The thing about having kids is that you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself, even if you are under the weather. They make you do things that make you feel better.

If you like genomics, speciation, and primates, this PhD position is for you! Unraveling the genomic architecture of speciation and gene flow in guenons, a diverse group of African monkeys. Funding through DTP. Do reach out with questions! #genomics #genome_assembly
evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...

Finally, using a model that accounts for dietary composition and host phylogeny, we make predictions about calculus presence across the entire mammalian tree of life (ca. 4500 species). Now you can check this data to decide if studying preserved oral microbiomes in your favourite species will work!

Captivity affects dental calculus formation, likely through modified diet: More calculus in captive carnivores, less calculus in captive herbivores.

Not all teeth are equally good at producing calculus: Molars usually show most of the deposit, incisors and canines less. This holds for most (but not all) mammals. Molars are also the most frequently preserved tooth type in museum collections, so easy to sample.

Species that eat plants and fruit are more likely to build up dental calculus (herbivores and frugivores). Hypercarnivores do not produce it at all. Dietary carbohydrates are needed to support the bacterial community that produces calculus. With too much fat and protein - no calculus for you!

First, why care? Dental calculus is the calcified oral microbiome that preserves over time to tell stories of microbes and hosts from the past. So far only studied in humans, a few primates and an occasional bear, because it is believed to be rare. We show that it is present in >70% of mammals!

Fantastic dental calculus and where to find it

Johnny Richards and team (@markella-morait.bsky.social + curators from 5 museums) survey >140 mammalian species with >1,600 specimens to understand what factors determine dental calculus formation. #aDNA #museomics
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Studying evolutionary history, adaptations & conservation needs by sequencing holotypes:
Holotype genome of the lesula provides insights into demography and evolution of a threatened primate lineage
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Excellent work by @axeljensen.bsky.social & co, drawing Stephen Nash

The first cool thing is that we actually recover oral microbiome profiles from all mammalian species in the study, from dugongs to okapis, marmots to kangaroos.

Dental calculus, the preserved oral microbiome, is an absolute treasure trove of information that can be interrogated across thousands of years. But how to make it work? In a new preprint, @markella-morait.bsky.social asks this questions using >30 mammalian species:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

3-y postdoc position in (meta)Genomics of Population Declines elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid.... If you have experience with low-coverage genomic data, care about biodiversity loss, want to understand host-microbiomes interactions, this post is for you! #museomics #ancientDNA #mammals

Yesterday @axeljensen.bsky.social absolutely rocked his PhD defense, with brilliant opposition by @joanameier.bsky.social! There’s no better feeling for a #proudPI #PhDone @animecol-uu.bsky.social

Flag up for @axeljensen.bsky.social ‘s defence today!

Absolutely mind-blowing seminar by @joanameier.bsky.social today @animecol-uu.bsky.social: different mechanisms sparking massive radiation in fishes and butterflies.

The stunning beauty of Swedish winter

Back in Uppsala for a week. @axeljensen.bsky.social will be defending his thesis coming Friday, with @joanameier.bsky.social as opponent. A joyous and a thoughtful occasion for a visit. But the sights are incredible!

If you like genomics, speciation, and primates, this PhD position is for you! Unraveling the genomic architecture of speciation and gene flow in a crazy group of monkeys at U of Edinburgh . Do reach out with questions!
evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...