iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

New paper that includes work from one of my first grad students (Aaron) and one of my most recent (Chris). Experimental evolution really is the gift that keeps on giving. Mutational bias and local genome context constrain adaptive paths in experimental evolution academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...

academic.oup.com

Validate User

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

So, I've been thinking about the Claude RT preprint/press release. I'm not exactly sure what to think yet without more information. If this really was novel hypothesis generation via large-scale unbiased genome analysis, I think that's fairly impressive, even if premature without follow-up. But,

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Will Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New paper out with @kaylastoy.bsky.social: academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

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Craig Kaplan @triggerloop.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The RT was annotated in the sequence previously for sure, but what was discovered was the associated clustered repeats that are expressed and appear to associate with the RT, i.e a potential anti-viral system of unknown function but potentially programmable in some way

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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Science peeps: Looks like SciENcv updated the digital certificate used to sign Biosketch and Current & Pending documents without notification. The old certificate expires Saturday, September 26, 2026. SciENcv docs before that date may fail validation in eRA Commons delaying or blocking submission.

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Mark Baxter 🏳️‍🌈🧂 @markgbaxter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If you work with international personnel, you may want to comment on this proposed rule change that would put visa holders out of status immediately (instead of after a 60 day grace period) when their employment ends keepthe60days.com

keepthe60days.com

Keep the 60 Days: H-1B, E-3, L-1, O-1 & TN grace period

DHS proposes ending the 60-day grace period after a layoff for H-1B, E-3, L-1, O-1 and TN visa holders. Comment on USCIS-2026-0364 before November 10, 2026.

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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

How to destroy strong working relationships, camaraderie and collaboration among staff: Create a system that evaluates staff in comparison to one another rather than based on how well they do their jobs. www.fedweek.com/fedweek/opm-...

fedweek.com

OPM Sets Cap on Top Two Ratings Levels of 40 Percent; Not a "Target"

OPM has set a cap of 40 percent for the top two ratings levels combined in performance evaluations for the large majority of employees under the GS system

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Some random thoughts: Good science doesn't always need disruptors. Often, it needs load-bearing walls. You can't pivot away from a failed multi-year experiment or "iterate" your way out of a mentee's PhD. Science needs stable foundations, not churn. Don't break the people building on top of it.

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Respectfully, raw quantity has always been a poor proxy for scholarship quality. We all know examples of great scientists who publish a small number of large papers and others who publish many more strong, concise papers. I've been beating this drum for evaluative purposes for a long while.

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The University of California system contains 6 of the top fifteen public universities in the US, including the top two. This rests on a long-ago vision that public education is a good thing and worth a lot of funding by the taxpayers of California. www.usnews.com/best-college...

usnews.com

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Dave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Ran is correct about this IMO…. There’s use and there’s abuse and there’s laziness with regard to AI and academia. And there’s no one size all answer that works for everything. I do disagree with the footnote but acknowledge old Twitter has been better for science discussions.

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John Smillie @johnsmillie42.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Okay, so, Nobel Prize for whomever figures out how to run this horrifying experiment in reverse, where penicillium mold and its cousins are forced to come up with increasingly effective antiobiotics.

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Maitreyi Das @daslabpombe.com · 16/09/2026

The Das lab has 1-2 open postdoctoral positions. Our lab investigates the fundamentals of cell-cycle-dependent cell polarity. Boston College has fantastic resources, including a cutting-edge imaging facility with state-of-the-art microscopes. Please apply here: bc.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

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Will Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

1/17 Submissions are now open for the 2027 Microbial Population Biology GRC! We expect this meeting to be extraordinarily oversubscribed. If you want to come, time is of the essence--apply ASAP! June 27–July 2 • Andover, NH www.grc.org/microbial-po...

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Sigh, so many problems with this. Assuming success rates at 20% and 10 grants per reviewer, 50% of funded grants would be golden tickets. I think 25-75% of funded grants are likely to be golden tickets, depending on how many reviewers use one. This much power is ripe for quid pro quo abuse. 1/2

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Adam Siepielski @adamsiepielski.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas is hiring a TT Assistant Professor Position in Ecology. We have a wonderful group of colleagues. Join us! Apply here: tinyurl.com/yxk5marb

Photograph of the University of Arkansas in Fall.

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Michael Baym @baym.lol · 13/09/2026

Ten years ago Tami, Roy, and I released a movie we made of antibiotic resistance evolving in real time. I thought maybe a couple thousand people tops would see it. I couldn't have imagined it would be seen millions of times, and be taught from middle school through the graduate level worldwide

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Maitreyi Das @daslabpombe.com · 10/09/2026

NIGMS MIRA is officially here! This was one of the longest waits ever, but I'll take it. Also, we have openings for a couple of postdoc positions in cell biology/biochemistry. Details to follow soon.

static.klipy.com

Cookie Monster Dancing

ALT: Cookie Monster Dancing

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Matthew Hahn @3rdreviewer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

NSF Biology Postdoc Fellowships are back! Good news for everyone...great news for someone who wants to work in our group? Just reach out if interested. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

nsf.gov

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)

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Brian O'Meara @omearabrian.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Some resources and advice for those considering applying to the NSF GRFP this year (3 year grad school stipend: first year grad students, post-bachelor, and seniors might consider applying): brianomeara.info/posts/grfp_2... 🧪 #AcademicSky

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Drummond Lab @drummondlab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We are hiring! 🌟 Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor. It's a broad search: we want great colleagues doing serious biological work at the molecular scale. Join us! apply.interfolio.com/191981 bcmb.uchicago.edu

A picture of the University of Chicago campus, with downtown Chicago in the distance and Lake Michigan on the horizon. The campus's central quad is pictured, a classical collegiate quad with paths and old trees and stone architecture. It's really pretty and I love it.

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

They were so confident this would hold up to public & legal scrutiny that they signed a 10 yr agreement in secret. I guess NIH Director is no longer a fan of transparency. If Congress had any spine left & not taking constant vacations to avoid releasing the Epstein files we’d have hearings tomorrow.

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The current NIH Director’s animus against NIAID to sign away much needed research funds so we can continue bombing another country is… a staggering betrayal of Congressional intentions and authority. Not surprising but still staggering.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The agreement states NIH funds will not only go to external research, but will also directly pay the expenses of DOD “program management personnel and activities” to carry out the orders.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Critics warn using civilian health funds for military needs is legally dubious. Yet the agreement gives the DOD final authority over products “tailored to warfighter protection, military operational environments, and tactical deployment”, something NIH has no congressional mandate for.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Under pressure, the DOD just released the text of its secret 10-year agreement with the NIH. Here are the biggest revelations from the document 🧵

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Jeff Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Oh, I get to talk about something else besides impoundment. Exciting day! When you move money from one appropriations account to another that's called reprogramming. And guess what? It's also illegal unless you have specific congressional authorization Which they don't have. Of course.

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Alt-NIHscience4ALL @alt-nihscience4all.altgov.info · 04/09/2026

To be clear, $2B is about a third of the NIAID budget.

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Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I have questions. Two thoughts: 1) IAAs are super common between agencies, and NIAID cooperates a lot (and well) with folks in the Defense establishment. 2) That said, it would be extremely unusual for a whistleblower to raise a stink about an IAA between NIAID and Defense unless it's improper

democrats-appropriations.house.gov

Defense Officials Attempt to Raid NIH Funds to Cover Department of Defense Activities

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has learned that officials at the Department of Defense (DoD) are working to divert billions of dollars from the National Institute...

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. The DOD budget is about 1 fucking trillion dollars vs the NIH budget of $47B. This seems like an excuse to gut NIAID.

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"DoD is attempting to pull funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH’s leading institute for infectious-disease research. Trump officials at NIH disclosed the existence of DoD’s efforts only after being pressed for information by ... Democrats. "

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The fact that this was an interagency agreement with NIH sign off is frightening.

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The Ferrari Lab @theferrarilab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

the total NIH budget is 2% of DOD's ... if they are that tight on cash, THAT is the story

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Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I'm only a few days into being an AAAS Policy Fellow, but if any of tweeps here are interested in applying, I'm glad to share about my application experience and what it's been like so far. Only 2% if my cohort are "senior" (>15 years post-PhD), but it's a great opportunity for experienced faculty!

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I am hearing that ADMINISTRATORS NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO ERA COMMONS to upload JIT and RPPR information. When "NIH" was asked, someone allegedly said "This was a bug. They never should have had access. Since it is a bug fix, we have not announced it." That is some serious horseshit. 2/3

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This seemed like an obvious permanent change when first implemented.

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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Advice for new PhD students: choose a mentor who is committed to your training, not just your project. The most important product of your PhD - even more important than the science - is YOU, a newly trained scientist.

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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

My lab is ALSO recruiting a new postdoc to work on an exciting NIH-funded project. Start date ideally by early 2027. Please share with any recent or soon-to-defend neuro/psych PhDs with experience in rodent labs. northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/...

northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the Opportunity Job Summary The Shansky Lab is seeking a full-time postdoc to conduct National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded behavioral neuroscience research investigating sex differences in...

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

As usual, a very thoughtful post by Ran. Lots of gems in here.

So universities are giving students free access to generative AI tools, which naturally reads as encouragement to use them broadly. Then, where they issue any concrete rules at all, those rules are usually outright bans. What is missing is anything in between: coherent guidance on when and how to use these tools, disclosure norms, and support for the researchers, instructors, and students trying to figure this out themselves.

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Obviously a biased sample, but 85% of reviewers polled using some form of AI for grant review is hugely problematic ethically and is forbidden by major funding angencies. This post reads like a bragging endorsement, which is disappointing.

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Chris Pickett @chrispickett5.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I realize I’m a few days late to this discourse, but I wanted to add that I think this is a fairly dangerous moment for biomedical research. 1/

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 27/08/2026

The real American 🇺🇸 “brain drain” isn’t that a few established scholars might get new jobs outside the US, it’s the enormous number of grad students - particularly international grad students - who can’t or won’t study in the US now or in years to come. That’s the body blow.

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Josh Eyler @josheyler.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Interested in learning more about how grading reform can benefit learning, mitigate inequities, and support mental health? Boy have I got a book for you! 😀 www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

press.jhu.edu

Failing Our Future

How Grades Harm Students, and What We Can Do about It

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Michael Erard @michaelerard.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Perhaps AI will be the grit that makes the pearl: making institutions articulate, for the first time in decades if not ever, what the hell they’re about and what an education is supposed to be for. (This from the MIT committee‘s report on AI)

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