Oscar Silva
@oscar-silva.bsky.social
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Treating emergent traits of the microbiome like quantitative genetic traits of the host reveals how environmentally acquired symbionts can contribute to hosts' adaptation
Quantitative genetics of microbiome-mediated traits
Microbiomes, the complex communities of microorganisms associated with multicellular hosts, play a vital role in shaping host traits and fitness. But how d
buff.ly
November 24, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Treating emergent traits of the microbiome like quantitative genetic traits of the host reveals how environmentally acquired symbionts can contribute to hosts' adaptation
Reposted by Oscar Silva
"The discovery pushes the boundaries of our knowledge of just how small and simple cellular life can become, as it evolves even into forms that are barely alive."
Genome sequencing technology is introducing biologists to a world of quasi-life forms that they’ve never met before. @jakebuehler.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/a-cell-so-mi...
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life | Quanta Magazine
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
"The discovery pushes the boundaries of our knowledge of just how small and simple cellular life can become, as it evolves even into forms that are barely alive."
Reposted by Oscar Silva
#OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published.
Much of the original manuscript was used as scrap paper by Darwin's children. On the back of this painting of a house is an original manuscript page from Origin!
#CambridgeUniversityLibrary (DAR 185)
Much of the original manuscript was used as scrap paper by Darwin's children. On the back of this painting of a house is an original manuscript page from Origin!
#CambridgeUniversityLibrary (DAR 185)
November 24, 2025 at 11:26 AM
#OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published.
Much of the original manuscript was used as scrap paper by Darwin's children. On the back of this painting of a house is an original manuscript page from Origin!
#CambridgeUniversityLibrary (DAR 185)
Much of the original manuscript was used as scrap paper by Darwin's children. On the back of this painting of a house is an original manuscript page from Origin!
#CambridgeUniversityLibrary (DAR 185)
Reposted by Oscar Silva
🔆 #OTD Nov. 24th, in 1859
Darwin's evolutionary (and revolutionary) book is published,
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection"
It changed our view of life...
"Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution."
- T. Dobzhansky
Darwin Online 🧪
darwin-online.org.uk
Darwin's evolutionary (and revolutionary) book is published,
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection"
It changed our view of life...
"Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution."
- T. Dobzhansky
Darwin Online 🧪
darwin-online.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 2:03 PM
🔆 #OTD Nov. 24th, in 1859
Darwin's evolutionary (and revolutionary) book is published,
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection"
It changed our view of life...
"Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution."
- T. Dobzhansky
Darwin Online 🧪
darwin-online.org.uk
Darwin's evolutionary (and revolutionary) book is published,
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection"
It changed our view of life...
"Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution."
- T. Dobzhansky
Darwin Online 🧪
darwin-online.org.uk
Reposted by Oscar Silva
#OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin's landmark book 'On the Origin of Species' was first published. The work is one of the foundations of evolutionary biology, and one of the most important scientific works of the 19th century. #HistoryOfScience
November 24, 2025 at 9:07 AM
#OnThisDay in 1859, Charles Darwin's landmark book 'On the Origin of Species' was first published. The work is one of the foundations of evolutionary biology, and one of the most important scientific works of the 19th century. #HistoryOfScience
"Quantitative geneticists acknowledge residual confounding as an unsolved problem. However, in practice, researchers face incentives to publish their inferences of genetic associations that are vulnerable to confounding."
Full OA paper here: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Confounding fuels misinterpretation in human genetics | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
The scientific literature has seen a resurgence of interest in genetic influences
on human behaviour and socioeconomic outcomes. Such studies face the central difficulty
of distinguishing possible cau...
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
"Quantitative geneticists acknowledge residual confounding as an unsolved problem. However, in practice, researchers face incentives to publish their inferences of genetic associations that are vulnerable to confounding."
Reposted by Oscar Silva
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Read the linked News & Views commentary by Manolo Mischler & Olivier Tenaillon 👇
Deep mutational scans clarify the record of evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free to read: rdcu.be/eQ5HU
Deep mutational scans clarify the record of evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free to read: rdcu.be/eQ5HU
November 21, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Read the linked News & Views commentary by Manolo Mischler & Olivier Tenaillon 👇
Deep mutational scans clarify the record of evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free to read: rdcu.be/eQ5HU
Deep mutational scans clarify the record of evolution www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free to read: rdcu.be/eQ5HU
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Essential to life and threaded through deep time, phosphorus has been mined and disrupted by human activity. This essay traces its journey from ancient soils and riverbeds to industrial farms, and explores how we can restore the phosphorus cycles that have sustained life for aeons
The cycling of phosphorus is the basis for all life on Earth | Aeon Essays
This life-giving element, stored in rock and organic material, moves around Earth in an ancient cycle we have just broken
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Essential to life and threaded through deep time, phosphorus has been mined and disrupted by human activity. This essay traces its journey from ancient soils and riverbeds to industrial farms, and explores how we can restore the phosphorus cycles that have sustained life for aeons
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Grandchamp, @drdomain.bsky.social et al. publish a new Review on commonly used methods for de novo gene detection, address the limitations of nomenclature and detection methods, and establish a de novo gene annotation format to standardize reporting
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf197
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf197
#genome #evolution
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Grandchamp, @drdomain.bsky.social et al. publish a new Review on commonly used methods for de novo gene detection, address the limitations of nomenclature and detection methods, and establish a de novo gene annotation format to standardize reporting
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf197
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf197
#genome #evolution
Reposted by Oscar Silva
The concept of "fitness" is central to evolutionary biology but it's not entirely worked out. There are multiple definitions, doubts about predictive power, problems with internal consistency. Here's a paper from last year attempting to solve some of these problems. doi.org/10.1093/evol...
November 5, 2025 at 2:27 PM
The concept of "fitness" is central to evolutionary biology but it's not entirely worked out. There are multiple definitions, doubts about predictive power, problems with internal consistency. Here's a paper from last year attempting to solve some of these problems. doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Happy to share that our paper ‘a formal theory of group-level adaptation for obligate eusociality’ (with @andygardner.bsky.social) is now out in @jevbio.bsky.social advances.
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
November 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Happy to share that our paper ‘a formal theory of group-level adaptation for obligate eusociality’ (with @andygardner.bsky.social) is now out in @jevbio.bsky.social advances.
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Thrilled to finally share the magnum opus of my PhD that focuses on the genetic basis of evolutionary change! Specifically, we know we can map the genetic basis of a trait, but can we tell which genes will underlie the trait shift when it evolves? doi.org/10.1101/2025...
High-resolution mapping of a rapidly evolving complex trait reveals genotype-phenotype stability and an unpredictable genetic architecture of adaptation
The extent to which adaptation can be predicted, particularly for traits with complex genetic bases, is unknown. Here, we leveraged a model complex trait, model species, and high-powered longitudinal ...
doi.org
November 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Thrilled to finally share the magnum opus of my PhD that focuses on the genetic basis of evolutionary change! Specifically, we know we can map the genetic basis of a trait, but can we tell which genes will underlie the trait shift when it evolves? doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Modestly, we decided to review a century's worth of theories of balancing selection :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A century of theories of balancing selection
Traits that affect organismal fitness are often highly genetically variable. This genetic variation is vital for populations to adapt to their environments, but it is also surprising given that natur...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Modestly, we decided to review a century's worth of theories of balancing selection :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Oscar Silva
About today’s “GenZ protest” in Mexico: foreigners please be aware that this was not rooted in the movement that originated in Nepal, this was a narrative takeover by the Mexican far-right.
Not a protest, not a social movement: a display of the political rot within a deeply disenfranchised society.
Not a protest, not a social movement: a display of the political rot within a deeply disenfranchised society.
November 16, 2025 at 3:06 AM
About today’s “GenZ protest” in Mexico: foreigners please be aware that this was not rooted in the movement that originated in Nepal, this was a narrative takeover by the Mexican far-right.
Not a protest, not a social movement: a display of the political rot within a deeply disenfranchised society.
Not a protest, not a social movement: a display of the political rot within a deeply disenfranchised society.
Si todo sale bien, es posible que el próximo me embarque de nuevo en el mundillo académico.
November 15, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Si todo sale bien, es posible que el próximo me embarque de nuevo en el mundillo académico.
Reposted by Oscar Silva
"Derecha tradicional" = su abuelo estaba en el wehrmacht
Las propuestas de José Antonio Kast, el ultraconservador que busca llegar a La Moneda en su tercer intento
El exdiputado, de la derecha tradicional, ha centrado su discurso en los temas de seguridad y migración bajo el concepto del Gobierno de Emergencia social.elpais.com/4jtu310
El exdiputado, de la derecha tradicional, ha centrado su discurso en los temas de seguridad y migración bajo el concepto del Gobierno de Emergencia social.elpais.com/4jtu310
Las propuestas de José Antonio Kast, el ultraconservador que busca llegar a La Moneda en su tercer intento
El candidato presidencial del Partido Republicano y del Partido Social Cristiano compite para alcanzar la segunda vuelta y enfrentar al oficialismo
social.elpais.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:47 AM
"Derecha tradicional" = su abuelo estaba en el wehrmacht
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Phase transitions, bifurcations, thermal vents, exoplanets and their interactive maps, as well as pointers to a whole special issue just published in @royalsocietypublishing.org about origin of life.
With Spotify and Apple podcasts as usual.
What do you need more?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
With Spotify and Apple podcasts as usual.
What do you need more?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
When matter came alive: the physics of life’s emergence
Exploring the origins of life through the mathematical theory of transitions
manlius.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Phase transitions, bifurcations, thermal vents, exoplanets and their interactive maps, as well as pointers to a whole special issue just published in @royalsocietypublishing.org about origin of life.
With Spotify and Apple podcasts as usual.
What do you need more?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
With Spotify and Apple podcasts as usual.
What do you need more?
CC: @ricardsole.bsky.social
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Brasó-Vives et al. publish a new Perspective in GBE, highlighting underexplored dimensions of genomic variation that contribute to phenotypic diversity beyond the DNA sequence, contributing to our understanding of genome evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf204
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf204
#genome #evolution
November 14, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Brasó-Vives et al. publish a new Perspective in GBE, highlighting underexplored dimensions of genomic variation that contribute to phenotypic diversity beyond the DNA sequence, contributing to our understanding of genome evolution.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf204
#genome #evolution
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf204
#genome #evolution
"Here, we review how population size and its dynamics shape speciation mechanisms and the generation of biodiversity across evolutionary scales."
New review out! With students in my lab, we explore how population size shapes speciation—from drift in small populations to selection in large ones. Do small or large populations speciate faster? The answer is more nuanced than you might think.
esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Speciation Through the Lens of Population Dynamics: A Theoretical Primer on How Small and Large Populations Diverge
Population size and dynamics fundamentally shape speciation by influencing genetic drift, founder events, and adaptive potential. Small populations may speciate rapidly due to stronger drift, whereas...
esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:22 AM
"Here, we review how population size and its dynamics shape speciation mechanisms and the generation of biodiversity across evolutionary scales."
Reposted by Oscar Silva
btw these people have a podcast that is recorded currently. The Origins Podcast which is part of the Origins Project which received 2 million dollars (at least) of seed money from Epstein.
So yeah.
So yeah.
November 13, 2025 at 12:21 PM
btw these people have a podcast that is recorded currently. The Origins Podcast which is part of the Origins Project which received 2 million dollars (at least) of seed money from Epstein.
So yeah.
So yeah.
Reposted by Oscar Silva
For brave biologists/ecologists with a penchant for venturing beyond the boundaries of the intellectual comfort zone, I strongly recommend Jan Baedke's recent monograph "The Organism" in the series "Elements in the Philosophy of Biology". An absolute conceptual treat.
doi.org/10.1017/9781...
doi.org/10.1017/9781...
The Organism
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - The Organism
doi.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:34 AM
For brave biologists/ecologists with a penchant for venturing beyond the boundaries of the intellectual comfort zone, I strongly recommend Jan Baedke's recent monograph "The Organism" in the series "Elements in the Philosophy of Biology". An absolute conceptual treat.
doi.org/10.1017/9781...
doi.org/10.1017/9781...
Reposted by Oscar Silva
Please join us for this exciting new conference on the emergence, function and evolution of biological collectives - unpacking the wonderful world of self-organization: www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Collectivity in living systems: emergence, function, and evolution
www.embl.org
November 8, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Please join us for this exciting new conference on the emergence, function and evolution of biological collectives - unpacking the wonderful world of self-organization: www.embl.org/about/info/c...