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31 University of California faculty were **fired** for refusing to sign loyalty oaths during McCarthy Era…rising from the ashes: modern tenure, a UC President, and a Chair of MIT Corp (latter two were UCLA Prof David Saxton, who refused to sign). I wrote: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC99…

Today I walked past a nice Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia sp.), native to South America and the seeds of which are full of scopolamine (hyoscine) or “Devil’s Breath” an anticholinergic drug I discuss in Most Delicious Poison! They are quite fragrant…

I had fun being interviewed for this story and am so honored that our little corner of biology was honored with this award. 🤗

Today, 166 years ago Alexander von Humboldt died (he was 89 years). He changed the way we think about nature (describing it as a web of life) & predicted climate change. Can't believe it's been 10 years since I published 'Invention of Nature'. It's change my life. In so many ways

🎉 We’re hiring! Two ERC-funded #PostdocJobs on insect–phytopathogen mutualisms are available in my lab. Explore the chemical and molecular evolution of symbioses! 🧪Chemical ecology: tinyurl.com/chem-ecol-symb 🦠Phytopathology & mutualisms: tinyurl.com/symb-plantpath

At our Annual Retreat of UC-Berkeley’s Genetic Dissection of Cells and Organisms Predoctoral Training Program, we showcased PhD trainee research and hosted speaker Dominique Bergmann. It is humbling & rewarding to shepherd junior geneticists through our NIH T32 training program.

Consider submitting reports of new genome assemblies to G3 (Genome Reports). I am Senior Editor and we provide robust, rapid peer reviews. OA manuscript charges are ~$2400 for GSA members & waived for those from lower income countries academic.oup.com/g3journal/page… Genetics Society of America

Proud of new Dr. Rebecca Tarnopol Rebecca Tarnopol, my 10th (!) PhD student, who gave a spectacular finishing talk (on the role of HGT in the evolution of novelty in animals) today UC Berkeley. Her proud parents and siblings attended. She said my lab was the “Talmudic” lab. : )

Nature is a pharmaceutical innovator. Ziconotide, derived from cone snail venom, treats chronic pain better than opioids. Alpha amanitin, a deadly mushroom toxin, is being used as a targeted cancer therapy. More examples abound. Our latest: TOXIC PROTEINS FOR DRUG DISCOVERY.🔻

Excited to share this piece I wrote for Asimov Press with all of you on how evolutionary solutions to defense and counter-defense in the form of toxic proteins and peptides have been and could been co-opted by us as new drugs.

Thanks Sophien, I had a great time. ALSO I learned that Sophien wrote THIS with Saskia Hogenhout, which documented the FASTEST land animal...a tiger beetle...jstor.org/stable/4009161

On beautiful Tomales Bay for the annual Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, a true gem of Berkeley. I had the privilege of being a Miller Professor and have been introduced to new concepts in physics, math, astronomy, quantum computing, physics, & immunology.

New research in #GENETICS provides new insights into the origin and early evolution of de novo genes by leveraging large-scale #transcriptome data from different #Drosophila genotypes. 🪰 Read more: buff.ly/Jwt8jjP

Please join us on Thursday (sign up below)

TODAY🚨 Join us at 2pm EDT to hear from 2025 GSA Medal recipient Noah Whiteman. In this lecture, Whiteman explores how animals & other multicellular eukaryotes have acquired powerful new traits by borrowing genes from viruses & bacteria. Register: buff.ly/fAIKxC2