Dmitri Petrov
@petrovadmitri.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biologist at Stanford. Rapid Evolution, Adaptation, and Genomics. Open Science advocate.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Endemic and invasion dynamics of wild tomato species on the Galápagos Islands, across two centuries of collection records
Alex D. Kutza, Zoe L. Hert, Leonie C. Moyle
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Alex D. Kutza, Zoe L. Hert, Leonie C. Moyle
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Endemic and invasion dynamics of wild tomato species on the Galápagos Islands, across two centuries of collection records
We aggregated digitized herbarium and other collection records – spanning > 225 yr since 1795 – to assess the biological, geographical, and historical factors shaping distributions of three wild tom...
doi.org
December 26, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Endemic and invasion dynamics of wild tomato species on the Galápagos Islands, across two centuries of collection records
Alex D. Kutza, Zoe L. Hert, Leonie C. Moyle
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Alex D. Kutza, Zoe L. Hert, Leonie C. Moyle
doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Congrats @jeffgroh.bsky.social et al. Some avocado trees open female-phase flowers in the morning & then male in afternoon. Others show complementary pattern (m->f), to synchronize pollination of two types. Jeff show this to be a >45Mya polymorphism at a transcription factor across 100s of species.
Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies an ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.22.695989v1
December 25, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Congrats @jeffgroh.bsky.social et al. Some avocado trees open female-phase flowers in the morning & then male in afternoon. Others show complementary pattern (m->f), to synchronize pollination of two types. Jeff show this to be a >45Mya polymorphism at a transcription factor across 100s of species.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Boring, field-specific answer. This SMART-PTA technology, which allows genotype + phenotype in hundreds of somatic cells, will lead to an expansion of population genetics for somatic cells as a field. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 25, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Boring, field-specific answer. This SMART-PTA technology, which allows genotype + phenotype in hundreds of somatic cells, will lead to an expansion of population genetics for somatic cells as a field. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Yes, CECOT is a concentration camp in the guise of a prison. The Venezuelans were the first people to *ever* be released from CECOT since Bukele opened the prison in January 2023. Seriously. The first.
These are concentration camps. No other way to describe them. Truly horrific, and none of it surprising in the least.
30 minutes. Some deportees described sexual assault. Detainee describes the guard sexually assaulting most detainees. Lights left on all day. Prisoners not given clean water.
Now the DHS tour. Nobody spoke to the detainees. Noem's video was in a different area of the prison.
Now the DHS tour. Nobody spoke to the detainees. Noem's video was in a different area of the prison.
December 23, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Yes, CECOT is a concentration camp in the guise of a prison. The Venezuelans were the first people to *ever* be released from CECOT since Bukele opened the prison in January 2023. Seriously. The first.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Excited to share the first two publications from our PERSIST (Predicting Evolutionary Rescue of a Species in Space and Time) project. Thanks to NSF-DEB for supporting this work! (1/3)
December 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Excited to share the first two publications from our PERSIST (Predicting Evolutionary Rescue of a Species in Space and Time) project. Thanks to NSF-DEB for supporting this work! (1/3)
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
A recent preprint definitively settled the question of the Y chr of Jewish priests (Cohanim).
Around 45% of Cohanim from all Jewish diasporas share a Y chr. The common ancestor was a Middle Eastern man living ~3000 years ago, i.e., during the first temple period.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Around 45% of Cohanim from all Jewish diasporas share a Y chr. The common ancestor was a Middle Eastern man living ~3000 years ago, i.e., during the first temple period.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM
A recent preprint definitively settled the question of the Y chr of Jewish priests (Cohanim).
Around 45% of Cohanim from all Jewish diasporas share a Y chr. The common ancestor was a Middle Eastern man living ~3000 years ago, i.e., during the first temple period.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Around 45% of Cohanim from all Jewish diasporas share a Y chr. The common ancestor was a Middle Eastern man living ~3000 years ago, i.e., during the first temple period.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
bsky.app/profile/ferv...
Called this one three months ago. It is just an insane paper.
The fact that the stolen clonal line is morphologically similar but different implies an unique evolutionary trajectory. Two species evolving from one mom.
Called this one three months ago. It is just an insane paper.
The fact that the stolen clonal line is morphologically similar but different implies an unique evolutionary trajectory. Two species evolving from one mom.
All right it’s time for the annual “please tell us about one (or a few if you are ambitious) paper from 2025 that really impressed you and why we should all read it“! Go! If you tell us how it changed your view of the world and what makes it so powerful and consequential It would be excellent.
December 22, 2025 at 3:10 AM
bsky.app/profile/ferv...
Called this one three months ago. It is just an insane paper.
The fact that the stolen clonal line is morphologically similar but different implies an unique evolutionary trajectory. Two species evolving from one mom.
Called this one three months ago. It is just an insane paper.
The fact that the stolen clonal line is morphologically similar but different implies an unique evolutionary trajectory. Two species evolving from one mom.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
December 22, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
On how ~neutrally evolving CAG repeats over the lifespan eventually exerts neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington’s disease.
On how ~neutrally evolving CAG repeats over the lifespan eventually exerts neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington’s disease.
December 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
On how ~neutrally evolving CAG repeats over the lifespan eventually exerts neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington’s disease.
On how ~neutrally evolving CAG repeats over the lifespan eventually exerts neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington’s disease.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
"Range extender mediates long-distance
enhancer activity" by @evgenykvon.bsky.social 's team, led by @gracebower.bsky.social is one of my papers of the year. Discovery of a new class of cis-regulatory elements that modulate the regulatory activity and reach of enhancers.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
enhancer activity" by @evgenykvon.bsky.social 's team, led by @gracebower.bsky.social is one of my papers of the year. Discovery of a new class of cis-regulatory elements that modulate the regulatory activity and reach of enhancers.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
December 21, 2025 at 10:08 PM
"Range extender mediates long-distance
enhancer activity" by @evgenykvon.bsky.social 's team, led by @gracebower.bsky.social is one of my papers of the year. Discovery of a new class of cis-regulatory elements that modulate the regulatory activity and reach of enhancers.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
enhancer activity" by @evgenykvon.bsky.social 's team, led by @gracebower.bsky.social is one of my papers of the year. Discovery of a new class of cis-regulatory elements that modulate the regulatory activity and reach of enhancers.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
If you want an example of gold standard genomics across every aspect of a paper, read this. It levelled me up.
Covers #Acinetobacter baumannii. Recontextualises the global pop + reveals genuine insights. Includes development of software which types genomes too.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Covers #Acinetobacter baumannii. Recontextualises the global pop + reveals genuine insights. Includes development of software which types genomes too.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
If you want an example of gold standard genomics across every aspect of a paper, read this. It levelled me up.
Covers #Acinetobacter baumannii. Recontextualises the global pop + reveals genuine insights. Includes development of software which types genomes too.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Covers #Acinetobacter baumannii. Recontextualises the global pop + reveals genuine insights. Includes development of software which types genomes too.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
last but not least one on in vivo base editing in mice models of prion (PRNP) disease achieved 50% reduction in PrP protein and 52% increase in lifespan.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
last but not least one on in vivo base editing in mice models of prion (PRNP) disease achieved 50% reduction in PrP protein and 52% increase in lifespan.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40044858/
On early origin and maintenance of WGD despite (instability driven) fitness cost an organism has to endure.
On early origin and maintenance of WGD despite (instability driven) fitness cost an organism has to endure.
December 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40044858/
On early origin and maintenance of WGD despite (instability driven) fitness cost an organism has to endure.
On early origin and maintenance of WGD despite (instability driven) fitness cost an organism has to endure.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
I really love this model which brings real mechanistic insight to the barcode data which I had previously found interesting but mysterious!
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
December 21, 2025 at 2:55 PM
I really love this model which brings real mechanistic insight to the barcode data which I had previously found interesting but mysterious!
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
This paper, written by people who hate science, is by far the most impactful scientific document in living memory. It almost singlehandedly destroyed the scientific enterprise in the US, ruined countless lives, and demonstrated how politically weak scientists are.
This paper, written by people who hate science, is by far the most impactful scientific document in living memory. It almost singlehandedly destroyed the scientific enterprise in the US, ruined countless lives, and demonstrated how politically weak scientists are.
December 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
This paper, written by people who hate science, is by far the most impactful scientific document in living memory. It almost singlehandedly destroyed the scientific enterprise in the US, ruined countless lives, and demonstrated how politically weak scientists are.
This paper, written by people who hate science, is by far the most impactful scientific document in living memory. It almost singlehandedly destroyed the scientific enterprise in the US, ruined countless lives, and demonstrated how politically weak scientists are.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
This paper by Celentano et al. on scalable simulation under the birth death is one of my favourites for the year! It introduces some elegant thinning that has been sorely needed. Fantastic to pave the way forward for future simulation-heavy inference, including neural Bayes!
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
December 21, 2025 at 6:54 AM
This paper by Celentano et al. on scalable simulation under the birth death is one of my favourites for the year! It introduces some elegant thinning that has been sorely needed. Fantastic to pave the way forward for future simulation-heavy inference, including neural Bayes!
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
I guess the preprint came out in 2024 but it was published this year so I'll say this paper from @jeffspence.github.io and @hakha.bsky.social which is probably the paper that pleiotropy-pilled me the most. Really got me to think about what GWAS means www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 21, 2025 at 6:07 AM
I guess the preprint came out in 2024 but it was published this year so I'll say this paper from @jeffspence.github.io and @hakha.bsky.social which is probably the paper that pleiotropy-pilled me the most. Really got me to think about what GWAS means www.nature.com/articles/s41...
All right it’s time for the annual “please tell us about one (or a few if you are ambitious) paper from 2025 that really impressed you and why we should all read it“! Go! If you tell us how it changed your view of the world and what makes it so powerful and consequential It would be excellent.
December 21, 2025 at 3:10 AM
All right it’s time for the annual “please tell us about one (or a few if you are ambitious) paper from 2025 that really impressed you and why we should all read it“! Go! If you tell us how it changed your view of the world and what makes it so powerful and consequential It would be excellent.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
1/3) PhD student Mary Reed Weston analyzed virus-driven human adaptation across the viral replication cycle based on ~8,000 annotated proviral and antiviral effects manually curated from the virology literature. The steps of entry and release clearly stand out:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 19, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
I never want to hear another American make fun of North Korea ever again.
December 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I never want to hear another American make fun of North Korea ever again.
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Grateful to share our paper on gene-specific selective sweeps in human gut microbiomes, now out in Nature! It has been a joy to work with @rwolff.bsky.social, whose insights and hard work made this possible.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Gene-specific selective sweeps are pervasive across human gut microbiomes - Nature
Development and application of the integrated linkage disequilibrium score (iLDS) reveals both selective pressures impacting the human gut microbiome and the mechanisms by which gut bacteria adapt to ...
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Grateful to share our paper on gene-specific selective sweeps in human gut microbiomes, now out in Nature! It has been a joy to work with @rwolff.bsky.social, whose insights and hard work made this possible.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
What a beautiful paper! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Gene-specific selective sweeps are pervasive across human gut microbiomes - Nature
Development and application of the integrated linkage disequilibrium score (iLDS) reveals both selective pressures impacting the human gut microbiome and the mechanisms by which gut bacteria adapt to ...
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:18 PM
What a beautiful paper! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Article about scientists leaving (or not leaving) the US - including me!
I landed in a truly great spot - but what's happening in the US is messed up.
@isemevol.bsky.social @sfstatebio.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social
I landed in a truly great spot - but what's happening in the US is messed up.
@isemevol.bsky.social @sfstatebio.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social
Amid talk of a brain drain, some scientists leave U.S. behind www.statnews.com/2025/12/17/r...
Amid talk of a brain drain, some scientists leave U.S. behind
“A large part of what we loved about the United States is no longer there”: Amid talk of a brain drain, some scientists leave the U.S. behind.
www.statnews.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Article about scientists leaving (or not leaving) the US - including me!
I landed in a truly great spot - but what's happening in the US is messed up.
@isemevol.bsky.social @sfstatebio.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social
I landed in a truly great spot - but what's happening in the US is messed up.
@isemevol.bsky.social @sfstatebio.bsky.social @umontpellier.bsky.social
Such an awesome paper! Go @alexrob.bsky.social, @alisonfeder.bsky.social and Ben Kerr! At times less is more.
www-nature-com.stanford.idm.oclc.org/articles/s41...
www-nature-com.stanford.idm.oclc.org/articles/s41...
Shibboleth Authentication Request
www-nature-com.stanford.idm.oclc.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Such an awesome paper! Go @alexrob.bsky.social, @alisonfeder.bsky.social and Ben Kerr! At times less is more.
www-nature-com.stanford.idm.oclc.org/articles/s41...
www-nature-com.stanford.idm.oclc.org/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dmitri Petrov
Job AD. Research Directions:
1. Selection in early development; Pop gen methods applied to new technologies, i.e. scDNA-seq with D. Shao
2. Study of hypermutability and selection using population cohorts with E. Koch
3. Evolution of Mutagenesis with M. Penenell & @jgschraiber.bsky.social
1. Selection in early development; Pop gen methods applied to new technologies, i.e. scDNA-seq with D. Shao
2. Study of hypermutability and selection using population cohorts with E. Koch
3. Evolution of Mutagenesis with M. Penenell & @jgschraiber.bsky.social
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER - McDermott Center HG&D - Seplyarskiy Lab
Discover POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER - McDermott Center HG&D - Seplyarskiy Lab and other PostDoc jobs in Dallas, TX and apply online today!
jobs.utsouthwestern.edu
December 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Job AD. Research Directions:
1. Selection in early development; Pop gen methods applied to new technologies, i.e. scDNA-seq with D. Shao
2. Study of hypermutability and selection using population cohorts with E. Koch
3. Evolution of Mutagenesis with M. Penenell & @jgschraiber.bsky.social
1. Selection in early development; Pop gen methods applied to new technologies, i.e. scDNA-seq with D. Shao
2. Study of hypermutability and selection using population cohorts with E. Koch
3. Evolution of Mutagenesis with M. Penenell & @jgschraiber.bsky.social