C. Brandon Ogbunu
@cbo.bsky.social
Scientist + Humanist + Pugilist.
"Tip your hat; pop the chain; short Joe Louis; then wipe his nose with the hook. It's that simple." (c) Brother Naazim Richardson
https://linktr.ee/chike98
"Tip your hat; pop the chain; short Joe Louis; then wipe his nose with the hook. It's that simple." (c) Brother Naazim Richardson
https://linktr.ee/chike98
Pinned
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Really pleased to share the first paper to come out of the lab.
We found that hospital patients were frequently colonised with P. aeruginosa and that the same clone was shared between the gut and the lung.
The phylogenies indicate that the clones moved from lung->gut
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that hospital patients were frequently colonised with P. aeruginosa and that the same clone was shared between the gut and the lung.
The phylogenies indicate that the clones moved from lung->gut
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
High frequency body site translocation of nosocomial Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Nature Communications
Here, the authors report within-host diversity and body site translocation dynamics in hospital samples of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and reveal that body site sharing was likely due to within-patient tra...
www.nature.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Really pleased to share the first paper to come out of the lab.
We found that hospital patients were frequently colonised with P. aeruginosa and that the same clone was shared between the gut and the lung.
The phylogenies indicate that the clones moved from lung->gut
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that hospital patients were frequently colonised with P. aeruginosa and that the same clone was shared between the gut and the lung.
The phylogenies indicate that the clones moved from lung->gut
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
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 C. Brandon Ogbunu
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
November 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Our new collaborative work led by @taliamycota.bsky.social
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Jiajun Cui & Emma Caullireau between my lab @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @cloeucl.bsky.social & the Karasov Lab (tkarasovlab.org) @uofubiology.bsky.social
and collaborators: @plantricia.bsky.social et al.
tinyurl.com/5yx2wmz5
(1/n)
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Yale’s Institute for Foundations of Data Science (FDS) @yaledatascience.bsky.social is seeking applications for postdoctoral positions. These are cool, generously supported, competitive positions, expected to last 2-3 years, for independent scholars working on the foundations of data science.
Yale University, Institute for the Foundations of Data Science
Job #AJO31114, Postdoc in Foundations of Data Science, Institute for the Foundations of Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US
academicjobsonline.org
November 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Yale’s Institute for Foundations of Data Science (FDS) @yaledatascience.bsky.social is seeking applications for postdoctoral positions. These are cool, generously supported, competitive positions, expected to last 2-3 years, for independent scholars working on the foundations of data science.
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
New work by Andy Dahl and Michal Sadowski on using GxE to study genetics of drug response now out in Cell Genomics www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
Characterizing the genetic architecture of drug response using gene-context interaction methods
Sadowski et al. propose a framework to study the genetics of response to commonly prescribed drugs in large biobanks. They quantify the heritability of response to statins, metformin, warfarin, and methotrexate, and identify associated genes. Their analysis also shows the importance of accounting for drug use in genetic risk prediction.
www.cell.com
December 4, 2024 at 8:46 PM
New work by Andy Dahl and Michal Sadowski on using GxE to study genetics of drug response now out in Cell Genomics www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Indeed, we showed that different measures of association give very different ranking of top genes biodatamining.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... #gwas #genomics
November 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Indeed, we showed that different measures of association give very different ranking of top genes biodatamining.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... #gwas #genomics
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
"Due to the stochastic nature of this microscopic
engine, there are large fluctuations in its heat exchange,
including heat flowing the thermodynamically “wrong”
way".
Make an engine small enough and hot enough, and weird stuff happens.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
engine, there are large fluctuations in its heat exchange,
including heat flowing the thermodynamically “wrong”
way".
Make an engine small enough and hot enough, and weird stuff happens.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
journals.aps.org
November 24, 2025 at 9:33 AM
"Due to the stochastic nature of this microscopic
engine, there are large fluctuations in its heat exchange,
including heat flowing the thermodynamically “wrong”
way".
Make an engine small enough and hot enough, and weird stuff happens.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
engine, there are large fluctuations in its heat exchange,
including heat flowing the thermodynamically “wrong”
way".
Make an engine small enough and hot enough, and weird stuff happens.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
“This article focuses on the epistemic specificity of humanities research which makes it not only not suitable for replication, but also at odds with many of the other scientific reform measures touted as solutions to the so-called replication crisis.”
A new article by Chloe Patton in #ResearchEvaluation shows how debates about #OpenScience often slip into absurdity – like demanding #replication from the #Humanities. You can’t replicate history, culture, or interpretation the way you replicate a physics experiment: doi.org/10.1093/rese...
November 23, 2025 at 2:35 PM
“This article focuses on the epistemic specificity of humanities research which makes it not only not suitable for replication, but also at odds with many of the other scientific reform measures touted as solutions to the so-called replication crisis.”
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
We got published in Ecology&Evolution! We propose an equation from which we derive the fundamental equations of population ecology and evolutionary biology (the Price equation). #evobio #philbio onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 23, 2025 at 8:09 AM
We got published in Ecology&Evolution! We propose an equation from which we derive the fundamental equations of population ecology and evolutionary biology (the Price equation). #evobio #philbio onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Is your favourite fruit at risk?🍌
Watch & learn from Dr. Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social as she dives into the impact of the pathogen Ralstonia syzygii on banana plantations in our new video.
For more on #PlantPathogen #Evolution, visit: www.bio.mpg.de/48883/plant-pathogen-evolution-honour-mccann
Watch & learn from Dr. Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social as she dives into the impact of the pathogen Ralstonia syzygii on banana plantations in our new video.
For more on #PlantPathogen #Evolution, visit: www.bio.mpg.de/48883/plant-pathogen-evolution-honour-mccann
Plant Pathogen Evolution: Bananas
YouTube video by MPI for Biology & Friedrich Miescher Laboratory
youtu.be
December 19, 2024 at 10:54 AM
Is your favourite fruit at risk?🍌
Watch & learn from Dr. Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social as she dives into the impact of the pathogen Ralstonia syzygii on banana plantations in our new video.
For more on #PlantPathogen #Evolution, visit: www.bio.mpg.de/48883/plant-pathogen-evolution-honour-mccann
Watch & learn from Dr. Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social as she dives into the impact of the pathogen Ralstonia syzygii on banana plantations in our new video.
For more on #PlantPathogen #Evolution, visit: www.bio.mpg.de/48883/plant-pathogen-evolution-honour-mccann
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Not this again
'however, standard culture methods did not yield readily cultivable microbiota.'
'however, standard culture methods did not yield readily cultivable microbiota.'
The findings of a study in Nature Medicine introduce microbial elements as a component of the brain tumor microenvironment and lay the foundation for future mechanistic and translational studies. go.nature.com/44bO314 #medsky #microbiome 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Not this again
'however, standard culture methods did not yield readily cultivable microbiota.'
'however, standard culture methods did not yield readily cultivable microbiota.'
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
"It may be uncomfortable to conclude that a widely used study design has been producing spurious results. But the evidence is in, and telling uncomfortable truths is a part of doing science."
Problems with twin studies.
theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
Problems with twin studies.
theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"It may be uncomfortable to conclude that a widely used study design has been producing spurious results. But the evidence is in, and telling uncomfortable truths is a part of doing science."
Problems with twin studies.
theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
Problems with twin studies.
theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
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 C. Brandon Ogbunu
🔥🔥🔥
𝗗𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝘁𝘀 & 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝘁𝘇 will give their first-ever 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 at NetSci 2026! Their groundbreaking work has shaped how we understand networks, & this session will be a highlight of NetSci’s 20th anniversary.
Call for abstracts: tinyurl.com/3tbj2v83
Call for satellites: tinyurl.com/42sru6kz
Call for abstracts: tinyurl.com/3tbj2v83
Call for satellites: tinyurl.com/42sru6kz
November 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
🔥🔥🔥
✅ Addresses important fundamental questions
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 11:56 AM
✅ Addresses important fundamental questions
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works
Outstanding.
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics
From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
2024 award winner @cbo.bsky.social will be part of an @issuesinst.bsky.social panel tomorrow from 3-4pm ET discussing science's "social contract."
Tune in and register at: issues.org/event/was-sc... #scicomm #stem
Tune in and register at: issues.org/event/was-sc... #scicomm #stem
Was Science’s Social Contract “Just a Myth”?
Join us for a conversation on the legacy of the social contract, and what its role might be in the future of the scientific enterprise.
issues.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:50 PM
2024 award winner @cbo.bsky.social will be part of an @issuesinst.bsky.social panel tomorrow from 3-4pm ET discussing science's "social contract."
Tune in and register at: issues.org/event/was-sc... #scicomm #stem
Tune in and register at: issues.org/event/was-sc... #scicomm #stem
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
"Watson’s legacy can — and should be — that the very science his research and leadership enabled disproves his own unfortunate and simplistic view of the human condition."
From @cbo.bsky.social & @sramach.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
From @cbo.bsky.social & @sramach.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
"Watson’s legacy can — and should be — that the very science his research and leadership enabled disproves his own unfortunate and simplistic view of the human condition."
From @cbo.bsky.social & @sramach.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
From @cbo.bsky.social & @sramach.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Those who knew Watson will recognize the “all too easy” reference. Yes I did that on purpose.
“It is all too easy for someone who makes a genuinely profound discovery to think they have found the secret of life, or the environment, or disease,” Nathaniel Comfort writes.
Opinion | James Watson Saw the True Form of DNA. Then It Blinded Him.
James Watson’s legacy is a cautionary tale against letting a profound discovery shape your entire worldview.
nyti.ms
November 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Those who knew Watson will recognize the “all too easy” reference. Yes I did that on purpose.
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
This piece, by @cbo.bsky.social and @sramach.bsky.social in the Globe tracks well with my argument about genetic determinism. Rx reading.
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:31 PM
This piece, by @cbo.bsky.social and @sramach.bsky.social in the Globe tracks well with my argument about genetic determinism. Rx reading.
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
This is a fantastic article about James Watson but mostly it’s master class in dispatching of ghouls in science. Often the problem isn’t just that they’re amoral but that their being a(im)moral makes them dangerously wrong in ways that have cascading externalities on our understanding.
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:31 AM
This is a fantastic article about James Watson but mostly it’s master class in dispatching of ghouls in science. Often the problem isn’t just that they’re amoral but that their being a(im)moral makes them dangerously wrong in ways that have cascading externalities on our understanding.
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Kevin Mitchell tells it as it is. There nothing there! We're easily captured by a simple narrative for an incredibly complex etiology. www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/goi...
Going against the gut: Q&A with Kevin Mitchell
A new review of 15 years of studies on the connection between the microbiome and autism reveals widespread statistical and conceptual errors.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Kevin Mitchell tells it as it is. There nothing there! We're easily captured by a simple narrative for an incredibly complex etiology. www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/goi...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Exciting new study led by @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @meaghanmarohn.bsky.social on the evolution of Lactase Persistence in South Asia.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revisiting the Evolution of Lactase Persistence: Insights from South Asian Genomes
Lactase persistence (LP), the ability to digest lactose from milk into adulthood, is a classic example of natural selection in humans. Multiple mutations upstream of the LCT gene are associated with L...
www.biorxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Exciting new study led by @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @meaghanmarohn.bsky.social on the evolution of Lactase Persistence in South Asia.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by C. Brandon Ogbunu
Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback www.the-scientist.com/criticism-of...
Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback
Some scientists argued that autism-gut microbiome research is rife with conceptual and methodological flaws, from mouse to human studies. Microbiome researchers disagree.
www.the-scientist.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback www.the-scientist.com/criticism-of...