Micah Freedman
@micahfreedman.bsky.social
Studying evolutionary ecology, natural history, chemical ecology, biodiversity, and insect migration at the University of Toronto
https://www.freedman-lab.ca
https://www.freedman-lab.ca
Reposted by Micah Freedman
How many chromosomes can an animal have?
In our paper out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social we show that the Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs- the highest in diploid Metazoa! These arose by rapid autosome fragmentation while sex chromosomes stayed intact.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
In our paper out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social we show that the Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs- the highest in diploid Metazoa! These arose by rapid autosome fragmentation while sex chromosomes stayed intact.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Constraints on chromosome evolution revealed by the 229 chromosome pairs of the Atlas blue butterfly
The genome of the Atlas blue butterfly contains ten times more chromosomes than most
butterflies, and more than any other known diploid animal. Wright et al. show that
this extraordinary karyotype is ...
tinyurl.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
How many chromosomes can an animal have?
In our paper out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social we show that the Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs- the highest in diploid Metazoa! These arose by rapid autosome fragmentation while sex chromosomes stayed intact.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
In our paper out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social we show that the Atlas blue butterfly has 229 chromosome pairs- the highest in diploid Metazoa! These arose by rapid autosome fragmentation while sex chromosomes stayed intact.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
(1) Got to spend a few days back home in South Carolina during peak springtime. Here are some photos and natural history tidbits!
April 29, 2025 at 4:19 AM
(1) Got to spend a few days back home in South Carolina during peak springtime. Here are some photos and natural history tidbits!
Reposted by Micah Freedman
Really excited to see this work, led by Mike Grundler, published! It's a new method for inferring the geographic locations of shared genetic ancestors. In the paper, we and use it to infer the geographic history of human genetic ancestry
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A geographic history of human genetic ancestry
Describing the distribution of genetic variation across individuals is a fundamental goal of population genetics. We present a method that capitalizes on the rich genealogical information encoded in g...
www.science.org
March 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Really excited to see this work, led by Mike Grundler, published! It's a new method for inferring the geographic locations of shared genetic ancestors. In the paper, we and use it to infer the geographic history of human genetic ancestry
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Micah Freedman
👀 Ok, if true this is a shocking way to blast through the forest canopy, remove lianas, & dominate "The idea that lightning strikes give almendros a competitive advantage-The almendro tree is so tolerant of strikes, in fact, that it may well be summoning lightning" www.science.org/content/arti... 🌐🧪
Shocker: This tropical tree thrives after being struck by lightning
The almendro withstands thunderbolts that blast away parasitic vines
www.science.org
March 27, 2025 at 3:44 AM
👀 Ok, if true this is a shocking way to blast through the forest canopy, remove lianas, & dominate "The idea that lightning strikes give almendros a competitive advantage-The almendro tree is so tolerant of strikes, in fact, that it may well be summoning lightning" www.science.org/content/arti... 🌐🧪
Reposted by Micah Freedman
First lab paper out in a long time - this one looking at pollination/pollinators/floral volatiles of an AWESOME species of sand verbena from South Texas. All credit to my wonderful grad student Sierra and collaborators. (more photos below) www.pollinationecology.org/index.php/jp...
March 24, 2025 at 7:13 PM
First lab paper out in a long time - this one looking at pollination/pollinators/floral volatiles of an AWESOME species of sand verbena from South Texas. All credit to my wonderful grad student Sierra and collaborators. (more photos below) www.pollinationecology.org/index.php/jp...
Reposted by Micah Freedman
This has been in the works for a while, and is not a response to recent events, but the timing couldn't be better: Canada now allows foreign students and postdocs to apply for more doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships! www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NewsDetail-D...
NSERC - Latest News - Launch of the new Harmonized Tri-agency Scholarship and Fellowship programs
As announced in Budget 2024, the scholarship and fellowship programs administered by the three federal research funding agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – have been streamlined into a new harmonized talent program called the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) that will open for applications in summer 2025.
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
March 15, 2025 at 3:00 AM
This has been in the works for a while, and is not a response to recent events, but the timing couldn't be better: Canada now allows foreign students and postdocs to apply for more doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships! www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NewsDetail-D...
Reposted by Micah Freedman
Our department (@EEBUofT) is searching for a Post-Doc! Post-docs funded by this fellowship are independently supported, with research funds available. We invite applications from innovative, collaborative candidates. See the job ad here:
eeb.utoronto.ca/wp-content/u...
eeb.utoronto.ca/wp-content/u...
eeb.utoronto.ca
March 18, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Our department (@EEBUofT) is searching for a Post-Doc! Post-docs funded by this fellowship are independently supported, with research funds available. We invite applications from innovative, collaborative candidates. See the job ad here:
eeb.utoronto.ca/wp-content/u...
eeb.utoronto.ca/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Micah Freedman
New preprint featuring my favorite maize-relatives, the Andropogoneae! We sequenced the genomes of 27 species, including lemongrass, kangaroo grass, little and big bluestem, and more -- key species that shape grasslands and prairies worldwide. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 27, 2025 at 9:33 PM
New preprint featuring my favorite maize-relatives, the Andropogoneae! We sequenced the genomes of 27 species, including lemongrass, kangaroo grass, little and big bluestem, and more -- key species that shape grasslands and prairies worldwide. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
First warm day of the year in Toronto today (11C). Saw my first bee even though there’s still snow on the ground in places and not even the crocuses aren’t up yet. Anyone know if this is Osmia?
March 12, 2025 at 2:05 AM
First warm day of the year in Toronto today (11C). Saw my first bee even though there’s still snow on the ground in places and not even the crocuses aren’t up yet. Anyone know if this is Osmia?
Reposted by Micah Freedman
I'm thrilled to be opening my own lab this Fall at the @maxplanck.de MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The lab is going to investigate the neuronal and genetic underpinnings of behavioral evolution. We are hiring on all levels. Don't hesitate to share widely and reach out if interested.
January 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I'm thrilled to be opening my own lab this Fall at the @maxplanck.de MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The lab is going to investigate the neuronal and genetic underpinnings of behavioral evolution. We are hiring on all levels. Don't hesitate to share widely and reach out if interested.
Slow to make the jump from Twitter, but it had stopped being a useful platform for me. Whole point of being there was to see/participate in conversations about science. Seems like some combo of (1) people I followed stopped posting/engaging and (2) the algorithm only amplifies blue check effluvium
March 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Slow to make the jump from Twitter, but it had stopped being a useful platform for me. Whole point of being there was to see/participate in conversations about science. Seems like some combo of (1) people I followed stopped posting/engaging and (2) the algorithm only amplifies blue check effluvium