Milton Tan
@mtanichthys.bsky.social
Fish biodiversity, genomics. Illinois Natural History Survey Asst Research Scientist. Also aquarium fish hobbyist and plant parent. Profile pic: With a tamandua knifefish. He/him
Reposted by Milton Tan
Since search is dead, how soon do you think Google Scholar is headed for the Google Graveyard? I'm betting it's soon, and academia is NOT prepared
Google Scholar Is Doomed
Academia built entire careers on a free Google service with zero guarantees. What could go wrong?
hannahshelley.neocities.org
August 13, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Since search is dead, how soon do you think Google Scholar is headed for the Google Graveyard? I'm betting it's soon, and academia is NOT prepared
Reposted by Milton Tan
To a first approximation, all Australian vertebrates are lizards. 🦎
But not just any lizards, Sphenomorphine skinks!
With more than 280 species they are hyper variable. Now, Janne Torkkola has pulled together the biggest phylogeny of the group to date. Read for free:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
1/4
But not just any lizards, Sphenomorphine skinks!
With more than 280 species they are hyper variable. Now, Janne Torkkola has pulled together the biggest phylogeny of the group to date. Read for free:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
1/4
February 17, 2026 at 12:57 AM
To a first approximation, all Australian vertebrates are lizards. 🦎
But not just any lizards, Sphenomorphine skinks!
With more than 280 species they are hyper variable. Now, Janne Torkkola has pulled together the biggest phylogeny of the group to date. Read for free:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
1/4
But not just any lizards, Sphenomorphine skinks!
With more than 280 species they are hyper variable. Now, Janne Torkkola has pulled together the biggest phylogeny of the group to date. Read for free:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ym...
1/4
Reposted by Milton Tan
Some thoughts prompted by the recent incident of an AI agent trying to smear and shame a matplotlib developer. We need to think about building AI with empathy. Sociopathic AI (which is what we have today) will turn into a nightmare.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/sociopathi...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/sociopathi...
Sociopathic AI agents
AI alignment will likely require creating AIs with genuine empathy
blog.genesmindsmachines.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Some thoughts prompted by the recent incident of an AI agent trying to smear and shame a matplotlib developer. We need to think about building AI with empathy. Sociopathic AI (which is what we have today) will turn into a nightmare.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/sociopathi...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/sociopathi...
Reposted by Milton Tan
Genome size and phenotypic change: insights on contemporary evolution across biological groups.
New analysis of the PROCEED database in J Evol Biol.
Led by Lucas Gorne with @photopidge.bsky.social & F Pelletier
New analysis of the PROCEED database in J Evol Biol.
Led by Lucas Gorne with @photopidge.bsky.social & F Pelletier
February 16, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Genome size and phenotypic change: insights on contemporary evolution across biological groups.
New analysis of the PROCEED database in J Evol Biol.
Led by Lucas Gorne with @photopidge.bsky.social & F Pelletier
New analysis of the PROCEED database in J Evol Biol.
Led by Lucas Gorne with @photopidge.bsky.social & F Pelletier
Reposted by Milton Tan
ProteoCast predicts mutation effects across entire proteomes using sequence conservation alone. Applied to 22,000 fly protein isoforms, it correctly flags 85% of lethal mutations and identifies key sites.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.09.637326
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.09.637326
February 16, 2026 at 4:27 PM
ProteoCast predicts mutation effects across entire proteomes using sequence conservation alone. Applied to 22,000 fly protein isoforms, it correctly flags 85% of lethal mutations and identifies key sites.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.09.637326
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.09.637326
Reposted by Milton Tan
Hey genomics colleagues: are they any software programs you wish still worked on your modern OS? I’m trying to get a list of dead software that lost support and fell out of fashion, not due to method but due to software support. #genomics #evosky #evolbio #popgen #Evolution
February 16, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Hey genomics colleagues: are they any software programs you wish still worked on your modern OS? I’m trying to get a list of dead software that lost support and fell out of fashion, not due to method but due to software support. #genomics #evosky #evolbio #popgen #Evolution
Reposted by Milton Tan
The recent description of the 9,000th amphibian species marks a remarkable milestone for biodiversity science and a testament to decades of careful fieldwork, taxonomy, and collaboration across the globe. Read more at AmphibiaWeb.org #AWNews
February 16, 2026 at 5:07 PM
The recent description of the 9,000th amphibian species marks a remarkable milestone for biodiversity science and a testament to decades of careful fieldwork, taxonomy, and collaboration across the globe. Read more at AmphibiaWeb.org #AWNews
Reposted by Milton Tan
Registration is now open! Early-bird closes April 15. www.evolutionmeetings.org/registration...
Evolution 2025 Registration
Evolution 2025 - the joint conference of the SSE, ASN, and SSB
www.evolutionmeetings.org
February 16, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Registration is now open! Early-bird closes April 15. www.evolutionmeetings.org/registration...
Reposted by Milton Tan
🚨Awards Alert 🚨
Its award season here at SSB!
First up: Graduate Student Research Awards. Due March 20, these awards are for collecting data or otherwise enhancing your dissertation. Open to graduate student society members
Apply here:
www.systbio.org/graduate-stu...
Its award season here at SSB!
First up: Graduate Student Research Awards. Due March 20, these awards are for collecting data or otherwise enhancing your dissertation. Open to graduate student society members
Apply here:
www.systbio.org/graduate-stu...
Graduate Student Research Awards
The Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) Graduate Student Research Awards assist graduate students conducting research in systematics. These grants are for collection of preliminary data or to...
www.systbio.org
February 16, 2026 at 2:02 PM
🚨Awards Alert 🚨
Its award season here at SSB!
First up: Graduate Student Research Awards. Due March 20, these awards are for collecting data or otherwise enhancing your dissertation. Open to graduate student society members
Apply here:
www.systbio.org/graduate-stu...
Its award season here at SSB!
First up: Graduate Student Research Awards. Due March 20, these awards are for collecting data or otherwise enhancing your dissertation. Open to graduate student society members
Apply here:
www.systbio.org/graduate-stu...
Reposted by Milton Tan
New preprint! We produced a chromosome-level reference genome for Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) from the Bering Sea. Our genome is 795 Mb and organized into 26 chromosomes. 🐟🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 16, 2026 at 1:58 PM
New preprint! We produced a chromosome-level reference genome for Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) from the Bering Sea. Our genome is 795 Mb and organized into 26 chromosomes. 🐟🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Milton Tan
This remarkable set of genetic screens done both in the Nüsslein-Volhard & Driever & Fishman labs in Tübingen & Boston revolutionized our understanding of vertebrate development. This remembrance is worth a read-it was a long road, right up to the end 🧪 1/2
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
February 16, 2026 at 12:34 PM
This remarkable set of genetic screens done both in the Nüsslein-Volhard & Driever & Fishman labs in Tübingen & Boston revolutionized our understanding of vertebrate development. This remembrance is worth a read-it was a long road, right up to the end 🧪 1/2
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Reposted by Milton Tan
🚨📢📄 Article in press in Genome Biology doi.org/10.1186/s130...
We introduce panREPET, a reference-free pipeline to detect shared transposable element (TE) insertions across pangenomes and retrace their evolutionary dynamics #TEsky 🧵👇
We introduce panREPET, a reference-free pipeline to detect shared transposable element (TE) insertions across pangenomes and retrace their evolutionary dynamics #TEsky 🧵👇
A reference-free pipeline for detecting shared transposable elements from pan-genomes to retrace their dynamics in a species - Genome Biology
Background The role of transposable elements (TEs) in host adaptation has gained interest in recent years. Individuals of the same species undergo independent TE insertions, providing genetic variabil...
doi.org
February 16, 2026 at 8:38 AM
🚨📢📄 Article in press in Genome Biology doi.org/10.1186/s130...
We introduce panREPET, a reference-free pipeline to detect shared transposable element (TE) insertions across pangenomes and retrace their evolutionary dynamics #TEsky 🧵👇
We introduce panREPET, a reference-free pipeline to detect shared transposable element (TE) insertions across pangenomes and retrace their evolutionary dynamics #TEsky 🧵👇
Reposted by Milton Tan
#TIL that Charles Darwin, yes: _our_ Chuck-D, is credited as being the innovator of the "office chair". Purportedly, he put wheels on the legs of his chair to more quickly move about his office whilst examining multiple specimens. 🧪
ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
February 16, 2026 at 1:32 PM
#TIL that Charles Darwin, yes: _our_ Chuck-D, is credited as being the innovator of the "office chair". Purportedly, he put wheels on the legs of his chair to more quickly move about his office whilst examining multiple specimens. 🧪
ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ
Reposted by Milton Tan
Dear all, I'm happy to present you a side project done with @diegoharta.bsky.social @phylogenetrips.bsky.social & Lucas Baudouin regarding the publication landscape in Biology: wheretopublish.github.io 1/4
Where to Publish?
wheretopublish.github.io
February 10, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Dear all, I'm happy to present you a side project done with @diegoharta.bsky.social @phylogenetrips.bsky.social & Lucas Baudouin regarding the publication landscape in Biology: wheretopublish.github.io 1/4
Reposted by Milton Tan
Hello Bluesky!
Does Nₑ really explain mutation rate (μ) or genome size (GS) in vertebrates?
We find the apparent Nₑ–μ link in Bergeron et al. (2023) is a “back-door” path via generation time, and GS is decoupled from both Nₑ and life-history traits.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#evobio #PNAS
Does Nₑ really explain mutation rate (μ) or genome size (GS) in vertebrates?
We find the apparent Nₑ–μ link in Bergeron et al. (2023) is a “back-door” path via generation time, and GS is decoupled from both Nₑ and life-history traits.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#evobio #PNAS
February 7, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Hello Bluesky!
Does Nₑ really explain mutation rate (μ) or genome size (GS) in vertebrates?
We find the apparent Nₑ–μ link in Bergeron et al. (2023) is a “back-door” path via generation time, and GS is decoupled from both Nₑ and life-history traits.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#evobio #PNAS
Does Nₑ really explain mutation rate (μ) or genome size (GS) in vertebrates?
We find the apparent Nₑ–μ link in Bergeron et al. (2023) is a “back-door” path via generation time, and GS is decoupled from both Nₑ and life-history traits.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#evobio #PNAS
Reposted by Milton Tan
Walking catfish, caught in Miami.
February 14, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Walking catfish, caught in Miami.
Reposted by Milton Tan
3/10 We discovered that sing different types of commonly used genome-wide markers, such as UCEs and BUSCO genes, produce fundamentally different hypotheses about shark and ray evolution! Depending on the type used, sharks are NOT necessarily their own clade!
February 15, 2026 at 8:30 PM
3/10 We discovered that sing different types of commonly used genome-wide markers, such as UCEs and BUSCO genes, produce fundamentally different hypotheses about shark and ray evolution! Depending on the type used, sharks are NOT necessarily their own clade!
Reposted by Milton Tan
1/10 ⏰⏰ New stuff from me &
@tjnear.bsky.social
! We show that sharks themselves might not be a natural group ... it depends on what spots in the genome you analyze!
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
@tjnear.bsky.social
! We show that sharks themselves might not be a natural group ... it depends on what spots in the genome you analyze!
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 15, 2026 at 8:30 PM
1/10 ⏰⏰ New stuff from me &
@tjnear.bsky.social
! We show that sharks themselves might not be a natural group ... it depends on what spots in the genome you analyze!
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
@tjnear.bsky.social
! We show that sharks themselves might not be a natural group ... it depends on what spots in the genome you analyze!
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Milton Tan
Native fishes on our money!
February 15, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Native fishes on our money!
Reposted by Milton Tan
Chromosomal rearrangements and segmental deletions contribute to gene loss in squamates https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41688983/
February 15, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Chromosomal rearrangements and segmental deletions contribute to gene loss in squamates https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41688983/
Reposted by Milton Tan
Pygmy seahorses, blending into their world
February 15, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Pygmy seahorses, blending into their world
Reposted by Milton Tan
The collections at @nhm-london.bsky.social are full of glorious specimens esp the Flies. But they also come with lots of extra information
Roger Crosskey wrote down his feelings 50 years ago about this species complex - his frustration evident
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
Roger Crosskey wrote down his feelings 50 years ago about this species complex - his frustration evident
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
February 10, 2026 at 8:12 AM
The collections at @nhm-london.bsky.social are full of glorious specimens esp the Flies. But they also come with lots of extra information
Roger Crosskey wrote down his feelings 50 years ago about this species complex - his frustration evident
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
Roger Crosskey wrote down his feelings 50 years ago about this species complex - his frustration evident
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
Reposted by Milton Tan
The Natural History Museum Denmark seeks a Tenure Track Assistant Professor and Curator of Lepidoptera. Candidates should have a strong research background in Lepidoptera. Applications due March 22, 2026. Info: https://snm.dk/en/about-museum. #job
About the museum
Natural History Museum Denmark is beautifully located in the corner of the Botanical Garden near Nørreport Station. Until October 2022 the museum also welcomed guests at the Zoological Museum at Østerbro, which is now closed to the public in order to prepare for the new museum building that will open in the Botanical Garden in a few years time.
snm.dk
February 15, 2026 at 11:17 AM
The Natural History Museum Denmark seeks a Tenure Track Assistant Professor and Curator of Lepidoptera. Candidates should have a strong research background in Lepidoptera. Applications due March 22, 2026. Info: https://snm.dk/en/about-museum. #job
Reposted by Milton Tan
I've written a blog post about using @gbif.org to geocode localities (for some reason biodiversity people call this "georeferencing" 🤷♂️). Post is iphylo.blogspot.com/2026/02/gbif... (DOI coming soon once @rogue-scholar.wisskomm.social.ap.brid.gy picks it up). Tool at rdmpage.github.io/gbif-geocoder/
GBIF Geocoder: using GBIF to find places on a map
Blog by Rod Page on biodiversity informatics, taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, knowledge graphs, and other topics.
iphylo.blogspot.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:35 PM
I've written a blog post about using @gbif.org to geocode localities (for some reason biodiversity people call this "georeferencing" 🤷♂️). Post is iphylo.blogspot.com/2026/02/gbif... (DOI coming soon once @rogue-scholar.wisskomm.social.ap.brid.gy picks it up). Tool at rdmpage.github.io/gbif-geocoder/
Reposted by Milton Tan
So, once you start using @gbif.org as a source of "truth" for geocoding you discover just how messy the data is... apparently there's a forest in the ocean of the coast of Australia 🤦♂️
February 15, 2026 at 1:48 PM
So, once you start using @gbif.org as a source of "truth" for geocoding you discover just how messy the data is... apparently there's a forest in the ocean of the coast of Australia 🤦♂️