Dr. Arun Sethuraman
@arunsethuraman.bsky.social
Computational evolutionary biologist. Associate Professor at @sandiegostate.bsky.social, athlete, insomniac, writer, singer, polyglot, polymath, Out100 honoree. He/him. 🏳️🌈🇮🇳🇺🇸🐞🌱🐢🧬🏋🏾♂️🎤✍🏾 www.sethuramanlab.com Views are mine and mine alone.
Pinned
Hidden in Plain Sight. How Ks histogram dynamics can reveal and obscure ancient whole genome duplications. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689290v1
Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
The last work of my PhD is finally out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...! This work is about accurately estimating branch length in the Ancestral Recombination Graph (ARG), which is achieved by a really simple framework with minimal assumptions. (1/n)
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:27 PM
The last work of my PhD is finally out: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...! This work is about accurately estimating branch length in the Ancestral Recombination Graph (ARG), which is achieved by a really simple framework with minimal assumptions. (1/n)
Embarrassing - meanwhile, if I didn’t have a pertussis vaccine (or a gamut of other vaccines), I would have been refused entry into the United States as an immigrant. Meaningless deaths, almost entirely preventable by vaccines, which our CDC should insist and ensure that that every child receives.
3 infant #pertussis deaths this year in Kentucky. "Of the three infant deaths reported over the past 12 months, all three were not vaccinated, nor were their mothers."
We first tested maternal vaccination for whooping cough over 80 years ago. It's safe & effective & might have saved these babies.
We first tested maternal vaccination for whooping cough over 80 years ago. It's safe & effective & might have saved these babies.
www.wowktv.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Embarrassing - meanwhile, if I didn’t have a pertussis vaccine (or a gamut of other vaccines), I would have been refused entry into the United States as an immigrant. Meaningless deaths, almost entirely preventable by vaccines, which our CDC should insist and ensure that that every child receives.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
Ever wondered whether dogs are a different species from wolves? On an ecological, and behavioral basis, I think so. The Dec 2 issue of PNAS will be interesting! www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/122... and the introductory article to the issue: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... . Here: my daughter, my son, and our dog:
November 25, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Ever wondered whether dogs are a different species from wolves? On an ecological, and behavioral basis, I think so. The Dec 2 issue of PNAS will be interesting! www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/122... and the introductory article to the issue: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... . Here: my daughter, my son, and our dog:
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)
The frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations
The presence of two or more copies of the genome in an organism, termed ‘polyploidy’, is a crucial force in plant evolution, generating genetic, phenotypic and ecological diversity. The Amazonian tr...
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:30 PM
New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)
This is among the silliest ones by Larson, but always makes me smile.
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This is among the silliest ones by Larson, but always makes me smile.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
How and for whom can genetics education reduce beliefs in genetic essentialism? pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41267401/
"We also find that the 3 intervention curricula are highly effective across sociodemographic group characteristics [...] we offer evidence-based strategies for curriculum development"
"We also find that the 3 intervention curricula are highly effective across sociodemographic group characteristics [...] we offer evidence-based strategies for curriculum development"
November 24, 2025 at 2:57 PM
How and for whom can genetics education reduce beliefs in genetic essentialism? pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41267401/
"We also find that the 3 intervention curricula are highly effective across sociodemographic group characteristics [...] we offer evidence-based strategies for curriculum development"
"We also find that the 3 intervention curricula are highly effective across sociodemographic group characteristics [...] we offer evidence-based strategies for curriculum development"
This was so fun! Rubbed shoulders with some celebrities and LGBTQIA+ icons last night at the #Out100 gala in LA. Still surprised that I got to share the spotlight on the Out100 list this year - so thank you! ❤️
November 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This was so fun! Rubbed shoulders with some celebrities and LGBTQIA+ icons last night at the #Out100 gala in LA. Still surprised that I got to share the spotlight on the Out100 list this year - so thank you! ❤️
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
Hang in there! Hurricanes have driven the evolution of introduced brown anole lizards in the southeastern United States, selecting for longer limbs and larger toepads that improve survival during high winds at sites with frequent hurricanes. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/iTrV50XuP7A
November 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Hang in there! Hurricanes have driven the evolution of introduced brown anole lizards in the southeastern United States, selecting for longer limbs and larger toepads that improve survival during high winds at sites with frequent hurricanes. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/iTrV50XuP7A
Looking forward to today’s @calstate.bsky.social Bioinformatics Webinar, featuring the awesome @catalicu.bsky.social! Do join us at noon Pacific via Zoom. Deets in the flyer.
November 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Looking forward to today’s @calstate.bsky.social Bioinformatics Webinar, featuring the awesome @catalicu.bsky.social! Do join us at noon Pacific via Zoom. Deets in the flyer.
Wow - 24 hours in SoCal. Teaching in San Diego, LOR season, lecturing at UC Riverside, teaching till 5 pm + haircut + chlorophyll assays, RNA extractions back in San Diego, and now I’m fanboying Alex Trebek on Hollywood Blvd in icky rain and bluster in Los Angeles, ahead of the #Out100 gala. Y’all..
November 21, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Wow - 24 hours in SoCal. Teaching in San Diego, LOR season, lecturing at UC Riverside, teaching till 5 pm + haircut + chlorophyll assays, RNA extractions back in San Diego, and now I’m fanboying Alex Trebek on Hollywood Blvd in icky rain and bluster in Los Angeles, ahead of the #Out100 gala. Y’all..
Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.
Hidden in Plain Sight. How Ks histogram dynamics can reveal and obscure ancient whole genome duplications. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.19.689290v1
November 20, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
It’s hard to correctly estimate the level of fumigation that will be required to restore public trust and proper function in the CDC (and several other executive branches) after what has occurred over the past ten months (has it really only been ten months?!)
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 AM
It’s hard to correctly estimate the level of fumigation that will be required to restore public trust and proper function in the CDC (and several other executive branches) after what has occurred over the past ten months (has it really only been ten months?!)
Thanks for hosting me! UCR has such an awesome group of plant folks. Full house at my talk - such an honor ❤️
Thoroughly enjoyed @arunsethuraman.bsky.social's talk at the @ucriverside.bsky.social BPSC seminar today, "Exploring angiosperm polyploidy continuum at the species and population levels" 🌱 🌱
@jrossibarra.bsky.social made an appearance in one of the slides!!
@jrossibarra.bsky.social made an appearance in one of the slides!!
November 20, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Thanks for hosting me! UCR has such an awesome group of plant folks. Full house at my talk - such an honor ❤️
Y’all didn’t know that I had an alt life as a playwright and actor 25 years ago, did ya? Mom sent me these today lol. Here’s me being the repenting Nedunchezhiyan who falls to Kannagi’s revenge as she burns the city down in Silappathigaaram, back in the BITS Pilani days.
November 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Y’all didn’t know that I had an alt life as a playwright and actor 25 years ago, did ya? Mom sent me these today lol. Here’s me being the repenting Nedunchezhiyan who falls to Kannagi’s revenge as she burns the city down in Silappathigaaram, back in the BITS Pilani days.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
These weasels have locally adapted their winter coats to varying snow cover thanks to a million-year-old mutation 🌿
buff.ly/TnOfYWt
buff.ly/TnOfYWt
November 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
These weasels have locally adapted their winter coats to varying snow cover thanks to a million-year-old mutation 🌿
buff.ly/TnOfYWt
buff.ly/TnOfYWt
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
1/6 In a new preprint we ask a question:
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Sex-specific mutation accumulation: A parsimonious explanation for sex differences in lifespan and ageing
ecoevorxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:08 PM
1/6 In a new preprint we ask a question:
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Looking forward to my lecture on Wednesday @ucriverside.bsky.social in the Botany & Plant Sciences seminar series! I’ll present some of our recent work on forward time whole genome sims & demographic inference in the polyploid continuum. See y’all there? plantbiology.ucr.edu/seminars
Seminars
BPSC 250 Seminar Series Fall 2025 Organizer: Louis Santiago Winter 2026 Organizer:
plantbiology.ucr.edu
November 18, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Looking forward to my lecture on Wednesday @ucriverside.bsky.social in the Botany & Plant Sciences seminar series! I’ll present some of our recent work on forward time whole genome sims & demographic inference in the polyploid continuum. See y’all there? plantbiology.ucr.edu/seminars
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
Folks, it is finally out! Our paper on T2T assemblies of the zebrafish genome is on BioRxiv:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 17, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Folks, it is finally out! Our paper on T2T assemblies of the zebrafish genome is on BioRxiv:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
Congratulations to @michellezavala.bsky.social on the publication of one of her PhD. This research builds on #NSF-funded #PopUpPoplar research using WGS and replicate common gardens to understand how climate and hybridization influence stomata evolution
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Climate and hybridization shape stomatal trait evolution in Populus
Stomata play a critical role in regulating plant responses to climate. Where sister species differ in stomatal traits, interspecific gene flow can influence the evolutionary trajectory of trait vari...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Congratulations to @michellezavala.bsky.social on the publication of one of her PhD. This research builds on #NSF-funded #PopUpPoplar research using WGS and replicate common gardens to understand how climate and hybridization influence stomata evolution
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Successful Labsgiving 2025! Hearts and tummies full.
November 16, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Successful Labsgiving 2025! Hearts and tummies full.
Y’all thought I was kidding? Here’s me prepping tonight ahead of tomorrow’s Labsgiving!
November 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Y’all thought I was kidding? Here’s me prepping tonight ahead of tomorrow’s Labsgiving!
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
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/...
‘Wut? If I wants to sits here, I sits. Trip and die, or walk around me if you canz.’
November 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM
‘Wut? If I wants to sits here, I sits. Trip and die, or walk around me if you canz.’
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
Reposted by Dr. Arun Sethuraman
A High-throughput Sequencing Screen to Identify Apomixis in Plants https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.688100v1
November 14, 2025 at 2:01 AM
A High-throughput Sequencing Screen to Identify Apomixis in Plants https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.688100v1