Milton Tan
@mtanichthys.bsky.social
Fish biodiversity, genomics. Illinois Natural History Survey Asst Research Scientist. Also aquarium fish hobbyist and plant parent. Profile pic: With a tamandua knifefish. He/him
Reposted by Milton Tan
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
Reposted by Milton Tan
The NSF strategic plan FY 2026-30 is available for public comment until Jan 27. Please make your voice heard! www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...
NSF seeks public input on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2030 NSF Strategic Plan
www.nsf.gov
January 17, 2026 at 11:12 PM
The NSF strategic plan FY 2026-30 is available for public comment until Jan 27. Please make your voice heard! www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...
Reposted by Milton Tan
📢 JOB OPPORTUNITY We are hiring a Research Technologist (Advanced Professional) to design, implement, support, analyze, and report on rigorous research in genetics, entomology, and host-microbe interactions. Please consider and share with others in need.
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Staff/jo...
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Staff/jo...
Research Technologist - Life Sciences Advance Professional - Bordenstein Lab
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:01 PM
📢 JOB OPPORTUNITY We are hiring a Research Technologist (Advanced Professional) to design, implement, support, analyze, and report on rigorous research in genetics, entomology, and host-microbe interactions. Please consider and share with others in need.
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Staff/jo...
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Staff/jo...
Reposted by Milton Tan
The result of a reconstruction of the Aspasma ubauo looks like this...
🧪🐡
🧪🐡
January 17, 2026 at 10:57 PM
The result of a reconstruction of the Aspasma ubauo looks like this...
🧪🐡
🧪🐡
Reposted by Milton Tan
Genome of melody: applying bioinformatics to study the evolution of Gregorian chant https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41537896/
January 17, 2026 at 7:56 AM
Genome of melody: applying bioinformatics to study the evolution of Gregorian chant https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41537896/
Reposted by Milton Tan
Integrating 257 newly assembled #genomes with publicly available resources and analysing multiple sets of genome-wide markers using both concatenation-based and coalescent-aware approaches www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Phylogenomics of Cypriniformes, the most diverse order of freshwater fishes: consensus, challenges and limitations
Cypriniformes, the most species-rich order of freshwater fishes (∼5,000 species), represents a key lineage for understanding vertebrate diversification in freshwater ecosystems. This clade includes several highly miniaturized and understudied lineages whose phylogenetic placements have long remained contentious. Here, we present the first phylogenomic analysis of Cypriniformes with complete family-level representation and broad genus-level coverage, encompassing 316 species comprising approximately 30% of all described genera. Our dataset integrates 257 newly assembled genomes with publicly available resources and analyzes multiple sets of genome-wide markers using both concatenation-based and coalescent-aware approaches. The general concordance among analytical frameworks indicates that the backbone topology of Cypriniformes is now established, allowing clear identification between well-supported clades and regions of persistent conflict. Our results strengthen the evolutionary relationships of several miniaturized lineages, while identifying recalcitrant relationships shaped by both biological processes and model artefacts that can yield superficially similar patterns of phylogenetic conflict. Our study substantially expands genomic representation and establishes a phylogenomic foundation for future comparative, developmental, and evolutionary research in this freshwater radiation. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Swiss National Science Foundation, 310030_185120 Basler Stiftung für Biologische Forschung TAMU HATCH, TEX09452-1
www.biorxiv.org
January 17, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Integrating 257 newly assembled #genomes with publicly available resources and analysing multiple sets of genome-wide markers using both concatenation-based and coalescent-aware approaches www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Milton Tan
Here's a question to vertebrate paleontologists: aren't chondrichthyan teeth and osteichthyan homologous? I'm reading something suggesting that chondrichthyans might have been present in the Ordovician based on scales, but the probability of failing to find teeth for that long is absurdly low.
January 12, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Here's a question to vertebrate paleontologists: aren't chondrichthyan teeth and osteichthyan homologous? I'm reading something suggesting that chondrichthyans might have been present in the Ordovician based on scales, but the probability of failing to find teeth for that long is absurdly low.
Reposted by Milton Tan
Visit days where potential grad student admits are brought to campus are starting soon. I have some info on what to expect at applyingtoeeb.info
For those making schedules for such events, I have an #rstats package for that; sample fn: bomeara.github.io/scheduleR/re...
🧪 #AcademicSky
For those making schedules for such events, I have an #rstats package for that; sample fn: bomeara.github.io/scheduleR/re...
🧪 #AcademicSky
January 17, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Visit days where potential grad student admits are brought to campus are starting soon. I have some info on what to expect at applyingtoeeb.info
For those making schedules for such events, I have an #rstats package for that; sample fn: bomeara.github.io/scheduleR/re...
🧪 #AcademicSky
For those making schedules for such events, I have an #rstats package for that; sample fn: bomeara.github.io/scheduleR/re...
🧪 #AcademicSky
Reposted by Milton Tan
When @omearabrian.bsky.social saw the manuscript, he described it as: ‘What if this figure could be an entire paper?’
I choose to interpret that as high praise.
Now accepted at AmNat: The geometry of macroevolution (with Dan Rabosky). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
I choose to interpret that as high praise.
Now accepted at AmNat: The geometry of macroevolution (with Dan Rabosky). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
January 17, 2026 at 3:58 PM
When @omearabrian.bsky.social saw the manuscript, he described it as: ‘What if this figure could be an entire paper?’
I choose to interpret that as high praise.
Now accepted at AmNat: The geometry of macroevolution (with Dan Rabosky). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
I choose to interpret that as high praise.
Now accepted at AmNat: The geometry of macroevolution (with Dan Rabosky). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Reposted by Milton Tan
Now I reverse the process and get this little guy back into his tube for a FedEx ride back to Texas. 🧪
The reconstruction will be tomorrow, as will the results of the second scan.
The reconstruction will be tomorrow, as will the results of the second scan.
January 17, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Now I reverse the process and get this little guy back into his tube for a FedEx ride back to Texas. 🧪
The reconstruction will be tomorrow, as will the results of the second scan.
The reconstruction will be tomorrow, as will the results of the second scan.
Reposted by Milton Tan
Another eg from a few years ago. I got students to guess the purpose of the berry-like redness of ant abdomen. I then revealed that redness was due to ant parasite & got them to guess again why it would evolve to tigger its host to resemble a berry. newsarchive.berkeley.edu/news/media/r...
January 16, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Another eg from a few years ago. I got students to guess the purpose of the berry-like redness of ant abdomen. I then revealed that redness was due to ant parasite & got them to guess again why it would evolve to tigger its host to resemble a berry. newsarchive.berkeley.edu/news/media/r...
For some reason my Monstera pinnatipartita flower developed a colored edge? First time getting this species to bloom so I don't know how it usually is, but pictures online look all white, like it started out, but it developed some color lager.
January 16, 2026 at 11:17 PM
For some reason my Monstera pinnatipartita flower developed a colored edge? First time getting this species to bloom so I don't know how it usually is, but pictures online look all white, like it started out, but it developed some color lager.
I know it's probably crazy, but I did indeed check that The Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy theater re-release is scheduled with 3 showings per day at 3 hour intervals. Since the movies are over three hours long, this makes viewing all three of them in a day impossible.
January 16, 2026 at 10:59 PM
I know it's probably crazy, but I did indeed check that The Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy theater re-release is scheduled with 3 showings per day at 3 hour intervals. Since the movies are over three hours long, this makes viewing all three of them in a day impossible.
Reposted by Milton Tan
My latest for @science.org. - Illegal miners have forced Peru’s oldest environmental research station to suspend work.
Gold mining has so far led to the deforestation of 140,000 ha of Amazonian rainforest in Peru - about half the size of Yosemite National Park
www.science.org/content/arti...
Gold mining has so far led to the deforestation of 140,000 ha of Amazonian rainforest in Peru - about half the size of Yosemite National Park
www.science.org/content/arti...
Illegal miners have forced Peru’s oldest environmental research station to suspend work
Staff at the Panguana biological research station have received death threats
www.science.org
January 16, 2026 at 8:15 PM
My latest for @science.org. - Illegal miners have forced Peru’s oldest environmental research station to suspend work.
Gold mining has so far led to the deforestation of 140,000 ha of Amazonian rainforest in Peru - about half the size of Yosemite National Park
www.science.org/content/arti...
Gold mining has so far led to the deforestation of 140,000 ha of Amazonian rainforest in Peru - about half the size of Yosemite National Park
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Milton Tan
Applications are now open for the 2026 Workshop on Molecular Evolution (MOLE)!
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Claudia Solis-Lemus and I will be holding an informational session on Zoom next Wed (1/21) from 10:30-11:30 AM Central for those interested:
lsu.zoom.us/j/4968115684
Deadline to apply: 1/26
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Claudia Solis-Lemus and I will be holding an informational session on Zoom next Wed (1/21) from 10:30-11:30 AM Central for those interested:
lsu.zoom.us/j/4968115684
Deadline to apply: 1/26
Workshop on Molecular Evolution | Marine Biological Laboratory
The workshop serves graduate students, postdocs, and established faculty from around the world seeking to apply the principles of molecular evolution to questions of anthropology, conservation genetic...
www.mbl.edu
January 16, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Applications are now open for the 2026 Workshop on Molecular Evolution (MOLE)!
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Claudia Solis-Lemus and I will be holding an informational session on Zoom next Wed (1/21) from 10:30-11:30 AM Central for those interested:
lsu.zoom.us/j/4968115684
Deadline to apply: 1/26
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Claudia Solis-Lemus and I will be holding an informational session on Zoom next Wed (1/21) from 10:30-11:30 AM Central for those interested:
lsu.zoom.us/j/4968115684
Deadline to apply: 1/26
Reposted by Milton Tan
Osedax worms dismantle bones molecule by molecule, no spectacle, no force. Long-term change often looks boring if you don’t understand the process.
January 16, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Osedax worms dismantle bones molecule by molecule, no spectacle, no force. Long-term change often looks boring if you don’t understand the process.
Reposted by Milton Tan
One of my highlights at #ssb2026 meeting last weekend was reconnecting with my amazing friend Emily Graslie @ehmee.bsky.social of #BrainScoop and seeing her outstanding keynote presentation on her career path and the importance of museum collections @systbiol.bsky.social #CollectionsAreEssential
January 16, 2026 at 6:13 PM
One of my highlights at #ssb2026 meeting last weekend was reconnecting with my amazing friend Emily Graslie @ehmee.bsky.social of #BrainScoop and seeing her outstanding keynote presentation on her career path and the importance of museum collections @systbiol.bsky.social #CollectionsAreEssential
Reposted by Milton Tan
Collaborate with me! Myself and @peterroopnarine.bsky.social are looking for a postdoc with expertise in quantitative paleoecology to work on our new NSF grant addressing whether communities after the PTME functioned differently than those beforehand.
job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaac...
job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaac...
Postdoctoral Researcher, Paleontology
San Francisco, CA
job-boards.greenhouse.io
January 16, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Collaborate with me! Myself and @peterroopnarine.bsky.social are looking for a postdoc with expertise in quantitative paleoecology to work on our new NSF grant addressing whether communities after the PTME functioned differently than those beforehand.
job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaac...
job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaac...
Reposted by Milton Tan
A spectacle to behold, in the shallows, hugging this island, we see broad cowtail rays and mangrove whiprays - and looking with a close eye, few juvenile blacktip reef sharks weave between the rays.
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
February 28, 2025 at 12:14 PM
A spectacle to behold, in the shallows, hugging this island, we see broad cowtail rays and mangrove whiprays - and looking with a close eye, few juvenile blacktip reef sharks weave between the rays.
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Reposted by Milton Tan
Love this from @stephenbheard.bsky.social on how to prioritize learning and useful discussion over tearing apart papers, and look forward to using some of these question prompts in future lab meetings: scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/h...
How to lead a journal club you won’t be embarrassed by later
One of the jobs facing an early-career scientist, and a developing writer, is to learn what their field’s literature looks like. One of the best tools to that end is the journal club. If you’ve nev…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Love this from @stephenbheard.bsky.social on how to prioritize learning and useful discussion over tearing apart papers, and look forward to using some of these question prompts in future lab meetings: scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/h...
Reposted by Milton Tan
A bustling seafloor scene from the #taleof2canyons expedition: “We studied how these canyons can facilitate such incredible biodiversity,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Silvia Ines Romero. “What are the mechanisms — the currents and the chemistry — that support all of this life?”
January 15, 2026 at 5:29 PM
A bustling seafloor scene from the #taleof2canyons expedition: “We studied how these canyons can facilitate such incredible biodiversity,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Silvia Ines Romero. “What are the mechanisms — the currents and the chemistry — that support all of this life?”
Reposted by Milton Tan
Systematic Biology’s January 2026 issue (75.1) is out! It launches our 75th anniversary series, debuts the new Invited Review article category, features a Tillandsia Spotlight, along with a nice mix of empirical & methods papers. Check it out: academic.oup.com/sysbio/issue...
@systbiol.bsky.social
@systbiol.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Systematic Biology’s January 2026 issue (75.1) is out! It launches our 75th anniversary series, debuts the new Invited Review article category, features a Tillandsia Spotlight, along with a nice mix of empirical & methods papers. Check it out: academic.oup.com/sysbio/issue...
@systbiol.bsky.social
@systbiol.bsky.social
Reposted by Milton Tan
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation
Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon
doi.org
January 15, 2026 at 11:58 AM
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
Reposted by Milton Tan
Global Changes in Lepidopteran Phylogenetic Diversity Across Space and Time https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41531910/
January 16, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Global Changes in Lepidopteran Phylogenetic Diversity Across Space and Time https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41531910/
Reposted by Milton Tan
An evolving view of species tree inference https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41537526/
January 16, 2026 at 11:03 AM
An evolving view of species tree inference https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41537526/