My May 20 (next Wednesday!) lecture at Broad: Turns out humans don't have all the answers. There is an untapped opportunity for innovation in medicine by exploring why other species are protected from diseases common in humans. Come and find out more!

New paper out today with @josephguhlin.bsky.social where we did penguin GWAS to better understand disease risk and found that these penguins represent three deep evolutionary lineages www.nature.com/articles/s41...

HAT-TIP @acstone.bsky.social & @cegamorim.bsky.social for leading the genetics teaMMM of @n8upham.bsky.social @fervillanea.bsky.social @lucasrocm.bsky.social @carloschalicothere.bsky.social @elinork.bsky.social @afogel29.bsky.social @elliecat.bsky.social @michelle-e-white.bsky.social #2026MMM

Is the auroch DNA truly gone from the world? Pereira et al found that modern Anatolian, Levant, Irani, and Balkans cattle share DNA to various degrees with extinct Armenian, British, and Moroccan ancient aurochs. A small amount of auroch DNA still lives today doi.org/10.1126/scie... #2026MMM #RIP

The extinct auroch had at least three subspecies, and all three contributed some ancestry to modern cattle. For example, Cai et al found East Asian cattle descend from West Eurasian cattle originally but then later admixture with the extinct East Asian auroch doi.org/10.1038/hdy.... #2026MMM

Every year, humpback whales make long treks btwn where they breed & where they feed. Maternally-inherited mtDNA from >1,800 humpback whales suggest that animals annually return to where they were born to breed themselves & where they fed w/their moms early in life #2026MMM doi.org/10.3354/meps10508

A chromosome-scale genome for the honey badger doesn't yet exist. Only available genome is in 2,068,312 pieces. Honey badger don't care. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/gen... #2026MMM #RIP

Although honey badgers have a dominant male, genetic analysis revealed that subordinate males fathered about half of cubs. journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.1... #2026MMM

How related are Nile crocodiles across Southern Africa? Van Asch et al. (2019) used STRs & mtDNA to examine phylogeography & genetic diversity. Primary differentiation across east/west & secondarily across major river systems #2026MMM doi.org/10.1371/jour...

In just a few minutes the penultimate #2026MMM night of battles begin & I'll be posting genetics & evolution facts from Genetics TeaMMM!

Sequencing mtDNA COI genes in Siberian Salamander & cryptic sister species Schrenck salamander in northeast China finds high genetic differentiation among populations w/in each species in the Khingan Range & Changbai mountains doi.org/10.1371/jour... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

The Gila Monster slowly moves towards the defrosting Siberian Salamander, using her flicking her tongue to assess as she steps towards the AMPHIBICICLE #2026MMM #2026mmm

Studying mtDNA genomes from throughout Siberian Salamander's range finds highest diversity in Russian Far East & Manchuria. Population expanded in the middle Pleistocene & then bottlenecked at the Last Glacial Max. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ym... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Gila monsters have 18 pairs of chromosomes (fewer than our 23), including a pair of sex chromosomes (Pokorná et al, 2014): journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... #2026MMM #2026mmm

While the long-tailed planigale appeared relatively recently, its ancestors likely diversified as Australia collided with the Ontong-Java Plateau, creating the dry habitats they love today. doi.org/10.1111/zoj.... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Big data for small mammals! Researchers used 16 nuclear and mitochondrial genes to build the Dasyuromorphia tree. Findings confirm long-tailed planigale sits within the Planigalini tribe, having diverged from its closest relatives ~12.3 million years ago doi.org/10.1111/zoj..... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Shrews species relationships have always been difficult to resolve because their group speciated very quickly. He et al used mitochondrial genomes to create a phylogeny and identified the Least Shrew group as basal to all other small-eared shrews dx.doi.org/10.24272/j.i... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Kulkarni et al. (2024) assembled a chromosome-level genome of the Uropygi (Mastigoproctus giganteus) and found it is BIG. Nearly as big as the human genome (3.17Gb), with 71% consisting of repetitive DNA. doi.org/10.1093/jher... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Uropygi have looked largely the same since the Carboniferous, but their DNA tells an even older story. The Mastigoproctus giganteus genome has preserved the signature of a whole genome duplication that predates the Silurian (400+ million years old). doi.org/10.1093/jher... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Phylogenies work best if you can combine fossil and DNA evidence! A consensus of the molecular, morphological, and paleontological evidence placed the three grasshopper mice species as a distinct and unique genus within the new world mice doi.org/10.1093/jmam... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Unlike most, bloodworm hemoglobin swaps distal histidine for leucine. This hydrophobic pocket stops iron oxidation, keeping "blood" functional in the toxic mud where these animals live. doi.org/10.1016/0022... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

The Northern Shrike is not just one species: genetic data suggests New World and Old World populations have been on separate paths for a long time (1.1–1.8 my) doi.org/10.1525/cond... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Genetic profiling of bloodworm venom gland reveals a lethal cocktail of 20 different toxin classes, including "stonustoxin" previously only found in deadly stonefish. It’s a cool case of convergent evolution! doi.org/10.1093/gbe/... #2026MMM #2026mmm

The venom gland of the assassin bug is a specialized factory. Using RNA-Seq, researchers identified 127 unique protein sequences, including "redulysins", pore-forming toxins that help melt prey tissues from the inside out. doi.org/10.1074/mcp.... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Research shows the CUB domain protein family, among the most abundant proteins in the Assassin bugs' venom, likely evolved from digestive enzymes ~190 million years ago. This coincides with the ancestral switch from eating plants to becoming predators! doi.org/10.1074/mcp.... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Honey badger has a specific protein coding mutation that reduces the binding capacity of neurotoxins in the venom of snakes it preys upon. royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Boneworm genomes are so metal! O. frankpressi has reduced genome & adaptations for bone digestion, w loss of amino acid biosynthetic pathways abundant in bones & expansion of matrix metalloproteases used in bone digestion. doi.org/10.1038/s414... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Are boneworms more closely related to Vestimentifera (living at hydrothermal vents) + Sclerolinum (decaying matter) or Frenulata (muddy sediments)? Li et al. (2015) sequenced the mtDNA & found boneworms are sister (& branch basely) to Vestimentifera. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ym... #2026MMM #2026mmm

The Pacific Lamprey is a master of dispersal, mixing genes across thousands of miles. To the naked eye, it looks like one giant, uniform population. Using genomic data, Hess et al. found 162 adaptive loci drive differences in body size & migration timing. doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Short tandem repeat DNA data collected by Halczok et al. (2018) show Fringe-lipped bat (unlike other Neotropical bats) has mostly male-mediated gene flow & that human impacts like widening of the Panama Canal are acting as recent barriers to gene flow. doi.org/10.1002/ece3... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Do Fringe-lipped bats have cryptic (hidden) species? Divergent mtDNA data (COI gene) suggest maybe. But what about the Y chromosome? Clare (2011) compared the data in 127 bats from across Central & South America, but no Y variation found (need more data?) doi.org/10.1371/jour... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Genomic evidence shows the Common Chuckwalla is actually two distinct lineages, separated when the northern Gulf of California first flooded. This event set the stage for the evolution of the unique giant island chuckwallas we see today. doi.org/10.1093/biol... #2026MMM #2026mmm

Sann et al. (2018) used 195 genes from major lineages of apoid wasps and bee families (including our wasp’s family Bembicidae) to assess their evolutionary history. They found that this family of wasps radiated in the early Cretaceous! doi.org/10.1186/s128... #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP

Bearded Vultures are genetically adapted to eat bones! 🦴 Zou et al. (2021) show evidence of positive selection in gastric acid secretion pathway (genes like ADCY5 & SLC26A7). Allows them to maintain a stomach pH of ~1.0 to dissolve bone and kill pathogen. doi.org/10.1093/molb... #2026MMM #2026mmm

What is a species? A debate in biology…& in cicada killer wasps! Coelho & Mendell (2008) used mtDNA COI data to investigate relationships & found S. speciosus & S. convallis cluster closely = just 1 species? mtDNA introgression? recent speciation? www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2008... #2026MMM #2026mmm

16 species. Weird adaptations & even weirder genomes. Who will survive? Tonight I'll be posting for #2026MMM #2026mmm. Skeets by Genetics TeaMMM @lucasrocm.bsky.social @fervillanea.bsky.social @acstone.bsky.social @sexchrlab.bsky.social @n8upham.bsky.social Learn about MMM 👉 @mmmletsgo.bsky.social

A just-published study by Elinor Karlsson, PhD, and Kathryn Lord, PhD, in @pnas.org found no evidence of behavior-associated genetic variations in dogs: direc.to/oaxf Genetic tests only revealed strong associations for traits like height & leg length. #dogs @elinork.bsky.social @broadinstitute.org

And wars of greed, hate, & empire, cough, I mean current and expanding military conflicts, threaten people, wildlife, & landscapes in increasingly catastrophic ways. #2026MMM therevelator.org/war-harms-wi...

And March Mammal Madness would not be possible without the incredible achievements of scientists the world over, so many funded by those historical engines of excellence- the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin #2026MMM

Elinor Karlsson kicked off our morning session: ‚Behavior Evolution: Mechanisms and Change‘ and introduced her research on dogs. Her research is driven by questions such as do breeds have distincive behaviors or how did a wolf become a dog? @elinork.bsky.social karlssonlab.org/about/people...

Mass murderer. (gift link)

Attending the GRC in Molecular mechanisms of evolution seems like such a privilege. Thanks to the chairs Dan Jarosz, Shelley Cooley & the vice-chairs Mia Levine and Joe Thornton. Opening session off to a great start with an introduction by @judithberman11.bsky.social that made me proud and cry. 1/

Jay's "support" for early career researchers is breathtaking. It's worth taking a quick look at the list of NIH training grants/fellowships that have been terminated. Thanks to @noamross.net, @scott-delaney.bsky.social, and others for compiling these lists.

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/...

Great stuff! Above all, the paper firmly nails 'domestication' as a phenomenon of populations, not (sub)species. Loud cheers.

You know what the world absolutely does not need? Yet another definition for domestication. Get over yourselves people. C'mon! Ok, maybe just one more. So much fun working with @elinork.bsky.social, Kathryn and Robin. www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Many years ago I ventured down a “what is domestication” rabbit hole w Kathryn Lord @gregerlarson.bsky.social & Robin Allaby. This is where we ended up! @pnas.org www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Let’s get the word out about the importance of federal funding of curiosity -driven science We all have similar stories to share

Time to catch up on the past week’s news about science and medicine in the US. Whew. 1/10

Sometimes being uprooted lets you grow something bigger. 🌱 On April 1st, the three of us were laid off from our dream jobs as science communicators for the federal government. But science communication is still alive and thriving. It’s just growing underground. Follow us for more updates to come!