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Michael Metzger

@metzgerm.bsky.social
577 followers 633 following 162 posts

Assistant Investigator at the Pacific Northwest Research Institute. Clamcer and other things. Opinions my own.

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Reposted by Michael Metzger
Katrina Velle @katrinavelle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Heads up to other October NIH deadliners-- if you didn't do this already it appears you do not have to.
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Melissa Kane PhD @cornymel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My first PhD student is defending his dissertation in two weeks!! There will be mouse genetics, there will be retroviruses, there will be B and T cells, there will be champagne, there will be me trying (and likely failing) not to cry the whole time.
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Jeremy Van Cleve @vancleve.theoretical.bio · 29/09/2026
My group is recruiting a Ph.D student for Fall 2027! We're a friendly group of mathematically-minded and computationally-inspired biologists studying topics including social evolution, host-pathogen interactions, genetics, and demography. See vancleve.theoretical.bio for more info!
vancleve.theoretical.bio
van cleve research group
Van Cleve Research Group – theoretical evolution & ecology at the University of Kentucky
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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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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 25/09/2026
FYI to everyone submitting this October NIH cycle You need to re-certify your ScienCV AFTER Sept 26 (tomorrow) for your application or it may not be accepted. Great timing!
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
If you have questions about this search, please contact me or @suebiggins.bsky.social by email. In addition to the Bezos Scholar position, we're also hiring at the Assistant (starting) and Associate Professor levels in any area of fundamental biology: apply.interfolio.com/190640 Please repost!
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Does anyone know when the NIH switch from “letters of support” to “letters of collaboration” happens?
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
GRFP question: Does anyone have any advice for what students can say in broader impacts now that most specific broader impacts have been put on the exclusion list?
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Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Come work here, it is a fun place and we would love to have you as our colleague: careers.amnh.org/postings/4923 #Lepidoptera #Insect #Entomology #AMNH
careers.amnh.org
Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor, Invertebrate Zoology
The Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an outstanding tenure-track Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor with expertise in the evolution of Lepidop...
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
NSF just announced its GRFP solicitation due in October - deadline varies by field: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo... Now for the bad news... * NSF estimates they will issue 1,500 awards, down from 2,500+ last year. * NSF removed STEM Education and Learning Research as a Major Field.
nsf.gov
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
@hhmi-science.bsky.social has several upcoming competitions for scientists at various career stages. Here is a list (pl share whatever you feel will be useful): 1) Rising college juniors & seniors in summer 2027 can apply to the Cech Fellows program (www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...) Deadline: Nov 10
hhmi.org
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (REU) | Cech Fellows | HHMI
The Cech Fellows Program is a paid, nine-week summer research experience empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 30/07/2026
For a disease as spectacularly scary as smallpox, its history is remarkably mysterious. Here is my look at what ancient DNA from the viruses is revealing. Gift link: nyti.ms/4vTU11D
nyti.ms
‘This Is Very Strange’: Ancient Smallpox May Have Been Less Deadly (Gift Article)
Scientists have found smallpox viruses in the remains of people in Chile from around 500 years ago, revealing how the virus may have evolved into a global killer.
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Michael Emerman @memerman.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
My very last, last author paper now published a year since retirement. All credit to grad Caroline Langley who did brilliant work, super tech Michelle Lily who finished the experimental work after Caroline graduated, and my ever wise collaborator (and Caroline’s co-mentor) @harmitmalik.bsky.social
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 22/07/2026
Link to study: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Brown bullhead catfish melanoma represents a novel transmissible cancer - Nature
Whole-genome sequencing analysis of tumour and matched non-tumour host tissues of the brown bullhead catfish reveals a type of naturally occurring transmissible cancer.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 22/07/2026
Did Thoreau encounter contagious cancer? A new study finds transmissible tumors in catfish--and raises questions about whether they could arise in humans someday. Gift link: nyti.ms/4whfi6v
nyti.ms
Deep in This Lake, a Contagious Cancer Is Spreading (Gift Article)
Transmissible tumors have been reported in a handful of animal species, but never before among fish. Is it possible in humans?
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Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Completed our work on reconstructing the viral histories of human, simian and prosimian immunodeficiency viruses across multiple evolutionary timescales, with @mghafari.bsky.social & @psimmond.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Reconstructing the viral histories of human, simian and prosimian immunodeficiency viruses across multiple evolutionary timescales
Abstract. The evolutionary history of simian and prosimian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs and pSIVs) remains difficult to resolve, because divergence-time
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Dr. Carly Kenkel @drcarl.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The list of Ecology/Evolution/Marine Bio Labs recruiting grad students for Fall 2027 is live! PIs enter your position info here: forms.gle/MAGd4ohyPeoY... students (and PIs not recruiting) share the composite list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... Please share widely! 🧪
forms.gle
Ecology/Evolution/Marine Biology labs recruiting for Fall 2027
Please complete this form if you are a PI recruiting graduate students for a Fall 2027 start. If you are NOT recruiting, feel free to share the response sheet with prospective students looking for lab...
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Richard Lenski @relenski.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
New book "A Primer for Experimental Evolution" with coauthors Michael Rose, Margarida Matos, and Joe Graves. www.worldscientific.com/worldscibook... A compact primer for students and colleagues interested in planning and designing experiments to address questions in evolutionary biology.
worldscientific.com
A Primer for Experimental Evolution
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Neil Shubin @neilshubin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
My editorial in this week’s Science @aaas.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧪
science.org
The enduring pursuit of science in America
Imagine an American organization that convenes scientific experts not to advance any ideology or interest but to provide the nation with a clear understanding of complex problems. Imagine this body wo...
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
I am excited to present our newest report on a severe outbreak of transmissible cancer in clams in the Pacific Northwest, with a lot of unexpected twists. Led by Sydney Weinandt and Zach Child. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2611852123 1/14
pnas.org
Atlantic to Pacific: Outbreak of bivalve transmissible neoplasia detected in hybridizing soft-shell clams and eDNA in Puget Sound | PNAS
Bivalve transmissible neoplasias (BTNs) are transmissible cancers that have arisen in multiple bivalve species, including Eastern soft-shell clam (...
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Karolin Luger @nucleosomepolice.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Please share this gift article from The New York Times with friends, family, sceptics, and People who think that studying weird things is a waste of money. Then follow up with meaningful discussion about what I call 'free range science'. Free without subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Science That Turned Lizard Venom Into GLP-1s Is Under Attack
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Jason Rasgon @vectorgen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
If anyone is looking specifically to work on developing novel transgenesis and genetic control methods for screwworm, that is a plus. Apply!
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
For the second time this week I wish I could just run over to City People’s to pick something up. But alas, they didn’t make it after too many switched to buying things online. Support your local shops, folks. You never know when you will need to buy a replacement toilet flapper quickly!
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
A reminder... deadline June 30, 2026 Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution 👇
simonsfoundation.org
Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution
The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 07/06/2026
This article, with all the signs of having been written by AI, points out that a flexible nib is essential for Spencerian script, and then recommends 8 pens, 7 of which have no flex at all. It justifies this with nonsense like avoiding "ink wastage". We're headed toward a dead internet of AI slop.
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Anyone have any advice when trying to email a new NIH PO for a new submission and they literally never reply (multiple emails over months)? When is it time to ask for help from POs you do know? Are there some POs that just never talk to scientists as a rule?
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Cedric Feschotte @cedricfeschotte.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
📣 POSTDOC position available in the Feschotte Lab at Cornell to work on #TRANSPOSONS! More details below. Pls send informal application or inquiry ASAP by DM or email to cf458_at_cornell.edu. Pls spread the word 🙏 #TEsky www.thefeschottelabatcornell.com
thefeschottelabatcornell.com
The Feschotte Lab at Cornell
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Rob Noble @robjohnnoble.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Julie Dragon announces a fourth type of transmissible cancer at ISEEC 2026! Brown bullhead transmissible melanoma. Two lineages so far identified in the northeast US. Seems to be more widespread and >100 years old. Paper under review.
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Rob Noble @robjohnnoble.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Four current special issues and calls for papers related to cancer evolution/ecology and mathematical oncology (details also in the alt text for you to copy and search)
Cancer in an evolutionary framework: across species and within individualsJournal of Evolutionary Biology
Editors: B Ujvari, A Marusyk, A Nedelcu & N Raven
Deadline: 31st August 2026
 
Mechanistic and data-driven modeling in mathematical oncologynpj Systems Biology and Applications
Editors: J West, S Hamis, G Lorenzo & R Noble
Deadline: 2nd December 2026

Evolutionary MedicineEvolutionary Applications
Editors: F Thomas, A Dujon, J-P Capp & K Asselin
Deadline: 30th June 2026
 
Exploring Eco-Evo Applications in Cancer
Evolution, Medicine and Public Health
Editors: B Vibishan, N Johnson & J Somarelli
Deadline: 30th June 2026
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Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Head's up SSE members: Virtual Evolution is next week! Join us for the SSE Presidential Symposium on May 21 for talks from SSE leaders and past presidents on sustaining research, supporting trainees, navigating funding uncertainty, and strengthening evolutionary biology. Pls RT!
SSE Presidential Symposium –  Navigating Uncertainty: Individual Resilience and Collective Action in Evolutionary Biology
May 21, 9:15 AM - 12:30 PM
This year’s SSE Presidential Symposium will consist of two linked sessions designed to address the current climate of uncertainty surrounding federal funding and its implications for evolutionary biology. Together, these sessions are designed to move from personal grounding to community-level strategy, offering both immediate support and longer-term vision.

Part 1: Recommendations for the Community
Lightning Talks from Past SSE Presidents and Leaders in the Field
May 21, 9:15 AM - 10:30 AM EDT

This session will feature past SSE Presidents and leaders in the field, each giving a 5-minute lightning talk offering concrete, actionable ideas for maintaining research programs, supporting trainees, and strengthening the field during periods of funding constraint. The emphasis will be on practical recommendations at multiple scales—individual researchers, departments, universities, the society, and the field as a whole. There will be a 30-minute Q&A following the talks.

Prothama Manna
Postdoctoral Fellow at Clemson University, SSE GSAC Chair
“What Trainees Need in Uncertain Times: Paths to Resilient Science”

Mohamed Noor
Executive Vice Provost and Professor of Biology at Duke University, 2014 SSE President and former Evolution Editor-in-Chief
“How to ask for help in uncertain times”

Ruth Shaw
Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, 2020 SSE President and former Evolution Editor-in-Chief
“Realigning scholarly evaluation to support scientists' agency”

Joseph Graves
MacKenzie Scott Endowed Professor of Biology at NC Agricultural and Technical State University
“What Departments Can/Must Do to Support Junior Faculty in an Anti-Science Climate”

Scott Edwards
Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Ornithology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard Universit…
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Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Applications now open for the Graduate Research Excellence Grants! These provide evolutionary biology research funds for early and advanced Master’s and PhD students. Proposals due May 18. www.evolutionsociety.org/content/soci...
evolutionsociety.org
Society for the Study of Evolution
Site description
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Simons Foundation has a new contest for Ecology and Evolution Graduate Fellowships! Due June 30th. Good luck everyone! www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
simonsfoundation.org
Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution
The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
My 9 year old has asked me to come present at her school science fair, after they asked kids to invite their parents if they did science. Here is her draft of my presentation. Let’s see if I can live up to it.
Kid’s drawing of a person with a beard marked “you” in front of a table with “clam cages” and a poster marked “how it spreads”.
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Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Scientists at the MBL are building and deploying innovative clam recruitment boxes across Massachusetts tidal flats. 🔗 Read the full story and see what they discovered: go.mbl.edu/clam
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tafesselab.bsky.social @tafesselab.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
We’re hiring! Our department is recruiting for a tenure-track faculty position. We seek outstanding candidates working broadly in molecular microbiology, immunology, and host–pathogen interactions. Please share widely! @jnpruneda.bsky.social @rauchlab.bsky.social www.nature.com/naturecareer...
nature.com
Faculty Position in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology - Portland, Oregon job with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) - Molecular Microbiology and Immunology | 12858852
The Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at OHSU invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor position.
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John Ryan @heyjohnryan.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
What's that old equation, 1 picture = 1,000 words? Great to have Megan Farmer's amazing drone shot atop my latest @npr.org story. Farmland, levee, wetland, river, all right there.
npr.org
Why this tribe is buying up hundreds of acres of farmland — and flooding it
The Stillaguamish Tribe in Washington state has been buying land in its traditional territory and removing levees. The goal is to turn farmland into wetlands with the hopes of restoring Chinook salmon...
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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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Holly Moeller @mixotrophe.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Simons Graduate Fellowship Applications are open! If you're applying to Ph.D. programs in ecology and/or evolution this year, or if you're an incoming Ph.D. student who won't start your degree program until Fall 2026 or later, apply! www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons...
simonsfoundation.org
Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution
The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...
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Rob Noble @robjohnnoble.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Last chance to register for our lovely conference, starting in Crete in three weeks! Deadline is TODAY. The registration form will remain active but if you miss the deadline then we cannot guarantee your place.
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Screenshot from my Bluesky today.
Two Bluesky posts next to each other. One says “the United States no has the most government restrictions on academic freedom of any high-income county.” The next says “‘Drat,’said Toad.”
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
In some embodiments, my brain comprises the belief that most of the words in a patent are completely redundant and unnecessary and I can’t believe I am having to wade through its logic, which, in some embodiments, is redundant and unnecessary.
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
If you live in Seattle and don’t know Ada’s technical books and coffee on 15th in capital hill, you need to go now—if only to know what you will be missing when they close in June. www.capitolhillseattle.com/2026/04/afte...
capitolhillseattle.com
After 16 years on Capitol Hill, Ada’s Technical Books to close and sibling Fuel Coffee shops up for sale
A house home to a book shop on 15th Ave E for decades will need a fresh start and new owners are being sought for its sibling coffee shops. Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe will close in June…
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
I literally came back on to repost this quote and found you did it first
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Why do journalists keep repeating this line that scientists are all going to leave? They mention 95,000 science jobs lost in federal science alone, and then talk about countries hiring 10-12 people total! Why is this fake exodus a repeat headline and scientists loosing their careers en masse not?
nytimes.com
Trump Slashed Science Funding. Now the U.S. Could Face a Costly Brain Drain.
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Isako Di Tomassi @isakoditomassi.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
🚨 STARFISH EMERGENCY 🚨 Is there anyone out here who has a boat & access to San Juan Islands of Washington??!! And is available this week. My friend who fights sea star wasting disease (SSWD), his project site has become ineligible and needs help finding another. DM me ASAP if can help!
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Will Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
If my grad student pulled this shit with me, they'd be out of the lab. Lies like that about methods to paper over your mistake are simply unacceptable. It did crap like this over and over.
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Salish Sea Institute @salishseainstitute.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Don't forget to register for this amazing webinar series!
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Michael Metzger @metzgerm.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Tell me what you think LLMs do well and I’ll tell you what you do not value.
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Paul Hoskisson 🧫 🦠🐸 @paulhoskisson.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Cool paper, turning evolutionary theory on its head - gene conversion overcomes the cost of asexual reproduction… Gene conversion empowers natural selection in a clonal fish species www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Gene conversion empowers natural selection in a clonal fish species - Nature
Analysis of the asexually reproducing Amazon molly Poecilia formosa and its sexually reproducing progenitors Poecilia mexicana and Poecilia latipinna reveals that it maintains a divergent mutational l...
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