Max Telford
@maxjtelford.bsky.social
Zoologist and evolutionary biologist. Interested in animal phylogeny. At UCL.
Author of 'The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle'
Author of 'The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle'
Pinned
Max Telford
@maxjtelford.bsky.social
· Apr 24
It's publication day of my first book: The Tree of Life. The tree of life is a time machine that can take us back 4 billion years to meet our most distant ancestor. It is the magic that lets us tell the origin stories, beginning with this ancient relative, of everything from mushrooms to man.
Reposted by Max Telford
We are recruiting!
If you like evolutionary biology, microbial genomics, and host-pathogen interactions we have a PhD opening at @ugiatucl.bsky.social using population-scale metagenomics to map global phage diversity and uncover evolutionary signatures that could point to new antimicrobials.
If you like evolutionary biology, microbial genomics, and host-pathogen interactions we have a PhD opening at @ugiatucl.bsky.social using population-scale metagenomics to map global phage diversity and uncover evolutionary signatures that could point to new antimicrobials.
November 24, 2025 at 10:50 AM
We are recruiting!
If you like evolutionary biology, microbial genomics, and host-pathogen interactions we have a PhD opening at @ugiatucl.bsky.social using population-scale metagenomics to map global phage diversity and uncover evolutionary signatures that could point to new antimicrobials.
If you like evolutionary biology, microbial genomics, and host-pathogen interactions we have a PhD opening at @ugiatucl.bsky.social using population-scale metagenomics to map global phage diversity and uncover evolutionary signatures that could point to new antimicrobials.
Reposted by Max Telford
Bookmarking, #bookmark
Latest work out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
We find the fly development gene bicoid is much older than previously thought (~20 million yrs older!) 🪰🧬
To pinpoint its origins we tackled the Diptera phylogeny, providing some resolution (many open questions remain).
🔗 tinyurl.com/2vyuevpy
Revised evolutionary relationships within Brachycera and the early origin of bicoid in flies
Mulhair et al. uncover a functional bicoid in non-cyclorrhaphan flies, pushing the
gene's origin back by ∼20 million years. Reassessing the Diptera phylogeny using the
largest dataset to date permits ...
www.cell.com
October 19, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Bookmarking, #bookmark
Reposted by Max Telford
Fireside Books in Chagrin Falls, OH.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
November 22, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Fireside Books in Chagrin Falls, OH.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
Thanks!
Fireside Books in Chagrin Falls, OH.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
@maxjtelford.bsky.social and @matthewcobb.bsky.social in good company.
November 22, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Thanks!
Reposted by Max Telford
Our trilogy of orthology publications is online!
Review on Hierarchical Orthologous Groups doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10277-1
OrthoXML-Tools doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10271-7
A great community effort on Quest for Orthologs in the era of Data Deluge and AI doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10272-6
Review on Hierarchical Orthologous Groups doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10277-1
OrthoXML-Tools doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10271-7
A great community effort on Quest for Orthologs in the era of Data Deluge and AI doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10272-6
November 21, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Our trilogy of orthology publications is online!
Review on Hierarchical Orthologous Groups doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10277-1
OrthoXML-Tools doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10271-7
A great community effort on Quest for Orthologs in the era of Data Deluge and AI doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10272-6
Review on Hierarchical Orthologous Groups doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10277-1
OrthoXML-Tools doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10271-7
A great community effort on Quest for Orthologs in the era of Data Deluge and AI doi.org/10.1007/s00239-025-10272-6
Reposted by Max Telford
🚨🦜🐧Cover reveal! Thrilled to show off the cover of my upcoming book: The Story of Birds!
Coming April 28. The whole history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to colossal extinct penguins & terror birds, to the 10,000+ species today. From @marinerbooks.bsky.social
Preorder 👇
Coming April 28. The whole history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to colossal extinct penguins & terror birds, to the 10,000+ species today. From @marinerbooks.bsky.social
Preorder 👇
November 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
🚨🦜🐧Cover reveal! Thrilled to show off the cover of my upcoming book: The Story of Birds!
Coming April 28. The whole history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to colossal extinct penguins & terror birds, to the 10,000+ species today. From @marinerbooks.bsky.social
Preorder 👇
Coming April 28. The whole history of birds, from their dinosaur origins to colossal extinct penguins & terror birds, to the 10,000+ species today. From @marinerbooks.bsky.social
Preorder 👇
Reposted by Max Telford
THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH is published 5 Feb 2026 and is available for pre-order. For more details inquire within: www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...
November 16, 2025 at 10:28 AM
THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH is published 5 Feb 2026 and is available for pre-order. For more details inquire within: www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...
Reposted by Max Telford
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/...
Reducing E-waste by using artificial intelligence to develop repair diagnostic tools
A fully funded 4-year UCL EPSRC Landscape Award PhD studentship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Come and do a PhD in my research group. Fully Funded! The topic is electronic waste and the repair economy. Details and how to apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/engineering/...
North American edition of The Tree of Life spotted in its natural habitat.
November 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM
North American edition of The Tree of Life spotted in its natural habitat.
Reposted by Max Telford
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
Reposted by Max Telford
I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
PhyloWeaver – Interactive phylogenetic tree editor
Edit and visualize phylogenetic trees directly in your browser. PhyloWeaver lets you interactively rearrange tree topologies and export high-quality figures for publications and presentations.
yawak.jp
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
Reposted by Max Telford
It’s publication day! Spread the word. The perfect Christmas gift for the pessimist in your life.
November 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
It’s publication day! Spread the word. The perfect Christmas gift for the pessimist in your life.
Reposted by Max Telford
There’s a big story the book covers – the origins of life – but if you’re someone who studies molecular life, this excerpt of this "little story" from The Tree of Life captures the sort of thing you live for ⬇️
(The Tree of Life is the second book reviewed in the linked article.)
(The Tree of Life is the second book reviewed in the linked article.)
![While opsins [the proteins that sit in our photoreceptor cells] are used to sense light, what they actually detect is a specific form of a small molecule called retinol… The retinol molecule sits permanently in the receptor bit of the opsin protein. It is deemed to be inactive and, in this state, is effectively invisible to the opsin. But when an inactive retinol molecule is hit by a photon, its shape suddenly changes, and it is this second active form of the molecule that can be detected by the opsin. The altered opsin now sends out the signal that a photon has landed, and this message, ultimately ends up in the brain. In this ingenious way, a receptor protein was repurposed so that we (and all animals) could detect light.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:thnzuria5x6askhzk2dkeiaj/bafkreiceyt6vhylb4psk53ojoiz24mmzw4qrv7kyegmqrdmvuwe5v5lge4@jpeg)
November 17, 2025 at 7:41 PM
There’s a big story the book covers – the origins of life – but if you’re someone who studies molecular life, this excerpt of this "little story" from The Tree of Life captures the sort of thing you live for ⬇️
(The Tree of Life is the second book reviewed in the linked article.)
(The Tree of Life is the second book reviewed in the linked article.)
Err not very good at this. Lovely new review of THIS...
www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.co.uk/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.co.uk/Tree-Life-So...
November 17, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Err not very good at this. Lovely new review of THIS...
www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.co.uk/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.co.uk/Tree-Life-So...
Lovely new review of the Tree of Life
"The Tree of Life is an elegant and compelling exploration of how scientists have pieced together the story of life on Earth.."
"What could have been a dry, academic treatise is instead elevated to a engrossing mystery..."
bradymp.substack.com/p/reviews-8-...
"The Tree of Life is an elegant and compelling exploration of how scientists have pieced together the story of life on Earth.."
"What could have been a dry, academic treatise is instead elevated to a engrossing mystery..."
bradymp.substack.com/p/reviews-8-...
Reviews: 8 new books in November
Andrew Miller’s “The Land in Winter,” two books by Monique Wittig, and more.
bradymp.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Lovely new review of the Tree of Life
"The Tree of Life is an elegant and compelling exploration of how scientists have pieced together the story of life on Earth.."
"What could have been a dry, academic treatise is instead elevated to a engrossing mystery..."
bradymp.substack.com/p/reviews-8-...
"The Tree of Life is an elegant and compelling exploration of how scientists have pieced together the story of life on Earth.."
"What could have been a dry, academic treatise is instead elevated to a engrossing mystery..."
bradymp.substack.com/p/reviews-8-...
Reposted by Max Telford
Got home from #svp2025 to find a shiny advance copy of THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH. It’s published in February and I’ll be launching it at the #norwichsciencefestival - but why wait? You can pre-order a copy now www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...
November 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Got home from #svp2025 to find a shiny advance copy of THE WONDER OF LIFE ON EARTH. It’s published in February and I’ll be launching it at the #norwichsciencefestival - but why wait? You can pre-order a copy now www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...
A fan letter from Australia for my book. Made my day.
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 PM
A fan letter from Australia for my book. Made my day.
Reposted by Max Telford
There’s a terrific review of CRICK in @science.org tonight, thanks to @adrianwoolfson.bsky.social. The PDF isn’t working right now; I’ll post a screenshot later. Here’s the paywalled html link:
Francis Crick’s life and legacy
A new biography offers a definitive account of the DNA decoder
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 8:13 PM
There’s a terrific review of CRICK in @science.org tonight, thanks to @adrianwoolfson.bsky.social. The PDF isn’t working right now; I’ll post a screenshot later. Here’s the paywalled html link:
Reposted by Max Telford
Congratulations to Joe Felsenstein on being awarded the 2026 Mendel Medal!
November 14, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Congratulations to Joe Felsenstein on being awarded the 2026 Mendel Medal!
Reposted by Max Telford
My review of #Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social has been published online by @science.org. The book is lucid, beautifully crafted, and compelling. It will instantly become the definitive guide to this extraordinary individual’s life and work.
November 13, 2025 at 8:14 PM
My review of #Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social has been published online by @science.org. The book is lucid, beautifully crafted, and compelling. It will instantly become the definitive guide to this extraordinary individual’s life and work.
Reposted by Max Telford
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
My book The Tree of Life is featured as "Next Big Idea Club Must-Read."
www.linkedin.com/posts/heleo-...
www.linkedin.com/posts/heleo-...
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors got to celebrate the publication of their books yesterday--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and… | Next...
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors got to celebrate the publication of their books yesterday--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and discuss...
www.linkedin.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:27 PM
My book The Tree of Life is featured as "Next Big Idea Club Must-Read."
www.linkedin.com/posts/heleo-...
www.linkedin.com/posts/heleo-...
Reposted by Max Telford
Lovely (paywalled) reviews of CRICK in New Scientist [https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26835692-000-surprising-new-biography-of-francis-crick-unravels-the-story-of-dna/] & the Times [https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/crick-professor-matthew-cobb-review-9bc6dv6hf]. 1/2
November 13, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Lovely (paywalled) reviews of CRICK in New Scientist [https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26835692-000-surprising-new-biography-of-francis-crick-unravels-the-story-of-dna/] & the Times [https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/crick-professor-matthew-cobb-review-9bc6dv6hf]. 1/2
Reposted by Max Telford
If you're interested in understanding discordance in phylogenomic analyses, the @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social's special issue 'Phylogenomic Discordance: Patterns, Processes, and Solutions' is for you!
tinyurl.com/v2eces3s
I'll be sharing a few articles a week until we're through the issue! (1/n)🧪
tinyurl.com/v2eces3s
I'll be sharing a few articles a week until we're through the issue! (1/n)🧪
Phylogenomic Discordance: Patterns, Processes, and Solutions
Phylogenomics, the study of evolutionary relationships using genomic data, has revolutionized our understanding of the Tree of Life. As a field, phylogenomics h
academic.oup.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
If you're interested in understanding discordance in phylogenomic analyses, the @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social's special issue 'Phylogenomic Discordance: Patterns, Processes, and Solutions' is for you!
tinyurl.com/v2eces3s
I'll be sharing a few articles a week until we're through the issue! (1/n)🧪
tinyurl.com/v2eces3s
I'll be sharing a few articles a week until we're through the issue! (1/n)🧪
Intense aurora on Hampstead Heath last night.
November 12, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Intense aurora on Hampstead Heath last night.