Andy Foote
@andrewfoote.bsky.social
📤 1603
📥 775
📝 77
Evolutionary biologist using ancient and modern DNA to study evolution through time and space.
pinned post!
The Evolution of Cetacean Societies Edited by
@darrencroft.bsky.social
@ellengarland.bsky.social
and.bsky.social
@stephanielking.bsky.social
and myself Preorder available now
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Will share more details closer to release date
#whale
#dolphin
#animalbehaviour
9 months ago
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Molly Przeworski
2 days ago
Happy to highlight an essay I wrote together with
@marcdemanuel.bsky.social
,
@natanaels.bsky.social
and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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What sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species?
Germline mutation rates per generation are strikingly similar across animals, despite vast differences in life histories. Analogously, in at least one somatic cell type, mutation rates at the end of l...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.19.695482v1
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bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology
5 days ago
demografr: A toolkit for simulation-based inference in population genetics
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.18.694482v1
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Molecular Biology and Evolution
9 days ago
@cademirch.bsky.social
@erikenbody.bsky.social
TB Sackton &
@russcd.bsky.social
introduce Callable Loci And More (clam), a tool that leverages callable loci to accurately estimate population genetic statistics (π, dxy, and FST). 🔗
doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf282
#evobio
#molbio
#compbio
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Efficient Estimation of Nucleotide Diversity and Divergence Using Callable Loci (and More)
Abstract. The increasing scale of population genomic datasets presents computational challenges in estimating summary statistics such as nucleotide diversi
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf282
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Katharina J. Peters
7 days ago
🐬 Can friendship slow ageing? In wild bottlenose dolphins, strong social relationships aren’t just important for social life — they may actually influence biological ageing.
@liviagerber.bsky.social
#ScienceCommunication
#MarineMammals
#Ageing
#MAVELab
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
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Social bonds decrease epigenetic age in male bottlenose dolphins - Communications Biology
Across 40 years of behavioural and epigenetic data, male dolphins with stronger social relationships show lower epigenetic ages and therefore appear to age slower compared to those with weaker social ...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-09227-w
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William Perry
9 days ago
📢
#PhD
opportunity! Interested in
#eDNA
and protecting our
#rivers
? We are recruiting a PhD researcher to tackle a very topical challenge: Empowering citizen scientists with an eDNA toolbox to safeguard
#freshwater
fishes. Deadline: January 16th 2026.
#PhDPosition
#CardiffUniversity
bit.ly/49bl4gO
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Jonathan Pritchard
11 days ago
Our latest preprint revisits the classic model of mutation-selection balance. Do human recessive genes fit Haldane's 100-year old model? This work is by the wonderful
@jonj-udd.bsky.social
, and co-mentored by
@jeffspence.github.io
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Allele Frequencies at Recessive Disease Genes are Mainly Determined by Pleiotropic Effects in Heterozygotes
The classic theory of mutation-selection balance predicts the equilibrium frequency of genetic variation under negative selection. The model predicts a simple relationship between the total frequency ...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.05.692665v1
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A short note just published in Biology Letters with
@darrencroft.bsky.social
, in which we build a hypothesis on the potential genomic underpinning of a mid-life female menopause in killer whales
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl..
.
14 days ago
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Leyan Wang
28 days ago
We are excited to share our recent work on the surprising robustness of Ancestral Recombination Graph (ARG) inference tools to computational phasing errors, now available on BioRxiv:
biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
. This work is co-advised by
@yundeng.bsky.social
and Rasmus Nielsen. 1/7
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Robustness of Ancestral Recombination Graph Inference Tools to Phasing Errors
Ancestral Recombination Graphs (ARGs) are fundamental population genetic structures that encode the genealogical history of a sample of haplotypes along the genome. They have recently received substan...
https://biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.24.690249v1
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Judith Mank
about 1 month ago
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
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We made the cover of
@heredityjournal.bsky.social
! Photo by
@cherinebaumgartner.bsky.social
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20 days ago
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Buy The Evolution of Cetacean Societies book direct from uChicago press via link below and use the code UCPNEW at checkout to get 30% discount off the list price.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
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The Evolution of Cetacean Societies
From leading cetacean biologists, an up-to-date, comprehensive collection exploring advancements in our understanding of cetacean ecology, behavior, and societies. Cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and po...
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo257312594.html
21 days ago
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Stefaniya Kamenova
24 days ago
The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia is offering several quite attractive fellowship schemes for postdoctoral researchers from the social sciences and the humanities, including one specifically dedicated to Ukranian scholars. Check it out! Application deadline: 31 March 2026.
cas.bg/en/cas-sofia...
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CAS Sofia Fellowships for 2026/2027 – CAS
https://cas.bg/en/cas-sofia-fellowships-for-2026-2027/
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Nicolas Bierne
25 days ago
Improving two-step cancer treatment strategies based on evolutionary models, but above all a nice evolutionary rescue model that should be of interest to everyone.
#PopGen
#CanEcoEvo
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Dr Simon Goodman
about 1 month ago
New PhD studentship opportunity in my lab & with collaborators from the Pinniped Genomes Consortium. Come help us unravel the genomics of seal physiological super powers! Closing date 7th January 2026 🧪🦭🧬🌍🦑🐳
#marine
#mammals
#consgen
#popgen
#phylo
#molevol
#evolution
yes-dtn.ac.uk/research/the...
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The evolutionary genomics of life-history adaptations in pinnipeds - Yorkshire Environmental Sciences • Doctoral Training Network
Project summary Pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, fur seals and walrus) are keystone marine predators, and sentinels for marine ecosystem health. Advances in genomic technology open up the possibility to u...
https://yes-dtn.ac.uk/research/the-evolutionary-genomics-of-life-history-adaptations-in-pinnipeds/
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Katerina Guschanski
about 2 months ago
Just over a month left to apply for scholarships on this project. We will run internal pre-selection interviews end of November, so if you consider applying, please reach out now. I can guarantee amazing scientific and intellectual environment at the Institute for Eco Evo
@edinburghup.bsky.social
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bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology
about 2 months ago
Elevated mutation near crossovers inhibits the evolution of recombination
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.685904v1
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Dr Mark E Hauber
about 2 months ago
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Genomic architecture of egg mimicry and its consequences for speciation in parasitic cuckoos
Host-parasite arms races facilitate rapid evolution and can fuel speciation. Cuculus cuckoos are deceptive egg mimics that exhibit a broad diversity of counterfeit egg phenotypes, representing host-ad...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt9355
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A dream postdoc on an incredible population, building on over three decades of field research, and with a brilliant and supportive PI.
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about 2 months ago
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This is a bloody awful situation. If anyone has experience of how to deal with this please reach out to Kim
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about 2 months ago
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Hanna Kokko
about 2 months ago
A young PI here in Mainz has a fabulous PhD position that will be filled soon! By you? Keywords: Social insects, ageing, gene expression.
www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evoluti...
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Behavioural Ecology and Social Evolution
https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb10-evolutionary-biology/
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A great opportunity to work with great colleagues (Marie Louis and Outi Tervo) on the beautiful Faroes on an ambitious eDNA study of marine mammals.
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about 2 months ago
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New paper out in Heredity: 'Evidence of long-term purging of mutation burden in killer whale genomes'. Time calibration of purging was through inclusion of an ancient (7.5Kyr) genome which was close to directly ancestral to the present-day population with signature of purging.
rdcu.be/eM25j
about 2 months ago
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Ricardo J Pereira
about 2 months ago
Join us tomorrow either at the
@smnstuttgart.bsky.social
or online to learn what 20,000 years old bones of crows 🐦⬛ can tell us about the evolution of color pattern!
@kombiota.bsky.social
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Darren Croft
2 months ago
MSc by Res opportunity - developing behavioural indicators to inform killer whale conservation with
@exeter.ac.uk
@whaleresearch.bsky.social
@seadocsociety.bsky.social
People from underrepresented groups in marine science encouraged to apply. Deadline 19Dec
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
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Reto Burri
2 months ago
1/9 New in
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8005
How does genetic architecture constrain evolutionary trajectories? To address this question, we inferred the genetic architecture of convergent plumage coloration and its evolutionary history in wheatears.
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A mosaic of modular variation at a single gene underpins convergent plumage coloration
The reshuffling of genomic variation from multiple origins is an important contributor to phenotypic diversification, yet insights into the evolutionary trajectories of this combinatorial process and ...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8005
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Kjetill S Jakobsen
2 months ago
Article alert: Maurstad, Hoff; Cerca et al. Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations. Now out in Genome Biol. Congrats to Sissel and the team😀
doi.org/10.1186/s130...
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Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations - Genome Biology
Background Whole-genome sequencing efforts, have during the past decade, unveiled the central role of genomic rearrangements—such as chromosomal inversions—in evolutionary processes, including local a...
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-025-03761-w
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Jukka-Pekka Verta
2 months ago
PhD OPPORTUNITY! 🔬🔖 Still one more day to apply for our fully-funded PhD position in Norway! Please share widely 🙏
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3 months ago
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Erin Sikorsky
3 months ago
Oof, one of my heroes.
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Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/obituaries/jane-goodall-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qE8.cvsn.6tQscnCLRMHN&smid=url-share
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ICP2026 Stockholm
3 months ago
🦴🧬🦴🧬🦴 Abstract submission is now open for the 1st International Conference on Palaeogenomics! June 23–26 2026, in Stockholm. Join researchers from across the field for 4 days and >100 talks (+ poster sessions)! Submit abstracts here 👉
icp2026.palaeogenomics.org/abstracts/
Deadline: Nov 30th
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POPGROUP59
3 months ago
Exciting news! The next
#PopGroup
meeting will take place in Lille 🍟, France, 7–9 January 2026 – just 1 hour by train from London, Brussels, and Paris. This year, PopGroup will also host ALPHY, the annual meeting of Evolutionary Genomics. More info:
populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
See you there !
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Population Genetics group 59
https://populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk/
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Emma Luck
3 months ago
I am pleased to share our new review paper detailing killer whale interactions with commercial fisheries in Frontiers in Marine Science!
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
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Edward Elderman
3 months ago
This only happens to you once
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Darren Croft
3 months ago
We are hiring (Post number 2) - join us as a graduate research assistant to support killer whale research. Collaboration with
@samellisq.bsky.social
@drwhale.bsky.social
Prof Dan Franks (York) start 1st Nov (or ASAP) end 31st Oct 2028. Apps close on 19th Oct.
jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...
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This is a rare opportunity to work with an incredible dataset building on over five decades of field studies on the Southern Resident killer whale population, and led by an amazing team.
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3 months ago
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Anna Selbmann
3 months ago
A killer whale PostDoc! 🤯😍
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Yun S. Song
3 months ago
We are excited to share GPN-Star, a cost-effective, biologically grounded genomic language modeling framework that achieves state-of-the-art performance across a wide range of variant effect prediction tasks relevant to human genetics.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology
3 months ago
Strong but diffuse genetic divergence underlies differentiation in an incipient species of marine stickleback
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.19.677379v1
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Mark Ravinet
3 months ago
A while back (maybe 3-4 years?) there was a paper on common misconceptions of the genetics of various traits. One of them was eye colour in humans. I have lost this reference and can't find it anywhere. Does anyone recognise what I mean?
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Rike Stelkens
3 months ago
We have a new paper out in Molecular Ecology, led by
@devinbendixsen.bsky.social
! Reproductive isolation due to divergent ecological selection is accompanied by vast genomic instability in experimentally evolved yeast populations
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Yun S. Song
3 months ago
SINGER, our ARG inference method, is finally published and freely available online:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
It was a long journey – 16 months from initial submission to acceptance. Is it just me, or has peer review gotten more arduous lately? 4+ rounds of review isn't so unusual these days...
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Robust and accurate Bayesian inference of genome-wide genealogies for hundreds of genomes - Nature Genetics
SINGER is a method for creating ancestral recombination graphs to understand the genealogical history of genomes. The method has increased speed, and thus scalability, without sacrificing accuracy.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-025-02317-9
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This substack post by
@erichhoyt.bsky.social
reflects on the 1975 National Whale Symposium, describing the synthesis emerging around photo-id at that time:
substack.com/home/post/p-...
It's a wonderful read
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Whales through a new lens, revisited, Part 2
Here’s my writer’s cut
https://substack.com/home/post/p-172680504
4 months ago
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Nicolas Bierne
4 months ago
Still possible to apply to this
#post-doc
position at CESAB
#Montpellier
. Application closing date: September 15th 2025 (12:00 PM CET) How taking intraspecific diversity and evolutionary processes into account in translocation-based programs. Please share widely
#PopGen
#NbS
#Biodiversity
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Rachel Moran
4 months ago
First pop gen paper from our lab! We find repeated evolutionary turn over of sex chromosomes in darters contributes to reproductive isolation. Turnover may be an escape hatch to resolve mitonuclear conflict & neo sex chromosomes evolved via a rare recessive mutation.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Lee Hsiang Liow (廖珕庠)
4 months ago
So excited that
@corriemoreau.bsky.social
will be giving a tangled banks seminar at NHMO today!!
www.nhm.uio.no/english/rese...
join us (also on zoom!)
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Evolutionary success of the turtle ants through extreme trait evolution and symbiosis - Natural History Museum
Dr. Corrie Moreau, Cornell University
https://www.nhm.uio.no/english/research/groups/stadis/stadis-tangled-bank-seminars/09-04-seminar.html
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Nicolas Bierne
4 months ago
Hi marine biologist folks
#MarBiol
🦪🐙🪸🐟🦈🦀🦐🌱🦭🌊 Please give us 5 minutes of your time to fill this online survey on marine connectivity policy - The marine connectivity science and tools we need for the ocean we want
#MarCo
#MarEvol
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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OOSC 2025 - Online survey for Session 10-14 - The marine connectivity science and tools we need for the ocean we want
This questionnaire has been created to reach out to experts with roles and contributions to the management and/or conservation of the ocean and its resources. It explores the existing challenges and p...
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1v1UvxjSosno8--fBkai6OX9SQTgUr_mvnwYVvuAtQIGlmQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=101744042069413573136
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Corrie Moreau
4 months ago
If you are in Oslo join us tomorrow!
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Laurits Skov
4 months ago
Are you interested in doing a PhD in Copenhagen? Interested in studying Neanderthals and Denisovans which live on in our genomes? Than you are more than welcome to apply to join my group starting Jan 2026 :)
candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
Please reach out if you have any questions!
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Laura K Hayward
4 months ago
Why do males and females often differ in traits? The expected answer: selection. But our new paper in GENETICS shows that genetic drift alone can generate sexual dimorphism — even when male & female optima are the same
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