! By comparing body pollen carried by diverse insect pollinators visiting the same Ligustrum flowers, we found striking variation not only among major pollinator groups, but also within them — even between males and females of the same bumble bee species. Free view: rdcu.be/fj68l
rdcu.be
Heterospecificity of body pollen varies across and within trait-based groups of pollinators
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
"the thing holding the coalition together is a base-line eco-fascist motherhood politics that merges libertarian individualism with consumer choice and frames keeping track of it all as women’s natural, right and proper societal role" 🔥🔥
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Evolution Meetings @evolmtg.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Virtual Evolution is this week! Check out the schedule here: www.evolutionmeetings.org/virtual-prog...
evolutionmeetings.org
Virtual Program
Please use the link below to access the virtual program in advance of the conference, as well as the Zoom Event link where the event will be held.  NOTE:  Access to the Zoom event is only for paid...
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Reposted by Kathleen Kay
California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Interested in listening to Dr. Ricardo Kriebel's, Moving Flowers: Evolution of Floral Form, Function & Pollination in Salvia? You can watch his talk right now on our YouTube channel! Use the link below to watch recordings of previous and upcoming talks!
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Litt, who has been elected as President of the Botanical Society of America. Amy is the recording secretary and outgoing past president of the California Botanical Society Council, and will be seminar organizer for our organization.
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Our newest speaker in our 2026 Botany Speaker Series: Ricardo Kreibel, Assistant Curator and McAllister Chair of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences! He will be discussing; "Moving Flowers; Evolution of Floral Form, Function, and Pollination in Salvia"
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
“Soil is the ecological interface between life and geology….” Using 53,000 herbarium voucher records, Emma Fryer et al. evaluated each taxon’s affinity and endemism to clay soils and found evidence for endemism to clay soils in California flora.
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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
The Barrick & Lenski Labs in Dept of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology at Michigan State Univ seek a Research Assistant II to manage their research operations and participate in projects related to microbial evolution and synthetic biology. See details below. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
careers.msu.edu
Research Assistant II - East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Position Summary The Barrick and Lenski Labs in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology at Michigan State University are seeking a Research Assistant II to manage their research ope...
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/04/2026
All right, this piece has triggered me so I have to yell a bit (though this is bluesky, so I realize I'm just preaching at the choir):
nytimes.com
The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court
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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙲. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚗 @charlescmann.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
After big dams on the upper Klamath River in far northern CA were removed in 2024, Chinook (king) salmon migrated upstream for the first time in 100+ years--and now they have hatched.
opb.org
Chinook salmon found naturally hatching in Upper Klamath River for first time in a century
The Klamath Tribes are celebrating evidence of Chinook salmon spawning in Klamath River tributary.
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Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
And PIs, did you know you could gift students and postdocs SSE membership for $10?? And that the virtual meeting is $10-30 for trainees?!? If your lab is not up for travel this year, check into the virtual meeting! www.evolutionmeetings.org
evolutionmeetings.org
2025 Conference info
Evolution 2025 - the joint conference of the SSE, ASN, SSB
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
One of our first nominated Asters, we had the pleasure to learn more about Gabi McLean, the former President of the California Native Plant Society San Gabriel Mountains Chapter.
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Meet Emma Rose Fryer, who was previously awarded one of Paul Silva Grants to assist with their research during their Master's degree at Cal Poly SLO! We are happy to celebrate both her, and the research they conducted! Learn more about them, and if interested in learning more, read their articles:
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
An annual grass native to the Middle East, North Africa, and southern Europe. Melanie J. Davis et al., in their article within this edition of Madroño, discussed a collection that represents the first documentation of this taxon in North America since 1933!
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Astragalus pycnostachyus is a short-lived perennial herb that is split into two described varieties: Coastal Milkvetch and Ventura Marsh Milkvetch. In a study by May B. Roberts et al., the authors focus on the conservation genomics of Astragalus pycnostachyus A. Gray.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
A star scientist showed that better genetics lessons could reduce racism. It was the death knell for his career The loss of Brian Donovan’s grants and job speak volumes about federal funding priorities — and academia www.statnews.com/2026/04/07/b...
statnews.com
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Karolina Heyduk @kheyduk.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
!! Wow, NPR article highlighting botanist @naomibot.bsky.social !!
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
e-bikes are pure joy on wheels
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Fellow botanists! The first issue of Madroño for 2026 is now complete online and open access. Please use the link at the bottom to access the site. We have a new article type this issue, ‘Commentary’, as well as the annual ‘Dedication’. Please check them out. mailchi.mp/calbotsoc/ma...
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Learn more about the current California Botanical Society council, and who you may likely interact with! Here is our first batch of the council! We are excited to introduce you to: Adriana - Director at Large Brianne - Outreach Coordinator & Nemophila Editor Andy - Social Media Coordinator
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Solomon @solomonrmissouri.com · 18/03/2026
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
On April 25th, CalBotSoc will be having our 2026 Annual Banquet and Mixer! We have recently added a Student Poster Presentation to our agenda! Use the QR Code on the right to submit your poster for our upcoming Banquet. Make sure register and purchase your tickets for the Banquet and field trips!
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Our current volume of Madroño is dedicated to Dr. Peggy Lee Fielder in recognition of her exceptional contributions to conservation biology, rare plant ecology, the California Natural Reserve System, and the advancement of botanical sciences. Learn more: doi.org/10.3120/0024...
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
We are looking for Botany Ambassadors for the California Botanical Society! This is a perfect opportunity to both expand your Botany scientific literacy, and science communication skills! If you are interested please email Brianne Palmer at brianne.r.palmer@gmail.com for more info
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Kathleen Kay @kathleenmkay.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Just sent one!
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
This should be the biggest weather and climate news on your radar today. You can send an email today to say why dismantling NCAR is a bad idea for everyone: NSF_NCAR@nsf.gov
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
What is meant when we discuss and talk about species? Historically, the history of species concepts goes back over 2000 years! Brent D. Mishler in Madroño discusses the importance of “getting straight about species.” DOI: doi.org/10.3120/0024... #MadronoMondays #Madrono #botany
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California Botanical Society @calbotsoc.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
This upcoming Thursday (3/12/26), Nancy R. Morin will host a talk on Nemacladus from 7 to 8 pm on Zoom. Nancy will discuss the many puzzles that still exist in this fascinating genus. Free, everyone welcome. Link to zoom link is here: calbotsoc.org/.../botan.......
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Jenn Coughlan @jenncoughlan.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
I am SO THRILLED to share our first fully-lab lab paper!!!!!! Led by @hybridzones.bsky.social & @hagarsoliman.bsky.social, w/ a major assist from @pfschwarz.bsky.social!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read more below, if you're curious (you should be- it's AWESOME!!!!!!!) link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Introgression and parental conflict shape repeated occurrences of postzygotic isolation in Mimulus
Postzygotic reproductive isolation is often thought to accumulate as a byproduct of neutral divergence. Yet it frequently evolves rapidly, in line wit…
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