Sign in

Katerina Guschanski

@kguschan.bsky.social
924 followers 947 following 77 posts

Senior Lecturer at EdinburghUni, PI at UppsalaUni. Genomics of mammals, particularly primates, and their microbes from bad samples #aDNA #museums. AE with GBE SMBE

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
worm @rfksbrainworm.bsky.social · 19h
If you ever wondered why visible light is those particular wavelengths, it's because life evolved to see in the narrow range where water is transparent
Diagram of absorption of emf by water. There's a gap right that dips in the 500 nm range
6935331020
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
250178504715
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Diepeveen, Bellés & @mikkelschierup.bsky.social analysed T2T primate genomes to show that several X chr. gene families evolve under strong positive selection, whereas Y chr. families predominantly show purifying selection. 🔗 academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... #societyjournal #genome #evolution
academic.oup.com
Pervasive Positive Selection on X-linked Ampliconic Genes in Primates
Abstract. Mammalian sex chromosomes harbor ampliconic gene families, which are multicopy genes with ≥97% sequence identity, predominantly expressed in test
063
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Cool science, amazing supervisors who have your best interests at heart, one of the best places in the world for evolutionary biology, and Sweden offers amazing conditions to do a PhD in a country that respects all humans! Jump at this opportunity!
072
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Bertrand Bed'Hom @bedhom.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
And why so many fissions during guenon evolution, and not in other catarrhine monkeys (OWM) ? [Figure source : Dutrillaux B, Chromosome Evolution in Primates. Folia Primatologia 50 (1-2):134-135, 1988]
Figure about chromosome evolution in Primates (published in 1988 in Folia Primatologia)
011
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Crazy monkeys have crazy genomes! New preprint by @axeljensen.bsky.social investigates karyotypic evolution in African guenons www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... These primates are infamous for high genetic, phenotypic, ecological & karyotypic variation, they diversified 12mya and still they hybridise!
1182
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Happy Stanislav Petrov Day He passed in 2017. As Encyclopedia Britannica puts it, “He is survived by his two children, two grandchildren, and the entire human race.” If you don't know his story, please take 3 minutes now to learn it. @gchalliance.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social
sammatey.substack.com
Happy Stanislav Petrov Day
Take five minutes to not destroy civilization
252108933
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This week the incomparable @markella-morait.bsky.social passed her viva without corrections! What an amazing achievement and so well deserved for all her hard work over the last 4 years. Huge thanks to examiners Tom Gilbert from the Globe Inst & @arsweeny.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social
1211
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Bertrand Bed'Hom @bedhom.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Preprint by @axeljensen.bsky.social from his PhD with @kguschan.bsky.social : Karyotypic evolution in a diverse primate clade and the role of chromosomal fissions as barriers to gene flow Chromosome fissions are known for decades in guenons but WGS changes the game! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Karyotypic evolution in a diverse primate clade and the role of chromosomal fissions as barriers to gene flow
The classical model of chromosomal speciation is based on the observation that divergent species often differ in chromosome numbers and that heterokaryotypic hybrids show reduced fitness. Furthermore,...
061
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
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!
11712
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Are you a #NewPI in Ecology & Evolution? Would you like to meet with peers to chat about work, the future and life as a new PI? 🍪☕️ Then I have the form for you! 📋 Help us gauge interest in a new network/event by filling in this short survey: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/K4wUiuLuFn Please RT! 🙏
05298
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Gorilla Doctors @gorilladoctors.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Each member was examined for visual signs of illness or injury, with particular attention to the group's newest arrival: adult female Kamushongyi's newborn, whose sex was confirmed as female during this visit. The entire group, including the new infant, was found to be in good visual health.
042
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Gorilla Doctors @gorilladoctors.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
On a recent visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, our veterinary team carried out a routine health check on Kanywani group, a family of 16 mountain gorillas.
151
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Oh, that hits so close to home right now…
010
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
manwhohasitall @manwhohasitall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Erm... I'm not sure about this Lucy. What about his jokes? Men can be funny too you know!
1154
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
🆂🅷🅴🅴🅽🅰 @sheena-mck.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekJforJocular Proof that little things like hyphens are important 😂 (I know it’s not a photo but… 🤷🏼😁) #grammar #funny
Newspaper article. Headline says
“Students get first hand job experience”
3039376
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Christina Warinner @christinawarinner.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A huge congratulations to Tessa Zeibig for her first dissertation publication about ancient parvovirus B19! It was such a pleasure to collaborate on this study!
1158
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 09/09/2026
Astrophotographer Adam (AJ) Smadi caught this image a few hours ago from Washington state. A thin crescent Moon, sunlight illuminating the rugged lunar surface. And 2,400 times farther away—and on the other side of the Sun—mighty Jupiter, and its moons Io (left) and Ganymede (right).
A crescent Moon seen during the day, arcing from upper left to lower right of the frame. At lower centre is the full disk of Jupiter; the small dots to its upper left and lower right and Io and Ganymede, respectively.
187165375083
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
There are a couple more days to apply for this postdoc role in the @socialfluids.bsky.social lab: we are looking for a computational biologist interested in how socially transferred proteins evolve. Is this you? Apply! Make sure to address all the criteria in your application!
038
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Pável Matos @pavelmatosm.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Please share: Only 10 days left to apply for a PhD position on comparative and population genomics in our lab 🦋
059
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
No undergrad should be using an LLM and it's absurdly irresponsible to suggest otherwise.
361484237
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
There's no AI trickery here . . . just a split-pin figure, a paper plate, and my hands. www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #sculpture #animation #ancientgreek
26814
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Laura Bertola @lauradbertola.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
If you want to chat about genomic rescue and how we have applied our framework to co-design an intervention together with practitioners for the mysterious black (pseudomelanistic) tigers of Simlipal, come find me! 🐯🧬 Poster no.33, #consgen
061
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Christian Landry @christianlandry.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Looking forward to hosting you here! Make sure your favourite topic is present at #SMBE2027 by organizing your own symposium.
01412
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
James Galbraith @gulbruth.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
After this year's Edinburgh Fringe I'll have seen more acts than any Fringe before, even the 2020 Adelaide Fringe what was hectic. Here's my (brief) thoughts on each show I've seen so far with links. If I seem overly positive it's because I've been much picker than usual!
111
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
mitchseaver.bsky.social @mitchseaver.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Forest Mirror - Southeast Alaska #landscape #photography #photo #landscapephotography #EastCoastKin #PhotographersOfBlueSky #PhotographersUnited #WestCoastKin #ECK #ClassicMono #monochrome #blackandwhite #bnw #reflection #Alaska #nature #lake #Trees #ForestFriday #scape #ColorADay #BWFri
Connell Lake - Tongass National Forest
721212
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
this remains my favorite institutional AI policy that I've seen.
821372
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
ASM @asm.org · 19/08/2026
Dentists account for roughly 10% of global antibiotic prescriptions & maintain a substantial patient contact footprint. As a result, dentistry is strategically positioned in the global response to the antimicrobial resistance crisis. Learn more in #mBio: asm.social/33i
Diagram summarizing why dentistry is currently underleveraged in the AMR crisis and actions suggested to make dentistry a global strategic partner in AMR
244
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
This is a video of a ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) captured by Tjeerd Schone in waters near Padangbai, Bali in 2025. Every ribbon eel is born male, with jet black skin & transitions first to this colorful male, then to female - only when they've reached their max size. Let's talk about it.
10611221
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Annie Stegg Gerard @anniestegg.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
I’m so incredibly grateful that "The Miremaiden" has been selected for inclusion in IBA Volume 14. It’s truly an honor to have this piece considered alongside so much beautiful work. Here’s a little video of me adding color to the underpainting 🌿 #oilpaintingprocess #paintingprocess
928535
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Annie Stegg Gerard @anniestegg.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This time-lapse is from the tutorial book I've been creating over the past year, where I'm documenting each stage of this painting from start to finish. If you've ever been curious about how a fantasy oil painting develops layer by layer, there's much more to come! #PaintingProcess #Underpainting
425745
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Alex Hübner @alexhbnr.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🚨 Paper alert: if you are working on #metagenomics, particularly from #ancientDNA, and want to get into de novo #assembly, check out our latest work: 📄 De novo assembly and authentication of ancient DNA metagenomes with nf-core/mag (journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...) (1/4)
journals.plos.org
De novo assembly and authentication of ancient DNA metagenomes with nf-core/mag
Author summary Advancements in genomic sequencing analyses are increasingly allowing researchers to reconstruct the genomes of microbial ‘dark matter’—those microbial species that are difficult to iso...
1209
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Stephan Schiffels @stschiff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
If you are interested in learning computational population genetics and ancient genomics, I have curated my list of workshops and online tutorials (and will continue to do so) indicating suitability for self-learners and status. You find the list [here](www.stephanschiffels.de/resources.html).
16039
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Christina Warinner @christinawarinner.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Oh boy - our new ancient DNA module is available for nf-core/mag! Robustly and reproducibly reconstruct ancient metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) using our new nf-core/mag tooling! doi.org/10.1371/jour...
0166
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Christina Warinner @christinawarinner.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Check out our new work on the biodiversity of oral Tannerella! Metagenomic assembly reveals at least four new species with different virulence potential. We also reassign the first reconstructed T. forsythia genome from medieval Dalheim G12 to the newly named T. colubrina.
0134
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Jonathan Pritchard @jkpritch.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I'm curious about the reasons why some people/labs choose NOT to preprint their papers, either for specific papers or in general. Do you have a sense of this, either for yourself or for colleagues and collaborators? [I have some guesses, but curious to hear from others]
101612
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Marcus Stensmyr @marcusstensmyr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
How crazy is this!? A plant mimicking the smell of ants injured by spiders to fool kleptoparastic flies into performing pollination 🤯 Plant shenanigans is an endless source of wonderful biology! www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
Olfactory floral mimicry of injured ants mediates the attraction of kleptoparasitic fly pollinators
Mochizuki reports a plant that lures pollinating flies by imitating the scent of ants injured by predators. This study reveals the first known case of ant mimicry in flowers and uncovers previously un...
111936
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Rudolf Meier @rudolf-meier.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Five years back in Berlin, and >650 species new to science. From crop-disease vectors to soil predators, CIBD researchers are bringing biology’s “dark matter” into the light—naming species so we can study, monitor and protect them. Explore: lnkd.in/e_uiKJwb
0245
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
And are we still believing in peer review?
031
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Adam Phillippy @aphillippy.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
For the past 30 years, “whole-genome sequencing” has been a misnomer. Today the T2T Consortium publishes a dozen papers heralding a future of truly complete genomes for humans and nearly any vertebrate 👨‍🔬🐒🐦🐀🦒🐎🫏🐹🐟 (sorry, no salamanders): www.cell.com/consortium/t... 🧵[1/15]
3202106
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Alex Mackintosh @thymelicus.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
New preprint on the effect of ancient admixture / structure on genealogical trees. I introduce a new way of summarising reconstructed genealogies that captures a clear signal of ancient gene flow into the ancestors of modern humans. Feedback welcome!
13314
Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Fantastic dental calculus and where to find it! Now published (not quite with this title) @ecol-evol.bsky.social doi.org/10.1002/ece3... @johnlrichards.bsky.social uncovers general rules for the formation of preserved oral microbiomes in mammals. With @markella-morait.bsky.social and many others
doi.org
Dental Calculus Formation Is Linked to Diet and Phylogeny in Mammals
In a survey of > 1600 specimens across all mammalian orders, we found that most species present dental calculus. We found calculus production to be strongly associated with herbivory, and we provide ...
1217
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Jocelyn Poissant @jocelynpoissant.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
If you are interested in fitness and microbiomes in wild animals, you should definitely check this one out. New @sihorses.bsky.social preprint by @mstothart.bsky.social
0116
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Sofia Forss @sofiaforss.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Interested in animal urbanization and human wildlife co-existence, join our team this fall 👇🏼
01513
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Ann Leckie @annleckie.com · 18/07/2026
When you (an editor or a critique partner or a classmate) comment on someone's writing, you can absolutely deal them a disabling injury if you're thoughtless about it. I'm not saying anyone should be dishonest or refrain from pointing out issues. I'm saying
18746120
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 03/07/2026
Holes xkcd.com/3266/
Comic: Holes. Elevation is to scale relative to sea level and ground level. Land shapes and horizontal distances are not to scale. [Lines for every 1k meters starting from -12k up to +4k: Bingham Canyon Mine (US), Veryovkina Cave (Georgia), MPONENG Gold Mine (South Africa), Sanford Laboratory (US), Giant Crystal Cave (Mexico), Derinkugo Underground City (Turkey), WIPP (US), Restof Salt Mine, with an arrow pointing at the bottom that reads “oops” (US), San Andreas Fault Observatory Borehole (US) CFB North Bay (Canada), Woodingdean Water Well (dug by hand) (United Kingdom), Diefen-Bunker (Canada), Deep Underground Command Center (Canceled in 1965) (US), Lake Peigneu, with another oops arrow next to it (US), Sydney Opera House Parking (Australia), Onkalo Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository (Finland), Hudson River, Delaware Aqueduct (US), Raven Rock (US), Wieliczka and Bochina Salt Mines (Poland), Atchison Storage Facility (US), Snolab (Canada), Detroit Salt Mine (US), Hongyancun Subway Station (China), Nuclear Test Shafts (North Korea), Super Kamiokande Neutrino Detector (Japan), Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy), Peak above Gran Sasso, Modane Laboratory (France), Peak above Modane Laboratory, Gotthard Tunnel (Switzerland), Peak above Cheyenne Bunker and Gotthard Tunnel, Cheyenne Mountain Bunker (US), Kola Superdeep Borehole (Russia) - deepest artificial point below surface at -11917m, Lake Baikal (Russia), sediments under Lake Baikal, IDDP-2 Borehole (Iceland), Dead Sea (multiple countries), Ryfylke Tunnel (Norway), Pantal Remis Mine with another oops arrow (Malaysia), Great Blue Hole (Belize), Joides Resolution Expedition 307 (Atlantic Ocean), Deepwater Horizon Borehole (Gulf of Mexico) - deepest artificial point below sea level at -11944m, Glomar Challenger Hole 504B (Pacific Ocean), Mohole (Pacific Ocean), Joides Resolution Expedition 329 (Pacific Ocean), Mariana Trench (Pacific Ocean)]
1364966966
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Japanese artist Akie Nakata (known as Akie) turns found stones and rocks into animal paintings #WomensArt
275783848
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Katia Bougiouri @katiabou.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Come check out our #SMBE2026 animal #aDNA session tomorrow organised by @aarc-community.bsky.social committee members @germanha.bsky.social, @jolijnerven.bsky.social, Laura Viñas Caron and me at 13:20 in Vandsalen!
0104
Reposted by Katerina Guschanski
Christian Landry @christianlandry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I talked about these papers #smbe2026. If you are interested in doing research (PhD or Postdoc) on this topic, get in touch! (if were there, sorry for the abrupt end; somehow timing got off) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41763210/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39146405/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41699381/
02311