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The Tattooed Professor

@schwessinger.bsky.social
3.2K followers 2.8K following 414 posts

Professor at the Australian National University. Biosecurity, fungal and plant genomics, evolution, and biochemistry. Dad. Swimming, reading, nature.

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Butlerian Jihadist of House Dornick @shimminykricket.blacksky.app · 22h
Harvard just dropped a study AI productivity in software engineering and it found the average increase in productivity from using Claude code is.....zero and for exactly the reasons you'd think fion.ac/jellyfish.pdf
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The Sainsbury Laboratory @thesainsburylab.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
📣 Applications are now OPEN for the John Innes Foundation Rotation PhD Programme This 4-year #PhD programme trains graduate students in Plant & Microbial Sciences @earlhaminst.bsky.social @johninnescentre.bsky.social @thesainsburylab.bsky.social ➡️https://okt.to/qjy60T 🗓️ Apply before 12 Nov '26
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
One of the coolest topics in molecular evolution
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New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It's time to apply for the New Phytologist #TansleyMedal! The prestigious prize is awarded annually to early career scientists that have made an outstanding contribution to #PlantScience. Deadline: 1 November 2026. Apply now: www.newphytologist.org/grants-award...
newphytologist.org
New Phytologist Tansley Medal for excellence in plant science
The New Phytologist Tansley Medal is awarded annually in recognition of an outstanding contribution to research in plant science by an early career researcher.
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Eva Stukenbrock @estukenbrock.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Exciting findings by Yiheng Hu @kemenlab.bsky.social on microbial interactions in phyllosphere www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Thiamine cross-feeding drives microbial coexistence in the leaf microbiome - Nature Microbiology
Evolution of nutrient cross-feeding between a yeast and oomycete mediates microbial coexistence and leaf microbiome stability.
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Dan Quintana @dsquintana.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Materials sharing has increased over the past decade, which is great, but these materials are often tricky to use. Tools like this will really help improve usability bsky.app/profile/dsqu...
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Nicolas Bierne @couplingdmi.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New preprint from the team #AdaptiveIntrogression #Haplotagging #PopGen #MarEvol "Adaptive introgression in subdivided populations leaves distinct genomic footprints under global and local selection: a case study in Ciona intestinalis" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Adaptive introgression in subdivided populations leaves distinct genomic footprints under global and local selection: a case study in Ciona intestinalis
Adaptive introgression, the transfer of beneficial alleles between species through hybridization, is increasingly recognized as an important source of adaptation to novel environments. However, the th...
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George Tsakraklides @tsakraklides.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“Ecosystems are not human societies: they don’t have kings, and they certainly don’t award any favours or exclusive privileges to any species. These are all human inventions”
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Jarvis Googoo @jarvisgoogoo.com · 03/10/2026
Amazing editorial cartoon re artificial intelligence by @mackinnonart.bsky.social
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Dan Quintana @dsquintana.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I just rebuilt my website using Quarto 🎉 My publication list generates itself from my Zotero library, and papers include links to materials and OA versions. The website's first post is on how to build your own, featuring an app that does all the coding for you: dsquintana.com/posts/quarto...
Screenshot of Daniel S. Quintana's academic homepage. A circular profile photo of me sits above my name, title "Professor of Psychology · University of Oslo," and buttons for Email, Scholar, ORCID, OSF, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube. To the right, a bio describes him as a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo leading a lab on biological systems linking psychological and social factors to health, focused on neuroendocrine systems and the autonomic nervous system. Below are "Research interests" (oxytocin system in health and wellbeing, cardiac psychophysiology, evidence synthesis, meta-science) and "Featured papers" listing two publications with titles, authors, journals, and brief descriptions.Screenshot of the Publications page, introducing the Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Lab and noting that preprints and materials are linked where available. Under a "2026" heading, five publication entries are listed with full citations (authors, year, title, journal, DOI links), each tagged with badges like "Data & code," "Preprint," or "Open access article."Screenshot of the Talks page, noting that slides are posted on OSF. Under "2026," two talks are listed: "Recalibrating human oxytocin research: from methods to function to theory" (Harvard Interdisciplinary Oxytocin Research Initiative, online) and "Social media for academics" (NMBU, in-person), each with a "Slides" link. Under "2025," three more talks are listed: "Open science intro for psychology master students," "Start-up scholar workshop," and "Synthetic data workshop," all at the University of Oslo, in-person, each with a "Slides" link.Screenshot of a blog post titled "How to create a simple academic website," tagged "Website" and "Quarto," authored by Daniel S. Quintana and published July 25, 2026. The text explains that the site was built using the Quarto publishing system, describes advantages over his previous R-based approach (easier Zotero-based publication updates, links to open data/code, and open-access versions of paywalled papers), and introduces two methods for readers to build a similar site: cloning the GitHub repo or using a Shiny web app that generates the code with the user's own info.
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pfeilmeier.bsky.social @pfeilmeier.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
📣 New EPS course in Molecular Plant Pathology coming up next year … @epsgraduateschool.bsky.social
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Yep... most of it as it was too long at times without making points. Didn't buy the argument as it misses a way more fundamental point. Who is science for? Human or machine? If we are all too busy without time reading it.
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I was wondering if the piece would have been much more concise and well reasoned without AI...
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Who is the science for if no one has time to read it anymore is rather the question.... Interesting read anyway... I bet without AI the piece would have been shorter.
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Jeremy Singer @jeremylsinger.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Side note: I also love (and think all the time about) this study of schooling and social class by Jean Anyon: www1.udel.edu/educ/whitson...
www1.udel.edu
Anyon: Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work
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Horse Lover @chaffeaters.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Worth reading: #auspol thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...
thepoint.com.au
Santos paid zero company tax for 11th year in a row, ATO data shows
The latest corporate tax data released today by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) showed that once again, major gas producers are paying no company tax, and despite claims that changes to the Petroleum ...
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Steve Baty (He/him) @docbaty.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Once again, I paid more corporate tax than Santos
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The latest corporate tax data just dropped. And congrats to Santos Ltd - 11yrs in a row of no company tax.
Table of Santos ltd company tax 2014-15 to 2024-25

Year	Total income	Company Tax
2014-15	$3,389,399,798	$0
2015-16	$3,476,002,729	$0
2016-17	$3,715,263,715	$0
2017-18	$3,498,043,596	$0
2018-19	$4,360,612,850	$0
2019-20	$5,013,931,702	$0
2020-21	$4,070,327,153	$0
2021-22	$4,746,037,784	$0
2022-23	$6,257,384,778	$0
2023-24	$8,210,276,022	$0
2024-25	$5,117,008,013	$0
Total	$51,854,288,140	$0
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Juliet Coates @julietccoates.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We are crowdfunding for a bench in a peaceful spot at Winterbourne Botanic Garden in Birmingham in memory of Philippa Borrill. Please share widely. Please email me or @drelunadiez.bsky.social for more details. 💚🌾🌿🌳 If you would like to contribute, the link is below ⬇️.
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Andrea Reyes E (she/her) @altibel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
When will universities & scientists take a stance against genAI? Where is the promised democratisation of knowledge, the innovation in research? We have been warning about the destruction of knowledge & the deskilling of humans. #resistAI irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
irisvanrooijcogsci.com
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge
Cite as: van Rooij, I. (2025) AI slop and the destruction of knowledge. This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curio…
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Nature @nature.com · 27/09/2026
There is growing concern that AI can blunt memory and reasoning. Science shows ways to keep the brain sharp go.nature.com/3V1488l
go.nature.com
How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking
Nature - There is growing concern that AI can blunt memory and reasoning. But science shows ways to keep the brain sharp.
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Yep I got DP26 on a side project supporting someone else's. No direct money is to come from this to core lab projects. Now I have to wait 3 years to get money for core projects from the ARC... if I am lucky... How can you do world class science in these conditions?
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
DP28 will run in 2027 with outcomes in 2028. Breakthrough will run in Q3 2028 with outcomes in 2029. If you had a DP26 or DP27 your first shot at larger project funding money is 2029 and we are in 2026.
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Breakthrough is scheduled to open Q3 2028 which means people who got DP26 will only be able to get larger grant funding end of 2029... if they are lucky.
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Prof. Keiko Torii @keikoutorii.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I am proud to share my No-AI-assisted perspective review "Plant Peptide Hormones: Three Decades of Discovery and Emerging Paradigms" for the Centennial issue of @plantphys.bsky.social 🌱🍅. It's OA, so everyone can access! 1/ academic.oup.com/plphys/advan...
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
100%
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Tiffany Lowe-Power stands with Minnesota @tlowepower.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Please repost/share We're hiring! UC Davis Plant Pathology seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor in plant health & microbiomes. recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07904 My department is full of great colleagues, and we look forward to recruiting our new colleague!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
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Reuters @reuters.com · 24/09/2026
AI tools generated nearly $1 billion in extra costs, Blue Cross insurers say reut.rs/3TfIfl3
reut.rs
AI tools generated nearly $1 billion in extra costs, Blue Cross insurers say
AI tools are raising health spending for insurers by nearly $1 billion over two years, as providers bill for more severe patient care, according ​to a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association study released Thursday.
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Graeme Kettles @graemekettles.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our group's latest preprint shows TurboID can be adapted for studying extracellular elicitor-receptor interactions in plants. Hopefully useful for the apoplastic MPMI community www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Led by former PhD @abdelrahmanqutb.bsky.social
biorxiv.org
A TurboID-based proximity labelling method for detecting extracellular protein interactions in plants
The apoplast is a primary location for interactions between plants and invasive pathogens and is the site where many pathogen-secreted effectors are perceived by cell surface immune receptors to activ...
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
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The Tattooed Professor @schwessinger.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
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Andrew Porter @retropz.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Anthropic: One of the dangers from AI - and how it might kill us all - is if it broke out of containment and got control of a biology lab.and did some crazy stuff Also Anthropic:
share.google
Inside Anthropic's molecular biology lab
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Sebastian Samwald (Basti) he/him @samwalds.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This has originally developed out of a thought along the lines of: "What can you do if you only manage to get weak fluorescence signals?" A short explaining thread 🧵
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Maybe the most important political story of our time. People just want the bullshit to stop.
gizmodo.com
71% of Americans Say They're Completely Exhausted
A CDC report shows that people are not feeling relaxed and restful in the United States.
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Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research @mpipz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
📣📣Paper Alert! New paper @nature.com from the Marques group @amarques.bsky.social and colleagues on Rhynchospora tenuis - 🌿a plant that reproduces sexually but has completely lost the reshuffling of DNA🧬 Congratulations! 👏 🥳 Read more👉 www.mpipz.mpg.de/pr-marques-2... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Sex without crossovers mimics clonal reproduction in Rhynchospora tenuis - Nature
Rhynchospora tenuis undergoes obligate, genome-wide achiasmy in both male and female meiosis.
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Rob Patro @robp.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The part that surprised us: no general tool for this existed. STAR has an internal projection module, but only for STAR's own alignments. Salmon has decoys (but doesn't do spliced alignment). For long reads, nothing at all. So people pick a side of the fork, or quietly roll their own.
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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty: not knowing what comes next.
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UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) @ukceh.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🍄‍🟫💻 Explore UKCEH’s new Fungi Explorer, an interactive tool revealing the hidden world of soil fungi across Great Britain using DNA data from 1,000+ Countryside Survey soil samples. Search species, map distributions, or match your own DNA sequences. connect-apps.ceh.ac.uk/fungal-explo…
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bioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Allele-Resolved Hybrid Embryos Reveal the Fates of Regulatory Divergence www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I cannot tell you what absolute fiction this is. AI is heading for a crash and this cackhanded Terminator narrative is being engineered to save them. The fact that the unsubstantiated testimony of a former employee has been the top story on BBC News all day is absurd and irresponsible.
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Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda @alejandrofabregastejeda.com · 08/09/2026
Interesting 📰 @theguardian.com by @samanthsubramanian.bsky.social on non-neural cognition: www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte... Confronted with this polarizing debate, @philosobio.bsky.social & I wrote a balanced take on basal #cognition from an #evobio lens 👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #HPS
theguardian.com
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
The long read: Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place...
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Natasha Lennard @natashalennard.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It’s a suspicious time for Silicon Valley leaders to again offer up millenarian narratives about existential risks beyond our comprehension... @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2026/09/14/a...
theintercept.com
Tech CEOs’ Doomsaying Is a Distraction from Real, Existing Harms of AI
The binary between AI apocalypse and AI redemption asks us to ignore data centers and AI war machines — all as tech executives get incredibly rich.
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Rob @robertferry.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The main distinction between the AI resignations and pronouncements is that while they say there is a >10% chance AI will wipe us out, there is a 100% chance that emissions from all the fossil fuel reserves that exist on these companies balance sheets will wipe us out.
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Ralph Hückelhoven @huckelhovenr.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Wingen LU, Crosbie DB, Hu Y, et al. Towards a quantitative view of the NLR gene family evolution in the genome space. Quantitative Plant Biology. 2026;7:e17. doi.org/10.1017/qpb....
doi.org
Towards a quantitative view of the NLR gene family evolution in the genome space | Quantitative Plant Biology | Cambridge Core
Towards a quantitative view of the NLR gene family evolution in the genome space - Volume 7
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Nonia Pariente @npariente.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Experimenting with new models of peer review is essential to move to a future of #publishing that better serves science and researchers ⬇️ DiscoveryStack is an interesting attempt, aiming to separate the assessment of quality & impact @maxkrummel.bsky.social @richardsever.bsky.social 🧪
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Philippe Batut @philippebatut.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
🧬🔬 Why are enhancers transcribed and how does that impact gene regulation? I’m really excited to share our new paper in @science.org showing that noncoding RNAs control the timing of gene activation in embryos. With Mike Levine #ScienceResearch @columbiamed.bsky.social A few highlights below... 🧵👇
science.org
Noncoding transcription controls the developmental dynamics of long-range gene regulation
The genomic regions regulating gene expression are often themselves transcribed into a variety of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, the regulatory roles of this noncoding transcription remain largely ...
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Dr Radu Zabet @raduzabet.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Happy to share the peer-reviewed version of this manuscript now published in Bioinformatics Journal. Briefly, we developed HiCPotts, a novel method to better detect 3D DNA contacts from HiC/microC data. doi.org/10.1093/bioi... bioconductor.org/packages/HiC... For a summary, see original post.
doi.org
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Nature Reviews Genetics @natrevgenet.nature.com · 11/09/2026
New online! Genomic insights into natural selection in recent human history
dlvr.it
Genomic insights into natural selection in recent human history
Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41576-026-01010-9Advances in genome-wide selection scans and ancient DNA have greatly expanded our ability to study human evolution. This Review discusses the conceptual and statistical challenges in identifying and interpreting selection signals, and how recent approaches are reshaping our understanding of human evolution over the past 10,000 years.
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Yann Dussert @yanndussert.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The LBGB team at @genoscopeumr.bsky.social, led by @jm-aury.bsky.social, recently released Hobrac, a tool to investigate synteny between genomes! Can be used for assembly validation or comparative genomics. doi.org/10.64898/202... github.com/Genoscope-LB... See below for what Hobrac can do:
Figure showing some outputs of the Hobrac tool (e.g. ribbon plots & oxford plots), here illutrating synteny between bivalve genomes.
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Remco Stam @rstam.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
New preprint! There have been quite a few papers about RLP and RLK receptors, but none of them have a truly reproducible annotation pipeline (including my own...)... We finally made such a pipeline and look more systematically at RLPs within tomato. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
PlantLRR-PRR:A Reproducible Annotation Pipeline Reveals Contrasting Evolution of Developmental and Defense Receptor-Like Proteins in Tomato
Plants perceive external and internal signals via receptors to modulate their growth, development, and defenses. Leucine-rich-repeat receptor-like-kinase (RLKs) and receptor-like-proteins (RLPs) are t...
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