Peter Laurin
@peterlaurin.bsky.social
PhD Student at UCLA studying the genetics and evolution of bacteria in the gut microbiome.
peterlaurin.github.io
peterlaurin.github.io
Reposted by Peter Laurin
I’m looking to hire an NIH funded postdoc to join our lab here at Davis (please RT). Ongoing areas of interest include:
1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc
2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc
2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
September 10, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I’m looking to hire an NIH funded postdoc to join our lab here at Davis (please RT). Ongoing areas of interest include:
1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc
2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc
2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Here are 3 minutes of unedited sanderling joy from right before sunset tonight 🥹 🪶
August 24, 2026 at 3:30 AM
Here are 3 minutes of unedited sanderling joy from right before sunset tonight 🥹 🪶
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Excited for @gabrielesgarlata.bsky.social’s new preprint on the Genome-Wide Effect of Drift and Selection over a Single Generation 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The Genome-Wide Effect of Drift and Selection over a Single Generation
The relative importance of genetic drift versus selection to evolutionary change has long been debated. This debate has mainly focused over long-time-scales (e.g. hundreds of thousands of generations)...
www.biorxiv.org
August 12, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Excited for @gabrielesgarlata.bsky.social’s new preprint on the Genome-Wide Effect of Drift and Selection over a Single Generation 1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
The latent simplicity of microbial ecological interactions https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.30.741683v1
July 30, 2026 at 3:16 PM
The latent simplicity of microbial ecological interactions https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.30.741683v1
Reposted by Peter Laurin
A few months ago, @elena-romero.bsky.social published a paper showing that HIV escape from broadly neutralizing antibody 10-1074 is driven by very recurrent mutation. In her latest, she asks - just how soft are the signatures of these sweeps?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Haplotype and diversity signatures of ultra-soft selective sweeps in HIV-1
Many urgent medical and agricultural challenges are driven by resistance evolution via soft selective sweeps of multiple simultaneous mutations. Standard approaches to detect these mutations involve g...
www.biorxiv.org
July 28, 2026 at 6:01 PM
A few months ago, @elena-romero.bsky.social published a paper showing that HIV escape from broadly neutralizing antibody 10-1074 is driven by very recurrent mutation. In her latest, she asks - just how soft are the signatures of these sweeps?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Dear microbiome enthusiasts: I'm excited to be moving my lab to New York University this fall (& the NYU Institute for Engineering Health); with joint-appointment @isbscience.org
I'm hiring a postdoc @ NYU to look at diet-driven evolution in the gut: apply.interfolio.com/189980
Please share! 🦠🤓
I'm hiring a postdoc @ NYU to look at diet-driven evolution in the gut: apply.interfolio.com/189980
Please share! 🦠🤓
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
July 23, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Dear microbiome enthusiasts: I'm excited to be moving my lab to New York University this fall (& the NYU Institute for Engineering Health); with joint-appointment @isbscience.org
I'm hiring a postdoc @ NYU to look at diet-driven evolution in the gut: apply.interfolio.com/189980
Please share! 🦠🤓
I'm hiring a postdoc @ NYU to look at diet-driven evolution in the gut: apply.interfolio.com/189980
Please share! 🦠🤓
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Interested in joining a growing lab in LA? We’re hiring a postdoc!! Please spread the word to folks in your network and feel free to get in touch with any questions recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11142
July 8, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Interested in joining a growing lab in LA? We’re hiring a postdoc!! Please spread the word to folks in your network and feel free to get in touch with any questions recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11142
Super excited to share new work with my advisor @nanditagarud.bsky.social!
We re-examine the rapidity of adaptation in the human gut microbiome and begin to characterize the adaptive architecture of selective sweeps spreading across human guts.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10...
1/n:
We re-examine the rapidity of adaptation in the human gut microbiome and begin to characterize the adaptive architecture of selective sweeps spreading across human guts.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10...
1/n:
Complex adaptive architectures constrain the pace of adaptations sweeping across human gut microbiomes
Recent work has shown that commensal gut bacteria can evolve rapidly within hosts on short timescales of days to months, fueled by the enormous mutational input generated daily in the microbiome. Yet ...
www.biorxiv.org
June 30, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Super excited to share new work with my advisor @nanditagarud.bsky.social!
We re-examine the rapidity of adaptation in the human gut microbiome and begin to characterize the adaptive architecture of selective sweeps spreading across human guts.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10...
1/n:
We re-examine the rapidity of adaptation in the human gut microbiome and begin to characterize the adaptive architecture of selective sweeps spreading across human guts.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10...
1/n:
Reposted by Peter Laurin
We're excited to share our work on how prophages influence the evolution of resistance against DNA-damaging antibiotics! This has been a fun project with
@sianowen.bsky.social, @baym.lol, @theshreyaspai.bsky.social, @kepatitis-c.bsky.social, & @fernpizza.bsky.social
biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/
@sianowen.bsky.social, @baym.lol, @theshreyaspai.bsky.social, @kepatitis-c.bsky.social, & @fernpizza.bsky.social
biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/
SOS-mediated prophage induction constrains resistance evolution to DNA-damaging antibiotics
Most naturally occurring bacteria are lysogens, encoding one or more temperate phages (prophages) integrated into their genome. As prophages are induced by the bacterial SOS response, DNA-damaging ant...
biorxiv.org
June 25, 2026 at 9:00 PM
We're excited to share our work on how prophages influence the evolution of resistance against DNA-damaging antibiotics! This has been a fun project with
@sianowen.bsky.social, @baym.lol, @theshreyaspai.bsky.social, @kepatitis-c.bsky.social, & @fernpizza.bsky.social
biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/
@sianowen.bsky.social, @baym.lol, @theshreyaspai.bsky.social, @kepatitis-c.bsky.social, & @fernpizza.bsky.social
biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Spent the last two years developing a new Intro to Physics course for undergrad biology majors. It features tons of examples from biology (especially Ecology & Evolution!) and requires only middle school-level math. Lecture note here shorturl.at/0PiVp
Any comments or feedback are highly welcome!
Any comments or feedback are highly welcome!
physics_for_biologists.pdf
drive.google.com
June 16, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Spent the last two years developing a new Intro to Physics course for undergrad biology majors. It features tons of examples from biology (especially Ecology & Evolution!) and requires only middle school-level math. Lecture note here shorturl.at/0PiVp
Any comments or feedback are highly welcome!
Any comments or feedback are highly welcome!
Reposted by Peter Laurin
June 15, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Reposted by Peter Laurin
New preprint from the last portion of my PhD! Despite low masked load, we found evidence for strong inbreeding depression in Devils Hole pupfish. The reason? A recessive lethal haplotype that causes a heart defect among developing embryos. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Long-term small effective population size, inbreeding, and a recessive lethal haplotype drive premature death in the endangered Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis)
As anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and population decline accelerate globally, growing numbers of species face compounding demographic and genetic threats to long-term survival. Many populations a...
www.biorxiv.org
June 11, 2026 at 10:46 PM
New preprint from the last portion of my PhD! Despite low masked load, we found evidence for strong inbreeding depression in Devils Hole pupfish. The reason? A recessive lethal haplotype that causes a heart defect among developing embryos. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Our latest preprint, led by PhD student Jacob Cavon, is online:
"Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors."
🦠😴🏃⚕️
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵...
"Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors."
🦠😴🏃⚕️
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵...
Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors.
Emerging evidence links the gut microbiome to sleep quality, yet measuring sleep at scale remains challenging. Commercial wearables, such as Fitbit, capture objective sleep and activity data in natura...
www.medrxiv.org
May 29, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Our latest preprint, led by PhD student Jacob Cavon, is online:
"Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors."
🦠😴🏃⚕️
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵...
"Multivariate determinants of wearable-measured sleep quality across a large observational cohort: roles of physical activity, gut microbiome, blood analytes, and lifestyle factors."
🦠😴🏃⚕️
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
First real post on the new blog!
If you follow human genetics, you've likely of "missing heritability". If you look at twins to estimate heritability, you get values much larger than what molecular genomic methods produce. IQ, for example, goes from 50-80% heritability to 10-15%. Which is right?
If you follow human genetics, you've likely of "missing heritability". If you look at twins to estimate heritability, you get values much larger than what molecular genomic methods produce. IQ, for example, goes from 50-80% heritability to 10-15%. Which is right?
May 18, 2026 at 3:20 PM
First real post on the new blog!
If you follow human genetics, you've likely of "missing heritability". If you look at twins to estimate heritability, you get values much larger than what molecular genomic methods produce. IQ, for example, goes from 50-80% heritability to 10-15%. Which is right?
If you follow human genetics, you've likely of "missing heritability". If you look at twins to estimate heritability, you get values much larger than what molecular genomic methods produce. IQ, for example, goes from 50-80% heritability to 10-15%. Which is right?
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Scoop: There has been a massive shakeup at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Eight of the top ten officials have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office.
In @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NIH ousts infectious-disease leaders as COVID scientists face US charges
Eight of the top ten officials at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office.
www.nature.com
May 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Scoop: There has been a massive shakeup at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Eight of the top ten officials have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office.
In @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
📣 Our lab is recruiting postdocs to lead new fully funded projects on mechanisms of microbiome–gut–brain signaling & microbial regulation of brain–body interactions in disease, w supportive clinical collaborators. Expertise in gut–brain, systems neuro, or neuroimmunology preferred. Please email 📧
May 15, 2026 at 10:41 PM
📣 Our lab is recruiting postdocs to lead new fully funded projects on mechanisms of microbiome–gut–brain signaling & microbial regulation of brain–body interactions in disease, w supportive clinical collaborators. Expertise in gut–brain, systems neuro, or neuroimmunology preferred. Please email 📧
Reposted by Peter Laurin
1/23 New preprint! Been thinking about the origin of cellular life. Specifically, how protocells (or *any* compartments) just aren't enough to support the evolution of increasingly complex cells.
You gotta de-Darwinize the parts! The ribosome/genome do this.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
You gotta de-Darwinize the parts! The ribosome/genome do this.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
May 13, 2026 at 2:17 PM
1/23 New preprint! Been thinking about the origin of cellular life. Specifically, how protocells (or *any* compartments) just aren't enough to support the evolution of increasingly complex cells.
You gotta de-Darwinize the parts! The ribosome/genome do this.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
You gotta de-Darwinize the parts! The ribosome/genome do this.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Our paper entitled "The persistence and loss of hard selective sweeps amid admixture in ancient Eurasians" is now out in PNAS! www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1.... A really fun and informative collaboration with @mharris.bsky.social, Ziyi Mo and Adam Siepel. (1/n)
The persistence and loss of hard selective sweeps amid admixture in ancient Eurasians | PNAS
The extent to which human adaptations have persisted throughout history despite strong
eroding demographic events such as admixture, genetic drift,...
www.pnas.org
May 6, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Our paper entitled "The persistence and loss of hard selective sweeps amid admixture in ancient Eurasians" is now out in PNAS! www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1.... A really fun and informative collaboration with @mharris.bsky.social, Ziyi Mo and Adam Siepel. (1/n)
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Thrilled to have my first PhD paper with @mmdesai.bsky.social out! @science.org
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thread below:
#mevosky #evosky #evobio #popgen #evolsky #ecoevo #molevol
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thread below:
#mevosky #evosky #evobio #popgen #evolsky #ecoevo #molevol
April 24, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Thrilled to have my first PhD paper with @mmdesai.bsky.social out! @science.org
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thread below:
#mevosky #evosky #evobio #popgen #evolsky #ecoevo #molevol
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Thread below:
#mevosky #evosky #evobio #popgen #evolsky #ecoevo #molevol
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Transposable elements are driving rapid adaptation of Enterococcus faecium
-in @nature.com from Ami Bhatt
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
-in @nature.com from Ami Bhatt
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Transposable elements are driving rapid adaptation of Enterococcus faecium - Nature
Over three decades, rapid expansion of the transposable element ISL3 has reshaped Enterococcus faecium, which helps to explain this pathogen’s growing clinical threat.
www.nature.com
April 24, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Transposable elements are driving rapid adaptation of Enterococcus faecium
-in @nature.com from Ami Bhatt
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
-in @nature.com from Ami Bhatt
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
We've known the gut-brain axis is a key underpinning of Parkinson's disease. Today, for the 1st time, a gut microbiome signature denoting risk found in healthy individuals with genetic predisposition
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
Microbiome signature of Parkinson’s disease in healthy and genetically at-risk individuals - Nature Medicine
Microbiome analysis suggests that gut microbial changes in Parkinson’s disease evolve progressively from healthy individuals to genetically at-risk individuals to clinically affected patients, with th...
nature.com
April 20, 2026 at 4:04 PM
We've known the gut-brain axis is a key underpinning of Parkinson's disease. Today, for the 1st time, a gut microbiome signature denoting risk found in healthy individuals with genetic predisposition
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
1/25 New paper out in PNAS! We show that the fitness costs of reproductive specialization, where somatic cells give up reproduction, scale inversely with organism size. Larger organisms can afford far more soma, removing a key barrier to multicellular complexity.
The fitness costs of reproductive specialization scale inversely with organismal size
www.pnas.org
April 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM
1/25 New paper out in PNAS! We show that the fitness costs of reproductive specialization, where somatic cells give up reproduction, scale inversely with organism size. Larger organisms can afford far more soma, removing a key barrier to multicellular complexity.
Reposted by Peter Laurin
New preprint! We sequenced 175 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow) genomes to understand why >50% of eggs fail to hatch in a species recovered from just 9 individuals. What we found was a both exciting and surprising. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
April 1, 2026 at 6:15 PM
New preprint! We sequenced 175 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow) genomes to understand why >50% of eggs fail to hatch in a species recovered from just 9 individuals. What we found was a both exciting and surprising. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Peter Laurin
Prediction markets aren't just corrupt.
They are a sign of our nation's spiritual atrophy - as every moral question became commodified and wagering becomes a growing source of meaning and purpose.
My latest substack:
They are a sign of our nation's spiritual atrophy - as every moral question became commodified and wagering becomes a growing source of meaning and purpose.
My latest substack:
Prediction Markets Are the Latest Sign of Our Spiritual Disintegration
As I write this, hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of bets have been placed on Polymarket, the massive prediction marketplace, regarding how many people will die in the Iran War over the next sev...
www.chrismurphyct.com
April 2, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Prediction markets aren't just corrupt.
They are a sign of our nation's spiritual atrophy - as every moral question became commodified and wagering becomes a growing source of meaning and purpose.
My latest substack:
They are a sign of our nation's spiritual atrophy - as every moral question became commodified and wagering becomes a growing source of meaning and purpose.
My latest substack:
Reposted by Peter Laurin
I am excited to share our latest paper, Uniform bacterial genetic diversity along the gut, now out in Nature Communications! www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/n)
March 31, 2026 at 5:50 PM
I am excited to share our latest paper, Uniform bacterial genetic diversity along the gut, now out in Nature Communications! www.nature.com/articles/s41.... (1/n)