When is on-person evolution dominated by neutral vs adaptive forces? If you're looking for a postdoc position and this is a question that interests you, please see my lab website and reach out! [More info in next posts]
Haoran Cai
@haorancai.bsky.social
Evolutionary and Quantitative Genetics | Evolutionary Systems Biology | GP map | Complex trait | haorancai.github.io Post-doc @UCLA EEB
Fresh out of the oven: a little provocation about the conclusion that macroevolution rates are slower than we would expect. Feedback and rebuttals are welcome academic.oup.com/evlett/advan... with @damelo.net @apenna.bsky.social @agporto.bsky.social and others
Invasion of new adaptive zones retains telltale signs of directional selection at macroevolutionary scales in mammals
Abstract. Directional selection is often viewed as a transient force in macroevolution, with its signal eroded over time by stabilizing and fluctuating sel
academic.oup.com
We studied the evolution of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium and its influence on genetic architecture with genetic drift. We found that the Bulmer effect is population size and demography dependent. For nerds: genetic architecture follows from solving PDEs.
bioRxiv Genetics@biorxiv-genetic.bsky.social · 6d agoLinkage disequilibrium moderates how evolving genetic background shapes variant-level architecture https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.756092v1
As simulations grow in complexity, a set of non-trivial issues emerge: diminished identifiability as free parameters become too numerous relative to exp. constraints & difficulties grasping causality. In our new 📄, we point to potential avenues to move #CellBio forward 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998
Simulating is not always understanding: When model complexity obscures biology
In cell biology, computational models of biological systems range from minimal representations with a handful of parameters to whole-cell simulations tracking thousands of molecular species across a c...
arxiv.org
The Ramsey Lab@theramseylab.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew 📄 🚨! #CellBio is teeming with simulations comprising an extraordinarily high number of components. We argue that model complexity will not automatically lead to a better understanding of biological systems & discuss how modeling practices could be repurposed: arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998 #philsci
@haorancai.bsky.social @kgslab.bsky.social & @evodaveo.bsky.social show that genetic correlations are more environmentally stable when driven by polygenic background correlation across many loci, vs. a few large-effect pleiotropic outliers 🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... #societyjournal #evobio
Consistent and idiosyncratic pleiotropy in shaping genetic correlations
Abstract. Pleiotropy, the phenomenon where a single mutation influences multiple phenotypic traits, creates genetic correlations that can constrain evoluti
academic.oup.com
I’m looking to hire an NIH funded postdoc to join our lab here at Davis (please RT). Ongoing areas of interest include: 1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc 2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
Now out in PNAS: our latest exploration of the interplay between interspecific interactions and adaptation to a changing abiotic environment! This time it’s about predator-prey interactions. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Coadapting but not static predators facilitate prey adaptation to a fluctuating environment | PNAS
Understanding how between-species interactions influence adaptation and population persistence in the face of environmental change is one of the gr...
pnas.org
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
‘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...
theguardian.com
I'm looking to hire a postdoc to work on the RepAdapt + MacroMar projects, analysing genomic data from >130 species of plants, animals, and fungi (VCFs are processed, ready to go). Lots of potential for creativity and collaboration! yeamanlab.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/...
Update: The academic flight from Twitter is now complete and appears permanent. April 2023, after the pandemic research surge, we recorded 2,234,307 posts sharing research on Twitter. As of April this year, "X" had 896,741 posts about research. That's a 60% drop in traffic.
🚨Interested in #evolutionary #genomics and #popgen #theory? My lab just opened a 1+ year #postdoc position to work on sex chromosome dosage compensation. At #CEFE in beautiful Montpellier. Deadline soon, don't be shy, apply, theory is exciting! 👉 bit.ly/4eMWDIh
I 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...
Postdoctoral Scholar-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Position 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...
careers.msu.edu
Very important paper by @phylogenetrips.bsky.social "Genes and sites under adaptation at the phylogenetic scale also exhibit adaptation at the population-genetic scale" | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Genes and sites under adaptation at the phylogenetic scale also exhibit adaptation at the population-genetic scale | PNAS
Adaptation in protein-coding sequences can be detected from multiple sequence alignments across species or alternatively by leveraging polymorphism...
pnas.org
Now out @molbioevol.bsky.socialGenetic correlations summarize how traits covary, but they can hide different underlying architectures. Distinguishing those architectures can reveal distinct mechanisms generating—and potentially constraining—trait–trait relationships. academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Consistent and idiosyncratic pleiotropy in shaping genetic correlations
Abstract. Pleiotropy, the phenomenon where a single mutation influences multiple phenotypic traits, creates genetic correlations that can constrain evoluti
academic.oup.com
Very cool pair of papers demonstrating little link between amount of additive genetic variation and amount of nucleotide variation within species: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Levels of additive genetic variation vary substantially between species
Adaptive potential determines how populations respond to environmental change. This study compiles evolvability estimates from over 170 multicellular species, revealing substantial variation across th...
journals.plos.org
We remind the SMBE community that applications for the second edition of the SMBE Fellows Program are ongoing. Apply before August 15. 🔗 smbe.org/smbe-fellows-program #society
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution@official-smbe.bsky.social · 4mo agoWe're excited to announce the second edition of the SMBE Fellows Program! ✍️ 🔗 smbe.org/smbe-fellows-program The SMBE Fellows Program provides mentorship to early-career researchers in scientific writing for evolutionary and molecular biology by writing Highlight articles for MBE and GBE. #society
Two journals, two editorial boards, the same service to science. The SMBE and our research community as a whole are indebted to our colleagues who dedicate their effort and expertise to handling manuscripts in the service of MBE and GBE. #society #societyjournal #SMBE2026
The new SMBE Fellows call is now live! Early career researchers (PhD students or postdocs) interested in #scicomm can apply before August 15. If you're at #SMBE2026 and considering joining, let's meet up and chat 🙂
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution@official-smbe.bsky.social · 4mo agoWe're excited to announce the second edition of the SMBE Fellows Program! ✍️ 🔗 smbe.org/smbe-fellows-program The SMBE Fellows Program provides mentorship to early-career researchers in scientific writing for evolutionary and molecular biology by writing Highlight articles for MBE and GBE. #society
New paper out @pnas.org: We explore why fly wings evolve along "lines of least resistance" and reconcile the "rate paradox" between population variation and divergence. Check out how a low dimensional model of selection on size explains it all: www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
pnas.org
Real science: 1. Is not correlated with the amount of funding 2. Progresses slowly, usually taking many years 3. Leads to more questions than it answers 4. Advances when we disengage a bit and have improvisational discussions 5. Is too serious a thing to be done in a non-playful way
How do species differ in their ability to #adapt to environmental change? This study by Lillith Zijmers, Adam Eyre-Walker &co estimates #evolvability from over 170 multicellular species, revealing that #plants exhibit greater adaptive potential than animals. 🧪#AcademicSky plos.io/4vk2TON
Spent the last two years developing a new Intro to Physics course for undergrad biology majors. It features tons of examples from biology (especially Ecology & Evolution!) and requires only middle school-level math. Lecture note here shorturl.at/0PiVp Any comments or feedback are highly welcome!
physics_for_biologists.pdf
drive.google.com
Are you looking for a PhD on the intersection between evolutionary and ecological theory? Join us @univie. Fully funded PhD position in fundamental eco-evolutionary theory, open to international students. Apply by 13.7.2026: ecoevo.owlstown.net/search Reposting appreciated. #evolbio #evoeco #ecology
Jitka's EcoEvo Lab - Jobs
ecoevo.owlstown.net
Why are leaves the shape that they are? What controls intraspecific, genetic variation in leaf shape? New from my lab, in collaboration with many others, led by PhD student Amanda Peake: mapping the leaf shape polymorphism in Ipomoea hederacea.
bioRxiv Plant Bio@biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 4mo agoNewly arisen indel governs a leaf shape polymorphism in the Ivy Leaf Morning Glory (Ipomoea hederacea) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.04.730136v1
Exploring the Genotype-to-Phenotype Map Using Quantifiable Patterns in Metazoan Genomic and Morphological Data by Peterson et al. Available now ahead of print! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
For this month's GBE Highlight, SMBE Fellow Haoran Cai delves into Adey et al., who investigated the role of pervasive transcription in the human genome. @haorancai.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag104 #genome #evolution #highlight
I assigned random gender/ethnicity labels to scientific abstracts from the literature and then asked Claude to do a thematic analysis. Claude identified a clinical versus computational split for female/male authors and a DEI focus for Black/URM authors. All in completely random data.
I'm presenting this study for the virtual meeting of @evolmtg.bsky.social on May 22 at 6:15 PM Eastern Time. Please come!
Daohan "Rex" Jiang@rexjiang.bsky.social · 7mo agoNew preprint alert! In this study, we tackled a long-debated question: is the genetic basis of convergent evolution predictable? Should we expect the same gene/loci contributing to convergent adaptation to a common selective pressure? Thread ahead 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...