The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
banner
rokaslab.bsky.social
The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
@rokaslab.bsky.social
The Laboratory of Antonis Rokas at Vanderbilt University. Tweets should be interpreted as bookmarks, not as endorsements. All opinions are Antonis'.

http://www.rokaslab.org
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
We are hiring!! Biological Sciences as UNC Charlotte has a broad search for a new assistant professor.
Apps reviewed 12/15.

Please spread the word! 💚⛏️
#PlantSci 🧪🦠🧬
jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/65141
Assistant Professor
Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in the biological sciences or related fields.Candidates are expected to document expertise in their specialty by a record of postdoctoral training, peer reviewed publ...
jobs.charlotte.edu
November 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
This is a remarkable study describing a new fungal species in a 407 million year old plant - Rugososporomyces lavoisierae Strullu-Derrien and Schornack sp. nov - using some amazing technology. Worth a read 👇
Confocal scanning laser microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging & Raman analyses allowed @nhm-london.bsky.social, @slcuplants.bsky.social & @cambridge-ee.bsky.social researchers to resolve plant & fungal structures fossil
Read in @newphyt.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1111/nph....

@dromius.bsky.social
November 14, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
This year's recipients:
Katie Hinde - @mammalssuck.bsky.social
Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt - @evolutionvu.bsky.social
Randolph M. Nesse - @randynesse.bsky.social
John Toohey Morales - @johnmoralestv.bsky.social
CLEO Institute - @cleoinstitute.bsky.social
Kim Cobb - @kimcobb.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Join us virtually on 12/4 at 6 ET as we celebrate our 2025 Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet recipients. Register in advance for a link - us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #CelebrateScience #ScienceSky #ClimateSky
November 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
NSF is open again!

A few comments:

*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.

*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.

*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
NEW pub in @science.org 🥳

Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life?

For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided.

We provide new evidence suggesting that...

🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
November 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Excited to share our latest paper led by Ph.D. Candidate, Owen Hale, titled Elevated rates and Biased Spectra of Mutations in Anaerobically Cultured Lactic Acid Bacteria out now in mBio!

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Elevated rates and biased spectra of mutations in anaerobically cultured lactic acid bacteria | mBio
Despite Earth’s oxygen-free origins and the abundance of microorganisms that thrive without oxygen, little is known about the rates and patterns of mutations in anaerobic species. This study directly ...
journals.asm.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Abstract submission open for #Fungal26 through Dec 4! Comparative & functional genomics, gene regulation, cell biology, biochemistry and metabolism, population & evolutionary genetics, host-pathogen interactions, ecology, and more. Can’t wait to see your science!
genetics-gsa.org/fungal-2026/...
November 12, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish
For over a century, evolutionary biologists have been motivated to understand the mechanisms through which organisms adapt to their environments. Coloration and pigmentation are remarkably variable wi...
shorturl.at
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
With @linder-surprise.bsky.social and the @rokaslab.bsky.social, we recently expanded upon an analysis where glucose uptake rates were inversely correlated with the cell surface area-to-volume ratio, testing 282 species in the Saccharomycotina yeast subphylum.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
New work led by members of the @rokaslab.bsky.social! ☺️ 1,154 yeast genomes in the Saccharomycotina subphylum were surveyed for their relationship between reduced gene repertoires broadly associated with genome stability functions and elevated evolutionary rates.🧬
academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
Stable hypermutators revealed by the genomic landscape of genes involved in genome stability among yeast species
Abstract. Mutator phenotypes are short-lived due to the rapid accumulation of deleterious mutations. Yet, recent observations reveal that certain fungi can
academic.oup.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
My book 'The Tree of Life' is published in the USA and Canada today.

Available as book, on kindle and as audio.

I would be really grateful for reposts.

www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-So...
www.amazon.ca/Tree-Life-So...
November 11, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Mini @rokaslab.bsky.social reunion with Dr. Abigail Lind @abigailllind.bsky.social

Amazing seminar... What is in our gut and what is it doing!?

I assume our students are flocking to try EukDetect!
November 7, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Pleased to share our preprint which builds off of recent work connecting glucose uptake rates and cell morphology across yeast species:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Welsey Roberts presents his evidence that teaching #evolution works and it doesn't have to be religion OR evolution. @ncse.bsky.social #teaching #scicomm
November 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
NEW Publication🥳

Rapid #evolution is thought to be disadvantageous due to the accumulation of deleterious #mutations. We identify multiple lineages of rapidly evolving and stable #yeast that are many millions of years old

🔗: academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
November 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
We just joined Southern Hemisphere efforts and co-authored a review on yeast research from this side of the world 🌎 Turns out, there’s a lot to tell—and much more to come! Huge thanks to Varela’s team and @pablo-villa.bsky.social for the great collaboration 🍻

academic.oup.com/femsyr/artic...
The Southern Hemisphere yeast frontier: from nature dwellers to accomplished fermenters
This mini-review discusses the different yeast species found in the Southern Hemisphere.
academic.oup.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Check out our newest issue where we interview Antonis Rokas, who uses DNA data from fungi, animals, and plants to study the patterns and processes of evolutionary diversity at Vanderbilt University. @rokaslab.bsky.social www.cell.com/current-biol...
Q & A
Interview with Antonis Rokas, who uses DNA data from fungi, animals, and plants to study the patterns and processes of evolutionary diversity at Vanderbilt University.
www.cell.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Registrations and abstract submissions are now open for the always stellar #fungal #genetics conference at lovely Asilomar, CA - March 17-22, 2026. Thank you to @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for the amazing partnership with the fungal community. Hope to see you there!
October 31, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
I built a small app (GenomeCheck ✅ - github.com/meadm/Genome...) for assessing genome assemblies and catching mislabeled data. It can be run on Streamlit Community Cloud (genomecheck.streamlit.app), Docker (meadm/genomecheck:latest), or locally via the GitHub repo. Let me know what you think!
GitHub - meadm/GenomeCheck: Streamlit app within a docker container for carrying out genome QC and comparisons
Streamlit app within a docker container for carrying out genome QC and comparisons - meadm/GenomeCheck
github.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
Look at how cute this town is where the workshop will be bsky.app/profile/jlst...
October 29, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Great workshop, fantastic location, amazing instructors! If you are interested in obtaining advanced training in phylogenomics / comparative genomics research, apply now!
October 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by The Rokas Lab at Vanderbilt University
To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the landmark Scopes “Monkey" Trial, we’ve created a special quiz to test your knowledge! This historic trial sparked a national conversation about science, education, and the role of evolution in the classroom. ncse.ngo/scopes-monke... #Scopes100 #trivia
Scopes "Monkey" Trial Quiz | National Center for Science Education
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, NCSE has developed a quiz to help you test your knowledge of this pivotal event. When you're done with the quiz, you can check out mo...
ncse.ngo
October 29, 2025 at 2:54 PM