@jonathanfwendel.bsky.social sounds a lot like Ira Flatow (@heyira.bsky.social) on Science Friday, discussing the origins of domesticated cotton. It’s a fun story! tinyurl.com/2aoopmbn
The origins of cotton are traced to the Caribbean
From exotic flowers to t-shirts
google.com
@gruber.foo - Really enjoyed The Talk Show episode with John Siracusa; one of the best in a long time. The issue with the Newton wasn't really the lack of connectivity to the Mac. You could sync with a serial cable, and contacts showed up in Claris Organizer or Outlook. 1 or n
Just out @molecology.bsky.social - an exploration of adaptation to heat and water limitations in cowpea, a staple food source in West Africa. Thanks to FFAR for funding from @gatesfoundation.bsky.social! @rakakpo.bsky.social with extensive input from coauthors... doi.org/10.1111/mec....
Identification of Genetic Variation Associated With Heat Tolerance in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)
Heat tolerance is an important trait in cowpea, a crop that is the primary protein source for a large portion of the human population in sub-Saharan Africa. Cultivated, landrace, semi-wild, and wild ...
doi.org
I did a long-form interview for a local podcast. Hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve did a great job of asking interesting questions. mncropcast.transistor.fm/episodes/dee...
Minnesota CropCast | Deep Roots & Big Data: The Evolution of Our Crops: A conversation with Dr. Peter Morrell, Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
Please join us for episode #59 of MN CropCast. In this episode, Dave and Seth are diving deep into the DNA of the plants that feed us, and we are thrilled to sit down with Dr. Peter Morrell, a Pro...
mncropcast.transistor.fm
Excited to share our new Molecular Ecology paper with @peterlmorrell.bsky.social, @chaochihl.bsky.social, & collaborators: phenotypically wild barley shows evidence of introgression from domesticated barley in the WBDC collection. doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #Barley #Genetics
Phenotypically Wild Barley Shows Evidence of Introgression From Domesticated Barley
Multiple studies have reported genetic evidence of crop-to-wild introgression in phenotypically wild accessions of wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum). We examined 318 Wild Barley Diversity...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Maybe I spend too much time grading, but it seems like this should be in sentence case or title case, but it can’t be a mix. If you go with this style, shouldn’t “not” be capitalized?
@jbyoder.org - I’m losing track of how many times I’ve posted a link to this blog post in a review. A national landmark! www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...
FAQ: Should I invent an acronym?
“Moveable type” (Flickr, David DeSandro) Q. I’m writing a research article, and the text frequently mentions the biological process that is the subject of the article. I’m a…
molecularecologist.com
Species: Catha edulis Common Name: Khat Active Compounds: Cathinone Medical or Cultural Use: Remedy for fatigue, depression, appetite suppression, and pain Risks of Use: Grandiose delusions, paranoia, nightmares, hallucinations, and hyperactivity
My doctor said I should be talking about "The Science of Cannabis" outside the class - Species: Cannabis sativa - Common name: marijuana - Active compounds: delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol - Medical or cultural uses: pain relief, insomnia, antiemetic - Risks of use: reduced mental acuity, dependency
I wrote an opinion piece about parental/family leave at UConn. I’m only ~75% happy with it but … something needed to be said. Many things actually. Loudly. Repeatedly. And with as many voices as possible. “This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors” ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
Opinion: This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors
UConn currently lets every pregnant/expecting individual reinvent the wheel, cobbling together a leave plan with whatever resources and departmental grace they can muster.
ctmirror.org
I’m excited to contribute as an associate editor for “Primers in Genetics.” The focus is on educational materials. Should be fun! @genetics-gsa.bsky.social genestogenomes.org/genetics-exp...
GENETICS Expands Primers Section
Beth De Stasio of Lawrence University will serve as Senior Editor and work with a newly formed team of six Associate Editors to expand the publication of Primers in GENETICS.
genestogenomes.org
Decoding nature’s grammar with DNA language models | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... - Serguei Pakhomov was a great co-author for this commentary on PlantCaduceus
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
Very happy with this perspective piece just published. Highlighting how anti DEI has the same impacts as good old racism on educational equity.
Cissy Ballen@cissyballen.bsky.social · last yr.Using anti-DEI policies to dismantle education: A new front in a really old battle - a perspective with @kzutaustin.bsky.social and @hormiga.bsky.social | PLOS Biology journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
My HPC team at UC Davis is hiring! Looking for an experienced sysadmin to help build and maintain clusters (hardware and software). HPC experience great, but if you’re an experienced sysadmin and willing to learn, please apply! careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucdavis/...
An error has occurred.
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu
New paper w/ @plos.org! @chaochihl.bsky.social identifies a unique mutational pattern among sodium azide-induced mutants. SNPs in 'CC' context and indels. Thanks to @justinfay.bsky.social @lilei0051.bsky.social @giuliafrascarelli.bsky.social @nanoporetech.com et al journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
Sodium azide mutagenesis induces a unique pattern of mutations
Author summary Sodium azide is frequently used as a mutagen for experimental studies in plants. It induces primarily C → T changes. We find that these most often occur when a cytosine (C) is followed ...
journals.plos.org
A cool trick from AI coding companions. Creating temporary intermediate files in a shell script is pretty easy! Saves IO. log " -> Convert a GFF of gene positions to a BED file" intermediate_bed=$(mktemp) awk '$3 == "gene" {print $1"\t"$4-1"\t"$5}' "${GFF}" > "${intermediate_bed}"
Are you based in the U.S. 🇺🇸 or Canada 🇨🇦 and thinking of doing research in Europe? ERC grants offer up to €4.5 million to support groundbreaking, investigator-driven frontier research in all fields. Watch the dedicated info session for researchers in your region👉 youtu.be/92QYink1Lik #ChooseEurope
ERC Grants: EU funding for your bottom-up research proposal (2025)
YouTube video by EURAXESS North America
youtu.be
European Research Council (ERC)@erc.europa.eu · last yr.Today, the ERC formally adopted a decision to increase its support for researchers moving to Europe. On top of its normal grants, the ERC offers 'start-up' funding to help PIs establish laboratories / research teams in Europe. This extra funding is now x2 (up to €2 million!) europa.eu/!6Vdgmp
“Cutting basic science doesn’t save money.”
Barbara Kaskosz@kaskosz.bsky.social · last yr.America’s long-term growth is at stake. Congress is weighing sweeping FY2026 cuts to fundamental science, including $18 billion from the NIH and $5 billion from the NSF. In the long run, these cuts will cost the economy billions. @jdrakephd.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...
Identification of genetic variation associated with high-temperature tolerance in cowpea https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.09.647789v1
foolish & malicious "the food you consume is the result of generations of work by agricultural scientists and plant breeders... This work is only possible because of the availability of...extensive collections of plant genetic resources."
Freedom • Democracy • Truth@stevecmatt.bsky.social · last yr.Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds? - NY Times Opinion Guest Article www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/o...
New analysis says ~2/3 of unpaid taxes come from the top 10% of households, w/ 28% coming from the top 1%. The GOP CR would cut $20.2 billion of IRS funding for catching rich tax cheats - because the GOP is laser-focused on helping the rich cheat on their taxes. budgetlab.yale.edu/research/rev...
One aspect of this story caught my attention. The interviewee notes that Target pledged to spend $2B with black businesses and rescinded the pledge after the inauguration! Unless the need for investment in the community no longer exists, Target should keep their pledge. www.npr.org/2025/03/13/n...
Some congregations are giving up Target for Lent after it rolled back DEI commitments
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church about leading a movement to swear off shopping at Target for Lent.
npr.org
Here’s something concrete you can do to defend science: lots of states need coordinators and organizers for the March 7 rally!
Stand Up for Science!@standupforscience.net · last yr.🚨 WANT TO HELP US STAND UP FOR SCIENCE? 🚨 Here's a little update on where we're currently at with the planning process! Is your state red or grey & you want to see an event happen? Fill out our volunteer form or share with a friend! airtable.com/app4h5wUssMG... #standupforscience2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is firing women and minorities from prominent roles because he thinks they didn’t earn those positions. Did his race or gender play any part in his appointment? Allegations of alcohol and sexual abuse and poor fiscal management can be disqualifying for most jobs!
Just in case you thought that removing DEI criteria would mean that everyone is competing equally: NIH is removing grad students from underrepresented backgrounds from the applicant pool altogether. Their applications will not be considered. Other students, not from these backgrounds, will be.
Not sure why this needs to be pointed out, but real diversity, equity, and inclusion in the hiring process should result in a larger and more highly qualified pool of candidates. The equity and inclusion parts (in particular) are requirements under multiple federal, state, and local laws.
