Finally, footage from that new whale graveyard.
The fact that fossils and fresh carcasses mix together in this spot is bonkers. But of course it makes sense, because the scavengers that live down there also need a steady supply over millions of years. They can't just suddenly adapt to the deep.
Our paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature.
Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/.... Afternoon stroll soundtrack: a brilliant edition of Word of Mouth presented by @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social Thanks for the watter-based shoutout! @bbcsounds.bsky.social
Toni Gabaldón
Just saw David Tian give a great talk about this work at #PEQG26!
Michael Rosen meets popular YouTuber Simon Roper, who tries to recreate how people spoke.
www.bbc.co.uk
Can plants grow roots up an O2 gradient?
Another handful of sand in the gears:
Researchers cannot serve on a panel *at all* if anyone from their institution has submitted to that panel. Recusing themselves for the proposal itself is no longer sufficient.
This is needless, but will certainly slow things up even further.
Our new paper doi.org/10.1098/rspb... on long-term genetic threats to small populations finds that "mutational meltdown" (bad mutations fixing) is less of a problem than "mutational drought" (too few good new mutations) @wmawass.bsky.social @uliseshmc.bsky.social @jeremyjberg.bsky.social 1/5
Ian McMillan
Researchers say changes could further burden the understaffed agency
Abstract. Habitat loss contributes to extinction risk in multiple ways. Genetically, small populations can face an ‘extinction vortex’—a positive feedback
