Zach B. Hancock
@hancockzb.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist, science writer, YouTuber. Assistant Professor at Augusta University. he/him 🏳️🌈
http://www.youtube.com/@talkpopgen
http://www.youtube.com/@talkpopgen
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
"There is still life in the old dog."
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Is the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection of any use?
Abstract. There have been many recent discussions of the Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection, with an emphasis on its mathematical accuracy. It is arg
doi.org
February 2, 2026 at 8:38 PM
"There is still life in the old dog."
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Brian Charlesworth on Fisher's Fundamental Theorem in @journal-evo.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
New paper out in PNAS!!! 🎉
Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?
🧵 Dive into the story
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?
🧵 Dive into the story
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Plasmid mutation rates scale with copy number | PNAS
Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules that spread by horizontal transfer and
shape bacterial evolution. Plasmids are typically present at mul...
www.pnas.org
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM
New paper out in PNAS!!! 🎉
Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?
🧵 Dive into the story
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?
🧵 Dive into the story
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
The evolution of genetic drift over 50,000 generations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.25.701616v1
January 27, 2026 at 9:31 PM
The evolution of genetic drift over 50,000 generations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.25.701616v1
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 27, 2026 at 2:01 PM
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
This website does exactly what it says on the tin, and is fascinating - has interviews, annotated papers and old photos relevant to classic papers in ecology and evolution
reflectionsonpaperspast.com
reflectionsonpaperspast.com
Reflections on Papers Past | Revisiting old papers in ecology and evolution through interviews with their authors
reflectionsonpaperspast.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:18 PM
This website does exactly what it says on the tin, and is fascinating - has interviews, annotated papers and old photos relevant to classic papers in ecology and evolution
reflectionsonpaperspast.com
reflectionsonpaperspast.com
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
the first evol-mut-circle meeting of 2026 happens Tuesday, 20 Jan, 15:00 UTC (8:30 pm India, 10 am EST). Madeleine Oman will present "How Sequence Context-Dependent Mutability Drives Mutation Rate Variation in the Genome"
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
DM me to join the list for meeting info
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
DM me to join the list for meeting info
How Sequence Context-Dependent Mutability Drives Mutation Rate Variation in the Genome
Abstract. The rate of mutations varies >100-fold across the genome, altering the rate of evolution, and susceptibility to genetic diseases. The stronges
academic.oup.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:34 PM
the first evol-mut-circle meeting of 2026 happens Tuesday, 20 Jan, 15:00 UTC (8:30 pm India, 10 am EST). Madeleine Oman will present "How Sequence Context-Dependent Mutability Drives Mutation Rate Variation in the Genome"
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
DM me to join the list for meeting info
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
DM me to join the list for meeting info
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
“Universities must find new ways to connect with disadvantaged communities, and to offer new accounts of their societal value. We need a renewed focus on community-oriented research, bringing academic expertise to bear on problems faced by disadvantaged places and people”
Attacking Universities Is Now a Populist Position. We Must Redefine Their Moral Purpose
Britain's universities face an acute financial and moral crisis. Sarah Chaytor and John Tomaney explore how to build a solid base of citizen support.
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:34 AM
“Universities must find new ways to connect with disadvantaged communities, and to offer new accounts of their societal value. We need a renewed focus on community-oriented research, bringing academic expertise to bear on problems faced by disadvantaged places and people”
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Excited to share our new preprint from the @arbelharpak.bsky.social Lab!
How do recruitment into genetic studies and study characteristics impact what we infer about the genetic bases of traits, and what are the consequences? (1/21)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
How do recruitment into genetic studies and study characteristics impact what we infer about the genetic bases of traits, and what are the consequences? (1/21)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Representation in genetic studies affects inference about genetic architecture
Knowledge of a trait's "genetic architecture," namely the joint distribution of allele frequencies of causal variants and the direction and magnitude of their effects, is essential to understanding it...
www.biorxiv.org
January 14, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Excited to share our new preprint from the @arbelharpak.bsky.social Lab!
How do recruitment into genetic studies and study characteristics impact what we infer about the genetic bases of traits, and what are the consequences? (1/21)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
How do recruitment into genetic studies and study characteristics impact what we infer about the genetic bases of traits, and what are the consequences? (1/21)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
How did eukaryotic cells with complex architecture evolve from simpler prokaryotic cells? DNA analyses offer possible answers
go.nature.com/4sEMwLH
go.nature.com/4sEMwLH
Genomic clues to the origin of eukaryotic cells
How did eukaryotic cells with complex architecture evolve from simpler prokaryotic cells? DNA analyses offer possible answers.
go.nature.com
January 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
How did eukaryotic cells with complex architecture evolve from simpler prokaryotic cells? DNA analyses offer possible answers
go.nature.com/4sEMwLH
go.nature.com/4sEMwLH
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
January 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Interested in genetic diversity-area relationships as a potential proxy for genetic diversity? Check out Chloé Schmidt's latest 😀
@chloology.bsky.social 🧪🌎🧬🌐
#consgen #popgen #evobio
with Sean Hoban, @debbiemleigh.bsky.social, & Walter Jetz
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
@chloology.bsky.social 🧪🌎🧬🌐
#consgen #popgen #evobio
with Sean Hoban, @debbiemleigh.bsky.social, & Walter Jetz
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
January 9, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Interested in genetic diversity-area relationships as a potential proxy for genetic diversity? Check out Chloé Schmidt's latest 😀
@chloology.bsky.social 🧪🌎🧬🌐
#consgen #popgen #evobio
with Sean Hoban, @debbiemleigh.bsky.social, & Walter Jetz
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
@chloology.bsky.social 🧪🌎🧬🌐
#consgen #popgen #evobio
with Sean Hoban, @debbiemleigh.bsky.social, & Walter Jetz
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Less than a month before my debut book "What We Inherit" gets released! You can place pre-orders now: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Lucky to have gotten to collaborate (and argue) with Sam Trejo for the last 5+ years on this.
Lucky to have gotten to collaborate (and argue) with Sam Trejo for the last 5+ years on this.
What We Inherit
Debating the use of genomic tools and their societal impact
press.princeton.edu
January 9, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Less than a month before my debut book "What We Inherit" gets released! You can place pre-orders now: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Lucky to have gotten to collaborate (and argue) with Sam Trejo for the last 5+ years on this.
Lucky to have gotten to collaborate (and argue) with Sam Trejo for the last 5+ years on this.
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Sponges are notoriously difficult to understand in evolutionary biology terms. I think this paper is a big step forward : www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Independent origins of spicules reconcile paleontological and molecular evidence of sponge evolutionary history
Sponges have a cryptic Ediacaran history because ancestral sponges were soft-bodied and had low fossilization potential.
www.science.org
January 8, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Sponges are notoriously difficult to understand in evolutionary biology terms. I think this paper is a big step forward : www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
I'm excited to share that our preprint is now available on bioRxiv! Our study challenges the widespread use of molecular genetic diversity as a predictor adaptive potential, with important implications for how genetic data is used to inform conservation decisions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Nucleotide diversity is a poor predictor of short-term adaptive potential
A capacity to adapt is essential for a population to avoid extinction in a changing world and is recognised as a global conservation priority. Adaptation requires additive (heritable) genetic variatio...
www.biorxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 8:26 AM
I'm excited to share that our preprint is now available on bioRxiv! Our study challenges the widespread use of molecular genetic diversity as a predictor adaptive potential, with important implications for how genetic data is used to inform conservation decisions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Haller, Ralph & Messer present SLiM 5, a major extension of the SLiM simulation framework for simulating multiple chromosomes, enabling a heightened level of realism for full-genome simulations.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf313
#evobio #molbio #compbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf313
#evobio #molbio #compbio
January 5, 2026 at 8:53 AM
Haller, Ralph & Messer present SLiM 5, a major extension of the SLiM simulation framework for simulating multiple chromosomes, enabling a heightened level of realism for full-genome simulations.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf313
#evobio #molbio #compbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf313
#evobio #molbio #compbio
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
When rapid environmental change creates fitness valleys, recombination plays an ambiguous role. Wirtz et al. investigate how swift population recovery is possible, and interpret chromosomal fusions in this context.
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
December 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
When rapid environmental change creates fitness valleys, recombination plays an ambiguous role. Wirtz et al. investigate how swift population recovery is possible, and interpret chromosomal fusions in this context.
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Hey, fellow evolutionary biologists:
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
And that’s a follow.
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
December 22, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Hey, fellow evolutionary biologists:
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Our recent article on the adaptive consequences of altered translation accuracy is the focus of December's MBE Highlight.
Highlight: How Life's “Mistakes” Impact Adaptation
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf308
#evobio #molbio
Highlight: How Life's “Mistakes” Impact Adaptation
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf308
#evobio #molbio
December 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Our recent article on the adaptive consequences of altered translation accuracy is the focus of December's MBE Highlight.
Highlight: How Life's “Mistakes” Impact Adaptation
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf308
#evobio #molbio
Highlight: How Life's “Mistakes” Impact Adaptation
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf308
#evobio #molbio
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Original blog post plotting out human data for HW proportions:
gcbias.org/2011/10/13/p...
They're also linked to on page 26 of my popgen notes.
gcbias.org/2011/10/13/p...
They're also linked to on page 26 of my popgen notes.
Population genetics course resources: Hardy-Weinberg Eq.
Using data from the Hapmap to illustrate Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. The code and the data are below. The original inspiration for these comes from John Novembre, who made a similar plot for one of…
gcbias.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Original blog post plotting out human data for HW proportions:
gcbias.org/2011/10/13/p...
They're also linked to on page 26 of my popgen notes.
gcbias.org/2011/10/13/p...
They're also linked to on page 26 of my popgen notes.
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
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... 1/n
@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... 1/n
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...
www.biorxiv.org
December 22, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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... 1/n
@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... 1/n
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Now accepted in Genetics!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
Effects of rescaling forward-in-time population genetic simulations
Abstract. Forward-in-time population genetic simulations enable modelling of a wide array of complex evolutionary scenarios. Simulating small genomic regio
academic.oup.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Now accepted in Genetics!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Finally published: #Cryptic species and taxonomic revision of kangaroo mice, the rodent genus #Microdipodops. 4 new species! Integrative taxonomy! Great co-authors! @n8upham.bsky.social @mammalogists.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jmam...
Cryptic species and taxonomic revision of kangaroo mice, the rodent genus Microdipodops
Abstract. This study presents the first systematic revision of kangaroo mice, the heteromyid genus Microdipodops, in over 8 decades. The study relies on a
doi.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Finally published: #Cryptic species and taxonomic revision of kangaroo mice, the rodent genus #Microdipodops. 4 new species! Integrative taxonomy! Great co-authors! @n8upham.bsky.social @mammalogists.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/jmam...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Do extra chromosome sets mask bad mutations? Simulations show tetraploids often carry higher genetic load than diploids, depending on dominance, demography, and drift—with important implications for fitness and conservation.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
The hidden threat: genetic load dynamics in tetraploids and diploids
Polyploid organisms often display unique evolutionary dynamics compared to diploids. One unresolved question is how polyploidy affects the accumulation of
academic.oup.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Do extra chromosome sets mask bad mutations? Simulations show tetraploids often carry higher genetic load than diploids, depending on dominance, demography, and drift—with important implications for fitness and conservation.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Why is phenotypic plasticity so common? Models show that even low migration between locally adapted populations can maintain costly plasticity in constant environments, revealing migration as a key driver of plastic trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Evolution of phenotypic plasticity owing to migration
Phenotypes can change without alterations in the underlying genotype—a phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity—the evolution of which is typically trigge
academic.oup.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Why is phenotypic plasticity so common? Models show that even low migration between locally adapted populations can maintain costly plasticity in constant environments, revealing migration as a key driver of plastic trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Reposted by Zach B. Hancock
Looking for a faculty job at one of the world's great research stations?
We're looking for a marine invertebrate biologist at UW's Friday Harbor Labs.
apply.interfolio.com/178804
We're looking for a marine invertebrate biologist at UW's Friday Harbor Labs.
apply.interfolio.com/178804
December 16, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Looking for a faculty job at one of the world's great research stations?
We're looking for a marine invertebrate biologist at UW's Friday Harbor Labs.
apply.interfolio.com/178804
We're looking for a marine invertebrate biologist at UW's Friday Harbor Labs.
apply.interfolio.com/178804