José Cerca
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naturalselection.bsky.social
José Cerca
@naturalselection.bsky.social
Group leader at the Swedish Museum of Natural History

Evolutionary biologist interested in island biology, adaptive radiation, genomes and ecological niches.

Islandevolution.github.io
Pinned
📌 New publication out:

Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations

TL;DR - We show that the choice of reference genome biases the detection of structural variants and popgen stats. Navigate carefully - 🛳️ 😬

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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...
link.springer.com
Reposted by José Cerca
Why do queens bees live so much longer than workers? Apply for a postdoc position in my lab to figure it out! Please get in touch if you want to know more.

link to job:
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

lab website:
www.websterlab.net
November 11, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
November 1, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Hybrids
October 30, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
📢 We have an open position for a postdoc to join my lab. It's a great position @animecol-uu.bsky.social, fully salaried for 2.5 years with all benefits.

www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology - Uppsala University
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
www.uu.se
October 27, 2025 at 7:43 AM
📌 New publication out:

Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations

TL;DR - We show that the choice of reference genome biases the detection of structural variants and popgen stats. Navigate carefully - 🛳️ 😬

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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...
link.springer.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
A very nice paper! @naturalselection.bsky.social Congrats!!!👍💪

Reference genome bias in light of species-specific chromosomal reorganization and translocations
October 15, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
Now available in Systematic Biology, a new paper (and R package) in which we outline an approach to account for non-independence in comparative analyses of lineage-pair traits academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
The Comparative Analysis of Lineage-Pair Traits
Abstract. For many questions in ecology and evolution, the most relevant data to consider are attributes of lineage pairs. Comparative tests for causal rel
academic.oup.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
We are recruiting a fully-funded PhD student to work on the evolution and mechanisms of intestinal remodelling in lampreys. @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk @uofgmvls.bsky.social

www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate...
October 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
October 5, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
Excited to share our new paper in
@GeneticsGSA
! We developed "Retriever," a novel method that enables high-quality genotype imputation in non-model organisms. 🧬 Congratulations to Charles on his first PhD paper!

Paper: doi.org/10.1093/gene...

A thread 🧵👇
Chimeric Reference Panels for Genomic Imputation
Abstract. Despite transformative advances in genomic technologies, missing data remains a fundamental constraint that limits the full potential of genomic
doi.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:37 AM
RIP Jane Goodall. You'll live through the inspiration you instilled in all of us.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91
Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour
www.theguardian.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
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 !
Population Genetics group 59
populationgeneticsgroup.org.uk
September 29, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
Article alert! Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Structural Variants, and Short Tandem Repeats Capture Distinct Signals of Adaptive Divergence in the Atlantic Puffin url: academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Structural Variants, and Short Tandem Repeats Capture Distinct Signals of Adaptive Divergence in the Atlantic Puffin
Abstract. The Arctic has been the scene for (re)colonization, diversification, and adaptation of boreal and Arctic fauna. As anthropogenic warming of the A
academic.oup.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
Friends: I'm recruiting at least one PhD student to join our lab in Atlanta in the Fall of 2026. Information about our research can be found at the link below. Please pass along to any students interested in the quantitative study of speciation, secondary contact, and the build-up of biodiversity!
The Anderson Lab at Georgia Tech
my academic website
seanasanderson.github.io
September 22, 2025 at 4:35 PM
September 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
“Rich Grenyer, a biologist at the University of Oxford, said de-extinction is a “dangerous” distraction and that gene-edited animals are “at best a sort of simulation, rather like those unnerving animated AI portraits of dead relatives some… people create”.”
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years
Thousands of dodos could return within a decade according to Colossal Biosciences, a ‘de-extinction’ company – but experts warn of ‘moral hazard’
www.theguardian.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
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?
September 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
🧨 The Naturhistoriska riksmuseet has a position open for a Tenure-Track group Leader position (DDLS fellow).

17 M SEK start-up (1.6 million euros, which will account for your salary / 2 PhDs / 2 Postdocs / plenty of money for starting projects and sending peoeple to conferences).

lnkd.in/d5jNr_Ti
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
September 17, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
Parallel but distinct adaptive routes in the budding and fission yeasts after 10,000 generations of experimental evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.11.675703v1
September 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
I'm looking for PhD students to join the lab starting August 2026. We study the evolution of insect chemical signals so if you're interested in evolutionary biology, chemical ecology, molecular biology, behavior, or genetics, this could be a good fit for you! More info here: tinyurl.com/mrxchwfm
September 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Cool preprint! 🚨

Lanternfish lack MHC I and functional MHC II — yet still produce antibodies! 🧬🐟

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The genome of the Glacier lanternfish shows loss of MHC I and II function and provides insight into evolution of lanternfish immune systems
Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) are one of the most abundant and species diverse orders inhabiting the mesopelagic zone. Exploitation of marine resources has recently attracted increased interest. It is t...
www.biorxiv.org
September 10, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
If you know anyone interested in starting a Master's project working on ammonoid phylogenetics (or the phylogenetics of a mollusc group spanning the OAE2 event in the Late Cretaceous), then ask them to get in touch with me.

The situation is a little tricky, as it would be funded by the remainder…
September 7, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
Excited to share that I’ve started as Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark! 🧑‍🎓

I also received an a NNF Emerging Investigator grant to use genomics + machine learning to study extinction.

👉 PhD & Postdoc positions coming soon — follow for updates!
Reposts appreciated 🙏
September 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by José Cerca
We’ve just published a paper on Senecio showing that ecological speciation and mutation-order speciation can act together rather than as an either/or. Congratulations, Maddie James and MC Melo!
September 3, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Reposted by José Cerca
*Postdoc in Evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University*
We are recruiting a postdoc for a large interdisciplinary project to investigate evolutionary drivers and genomic consequences of pollen evolution in response to pollination mode shifts in flowering plants. 1/5

su.varbi.com/what:job/job...
September 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM