Colautti Lab
@colauttilab.bsky.social
We work at the interface of ecology, evolution and genetics at Queen's U (Canada) using statistics, bioinformatics, field experiments, and sequencing.
Website: https://EcoEvoGeno.org
Repo: https://github.com/ColauttiLab
ORCiD: 0000-0003-4213-0711
Website: https://EcoEvoGeno.org
Repo: https://github.com/ColauttiLab
ORCiD: 0000-0003-4213-0711
Reposted by Colautti Lab
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 AM
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
Reposted by Colautti Lab
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
Reposted by Colautti Lab
We're excited to share the final version of our paper, where we demonstrate how confounding remains a thorny problem for claims about causal genetic influences on human behavioral and socioeconomic outcomes. (w/ @jedidiahcarlson.com @oliviarxiv.bsky.social Ruth Shaw @arbelharpak.bsky.social) 🧵👇
November 7, 2025 at 7:06 PM
We're excited to share the final version of our paper, where we demonstrate how confounding remains a thorny problem for claims about causal genetic influences on human behavioral and socioeconomic outcomes. (w/ @jedidiahcarlson.com @oliviarxiv.bsky.social Ruth Shaw @arbelharpak.bsky.social) 🧵👇
Incredible. Forget superintelligence, AI is already destroying humanity with addictive and divisive algorithms, internet enshitification, excessive energy use, and now long-debunked tropes from WWII-era eugenics. This bullshit bubble can’t burst soon enough.
bro are you fucking kidding me
November 7, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Incredible. Forget superintelligence, AI is already destroying humanity with addictive and divisive algorithms, internet enshitification, excessive energy use, and now long-debunked tropes from WWII-era eugenics. This bullshit bubble can’t burst soon enough.
Reposted by Colautti Lab
If you've ever rolled your eyes about research claiming that complex traits (from chocolate preference to socioeconomic status) have simple genetic explanations, check out this great paper from @jbenning.bsky.social @jedidiahcarlson.com @oliviarxiv.bsky.social Ruth Shaw @arbelharpak.bsky.social 🧪🧬
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 causal influences, in particular genetic and non-genetic ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:35 PM
If you've ever rolled your eyes about research claiming that complex traits (from chocolate preference to socioeconomic status) have simple genetic explanations, check out this great paper from @jbenning.bsky.social @jedidiahcarlson.com @oliviarxiv.bsky.social Ruth Shaw @arbelharpak.bsky.social 🧪🧬
Halloween highlight:
14-year-old trick-or-treater recognizing Metallica’s Master of Puppets blasting on the outdoor speakers
14-year-old trick-or-treater recognizing Metallica’s Master of Puppets blasting on the outdoor speakers
October 31, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Halloween highlight:
14-year-old trick-or-treater recognizing Metallica’s Master of Puppets blasting on the outdoor speakers
14-year-old trick-or-treater recognizing Metallica’s Master of Puppets blasting on the outdoor speakers
Reposted by Colautti Lab
TIL about Faculty First Responders, a group that offers "peer-to-peer counseling and advice to academic workers experiencing media attacks, campaigns of harassment, doxing, or other threats to their academic freedom and free speech."
facultyfirstresponders.com
Thanks @hormiga.bsky.social !
facultyfirstresponders.com
Thanks @hormiga.bsky.social !
October 31, 2025 at 9:13 PM
TIL about Faculty First Responders, a group that offers "peer-to-peer counseling and advice to academic workers experiencing media attacks, campaigns of harassment, doxing, or other threats to their academic freedom and free speech."
facultyfirstresponders.com
Thanks @hormiga.bsky.social !
facultyfirstresponders.com
Thanks @hormiga.bsky.social !
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Reposted by Colautti Lab
How many plant species are buzz pollinated? After more than six years in the making, our paper on the convergent evolution of buzz pollinated flowers is out in @journal-evo.bsky.social. Thanks @draverbee.bsky.social @roszenil.bsky.social and all co-authors for your hard work! doi.org/10.1093/evol...
October 23, 2025 at 4:50 AM
How many plant species are buzz pollinated? After more than six years in the making, our paper on the convergent evolution of buzz pollinated flowers is out in @journal-evo.bsky.social. Thanks @draverbee.bsky.social @roszenil.bsky.social and all co-authors for your hard work! doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Colautti Lab
“We fundamentally believe that publishing less – but better – is essential for the health of the entire research system worldwide,” the authors of the report state.
Less is more: academic publishing needs ‘radical change,’ Cambridge press report concludes
Academic publishing needs “renewed focus and collective action” to embrace new approaches and ensure the future of the industry, concludes a report from Cambridge University Press, released last we…
retractionwatch.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:11 PM
“We fundamentally believe that publishing less – but better – is essential for the health of the entire research system worldwide,” the authors of the report state.
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Imma just bounce a message off a network of 10,000 low-orbit satellites using relativistic offsets to synchronize their onboard clocks to let 10 billion networked computers know that physics is all bullshit.
Physics is the bedrock of science and may be the site of its worst case of base rate neglect.
www.redteamofscience.com/p/physics-ha...
www.redteamofscience.com/p/physics-ha...
Physics has all the ingredients for scientific crisis
It turns out all you need is money and a googol of hypotheses to write up
www.redteamofscience.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Imma just bounce a message off a network of 10,000 low-orbit satellites using relativistic offsets to synchronize their onboard clocks to let 10 billion networked computers know that physics is all bullshit.
Reposted by Colautti Lab
How do plants stave off greedy pollinators? Read our new paper on pollen dosing in buzz pollinated flowers just out in @funecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Gradual pollen release in a buzz‐pollinated plant: Investigating pollen presentation theory under bee visitation
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:35 AM
How do plants stave off greedy pollinators? Read our new paper on pollen dosing in buzz pollinated flowers just out in @funecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Colautti Lab
New paper by former MSc student @christeinecke.bsky.social! ⭐ A behemoth effort to apply artificial selection on clonal reproduction in #Mimulus guttatus. We show that clonality evolves quickly, but not symmetrically in both directions, and multivariate life history traits are altered too! 🧪🌾
Life-history evolution under artificial selection in a clonal plant https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.01.679824v1
October 2, 2025 at 11:50 AM
New paper by former MSc student @christeinecke.bsky.social! ⭐ A behemoth effort to apply artificial selection on clonal reproduction in #Mimulus guttatus. We show that clonality evolves quickly, but not symmetrically in both directions, and multivariate life history traits are altered too! 🧪🌾
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Bucket list ✅
I got to see a corpse flower in full bloom! It smelled like cooked broccoli to me - not that bad, but my friends thought it was awful. 🤷🏻♀️ Totally worth the 2.5 hr wait with friends and really fun to see so many people excited about plants!
I got to see a corpse flower in full bloom! It smelled like cooked broccoli to me - not that bad, but my friends thought it was awful. 🤷🏻♀️ Totally worth the 2.5 hr wait with friends and really fun to see so many people excited about plants!
October 2, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Bucket list ✅
I got to see a corpse flower in full bloom! It smelled like cooked broccoli to me - not that bad, but my friends thought it was awful. 🤷🏻♀️ Totally worth the 2.5 hr wait with friends and really fun to see so many people excited about plants!
I got to see a corpse flower in full bloom! It smelled like cooked broccoli to me - not that bad, but my friends thought it was awful. 🤷🏻♀️ Totally worth the 2.5 hr wait with friends and really fun to see so many people excited about plants!
Reposted by Colautti Lab
🙋♀️ that's me!!
Life-history evolution under artificial selection in a clonal plant https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.01.679824v1
October 2, 2025 at 12:39 AM
🙋♀️ that's me!!
Reposted by Colautti Lab
So happy with this one!
JA @ijpsjournal.bsky.social
Spatiotemporal variation in selection on floral traits related to abortion rate, predispersal seed predation, and fitness variance
@evoecoamy.bsky.social, Monica A Geber
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
#PlantScience
Spatiotemporal variation in selection on floral traits related to abortion rate, predispersal seed predation, and fitness variance
@evoecoamy.bsky.social, Monica A Geber
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....
#PlantScience
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent
www.journals.uchicago.edu
September 12, 2025 at 12:24 AM
So happy with this one!
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Great two days of BES data/code hack-a-thon. 111 people (in person + online) collating data and chatting about open science. Big take homes so far: people ❤️ open science; data/code archiving means different things to different people; we can make some simple improvements with big impacts!
September 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Great two days of BES data/code hack-a-thon. 111 people (in person + online) collating data and chatting about open science. Big take homes so far: people ❤️ open science; data/code archiving means different things to different people; we can make some simple improvements with big impacts!
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Dear everyone, More science and natural history posts please 🙏🏼 🧪 🌍
September 29, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Dear everyone, More science and natural history posts please 🙏🏼 🧪 🌍
I love math! It’s so weird and fun and relevant, but we rarely teach it that way! Here’s a fun example I show to bio students that exposes a glitch in this shared delusion/simulation we are all living in:
September 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I love math! It’s so weird and fun and relevant, but we rarely teach it that way! Here’s a fun example I show to bio students that exposes a glitch in this shared delusion/simulation we are all living in:
Reposted by Colautti Lab
This study of intelligence in the UK Biobank is typical of a lot of current social science genomics. Impressive technically, and not over-interpreted. But still, a main result gets lost in the sauce. Within-families, the direct-effect polygenic score explains no more that 1-3% of the variance. /1
Imputation of fluid intelligence scores reduces ascertainment bias and increases power for analyses of common and rare variants
Studying the genetics of measures of intelligence can help us understand the neurobiology of cognitive function and the aetiology of rare neurodevelopmental conditions. The largest previous genetic st...
www.researchsquare.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
This study of intelligence in the UK Biobank is typical of a lot of current social science genomics. Impressive technically, and not over-interpreted. But still, a main result gets lost in the sauce. Within-families, the direct-effect polygenic score explains no more that 1-3% of the variance. /1
Reposted by Colautti Lab
bioRxiv partners with Dryad to enable easier, better linking to curated datasets connect.biorxiv.org/news/2025/09...
Dryad partnership brings easier data sharing to bioRxiv
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
connect.biorxiv.org
September 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
bioRxiv partners with Dryad to enable easier, better linking to curated datasets connect.biorxiv.org/news/2025/09...
Now published in @newphyt.bsky.social, @1pantunes.bsky.social and I review evidence for the "Novel Weapons Hypothesis" and the role of allelopathy during invasion. Bottom line: there is very good reason to be skeptical.
dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph....
September 18, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Now published in @newphyt.bsky.social, @1pantunes.bsky.social and I review evidence for the "Novel Weapons Hypothesis" and the role of allelopathy during invasion. Bottom line: there is very good reason to be skeptical.
dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph....
Reposted by Colautti Lab
A pensive Minerva contemplating the precarious state of science in the world.
September 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM
A pensive Minerva contemplating the precarious state of science in the world.
Reposted by Colautti Lab
Very excited to see this work in press! I think there is a reason to believe that this is a common means of stabilizing large-effect polymorphisms in general and might be an important reason for why diploidy is so common. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
September 15, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Very excited to see this work in press! I think there is a reason to believe that this is a common means of stabilizing large-effect polymorphisms in general and might be an important reason for why diploidy is so common. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
Ahh, that most wonderful time of year when the hot weather starts to cool down, leaves start to change colour, and grant application spam starts to nestle into your inbox
September 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Ahh, that most wonderful time of year when the hot weather starts to cool down, leaves start to change colour, and grant application spam starts to nestle into your inbox