Richard Lenski

Chart showing in many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good.

We asked people around the world to rate the morality and ethics of others in their country.

The U.S. is the only place we surveyed where more adults describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad than good. See our full morality report here: www.pewresearch.org/...

"War is God's way of teaching Americans Geography."

Opinion | I Grew Up Unvaccinated. Now I’m an Immunologist.

Great essay from @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social.

Liz’s story resonates with me. I also grew up unvaccinated.

I know my mom made the choice not to vaccinate me and my sisters out of love, misguided as it was.

I got myself vaccinated when I turned 18.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/o...

For those who don’t know me. Here’s a thread.🧵

I was raised by fundamentalist Christian’s who also happened to be anti-vaxx. We also were very poor because my dad left us when I was in late middle school for another woman (a bit counter to the churches teachings but I digress).

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Reminder that the US military budget is larger than the military spending of the next nine largest countries combined.

Over half goes to private defense contractors.

This is the military-industrial complex Eisenhower warned of — on steroids.

To the crews of those tankers: good luck with the sea mines and drones, but don’t worry. If you’re attacked, your boss is insured.

Congrats!

On the expansion and evolution of a master’s project Academics often lament that hardly any master’s projects – even the best ones – get published. The student moves on. Other research takes priority. No one has time to do the final analyses. Here I tel...

Academics often lament that hardly any master’s projects get published. The student moves on. Other research takes priority. No one has time to do the final analyses. Here I tell how one master’s project was, through persistent teamwork, finally carried over the finish line: go.nature.com/4aKs7N3

So far, we’ve gotten into:

1. The oil-tanker escort business
2. The shipping-insurance business
3. The militia-arms and finance business

And it’s only Tuesday.

Epistasis and co-adaptation in bacterial genome evolution Nature Reviews Genetics - Bacterial genome evolution is shaped by epistasis, which can constrain or promote specific evolutionary paths. The authors review how integrating the effects of epistatic...

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years thinking about genome evolution and how recent research revealing complex gene-gene interactions has complicated traditional ‘gene-centric’ genomic approaches to evolution. So here is a review that consolidates these thoughts!

rdcu.be/e6pHY

blue and black ink painting of a black hole

I was gonna show you anyway. This is most of my new body of work, called Forces of Nature, going on exhibit soon at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social #sciart

Black Hole, Ink on Yupo, 2026

"After just a few minutes, Trump has moved on from his war in Iran to the curtains he’s picked out for the White House and his new ballroom. “I picked those drapes in my first term,” he says. “I always liked gold.” There’s light chuckling in the room."

www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03...

www.mlive.com/news/detroit...

I'm begging my fellow politicians, Illinoisans, and Americans to realize that right now, we aren't fighting over policy or political party.

We're fighting over whether we're going to be a country rooted in empathy and kindness — or one rooted in cruelty and rage.

‘Unbelievably dangerous’: experts sound alarm after ChatGPT Health fails to recognise medical emergencies Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases

Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

the fact the president of the united states is even thinking about asserting emergency powers to disrupt an election - just a few years after he incited an armed coup attempt - should be the top issue. but the media mostly shrugs and the opposition doesnt focus on it.

Well, years are years, right? So still a mere 38 years. But the #LTEE is now past 82,000 generations. 🎉

Two individuals introduced as this week's WiPS speakers, IRA ZIBBU and TYLER DE JONG, both from the Barrick lab.

Ira Zibbu (@coolscootre.bsky.social) and Tyler de Jong are MGI graduate students working in the Barrick Lab. Both of them do research related to the Long-Term Evolution Experiment - and they both presented Work in Progress seminars this week.

“.. Nearly 680 data centers are being planned in the United States, according to the data firm Cleanview, requiring the energy-equivalent of 186 large nuclear power plants.”

@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations Leading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases

AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations

Leading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases

www.newscientist.com/article/2516...

Happy 38th birthday to the #LTEE!
#BOTD in 1988.
Keep on evolving!

#science #evolution #microbiology

Thanks. I just took 606 -- the original. 😆 Yummy!

Any left?

WOOT WOOT! We had cake in the Barrick Lab. I ate my current favourite population Ara-6 (it is beating me down with genomic analysis).

This is true in rougly the same sense that a guy on the subway reeking of urine, screaming, and waving a knife around is “feared.”

Happy 38th birthday to the #LTEE!
#BOTD in 1988.
Keep on evolving!

#science #evolution #microbiology

Read the whole thread, too.

Suprematism, by Nikolai Suetin, 1920-21, 📸 by @tiltoncreative

50 NSFs extra!