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Elliot Tucker-Drob

@tuckerdrob.bsky.social
1.7K followers 81 following 24 posts

www.lifespanlab.com

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Reposted by Elliot Tucker-Drob
Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Special direct contributions to the paper by @mclapps.bsky.social @dr-appie.bsky.social @wonuola.bsky.social @kerliilv.bsky.social @ukuvainik.bsky.social, many many more people, The DECODE study, he Estonian biobank team(s) and teams/people across the 46 cohorts.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Finally, enormous thanks to all of our co-authors, cohorts,and participants. This was a genuinely international effort, and it only happened because a very large number of people contributed data, analyses, methods and judgement. Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
An important caveat: these polygenic scores cannot read an individual’s personality from their DNA, to know someone’s personality, measure their personality. The value of GWAS is to further our understanding of the bio/psycho/social pathways linking personality, health, behaviour and environments.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The links we find between personality and a wide array of medical, social and psychological outcome sugests we should take personality seriously as an exposure, a confounder, and a source of study selection. Personality appears highly relevant beyond the disiplinary boundaries of psychology.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Mendelian-randomization analyses were also consistent with some potentially causal links, for example, higher conscientiousness with lower BMI & smoking initiation and fewer hospital spells. While we did careful analysis, to us these are hypotheses to triangulate on, not definitive causal verdicts.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The genetic signals also connect personality to many other parts of life: psychopathology, health, substance use, physical activity, research participation, labour-market outcomes and residential mobility. The pattern is broad, but individual effects are small.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
That is quite different from traits such as educational attainment, where population-level genetic associations show much more attenuation within families via all kinds of social stratification, and patterning. For personality, familial confounding appears small rather than dominant.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We then asked: are population GWAS of personality mostly tagging family background or confounded by gene-environment correlations or population stratification? Within-family analyses suggest: largely no. Prediction within families was about 96% as large as population-level prediction.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Common variants explain a modest share of personality differences: 4.8–9.3% in the meta-analytic GWAS, rising to ~9.3–13.3% at typical measurement reliability, and acounting for cohort hetrogeneity. Genetics matters, but so does environment, As expected, the heritability isn’t very high.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
A result I find especially reassuring: the genetic signal is highly similar across countries, age groups, personality questionnaires, and self- versus other-reports. Different ways of measuring the Big Five are largely picking up the same underlying genetic influences. The outlier is Agreeableness
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We identified 1,260 lead variants associated with the Big Five, including 824 in loci not previously linked to the relevant trait. But there is no “gene for personality”: effects are tiny and distributed across thousands of variants.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
First, the people. Ted Schwaba ( @tedmond.bsky.social) led this huge effort and somehow got us through. He’s now on paternity leave, so I get to do the thread. The project co-supervised by me and my long-time collaborator Elliot Tucker-Drob (@tuckerdrob.bsky.social.) and has dozens of co-authors
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🚨& 🧵 Our new Nature paper is out! Across 46 cohorts and up to 1.14M people per Big Five trait, we do GWAS and ask how robust, generalizable and consequential the genetic signals underlying personality really are. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
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Perline Demange @perlinedemange.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
#ECP22 Hungry for more on personality polygenic indices after @tuckerdrob.bsky.social’s brilliant keynote? Come to our symposium tomorrow at 16:45! virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/75621/...
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Ted Schwaba @tedmond.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
New meta by @peterhaehner.bsky.social et al (I'm a little middle author) on individual differences in personality change across the lifespan (229 studies, N = 230k) 10.1037/bul0000525 Cool finding (imo): For all Big Five, variance in change is greatest in youth, declining through young adulthood!
Individual differences in change for each of the Big Five across ages 0 to 80. The trend for each trait is that individual differences in change are decreasing with age.
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Aidan Wright @aidangcw.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
New review, forthcoming in the Annual Review of Developmental Psychology: "From Seconds to Seasons and Days to Decades: Timescales in Development." Let me walk you through some key points. 👇 BC its a review, these are based on many others' work. osf.io/preprints/ps... 1/
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jdelafuente.bsky.social @jdelafuente.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
1/9 🚨 BREAKING OUT OF STEALTH MODE 🚨 Multivariate GWAS in Genomic SEM now runs on a laptop! New preprint + package update: a closed-form analytic solution makes multivariate GWAS ~800× faster, cutting runtimes from hours on HPC clusters to minutes on a personal computer.
static.klipy.com
The Predator Emerges
ALT: The Predator Emerges
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Just submitted an Abstract to WCPG 2026 in Glasgow, left it very late. @drmoab.bsky.social and I are organizing a fun social run for conference atendees! Nothing set in stone yet but given the difference in pace between Mo and I we might have 2 pace groups 😅! Like,share, get in touch if interested!
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Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) @pgcgenetics.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Age at diagnosis is gaining attention in autism research. AaD is heritable, with genetic factors influencing whether someone is diagnosed earlier or later. The genetic correlation is only moderate, suggesting differing genetic profiles. Commentary: doi.org/10.1038/d415... #autism #genetics
doi.org
Early- and late-diagnosed autism are genetically distinct
Analyses of symptoms and genomic data indicate that autism that manifests in early childhood is distinct from autism that is diagnosed later in development.
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Gagan Wig @gaganwig.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
We're hiring! FT research assistant @ UT Dallas Join our team to work on a longitudinal neuroimaging study of midlife brain aging. Strong opportunity for those interested in brain networks, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease risk. App. deadline May 6. Details: jobs.utdallas.edu/postings/31680
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Gagan Wig @gaganwig.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Humans live many more years than mice, but our brain networks are aging much faster. Brain network decline follows a common trajectory across mouse and human adulthood, with features of network organization linked to more rapid decline. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Russ Poldrack @russpoldrack.org · 12/02/2026
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
fortune.com
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided | Fortune
It’s not like a light switch... more like the moment you realize the water has been rising around you and is now at your chest.
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Camille Michèle Williams @cognitivecamz.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Our multi-ancestry GWAS of EXTernalizing conditions (ADHD, substance use...) in ~4M people reveals neurodevelopmental risk, drug-repurposing targets, and yields one of the strongest psychiatric polygenic indices yet! 🧬🎉 doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
Genomic insights into substance use and disinhibitory disorders
Externalizing spectrum disorders- spanning attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, substance use disorders, and other disorders characterized by disinhibition - frequently co-occur...
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Sasha Gusev @sashagusevposts.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
I wrote about the bizarre case of Herasight, the embryo selection company going all in on eugenics.
open.substack.com
Embryo selection company Herasight goes all in on eugenics
...
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Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
For more context, see also the @nature.com News & Views article about this work, where I unpack what it means when genetic risk for psychiatric disorders overlaps with normal-range traits, including some positive associations with education-related outcomes: rdcu.be/eT4U7
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Andrew Grotzinger @andrewgrotzinger.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
1/4 Thrilled to be sharing new work published today in Nature describing the third wave of results from the PGC Cross-Disorder Group. This reflects a massive group effort to examine shared and unique genetic signal across >1 million cases for 14 psychiatric disorders. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Mapping the genetic landscape across 14 psychiatric disorders - Nature
Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders...
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Kathryn Paige Harden @kph3k.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
I wrote about missing heritability, "missing environmentality," and why I still think twin studies are interesting and valuable: kathrynpaigeharden.substack.com/p/twins-are-...
kathrynpaigeharden.substack.com
Twins Are So Much More Interesting Than Heritability Estimates
On starting places, "missing environmentality," and the Waddington landscape of life
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Rosa Cheesman @rosacheesman.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
1/ 🚨New paper in Nature Genetics Genetic factors are associated with the educational fields people study, from arts to engineering. Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41... FAQ: www.thehastingscenter.org/genomic-find...
nature.com
Genetic associations with educational fields - Nature Genetics
Genome-wide analyses of 10 educational fields identify 17 associated loci. Analysis of genetic clustering across specializations identifies two key dimensions that show genetic overlap with personalit...
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Elliot Tucker-Drob @tuckerdrob.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Non-paywalled link to my commentary on @vw1234.bsky.social and colleagues new paper in @nature.com rdcu.be/eI2NG
rdcu.be
Early- and late-diagnosed autism are genetically distinct | Nature
Analyses of symptoms and genomic data indicate that autism that manifests in early childhood is distinct from autism that is diagnosed later in development. Analyses of symptoms and genomic data indicate that autism that manifests in early childhood is distinct from autism that is diagnosed later in development.
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Varun Warrier @vw1234.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
This was a fantastic collaboration with lots of people including @hilarycmartin.bsky.social @jakobgrove.bsky.social, Experts by Experience, and several others who I can't seem to find on this app. Article: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis - Nature
A study of several longitudinal birth cohorts and cross-sectional cohorts finds only moderate overlap in genetic variants between autism that is diagnosed earlier and that diagnosed later, so they may represent aetiologically different conditions.
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Varun Warrier @vw1234.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
And a very helpful and informative commentary on the paper by @tuckerdrob.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Early- and late-diagnosed autism are genetically distinct
Analyses of symptoms and genomic data indicate that autism that manifests in early childhood is distinct from autism that is diagnosed later in development.
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René Mõttus @renemottus.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Keynote speakers: @tuckerdrob.bsky.social @foswald.bsky.social Ellen Hamaker Hands-on workshops by: @tedmond.bsky.social & @ukuvainik.bsky.social (genomic analyses) @dirkwulff.bsky.social (LLMs in personality research) www.ecp22edinburgh.org/programme
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Elliot Tucker-Drob @tuckerdrob.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
A deep and thought-provoking lecture that is definitely worth watching all the way through.
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Elliot Tucker-Drob @tuckerdrob.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
A few related conversations have been converging on the question of when various trends and observations with respect to personality are genuine. This is a complex issue without a simple answer... A key issue is that personality is best measured using self- or informant ratings... 1/
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Awais Aftab @awaisaftab.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Psychiatric Genetics Beyond Heritability: Q&A with Michel Nivard ( @michelnivard.bsky.social ) “We look for genes as a means to an end—biology, epidemiology, and etiology of complex human outcomes.” www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/psychiatri...
psychiatrymargins.com
Psychiatric Genetics Beyond Heritability: Q&A with Michel Nivard
We look for genes as a means to an end—biology, epidemiology, and etiology of complex human outcomes.
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Laurel Raffington @laraffington.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Humbled to receive the BGA's early career award ☺️ Thank you to my brilliant team #MPRGBiosocial, the @maxplanck.de for investing in early career researchers, @mpib-berlin.bsky.social for the excellent environment, and my many mentors incl @kph3k.bsky.social @tuckerdrob.bsky.social #ScienceTeamSport
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Elliot Tucker-Drob @tuckerdrob.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Omg 😂. Well played @michelnivard.bsky.social
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
O, right I promissed JUICE! Not everyone believes in this work, one of the "haters" was very early... In fact @ent3c.bsky.social practically leant over this papers' crib and said: "well that's not going to be a looker."... Someone just as petty as me, but far more organized, kept the receipts 👇
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
You will have seen this post by @tedmond.bsky.social‬ on our new GWAS of Personality. He says you should read the paper (you should), I want to write a thread to entice you. Because social media has shredded your attention as it has mine, I promise there is JUICE & BEEF in this thread!
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Hans Fredrik Sunde @hfsunde.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Probably the most important paper in personality psych this decade just dropped. 👀 Interesting genetic correlations between other traits (the #1 reason for GWASs on social traits IMO), and evidence of weak but non-zero assortative mating on personality.
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
🔥🔥🔥 2 years of our lives right there (extremely proud of everyone, I’ll write a thread later)
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Ted Schwaba @tedmond.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Extremely excited to share the first effort of the Revived Genomics of Personality Consortium: A highly-powered, comprehensive GWAS of the Big Five personality traits in 1.14 million participants from 46 cohorts. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Aysu Okbay @aysuo.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
PGI Repository v2.0 preprint out! A 🧵 on the main results and updates @robel-alemu.bsky.social @paturley.bsky.social @alextisyoung.bsky.social
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Super brief video intro-ing the alpha version(!!) of an free studyguide/book in sequence models and deeplearning in/for genomics.
youtube.com
Alpha version of my new book on ML in Genomics is online!
YouTube video by Michel's Science Speedrun
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Michel Nivard @michelnivard.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
🚨 I just released the alpha-version of my AI in Genomics textbook! It covers (so far!) sequence language models & deep learning for DNA/RNA/proteins. Check it out: biobook.michel.science
biobook.michel.science
Sequence Language Models & Deep Learning in Genomics
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Dr. Glaucomflecken @glaucomflecken.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Lmao it was all a fucking act. I mean, we all knew it, but it’s funny to see his hypocrisy laid out so beautifully.
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Laurel Raffington @laraffington.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
We are looking for a scientist passionate about developmental psychology, sociogenomics, and DNA methylation in a cash gift RCT postdocprogram.mpg.de/node/692! 3.5+ yr position in Berlin (until April 30, 2029) integrated into a new Max Planck postdoc program www.mpg.de/en/max-planc... #MPRGBiosocial
postdocprogram.mpg.de
Postdoc position | Max Planck Postdoc Program
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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist
"I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."
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Ted Schwaba @tedmond.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Out today, our method for comparing multivariate genetic architecture across groups of people, called Genomic Structural Invariance: www.nature.com/articles/s41... (feat: @tuckerdrob.bsky.social @michelnivard.bsky.social @andrewgrotzinger.bsky.social @mijke.bsky.social @jorsmo.bsky.social et al.)
nature.com
Comparison of the multivariate genetic architecture of eight major psychiatric disorders across sex - Nature Genetics
Genomic structural invariance, an extension of genomic structural equation modeling, identifies similarities and differences between males and females in the genetic architectures of eight psychiatric...
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Sasha Gusev @sashagusevposts.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Whoa, popular online anon obsessed with race-IQ pseudoscience is actually a fringe researcher doing race-IQ pseudoscience who was just hyping up his own work and lashing out at colleagues. Who could have guessed.
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