Jennifer Raff
@jenniferraff.bsky.social
Anthropological geneticist, NYT bestselling author, martial artist, professor, Ox mother. Rock chalk.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Disabled students belong in biological sciences spaces! Here is a thread of some tips and suggestions to make your spaces more inclusive.
December 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Disabled students belong in biological sciences spaces! Here is a thread of some tips and suggestions to make your spaces more inclusive.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
ALERT: Emergency Caturday has been declared.
Special holiday edition. 🎄🐈
Special holiday edition. 🎄🐈
December 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
ALERT: Emergency Caturday has been declared.
Special holiday edition. 🎄🐈
Special holiday edition. 🎄🐈
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Great question!
1) First and foremost, we evaluate a candidate based on the departmental guidelines and expectations provided. We don't hold the candidate to arbitrary standards, or even to those of our own institution unless asked to do so. We assess the materials against the guidelines provided.
1) First and foremost, we evaluate a candidate based on the departmental guidelines and expectations provided. We don't hold the candidate to arbitrary standards, or even to those of our own institution unless asked to do so. We assess the materials against the guidelines provided.
Dear senior profs who have written tenure letters.
Can you help demystify the process for some junior profs up for tenure soon?
What do you look for? How do you make your evaluation?
We are told that the letters are the most important part of the file, but not what letter writers look for.
1/
Can you help demystify the process for some junior profs up for tenure soon?
What do you look for? How do you make your evaluation?
We are told that the letters are the most important part of the file, but not what letter writers look for.
1/
December 4, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Great question!
1) First and foremost, we evaluate a candidate based on the departmental guidelines and expectations provided. We don't hold the candidate to arbitrary standards, or even to those of our own institution unless asked to do so. We assess the materials against the guidelines provided.
1) First and foremost, we evaluate a candidate based on the departmental guidelines and expectations provided. We don't hold the candidate to arbitrary standards, or even to those of our own institution unless asked to do so. We assess the materials against the guidelines provided.
#nowreading and I am learning a lot about the state I grew up in. (this was not something I learned in high school in Indiana)
December 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
#nowreading and I am learning a lot about the state I grew up in. (this was not something I learned in high school in Indiana)
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Military personnel: This is what following unlawful orders looks like. Don’t do it. You don’t have the president’s get out of jail free card from SCOTUS, and these losers will not protect you.
December 5, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Military personnel: This is what following unlawful orders looks like. Don’t do it. You don’t have the president’s get out of jail free card from SCOTUS, and these losers will not protect you.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Students! Don't miss the chance to submit your essay for the William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award! The deadline is TOMORROW (Dec 5) at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.
William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award - AABA
The Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help students defray the costs of attending the AABA meetings. The awards are named in honor of […]
bioanth.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Students! Don't miss the chance to submit your essay for the William S. Pollitzer Student Travel Award! The deadline is TOMORROW (Dec 5) at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Historian of eugenics here. I don't normally like to retweet bad arguments, but this is such a fundamental misunderstanding of eugenics, I think it's important to point out. I don't have time to debunk all of the ways this is inaccurate, but I'll highlight a few things and then recommend some books🧵
December 4, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Historian of eugenics here. I don't normally like to retweet bad arguments, but this is such a fundamental misunderstanding of eugenics, I think it's important to point out. I don't have time to debunk all of the ways this is inaccurate, but I'll highlight a few things and then recommend some books🧵
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
A classic book on UFO believers and their “cognitive dissonance” after aliens failed to land is called into question, reports Anna Merlan. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It’s one of the most influential social psychology studies ever. Was it all a lie?
A classic book on UFO believers and their "cognitive dissonance" after aliens failed to land is called into question.
www.motherjones.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM
A classic book on UFO believers and their “cognitive dissonance” after aliens failed to land is called into question, reports Anna Merlan. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
this is my #1 advice to grad students: anyone can reproduce jargon; the bigger flex is being able to make the argument in straightforward prose. clarity is indicative of deep thought and engagement. even chatGPT can write word salad.
i strongly, strongly believe that good writing is downstream of clear thinking and a strong understanding of the subject matter at hand. without fail, tortured writing comes from writers who don’t know and can’t think clearly about anything.
Oh man! This paragraph is brutal. The best thing about this review is it's not trying to be mean. It's just listing how bad the writing is.
December 3, 2025 at 7:36 PM
this is my #1 advice to grad students: anyone can reproduce jargon; the bigger flex is being able to make the argument in straightforward prose. clarity is indicative of deep thought and engagement. even chatGPT can write word salad.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Lovely to work with @blevinske.bsky.social, @paleogenomics.bsky.social & Verena Schuenemann on " Ancient DNA insights into diverse pathogens and their hosts"! Read it at rdcu.be/eSVPN
Ancient DNA insights into diverse pathogens and their hosts
Nature Reviews Genetics - Ancient DNA techniques are being applied to study increasingly diverse pathogens of the past. The authors review the latest insights into pathogen–host coevolution,...
rdcu.be
December 3, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Lovely to work with @blevinske.bsky.social, @paleogenomics.bsky.social & Verena Schuenemann on " Ancient DNA insights into diverse pathogens and their hosts"! Read it at rdcu.be/eSVPN
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Our new ancient DNA paper has just been published!
We present 28 new genomes from southern Africa - several of them high-coverage whole genomes.
Exciting to be moving towards population-level representation of ancient southern African genetic diversity!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We present 28 new genomes from southern Africa - several of them high-coverage whole genomes.
Exciting to be moving towards population-level representation of ancient southern African genetic diversity!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes - Nature
The genomes of 28 ancient southern African individuals dated to between 10,200 and 150 years before present offer insights into the evolution of Homo sapiens.
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Our new ancient DNA paper has just been published!
We present 28 new genomes from southern Africa - several of them high-coverage whole genomes.
Exciting to be moving towards population-level representation of ancient southern African genetic diversity!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We present 28 new genomes from southern Africa - several of them high-coverage whole genomes.
Exciting to be moving towards population-level representation of ancient southern African genetic diversity!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Researchers studied 28 new genomes from Africa and found that southern Africans were basically isolated for a long period of time. 🧪🏺
'An extreme end of human genetic variation': Ancient humans were isolated in southern Africa for nearly 100,000 years, and their genetics are stunningly different
Ancient genomes from southern Africa show that people evolved in isolation for upward of 100,000 years.
www.livescience.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Researchers studied 28 new genomes from Africa and found that southern Africans were basically isolated for a long period of time. 🧪🏺
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
If you like the writing here, be sure to follow @rkambury.bsky.social, who's working absolute magic on my overblown words as the script coordinator!
December 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
If you like the writing here, be sure to follow @rkambury.bsky.social, who's working absolute magic on my overblown words as the script coordinator!
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
Interested in applying for this funded PhD with me
at UCL Institute of Archaeology? Get in touch to discuss this project or to develop your own idea!
Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection.
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/hum...
at UCL Institute of Archaeology? Get in touch to discuss this project or to develop your own idea!
Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection.
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/hum...
December 3, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Interested in applying for this funded PhD with me
at UCL Institute of Archaeology? Get in touch to discuss this project or to develop your own idea!
Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection.
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/hum...
at UCL Institute of Archaeology? Get in touch to discuss this project or to develop your own idea!
Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection.
www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/hum...
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
“I have only a short time to live, only one death to die, and I will die fighting for this cause. There will be no peace in this land until slavery is done for. "
— John Brown
— John Brown
Abolitionist John Brown was executed by the state of Virginia on December 2, 1859.
December 2, 2025 at 11:19 PM
“I have only a short time to live, only one death to die, and I will die fighting for this cause. There will be no peace in this land until slavery is done for. "
— John Brown
— John Brown
If you’re looking for an organization to support today—or any day!—please put this one at the top of your list.
Hello Dr. Raff, we know you've been a supporter. Please continue that support by sharing our Mission & Vision with the world. #GivingTuesday bsky.app/profile/nati...
bsky.app
December 3, 2025 at 1:00 AM
If you’re looking for an organization to support today—or any day!—please put this one at the top of your list.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
The author Joan Didion embraced Thanksgiving. And she staged it the same way she conjured her essays, novels, screenplays and memoirs, with an almost military mustering of planning and ambition.
How Joan Didion Did Thanksgiving
The author’s newly unveiled papers reveal the meticulous planning and devotion to cooking that went into her big holiday meals.
nyti.ms
November 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
The author Joan Didion embraced Thanksgiving. And she staged it the same way she conjured her essays, novels, screenplays and memoirs, with an almost military mustering of planning and ambition.
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
The domestic cat may be a far more recent arrival to Europe than previously thought, a new Science study. finds. The results offer new insight into one of humanity’s most enigmatic animal companions and identify North Africa as the cradle of the modern housecat.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S
Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S
November 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
The domestic cat may be a far more recent arrival to Europe than previously thought, a new Science study. finds. The results offer new insight into one of humanity’s most enigmatic animal companions and identify North Africa as the cradle of the modern housecat.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S
Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
I taught (and co-taught) a course on human population genetics from 2000-2024. Having retired, I'm now making all the course materials public: github.com/alanrogers/p... #popgen #evbio
GitHub - alanrogers/popgen: A course on population genetics
A course on population genetics. Contribute to alanrogers/popgen development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I taught (and co-taught) a course on human population genetics from 2000-2024. Having retired, I'm now making all the course materials public: github.com/alanrogers/p... #popgen #evbio
One of these people is a firefighter 😂
November 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM
One of these people is a firefighter 😂
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
I estimate that 96% of deep-fried turkey attempts end in a house-destroying fireball, based on the clips I see on local news and the internet. And yet we keep doing it because this is America, we do not live in fear and THAT is what I'm thankful for
November 27, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I estimate that 96% of deep-fried turkey attempts end in a house-destroying fireball, based on the clips I see on local news and the internet. And yet we keep doing it because this is America, we do not live in fear and THAT is what I'm thankful for
Oh no
The NSF Bio Anthro Program DDRIG, Cultural Anthrpology DDRIG, and Archaeology DDRIG have all been archived (as of yesterday afternoon). Please speak with your grad students and plan accordingly. To say I am angry and depressed about this is an understatement.
November 26, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Oh no
Reposted by Jennifer Raff
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Twitter's foreign influence problem is nothing new
The platform's just-debuted geolocation tool illuminates a disturbing and persistent issue.
www.motherjones.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...