Mick Westbury

The @scilifelab.se Ancient DNA Unit is recruiting a (permanent) Research Engineer for planning user projects and generating #aDNA 🧬 data:

Application deadline: March 25th 🧪🏺

www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

Finally published! We first uploaded this preprint in 2022 but dropped it after frustrating reviews.
It was well received and cited, motivating us to revisit it.
We added new content, including simulations and a proof-of-concept genomic green status assessment.
#consgen #popgen #PopulationGenomics

Determinants of mutation load in birds Abstract. Many mutations have detrimental effects. The mutation load in a population depends on the efficacy of purifying selection in removing deleterious

@jochenwolflab.bsky.social
Where do potentially harmful mutations accumulate? We have an answer in birds. Congratulations Fidel for wonderful paper!

doi.org/10.1093/gene...

My Section at DTU is hiring an Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence Bioinformatics
- do you know anyone who could be our new colleague?
tinyurl.com/y6w5xmbe

SMBE2026 Symposium L03 | Beyond limits: unlocking the potential of ancient animal genomics

SMBE2026 Symposium L03 | Beyond limits: unlocking the potential of ancient animal genomics

📨 Abstract submission
smbe2026.org/abstracts

📋 Programme details
smbe2026.org/programme

#SMBE2026

I've slowly been reformatting notes from my population and conservation genetics course at Montana State University into a web book—a rough draft is now live here: elinck.org/popgen_conge...

A young scientist in a white lab coat, holding a pipette and smiling in a laboratory. A large window behind her shows a surreal Scottish landscape with a hippopotamus. Image definately created with AI!

New fully funded PhD! 🦛🦴 Explore the "Hippo & Hyena Haven" of MIS5e Britain w/ @whatkatiedigs.bsky.social @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social. Use isotope analysis & proteomics to study this unique Ice Age ecosystem.

Apply by Jan 14: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Overall: Early Formative communities in the Atacama managed camelids in domestication-like ways, but relied largely on wild or extinct lineages.

Modern llamas & alpacas are not direct descendants of most animals herded here.

Importantly, we find little evidence for early intergeneric hybridisation (Lama × Vicugna), which contrasts with the extensive admixture seen in modern camelids after the Spanish conquest.

Genetic sexing shows roughly balanced male:female ratios across sites.
This fits scenarios of mixed hunting and early herd management, or herding with selective male culling — not fully developed pastoralism yet.

Although animals were managed in domestication-like ways, they appear to not be the direct ancestors of modern llamas or alpacas. This suggests early herding/domestication involved multiple evolutionary pathways.

We analysed nuclear genomic data from 75 ancient camelids from the Tulán ravine — a key region for the transition from hunting to early pastoralism in the South-Central Andes.
Both genera, Lama and Vicugna, were present but most animals belonged to now-extinct or lost lineages.

🦙🧬Pleased to present our new paper out in @natcomms.nature.com 🧬🦙

Palaeogenomics of early camelid use in the Atacama Desert (Chile).

We used ancient DNA to revisit animals being hunted/herded >3,000 years ago.

Manuscript here: rdcu.be/eVwwl
#aDNA #popgen

Thread below🧵
Reposts appreciated :)

This is figure 1, which shows a map indicating the location of the Tulán archaeological sites and the sampling location of the previously published modern South American camelid individuals used in this study.

Ancient Andean societies relied on now-extinct lineages of camelids for resources such as food and transport, according to a genetic analysis in Nature Communications. go.nature.com/48WhPbA 🏺 🧬 🧪

Historical genomics of the declining red squirrel in Britain | Aries Dr Anders Bergström, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia Professor Cock van Oosterhout, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia Dr Selina Brace…

A PhD project on historical genomics in the declining red squirrel in Britain is available in my group, through the @aries-dtp.bsky.social. Use historical genomes to track the effects of decline and genetic rescue in this charismatic species. aries-dtp.ac.uk/studentships...

Q&A: inbreeding and its implications for conservation - BMC Biology Inbreeding depression plays a role in the decline, endangerment, and extinction of small populations, and thus inbreeding has received much attention in conservation biology. The term inbreeding is us...

Our Q&A article on inbreeding for conservation is out in BMC Biology!

We discuss some important key concepts related to inbreeding in the light of new genomic tools and what it means for conservation when we want to improve species survival.

#consgen

bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Deadline for this PhD position is coming on Friday. Please apply and/or share

Only one week left to apply

A fixed mutation in the respiratory complex I impairs mitochondrial bioenergetics in the endangered Apennine brown bear | PNAS Effective conservation genomics of endangered species requires realistic understanding of the fitness consequences caused by the accumulation of de...

Happy to share the latest publication from our labs on the Apennine brown bear, a relict population not far from Rome, Italy. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504409122
Thanks to great co-auths, we moved beyond our "genomic" comfort zone incl. cellular experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.

🦴🧬🦴🧬🦴

Abstract submission is now open for the 1st International Conference on Palaeogenomics!

June 23–26 2026, in Stockholm.

Join researchers from across the field for 4 days and >100 talks (+ poster sessions)!

Submit abstracts here 👉
icp2026.palaeogenomics.org/abstracts/

Deadline: Nov 30th

Chimeric Reference Panels for Genomic Imputation Abstract. Despite transformative advances in genomic technologies, missing data remains a fundamental constraint that limits the full potential of genomic

Excited to share our new paper in
@GeneticsGSA
! We developed "Retriever," a novel method that enables high-quality genotype imputation in non-model organisms. 🧬 Congratulations to Charles on his first PhD paper!

Paper: doi.org/10.1093/gene...

A thread 🧵👇

Postdoctoral position in Population Genomics - Uppsala University Postdoctoral position in Population Genomics, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University

I have funding for a 2-year dry-lab postdoc to join our team @humanevouu.bsky.social 🧪 (Deadline Oct 21st)

The project will utilize modern and #aDNA data from humans and sheep to study environmental adaptation (including method development and simulations).

Please share!
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

☠️🧬 2-yr Postdoc in in Genomic Simulations and Extinction Risk Modelling!
Let's figure out the Genomic signs of Extinction @DTU in Denmark.

Start: Feb 2026 (flexible)
Application deadline: 24 Oct 2025

For details click here: tinyurl.com/BioExtPD

Reposts appreciated 😁

🦣🍖🧬 Fully funded 3-yr PhD in palaeogenomics & bioinformatics! Help me push non-model palaeogenomes beyond their limits @DTU in Denmark.

Start: Feb 2026 (flexible)
Application deadline: 24 Oct 2025

For details click here: tinyurl.com/BioExtPhD

Reposts appreciated 😁

Thanks

Thanks

Cheers Love

Thank you

Thanks!

Excited to share that I’ve started as Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark! 🧑‍🎓

I also received an a NNF Emerging Investigator grant to use genomics + machine learning to study extinction.

👉 PhD & Postdoc positions coming soon — follow for updates!
Reposts appreciated 🙏