Join us for a seminar by Dr. Francois Mallard (Institute de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Paris-France) about 'The genetic architecture of phenotypic plasticity' on 30th April, 2026, 3 pm CET. Zoom link here: polygenic-adaptation-network.org/seminars/
@haorancai.bsky.social and Des Marais investigated gene expression variability in duplicate genes, suggesting a mechanism facilitating gene expression divergence, functional gains, and duplicate retention following small-scale duplications.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag077
#genome #evolution
GBE | Empirical Validation of the Nearly Neutral Theory at Divergence and Population-Genomic Scales Using 144 Placental Mammal Genomes Figure credit: Léa Backory, Instagram: @lea_faitdesvagues
Bastian, Enard & Lartillot tested predictions of the nearly-neutral theory of molecular evolution across time scales, confirming the role of effective population size in tuning selection efficacy in placental mammals.
🖌️ Léa Backory
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag030
#genome #evolution
@genomebiolevol.bsky.social @official-smbe.bsky.social
🚨 New Paper 🚨
Thrilled to share new work with @evodaveo.bsky.social eo.bsky.social! We dive into the evolution of gene duplicates and demonstrate how expression variability might contribute to retention following duplication.
Read the full article here:
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
We posted a new theory preprint. I am very interested to hear what the community thinks about it.
We looked at the dynamics of evolution on several (simple) models of modular genotype-phenotype-fitness maps and found that populations approach a quasi-steady state we call "module-selection balance".
Lizard head on the journal cover
Our work as Editor's choice in @evolletters.bsky.social !✨️
Developmental biases & micro- to macroevution in the lizard skull 🦎
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
The Cooper lab is hiring a postdoc with a strong background in mouse genetics and molecular biology to advance.our gene drive work. Must be extremely organized, engineering-minded, and outcomes-oriented. Spread the word and have interested candidates email me directly.
New group website: www.noramartin-lab.com
Get in touch if you are interested in joining the group, or know anyone who might be 📮
How does development shape the variation evolution can act on?
In our new paper in @pnas.org , we bridge developmental dynamics and quantitative genetics, linking dynamical models of phenotype formation with the statistical parameters used to study evolutionary change
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Join us for this exciting seminar and hear about redundancy in genome-wide epistatic interactions!
How does development affect the evolutionary process?
Join our symposium at www.evodevoconference26.com
in Glasgow this June. We have a strong lineup of invited speakers, chaired by me and @milocco.bsky.social
Submit your abstract before Thursday! ⏰
Now online Communications Biology! We showed that variation aligns across biological levels. We proposed that #macroevolution mould #developmentalbias with a cascading effect on variation. #Microevolution, then, may be a result—not a cause of—macroevolution. nature.com/articles/s42...
Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) has been the go to program for analysis of gene expression modules for nearly two decades but it is a difficult to implement. To make it easier to use WGCNA, I used Codex to build a human in the loop agentic workflow. github.com/lowrylab/WGC...
2 PhD & 1 postdoc available at BioM in Oslo
www.uio.no/english/rese... Interdisciplinary methods to model and govern biodiversity under uncertainty. Re-post widely! Work with statistical ecologists Olav Skarpaas (Natural History Museum Oslo @uio.no) @t-ergon.bsky.social
Promises to be poppin (🍿)
BUT SRSLY PLEASE REGISTER, WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!
A pleiotropic hitchhiking model recapitulates alignments between fly wing divergence and variation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02...
Don't miss this issue's Editor's Choice article: "Gene network topology drives the mutational landscape of gene expression" by Sylvain Pouzet & Arnaud Le Rouzic. Free to read here: doi.org/10.1093/evol...
In #GENETICS, a new model developed by @christianlandry.bsky.social and colleagues examines how molecular dominance determines total protein activity and contributes to phenotypic dominance. buff.ly/CfaTDp7
Apply for PhD Fellowships at the Centre for Planetary Habitability in Oslo! There are projects for geologists, paleontologists, paleobiologists, astrobiologists, stats-y folks, geoscientists and planetary folks! www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Our paper is out in MBE! doi.org/10.1093/molb...
We tracked TF binding site evolution across 589 grass species, and found that while binding preferences are pretty stable over 80 million years of evolution, individual binding sites have turned over a lot.
Thread here: bsky.app/profile/char...
Fun news! @gcbias.bsky.social and I are teaching a 2-week online population genetics workshop this summer to raise money for the Center for Population Biology at UC Davis. We're trying to gauge interest -- please fill this out if you might be interested! And please share broadly!
MBE | Highlight: Dark skin and cancer suppression in humans—an evolutionary spandrel?
The recent MBE Review on the evolution of dark skin in humans is the focus of January's Highlight.
Highlight: Dark skin and cancer suppression in humans—an evolutionary spandrel?
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag012
#evobio #molbio
This is a very special paper for me. I had the idea of combining transcription factor binding with chromatin in 2016/8. It took some time, but thanks to Fred and Vikas, we can finally share the story in @plos.org Genetics looking at chromatin states in Arabidopsis and Marchantia. #PlantScience
PEQG! My favorite conference ever*. Single session, fantastic talks, great discussions. Only once every 2 years. And in the best conference location too! Abstract deadline coming up Feb 5!
*Disclosure: I am required to say it's the best conference because it is and I told my mom I wouldn't lie.
A genome-wide comparison of #gene regulatory sequences & embryonic gene expression in arachnids - new insights into the impact of the arachnopulmonate whole #genome duplication academic.oup.com/gbe/article/... #biodiversity #genomics
How do bacteria deal with double costs? And how costly are unusual levels of mistranslation anyway? In short - antibiotics are more of an issue than less/more mistranslation, but the latter changes how populations deal with antibiotics. For the long story, check out our new paper!
I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
TWO curatorial positions at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada. Curator of Birds, and Curator of Plants and Sustainability... please pass the word and amplify!
royalontariomuseum.applytojob.com/apply/XBR2Yc...
&
royalontariomuseum.applytojob.com/apply/Sf2iAO...
Ecology faces an accumulation of models but not an accumulation of confidence. Our new paper w/ Jonathan Levine www.nature.com/articles/s41... in @natecoevo.nature.com introduces a rigorous test rooted in queueing theory to falsify inadequate models and build confidence in useful ones.