The Tattooed Professor
@schwessinger.bsky.social
Professor at the Australian National University. Biosecurity, fungal and plant genomics, evolution, and biochemistry. Dad. Swimming, reading, nature.
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
a puzzle in the morning.
November 26, 2025 at 11:19 AM
a puzzle in the morning.
This is outrageous. Yep pay her to leave, but why pay her to stay at more than double the rate of other professors?
Former #ANU Vice-Chancellor, Genevieve Bell, will receive remuneration of more than half a million a year for the next five years - despite taking 12 months off.
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 7:58 AM
This is outrageous. Yep pay her to leave, but why pay her to stay at more than double the rate of other professors?
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Former #ANU Vice-Chancellor, Genevieve Bell, will receive remuneration of more than half a million a year for the next five years - despite taking 12 months off.
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Former #ANU Vice-Chancellor, Genevieve Bell, will receive remuneration of more than half a million a year for the next five years - despite taking 12 months off.
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
For context, that's more than ANU hoped to 'save' annually by disestablishing the School of Music. 🫠 @nteunion.bsky.social
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact www.nature.com/articles/s42...
November 25, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Nature research paper: Semantic design of functional de novo genes from a genomic language model
go.nature.com/48uEnAn
go.nature.com/48uEnAn
Semantic design of functional de novo genes from a genomic language model - Nature
By learning a semantics of gene function based on genomic context, the genomic language model Evo autocompletes DNA prompts to generate novel genes encoding protein and RNA molecules with defined activities, whose sequences generalize beyond those found in nature.
go.nature.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Nature research paper: Semantic design of functional de novo genes from a genomic language model
go.nature.com/48uEnAn
go.nature.com/48uEnAn
It is a good year when all three senior colleagues (aka postdocs) in the lab obtain their own fellowship or leading a grant. Congratulations to the team!
November 25, 2025 at 8:43 AM
It is a good year when all three senior colleagues (aka postdocs) in the lab obtain their own fellowship or leading a grant. Congratulations to the team!
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
November 25, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
November 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
“The ZAT14 family promotes cell death and regulates expansins to affect xylem formation and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis”. Now out in @theplantcell.bsky.social led by Ming Feng and colleagues. A 🌱 thread 👇 1/x
academic.oup.com/plcell/advan...
academic.oup.com/plcell/advan...
November 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
“The ZAT14 family promotes cell death and regulates expansins to affect xylem formation and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis”. Now out in @theplantcell.bsky.social led by Ming Feng and colleagues. A 🌱 thread 👇 1/x
academic.oup.com/plcell/advan...
academic.oup.com/plcell/advan...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
I wonder if the bifurcation will be between very large scale, generalised paper search versus topic-focussed, actionable search where queries lead to experiments (e.g., www.futurehouse.org)? The middle ground which companies like @elicit.com and @scispace.bsky.social occupy might not be viable 🤷♂️
FutureHouse
FutureHouse is a philanthropically-funded moonshot focused on building an AI Scientist. Our 10-year mission is to build semi-autonomous AIs for scientific research, to accelerate the pace of discovery...
www.futurehouse.org
November 23, 2025 at 10:13 AM
I wonder if the bifurcation will be between very large scale, generalised paper search versus topic-focussed, actionable search where queries lead to experiments (e.g., www.futurehouse.org)? The middle ground which companies like @elicit.com and @scispace.bsky.social occupy might not be viable 🤷♂️
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Cycling gives bigger boost to regional economies more so than Shane Jones DRILL DRILL DRILL (for what there is nothing there) tantrums
WITHOUT harming the environments either (ironically boosting them)
WITHOUT harming the environments either (ironically boosting them)
November 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Cycling gives bigger boost to regional economies more so than Shane Jones DRILL DRILL DRILL (for what there is nothing there) tantrums
WITHOUT harming the environments either (ironically boosting them)
WITHOUT harming the environments either (ironically boosting them)
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Internal representations of external spaces www.skeptophilia.com/2025/11/ment...
Mental maps
critical thinking blog skeptic analytics skepticism science rational education alternative medicine conspiracy theories debunk misinformation skepto
www.skeptophilia.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Internal representations of external spaces www.skeptophilia.com/2025/11/ment...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Just in time for me to cite in something I've been using GlobDB for
Our paper describing the GlobDB is now published in @bioinfoadv.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
doi.org/10.1093/bioa...
The GlobDB is the largest species dereplicated genome database currently available, containing 306,260 species representatives.
More information on globdb.org 1/5
🖥️🧬🦠
GlobDB: a comprehensive species-dereplicated microbial genome resource
AbstractMotivation. Over the past years, substantial numbers of microbial species’ genomes have been deposited outside of conventional INSDC databases.Resu
doi.org
November 22, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Just in time for me to cite in something I've been using GlobDB for
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
A huge effort finally coming to fruition for B and their group. So excited to give this a whirl esp now that my cloning projects have ramped up substantially. Check this out 👇👇
Delighted to report that our group's passion project over the last 6+ years to make DNA cloning more accessible, efficient, and scalable using a software-assisted workflow called CloneCoordinate is now out in ACS Synbio!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
CloneCoordinate: Open-Source Software for Collaborative DNA Construction
Custom DNA constructs have never been more common or important in the life sciences. Many researchers therefore devote substantial time and effort to molecular cloning, aided by abundant computer-aide...
pubs.acs.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM
A huge effort finally coming to fruition for B and their group. So excited to give this a whirl esp now that my cloning projects have ramped up substantially. Check this out 👇👇
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
📣 Applications are NOW OPEN for our International Undergraduate Summer School 2026
🗓️ 29 June - 22 August 2026
📍 John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline: 16 January 2026
Find out more and apply: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
🗓️ 29 June - 22 August 2026
📍 John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline: 16 January 2026
Find out more and apply: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
November 22, 2025 at 1:05 AM
📣 Applications are NOW OPEN for our International Undergraduate Summer School 2026
🗓️ 29 June - 22 August 2026
📍 John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline: 16 January 2026
Find out more and apply: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
🗓️ 29 June - 22 August 2026
📍 John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH
⏰ Deadline: 16 January 2026
Find out more and apply: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
![EU’s von der Leyen hails COP28 as 'beginning of post-fossil era'
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed on Wednesday (13 December) the deal struck at the COP28 climate summit as the dawn of a new world with no need for coal or oil.
Energy, Environment & Transport
Frédéric Simon
Euractiv.com
VDL COP28
"Today's agreement marks the beginning of the post-fossil era," the president of the European Commission said in a social media post. [<a href="https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/photo/P-062452~2F00-15" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Photo credit: European Union, 2023. Source: EC - Audiovisual Service.</a>]
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed on Wednesday (13 December) the deal struck at the COP28 climate summit as the dawn of a new world with no need for coal or oil.
The final text, agreed on Wednesday morning (13 December), calls on UNFCCC parties to triple renewable energy capacity globally and double the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
“Today’s agreement marks the beginning of the post-fossil era,” the president of the European Commission said in a social media post.
It also calls on countries to “Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems” by 2050 in accordance with the science.
“A crucial part of this historic deal is truly made in Europe,” von der Leyen rejoiced. “The whole world endorsed our 2030 targets: to triple renewable energy and to double energy efficiency, both by 2030.”
EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra also spoke of a historic decision, saying it will set in motion an “irreversible” transition away from fossil fuels.
“With that, we have achieved what we set out to do: keep 1.5 within reach and mark the beginning of the end of fossil fuels,” he said on social media platform X.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xujiomimpwqvef6ikglhrdla/bafkreid4rm25blxdgas7tv77dbnfgyuotbgbqkoifanqdm2uivvfojtgua@jpeg)
![The EU is not fighting fossil fuels, only emissions, Von der Leyen says ahead of G20
Her comments to reporters in South Africa may impact global climate talks wrapping up in Brazil
Energy, Environment & Transport
Stefano Porciello
Euractiv
[Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images]
The EU isn’t fighting fossil fuels themselves, but the emissions they produce that fuel climate change, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference in South Africa ahead of the G20 leaders’ meeting on Friday.
The distinction is likely to send shock waves all the way to Brazil, where the United Nations’ climate change conference, COP30, is about to wrap up.
In Brazil, negotiators are discussing whether to establish a roadmap to meet the pledge countries made two years ago to transition away from fossil fuels. That decision was seen as a major achievement for the European Union’s international climate diplomacy.
Any perceived weakening of Brussels’ position on fossil fuels could undermine the chances of ensuring bold global commitments to end their use. A draft COP30 deal, published Friday, dropped the proposal, mentioned in a previous draft, to convene a conference to help world governments set up roadmaps to end their dependence on fossil fuels.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xujiomimpwqvef6ikglhrdla/bafkreihyofpuzynpw5y3b3f7iyj657dzjb6l7kdqlg4usj4dj4osig56bq@jpeg)
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
It only took us several decades and dozens Nature/Nature Genetics papers but we finally got to the conclusion that plant and animal breeders (and Lewontin) arrived at from the start: twin studies suck!
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:40 PM
It only took us several decades and dozens Nature/Nature Genetics papers but we finally got to the conclusion that plant and animal breeders (and Lewontin) arrived at from the start: twin studies suck!
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
You can donate to Eslam and her family here: www.gofundme.com/f/62znrd-hel...
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM
You can donate to Eslam and her family here: www.gofundme.com/f/62znrd-hel...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Chen et al. present the v4 upgrade of the DIVERGE software for identifying amino acid residues critical to functional shifts between protein subfamilies, including DIVERGE-Chat, a conversational AI agent for code-free exploration.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf277
#evobio #molbio #compbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf277
#evobio #molbio #compbio
November 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Chen et al. present the v4 upgrade of the DIVERGE software for identifying amino acid residues critical to functional shifts between protein subfamilies, including DIVERGE-Chat, a conversational AI agent for code-free exploration.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf277
#evobio #molbio #compbio
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf277
#evobio #molbio #compbio
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
Our son, Rohan, is doing something extraordinary for his 18th birthday, & @scidocmartin.bsky.social & I are so proud.
He's partnered with Headspace to run 100km, raising money for this wonderful organisation!
If you can share or donate, we'd be very grateful!
www.mycause.com.au/page/385454/...
He's partnered with Headspace to run 100km, raising money for this wonderful organisation!
If you can share or donate, we'd be very grateful!
www.mycause.com.au/page/385454/...
Click here and donate to Mind Australia for Rohan's 100km run to raise funds for headspace Box Hill
Mind Australia supports more than 13,000 people experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges every year. We have been providing this individualised,
www.mycause.com.au
November 20, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Our son, Rohan, is doing something extraordinary for his 18th birthday, & @scidocmartin.bsky.social & I are so proud.
He's partnered with Headspace to run 100km, raising money for this wonderful organisation!
If you can share or donate, we'd be very grateful!
www.mycause.com.au/page/385454/...
He's partnered with Headspace to run 100km, raising money for this wonderful organisation!
If you can share or donate, we'd be very grateful!
www.mycause.com.au/page/385454/...
Klaus Schulze will always be the electronic music artist of my life. Grant writing, paper writing, spacing out for thinking, getting lost...
November 20, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Klaus Schulze will always be the electronic music artist of my life. Grant writing, paper writing, spacing out for thinking, getting lost...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
What an awesome graphic! 😍
Our new position paper on Reproductive Care Violence - which is any form of harm, coercion, neglect, or discrimination that occurs in the context of accessing, providing, or withholding reproductive health services.
www.arcc-cdac.ca/media/110-re...
www.arcc-cdac.ca/media/110-re...
November 20, 2025 at 11:34 PM
What an awesome graphic! 😍
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
Ancient fossil reveals how plants and fungi first developed on land | Natural History Museum
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
www.nhm.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
Reposted by The Tattooed Professor
November 20, 2025 at 9:46 AM