Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This is it. This is what everyone is enabling by humoring genAI: you spend months writing something that took you years to get at, for an opaque algorithm that a few control to spit a number and cut you off right there and then. This is what we're up against 🧪 14409171
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Don't new traits evolve by rewiring of GRNs (which can of course consist of conserved and non-conserved elements)? 101
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Random answer: Define “controlled”. Many seem to confuse the fact that manipulation of a gene may disturb a process with “control” or “regulation” of said process. I’d therefore extend your thought: “Just because a gene AFFECTS a conserved process …” 120
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Dan Kliebenstein @spicybotrytis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026In 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. 1122
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026For 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 3150141
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾KWS Group @kwsgroup.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Open 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... 0114
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Please 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 🧪🌐🌾 394128
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Are 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 5105104
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Florian Aigner @florianaigner.at · 28/09/2026Wir 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. 3832238
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Cool 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... 0229
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The 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.... 12012
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I 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 1294
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Good point — evidence is of course only correlative. 010
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Conventional #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... 1208
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 042
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Vielen Dank. Beste Analyse des Casus Arday, die ich bislang gesehen habe. Einige meiner ehemaligen Wissenschaftshelden sind für mich noch ehemaliger geworden. 010
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Highly recommended long read. (If opened in Substack app, should be automatically translated into English.) florianaigner.substack.com/p/die-ruckke... 094
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Proteomics 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.comEnamel proteins from six Homo erectus specimens across China - NaturePalaeoproteomic 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... 1278
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 22/09/2026www.wbur.org/news/2026/08... Why a UMass researcher is among the dozens leaving the U.S. for Canadawbur.orgWhy a UMass researcher is among the dozens leaving the U.S. for CanadaA 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... 23821
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Ben Parker @ben-parker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Excited 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.orgPhenotypic divergence is driven by mobile genetic elements in a heritable insect symbiont | PNASHeritable microbes profoundly influence insect biology, yet the traits they confer often evolve rapidly and differ among closely related symbiont s... 411155
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Rebecca J Hall @drrebeccajhall.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Excited to be at the JIC for the Early Career Microbiologist Symposium today, looking forward to a great day of talks! 0172
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 19/09/2026How does it compare to bdelloid rotifers (where I think it seems unclear whether they’ve gotten rid of sex completely or whether it’s just super rare)? In population genetics, a little sex goes a very long way… 120
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾André Marques @amarques.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Out 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... 916372
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Joe 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. 640675
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 15/09/2026The 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 05483
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Etienne Bucher 🌾🧬🇪🇺 @plantepigenetics.ch · 16/09/2026Current 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! 0131
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies @cibss.bsky.social · 15/09/2026CRISPR 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 12517
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Matthew Hahn @3rdreviewer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026New 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.orgEstimating de novo mutation rates using parent-offspring pairsExisting 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), ... 03716
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Dan Sloan @sloanevolab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Please 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.comSloan LabWelcome! 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... 01418
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.comUniversities Sound Warnings About A.I. Even as They Embrace ItAs A.I. upends education, university leaders have been all over the map about how to respond. It can be very confusing for students. 000
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026These 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" 43711
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 14/09/2026My suggestions at docs.google.com/document/d/1... ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet... ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet...docs.google.comSuggestions for EU rule implementation 2026A few practical recommendations for commenting on the implementation of new rules on new genomic techniques at the EU level. Reminder: this is not the place for general statements regarding your perso... 100
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Please 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. 1612
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Laborjournal @laborjournal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Auch 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... 061
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Michael Baym @baym.lol · 13/09/2026Ten 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 23436127
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Carol Royo @carolinaroyo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026After 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.comEastern origin and three-millennia persistence of a founding grapevine lineage in Iberian viticultureViticulture became central to most Mediterranean civilizations a few millennia after the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) was domesticated in the South C… 053
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Laborjournal @laborjournal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Kopierte 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... 1123
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Pedro Beltrao @pedrobeltrao.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I 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.comgeneralAI_for research_intro.pptxRecent 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... 79026
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Stefan Schoenfelder @stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social · 09/09/2026www.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.comMutating every DNA letter of a genome shows surprising effects — and the limits of AITop artificial-intelligence models failed to predict the biological consequences of rewriting a virus's entire DNA code. 2149
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Penultimate? 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.orgAgency Pulse: Grantmaking at NSFAn independent, up-to-date, grant-level record of federal science funding disruptions in the United States. 24241
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 08/09/2026So (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. 291184291
PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 08/09/2026To clarify: For #NGT category 1, the European Commission already said that the risk is comparable to that of conventionally bred plants. Hence, the request for information should be based on this principle, and not require anything beyond. 010
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾David Lowry @davidlowry.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I 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.eduPostdoctoral Scholar-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United StatesPosition 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... 16089
Reposted by PlantEvolution 🌱🌾Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 07/09/2026In 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.orgThomas Day (cabinetmaker) - Wikipedia 021