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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾

@plantevolution.bsky.social
7.5K followers 1.6K following 967 posts

Weigel Lab aka WeigelWorld Repost≠endorsement #OpenScience COIs tinyurl.com/DWCOI2022 GoogleScholar tinyurl.com/DeWeScholar

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Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾
Dan Kliebenstein @spicybotrytis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In today’s random thoughts. Just because a gene controls a conserved process does not suggest or even support that the gene is conserved. Lots of family specific genes input into or control highly conserved processes.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For the last 34 years I have been on the faculty of the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Biology and have never regretted that decision. This year we are hiring TWO new Assistant Professors in the broad area of Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology 1/n bio.unc.edu
Front page of the website
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KWS Group @kwsgroup.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Open science for plant breeding 🌱 Researchers successfully used OpenCRISPR-1, and AI-designed open-source editing system, in soybean. Tools with broader access could mean faster innovation 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Please pass along: I’m recruiting PhD students to join our Macroecology Lab. We study physical ecology, macroecology, and biodiversity — spanning scaling, trait-based ecology, theory, comparative biology & ecoinformatics. Several avenues for funding. Please reach out if interested 🧪🌐🌾
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Are you looking for a postdoc exploring the cell biology of development, defining how cells change shape and move? Do you want to develop a research program & teaching skills preparing you for a position at a college or small University? Our new NIH grant will support those goals 1/n Please share
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Florian Aigner @florianaigner.at · 28/09/2026
Wir brauchen ein Wort für die seltsam verquere Freude, in einem Text Holprigkeiten oder Fehler zu finden, weil es uns zeigt, dass er nicht von einer verdammten AI geschrieben wurde.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Cool new work from @thanvisrikant.bsky.social & @kbomblies.bsky.social: Chromosomes in #Arabidopsis thaliana neo-polyploids break preferentially at fragile sites that correspond to ancient genome rearrangements #plantscience www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Detection and analyses of aneuploidies in neo-tetraploid A. thaliana. (A) Schematic
representation of how neo-tetraploid F1 were generated through reciprocal crossing of Col-0 and
Ler neo-tetraploid inbreds. See Figure S1A for more details. (B-D) Examples of aneuploidy
detection using sequencing coverage data from three F1 individuals, “Cross_3_Plant_32”,
“Cross_3_Plant_25” and “Cross_38_Plant_01”, respectively (Figure S2, S3). The upper panels
show aneuploidy detection using a read-coverage approach and the lower panels show a
variant-calling based approach. The Ler chromosomes are indicated as L1-L5 (orange) and Col-
0 chromosomes are indicated as C1-C5 (blue). In both panels, every data point represents a
mean value (normalised read coverage / allele frequency) in a 100kb window of the genome.
For the upper panels, sequencing data are mapped to an in-silico hybrid genome that combines
TAIR10.1 (Col-0) and Ler. For the lower panels, the sequencing data are mapped to a Ler
reference genome. (B) Data from a euploid individual with normalised coverage consistent with
two copies of each maternally and paternally inherited chromosome (upper panel), and allele
frequencies clustering around 0.5 when mapped to a Ler reference genome (lower panel). (C)
Data from an individual affected by a full-length aneuploidy – a loss of one Chromosome 2 copy
from Col-0, resulting in a drop in coverage (upper panel) and sharp changes in allele frequency
(lower chromosome) for Chr2. (D) Data from an individual affected by a segmental loss of part
of Chromosome 4 from the Ler parent.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good morning #Tübingen
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Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The curious case of the placental genome In this Review, Zoé Ducarne, @agathechaigne.bsky.social and @myanhtruong.bsky.social highlight the placenta, the only mammalian organ that harbors a cancer-like genome while remaining functional and healthy. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Diagrams of a blastocyst and full-term placenta in human. More details in the paper.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I try to be a peer reviewer who reviews the paper presented, not the imaginary one it could be with many years of work. Sometimes work, even from labs I respect, doesn't meet the standard. Today I re-reviewed a paper & was impressed at how the authors did the work to solidify their claims. Kudos 1/n
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Conventional #GMO crops have unexpected benefits in the face of climate change: reduced yield volatility, fewer climate related losses & even slowing the northward shift of US corn & soybean production. #climatecatastrophe www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Fig. 1 | Crop harvested land-use percentage change from 1978 to 2020.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
‘Godzilla-level’ El Niño. Likely to surpass previous record in 2015 by almost a full °C. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Jaw-dropping’ El Niño bursts through temperature record months before peak
‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will have a huge impact on communities across the world
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Highly recommended long read. (If opened in Substack app, should be automatically translated into English.) florianaigner.substack.com/p/die-ruckke...
Screenshot // The Return of Racial Theory
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Proteomics is extending the reach of genomics in human ancestry studies. This exciting paper came out in May using proteomics to begin to unravel "Homo erectus" fossils from across China. 1/n www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Enamel proteins from six Homo erectus specimens across China - Nature
Palaeoproteomic analysis of ancient enamel proteins extracted from Middle Pleistocene Homo erectus specimens from the Zhoukoudian, Hexian and Sunjiadong sites in China suggests that they are a ne...
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.wbur.org/news/2026/08... Why a UMass researcher is among the dozens leaving the U.S. for Canada
wbur.org
Why a UMass researcher is among the dozens leaving the U.S. for Canada
A renowned scientist at UMass Chan Medical School is moving his lab to Canada. The Canadian government named RNA researcher Phillip Zamore among the first recipients of awards that will total more tha...
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Ben Parker @ben-parker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Excited that our new paper with @henrylabsymbio.bsky.social and Kerry Oliver is out @pnas.org! We show that mobile genetic elements can spread adaptive host-benefiting traits across heritable insect symbionts on eco-evolutionary timescales.🧵 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Phenotypic divergence is driven by mobile genetic elements in a heritable insect symbiont | PNAS
Heritable microbes profoundly influence insect biology, yet the traits they confer often evolve rapidly and differ among closely related symbiont s...
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Rebecca J Hall @drrebeccajhall.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Excited to be at the JIC for the Early Career Microbiologist Symposium today, looking forward to a great day of talks!
Schedule for the Early Career Microbiologist Symposium 2026
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André Marques @amarques.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Out today in Nature: sex without crossovers. Rhynchospora tenuis makes pollen, fertilises and sets seed, yet 0 crossovers in 10,997 pollen nuclei. Chromosome drive and ~87% seed abortion rebuild the mother's genotype, so the offspring are clones. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Joe Romm gave one of the most memorable talks I’ve ever heard at Columbia many years ago. Among other things, he said, “Sustainable development is like teenage sex. Everybody says they're doing it, very few people actually are, and those who are doing it are doing it badly.” RIP legend.
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Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 15/09/2026
The Department of Integrative Biology at UT Austin has two open positions for assistant professors, one in evolutionary biology and one in mechanistic processes. Please share. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/193270
Two Assistant Professor Positions in Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes

Description
The Department of Integrative Biology at The University of Texas at Austin seeks to fill two faculty positions in the areas of Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes, broadly defined. We are looking for candidates who are advancing (1) evolutionary biology or (2) the mechanistic understanding of organismal processes. These positions will be filled at the level of Assistant Professor.


Qualifications
Candidates should be using innovative approaches in evolutionary biology and/or the mechanistic understanding of whole-organism processes. Mechanistic processes include, but are not limited to, behavior, biomechanics, cognition, physiology, and development. The phylogenetic scope of the Evolutionary Biology position may include eukaryotes, prokaryotes, viruses, and the scale may include individual molecules to entire ecosystems and beyond. Candidates for either position may employ experimental, theoretical, or computational frameworks, or a combination thereof. Special consideration will be given to applicants with demonstrated potential for integrating across our target disciplines. 

We seek applicants with a strong record of high-quality research, publications, potential for extramural funding, and a commitment to excellence in teaching and mentorship. A PhD or equivalent is required at the time of appointment, and postdoctoral research experience is strongly recommended.
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Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺 @plantepigenetics.ch · 16/09/2026
Current state of affairs: Hey, I got this cool GM technology that could save the world Regulators: BANNED! Hey, I got this cool AI technology that could destroy the world Regulators: SURE, GO AHEAD!
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CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies @cibss.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
CRISPR can change plants—but will it change agriculture? 🌱🧬 In a new Nature Plants Correspondence, #CIBSS researchers discuss how regulation, access, commercialisation and public trust shape the real-world impact of genome editing 🚜. 🔗Read more: rdcu.be/xuiHDM7EB5Ka
Female researcher looking at plants. Quote: "We know that CRISPR can change plants. The question is how it will change agriculture."
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Matthew Hahn @3rdreviewer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New paper with Trang Nguyen! Do you have only a single parent and offspring, but still want to calculate mutation rates? We've got the tool for you--OOPS github.com/TrangNg-Th/O... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Estimating de novo mutation rates using parent-offspring pairs
Existing pedigree approaches to identifying de novo mutations (DNMs) require at least two parents and a single offspring, limiting applicability. Here, we introduce OOPS (Only One Parent Sequencing), ...
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Dan Sloan @sloanevolab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Please share! Our lab at Colorado State University is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2027. We are broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs is available on our lab website. sites.google.com/site/danielb...
sites.google.com
Sloan Lab
Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“It’s almost like sex ed,” said Anita Sarma, a professor of computer science at Oregon State who has studied the impact of A.I. on student cognition. “They will do it anyway,” she said. “How do we teach them responsible use?” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
nytimes.com
Universities Sound Warnings About A.I. Even as They Embrace It
As A.I. upends education, university leaders have been all over the map about how to respond. It can be very confusing for students.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Good morning #Tübingen
View of the Neckarfront in Tübingen
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
These pictures of REAL chromatin in vivo will both blow your mind and blow out of the water those textbook diagrams of "higher order nucleosome structures"
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Please consider submitting comments on the implementation for genome edited plants in the EU. Reminder: this is not the place for general statements regarding your personal vie of #NGT. Instead, the Commission is asking for input for the development of workable rules.
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Laborjournal @laborjournal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Auch die Wissenschaft wird Opfer des Klimawandels: Im Hitzesommer 2026 fielen Klimakammern und Kühlräume aus, Experimente wurden ruiniert. Ein Beispiel von mehreren schildern @plantevolution.bsky.social und Co. – und befürchten künftig eine Zunahme des Problems: www.laborjournal.de/editorials/3...
Holzthermometer mit roter Quecksilbersäule knapp über 40 °C vor rot-weißem Sonnenhimmel – Symbolbild für den Hitzesommer 2026 und seine Folgen für Laborexperimente.
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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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Carol Royo @carolinaroyo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
After a long journey, bringing together archaeology & genetics, our work on Iberian grapevine paleogenomics is finally out! 🍇🧬 Thanks to IH-CSIC@cchscsic.bsky.social, UV, @plantevolution.bsky.social, @leibnizcampusgact.bsky.social and all collaborators! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Eastern origin and three-millennia persistence of a founding grapevine lineage in Iberian viticulture
Viticulture became central to most Mediterranean civilizations a few millennia after the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) was domesticated in the South C…
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Laborjournal @laborjournal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Kopierte Banden, gepinselte Hintergründe, KI-generierte Zitatfälschungen: Bilddetektiv @reeserichardson.bsky.social fand 18.000 manipulierte Validierungsbilder bei 15 Antikörper-Händlern, darunter Thermo Fisher, Abcam, Santa Cruz, … — Unser Bericht dazu: 👉 www.laborjournal.de/editorials/3...
Laborjournal-Artikelteaser. Links: Originalaufnahme einer Immunfärbung mit dem XBP1-Antikörper (Thermo Fisher, cat# MA5-15768). Rechts: Dieselbe Aufnahme mit erhöhtem Schwarzpegel zeigt deutliche Pinselspuren im Hintergrund – daneben eine Cartoon-Illustration eines grinsenden Pinsels als Symbolbild für Bildretusche.
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Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I made a presentation to other faculty about recent progress in general AI, to facilitate the discussion around the impact for research and teaching in biology. It could be that the slides are useful for others trying to do that same. Feel free to re-use. docs.google.com/presentation...
docs.google.com
generalAI_for research_intro.pptx
Recent AI developments and what they mean for us Quick primer on general AI models* State-of-the-art in AI agent capabilities AI agents in biology (examples) Discussion - what does this mean for our r...
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Stefan Schoenfelder @stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
www.nature.com/articles/d41...: "...the results are a wake-up call for scientists developing biological-AI tools: they underscore the need for more rigorous performance benchmarks and for much more experimental data relating genetic sequences to biology."
nature.com
Mutating every DNA letter of a genome shows surprising effects — and the limits of AI
Top artificial-intelligence models failed to predict the biological consequences of rewriting a virus's entire DNA code.
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Penultimate? FY26 NSF grantmaking update One month ago (8/4) New grants: 4310/7761 — 55.5% of avg. Obligations: 4.10/5.08 billion — 80.7% of avg. Now (9/7) New grants: 6,144/10,857 — 67% of avg.* Obligations: 5.97/7.49 billion — 80% of avg. *avg. from 21–24 grantwitness.org/nsf/analyses...
grantwitness.org
Agency Pulse: Grantmaking at NSF
An independent, up-to-date, grant-level record of federal science funding disruptions in the United States.
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So (if I understand this correctly), the way AI (companies) will "solve" all the major problems in maths, biology, and medicine in the next 5 years will be by stealing and building on the ideas of researchers naive enough to think their chats with AI companies would be private.
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David Lowry @davidlowry.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I am currently searching for a postdoc to work on the evolution of adaptations, cold acclimation, and freezing tolerance in switchgrass. The position entails lab, growth facility, bioinformatics, and fieldwork. careers.msu.edu/jobs/postdoc...
careers.msu.edu
Postdoctoral Scholar-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Position Summary The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct field and laboratory experiments to understand the causes of genetic variation...
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In the late 1850s; Day declared bankruptcy and his shop was placed in trust with a business partner. After Day's death, his son Thomas Day Jr. bought the workshop back and kept it running for another decade; the Union Tavern workshop closed for good in 1871. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...
en.wikipedia.org
Thomas Day (cabinetmaker) - Wikipedia
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 07/09/2026
Speaking of plagiarism: www.scientificamerican.com/article/open...
scientificamerican.com
OpenAI’s latest math breakthroughs commit research misconduct, experts say
OpenAI released 10 AI-generated results over the weekend. Some mathematicians are unhappy with their approach
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Karl Schmid @kjschmid.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Ich durfte dem Reutlinger Generalanzeiger ein Interview zur Abstimmung über neue genomische Techniken um EU-Parlament geben. #GMO #NGT
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Please submit comments to the EU Commission’s Call for Evidence on how to implement the new rules for "Plants obtained by new genomic techniques (#NGT)". Submission deadline 28 Sept. Below what I submitted. #plantscience ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet... ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet...
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EMBL @embl.org · 04/09/2026
EMBL mourns the loss of Professor Ada Yonath (1939–2026), the Nobel Prize-winning crystallographer. We were proud to be part of her orbit as she conducted some of her pioneering work on the ribosome at EMBL facilities. www.embl.org/news/people-...
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Wangsheng Zhu @wangshengzhu.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Reunion of WeigelWorld members and their families in Beijing @plantevolution.bsky.social
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Britt Koskella @bkoskella.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Yes, tenure letters take up a whole lot of time (that doesn’t exist) but it is also super fun and a privilege to get a chance to write fan mail to scientists who you’ve watched smash the field wide open! 
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The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) @tairnews.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Are you heading to #PAG34 in 2027? We are looking for speakers for the Arabidopsis Informatics sesson to share interesting data and tools, especially if you have been working with the new TAIR12 release data. Comment here or email us by November 1,2026 @bar-plantbio.bsky.social
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
He explained it so clearly and compellingly. I loved this video
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I just came across this remarkable recent interview with human geneticist David Reich. It covers many of the new insights from ancient DNA, right up to data published in the last few months. 1/n www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0uK...
youtube.com
Your ancestors aren't who you think they are | David Reich: Full Interview
YouTube video by The Well
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I was on a group Zoom call where one of the participants was sharing his screen. He accidentally shared the one where Gemini is ingesting our call, summarizing it in realtime, and offering reply suggestions. I didn’t even know that was a thing! So even when talking to a human, it might be a bot.
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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Gotta love the @economist.com www.economist.com/britain/2026...
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Jonathan Pritchard @jkpritch.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Genome-scale perturb-seq in human T cells. Our fantastic postdocs @ronghuizhu.bsky.social and @emmamarydann.bsky.social have done great work here to show the power and opportunities of perturb-seq in primary cells. This is part of a wonderful long-term collaboration with @marsonlab.bsky.social
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