Marc Tollis
@marcanthonytollis.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist from Queens. Genomes, phylogenies, TEs, cancer. Musician/drummer, dinosaur. I got kids. Former museum educator. Associate professor at Northern Arizona University
I love how there is a point in every kid's life where in their daily quest for sugar they realize they ain't got time for no Teddy Grahams
October 8, 2025 at 7:43 PM
I love how there is a point in every kid's life where in their daily quest for sugar they realize they ain't got time for no Teddy Grahams
Makin moves over here
October 1, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Makin moves over here
no I will not be navigating to your electronic calendar to schedule a meeting with you. You can just tell me when you are available 🤣
unless you are like a dean or a provost, then I get it. But another professor? Cmon
unless you are like a dean or a provost, then I get it. But another professor? Cmon
September 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
no I will not be navigating to your electronic calendar to schedule a meeting with you. You can just tell me when you are available 🤣
unless you are like a dean or a provost, then I get it. But another professor? Cmon
unless you are like a dean or a provost, then I get it. But another professor? Cmon
Reposted by Marc Tollis
New paper out! 🤩 "Shrinking to bird size with dinosaur-level cancer defences: Evolution of cancer suppression over macroevolutionary time" with @kokkonut.bsky.social and @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1371/jour... A short thread:
Shrinking to bird size with dinosaur-level cancer defences: Evolution of cancer suppression over macroevolutionary time
Author summary Humans are not the only species suffering from cancer, yet cancer does not impact all life equally. Body size is relevant because maintaining a large number of cells in a tumour-free st...
doi.org
September 16, 2025 at 11:51 AM
New paper out! 🤩 "Shrinking to bird size with dinosaur-level cancer defences: Evolution of cancer suppression over macroevolutionary time" with @kokkonut.bsky.social and @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1371/jour... A short thread:
Check out our awesome review of squamates, covering fossils, phylogenetics, and genomics!
Happy to share the advance version of our big AREES review on squamate origin and early evolution: From Fossils to Genomes with my two amazing colleagues, Frank Burbrink and @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Origin and Early Evolution of Squamates and Their Kin: From Fossils to Genomes | Annual Reviews
Squamates (lizards, including snakes) are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates on Earth today and have an evolutionary history dating back to at least the Middle Triassic (ca. 242 Mya). D...
www.annualreviews.org
September 7, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Check out our awesome review of squamates, covering fossils, phylogenetics, and genomics!
New lab preprint! Vahid Fard looked across mammals and found that species with more recently active LINE and SINE retrotransposons in their genomes also get more cancer, supporting a model where genome instability promotes neoplasia and malignancy
September 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
New lab preprint! Vahid Fard looked across mammals and found that species with more recently active LINE and SINE retrotransposons in their genomes also get more cancer, supporting a model where genome instability promotes neoplasia and malignancy
September 5, 2025 at 2:53 AM
New lab preprint! Vahid Fard looked across mammals and found that species with more recently active LINE and SINE retrotransposons in their genomes also get more cancer, supporting a model where genome instability promotes neoplasia and malignancy
never forget what they stole from you
August 28, 2025 at 2:54 AM
never forget what they stole from you
Yeah I’ll be skipping my usual conference not because it overlaps with the first week of classes (it always does) but rather the Knicks are coming to town that weekend
August 15, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Yeah I’ll be skipping my usual conference not because it overlaps with the first week of classes (it always does) but rather the Knicks are coming to town that weekend
For a project, we needed a tool that will batch download phylogeographic DNA samples (like mtDNA and nucDNA) for lots of species, which have just been sitting on NCBI since the PCR and Sanger-sequencing era (ca. 2003-2015) and can still be hella useful, so I wrote one. It aligns the sequences, too 👍
GitHub - marctollis/macrogenetics: Fetching and alignment of population-level sampling for DNA genetic markers from NCBI
Fetching and alignment of population-level sampling for DNA genetic markers from NCBI - marctollis/macrogenetics
github.com
August 12, 2025 at 11:57 PM
For a project, we needed a tool that will batch download phylogeographic DNA samples (like mtDNA and nucDNA) for lots of species, which have just been sitting on NCBI since the PCR and Sanger-sequencing era (ca. 2003-2015) and can still be hella useful, so I wrote one. It aligns the sequences, too 👍
GitHub - marctollis/macrogenetics: Fetching and alignment of population-level sampling for DNA genetic markers from NCBI
Fetching and alignment of population-level sampling for DNA genetic markers from NCBI - marctollis/macrogenetics
github.com
August 12, 2025 at 11:46 PM
For a project, we needed a tool that will batch download phylogeographic DNA samples (like mtDNA and nucDNA) for lots of species, which have just been sitting on NCBI since the PCR and Sanger-sequencing era (ca. 2003-2015) and can still be hella useful, so I wrote one. It aligns the sequences, too 👍
Has anybody been consulted on the NSF “shakeup”? Should PIs not bother submitting proposals at this point? I mean odds for funding were always low but are we just throwing effort into the wind now?
May 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Has anybody been consulted on the NSF “shakeup”? Should PIs not bother submitting proposals at this point? I mean odds for funding were always low but are we just throwing effort into the wind now?
Sophie Matthews’s lovely paper on gene copy number and cancer prevalence across mammals has been published in Molecular Biology and Evolution @official-smbe.bsky.social, check it out! academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Variable gene copy number in cancer-related pathways is associated with cancer prevalence across mammals
Abstract. Cancer is a disease of multicellularity, observed across the tree of life. In principle, animals with larger body sizes and longer lifespans shou
academic.oup.com
March 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Sophie Matthews’s lovely paper on gene copy number and cancer prevalence across mammals has been published in Molecular Biology and Evolution @official-smbe.bsky.social, check it out! academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Morale is pretty low among scientists given the new regime. Funding scenarios are up in the air, many MDs and PhDs are unsure of their status. But don’t despair! Put the energy into your students. Teach like a MFer, light the fire, they will be ready when the smoke clears.
January 24, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Morale is pretty low among scientists given the new regime. Funding scenarios are up in the air, many MDs and PhDs are unsure of their status. But don’t despair! Put the energy into your students. Teach like a MFer, light the fire, they will be ready when the smoke clears.
Haha Gen X has no complaints, just “whatever”
i don't want to hear your most boomer complaint. what's your most millennial complaint?
January 16, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Haha Gen X has no complaints, just “whatever”
Fellow parents: amirite, it’s one thing to step on a lego but it’s even more infuriating to step on a cheerio
January 16, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Fellow parents: amirite, it’s one thing to step on a lego but it’s even more infuriating to step on a cheerio
Here mt Xmas playlist ive been building for more than 10 years. Enjoy! open.spotify.com/playlist/0Qn...
Xmas mix
Playlist · Marc Tollis · 187 items · 11 saves
open.spotify.com
December 23, 2024 at 2:27 AM
Here mt Xmas playlist ive been building for more than 10 years. Enjoy! open.spotify.com/playlist/0Qn...
the only time I want someone to be over-bubbly and friendly in an email is when they have to respond to my dumb question. Please be nice!
December 18, 2024 at 7:52 PM
the only time I want someone to be over-bubbly and friendly in an email is when they have to respond to my dumb question. Please be nice!
I’ve enjoyed reading my student evaluations and have tried to use them as opportunities to improve my teaching but around year 4 or 5 you realize if you cross out every “lectures were bad-lectures were great” pair of comments you’re not left with much to work with
December 18, 2024 at 2:07 PM
I’ve enjoyed reading my student evaluations and have tried to use them as opportunities to improve my teaching but around year 4 or 5 you realize if you cross out every “lectures were bad-lectures were great” pair of comments you’re not left with much to work with
Me seeing my January-February research-related travel schedule overlaid upon my spring teaching schedule
a cartoon character named roger rabbit wearing red overalls
ALT: a cartoon character named roger rabbit wearing red overalls
media.tenor.com
December 13, 2024 at 2:24 AM
Me seeing my January-February research-related travel schedule overlaid upon my spring teaching schedule
Happy birthday, T-Dubs!!!
December 13, 2024 at 1:27 AM
Happy birthday, T-Dubs!!!
No bookmarking on this site?
December 12, 2024 at 2:10 PM
No bookmarking on this site?
PI doing bioinformatics
December 5, 2024 at 5:31 AM
PI doing bioinformatics
If a person on FB Marketplace making plans to buy something from me says “see you on the morrow”, they are not real are they
December 2, 2024 at 9:58 PM
If a person on FB Marketplace making plans to buy something from me says “see you on the morrow”, they are not real are they
GIF where you’re from
December 1, 2024 at 9:35 PM
GIF where you’re from