Daniel E. Weeks
@statgendan.bsky.social
Statistical geneticist. Professor of Human Genetics and Biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh. Assiduously meticulous.
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Re-analysis of human population-scale whole genome seq data elucidates genetic architecture of EBV DNA persistence, a framework for the broader human virome
@nature.com @caleblareau.bsky.social @sherrynyeo.bsky.social @erinmayc.bsky.social @ryandhindsa.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@nature.com @caleblareau.bsky.social @sherrynyeo.bsky.social @erinmayc.bsky.social @ryandhindsa.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 28, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Re-analysis of human population-scale whole genome seq data elucidates genetic architecture of EBV DNA persistence, a framework for the broader human virome
@nature.com @caleblareau.bsky.social @sherrynyeo.bsky.social @erinmayc.bsky.social @ryandhindsa.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@nature.com @caleblareau.bsky.social @sherrynyeo.bsky.social @erinmayc.bsky.social @ryandhindsa.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Our multi-ancestry, multi-tissue MR study for type 2 diabetes is out in Nature Metabolism!
Amazing collab with the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genetics Initiative.
We showed that causal effects are mostly shared across ancestries but are highly heterogeneous across tissues.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Amazing collab with the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genetics Initiative.
We showed that causal effects are mostly shared across ancestries but are highly heterogeneous across tissues.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Unravelling the molecular mechanisms causal to type 2 diabetes across global populations and disease-relevant tissues
Nature Metabolism - Analysing the causal links of gene expression and protein abundance on type 2 diabetes risk in blood and seven tissues related to the disease from individuals of four...
rdcu.be
January 27, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Our multi-ancestry, multi-tissue MR study for type 2 diabetes is out in Nature Metabolism!
Amazing collab with the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genetics Initiative.
We showed that causal effects are mostly shared across ancestries but are highly heterogeneous across tissues.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Amazing collab with the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genetics Initiative.
We showed that causal effects are mostly shared across ancestries but are highly heterogeneous across tissues.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
webRios is live. #rstats on your iPhone and iPad.
I showed native R compilation on #iOS last week. Shipping it is another story (thanks, GPL). This version uses #webR 's #WebAssembly build instead. Different tradeoffs, but this one clears App Review.
apps.apple.com/us/app/webri...
I showed native R compilation on #iOS last week. Shipping it is another story (thanks, GPL). This version uses #webR 's #WebAssembly build instead. Different tradeoffs, but this one clears App Review.
apps.apple.com/us/app/webri...
January 27, 2026 at 2:42 AM
webRios is live. #rstats on your iPhone and iPad.
I showed native R compilation on #iOS last week. Shipping it is another story (thanks, GPL). This version uses #webR 's #WebAssembly build instead. Different tradeoffs, but this one clears App Review.
apps.apple.com/us/app/webri...
I showed native R compilation on #iOS last week. Shipping it is another story (thanks, GPL). This version uses #webR 's #WebAssembly build instead. Different tradeoffs, but this one clears App Review.
apps.apple.com/us/app/webri...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Our work on the generalizability of polygenic scores (PGS) from the @arbelharpak.bsky.social Lab is now officially out!
We examine the accuracy of PGS predictions at the individual level. We make 3 observations that expose gaps in our understanding of PGS “portability.”
rdcu.be/e0LAr
(1/27)
We examine the accuracy of PGS predictions at the individual level. We make 3 observations that expose gaps in our understanding of PGS “portability.”
rdcu.be/e0LAr
(1/27)
Three open questions in polygenic score portability
Nature Communications - Genetic predictors of health outcomes often drop in accuracy when applied to people dissimilar to participants of large genetic studies. Here, the authors investigate the...
rdcu.be
January 26, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Our work on the generalizability of polygenic scores (PGS) from the @arbelharpak.bsky.social Lab is now officially out!
We examine the accuracy of PGS predictions at the individual level. We make 3 observations that expose gaps in our understanding of PGS “portability.”
rdcu.be/e0LAr
(1/27)
We examine the accuracy of PGS predictions at the individual level. We make 3 observations that expose gaps in our understanding of PGS “portability.”
rdcu.be/e0LAr
(1/27)
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Fault-tolerant [ancient] pedigree reconstruction from pairwise kinship relations www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧬💻🧪 github.com/ehuangc/repare
January 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Fault-tolerant [ancient] pedigree reconstruction from pairwise kinship relations www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧬💻🧪 github.com/ehuangc/repare
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
In Memoriam: Richard A. Gatti, MD (1937–2025). Alessandro Aiuti and Luigi D. Notarangelo commemorate the passing of Dr. Richard Gatti, who was a visionary in #immunology and #genetics whose work reshaped the understanding and treatment of inherited immune diseases. rupress.org/jhi/article/...
January 13, 2026 at 3:15 PM
In Memoriam: Richard A. Gatti, MD (1937–2025). Alessandro Aiuti and Luigi D. Notarangelo commemorate the passing of Dr. Richard Gatti, who was a visionary in #immunology and #genetics whose work reshaped the understanding and treatment of inherited immune diseases. rupress.org/jhi/article/...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Zotero 8 is out in stable: www.zotero.org/blog/zotero-8/
A bunch of new stuff -- the new citation dialog especially is a huge (and long overdue) improvement; massively speeds up anything I do in Word/GDocs with Zotero
A bunch of new stuff -- the new citation dialog especially is a huge (and long overdue) improvement; massively speeds up anything I do in Word/GDocs with Zotero
Zotero Blog » Blog Archive » Zotero 8
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research.
www.zotero.org
January 22, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Zotero 8 is out in stable: www.zotero.org/blog/zotero-8/
A bunch of new stuff -- the new citation dialog especially is a huge (and long overdue) improvement; massively speeds up anything I do in Word/GDocs with Zotero
A bunch of new stuff -- the new citation dialog especially is a huge (and long overdue) improvement; massively speeds up anything I do in Word/GDocs with Zotero
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:46 PM
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
New paper: "Extending the Use of Mendelian Randomisation With Non-Inherited Variants to Assess Socially Transmitted Parental Exposures Under Assortative Mating" published at Genetic Epidemiology and led by Benji Woolf: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/.... Brief thread:
January 21, 2026 at 12:23 PM
New paper: "Extending the Use of Mendelian Randomisation With Non-Inherited Variants to Assess Socially Transmitted Parental Exposures Under Assortative Mating" published at Genetic Epidemiology and led by Benji Woolf: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/.... Brief thread:
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
A very comprehensive review of the genetics of personlity led by @tedmond.bsky.social This is a great onramp for those who haven't checked into psychiatric genetics or bahviour genetics in a while. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Personality Genomics
Recent research advances have precipitated the era of personality genomics: the study of how variation in human DNA sequence predicts individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, fee...
www.annualreviews.org
January 22, 2026 at 10:15 AM
A very comprehensive review of the genetics of personlity led by @tedmond.bsky.social This is a great onramp for those who haven't checked into psychiatric genetics or bahviour genetics in a while. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
You can specify relative position in ggplot with I(x) I(y).
E.g. annotate("text", x = I(.5), y = I(.5), label = "hello!") will place the text in the middle of the plot.
This, combined with alignment arguments is like 87% of the magic for me.
E.g. annotate("text", x = I(.5), y = I(.5), label = "hello!") will place the text in the middle of the plot.
This, combined with alignment arguments is like 87% of the magic for me.
December 26, 2025 at 7:05 AM
You can specify relative position in ggplot with I(x) I(y).
E.g. annotate("text", x = I(.5), y = I(.5), label = "hello!") will place the text in the middle of the plot.
This, combined with alignment arguments is like 87% of the magic for me.
E.g. annotate("text", x = I(.5), y = I(.5), label = "hello!") will place the text in the middle of the plot.
This, combined with alignment arguments is like 87% of the magic for me.
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
This is why God gave us graduate students
January 18, 2026 at 7:14 PM
This is why God gave us graduate students
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
I'd somehow missed or forgotten the aDNA connection to the birth of commercial ancestry DNA.... anyhow this is a good read about ethics among other things
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
How a church-run DNA donation led Michael to be falsely accused of murder
More than 30 million people globally have done a family history DNA test, but few realise this multi-billion dollar industry's origins trace back to the Mormon church.
www.sbs.com.au
January 17, 2026 at 11:07 PM
I'd somehow missed or forgotten the aDNA connection to the birth of commercial ancestry DNA.... anyhow this is a good read about ethics among other things
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
1) A covariate that is predictive of outcome should be in the model even if unpredictive of assignment (eg matched pairs design).
2) A covariate that is not predictive of outcome should not be in the model, even if predictive of assignment.
3) The propensity score is stupid.
2) A covariate that is not predictive of outcome should not be in the model, even if predictive of assignment.
3) The propensity score is stupid.
January 14, 2026 at 11:48 PM
1) A covariate that is predictive of outcome should be in the model even if unpredictive of assignment (eg matched pairs design).
2) A covariate that is not predictive of outcome should not be in the model, even if predictive of assignment.
3) The propensity score is stupid.
2) A covariate that is not predictive of outcome should not be in the model, even if predictive of assignment.
3) The propensity score is stupid.
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
I'm delighted to release the first half of my new textbook in human genetics:
web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...
"An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome: an introduction to human population genetics, variation and disease"
web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...
"An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome: an introduction to human population genetics, variation and disease"
An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome
An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome
web.stanford.edu
October 1, 2023 at 10:53 PM
I'm delighted to release the first half of my new textbook in human genetics:
web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...
"An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome: an introduction to human population genetics, variation and disease"
web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...
"An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome: an introduction to human population genetics, variation and disease"
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
📖 Big news! We just released the first five chapters of our new book, Hello Data Science. It is a fully open-access resource written for beginners. Please help us spread the word! A few points about the book are below 👇
🔗 www.hellodata.science
#rstats #datascience #tidyverse
🔗 www.hellodata.science
#rstats #datascience #tidyverse
January 14, 2026 at 5:34 AM
📖 Big news! We just released the first five chapters of our new book, Hello Data Science. It is a fully open-access resource written for beginners. Please help us spread the word! A few points about the book are below 👇
🔗 www.hellodata.science
#rstats #datascience #tidyverse
🔗 www.hellodata.science
#rstats #datascience #tidyverse
Hint: The NIH Biosketch Common Form system allows use of HTML tags like for bolding and
for line returns, so you can format things a bit better!
#NIH #CommonForm #BioSketch #OtherSupport
for line returns, so you can format things a bit better!
#NIH #CommonForm #BioSketch #OtherSupport
January 13, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Hint: The NIH Biosketch Common Form system allows use of HTML tags like for bolding and
for line returns, so you can format things a bit better!
#NIH #CommonForm #BioSketch #OtherSupport
for line returns, so you can format things a bit better!
#NIH #CommonForm #BioSketch #OtherSupport
"you can give the whole setup to the students and let them [... practice] multiple times. [...] here the questions are generated fresh each time. The more you practice, the better you get. That is... actually how learning is supposed to work."
#AI
www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com/2025/12/figh...
#AI
www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com/2025/12/figh...
Fighting Fire with Fire: Scalable Personalized Oral Exams with an ElevenLabs Voice AI Agent
It all started with cold calling. In our new "AI/ML Product Management" class (co-taught with Konstantinos Rizakos ), the "pre-case" submi...
www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:49 PM
"you can give the whole setup to the students and let them [... practice] multiple times. [...] here the questions are generated fresh each time. The more you practice, the better you get. That is... actually how learning is supposed to work."
#AI
www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com/2025/12/figh...
#AI
www.behind-the-enemy-lines.com/2025/12/figh...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
The cost of sequencing a human genome has fallen over 100,000 fold in nominal terms since 2001.
In a new visualization, I've added some of the key advances in sequencing during that timeline:
In a new visualization, I've added some of the key advances in sequencing during that timeline:
January 8, 2026 at 8:16 AM
The cost of sequencing a human genome has fallen over 100,000 fold in nominal terms since 2001.
In a new visualization, I've added some of the key advances in sequencing during that timeline:
In a new visualization, I've added some of the key advances in sequencing during that timeline:
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Also asap this interesting and potentially related preprint a while back: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Per-allele disease and complex trait effect sizes are predominantly African MAF-dependent in European populations
Understanding genetic architectures of disease is fundamental to partitioning heritability, polygenic risk prediction, and statistical fine-mapping. Genetic architectures of disease in European popula...
www.medrxiv.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:33 AM
Also asap this interesting and potentially related preprint a while back: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
😬😬😵💫
Don't impute missing data to 0.
And don't remove missing data either.
Please.
Don't impute missing data to 0.
And don't remove missing data either.
Please.
The original paper explicitly highlights how much terrorism ‘declined’ in the UK after the COVID-19 pandemic. But the decline after 2020 is only that stark because all terrorism-related variables are imputed to 0, without disclosure, after the UK left the EU in 2020. 22/x
January 10, 2026 at 1:08 PM
😬😬😵💫
Don't impute missing data to 0.
And don't remove missing data either.
Please.
Don't impute missing data to 0.
And don't remove missing data either.
Please.
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
This is beautiful data-vis
Happy new year! My all sky camera imaged the sky every 15 seconds and this picture shows what happened in the sky in 2025. It shows the length of the night and day with the hourglass shape, the monthly lunar cycle with the diagonal bands, the elevation of the Sun at local noon, and lots of clouds.
January 6, 2026 at 8:24 AM
This is beautiful data-vis
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
Anyone curious about a typical academic workload might be interested (short thread). I crossed 17 items off my to-do list this past week. The list now stands at 59 items (this includes 15 items that were freshly added last week - a lower-than-average spawning number as we're just after holidays).
January 10, 2026 at 9:40 AM
Anyone curious about a typical academic workload might be interested (short thread). I crossed 17 items off my to-do list this past week. The list now stands at 59 items (this includes 15 items that were freshly added last week - a lower-than-average spawning number as we're just after holidays).
“Psychiatric disorders … seem to arise more often … when certain combinations of genes and life experiences come together in unfavourable ways. This should reframe mental illness not as defective biology, but as the unfortunate intersection of natural variation and environmental stress.”
For more context, see also the @nature.com News & Views article about this work, where I unpack what it means when genetic risk for psychiatric disorders overlaps with normal-range traits, including some positive associations with education-related outcomes: rdcu.be/eT4U7
January 10, 2026 at 12:15 PM
“Psychiatric disorders … seem to arise more often … when certain combinations of genes and life experiences come together in unfavourable ways. This should reframe mental illness not as defective biology, but as the unfortunate intersection of natural variation and environmental stress.”
Reposted by Daniel E. Weeks
For more context, see also the @nature.com News & Views article about this work, where I unpack what it means when genetic risk for psychiatric disorders overlaps with normal-range traits, including some positive associations with education-related outcomes: rdcu.be/eT4U7
December 10, 2025 at 5:42 PM
For more context, see also the @nature.com News & Views article about this work, where I unpack what it means when genetic risk for psychiatric disorders overlaps with normal-range traits, including some positive associations with education-related outcomes: rdcu.be/eT4U7