Marcus William Feldman

Climate change, infectious disease, and the spread of microblades across the Qinling-Huaihe line

The paper explores how climate-driven vector-borne diseases may have influenced migration patterns and microblade distribution across the Qinling-Huaihe line during the Upper Paleolithic.

Evolution under Stochastic Transmission: Mutation-Rate Modifiers

The paper extends the Reduction Principle by showing that stochastic mutation rate fluctuations can reverse the direction of modifier evolution compared to deterministic models.

The refinement paradox and cumulative cultural evolution: collective improvement in knowledge favors conformity, blind copying and hyper-credulity

The paper uses a computer tournament to show that refining knowledge can be advantageous initially but leads to conformity and blind copying in complex cultures.

Hunter-gatherer genomes reveal diverse demographic trajectories following the rise of farming in East Africa

The paper analyzes genomic data from the Chabu, a hunter-gatherer group in Ethiopia, revealing a population bottleneck and diverse demographic responses to agropastoralism in East Africa.

Adaptive social contact rates induce complex dynamics during epidemics

This paper develops a model of adaptive social contact rates during epidemics, showing complex dynamics including oscillations and multiple peaks under parameter changes.

Analysis of Polygenic Score Usage and Performance in Diverse Human Populations

The paper analyzes polygenic score usage and performance across diverse human populations, finding significant disparities in effect sizes and highlighting the need for more inclusive GWAS.

Evolution of resilience in protein interactomes across the tree of life

The paper studies interactome resilience across 1,840 species, finding that interactomes become more resilient over evolution, correlating with environmental adaptability.

Finite-sites multiple mutations interference gives rise to wavelet-like oscillations of multilocus linkage disequilibrium

The paper shows that multiple beneficial mutations in HIV lead to wavelet-like oscillations in multilocus linkage disequilibrium, which can indicate mutation interference.

An Unexpectedly Complex Architecture for Skin Pigmentation in Africans

The paper shows that skin pigmentation in African populations, particularly the KhoeSan, is highly heritable and polygenic, with many new genetic loci identified beyond previously known ones.