Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
@jrossibarra.bsky.social
evolutionary genomics of maize and wild relatives. erstwhile ethnobotanist. purveyor of bad puns. dad. prof and HPC director at UC Davis. not actually a cool cow from 1994. rilab.ucdavis.edu. views, especially bad ones, mine only (he/him)
Pinned
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Our final #Plantsgiving tally was 81 species from 35 families! The annual post-dinner gin and tonic with grapefruit, rosemary, and The Botanist gin def helps that tally. A great time was had by all!
November 28, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Our final #Plantsgiving tally was 81 species from 35 families! The annual post-dinner gin and tonic with grapefruit, rosemary, and The Botanist gin def helps that tally. A great time was had by all!
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social these your lil’ dudes? From Pt Reyes in April (photos by my folks)
November 27, 2025 at 11:44 PM
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social these your lil’ dudes? From Pt Reyes in April (photos by my folks)
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Happy US Thanksgiving to all! Really grateful for all my friends & connections on this platform!
November 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Happy US Thanksgiving to all! Really grateful for all my friends & connections on this platform!
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
How do new centromeres evolve while staying compatible with the division machinery?
Discover it in our new Nature paper! We show centromeres transition gradually via a mix of drift, selection, and sex, reaching new states that still work with the kinetochore.
👉 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09779-1
Discover it in our new Nature paper! We show centromeres transition gradually via a mix of drift, selection, and sex, reaching new states that still work with the kinetochore.
👉 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09779-1
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
How do new centromeres evolve while staying compatible with the division machinery?
Discover it in our new Nature paper! We show centromeres transition gradually via a mix of drift, selection, and sex, reaching new states that still work with the kinetochore.
👉 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09779-1
Discover it in our new Nature paper! We show centromeres transition gradually via a mix of drift, selection, and sex, reaching new states that still work with the kinetochore.
👉 doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09779-1
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
Big bluestem has been a lovely and complex system to work with for the majority of my PhD and will always have a piece of my heart! Very excited to share this work with the community.
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
The origins and adaptive consequences of polyploidy in a dominant prairie grass
Polyploidy is ubiquitous across North American prairies, which provide essential ecosystem services and rich soil for agriculture. Yet the mechanism driving polyploid abundance is unclear. Multiple hy...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Big bluestem has been a lovely and complex system to work with for the majority of my PhD and will always have a piece of my heart! Very excited to share this work with the community.
Love when union rules are so inflexible they hurt workers. A fellowship allows me to pay a pdoc much more than the required salary, but I can’t offer the max allowed year 1 because union requires X% bump every year. So pdoc will lose $5K in salary year one so we can accommodate the increase.
November 26, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Love when union rules are so inflexible they hurt workers. A fellowship allows me to pay a pdoc much more than the required salary, but I can’t offer the max allowed year 1 because union requires X% bump every year. So pdoc will lose $5K in salary year one so we can accommodate the increase.
In honor of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social new preprint, here's me standing in her common garden taking a photo op to troll her with all the grass species in the plot that are *not* big blue stem.
November 26, 2025 at 5:58 AM
In honor of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social new preprint, here's me standing in her common garden taking a photo op to troll her with all the grass species in the plot that are *not* big blue stem.
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
The origins and adaptive consequences of polyploidy in a dominant prairie grass
Polyploidy is ubiquitous across North American prairies, which provide essential ecosystem services and rich soil for agriculture. Yet the mechanism driving polyploid abundance is unclear. Multiple hy...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
Hitting refresh on biorxiv for a paper to appear... realized my first biorxiv preprint was more than 12 years ago, and on arXiv two years before that! Preprinting sure seemed strange at the time, but it's become my favorite part of the process!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
arxiv.org/abs/1208.0634
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
arxiv.org/abs/1208.0634
Complex patterns of local adaptation in teosinte
Populations of widely distributed species often encounter and adapt to specific environmental conditions. However, comprehensive characterization of the genetic basis of adaptation is demanding, requi...
arxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:27 AM
Hitting refresh on biorxiv for a paper to appear... realized my first biorxiv preprint was more than 12 years ago, and on arXiv two years before that! Preprinting sure seemed strange at the time, but it's become my favorite part of the process!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
arxiv.org/abs/1208.0634
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
arxiv.org/abs/1208.0634
I know we've been on this route for many months, but I guess now we're just outright admitting we're the bad guys?
U.S. embassies around the world have been instructed to categorize abortion access, DEI policies, and transgender care for minors as human rights infringements.
www.jezebel.com/in-the-u-s-n...
www.jezebel.com/in-the-u-s-n...
In the U.S., Nothing Says Human Rights Abuse Like Ensuring Reproductive Freedom!
U.S. embassies around the world have been instructed to categorize abortion access, DEI policies, and transgender care for minors as human rights infringements.
www.jezebel.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 AM
I know we've been on this route for many months, but I guess now we're just outright admitting we're the bad guys?
corn. paint and crayon by my daughter several years ago. love this, hanging in my office
November 26, 2025 at 1:13 AM
corn. paint and crayon by my daughter several years ago. love this, hanging in my office
It's been awhile, but I found myself recommending to someone today our groundbreaking code, lead by the inimitable Andy Kern, that magically converts pdfs to... pdfs. This solves the conversion issue so many journals pose to the intrepid scientist. github.com/andrewkern/p...
GitHub - andrewkern/pdf2pdf: does the magical pdf-to-pdf conversion popular in academic journal submission sites and does it faster than they do
does the magical pdf-to-pdf conversion popular in academic journal submission sites and does it faster than they do - andrewkern/pdf2pdf
github.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
It's been awhile, but I found myself recommending to someone today our groundbreaking code, lead by the inimitable Andy Kern, that magically converts pdfs to... pdfs. This solves the conversion issue so many journals pose to the intrepid scientist. github.com/andrewkern/p...
Last bit to vote in the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social board of directors elections! I will note I'm the only candidate on the ballot who has won the GSA Corn Pun Trophy. genetics-gsa.org/2025-election/
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Last bit to vote in the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social board of directors elections! I will note I'm the only candidate on the ballot who has won the GSA Corn Pun Trophy. genetics-gsa.org/2025-election/
I like these migration maps from FEEMS but hadn't realized how density-dependent they are. first map (border) is all our data (~2,000 individuals!). next have same geographic locales but are downsampled so each node has exactly 1 individual. results vary a lot! (work by @genomeofforrest.bsky.social)
November 25, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I like these migration maps from FEEMS but hadn't realized how density-dependent they are. first map (border) is all our data (~2,000 individuals!). next have same geographic locales but are downsampled so each node has exactly 1 individual. results vary a lot! (work by @genomeofforrest.bsky.social)
“You will be visited by three spirits.”
The three spirits.
The three spirits.
November 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
“You will be visited by three spirits.”
The three spirits.
The three spirits.
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
I've seen things you Peanuts wouldn't believe, Brown. Fishing boats on fire off the shores of Venuzuela. I watched tacky gilt glitter in the dark in the Oval Office. All our history will be lost in time, like beers down the drain. Time to drink.
November 24, 2025 at 2:54 AM
I've seen things you Peanuts wouldn't believe, Brown. Fishing boats on fire off the shores of Venuzuela. I watched tacky gilt glitter in the dark in the Oval Office. All our history will be lost in time, like beers down the drain. Time to drink.
"Her wit was as sharp as her convictions, and her honesty was refreshing and rare."
A wonderfully written (by @gbaucom.bsky.social) obituary for my grad school friend and Auburn University Prof. Vanessa Koelling, who passed away last week.
www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/m...
A wonderfully written (by @gbaucom.bsky.social) obituary for my grad school friend and Auburn University Prof. Vanessa Koelling, who passed away last week.
www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/m...
Vanessa Koelling Obituary - Montgomery, AL
Celebrate the life of Vanessa Koelling, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Leak Memory Chapel.
www.dignitymemorial.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
"Her wit was as sharp as her convictions, and her honesty was refreshing and rare."
A wonderfully written (by @gbaucom.bsky.social) obituary for my grad school friend and Auburn University Prof. Vanessa Koelling, who passed away last week.
www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/m...
A wonderfully written (by @gbaucom.bsky.social) obituary for my grad school friend and Auburn University Prof. Vanessa Koelling, who passed away last week.
www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/m...
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Position Summary
The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct molecular and physiological experiments to understand the causes of genetic va...
careers.msu.edu
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
Reposted by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra
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 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Dr. Cheeto would like a word. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheeto_...
November 22, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Dr. Cheeto would like a word. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheeto_...
I complain a lot about how easy human geneticists have with their biobank-scale data and existing datasets ("I'll just download this pre-made pangenome and ARG"), but then I'm reminded they can't replicate genotypes or control environments and I feel better
I think pretty much all estimates of heritability are the same. I mean they're all between 0 and 1. From this fantastic piece by @sashagusevposts.bsky.social theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
November 22, 2025 at 4:35 AM
I complain a lot about how easy human geneticists have with their biobank-scale data and existing datasets ("I'll just download this pre-made pangenome and ARG"), but then I'm reminded they can't replicate genotypes or control environments and I feel better
8yo just asked to play "six-seven nation army". he laughed at the slip-up but what a wonderful chimera of generations.
November 22, 2025 at 4:34 AM
8yo just asked to play "six-seven nation army". he laughed at the slip-up but what a wonderful chimera of generations.
I think pretty much all estimates of heritability are the same. I mean they're all between 0 and 1. From this fantastic piece by @sashagusevposts.bsky.social theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
November 22, 2025 at 4:25 AM
I think pretty much all estimates of heritability are the same. I mean they're all between 0 and 1. From this fantastic piece by @sashagusevposts.bsky.social theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...
Anyone have a csv of the Kew C-Value database? I want to remake this figure but looks like website won't let me just download all values anymore. cvalues.science.kew.org/search/angio...
November 21, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Anyone have a csv of the Kew C-Value database? I want to remake this figure but looks like website won't let me just download all values anymore. cvalues.science.kew.org/search/angio...
I chuckled to myself about this one.
November 21, 2025 at 3:17 AM
I chuckled to myself about this one.