Nathan Clark
@nclark.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at University of Pittsburgh.
Adaptive and Convergent Evolution in response to extreme environments. Phylogenetics. Diving mammals. Subterranean life. Visual adaptations.
http://nclarklab.org
Adaptive and Convergent Evolution in response to extreme environments. Phylogenetics. Diving mammals. Subterranean life. Visual adaptations.
http://nclarklab.org
Reposted by Nathan Clark
I confirmed with the organizer of the Evomics workshops that we will be *unable* to extend the registration date.
Please ensure your seat and register before November 15 :)
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
Please ensure your seat and register before November 15 :)
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
The full list of workshop instructors is available here.
Registration closes November 15 🥳🥳
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
Registration closes November 15 🥳🥳
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
November 7, 2025 at 2:47 AM
I confirmed with the organizer of the Evomics workshops that we will be *unable* to extend the registration date.
Please ensure your seat and register before November 15 :)
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
Please ensure your seat and register before November 15 :)
bsky.app/profile/jlst...
Looking forward to presenting but also learning from others!
At the workshop on #Phylogenomics and #Evolutionary Genomics, @nclark.bsky.social will be giving a lecture and lab on linking #genotype-to-phenotype in a #phylogenetic framework
Space is limited - register today to ensure your attendance!
Registration link: evomics.org/apply-worksh...
Space is limited - register today to ensure your attendance!
Registration link: evomics.org/apply-worksh...
November 1, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Looking forward to presenting but also learning from others!
Reposted by Nathan Clark
October 24, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Nathan Clark
Excited to share this work, out today in MBE! In polar fishes, we found that antifreeze protein genes expanded in copy number at low temperatures and contracted in the deep sea, highlighting a role of depth and pressure in AFP evolution.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
October 9, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Excited to share this work, out today in MBE! In polar fishes, we found that antifreeze protein genes expanded in copy number at low temperatures and contracted in the deep sea, highlighting a role of depth and pressure in AFP evolution.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Exactly. Resist!
The most effective way to oppose this political takeover is collective action from the academic community. If the first universities that sign Trump contracts face strong academic boycotts- no talks, no manuscript reviews, no interviews of graduates- that should dissuade others from signing.
www.wsj.com/us-news/educ... UT Austin is one of the 9 schools offered a deal: accede to White House demands and get funding priority
October 2, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Exactly. Resist!
Our Annual Reviews article is finally out!
We aimed to capture a lot of comparative genomics in mammals, while pointing out challenges and new directions.
With @ekopania.bsky.social
We aimed to capture a lot of comparative genomics in mammals, while pointing out challenges and new directions.
With @ekopania.bsky.social
Phylogenomic Approaches to Study Adaptive Evolution in Mammals: From Aging to Aquatic Lifestyles | Annual Reviews
The natural world is full of valuable lessons about genetic adaptation as organisms respond to changing conditions around them. Deciphering these changes is a major goal of evolutionary genetics. Adva...
www.annualreviews.org
September 30, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Our Annual Reviews article is finally out!
We aimed to capture a lot of comparative genomics in mammals, while pointing out challenges and new directions.
With @ekopania.bsky.social
We aimed to capture a lot of comparative genomics in mammals, while pointing out challenges and new directions.
With @ekopania.bsky.social
When my out-of-office email hits your inbox and you have one set too, why doesn’t it result in an infinite out-of-office emailing loop?
a black laptop is floating in the air with clouds behind it
ALT: a black laptop is floating in the air with clouds behind it
media.tenor.com
September 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
When my out-of-office email hits your inbox and you have one set too, why doesn’t it result in an infinite out-of-office emailing loop?
Grant writers of the NIH kind:
Did you know the grant guide asks for Letters of Support from *all* senior personnel, Co-Is, etc...?
I have never done this! Have you? I had no idea, just assumed they're funded on the grant and helped write it, so why?
Did you know the grant guide asks for Letters of Support from *all* senior personnel, Co-Is, etc...?
I have never done this! Have you? I had no idea, just assumed they're funded on the grant and helped write it, so why?
September 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Grant writers of the NIH kind:
Did you know the grant guide asks for Letters of Support from *all* senior personnel, Co-Is, etc...?
I have never done this! Have you? I had no idea, just assumed they're funded on the grant and helped write it, so why?
Did you know the grant guide asks for Letters of Support from *all* senior personnel, Co-Is, etc...?
I have never done this! Have you? I had no idea, just assumed they're funded on the grant and helped write it, so why?
Reposted by Nathan Clark
Reupping support for journalism outlets not beholden to corporate interests. When everything is a commodity, it's worth asking where your news is coming from.
What are your favorites? Mine are @apnews.com @propublica.org @theguardian.com @pbsnews.org @motherjones.com @haaretzcom.bsky.social
What are your favorites? Mine are @apnews.com @propublica.org @theguardian.com @pbsnews.org @motherjones.com @haaretzcom.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Reupping support for journalism outlets not beholden to corporate interests. When everything is a commodity, it's worth asking where your news is coming from.
What are your favorites? Mine are @apnews.com @propublica.org @theguardian.com @pbsnews.org @motherjones.com @haaretzcom.bsky.social
What are your favorites? Mine are @apnews.com @propublica.org @theguardian.com @pbsnews.org @motherjones.com @haaretzcom.bsky.social
Congrats to lab postdoc, Dr. Emily Kopania, on being selected for a Catalyst Award from the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine! Her project will develop a Virtual Reality experience demonstrating to students how other species see the world through their differing visual systems.
September 18, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Congrats to lab postdoc, Dr. Emily Kopania, on being selected for a Catalyst Award from the Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine! Her project will develop a Virtual Reality experience demonstrating to students how other species see the world through their differing visual systems.
Nice interview to Katie Peichel @currentbiology.bsky.social
I completely agree with her claims for more funding for curiosity-driven research, basic Science... Science.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
I completely agree with her claims for more funding for curiosity-driven research, basic Science... Science.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Catherine Peichel
Interview with Katie Peichel, who studies the evolutionary genetics of sticklebacks
at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
www.cell.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:42 PM
There's this great showdown between Gothic and Brutalism a block from work at Pitt.
Who will win?
Who will win?
September 9, 2025 at 7:03 PM
There's this great showdown between Gothic and Brutalism a block from work at Pitt.
Who will win?
Who will win?
New write up of our high altitude study by Dr. Allie Graham
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
A new study, with Pitt research, reveals surprising adaptations of high-altitude mammals
Scientific discoveries don’t always follow the expected path, Pitt associate professor and genomic researcher Nathan Clark points out.
www.post-gazette.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:27 PM
New write up of our high altitude study by Dr. Allie Graham
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
Reposted by Nathan Clark
NEW: "Long the envy of the world…the CDC finds itself no longer able to advocate for what its scientists believe the best available research shows….The agency has since January shed literally centuries' worth of collective experience through a combination of firings, retirements, and resignations."
This Is What—and Who—We’re Losing in RFK’s Purge
The story of one scientist, a career in public health, and the crisis at the CDC.
www.thebulwark.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
NEW: "Long the envy of the world…the CDC finds itself no longer able to advocate for what its scientists believe the best available research shows….The agency has since January shed literally centuries' worth of collective experience through a combination of firings, retirements, and resignations."
Lab purchase for equipment made in Canada only.
Guess who’s paying the tariff?
Hint: it’s not the company!
Guess who’s paying the tariff?
Hint: it’s not the company!
July 29, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Lab purchase for equipment made in Canada only.
Guess who’s paying the tariff?
Hint: it’s not the company!
Guess who’s paying the tariff?
Hint: it’s not the company!
NOA has arrived. Research continues in our little corner of the scientific world.
Thanks to those NIH officials working hard to move things forward. We appreciate you.
Thanks to those NIH officials working hard to move things forward. We appreciate you.
July 23, 2025 at 8:36 PM
NOA has arrived. Research continues in our little corner of the scientific world.
Thanks to those NIH officials working hard to move things forward. We appreciate you.
Thanks to those NIH officials working hard to move things forward. We appreciate you.
railroad trestle in the Burgh
July 21, 2025 at 2:23 AM
railroad trestle in the Burgh
Reposted by Nathan Clark
A hearty welcome to Scientific American on Bsky!
We finally made it to Bluesky—just a few billion years after the Big Bang, and only slightly late to the party ✨🌌
We’re sharing some of our best stories from the year so far to kick off our Bluesky journey!
We’re sharing some of our best stories from the year so far to kick off our Bluesky journey!
What is Scientific American?
YouTube video by Scientific American
www.youtube.com
July 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
A hearty welcome to Scientific American on Bsky!
Reposted by Nathan Clark
BEHOLD! One of Earth's greatest lineages of life: the lil wiggle arm guys, Meteora.
These single-celled critters, originally found in deep-sea sediments, are SO DIFFERENT from other lifeforms on Earth that they're likely in their own kingdom (as in, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom etc). 🧪🌿
These single-celled critters, originally found in deep-sea sediments, are SO DIFFERENT from other lifeforms on Earth that they're likely in their own kingdom (as in, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom etc). 🧪🌿
July 10, 2025 at 8:06 PM
BEHOLD! One of Earth's greatest lineages of life: the lil wiggle arm guys, Meteora.
These single-celled critters, originally found in deep-sea sediments, are SO DIFFERENT from other lifeforms on Earth that they're likely in their own kingdom (as in, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom etc). 🧪🌿
These single-celled critters, originally found in deep-sea sediments, are SO DIFFERENT from other lifeforms on Earth that they're likely in their own kingdom (as in, the Animal Kingdom, the Plant Kingdom etc). 🧪🌿
Reposted by Nathan Clark
In another fruitful collaboration with the @rokaslab.bsky.social, Hittinger Lab members @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social , et al. established a ML framework to identify gene families in the yeast subphylum Saccharomycotina whose copy numbers predicted ROS resistance.
Machine learning reveals genes impacting oxidative stress resistance across yeasts - Nature Communications
Yeasts are exposed to oxidative stress during routine metabolism, bioproduction, and interactions with other organisms. Here, the authors use a machine learning classifier to identify genes that are p...
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 8:07 PM
In another fruitful collaboration with the @rokaslab.bsky.social, Hittinger Lab members @katarina-aranguiz.bsky.social and @linder-surprise.bsky.social , et al. established a ML framework to identify gene families in the yeast subphylum Saccharomycotina whose copy numbers predicted ROS resistance.
Right. Imagine the race to the moon, but instead we landed astronauts on a plateau in Arizona with manmade craters.
This is Colossal. As much as it hurts to say so.
This is Colossal. As much as it hurts to say so.
Colossal are likely trying to ‘de-extinct’ the moa by tweaking an emu genome. There’s 62 million years of evolution between an emu and a moa.
For context, there’s only 42 MY between humans and howler monkeys. You simply can’t make a human with a GM howler monkey
www.newscientist.com/article/2487...
For context, there’s only 42 MY between humans and howler monkeys. You simply can’t make a human with a GM howler monkey
www.newscientist.com/article/2487...
Colossal's plans to "de-extinct" the giant moa are still impossible
After a controversial project claiming to have resurrected the dire wolf, Colossal Biosciences has now announced plans to bring back nine species of the extinct moa bird
www.newscientist.com
July 9, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Right. Imagine the race to the moon, but instead we landed astronauts on a plateau in Arizona with manmade craters.
This is Colossal. As much as it hurts to say so.
This is Colossal. As much as it hurts to say so.
Reposted by Nathan Clark
BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.
July 8, 2025 at 3:31 PM
BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.
Yes, yes, and yes!
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It should be free to apply to graduate school
Letter to the Editor
www.nature.com
July 3, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Yes, yes, and yes!
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
It was a pleasure to collaboratively write this perspective.
The process was amazing. 6 busy PIs met over zoom every 2 weeks for an hour to write. It was forbidden to work on it outside that time. So no guilt. It came together quickly and nicely.
The process was amazing. 6 busy PIs met over zoom every 2 weeks for an hour to write. It was forbidden to work on it outside that time. So no guilt. It came together quickly and nicely.
Integrating Intermediate Traits in Phylogenetic Genotype-to-Phenotype Studies
Synopsis. A major goal of research in evolution and genetics is linking genotype to phenotype. This work could be direct, such as determining the genetic b
academic.oup.com
July 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
It was a pleasure to collaboratively write this perspective.
The process was amazing. 6 busy PIs met over zoom every 2 weeks for an hour to write. It was forbidden to work on it outside that time. So no guilt. It came together quickly and nicely.
The process was amazing. 6 busy PIs met over zoom every 2 weeks for an hour to write. It was forbidden to work on it outside that time. So no guilt. It came together quickly and nicely.