Will Ratcliff
@wcratcliff.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist (Multicellularity & social evolution). Prof. at Georgia Tech & Director of the QBioS PhD program.
https://ratclifflab.biosci.gatech.edu/
https://ratclifflab.biosci.gatech.edu/
Pinned
Will Ratcliff
@wcratcliff.bsky.social
· Mar 5
Genome duplication in a long-term multicellularity evolution experiment - Nature
In the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment, diploid yeast evolve to be tetraploid under selection for larger multicellular size, revealing how whole-genome duplication can arise due to its...
www.nature.com
1/46 Hey folks, we have a new paper out on the MuLTEE. Strap in and I’ll tell you the story of how this “little paper on polyploidy” turned into the most data rich paper our lab has produced, largely thanks to the leadership and work ethic of @kaitong25.bsky.social.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
November 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Trump: "Nobody knows what magnets are."
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
Perhaps a better way to put my view: we should think of intelligence(s) as capacities, i.e. things a system can do, rather than a latent thing that systems have. Then the performance on the test simply is the thing and we don't need to speculate about whether the test measures the real, hidden thing
November 8, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Perhaps a better way to put my view: we should think of intelligence(s) as capacities, i.e. things a system can do, rather than a latent thing that systems have. Then the performance on the test simply is the thing and we don't need to speculate about whether the test measures the real, hidden thing
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
We are looking for a scientific computing associate interested in data-driven equation discovery here at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social. This is an alternative to a postdoc that you can use to move into academic or software jobs. Please spread the word!
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
Scientific Computing Associate - Data-Driven Equation Discovery
Primary Work Address: 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus is a pio...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
We are looking for a scientific computing associate interested in data-driven equation discovery here at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social. This is an alternative to a postdoc that you can use to move into academic or software jobs. Please spread the word!
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern...
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
Mini @rokaslab.bsky.social reunion with Dr. Abigail Lind @abigailllind.bsky.social
Amazing seminar... What is in our gut and what is it doing!?
I assume our students are flocking to try EukDetect!
Amazing seminar... What is in our gut and what is it doing!?
I assume our students are flocking to try EukDetect!
November 7, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Mini @rokaslab.bsky.social reunion with Dr. Abigail Lind @abigailllind.bsky.social
Amazing seminar... What is in our gut and what is it doing!?
I assume our students are flocking to try EukDetect!
Amazing seminar... What is in our gut and what is it doing!?
I assume our students are flocking to try EukDetect!
If someone made this into a drug, I'd be a hopeless addict.
Super cool- more Asgardian cell biology please!
Super cool- more Asgardian cell biology please!
An Asgard archaeon with internal membrane compartments
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Brilliant study led by @fmacleod.bsky.social and Andriko von Kügelgen. Tight collaboration with @buzzbaum.bsky.social and lab. Congrats to all authors!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
If someone made this into a drug, I'd be a hopeless addict.
Super cool- more Asgardian cell biology please!
Super cool- more Asgardian cell biology please!
Definitely an amazing meeting- attend if you can!
Only a few days left for abstract submission at the brand new EMBO|EMBL Symposium Collectivity in living systems: emergence, function and evolution. We have stellar speakers in cell, animal collectives & beyond @priscaliberali.bsky.social @icouzin.bsky.social @ricardsole.bsky.social
Join us!
Join us!
November 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Definitely an amazing meeting- attend if you can!
It's #reccomendation_writing_friday! What rec letters are you working on today?
For me, it's
1 NSF GRFP
1 Goldwater fellowship
2 Tenure letters
3 Grad school letters of rec
For me, it's
1 NSF GRFP
1 Goldwater fellowship
2 Tenure letters
3 Grad school letters of rec
November 7, 2025 at 5:39 PM
It's #reccomendation_writing_friday! What rec letters are you working on today?
For me, it's
1 NSF GRFP
1 Goldwater fellowship
2 Tenure letters
3 Grad school letters of rec
For me, it's
1 NSF GRFP
1 Goldwater fellowship
2 Tenure letters
3 Grad school letters of rec
Should I make this my new professional head shot?
November 2, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Should I make this my new professional head shot?
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
The GRAPE selection escapes from slow in planta directed evolution #spotlight #MolecularPlant cell.com/molecular-pl...
November 1, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The GRAPE selection escapes from slow in planta directed evolution #spotlight #MolecularPlant cell.com/molecular-pl...
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I love working at a university. Walking across campus at the end of a long day, seeing groups of students hanging out in the green spaces and doing fun activities, it always puts a smile on my face.
October 30, 2025 at 9:57 PM
I love working at a university. Walking across campus at the end of a long day, seeing groups of students hanging out in the green spaces and doing fun activities, it always puts a smile on my face.
Anyone know of a scanner that can be controlled by a computer so we can image at a specific interval?
October 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Anyone know of a scanner that can be controlled by a computer so we can image at a specific interval?
I fully encourage President Trump to continue his renovations of the White House when he's done with the East Wing. It's a great idea. Might I suggest a presidential golf course next?
(The more time he spends on trivial things like this, the less time he has to continue undermining democracy.)
(The more time he spends on trivial things like this, the less time he has to continue undermining democracy.)
October 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
I fully encourage President Trump to continue his renovations of the White House when he's done with the East Wing. It's a great idea. Might I suggest a presidential golf course next?
(The more time he spends on trivial things like this, the less time he has to continue undermining democracy.)
(The more time he spends on trivial things like this, the less time he has to continue undermining democracy.)
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
New paper with my (amazing) friend and mentor @jrpenades.bsky.social
Really looking forward to see what plasmid aficionados think of this one!!
With @asantoslopez.bsky.social @wfigueroac3.bsky.social Akshay Sabins and others
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Really looking forward to see what plasmid aficionados think of this one!!
With @asantoslopez.bsky.social @wfigueroac3.bsky.social Akshay Sabins and others
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Non-conjugative plasmids limit their mobility to persist in nature
Sabnis et al. explain why non-conjugative plasmids move at a low rate in nature. While
increased mobility can easily evolve by incorporating phage DNA into plasmids, this
is disadvantageous because it...
www.cell.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:12 PM
New paper with my (amazing) friend and mentor @jrpenades.bsky.social
Really looking forward to see what plasmid aficionados think of this one!!
With @asantoslopez.bsky.social @wfigueroac3.bsky.social Akshay Sabins and others
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Really looking forward to see what plasmid aficionados think of this one!!
With @asantoslopez.bsky.social @wfigueroac3.bsky.social Akshay Sabins and others
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
I spent 3h trying to get a mail merge to work in Word and Outlook, only to give up and write a script in python that did the trick in 1h. Says a lot about the current state of our software ecosystems, doesn't it.
October 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I spent 3h trying to get a mail merge to work in Word and Outlook, only to give up and write a script in python that did the trick in 1h. Says a lot about the current state of our software ecosystems, doesn't it.
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antiviral reverse transcriptases reveal the evolutionary origin of telomerase
Defense-associated reverse transcriptases (DRTs) employ diverse and distinctive mechanisms of cDNA synthesis to protect bacteria against viral infection. However, much of DRT family diversity remains ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
1/10 Genome maintenance by telomerase is a fundamental process in nearly all eukaryotes. But where does it come from?
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Today, we report the discovery of telomerase homologs in a family of antiviral RTs, revealing an unexpected evolutionary origin in bacteria.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Canadian fellows- why do NSERC postdoctoral fellowship award letters have you split your letter across two separate text boxes (and do not provide instructions for how you are supposed to partition the text)? Is it to force you to read through the lengthy grant documents in the hyperlink?
October 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Canadian fellows- why do NSERC postdoctoral fellowship award letters have you split your letter across two separate text boxes (and do not provide instructions for how you are supposed to partition the text)? Is it to force you to read through the lengthy grant documents in the hyperlink?
Welcome to all the new Packard Fellows- this is an incredible community. I look forward to meeting you at the reunion!
Also, huge congrats to my colleague @jameststroud.bsky.social! Can't wait to see what you discover in your long-term eco/evo experiment, Lizard Island!
Also, huge congrats to my colleague @jameststroud.bsky.social! Can't wait to see what you discover in your long-term eco/evo experiment, Lizard Island!
We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 class of Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering — 20 innovative early-career scientists who will each receive $875,000 over five years to pursue their research.
Meet the 2025 Packard Fellows ⬇
www.packard.org/2025fellows
Meet the 2025 Packard Fellows ⬇
www.packard.org/2025fellows
October 15, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Welcome to all the new Packard Fellows- this is an incredible community. I look forward to meeting you at the reunion!
Also, huge congrats to my colleague @jameststroud.bsky.social! Can't wait to see what you discover in your long-term eco/evo experiment, Lizard Island!
Also, huge congrats to my colleague @jameststroud.bsky.social! Can't wait to see what you discover in your long-term eco/evo experiment, Lizard Island!
Good luck to all of you who are finalizing Simons Foundation Collaborations in Ecology and Evolution proposals!
I feel kind of sorry for whoever is tasked with reviewing what will probably be >1000 proposals. On the other hand, it'd be cool to see a snapshot of what the field thinks is exciting.
I feel kind of sorry for whoever is tasked with reviewing what will probably be >1000 proposals. On the other hand, it'd be cool to see a snapshot of what the field thinks is exciting.
October 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Good luck to all of you who are finalizing Simons Foundation Collaborations in Ecology and Evolution proposals!
I feel kind of sorry for whoever is tasked with reviewing what will probably be >1000 proposals. On the other hand, it'd be cool to see a snapshot of what the field thinks is exciting.
I feel kind of sorry for whoever is tasked with reviewing what will probably be >1000 proposals. On the other hand, it'd be cool to see a snapshot of what the field thinks is exciting.
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
Phages evolve fast, or do they?
In oysters, some stay identical for years.
With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements.
Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
In oysters, some stay identical for years.
With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements.
Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
Ecological constraints foster both extreme viral-host lineage stability and mobile element diversity in a marine community
Phages are typically viewed as very rapidly evolving biological entities. Little is known, however, about whether and how phages can establish long-term genetic stability. We addressed this eco-evolut...
www.biorxiv.org
October 12, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Phages evolve fast, or do they?
In oysters, some stay identical for years.
With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements.
Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
In oysters, some stay identical for years.
With >1,200 phages & 600 Vibrio genomes, we reveal long-term stability and new mobile elements.
Proud of this collaborative work across our teams (Roscoff-UdeM and @epcrocha.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
That was a fun round table!
First round table led by the great Koryu Kin. #Multicellverse How and why we should unite efforts from different multicellular systems. With Maja Adamska @phil-donoghue.bsky.social @wcratcliff.bsky.social @khammerschmidt.bsky.social
October 9, 2025 at 5:53 PM
That was a fun round table!
Sad I cannot be at the multicellularity meeting in Barcelona right now- but hybrid format is working great. I especially love the 3 min poster lightening talks given by trainees- the future of the field is very bright!
@multicellgenome.bsky.social et al did an incredible job organizing this meeting
@multicellgenome.bsky.social et al did an incredible job organizing this meeting
October 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Sad I cannot be at the multicellularity meeting in Barcelona right now- but hybrid format is working great. I especially love the 3 min poster lightening talks given by trainees- the future of the field is very bright!
@multicellgenome.bsky.social et al did an incredible job organizing this meeting
@multicellgenome.bsky.social et al did an incredible job organizing this meeting
Reposted by Will Ratcliff
Looking forward to speak at this @embo.org Workshop event meetings.embo.org/event/25-mul... to explore the origins of multicellular complexity along with great colleagues @multicellgenome.bsky.social @wcratcliff.bsky.social @viktri08.bsky.social I will be discussing synthetic multicellularity.
October 1, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Looking forward to speak at this @embo.org Workshop event meetings.embo.org/event/25-mul... to explore the origins of multicellular complexity along with great colleagues @multicellgenome.bsky.social @wcratcliff.bsky.social @viktri08.bsky.social I will be discussing synthetic multicellularity.
Who’s trying to poison T. H. Huxley?
Darwin’s dog food has tested positive for salmonella and listeria but is reportedly being uncooperative with the FDA.
“Arrow Reliance has repeatedly failed to issue recalls of its products under similar circumstances in the past.”
“Arrow Reliance has repeatedly failed to issue recalls of its products under similar circumstances in the past.”
Darwin's pet food tests positive for Listeria and Salmonella
The FDA has again found bacterial contamination in Darwin’s Natural Pet Products dog food and the producing company, Arrow Reliance, is again refusing to
www.foodsafetynews.com
September 27, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Who’s trying to poison T. H. Huxley?