iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rob Lanfear

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

In answer to the question of how you should write a philosophy essay one of my teachers - Malcom Budd - said ‘Answer the question clearly and simply.’ Superb answer and an example of itself. I’ve tried to follow in all I do.

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Anyone know what’s going on with these ( maybe dead?) pairs of leafcutter bees in Australia?

Two bees, attached to a grass stalk, face to face.

Two bees attached to a grass stalk, gave to face. Another pair similarly arranged are blurred in the background.

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Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 17/11/2025

I recently discovered Conventional Comments (conventionalcomments.org) for providing a pseudo-standard set of labels for feedback and just tried it for an article review and it was really helpful to specify issues vs. thoughts vs. suggestions, etc. Hopefully it's helpful for the authors too!

We strongly suggest using the following labels:

praise: Praises highlight something positive. Try to leave at least one of these comments per review. Do not leave false praise (which can actually be damaging). Do look for something to sincerely praise.
nitpick: Nitpicks are trivial preference-based requests. These should be non-blocking by nature.
suggestion: Suggestions propose improvements to the current subject. It’s important to be explicit and clear on what is being suggested and why it is an improvement. Consider using patches and the blocking or non-blocking decorations to further communicate your intent.
issue: Issues highlight specific problems with the subject under review. These problems can be user-facing or behind the scenes. It is strongly recommended to pair this comment with a suggestion. If you are not sure if a problem exists or not, consider leaving a question.
todo: TODO’s are small, trivial, but necessary changes. Distinguishing todo comments from issues: or suggestions: helps direct the reader’s attention to comments requiring more involvement.
question: Questions are appropriate if you have a potential concern but are not quite sure if it’s relevant or not. Asking the author for clarification or investigation can lead to a quick resolution.
thought: Thoughts represent an idea that popped up from reviewing. These comments are non-blocking by nature, but they are extremely valuable and can lead to more focused initiatives and mentoring opportunities.
chore: Chores are simple tasks that must be done before the subject can be “officially” accepted. Usually, these comments reference some common process. Try to leave a link to the process description so that the reader knows how to resolve the chore.
note: Notes are always non-blocking and simply highlight something the reader should take note of.

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Anna-Liisa Laine @annaliisalaine.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

We are recruiting‼️A permanent university lecturer position in BIOSTATISTICS is available at @helsinki.fi Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences. Great colleagues, excellent infrastructures and startup support 🙌🏻 DL 14 September jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

jobs.helsinki.fi

University Lecturer in Biostatistics

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Janelia Research Campus @hhmijanelia.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

📢We're #hiring Group Leaders! Apply to lead a lab at Janelia & advance biology using theory, computational modeling & machine learning. 🔹5-year renewable appointment 🔹Pioneer new tools & approaches 🔹Collaborate across disciplines Apply by Nov. 4👉 janelia.link/groupleader

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Right now I'm responding to grant comments, and one of the reviewers appears to have mostly relied on AI to generate their (sometimes hilariously off-base) critiques. I am not enjoying this.

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Andrew Rambaut (🐏🎀) @arambaut.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

BEAST X v10.5.0 finally released – you can't just do beta releases forever. github.com/beast-dev/be... Details and instructions for installing on the BEAST website: beast.community

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Wayne Maddison @waynemaddison.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

Mesquite 4.0 released! A major update — many new features, small and large (phylogenomics, visualizations, workflow management, &c). Check out the trailer video: www.mesquiteproject.org. Come discuss in our new Google Group (groups.google.com/g/mesquite-project). @bembidion.bsky.social ‬🧪 #evolbio

The two Mesquite logos. At left, a mesquite tree leaf is against a black background. At right, a leaf is against a blue sky and sun.

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Marnie Blewitt @marnieblewitt.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

www.wehi.edu.au/careers/make... WEHI is looking for new lab heads! New and experienced lab heads welcome. Check out the ad, consider applying and share. We’re a collaborative bunch, in Australia, with fabulous technology, great colleagues at a values-driven organisation. @wehi-research.bsky.social

wehi.edu.au

Make your future Melbourne | WEHI

Lead the next wave of biomedical discovery

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Mike the Mad Biologist and Trump's Press Corps Approver @mikethemadbiol.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

look at how they're geared up to arrest unarmed civilians. Fucking absurd. And hats off to the people who backed them down.

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Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

We will send the open letter to ANU executive and Council today at 3pm. At 7.30am, we have 434 signatures. How high can we get before 3pm? Tell your colleagues, spread the word!

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ARC Tracker @arc-tracker.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Is this related to why announcements for Linkage Projects & Laureate Fellowships are delayed? Maybe RMS couldn’t handle new grants being awarded when the other changes were being made? Why doesn’t the ARC tell anyone what’s going on? Simple transparency & expectations management would be nice.

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Jonathan Eisen @phylogenomics.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

In 1987 I took Stephen Jay Gould’s “Science B16 course” that helped convince me to be major in Biology w/ a focus on Evolution. But it was my TA Wayne Madison showing us early versions of MacClade that really did the trick.

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Wayne Maddison @waynemaddison.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Mesquite 4 beta released! Many new features, esp. phylogenomic. Check out the trailer and longer video on the home page: www.mesquiteproject.org, and use the download link there to get a copy. Feedback welcome! Ask and discuss on our new Google Group (groups.google.com/g/mesquite-p...).

The Mesquite icon shown, as a Mesquite leaf against a black background, and as a leave against the sun and a blue sky.

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Alex Skeels @alexskeels.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

ANU colleagues, stand up and protect your workplace and each other. Let's stop the reputational and psycho-social damage being done by the disproportionately heavy-handed response of the executive. Please sign and share widely in your networks. #ourANU

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

ANU website is SUPER super helpful. Always good to have FAQs so we know what they want us to do... Everything's going great at #ourANU !

A list of FAQs where the answer to each question is "Answer for question 1" etc.

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Rick Morton @squigglyrick.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

The cybernetics school is a very curious beast, formerly led by the now VC Bell. A protected species?

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Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Hi, do you have examples in your field for 20th century scientists who said something crazy that has been ignored since, but YOU think that maybe, just maybe, there's something there that's worth re-visiting?

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

If you're wondering how things are going at #ourANU, it's not good. A lot of voluntary redundancy folks still waiting to hear if they are can go. College budgets slashed, layoffs imminent, but zero communication. So we rely on Reddit posts like this: www.reddit.com/r/Anu/commen...

reddit.com

From the Anu community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the Anu community

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

reddit.com

From the Anu community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the Anu community

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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

important historical perspective on the value of federal funding of basic research at universities: "These are the building blocks of America's extraordinary strength, created over the last 100 years, and they are now being dismantled in 100 days" 🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qk4...

youtube.com

Fareed’s Take: Trump is gutting what made American science great

YouTube video by CNN

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Still waiting for #ourANU to run a poll which allows all staff to vote whether or not they have confidence in the leadership. >800 union members voted, and >95% said they had no confidence. ANU leadership claim that wasn't representative. Prove it.

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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

It is sad that even basic research needs to be defended with utility. For me, basic research is in the same category as art: civilized societies can't do without it, because we all want to know who we are and what our place in the natural world is -- questions that only science can answer.

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Chad Loder @chadloder.dev · 09/05/2025

Every extra hour that ICE spends facing off with activists is an hour they can't spend kidnapping other people. Every extra minute ICE has to spend contingency planning around activists and neighbors, every extra officer ICE has to put on a kidnap squad, is a drain on their efficiency.

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Led By Donkeys @ledbydonkeys.org · 07/05/2025

TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - ⁠WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank

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Congresswoman Madeleine Dean @repdean.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Today, FBI Director Kash Patel showed up to Congress with little understanding of his own administration's budget proposal, no clear plan on how to properly fund the FBI, and then lashed out when he was called on his lies. He said he wanted receipts — so here they are.

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Mario dos Reis @mariodosreis.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Frustrated that MCMCtree does not have complex substitution models? The IQ-tree team has now developed IQ2MC, an interface for seamless integration of IQ-tree's substitution models with MCMCtree's fast Bayesian pipeline for clock dating. Read the preprint here: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

ecoevorxiv.org

IQ2MC: A New Framework to Infer Phylogenetic Time Trees Using IQ-TREE 3 and MCMCTree with Mixture Models

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Straight from the autocratic / fascist playbook...

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Sebastian S. Cocioba @atinygreencell.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

I got hit by some rather sudden and extreme financial hardship so if anyone is in need of remote wetlab contract research, strictly BSL1, do let me know. Currently scrambling for gigs. Plant, Bacterial, Archaeal Non-model Bioeng Custom Lab Hardware Turn Key Genetic Design Please repost for reach 💚

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 02/05/2025

Nature reports that the National Science Foundation has stopped awarding new grants and allotting funds to existing ones. All of them. @colincarlson.bsky.social says that unless the freeze is lifted, it “is going to destroy people's labs.” 2/10 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones

US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

With a massive budget deficit, and in the middle of huge layoffs, good to see ANU investing in cleaning up some minor protest graffiti before most people get to work. #ourANU

A man with a scrubbing machine, cleaning up chalk graffiti on the ground which reads “fight back, sack Bell”. The person referred to is our current vice chancellor.

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

On top of everything that is incredibly fucked, this is incredibly fucked too. It's not possible to do science if you are told not to interact with almost 20% of the global population.

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Max Telford @maxjtelford.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

It's publication day of my first book: The Tree of Life. The tree of life is a time machine that can take us back 4 billion years to meet our most distant ancestor. It is the magic that lets us tell the origin stories, beginning with this ancient relative, of everything from mushrooms to man.

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Adrienne LaFrance @adriennelaf.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I got lots of advice, some very specific. But one thing I heard again and again: America, you are running out of time. Here is what I learned: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

theatlantic.com

A Ticking Clock on American Freedom

Autocracy is no longer something that happens only in other countries.

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Matthew Hahn @3rdreviewer.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Not really my announcement to make--I am but a lesser co-author--but IQ-TREE 3 has just been released! (Most credit to Minh Bui and @roblanfear.bsky.social and their labs) ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

ecoevorxiv.org

IQ-TREE 3: Phylogenomic Inference Software using Complex Evolutionary Models

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Stephen Turner @stephenturner.us · 03/04/2025

Sketch, capture and layout phylogenies www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧬🖥️🧪 github.com/husonlab/phy...

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S Otto @sarperotto.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

1/3 How long do you think it takes for highly pathogenic avian flu H5N1 sequences to be uploaded to GISAID after collection? How long should it be? In this commentary, we find a median delay of 228 days, with half the countries taking more than 6 months. rdcu.be/eeZGU @naturebiotech.bsky.social

rdcu.be

Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID

Nature Biotechnology - Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID

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Paperpile @paperpile.com · 14/01/2025

Hi Rob! If you are reading Bluesky on the web, our P button will save any post from Bluesky as a website.

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Extract any file on Linux!!! 🤩

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Rob Lanfear @roblanfear.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

I estimate that for me this is less than 5%of my time. But I’m not particularly good at getting grants, so…

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Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 23/12/2024

Many people talk about the "Golden Age of Antibiotics", but I hadn't seen it visualized properly. Just how many types of antibiotics were discovered during that time? So, I visualized it myself!

A timeline titled "The Golden Age of Antibiotics" shows when each antibiotic drug class was first available for medical use, with example antibiotics labeled. Classes are color-coded by their source: actinomycetes, other bacteria, fungi, or synthetic. Milestones include the first antibiotics (arsphenamines in 1910), as well as the discovery of many actinomycetes-derived antibiotics, such as streptomycin, and sulfonamides, penicillins, and tetracyclines. Data: Hutchings, Truman, Wilkinson (2019). Created by Saloni Dattani for Our World in Data.

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Joseph W. Brown @josephwb.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

I think this place has doubled in size since last I posted this. If you are into the nuts 'n bolts of phylogenetics/comparative methods, these are some great people to follow. As always, if you'd like to be added to the list, just let me know :) go.bsky.app/D7LsGUM

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Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Very good point. And it reminds me of something slightly macabre that a mentor once told me: papers won’t come to visit you when you’re on your death-bed…

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Russ Corbett-Detig @russcd.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Delighted to organize the Next-Wave Symposium again this year! If you are an awesome postdoc in genomics---very broadly defined---come tell us about your amazing science!

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