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Chenxin Li, PhD

@chenxinli2.bsky.social

4.4K followers 2.2K following 3.1K posts

Or just “Li” | Assist. Prof. @ Plant Bio Michigan State U. | Also post data visualization | Lab: https://cxli233.github.io/cxLi_lab/ | GitHub: https://github.com/cxli233

cxli233.github.io

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · Nov 12

Here is a thread showcasing my GitHub repositories: 1) Friends Don't Let Friends Make Bad Graphs. An opinionated essay on good and bad graphs.

My popular one by a long shot with 6.4k stars and 248 forks. github.com/cxli233/Frie...

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

bioRxiv Genetics @biorxiv-genetic.bsky.social · 2h

Hybrids reveal accessible chromatin trans genetic associations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.09.681407v1

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 2h

There are a lot more stuff to take care of as a PI, but the income is also a lot higher, so I am not complaining.

Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 7h

Guarding the tree

Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

でんか @k-hermit.com · 16h

海のちいさな生き物シールを発注しました
来週の「いきもにあ」で販売します🫧

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Coleen Murphy @ctmurphy1.bsky.social · 12h

Begging scientists (and media posts about science) to stop using ChatGPT-generated images

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Satyros Phil Brucato @satyrosphilbrucato.bsky.social · 1d

Folks who think "cats are not loving" have never been loved by a cat.

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Francis M. Martin @fmartin54.bsky.social · 8h

In mind-bending twist, ‘magic’ mushrooms evolved twice independently

www.science.org/content/arti...

In mind-bending twist, ‘magic’ mushrooms evolved twice independently

Study identifies entirely new suite of enzymes that can make psilocybin

www.science.org

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Mike Grillo @mikegrillo.bsky.social · 9h

I am hiring a postdoc to examine the genomic and evolutionary basis of plant microbiome variation in legumes. There are opportunities to gain teaching experience. Chicago is a great city to live in! Please help spread the word.
share.google/gukbzS1zdIx6...

Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Evolutionary Genomics

The postdoctoral researcher will work in Dr. Michael Grillo’s plant evolutionary genetics lab. The goal of this research project is to understand the genomic basis of plant-microbiome variation in leg...

share.google

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 9h

I am sure university admin understands game theory and prisoners dilemma. If no one accepts the deal, no one has advantage or disadvantage relative to others.

Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 9h

This is what courage in the face of authoritarianism looks like. No university should take Trump's bribe & surrender their integrity — bending the knee to a bully only feeds the beast & puts ALL our rights at risk.

Others should follows MIT’s example ASAP.

MIT rejects Trump administration deal for priority federal funding

MIT is one of the nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

The Pallavi Singh Lab @thepallavisinghlab.bsky.social · 16h

We are excited to welcome Ella Whiteley, our new Master's student, to the Singh Lab! 🌱 Ella will be joining us to explore aquaporins and water transport to improve water-use efficiency in rice🌾
#PlantScience

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Nick Desnoyer @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social · 18h

Friday Flower 007: Petunia 💮✨

Petunias carry the active transposon dTph1, which powers mutant screens and paints stripey patterns as it jumps.

Their five petals are fused, with diverse color designs tracing the corolla’s fusion seam.

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Nick Desnoyer @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social · 18h

For more on petunia transposon patterns check out this paper or go follow
@atinygreencell.bsky.social
who designs petunia in his home lab!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Science Magazine @science.org · 1d

President Donald Trump’s administration has terminated $352 million in grants and contracts this year to the Research Triangle Institute, the United States’s third largest independent research organization, a report estimates.

Cuts in global health and climate hit Research Triangle Institute hard

“Financial drubbing” underscores reliance of some independent research organizations on federal funding

www.science.org

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Robert Aboukhalil @robert.bio · 1d

Just published an interactive article about a magical algorithm known as the Burrows-Wheeler Transform, which powers sequence alignment tools like bowtie and bwa: sandbox.bio/concepts/bwt

It's also notoriously unintuitive so I'm hoping this article helps you build that intuition.

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

"Make the proof" colloquial phrase that means fabrication of data

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Boas Pucker @bpucker.bsky.social · 1d

Excited to share our new preprint!

🧬 Large-scale Phylogenomics Reveals Systematic Loss of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Genes at the Family Level in Cucurbitaceae

👉 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

A deep dive into the genomic evolution of color in cucurbits 🎃🍉 — feedback welcome!
@puckerlab.bsky.social

Synteny plots supporting loss of DFR, ANS, and arGST in Cucurbitaceae. Reference: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.06.680802

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 1d

A lot of good answers in the comments section. It’s more important now to teach understanding (rather than just syntax). If the experimental design was inadequate, it doesn’t matter if the coding was perfect. If the interpretation was wrong, it doesn’t matter if the statistics were done right.

Terry McGlynn @hormiga.bsky.social · 2d

Y'all. I just got ChatGPT to do everything in R for this manuscript. I mean EVERYTHING. And it's all legit and reproducible. I'm shook.

How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?

scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...

Statistics in the era of AI

How do we mentor, teach, and do stats when AI can do so much of the work?

scienceforeveryone.science

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Ana Bedoya @botana-bedoya.bsky.social · 2d

One week to apply before reviews start for the postdoc I am offering investigating the tempo and pattern of river connections with the closure of the isthmus of Panama and its impact on river plant (Podostemaceae) migration. Genomic+fossil+geological data + fieldwork 👇

Ana Bedoya @botana-bedoya.bsky.social · Aug 29

I am recruiting a postdoc to work for 2-3 yrs on our NSF-funded project aiming to investigate plant migration and river connectivity with the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Leading publications, fieldwork in CR & Panama, applying and expanding phylo. & pop.gen tools👇

www.nybg.org/about/work-w...

Employment | New York Botanical Garden

Find out what employment opportunities are available at The New York Botanical Garden.

www.nybg.org

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Norm Charlatan @normcharlatan.bsky.social · 2d

This is what every Democratic state needs to do, tell its state university leaders that they will lose all state appropriations if they sign the compact. Take the decision out of feckless college administrators’ hands.

Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 2d

Virginia State Senate Dems just brought down fire and fury regarding the “Compact,” notifying the President and Rector that UVA would lose ALL STATE APPROPRIATIONS if it signs and cedes the University to “federal political control.” Notably, their letter directly restates points made here by @siva.

Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 2d

The “compact” for higher ed is an unserious document written by unserious people from a position of spectacular ignorance. No one should take it seriously. Sadly, my bosses are taking it seriously.

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Rebecca Bloomer @rhbloomer.bsky.social · 2d

Today in "model organisms, they're just like real organisms": watched birds nicking inflorences off this wee dude out my office window today. For their nests, maybe?

Flowering arabidopsis with multiple inflorescences and maturing siliques, growing as a weed in gravel.

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 2d

In 2021 I found my postdoc job via Twitter. Got to connect with a lot of scientists via Twitter and now BlueSky.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 2d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Nat Clarke @natclarke.bsky.social · 2d

🚨 My lab is hiring at all levels!

Interested in animal origins & evolutionary cell biology?

I'm recruiting a postdoc, PhD students & a research assistant to study the molecular evolution of cell adhesion using marine invertebrates + comparative genomics.

🔗: clarkelab.com/join/

Please repost!

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD

Jacqueline Sweet @jsweetli.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: A MAGA X account often shared by Senator Mike Lee and House Republicans like Nancy Mace--that often alleges Democrats encourage voting fraud-- is run by a man who not only has never stepped foot in the US, he also illegally donated to an American campaign.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

The Viral MAGA Accounts Run by a Man Who Has Never Been to America

Two influential MAGA social media accounts are run by Rumen Naumovski, a Macedonian who may have illegally donated to a U.S. election.

www.rollingstone.com

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