Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
@jrossibarra.bsky.social
evolutionary genomics of maize and wild relatives. erstwhile ethnobotanist. purveyor of bad puns. dad. prof and HPC director at UC Davis. not actually a cool cow from 1994. rilab.ucdavis.edu. views, especially bad ones, mine only (he/him)
Pinned
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
I was fortunate to listen a great talk by Sherry Flint-Garcia this morning in the Zeavolution seminar series.
The pigmentation imaging of maize kernel at cellular level is gorgeous! 🌽🔬
The pigmentation imaging of maize kernel at cellular level is gorgeous! 🌽🔬
November 19, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I was fortunate to listen a great talk by Sherry Flint-Garcia this morning in the Zeavolution seminar series.
The pigmentation imaging of maize kernel at cellular level is gorgeous! 🌽🔬
The pigmentation imaging of maize kernel at cellular level is gorgeous! 🌽🔬
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
November 19, 2025 at 12:48 AM
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
My radical edu take: LLMs devalue knowledge retrieval, so the 3 most important skills to learn in school now are
1. identifying high-qualilty information from the rest,
2. making good decisions in an oversaturated information environment
3. understanding the difference between data and knowledge
1. identifying high-qualilty information from the rest,
2. making good decisions in an oversaturated information environment
3. understanding the difference between data and knowledge
November 18, 2025 at 5:44 PM
My radical edu take: LLMs devalue knowledge retrieval, so the 3 most important skills to learn in school now are
1. identifying high-qualilty information from the rest,
2. making good decisions in an oversaturated information environment
3. understanding the difference between data and knowledge
1. identifying high-qualilty information from the rest,
2. making good decisions in an oversaturated information environment
3. understanding the difference between data and knowledge
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Atkinson Hyperlegible Font - Braille Institute
Read easier with Atkinson Hyperlegible Font, crafted for low-vision readers. Download for free and enjoy clear letters and numbers on your computer!
www.brailleinstitute.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:19 AM
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I don’t have any saved memes. What does it say about my moral philosophy that I save photos of fungus and hundreds of sea lion skulls?
November 17, 2025 at 3:35 AM
I don’t have any saved memes. What does it say about my moral philosophy that I save photos of fungus and hundreds of sea lion skulls?
Apparently you go offline for one night and forget how to spell.
Recked cars, great weather, and a skill of ?? In quick overnight backpack with 8yo. Only 2nd time I’ve seen a black widow out in the woods!
November 17, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Apparently you go offline for one night and forget how to spell.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Hello. I live in Los Angeles. The president is lying.
June 8, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Hello. I live in Los Angeles. The president is lying.
So many species of woodpecker. How to know which one did this?
November 16, 2025 at 11:04 PM
So many species of woodpecker. How to know which one did this?
Any suggestions on ID of this?
November 16, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Any suggestions on ID of this?
Recked cars, great weather, and a skill of ?? In quick overnight backpack with 8yo. Only 2nd time I’ve seen a black widow out in the woods!
November 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Recked cars, great weather, and a skill of ?? In quick overnight backpack with 8yo. Only 2nd time I’ve seen a black widow out in the woods!
I dunno if my lab can stay in business if the cost of Transposons keeps going up like this.
November 15, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I dunno if my lab can stay in business if the cost of Transposons keeps going up like this.
I normally hate the spam emails inviting me to submit articles to some random journal, but gee this one is convincing. I just with I knew what journal.
November 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I normally hate the spam emails inviting me to submit articles to some random journal, but gee this one is convincing. I just with I knew what journal.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Fuck. This.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Fuck. This.
This result is in stark contrast to the plant genetics literature, where, in our massive GWAS panels of 500 individuals, we never find a role for variants at <0.2% frequency. (to be totally fair we can at least replicate genotypes so it's not that bad, but still 500 is Too Small)
Estimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypes - Nature
WGS data were used from 347,630 individuals with European ancestry in the UK Biobank to obtain high-precision estimates of coding and non-coding rare variant heritability for 34 co...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This result is in stark contrast to the plant genetics literature, where, in our massive GWAS panels of 500 individuals, we never find a role for variants at <0.2% frequency. (to be totally fair we can at least replicate genotypes so it's not that bad, but still 500 is Too Small)
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish
For over a century, evolutionary biologists have been motivated to understand the mechanisms through which organisms adapt to their environments. Coloration and pigmentation are remarkably variable wi...
shorturl.at
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Just discovered #TautonymTuesday. See what we’re missing out on botanists? Change the code!
It’s #TautonymTuesday! Meet 𝑅𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑟𝑎 𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑟𝑎, the chamois. This agile caprine inhabits rugged mountain terrain across Europe and parts of Asia, adapted for steep slopes and harsh alpine climates. #Systematics #TaxonomyTuesday Photo: Giles Laurent
November 12, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Just discovered #TautonymTuesday. See what we’re missing out on botanists? Change the code!
Oh no. We’re gonna have a Supreme Court case now about whether a burrito or a hot dog is a sandwich now aren’t we?
we now know that it’s not illegal to throw sandwiches at ICE agents, an important development
BREAKING: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT EATS A LOSS IN 'SANDWICH GUY' CASE AS JURORS FIND DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
November 12, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Oh no. We’re gonna have a Supreme Court case now about whether a burrito or a hot dog is a sandwich now aren’t we?
As someone who looks at a lot of Manhattan plots, I can say that an under-appreciated cause of false positive GWAS hits is stuff stuck to my computer screen.
November 12, 2025 at 1:40 AM
As someone who looks at a lot of Manhattan plots, I can say that an under-appreciated cause of false positive GWAS hits is stuff stuck to my computer screen.
Long overdue outside day in Antioch at Black Diamond Mine Regional Preserve. Prospector tunnel (we mined quartz!), fun fungus, and great views.
November 12, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Long overdue outside day in Antioch at Black Diamond Mine Regional Preserve. Prospector tunnel (we mined quartz!), fun fungus, and great views.
OK @calacademy.bsky.social, saw this DNA sequence in an exhibit today, assumed green=A, blue=C, red=T, black=G, and tried to BLAST it to figure out its origin but have so far turned up nothing. What species and gene is this sequence from? Claude didn't know either.
November 10, 2025 at 6:01 AM
OK @calacademy.bsky.social, saw this DNA sequence in an exhibit today, assumed green=A, blue=C, red=T, black=G, and tried to BLAST it to figure out its origin but have so far turned up nothing. What species and gene is this sequence from? Claude didn't know either.
Chanel or Worm?
November 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Chanel or Worm?
Today: hangin’ with Claude.
November 9, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Today: hangin’ with Claude.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
I recently moved my lab to Purdue University and am looking for graduate students. We are working at the interface of population genomics, quantitative genetics and functional genomics to understand how plants adapt to extreme environments. Reach out if you would like to discuss potential projects.
November 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
I recently moved my lab to Purdue University and am looking for graduate students. We are working at the interface of population genomics, quantitative genetics and functional genomics to understand how plants adapt to extreme environments. Reach out if you would like to discuss potential projects.
At kiddo soccer game. Weird thing about Davis is when you overhear a mom talking about westerns it’s about 50/50 whether she means John Wayne or quantifying proteins.
November 8, 2025 at 5:57 PM
At kiddo soccer game. Weird thing about Davis is when you overhear a mom talking about westerns it’s about 50/50 whether she means John Wayne or quantifying proteins.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)