Peter Morrell
@peterlmorrell.bsky.social
Pinned
Peter Morrell
@peterlmorrell.bsky.social
· Dec 10
Does Google violate user privacy? Let's ask Google and the new LLM.
Reposted by Peter Morrell
September 21, 2026 at 11:22 PM
A+ for thoroughness
September 7, 2026 at 12:20 AM
A+ for thoroughness
How to make streets safer with just a brick
YouTube video by About Here
m.youtube.com
August 27, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Peter Morrell
Gaut et al. synthesize key lessons and outstanding challenges concerning the action of natural selection on plant genomes, revealing the power and some of the limits of population genomics to infer the dynamics of selection on plant genomes.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
#societyjournal
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
#societyjournal
August 25, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Gaut et al. synthesize key lessons and outstanding challenges concerning the action of natural selection on plant genomes, revealing the power and some of the limits of population genomics to infer the dynamics of selection on plant genomes.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
#societyjournal
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
#societyjournal
Reposted by Peter Morrell
A new Primer on QTL mapping. academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
QTL mapping
Abstract. Most biologically relevant traits are quantitative, controlled by multiple genes, and can be influenced by the environment. The multiple genes, c
academic.oup.com
August 19, 2026 at 5:58 PM
A new Primer on QTL mapping. academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
QTL mapping academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
Whether you are new to QTL mapping or have years of experience, you’re sure to learn something new and interesting from Shizhong Xu’s Primer. Don’t fret over the equations; there is a terrific narrative here about the past and future of QTL mapping!
Whether you are new to QTL mapping or have years of experience, you’re sure to learn something new and interesting from Shizhong Xu’s Primer. Don’t fret over the equations; there is a terrific narrative here about the past and future of QTL mapping!
QTL mapping
Abstract. Most biologically relevant traits are quantitative, controlled by multiple genes, and can be influenced by the environment. The multiple genes, c
academic.oup.com
August 19, 2026 at 5:15 PM
QTL mapping academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
Whether you are new to QTL mapping or have years of experience, you’re sure to learn something new and interesting from Shizhong Xu’s Primer. Don’t fret over the equations; there is a terrific narrative here about the past and future of QTL mapping!
Whether you are new to QTL mapping or have years of experience, you’re sure to learn something new and interesting from Shizhong Xu’s Primer. Don’t fret over the equations; there is a terrific narrative here about the past and future of QTL mapping!
What has population genomics told us about the dynamics of selection and plant adaptation? academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
After a quarter century, what have we learned from plant resequencing studies? Thanks to Brandon Graut, Stephen Wright, and Tianpeng Wang for being great coauthors.
1 of 2
After a quarter century, what have we learned from plant resequencing studies? Thanks to Brandon Graut, Stephen Wright, and Tianpeng Wang for being great coauthors.
1 of 2
What has population genomics told us about the dynamics of selection and plant adaptation?
Abstract. Population genomics has transformed our understanding of how natural selection shapes plant genomes. The explosion of whole-genome resequencing d
academic.oup.com
August 17, 2026 at 4:24 PM
What has population genomics told us about the dynamics of selection and plant adaptation? academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
After a quarter century, what have we learned from plant resequencing studies? Thanks to Brandon Graut, Stephen Wright, and Tianpeng Wang for being great coauthors.
1 of 2
After a quarter century, what have we learned from plant resequencing studies? Thanks to Brandon Graut, Stephen Wright, and Tianpeng Wang for being great coauthors.
1 of 2
@jonathanfwendel.bsky.social sounds a lot like Ira Flatow (@heyira.bsky.social) on Science Friday, discussing the origins of domesticated cotton. It’s a fun story! tinyurl.com/2aoopmbn
The origins of cotton are traced to the Caribbean
From exotic flowers to t-shirts
www.google.com
June 21, 2026 at 2:23 AM
@jonathanfwendel.bsky.social sounds a lot like Ira Flatow (@heyira.bsky.social) on Science Friday, discussing the origins of domesticated cotton. It’s a fun story! tinyurl.com/2aoopmbn
@gruber.foo - Really enjoyed The Talk Show episode with John Siracusa; one of the best in a long time.
The issue with the Newton wasn't really the lack of connectivity to the Mac. You could sync with a serial cable, and contacts showed up in Claris Organizer or Outlook. 1 or n
The issue with the Newton wasn't really the lack of connectivity to the Mac. You could sync with a serial cable, and contacts showed up in Claris Organizer or Outlook. 1 or n
May 31, 2026 at 2:03 AM
@gruber.foo - Really enjoyed The Talk Show episode with John Siracusa; one of the best in a long time.
The issue with the Newton wasn't really the lack of connectivity to the Mac. You could sync with a serial cable, and contacts showed up in Claris Organizer or Outlook. 1 or n
The issue with the Newton wasn't really the lack of connectivity to the Mac. You could sync with a serial cable, and contacts showed up in Claris Organizer or Outlook. 1 or n
Just out @molecology.bsky.social - an exploration of adaptation to heat and water limitations in cowpea, a staple food source in West Africa. Thanks to FFAR for funding from @gatesfoundation.bsky.social!
@rakakpo.bsky.social with extensive input from coauthors...
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
@rakakpo.bsky.social with extensive input from coauthors...
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
Identification of Genetic Variation Associated With Heat Tolerance in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)
Heat tolerance is an important trait in cowpea, a crop that is the primary protein source for a large portion of the human population in sub-Saharan Africa. Cultivated, landrace, semi-wild, and wild ...
doi.org
April 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Just out @molecology.bsky.social - an exploration of adaptation to heat and water limitations in cowpea, a staple food source in West Africa. Thanks to FFAR for funding from @gatesfoundation.bsky.social!
@rakakpo.bsky.social with extensive input from coauthors...
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
@rakakpo.bsky.social with extensive input from coauthors...
doi.org/10.1111/mec....
I did a long-form interview for a local podcast. Hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve did a great job of asking interesting questions.
mncropcast.transistor.fm/episodes/dee...
mncropcast.transistor.fm/episodes/dee...
Minnesota CropCast | Deep Roots & Big Data: The Evolution of Our Crops: A conversation with Dr. Peter Morrell, Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
Please join us for episode #59 of MN CropCast. In this episode, Dave and Seth are diving deep into the DNA of the plants that feed us, and we are thrilled to sit down with Dr. Peter Morrell, a Pro...
mncropcast.transistor.fm
March 25, 2026 at 3:35 PM
I did a long-form interview for a local podcast. Hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve did a great job of asking interesting questions.
mncropcast.transistor.fm/episodes/dee...
mncropcast.transistor.fm/episodes/dee...
Reposted by Peter Morrell
Excited to share our new Molecular Ecology paper with @peterlmorrell.bsky.social, @chaochihl.bsky.social, & collaborators: phenotypically wild barley shows evidence of introgression from domesticated barley in the WBDC collection.
doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #Barley #Genetics
doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #Barley #Genetics
Phenotypically Wild Barley Shows Evidence of Introgression From Domesticated Barley
Multiple studies have reported genetic evidence of crop-to-wild introgression in phenotypically wild accessions of wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum). We examined 318 Wild Barley Diversity...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Excited to share our new Molecular Ecology paper with @peterlmorrell.bsky.social, @chaochihl.bsky.social, & collaborators: phenotypically wild barley shows evidence of introgression from domesticated barley in the WBDC collection.
doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #Barley #Genetics
doi.org/10.1111/mec.... #Barley #Genetics
Maybe I spend too much time grading, but it seems like this should be in sentence case or title case, but it can’t be a mix. If you go with this style, shouldn’t “not” be capitalized?
December 1, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Maybe I spend too much time grading, but it seems like this should be in sentence case or title case, but it can’t be a mix. If you go with this style, shouldn’t “not” be capitalized?
@jbyoder.org - I’m losing track of how many times I’ve posted a link to this blog post in a review. A national landmark!
www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...
www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...
FAQ: Should I invent an acronym?
“Moveable type” (Flickr, David DeSandro) Q. I’m writing a research article, and the text frequently mentions the biological process that is the subject of the article. I’m a…
www.molecularecologist.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:49 AM
@jbyoder.org - I’m losing track of how many times I’ve posted a link to this blog post in a review. A national landmark!
www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...
www.molecularecologist.com/2024/08/13/f...
Species: Catha edulis
Common Name: Khat
Active Compounds: Cathinone
Medical or Cultural Use: Remedy for fatigue, depression, appetite suppression, and pain
Risks of Use: Grandiose delusions, paranoia, nightmares, hallucinations, and hyperactivity
Common Name: Khat
Active Compounds: Cathinone
Medical or Cultural Use: Remedy for fatigue, depression, appetite suppression, and pain
Risks of Use: Grandiose delusions, paranoia, nightmares, hallucinations, and hyperactivity
November 2, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Species: Catha edulis
Common Name: Khat
Active Compounds: Cathinone
Medical or Cultural Use: Remedy for fatigue, depression, appetite suppression, and pain
Risks of Use: Grandiose delusions, paranoia, nightmares, hallucinations, and hyperactivity
Common Name: Khat
Active Compounds: Cathinone
Medical or Cultural Use: Remedy for fatigue, depression, appetite suppression, and pain
Risks of Use: Grandiose delusions, paranoia, nightmares, hallucinations, and hyperactivity
My doctor said I should be talking about "The Science of Cannabis" outside the class
- Species: Cannabis sativa
- Common name: marijuana
- Active compounds: delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol
- Medical or cultural uses: pain relief, insomnia, antiemetic
- Risks of use: reduced mental acuity, dependency
- Species: Cannabis sativa
- Common name: marijuana
- Active compounds: delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol
- Medical or cultural uses: pain relief, insomnia, antiemetic
- Risks of use: reduced mental acuity, dependency
November 2, 2025 at 2:17 AM
My doctor said I should be talking about "The Science of Cannabis" outside the class
- Species: Cannabis sativa
- Common name: marijuana
- Active compounds: delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol
- Medical or cultural uses: pain relief, insomnia, antiemetic
- Risks of use: reduced mental acuity, dependency
- Species: Cannabis sativa
- Common name: marijuana
- Active compounds: delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol
- Medical or cultural uses: pain relief, insomnia, antiemetic
- Risks of use: reduced mental acuity, dependency
Reposted by Peter Morrell
I wrote an opinion piece about parental/family leave at UConn. I’m only ~75% happy with it but … something needed to be said. Many things actually. Loudly. Repeatedly. And with as many voices as possible.
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
Opinion: This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors
UConn currently lets every pregnant/expecting individual reinvent the wheel, cobbling together a leave plan with whatever resources and departmental grace they can muster.
ctmirror.org
October 21, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I wrote an opinion piece about parental/family leave at UConn. I’m only ~75% happy with it but … something needed to be said. Many things actually. Loudly. Repeatedly. And with as many voices as possible.
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
I’m excited to contribute as an associate editor for “Primers in Genetics.” The focus is on educational materials. Should be fun!
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
genestogenomes.org/genetics-exp...
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
genestogenomes.org/genetics-exp...
GENETICS Expands Primers Section
Beth De Stasio of Lawrence University will serve as Senior Editor and work with a newly formed team of six Associate Editors to expand the publication of Primers in GENETICS.
genestogenomes.org
July 15, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I’m excited to contribute as an associate editor for “Primers in Genetics.” The focus is on educational materials. Should be fun!
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
genestogenomes.org/genetics-exp...
@genetics-gsa.bsky.social
genestogenomes.org/genetics-exp...
Decoding nature’s grammar with DNA language models | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... - Serguei Pakhomov was a great co-author for this commentary on PlantCaduceus
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
July 14, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Decoding nature’s grammar with DNA language models | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... - Serguei Pakhomov was a great co-author for this commentary on PlantCaduceus
Reposted by Peter Morrell
Very happy with this perspective piece just published. Highlighting how anti DEI has the same impacts as good old racism on educational equity.
Using anti-DEI policies to dismantle education: A new front in a really old battle - a perspective with @kzutaustin.bsky.social and @hormiga.bsky.social | PLOS Biology
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Using anti-DEI policies to dismantle education: A new front in a really old battle
Educational equity faces renewed threats across higher education in the United States. This Perspective addresses what can be done by life science instructors and researchers to prioritize equitable, ...
journals.plos.org
June 20, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Very happy with this perspective piece just published. Highlighting how anti DEI has the same impacts as good old racism on educational equity.
Reposted by Peter Morrell
My HPC team at UC Davis is hiring! Looking for an experienced sysadmin to help build and maintain clusters (hardware and software). HPC experience great, but if you’re an experienced sysadmin and willing to learn, please apply!
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucdavis/...
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucdavis/...
An error has occurred.
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu
June 5, 2025 at 4:49 AM
My HPC team at UC Davis is hiring! Looking for an experienced sysadmin to help build and maintain clusters (hardware and software). HPC experience great, but if you’re an experienced sysadmin and willing to learn, please apply!
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucdavis/...
careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucdavis/...
New paper w/ @plos.org! @chaochihl.bsky.social identifies a unique mutational pattern among sodium azide-induced mutants. SNPs in 'CC' context and indels. Thanks to @justinfay.bsky.social @lilei0051.bsky.social @giuliafrascarelli.bsky.social @nanoporetech.com et al
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
Sodium azide mutagenesis induces a unique pattern of mutations
Author summary Sodium azide is frequently used as a mutagen for experimental studies in plants. It induces primarily C → T changes. We find that these most often occur when a cytosine (C) is followed ...
journals.plos.org
June 5, 2025 at 4:09 PM
New paper w/ @plos.org! @chaochihl.bsky.social identifies a unique mutational pattern among sodium azide-induced mutants. SNPs in 'CC' context and indels. Thanks to @justinfay.bsky.social @lilei0051.bsky.social @giuliafrascarelli.bsky.social @nanoporetech.com et al
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
A cool trick from AI coding companions. Creating temporary intermediate files in a shell script is pretty easy! Saves IO.
log " -> Convert a GFF of gene positions to a BED file"
intermediate_bed=$(mktemp)
awk '$3 == "gene" {print $1"\t"$4-1"\t"$5}' "${GFF}" > "${intermediate_bed}"
log " -> Convert a GFF of gene positions to a BED file"
intermediate_bed=$(mktemp)
awk '$3 == "gene" {print $1"\t"$4-1"\t"$5}' "${GFF}" > "${intermediate_bed}"
May 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
A cool trick from AI coding companions. Creating temporary intermediate files in a shell script is pretty easy! Saves IO.
log " -> Convert a GFF of gene positions to a BED file"
intermediate_bed=$(mktemp)
awk '$3 == "gene" {print $1"\t"$4-1"\t"$5}' "${GFF}" > "${intermediate_bed}"
log " -> Convert a GFF of gene positions to a BED file"
intermediate_bed=$(mktemp)
awk '$3 == "gene" {print $1"\t"$4-1"\t"$5}' "${GFF}" > "${intermediate_bed}"
Reposted by Peter Morrell
Are you based in the U.S. 🇺🇸 or Canada 🇨🇦 and thinking of doing research in Europe?
ERC grants offer up to €4.5 million to support groundbreaking, investigator-driven frontier research in all fields.
Watch the dedicated info session for researchers in your region👉 youtu.be/92QYink1Lik
#ChooseEurope
ERC grants offer up to €4.5 million to support groundbreaking, investigator-driven frontier research in all fields.
Watch the dedicated info session for researchers in your region👉 youtu.be/92QYink1Lik
#ChooseEurope
May 19, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Are you based in the U.S. 🇺🇸 or Canada 🇨🇦 and thinking of doing research in Europe?
ERC grants offer up to €4.5 million to support groundbreaking, investigator-driven frontier research in all fields.
Watch the dedicated info session for researchers in your region👉 youtu.be/92QYink1Lik
#ChooseEurope
ERC grants offer up to €4.5 million to support groundbreaking, investigator-driven frontier research in all fields.
Watch the dedicated info session for researchers in your region👉 youtu.be/92QYink1Lik
#ChooseEurope
Reposted by Peter Morrell
“Cutting basic science doesn’t save money.”
America’s long-term growth is at stake. Congress is weighing sweeping FY2026 cuts to fundamental science, including $18 billion from the NIH and $5 billion from the NSF.
In the long run, these cuts will cost the economy billions.
@jdrakephd.bsky.social
www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...
In the long run, these cuts will cost the economy billions.
@jdrakephd.bsky.social
www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...
Trump’s NIH And NSF Cuts Estimated To Cost The U.S. Economy $10 Billion Annually
Economists find public R&D drives U.S. productivity growth — and pays for itself
www.forbes.com
May 19, 2025 at 10:25 PM
“Cutting basic science doesn’t save money.”