C. Brandon Ogbunu

“This article focuses on the epistemic specificity of humanities research which makes it not only not suitable for replication, but also at odds with many of the other scientific reform measures touted as solutions to the so-called replication crisis.”

We got published in Ecology&Evolution! We propose an equation from which we derive the fundamental equations of population ecology and evolutionary biology (the Price equation). #evobio #philbio onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

YouTube video by MPI for Biology & Friedrich Miescher Laboratory Plant Pathogen Evolution: Bananas

Is your favourite fruit at risk?🍌
Watch & learn from Dr. Honour McCann @honour.bsky.social as she dives into the impact of the pathogen Ralstonia syzygii on banana plantations in our new video.
For more on #PlantPathogen #Evolution, visit: www.bio.mpg.de/48883/plant-pathogen-evolution-honour-mccann

Not this again

'however, standard culture methods did not yield readily cultivable microbiota.'

The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered Not with a bang but with a whimper

"It may be uncomfortable to conclude that a widely used study design has been producing spurious results. But the evidence is in, and telling uncomfortable truths is a part of doing science."

Problems with twin studies.

theinfinitesimal.substack.com/p/the-missin...

The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered Not with a bang but with a whimper

I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵

🔥🔥🔥

✅ Addresses important fundamental questions
✅ Uses insanely creative methods
✅ Gives us a truly new picture of how a tricky phenomenon works

Outstanding.

Intracellular competition shapes plasmid population dynamics From populations of multicellular organisms to selfish genetic elements, conflicts between levels of biological organization are central to evolution. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, self-replicating g...

Hot off the press! Our latest paper led by @fernpizza.bsky.social, understanding how plasmids evolve inside cells. These small, self-replicating DNA circles live inside bacteria and carry antibiotic resistance genes, but also compete with one another to replicate. 1/
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Was Science’s Social Contract “Just a Myth”? Join us for a conversation on the legacy of the social contract, and what its role might be in the future of the scientific enterprise.

2024 award winner @cbo.bsky.social will be part of an @issuesinst.bsky.social panel tomorrow from 3-4pm ET discussing science's "social contract."

Tune in and register at: issues.org/event/was-sc... #scicomm #stem

What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.

"Watson’s legacy can — and should be — that the very science his research and leadership enabled disproves his own unfortunate and simplistic view of the human condition."

From @cbo.bsky.social & @sramach.bsky.social
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...

Thank you, Nathaniel! Great work as always!

Those who knew Watson will recognize the “all too easy” reference. Yes I did that on purpose.

This piece, by @cbo.bsky.social and @sramach.bsky.social in the Globe tracks well with my argument about genetic determinism. Rx reading.

It is now, en route to grab one

The main thing I learn from that photo is that the denim jacket is back in style.

This is a fantastic article about James Watson but mostly it’s master class in dispatching of ghouls in science. Often the problem isn’t just that they’re amoral but that their being a(im)moral makes them dangerously wrong in ways that have cascading externalities on our understanding.

Going against the gut: Q&A with Kevin Mitchell A new review of 15 years of studies on the connection between the microbiome and autism reveals widespread statistical and conceptual errors.

Kevin Mitchell tells it as it is. There nothing there! We're easily captured by a simple narrative for an incredibly complex etiology. www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/goi...

Revisiting the Evolution of Lactase Persistence: Insights from South Asian Genomes Lactase persistence (LP), the ability to digest lactose from milk into adulthood, is a classic example of natural selection in humans. Multiple mutations upstream of the LCT gene are associated with L...

Exciting new study led by @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @meaghanmarohn.bsky.social on the evolution of Lactase Persistence in South Asia.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback Some scientists argued that autism-gut microbiome research is rife with conceptual and methodological flaws, from mouse to human studies. Microbiome researchers disagree.

Criticism of Autism-Gut Microbiome Research Sparks Pushback www.the-scientist.com/criticism-of...

Amazing to have a byline with @cbo.bsky.social - read our take on Watson’s ultimate legacy in the Boston Globe. Will be in Sunday’s print edition.

Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells in systemic lupus erythematosus Epstein-Barr virus reprograms autoreactive B cells as antigen-presenting cells to promote pathogenic antinuclear T and B cell responses in lupus.

Whoah

EBV not only causes multiple sclerosis, it also might be the root of SLE

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

An EBV vaccine to rid ourselves of these horrible autoimmune conditions (and many cancers)?

#lupus #medsky #RheumSky

@christosargyrop.bsky.social

(Article is behind a paywall, but there is one free article. And there's a link to a free trial: globe.com/freetrial. Contact me if you can't get access)

(Also note the ironic error in the DNA structure in the image)

What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.

"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"

By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...

Schematic illustrating how species interactions can depend on neighborhood density and identity.

🆕 in "Ecological Monographs": Static models miss the mark—adding nonlinear, density-based facilitation helps predict coexistence, persistence, and realistic community dynamics

📄Neighbor density-dependent facilitation promotes coexistence and internal oscillation
doi.org/10.1002/ecm....

Rich Lenski adds information to the Long-Term Evolution Experiment lab notebook after restarting the experiment at MSU. Jeff Barrick and Devin Lake stand behind him.

The Long-Term Evolution Experiment has returned home. Led by Professors Richard Lenski (@relenski.bsky.social) and Jeffrey Barrick, this groundbreaking work continues to reveal how bacteria evolve in real time. 12 flasks. 1 legacy.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/f6vjyjvr

New flu virus mutation could see ‘worst season in a decade' Leading flu experts say they will not be surprised if this year's is the worst flu season for a decade.

1/ A concerning flu "variant" may be driving an early rise in cases in the UK.

The virus is an H3N2, but has mutations that suggest it may evade some prior immunity.

We're not seeing much activity in the US, but that may be changing.

A 🧵 on what signals I'm watching.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Seems bad…

This is…outstanding. If I may, I urge us to read it carefully, and appreciate the details, the shape, the picture it paints.

a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

Bluetorial-Jim Watson

I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.

What follows is my personal perspective.

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